April 9, 2008 -- At ISC West in Las Vegas, Zarlink Semiconductor showcased its portfolio of optical aggregation technologies for video surveillance systems. Products on display included the company's video IP surveillance (VIPS) camera and control room optical modules, as well as its plug-and-play multi-Gigabit optical cable for network interconnections.
The company maintains that increasingly advanced security, safety and monitoring video applications, including thermal monitoring and image analysis, have necessitated a new class of optical products that can handle bandwidth-intensive applications with flexibility to support future upgrades. The company contends that operators now require field technologies that support Ethernet-based networks while operating seamlessly with installed equipment, along with control room platforms that can handle increasing fiber connectivity from new camera deployments, and new interconnect technologies that can easily link equipment such as digital video recorders with data centers and storage systems.
Zarlink says its electrical-to-optical and optical-to-electrical compact modules for video surveillance systems cover first level aggregation of IP cameras as well as backbone connectivity through the use of active optical cable assemblies for 10 G interconnects. As video security traffic is increasingly terminated in data centers, the company says its ZLynx active optical cable can extend aggregated Gigapixel camera traffic over off-the-shelf Ethernet switches.
The Zarlink VIPS products simplify installation and expansion of IP video surveillance systems by providing an extended point-to-point connection of up to 2,000 meters among cameras, video servers and control room equipment over single-stranded multimode optical fiber. The company claims the compact (41.5 x 61.5 x 28.3 mm) modules are half the size of competing devices and require just 1.5 watts, meaning they can be easily integrated into camera enclosures or space-constrained installations. The use of multimode optical fiber eliminates the need for multiple switches, connection points and long runs of copper, while also protecting against security and weather-related concerns.
The Zarlink ZL60615 ZLynx is a plug-and-play active optical cable assembly solution for extending aggregated Gigapixel camera traffic up to 100 meters over off-the-shelf Ethernet switches that offer 10 Gbit/sec uplink interfaces. The optical cable allows end-users to plug-and-play using the standard powered CX-4 connector available on most Ethernet switches with 10 Gbit/sec uplinks.
At ISC West, Zarlink demonstrated of its VIPS products with complementary technologies from Axis Communications and Visual Defence. Zarlink's ZL60239 and ZL60240 camera-side VIPS products were shown optically networking Axis 211M network cameras to Zarlink's fully populated ZL60214 control room rack mount solutions via multimode fiber. The ZL60214 control room rack optically aggregated camera traffic to an Ethernet switch, with the entire network monitored by the Axis Camera Station software. In addition, the Axis 211M network cameras were optically networked directly to Visual Defence's IP Mobile Digital Video Storage Solution (IP mDVSS), a digital video recorder, using the Zarlink VIPS technology.