Aaron Dale, a market analyst with IHS Inc., recently produced a research note detailing the market for cabling systems geared specifically for video-surveillance systems. Highlights of Dale’s findings include that in 2013, more than 2 million kilometers of new cabling were used in video surveillance systems. “Staggeringly, laid end-to-end this is enough to wrap around the world 50 times over,” he commented. Other key findings are that a total of $540 million was spent on video surveillance cabling and infrastructure last year, and video surveillance applications account for 4 percent of the total Ethernet switch and structured cabling markets combined.
“The study looking at the world market for cabling, Ethernet switches and infrastructure used in video surveillance, forecasts that market growth will exceed the rate for the wider market for video surveillance equipment, as surrounding infrastructure becomes more important,” Dale said. “When specifying systems, cabling and infrastructure has historically been seen as a low priority when compared to cameras and recorders in the video surveillance industry—despite causing the majority of problems. However, this balance is beginning to change. In response to the growing scale and complexity of video surveillance networks, end users are increasingly looking to future-proof their cabling and infrastructure.”
Dale continued, “Longevity of the system even beyond the camera’s lifetime is increasingly featuring in end-users’ cost-benefit analysis; this has the effect of increasing demand in the high-end market.” Dale reports that in 2018, Category 6A or higher Ethernet cabling is expected to equal revenues for Category 6 or lower cabling.
“Some vendors have been quick to capitalize on growth in this market,” Dale’s research note observed. “For example, a number of leading Ethernet switch manufacturers have started producing a line of products tailored for use in video surveillance applications. Furthermore, there has been a host of new partnerships between video surveillance equipment manufacturers and networking equipment manufacturers. Such partnerships are likely to lead to video surveillance being increasingly incorporated on wider networks with more than one purpose.
“As video surveillance end users demand evermore functionality and reliability from their solution, performance of supporting cabling and infrastructure will undoubtedly be more crucial than ever,” Dale concluded.