Sydney Metro Airports CCTV Upgrade Bankstown
Bankstown Airport CCTV Project Design and Installation. One reason Micron Group technicians love CCTV work is that every project is unique and brings its own set of challenges and rewards. Nowhere is that truer than with an innovative CCTV system recently installed at Sydney Metro Airports (SMA) Bankstown.
The Design
Working closely with consultants from ICS Group, Micron Group (a Security Master license installer) was invited to design a CCTV system to cover all main airport buildings, entries, and roads. Sounds simple enough on the surface but add the vast distance between camera locations, the need to meet strict telecommunication standards, and high security protocols for the aviation industry, and all conventional approaches go out the window.
Micron Group engineers met these challenges head on, designing a hybrid wired/wireless CCTV system built around the powerful Milestone VMS system, industry-leading Axis Communication cameras networked together with a seamless combination of Siemons Cat 6A structured cabling extended by a powerful AnyWhere Node wireless system for the street cameras.
The decision to utilise wireless connectivity to the several street pole mounted camera locations brought with it the critical need to avoid interference with the various aviation radio frequencies broadcasting onsite.
The Installation
Over an intense three-month period, an experienced five-tech team set to work, first installing Siemons Cat6A structured cabling to the roof of the SMA Building where a powerful AnyWhere Node wireless antenna was next installed. Specialised Cat 6A was also installed to the outside of the building where Axis multi-sensor cameras were installed, the equivalent of four independently adjustable cameras in one, for seamless 360° panoramic views. Ubiquiti Pro POE switches were installed to power the cameras and connect to the headend, setup within the SMA Building comms room.
Loaded with the latest Milestone XProtect Expert 2021 VMA software, the ‘brain’ of the system comprises three Dell PowerEdge R740X recording servers (100TB each) and a Dell PowerEdge R240 management server. Packed with features the system can effortlessly accommodate up to 200 cameras.
It’s now the real fun begins. Using diesel knuckle booms, technicians and engineers began the installation of AnyWhere Wireless Mesh X32 Nodes, X33 radio satellite transmitters and seven additional Axis Multi-sensor cameras all installed on street poles at locations around Bankstown airport, covering 28 key camera views as identified by the Bankstown airport cctv consultants.
Three License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras were also installed at airport entries to capture the plate of every car entering or exiting.
To protect against loss of coverage due to power outages, a military grade DIN-rail mounted UPS system was installed inside the base of each pole, custom designed to resist the extreme temperatures metal street poles can reach on the hottest Bankstown summer day.
An unexpected but necessary step in the project was the full replacement of old wooden poles with new steel poles, and the rerouting of data and power cabling.
At the commencement of the project power to the poles was switched via contactors only when lighting was required. To get around this problem engineers provided 24-hour power to the UPS while retaining lighting control, existing contactors were bypassed, and pole-mounted Photoelectric sensor switches installed.
End User Experience
Maintaining the security and safety of buildings and people within an airport environment is a substantial challenge, with potentially thousands of pedestrians and vehicles entering and exiting weekly. Micron Group were proud to deliver a comprehensive surveillance system providing vastly better monitoring of SMA Bankstown’s buildings and arterial roads.
Client feedback was noteworthy, with both guards and SMA staff delighted with the powerful new surveillance tools at their disposal, especially the fully integrated LPR system which utilises the impressive capabilities of both Axis and Milestone XProtect.
