Vigitron multi-core cabling solutions installed at Solar Campus

(16/07/2009)

Known as the Solar Campus, the 1962 school in Wallasey is a Grade II listed structure and was the first building in the world to be heated entirely by solar energy. Multi-core cabling solutions combined with active and passive transmission devices from Vigitron have been installed at the school on the Wirral Peninsular in Merseyside.

The work has been performed by Dante Fire and Security, based in Warrington, Cheshire, and the equipment was supplied by distributor QED.

Alan Roskell, Sales Director of Dante Fire and Security, said: “We have installed predominantly LG fully-functional day/night dome cameras around the site. The runs are considerable and using a multi-core Cat5 solution from Vigitron has meant we do not need to double up with both coaxial and additional cable for telemetry. We have used a pair for telemetry and video, leaving us a spare pair to potentially send alarms back as the application develops. The fact that our engineers do not have to crimp BNCs, strip ends etc. when using Vigitron UTP units produces considerable time savings on this kind of work.”

Mr Roskell continued: “Vigitron’s support and documentation proved first-rate with the units fitting easily into camera towers and housings. We started with an active receiver at the control end but after discussion with a Vigitron representative on site we changed to a passive receiver which acts as a hub, transferring video down the coax to Genie DVRs. Depending on distance of run, we are using either an active transmitter which of course requires voltage or the simple approach of twisted pair coax straight into the camera.”

Vigitron designs and manufactures a full range of high-quality twisted pair transceivers for transmitting colour and B & W video and data over unshielded twisted pair wiring. The company’s passive baluns will cover distances of up to 1,000 feet (305m) using category 5 cable. Vigitron has also recently introduced UTP active receiver hubs with automatic video compensation (AVC).

As well as its huge south-facing solar wall, the two-storey school building in Wallasey contains an array of passive low-energy features. The design was the work of architect Emslie Morgan, a pioneer in the field of solar gains for heating purposes.

Ali Eghbal, president of Vigitron, said: “As a company that is acutely aware of its own carbon footprint and is able to reduce materials usage by ensuring multi-core cable transmits various kinds of data, we are pleased to be working on a building that was at the forefront of the green movement in the United Kingdom.”

Related categories:  Network and data cabling   Security, fire and safety