Mexican prison deploys IP cameras on existing coax infrastructure using Ethernet over coax switch

A Mexican correctional facility was relying on an outdated analog surveillance system that could no longer meet the growing demands of the prison. 

The organisation responsible for managing the prison decided it was time for an upgrade and wanted to modernize the facility with a new IP security solution. 

The customer was interested in deploying IP cameras due to their enhanced video quality, better analytic capabilities, and overall improvement of security for staff, inmates, and the surrounding community.

Addressing challenges

Several barriers needed to be addressed before the customer could deploy the new IP surveillance solution. 

The existing analog security cameras were supported by a Coax infrastructure that ran through the entirety of the prison. The concrete walls of the facility made it extremely difficult and costly to rip-and-replace the existing, yet reliable, Coax infrastructure.

The concrete walls of the facility made it extremely difficult and costly to rip-and-replace the existing Coax infrastructure

Standard PoE switches

Additionally, IP cameras needed to be deployed across all 23 areas of the prison. Considering the 328ft (100m) reach limitation of standard Power over Ethernet switches, the organisation was concerned with the cost and space requirements of installing several IDF closets throughout the facility to ensure connectivity in all 23 areas. 

The customer needed to reduce the infrastructure costs of the project to justify the return on investment to the province.

Digital transformation barriers 

Disruption was also a major issue while planning the digital transformation project. Like all correctional facilities, there are strict policies surrounding operation schedules. 

Any work done to the prison could not interfere with daily operations, to ensure the safety of staff and the community. The organisation needed an innovative solution to overcome its digital transformation barriers and improve the project’s ROI.

NVT's EoC technology

Given the project’s challenges, an IT Manager for the province recommended NVT Phybridge Ethernet over Coax technology. The IT Manager had been an expert in the field for over 10 years and had used NVT Phybridge products in the past. The prison’s digital transformation team was intrigued by the technology and booked an online meeting to learn more.

The NVT Phybridge CLEER products delivers Ethernet and PoE+ over any new or existing Coax infrastructure

The NVT Phybridge CLEER family of products delivers Ethernet and PoE+ over any new or existing Coax infrastructure with up to 6,000ft (1,830m) reach – that’s 18 times farther than standard PoE solutions. The customer was impressed with the technology and decided to move forward with the project; having found the perfect solution.

Coax infrastructure

The customer used NVT Phybridge CLEER innovations to leverage the existing and reliable Coax infrastructure; avoiding the costly rip-and-replace upgrade strategy. 

There was no disruption to the prison during implementation, as infrastructure requirements were significantly simplified. 

“The NVT Phybridge equipment allowed us to reduce the initial costs of the project, allowing the project to be approved,” said the Government Agency’s Project Manager.

IP cameras for centralised monitoring 

The institution deployed over 80 IP cameras across the facility without the need for a single new IDF closet, thanks to the solution’s long reach capabilities. 

The customer was able to keep the security network completely independent of the main network for ease of management. NVT Phybridge helped the customer converge the networks with a single wire in a highly secure manner to ensure centralised monitoring of the system.

“NVT Phybridge helped simplify the deployment of IP technology in a difficult environment, which ultimately made the project feasible,” said Enrique Nares, Presale Engineer at Grupo HEMAC.

Benefits of the solution 

The customer achieved incredible results, using the NVT Phybridge Ethernet over Coax solution to:

• Avoid the disruptive and costly rip-and-replace upgrade method, reducing infrastructure costs by more than USD 50,000
• Reduce the total deployment time by five months
• Deploy a new IP surveillance solution throughout the prison with no operational disruption
• Simplify network design by leveraging the existing, point-to-point, Coax infrastructure
• Avoid additional maintenance costs associated with complex networks and IDF closet requirements