Moreton Bay goes for wireless surveillance

Moreton Bay Regional Council is overhauling its video surveillance network with a mesh wireless network using high-definition video cameras to cover the council's area of 130 square kilometres and a population of around 370,000.

(Camera surveillance image
by Frédéric Bisson, CC2.0)

Australia's third largest local government has brought in Link Security Group to implement the surveillance upgrade utilising funds from the Federal Government's Safer Cities program.

Link Security Group is using a combination of wireless infrastructure mesh from Firetide, network cameras from Axis Communications and video management software from Milestone Systems for the new network.

To connect around 50 outdoor IP network surveillance cameras around the council area, 42 Firetide outdoor mesh nodes will be used to form the wireless infrastructure mesh network.

In accordance with the council's requirements, the cameras are weather-proof and resistant to vandalism, and have the ability to broadcast at 30 frames per second in high-definition resolution. The system also integrates the council's current CCTV cameras into the new network.

"An increasing number of municipalities find that a wireless infrastructure ... is imperative for successful public safety networks," said Firetide CEO Bo Larsson. "The fact that our wireless networks can place surveillance cameras in locations without existing network infrastructure is crucial for public safety agencies whether they are looking to revitalise urban areas or prevent and prosecute crime."

"Where image quality is the key consideration it is important to have full frame rate video streaming so that activities in a scene and fast-moving objects can be easily seen and captured," Axis Communications ANZ country manager Wai King Wong said.

The project is expected to be completed within a matter of months.