DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

Helios will protect U.S. borders, pipelines, mines...

Illegal immigration and smuggling from Mexico is a serious problem for the United States. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the government has put pressure on sealing the border.
Americans use different means for border monitoring, such as motion detectors, thermal imaging, X-ray equipment. Unfortunately, still about one million immigrants a year illegally come to the U.S., as only 30% of the border is heavily guarded, usually near large cities.
The University of Arizona has investigated the Helios Distributed Acoustic Sensor, manufactured by FOtech Solutions of UK. This is the name of an uncomplicated system consisting of a standard single mode communications fiber optic cable buried about 45 cm in the ground and the analyzer.

The simplicity of the Helios system - only the fiber optic cable and analyzer
(source: www.engr.arizona.edu)

The optical fiber as a single sensor can be extended to a distance of 50 km, in 2011 it is planned to increase this distance to 125 km.
Sound waves generated by a moving object get into the fiber and cause distortion of the running light beam, which is read by the analyzer. The analysis of the deformation allows to determine the probable cause of the event and, with an accuracy of about 1 m, where it took place.

A picture from the analyzer for a person walking (lower red line)
and running (upper left corner). The balloons symbolize registered events.
(source: www.engr.arizona.edu)

The system was tested for distinguishing between movement of a small animal, horse, vehicle, a single man or group of people - all in harsh desert conditions (poor transmission of sound waves in sand).
The tests showed a clear distinction between these events.

The overall performance of the Helios system in the Arizona border security environment was very good. The simplicity and high potential of the system increase the chances for its deployment. Unofficial estimates show that the cost of the system for the United States will make about 10% - 20% of the cost of building fences, the latter estimated at $ 2 million per mile.

Implementation of this system in the U.S. will lead to the development of security technology ideal for protecting pipelines, tunnels, railway lines, etc. It is worth noting that currently there is no satisfactory way to protect these facilities. Another application might be to locate tremors in mines, as well as the miners in the event of a collapse. Helios system can also be employed for tunnel digging detection, necessary both for protecting borders and guarding prisons.

One of the most famous fortresses in the world.

Today, the cameras protect the ruins from devastation wrought by the visitors. Almost two thousand years ago, the fortress was the site of a heroic defense, becoming a symbol of courage and determination.
Since 6 A.D., the fortress served as a Roman border watchtower. In the year 66 A.D., during an uprising, the Romans were driven from it. In the year 73 A.D., the fortress was one of the last centers of insurgent resistance.
Five thousand Roman soldiers laid siege there, supported by nine thousand slaves and prisoners used mainly for earthworks. They built embankment that was used as the base for a siege tower.
When the insurgents saw the futility of further defense, they agreed to a proposal for a collective suicide, put forward by their commander. Every man killed his wife and children, then randomly selected ten of the insurgents killed the rest of the men. The last one, chosen of the ten, killed members of the group and finally committed suicide. Ancient historians tell of 960 defenders who took their own lives.
The only survivors were two women with five children, hidden in a cistern.

Which fortress is it, in which country? The answer at the end of this issue.

Today, the cameras protect the ruins from devastation wrought by the visitors...

The most common cause of problems with antenna systems.

The most common cause of problems with the startup of SMATV systems and, during operation, the reason of the greatest number of failures, is an improper installation of antenna connectors and outlets.
Below we present the proper installation procedure for subscriber terminal outlet Signal TV-FM-SAT/RJ-45/RJ-11 RTV-SAT/RJ-45/RJ-11 R694043.
We invite you to watch the movie.

TV on treadmills at a fitness club.

A fitness club owner decided to upgrade the gym equipment. To ensure the highest possible comfort, the newly purchased treadmills have been equipped with LCD monitors with TV tuners.

The installer was to bring selected satellite channels (6) to all LCD panels (16). The SAT TV system employs quatro LNB and multiswitch Signal MP-0508 R6944508. The unscrambled video signals from satellite receivers are distributed via a set of RF modulators (TERRA MT41 R871747). Two spare outputs of the multiswitch can be used in the future - for adding two next channels or supplying SAT signals to the relaxation area and front desk.

Diagram of the TV system installed in the fitness club

The signals from the RF modulators are combined by the 6-way splitter Signal R-6 R60106, and then distributed via 4 paths created by the outputs of the 4-way TV/FM splitter Signal R-4 R60104. Due to short distances between stands, the RF distribution system uses pass-through concept with taps. Each stand is equipped with 1-way tap Signal O-1-6dB R602106. This solution enables a convenient distribution of the RF signals and high separation between the inputs of the LCD receivers.

Thanks to using high quality components there were no technical problems. High-class TERRA modulators ensure very high C/N ratio of the output signals. The signal loss in the Triset-113 E1015 cable and Signal components do not exceed 30 dB, whereas the maximum output level of the modulators is 95 dBuV. This ensures a "safe" level of the signals at the inputs of the receivers.

AverMedia DVRs/NVRs connect with Android phones.

The AndroidViewer application for remote access from Android phones to video surveillance systems based on AverMedia NVRs and Hybrid DVRs was officially launched on December 14.

EH5216H+ M75216 and 5108H+ M72508 are modern 16-channel and 8-channel hybrid digital video recorders (DVR/NVR). These products set new trends in the field of video data recording from IP cameras, while combining the advantages of video recorders cooperating with analog cameras. The devices are capable of recording video streams encoded in H.264, MPEG-4, or M-JPEG, from cameras coming from more than 45 manufacturers. Freely configurable IP/analog inputs allow the user for a smooth transition from analog technology into the new age of megapixel cameras.

Analog cameras are connected to BNC inputs on the rear panel of the DVR/NVR, IP cameras to the LAN
(the same in which operates the DVR/NVR) or to the Internet, in any location.

AverMedia DVRs/NVRs are supported by the following software:

An effective way of protecting automatic car wash.

The owner of an unmanned car wash decided to protect the site against vandalism by installing a video monitoring system. The investor wanted to monitor people and vehicles entering the area, both day and night.
The video surveillance was to cover two washing stands, providing video quality suitable to identify registration numbers of vehicles and faces of people entering the area. An additional requirement was access to the video via the Internet.

The video surveillance system has been based on HIKVISION DS-8108HDI-S M76080 DVR, capable of recording in each channel 4CIF images at 12 fps. This resolution of the video footage allows for recognition of human faces and license plates of vehicles within the monitored area.
The digital video recorder is connected to the Internet using an external IP address, which allows to remotely view the live and recorded video. The DVR has been equipped with HDDs dedicated for continuous operation in CCTV systems - SEAGATE 1 TB SV35.5 M89265.

The most important places are covered by day/night cameras Sunell M11209 with Tokina lenses. The cameras provide images with high quality, they are also equipped with mechanical IR cut filters (ICR) that ensure accurate color rendition during the day and good gray scale at night.
The cameras have been put into Marathon MHB-806/12 M5408 housings installed beyond the reach of the water from the washing stands. At night, the area is illuminated with IR illuminators Redbeam IR40 M1640, attached to the housings with M9950 screws. The illuminators flood the area with infrared light within a distance of 30 m.

CCTV installation diagram

Video surveillance of a ski slope.

The owner of a ski slope decided to install a CCTV system in order to secure the people and ski lift.
The snow conditions and people on the slope are observed by megapixel network cameras Pixord P600E K1532 equipped with megapixel wide-angle varifocal lens UltiEye M2263. The IP cameras are protected against adverse weather conditions by Marathon M5406 housings.
For economic reasons the video data is not recorded by any server. The video footage from last three days, recorded on a continuous basis, is available on the 32 GB SD cards installed directly in the K1532 cameras. The footage can be used as evidence in the case of accidents on the slope.

For advertising the ski slope on the Internet, the owner uses a different model of Pixord megapixel cameras - PL-621E K1533. The video is available online on his website using popular browsers - IE and Firefox.

The components of the video surveillance system for monitoring the ski slope

The cameras are integrated into one system by N2311 access points and ADSL router with 4-port switch and 802.11n AP - TP-Link TD-W8960N N2904.

TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND as a DLNA server.

Many televisions available on the market are equipped with LAN ports, using Ethernet connection to work with other DLNA certified devices. DLNA stands for the Digital Living Network Alliance, a non-profit collaborative trade organization gathering more than 250 member companies in the fields of consumer electronics, computer equipment, mobile devices, as well as service providers.
The home network devices compatible with DLNA include PCs and network attached storage (NAS) devices, TVs, stereos, home theaters, audio/video receivers, video displays, game consoles, Internet tablets, PDAs, network printers, mobile phones, portable music players and mobile media tablets designed for viewing multimedia content.
The best solution is if the DLNA server works on a continuous basis, so that the digital photos, music and videos can be played at any time on the TV(s) or other digital media players.

After connecting a DLNA TV to the home computer network, the user has access to the full multimedia content contained in the home archives, including files on mobile phones and other connected devices. DLNA certified devices allow to play all media shared by the digital media server.

Using TP-LINK TL-WR1043 N3253 and installing OpenWRT software, everyone can build a DLNA server. A big advantage of the wireless router is the possibility of connecting an external USB drive. Employing a hard drive, the NAS can store and share multiple videos, images, music pieces. The transmission of data between the digital media server (TP-LINK) and digital media players (e.g. the TV) can be performed wirelessly.

An application of a DLNA server and Wi-Fi transmission

Masada in Israel.

The fortress is situated atop an isolated rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert on the Dead Sea in Israel. Access to the flat summit is very difficult, the fortress is protected by steep cliffs up to 410 meters above the Dead Sea. Romans had built the embankment for a year before they were able to get there. Now the tourists can climb up onto the plateau on foot or use cable railway.

Model of the Masada rock and fortress

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Crimping F connector on coaxial cable. The connector has been designed to ensure watertightness (after crimping) both from the side of the cable and the device. During compression of the connector another plastic bush is tightly pressed against the sheath of the cable (by putting on cone brass case - the compression ring). The plastic material is protected by patent Delrin of well known for quality of products DuPont company. It is UV-proof, and ensures stable physical parameters in very wide temperature range...

Crimping Platinum F connector on Triset 113 coaxial cable

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