How to use fibre, and some friendly neighbours, to monitor the perimeter of your Estate or Complex without spending a fortune:
In today’s world, the need for robust security and surveillance systems is everywhere, especially in complex estates where everyone’s safety depends on a secure perimeter. Traditional security measures are often expensive, cumbersome, and rely on a professional to install.
With the rise of Power over Ethernet (PoE) cameras, where power and internet services are all carried on one cable, you and a few members of the community have the power to protect your complex effectively without breaking the bank on a security company.
In the previous ‘how to’ – we explained how to set up your own PoE camera on your unit. Below will explain how to set up perimeter monitoring with the use of PoE cameras, your fibre, and your neighboring units.
What you need:
- Fibre that allows for always on, constant bandwidth that enables good, reliable picture resolution.
- Neighbours on the side of the complex adjacent to the perimeter wall. (See diagram below).
- PoE cameras that are set up on your unit facing the perimeter wall.
- UPS (Backup Power) for your router and setup.
- Shared use Cloud Account that allows more than one person to link and view camera footage (each camera system has their own specific platform that they use or integrate into).
How to setup:
- Once you have installed your PoE setup, get some neighbours to do the same. The PoE camera enables an easier “sale” of the idea to neighbours, as they don’t need to get a separate electrical cable to the camera when it’s mounted outside a unit. So, setup is cheaper and easier.
- Connect the PoE setups to upload to a shared Cloud account that allows more than one person to view camera footage.
- View and monitor the perimeter wall from this shared account.
This is a cost-effective way of monitoring the perimeter wall when extended loadshedding hits and the electric fence goes down. As an added extra – you can give the security at the gate access to the monitoring system as well and have an extra set of eyes on the perimeter.
The use of PoE cameras in complexes and estates, that connect to a shared cloud account, is an affordable and empowering choice when you work together. It’s a cost-effective and scalable solution that ensures continuous protection and integrates as seamlessly into estates as your fibre does.
Community collaboration is the quickest way for South Africans to ensure their own safety. With highspeed fibre services and some creativity, individuals can create a secure, well-connected environment that reflects their needs and priorities, ultimately providing the same peace of mind and confidence in their community and security system as they have in their fibre.
