Recognizing how important security and safety is to its customers, SEGRO, a property investment and development company headquartered in the has installed a security video system at the Kings Norton Business Centre, in Birmingham. Rather than hard-wiring the system, SEGRO employed a wireless mesh network to help reduce the cost and time of the installation.

Kings Norton Business Centre, the premier business center in south , is located on a 60-acre site. Wholly owned by SEGRO, the center meets the business space needs for a diverse range of companies.

Looking to improve its services and facilities, SEGRO surveyed its customers at the Kings Norton Business Centre; responses showed security and fear of crime as their biggest concerns. It was time to increase security, but, with no ducts on the site and the cost of installing them prohibitive, SEGRO sought a solution that would not rely on hard wiring.

MITIE Security Systems was chosen to carry out the installation, as they offered a wireless solution based on IP rather than radio. MITIE installed eight Pelco Spectra IV dome cameras, all mounted on Altron columns around the business park. Each column has Optex Redwall detectors used to detect activity and automatically move cameras to preset positions. The system uses Fluidmesh wireless IP transmission to relay the signal back to the control room on-site. Converters process the analog signals from the cameras to IP. A Dedicated Micros DVIP digital recorder records all incoming information and links the system to the Business Watch control room, from where the site is monitored.

James Sherwood, surveyor for SEGRO, said, “I’d definitely use this technology again at another of SEGRO’s properties.”

With the system now up and running, there is a new sense of security around the business center. “Security video is a great deterrent and the system gives people using the center the additional benefit of a visual sense of security and safety,” Sherwood added. “This is what is most important to us as a business, so we’re very happy with the results we’ve achieved.”