With no Video Management System (VMS) in place, Platte Valley Schools in Kersey, Colorado, sought a state-of-the-art solution that was affordable and easy to manage. Platte Valley’s system integrator, Linx – the largest and fastest growing technology integrator in the Rocky Mountain region – recommended Video Insight software and ACTi cameras.

 

Located an hour northeast of Denver, in Kersey, Colorado, Platte Valley Schools is a district consisting of three schools (elementary, middle and high school) on one large campus and an administration complex. The task in creating a VMS from scratch was to provide a video surveillance solution that the technology department could manage and school administrators could operate, said Linx Security Engineering Manager Doug Fisichella.

 

Knowing that Video Insight is a technically sophisticated product that is easy to use and affordable, Linx recommended Video Insight for the VMS software using primarily ACTi cameras. Fisichella said they chose ACTi cameras due to their “affordability and quality image.”

 

Cameras used in the school building interior areas are ACTi model ACM-3511 Megapixel IP Fixed Dome Cameras with Vari-Focal Lens for Day/Night. The building exteriors are outfitted with ACTi model ACM-1231 Megapixel Outdoor IP IR Bullet Cameras for Day /Night. Platte Valley is also using two different environmental PTZ models: the ACTi CAM-6610 and ACM 8201 Megapixel IP PTZ due to their extensive capabilities.

 

Because the schools are located on one “enormous” campus, Linx strategically placed the ACTi high-definition, PTZ cameras on each building with the cameras positioned to view the exteriors of each of the other schools for full exterior campus coverage. They also placed high def cameras at the district stadium covering the field as well as the parking lot. Exterior cameras were placed to cover the bus barn to account for buses, equipment and to monitor bus activity. Interior cameras consist of fixed cameras providing coverage of essential school areas such as entrance/exit doors, hallways cafeterias, gymnasiums and administration office areas.

 

Platte Valley IT Director Mike Jakel said the district has easily transitioned into the new system and that administrators have found use of the Video Insight monitoring station and clip retrieval process “very easy” to learn and use. When an incident occurs, Jakel burns a clip with “crystal clear” images for the local police or sheriff’s department in “no time.”

 

"Coming from no system at all to being able to get law enforcement or administration tangible evidence in just a matter of seconds has really been one of the most beneficial parts of having this system,” said Jackel. “We also like the fact that it’s affordable and works well with our existing infrastructure.”

 

Fisichella said those are among several reasons Linx recommends Video Insight for video surveillance solution projects:

It’s Intuitive: “The Video Insight software is intuitive and it’s only one program rather than having to use multiple programs like other software we have used in the past,” Fisichella said. “Plus, I was able to program my first system and train my first client on it and to this day I have yet to be trained on it by Video Insight. It’s that easy to operate.”

It’s Affordable: ““Licensing is very reasonably priced and it’s not tied to the camera so I can have licenses that aren’t used yet. I can even preprogram the ACTi cameras in without knowing the IP address which makes installation so much easier. As an integrator on a project, anything we can do ahead of time makes for much more efficient use of our time.”

You Can Have Different View/Recording Resolutions: “I love the ability to change the viewing resolution without changing the resolution of the recording. In some systems you don’t have as good of control of viewing. You put in megapixel cameras and it still looks like garbage on the screen. So being able to have a better resolution in the live view is much nicer.”

Online Support: “The Video Insight tech support team is very responsive. We particularly like having the ability to communicate with tech support through team viewer online.”

 

Video Insight Chief Technical Officer James Whitcomb said Video Insight’s features are enhanced by partnerships with camera manufacturers such as ACTi.

 

“ACTi provides high quality and reasonably priced camera products that enhance our ability to deliver a sophisticated VMS to any size installation, multi-facility education projects, in particular.”

System Architecture