Traditional CCTV surveillance systems use
control panels to control the PTZ functions of the analog cameras. Larger surveillance systems use custom designed
control desks where one of the functions is the PTZ control.
Those control devices normally use
RS-485 (or RS-232, RS-422) standard to connect to PTZ function of the camera.
It all works perfectly as long as the distance between the control center and the camera site is short, so that the direct cabling solution could be applied. However, when the distance is too long, IP-based solution becomes necessary –
connecting the camera site with the control center over IP-network.
While planning the IP-network support, system integrators often face a dilemma – they have to choose either to stay analog and keep the existing control desk, or to go IP and give up the existing control desk because of compatibility problems.
This article will explain how the existing analog system can be combined with IP-network using ACTi solutions so that
both video streaming and the PTZ control via existing control panel will work perfectly.
