BT rejects ISDN for video linked security service

BT has backed off ISDN for an internal security project linking video cameras at vehicle sites because the service is too expensive and takes too long to install.

Instead, the company has opted for a modem-based service that will transmit video images from cameras at van depots to a central site from where they can be viewed by operators.

BT's southern home counties security manager Mick Nailard said: 'ISDN provides clear pictures. The low cost attracted us to PSTN, which is just as effective. Most systems work on ISDN, but it takes a long time to get the line and it's more expensive.'

Under the project BT has deployed a neural network, called Witness Security from Neurodynamics, at depots in a bid to prevent #8,000 in losses caused annually through petty crime.

Security cameras scan depots and relay activity to an on-site unit where software distinguishes between ordinary activity and suspicious activity. It identifies activity according to features such as the speed at which an individual is moving and their location in the depot.

When it detects suspicious activity the software immediately activates the modem, which broadcasts at 28.8K, to dial-up a control centre where controllers view the pictures.

Nailard said vans were targeted for their engineering kit or stolen from the premises. BT has adopted 10 Witness Security units which it will deploy at the most likely crime sites.