Spanish Retail Giant Uses NVT Phybridge Ethernet Over Coax Technology In Massive Security Upgrade

One of the largest department store groups in Europe was relying on outdated analog security cameras and needed to strengthen its physical security measures. The retailer decided to modernize to an IP-based surveillance system in each of its retail locations to deter theft and provide better recognition capabilities.

Modernization phases 

Given the number and immense size of each store, the project was going to be massive. The organization decided to modernize its security system in two phases.

The first phase would involve upgrading the existing analog devices with IP cameras at each location. Phase two would include expanding the security system with additional IP cameras to provide complete surveillance coverage. The organization was specifically interested in having IP cameras at each check-out terminal to ensure the safety of its employees.

To successfully achieve the project’s objectives, the organization determined it would need to deploy and support over 90,000 IP cameras across the organization’s retail facilities.

Setting up an IP infrastructure

The organization was uncertain about how to proceed and searched for a solution that would allow for modernization of IP

Before the retailer could move forward with the project, it needed to establish the necessary infrastructure to support the new IP solution.

A Coax-based infrastructure was supporting the existing analog cameras, and the organization was not interested in the traditional rip-and-replace upgrade method, as they were concerned with:

• Extremely high costs and time requirements to retrofit hundreds of locations with new cabling and equipment
• Loss of revenue and a poor customer experience due to the business disruption caused by the renovations
• Losing valuable retail floor space from the IDF closets required to connect the IP cameras exactly where they were needed
• Ensuring a smooth and efficient modernization across every location

The organization was uncertain about how to proceed and searched for a solution that would allow for a more graceful modernization of IP.

Power over Ethernet technology

The Spanish retailer discovered NVT Phybridge and engaged with a digital transformation specialist to learn more. NVT Phybridge worked closely with the customer to understand their objectives and challenges and recommended Modern LAN design and the CLEER24 (Ethernet over Coax) managed switch solution.

CLEER24 switch

CLEER24 switch transformed the existing Coax-based infrastructure into a robust and secure IP backbone

The award-winning CLEER24 switch delivers power and data over any new or existing Coax-based infrastructure with reach capabilities up to 6,000ft (1,830m) – that’s 18 times farther than standard Ethernet switches.

The customer was impressed with the proposal and wanted to see the solution in action. A no-obligation proof of concept was arranged at one of the retail locations to test the technology in the customer’s environment.

In just a few simple setup steps, the enterprise-grade CLEER24 switch transformed the existing Coax-based infrastructure into a robust and secure IP backbone. Due to the success of the proof of concept, the retailer was completely confident in the CLEER24 solution and was finally able to move forward with its IP modernization initiative.

Scalable surveillance system

By leveraging Modern LAN Principles and the CLEER24 innovation, the retailer was able to deploy over 90,000 IP cameras across the organization.

The Ethernet over Coax innovation allowed the customer to reuse its existing Coax-based infrastructure; eliminating the high cost, risk, complexity, and disruption that would have been caused by the traditional rip-and-replace model.

Additionally, the NVT Phybridge EC4 Adaptor was used to easily expand the surveillance system, providing the freedom to connect up to 4 IP cameras using a single long-run Coax cable.

IP modernisation objectives

The customer took a proactive approach to find new and better ways to support its IP modernization objectives in a financially and socially responsible manner.

The organization changed the conversation to improve their outcome; using Modern LAN Principles and Power over Ethernet innovations to:

• Reduce infrastructure costs by more than $20 million; allowing more budget to be allocated to applications and better application adoption
• Simplify network requirements and significantly reduce the total deployment time
• Eliminate business disruption to maintain optimal customer experience and avoid loss-of-revenue
• Maintain a physically separate network path for the security devices and applications to ensure the security and performance of the overall business network
• Increase safety and security by increasing the number of cameras deployed in a single location using the EC4 Adaptor
• Save precious retail space by eliminating the need to install additional IDF closets
• Prevent over 3,000 tons of cabling e-waste from ending up in a landfill

The rackmount capabilities helped the customer stack and configure the switches in multiple configurations to fit their unique needs. The CLEER24 switch comes standard with PowerWISE® technology, allowing four switches to be stacked together for power-sharing, load balancing, and power redundancy.