Giving new eyes to Aurora Place

Monday, 31 May, 2021 | Supplied by: Micron Group Australia

Located in the heart of the CBD, Aurora Place is a familiar feature on the Sydney skyline thanks to its distinctive curved facade and towering steel spire. Featuring a mix of commercial and residential tenancies, parts of the building have recently undergone refurbishment, including a major digital CCTV camera upgrade and overhaul of the main security control room.

The CCTV upgrade included the addition of thousands of metres of structured cabling and the installation of state-of-the-art networked security equipment including multiple racks with connecting fibre links, along with CCTV DVR and cameras. Sydney-based security and technology specialists Micron Group supplied the integrated security solution and its purpose-built control room.

The system comprises Axis cameras and a Milestone main head end, and includes Jacques IP servers to deliver a solution that meets the Micron Group philosophy of delivering cutting-edge technology with superior performance. Micron engineers, technicians and IT staff worked with security consultant Scott Myles from ICS Group over three months to bring the project to life.

The installation included four new comms racks strategically located throughout the building from the basement to level 41. Each houses a FOBOT for termination of fibre-optic connections between racks, a network switch and a backup UPS.

The team specified and installed high-grade Siemon CAT 6A cabling throughout the building, to ensure best-in-class performance and usability. Coupled with CAT 6A terminations, the wiring approach delivered an innovative solution for connection of IP-enabled cameras to the Aurora’s HD multimode fibre-optic backbone.

Physical access of the many elevated cameras around the building perimeter presented a unique challenge for Micron engineers. The team worked with building tenants, consultants and management to develop a safety plan that allowed installation through the use of high-reach access equipment. Technicians utilised Fluke Networks industrial DSX network cable analysers to verify cable integrity during cable routing to network racks. Ground floor lobby and external cameras were installed in specified positions to give security personnel eyes into every corner of this premium building. An additional project consideration was continuity of the existing analog CCTV system pending changeover to the new Micron IP solution.

A catalogue of Axis cameras provide vision to the Milestone system, including the 1080p AXIS M3045 V dome installed in corridor and lobby locations and the flagship AXIS P3717-PLE 8MP 360° four-lens multidirectional camera with infrared illumination for uninterrupted coverage of external areas, even at night.

The external public courtyard is monitored by an Axis Q6055-E PTZ dome camera with 32x optical zoom, auto subject tracking and 256 programmable angle and zoom settings.

At the head of the system is the Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS). The team integrated the XPVMS platform across multiple networked PCs within the fully refurbished security control room to drive three large-format 4K TV panels on the wall and a desk-mounted monitor. Additional remote terminals are located in the Security Manager’s office and the fire control room, which also houses the main CCTV rack loaded with a UPS-backed 100 TB combo CCTV management/recording server.

The CCTV set-up is augmented by a Jacques IP video intercom system, with units installed at key locations including ground floor pedestrian and underground carpark entry points. The new system and the building’s existing PACOM access controls are seamlessly integrated with Milestone CCTV to deliver an intercom video stream to within the Milestone XProject interface, giving security personnel a complete picture.