Barnwood Park School future-proofed their surveillance with VMS and cameras from Synology

In the past, Barnwood Park had limited CCTV coverage, using a multitude of different camera systems and NVRs of different makes and models. This made it difficult for staff to quickly find the right footage in order to resolve incidents, and it often took time to pore over recorded footage to ascertain facts after an incident. As the school grew in size, the older systems proved less viable. With these issues in mind, the staff were searching for a new solution that required little maintenance, had future-proof expansion capabilities, and a simpler way of gleaning information from recorded footage so the staff can save time and focus on their main duties.

Barnwood Park School staff researched suitable surveillance solutions on education-specific IT websites, such as EduGeek and ANME, where they found several users who worked in the same sector recommending Synology Surveillance Station. They ran some tests using a Synology Camera and Surveillance Station on an older Synology NAS unit they used as a backup server, which inspired them to switch their entire security system to Synology.

Simplified management

After ordering 2 x SA3400 units, 40 x BC500 bullet cameras and 45 x TC500 turret cameras, the 85 cameras were distributed throughout the premises, with the bullet cameras recording at 15 FPS outdoors and turret cameras recording at 25 FPS indoors. Using one of the SA3400 units as a host, the cameras were effortlessly integrated using a VLAN by searching across the IP range using Surveillance Station's inbuilt search function and finding all of them. Recorded footage is encrypted and stored on the SA3400 units with a 45 day retention period using RAID, and drives can be removed or swapped out if needed without disruptions to the rest of the system.

Reception staff have a monitoring station than enables them to observe the school's front gate and reception area, and using custom access permissions, other staff members can oversee camera feeds from around the school hall using other devices. Furthermore, their cameras are kept safe with security updates that can be easily installed across the whole fleet using the Central Management System (CMS).

Shortened response time with automated detection

Thanks to Synology's Cameras' AI-powered detection functions, reception staff and teachers on playground duty are able to have a more precise view of people and events on the premises without having to manually pore through live feeds or recorded footage.

 

The cameras around the school gate use vehicle detection to record cars arriving to pick up or drop off students, and to make sure they don't linger and cause obstructions for other cars. Similarly, people detection ensures that children do not enter restricted areas, while intrusion detection features identify line-crossing activity and prevent unauthorized individuals from crossing the school gate.

 

Using inbuilt infrared night vision, Synology Cameras help staff keep the school safe around the clock. The cameras are kept running 24/7, but stop recording at night in order to save space until being triggered by motion detection. The Timeline screen in Surveillance Station allows staff to instantly snap to events that have been recorded, meaning they can respond to events quicker than before.

Synology Surveillance Station proved to be an effective and worthwhile upgrade over Barnwood Park's old system, helping staff to monitor the school grounds and resolve incidents in a short amount of time compared to their former system.

Additionally, the greater image quality from Synology Cameras, easier management and minimal maintenance make them an ideal partner for Surveillance Station. The lack of license fees with Synology Cameras is also an advantage, reducing the total cost of ownership. Some of the other benefits include: