April 7, 2014—A recent report from global information company IHS shows trends in the security equipment market that FMs may find surprising, considering that purchasing cabling and infrastructure is typically given a lower priority than purchasing cameras and recorders. The report reveals that over 2 million kilometers of new cabling was used in video surveillance solutions in 2013. Laid end-to-end, this is enough cable to wrap around the world 50 times over, and amounts to a total spend of $540 million on video surveillance cabling and infrastructure in 2013, says IHS.
Cabling and Infrastructure in Video Surveillance Report – 2014, which looks at the world market for cabling, Ethernet switches and infrastructure used in video surveillance, forecasts that market growth will exceed the rate for the wider market for video surveillance equipment as surrounding infrastructure becomes more important.
When specifying video surveillance systems, ordering cabling and infrastructure has historically been lower on the priority list when compared to cameras and recorders—despite causing the majority of problems, notes IHS. However, the research shows that this balance is beginning to change.
Aaron Dale, market analyst in the Security Group at IHS, comments, “In response to the growing scale and complexity of video surveillance networks, end-users are increasingly looking to future-proof their cabling and infrastructure. Longevity of the system even beyond the camera’s lifetime is increasingly featuring in end users’ cost-benefit analysis; this has the effect of increasing demand in the high end market. Indeed, by 2018, Category 6a (or higher) Ethernet cable is expected to equal revenues for Category 6 (or lower) cable.”
According to the report, some vendors have been quick to capitalize on growth in this market. For example, a number of leading Ethernet switch manufacturers have started producing a line of products tailored for use in video surveillance applications. Furthermore, there have been a host of new partnerships between video surveillance equipment manufacturers and networking equipment manufacturers. Such partnerships are likely to lead to video surveillance being increasingly incorporated on wider networks with more than one purpose, notes IHS.
“As video surveillance end users demand ever more functionality and reliability from their solution, performance of supporting cabling and infrastructure will undoubtedly be more crucial than ever,” concludes Dale.
