White Paper: Making The Fiber-To-IP Video Connection

As video surveillance technology continues the transition from analog to digital, a constant is the critical need for reliable transmission of the video signal. In the analog age, coaxial cable carried the signal from the camera dependably to the recording device or monitoring station. It is still widely used, although it has limitations, including limited transmission distance and signal degradation over long cable runs. The transition to digital video brings with it a change from widespread use of coax to the use of Cat-5/UTP cable and high-speed Ethernet connections using Internet protocol (IP) to send digitized video images. Wireless transmission methods have also found utility at various points on the analog-to-digital timeline, whether it was radio frequency or microwave transmission of analog signals or the so-called WiFi networks and vast third-generation wireless networks used today.

Fiber optics have had a role in video transmission for many years, starting in the days when analog video signals commonly traveled using amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) across fiber optic cables. But that role is changing with the transition to digital. Now, fiber optics are capable of sending massive amounts of digital information across vast distances, securely and immune to electromagnetic interference. Fiber optic cables work alongside other connectivity media in the digital age, often providing the "backbone" of high-speed digital networks that deliver the bandwidth essential to video and security applications.

This white paper will cover important aspects of digital video connectivity, focusing on the role of technologies that make the critical connections in today's security and video surveillance systems. Fiber optics are just part of the picture, and networking of IP-based video is leading a path into greater connectivity and functionality for digital surveillance systems.