Plano Independent School District

PLANO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
 JVC UPDATES SECURITY SYSTEM WITH CAMERAS, NETWORK VIDEO RECORDERS
Every few years, using funding from public bond initiatives, a handful of schools in the Plano Independent School District (ISD) in Collin County, Texas, are renovated. Since 2009, the district has upgraded many of its analog CCTV systems with JVC VR-X3200U 32-channel network video recorders, VN-H37U IP-based box-style cameras, and a variety of other JVC equipment.

The Plano ISD serves residents in the northern portions of Dallas and Richardson, as well as the city of Plano and parts of two other cities in southwest Collin County. It includes 71 schools, from preschools to senior high schools as well as two special program centers, with more than 55,000 students and nearly 7,000 employees.

Plano ISD Security Police Services, 27 campuses have already upgraded to JVC NVRs, and 16 sites have been completely renovated with JVC cameras and NVRs. Plus, McMillen High School opened for the 2011-2012 school year with JVC security equipment. Each school is equipped with 78-166 cameras monitoring interior and exterior common areas of campus.

"After researching many security camera brands, we chose JVC," a school official said. "And after years of 24/7 service, JVC NVRs and cameras continue to be exceptionally reliable and deliver quality imagery. They are also easy to install and maintain. We get very positive feedback from campuses throughout the district."

Specifically, the JVC cameras provide better images in low light than other cameras he tested. Plus, the picture quality of the recorded video has improved – unlike analog cameras, which require encoding and decoding of the video signal through a digital network, the signal from JVC V.Networks IP-based cameras stays digital throughout the process.

The VR-X3200U has an all-in-one design for viewing, recording, and playback – with high reliability and easy maintenance. XProtect Enterprise IP camera management software from Milestone Systems is embedded within the NVR, which allows Plano ISD to manage the view and access rights to all the cameras from one central server.

Each school has its own CCTV network based around the VR-X3200U, and some sites have as many as nine NVRs networked together to accommodate the numerous CCTV cameras. The use of local NVRs was a big benefit for the district’s network, as it requires far less bandwidth to monitor specific footage from one location than it does to transmit all the footage from hundreds of cameras and dozens of locations to be recorded.

The VR-X3200U’s remote access is another important selling point for many school districts. The NVR’s remote access is an important time-saving feature, because it allows authorized personnel to remotely monitor footage and control cameras from all sites without driving to each campus in the district.

Schools remain one of the largest markets for JVC security equipment. With no recurring license fees for each camera, districts like Plano ISD save thousands of dollars annually. Plus, network installation is simplified with built-in drivers for a number of cameras from JVC and other manufacturers.