Subscriber Discussion

VLAN For Video Surveillance: Is The Cost Justified?

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Giancarlo Favero
•Jul 10, 2017

Hi, I would like to know the opinion and experiences of other IPVM Members about the following topic: is the cost of implementing VLANs justified in a Videosurveillance system ?

Of course VLANs prevent the diffusion of broadcasts (among other security features), so they may help achieving a better use of available bandwidth.

 

But given that switches that support VLANs have a premium price (a Lantech or Planet can cost up to 450/500 $), isn't it that with the money I have to spend with a premium price switch I can buy a much more performing CPE and/or AP, thus achieving the same result with less price and with less complexity of configuration (setting up a VLAN is not trivial at all and requires some specialized knowledge that the average installer my not have) ?

 

Thanks in advance for any answer or comment.

Giancarlo Favero

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Josh Hendricks
•Jul 10, 2017
Milestone Systems

Whether the cost is justified really depends on the project. A VLAN is, at it's most basic implementation, a method of creating two networks with a single switch. On it's own, there's little value to that besides maybe rack space and potential power savings.

Another reason to use VLANs is the ability to spread a single network over a large geographic space in a cost effective manner. You could send dedicated fiber connections between each building on a campus, and then add a new line every time you add a new service to the network which should be segmented from the others. But that would be incredibly expensive and wasteful. Better to run a single high-bandwidth redundant link and trunk whatever VLANs necessary across that connection.

If you're doing a job where all the surveillance equipment is going to be terminated in one location, you could just as easily use physically separate switches to segment the security/storage/client network from the business network. The switches will probably be cheaper, though I'm not sure if quality switches will be that much cheaper than ones with VLAN support. On the otherhand, if you are segmenting cameras, storage, and clients, the long-term power savings of consolidating the switching equipment might justify VLANing on it's own.

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GF
Giancarlo Favero
•Jul 10, 2017
In reply to Josh Hendricks

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer.

Actually the videosurveillance system is very small and simple: one server site running Genetec Security Center with 9 Axis P1365-E digital cameras. Given that the system is very small and "simple", I have the gut feeling that implementing Vlans with premium price switches adds cost and complexity that might not be balanced by the benefits, in this specific implementation.

Thanks

Giancarlo Favero

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Josh Hendricks
•Jul 10, 2017
Milestone Systems
In reply to Giancarlo Favero

For a 9-camera system you're probably right to skip the added cost/complexity of VLAN. If the customer already had a strong network infrastructure in place and used VLANs, then it would make a lot of sense to have their network administrator add a security VLAN and integrate with their infrastructure.

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JH
John Honovich
•Jul 10, 2017
IPVM

Giancarlo, I have added VLANs as a future survey topic to get a more structured sense of what percentage of projects use VLANs and why.

Related: VLANs for Video Surveillance Tutorial

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Giancarlo Favero
•Jul 10, 2017
In reply to John Honovich

Thanks John, I think that what you propose might be very helpful.

Giancarlo Favero

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Mike Dotson
•Jul 10, 2017
Formerly of Seneca • IPVMU Certified

Another thing to consider is what else is on a switch.   If the switch is a dedicated switch to only handling the VMS structure, then the VLAN may be overkill.

However, if there are external ports allowed, the VLAN will assist in keeping things safer between them.

If there is 'other' traffic on the switch, a VLAN will help identify the real culprit when performance drops in the network.

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Giancarlo Favero
•Jul 10, 2017
In reply to Mike Dotson

You're right: actually besides videosurveillance traffic, there's city Wi-Fi traffic and site-to-site data exchange traffic (for example file transfer, or gathering of data about date and time of arrival or leaving of people at various working sites).

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