Barnwood Park School Enhances Security with Synology's Unified, AI-Powered Surveillance System

In the past, Barnwood Park had limited CCTV coverage, relying on various camera systems and NVRs from different manufacturers. This made it challenging for staff to locate the right footage needed to resolve incidents quickly, often requiring extensive time to review recorded material to determine the facts after an event. As the school expanded, the older systems became increasingly impractical. Given these challenges, the staff sought a new solution requiring minimal maintenance, offering future-proof expansion capabilities, and providing a simpler method for retrieving information from recorded footage. This would allow staff to save time and focus on their primary duties.

The staff at Barnwood Park School researched appropriate surveillance solutions on education-focused IT websites like EduGeek and ANME. They found several recommendations from users in the same sector for Synology Surveillance Station. To evaluate its effectiveness, they conducted tests using a Synology camera and Surveillance Station on an older Synology unit that was being used as a backup server. This experience motivated them to transition their entire security system to Synology.

After ordering 2 units of SA3400, 40 bullet cameras of model BC500, and 45 turret cameras of model TC500, 85 cameras were distributed throughout the premises. The bullet cameras were set up to record outdoors at 15 FPS, while the turret cameras were positioned to capture indoor footage at 25 FPS. 

One of the SA3400 units was used as the host to integrate the cameras effortlessly using a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). This was achieved by searching across the IP range with the built-in search function of Surveillance Station, which successfully located all the cameras. The recorded footage is encrypted and stored on the SA3400 units, with a retention period of 45 days, utilizing a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID). The drives can be removed or exchanged without disrupting the rest of the system.

The reception staff have access to a monitoring station that allows them to observe the school's front gate and reception area. With custom access permissions, other staff members can view camera feeds around the school hall using different devices. Additionally, the camera systems are kept secure with regular security updates that can be easily installed across the entire fleet using the Central Management System (CMS).

Thanks to Synology's cameras' AI-powered detection features, reception staff and teachers on playground duty can gain a clearer view of people and events on school premises without the need to manually sift through live feeds or recorded footage.

The cameras at the school gate utilize vehicle detection to record cars arriving to pick up or drop off students, ensuring that they do not linger and obstruct other vehicles. Additionally, people detection functions help prevent children from entering restricted areas, while the intrusion detection feature identifies any unauthorized individuals crossing the school gate.

Equipped with built-in infrared night vision, Synology cameras assist staff in maintaining safety around the clock. The cameras operate continuously but pause recording at night to conserve storage space, only resuming when motion is detected. The Timeline screen in Surveillance Station enables staff to quickly navigate to recorded events, allowing for a faster response to situations as they arise.

Synology Surveillance Station has proven to be an effective and valuable upgrade over the old system used at Barnwood Park. It enables staff to monitor the school grounds more efficiently and respond to incidents more quickly than before.

The improved image quality from Synology cameras, combined with easier management and minimal maintenance, makes them an excellent match for the Surveillance Station. Additionally, the absence of license fees for Synology cameras is a significant advantage, lowering the total cost of ownership. Other benefits include:

• Centralized management of all cameras enables batch updates through the CMS
• Multiple live feeds can be displayed simultaneously on a single convenient screen
• Custom permissions allow staff to have varying levels of viewing access in specific areas
• The timeline feature helps staff quickly locate events of interest
• AI detection tools provide essential information more rapidly, saving staff time