Wisenet four-channel remote head camera module issued by Hanwha Techwin

As their name implies, they’re designed to be installed remotely from the other components of a video surveillance camera and this means they can be discretely installed within an ATM and other tight spaces, or located neatly in the corner of a room or a lift with the help of mounting brackets.

With Hanwha Techwin’s powerful Wisenet7 chipset at its heart, the PNM-9000QB camera module is able to simultaneously process images from the four remote head cameras. With less cable and network switches required, this makes the modules far more cost-effective than their single channel predecessor as the time system integrators have to spend on site is reduced.

Given that there’s only a single IP connection, there’s also a cost saving to be had for end users due to the fact that a lone VMS license is all that’s required.

Network security

When connected via specially designed cables and installed on the other side of a wall to a module, the camera heads are totally isolated from the network. Although this is likely to be of benefit to most end users, it will be of particular importance to the management teams in banks who need to protect confidential customer data and prevent fraud.

Additional protection comes in the form of Tamper Detection which generates an alarm if someone covers, changes the angle of or spray paints a given lens. The Tamper Detection feature is included in the module’s suite of intelligent video analytics, as is defocus detection, motion detection and loitering detection.

Low-light conditions

The Wisenet7 chipset at the heart of the PNM-9000QB features Hanwha Techwin’s latest generation ‘extreme’ Wide Dynamic Range technology. This performs at up to 120 dB to enable each of the remote camera heads to capture clear andsharp 2 MP Full-HD images at full frame rate even in strongly contrasting light conditions which, of course, often exist at ATM locations.

With the support of WiseStream II, the bandwidth required to transmit images captured by a PNM-9000QB is significantly reduced, which may negate the need for banks to incur the cost of upgrading network capacity when the camera is retrofitted at an existing ATM location.

Put simply, this is because bandwidth efficiency is improved by up to 75% when compared to current H.264 technology when WiseStream II is combined with H.265 compression.

Edge recording

Two Micro SD/SDHC/SDXC slots enable up to 512 GB of video or data to be stored at the edge should communication between the PNM-9000QB and a Wisenet NVR be disrupted.

The Automatic Recovery Back-Up feature built into the latest generation of Wisenet NVRs facilitates the transfer and seamless storage of the images held on the PNM-9000QB’s SD cards when the network connection is restored. This provides continuity of recording and negates the risk of what could be valuable video evidence being lost.

Other key features of the new modules include the following:

*Hallway View enables operators to effectively monitor tall and narrow spaces such as shopping aisles 

*Support for H.265, H.264 and MJPEG compression formats

*Two alarm inputs/outputs (I/O)

*HDMI output

*Power over Ethernet (PoE+) which negates the need to install a power supply and separate cabling for the camera

Cyber secure

The UL Cyber Security Assurance Program (UL CAP)-certificated Wisenet7 chipset built into the PNM-9000QB is packed with technologies which collectively offer the highest possible levels of protection for edge-based cameras from the activities of cyber criminals.

These cyber security technologies, together with Tamper Detection and the use of special network cables, offer banks, retailers and other types of end users peace of mind that their confidential data will be kept safe from hackers.

The PNM-9000QB has also been developed to meet the UK’s Secure by Default standard and, as such, is cyber and network secure by default out-of-the-box.

“The PNM-9000QB camera module offers a highly secure and cost-effective way for security personnel to monitor live images or capture video evidence of activity at rows of ATMs installed at airports, banks, hotels, leisure facilities or Shopping Centres,” urged Uri Guterman, head of product and marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe.

“With criminals finding ever-more sophisticated ways in which to commit fraud at ATMs, the new camera module offers an affordable and flexible way to covertly monitor any suspicious activity and use the captured video to conduct post-incident forensic investigations.”