A Focus on Art
Reynolda House Museum of American Art Showcases Flexible Pixim-Powered Smartvue S2 Wireless IP Video Security Solution
by By Matthew C. St. John, Reynolda House Museum, Martin Renkis, Smartvue Corp. and John Monti, Pixim, Inc.
When a 30,000 square foot wing was added in the fall of 2005 to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art in North Carolina, a new camera-based security system was needed to protect the expanded exhibit hall with its premier permanent and guest art collections, as well as the new lobby, museum store, classrooms, auditorium, and office space.
The exhibit hall, with its constantly changing art installations and shows, required security cameras to be repositioned frequently. To accommodate the changing layouts of exhibits, most security camera products require extensive drilling to rewire electrical, coaxial, or optical cables. Additionally, depending on the exhibit design, the location, and time of day, lighting conditions throughout the museum varied greatly, thus reducing image quality of most camera-based security systems. The museum needed a security solution that offered:
- Superior image quality and imaging flexibility under a wide variety of lighting conditions to protect the art and other assets
- Reduced deployment complexity for frequent camera repositioning
- Camera mobility for changing installations and layouts.
"Lighting conditions have always been a challenge for our surveillance cameras in a museum exhibit setting," recalled Matthew St. John, Reynolda House Museum director of security. "One exhibit was based on LCDs and very brightly lit; other exhibits require us to open our sky lights. The Smartvue S2 Wireless IP Video Security Solution with Pixim-Powered cameras has performed exceptionally well in all these exhibit environments."
The unique camera-based security system developed by the Smartvue Corporation leveraged Pixim-Powered cameras with their flexible imaging capabilities under all lighting conditions, used the museum's existing track-lighting system, and took full advantage of the museum's IP wireless capabilities.
Today, the museum staff can reposition cameras with ease and, at the same time, not worry about challenging lighting conditions, noted Martin Alan Renkis, Smartvue CEO and founder.
Time of day, backlight, glare, bright spots from track or exhibit lights, or complicated contours do not affect Pixim's superior image quality and imaging flexibility over a wide variety of lighting conditions and locations. "We repositioned a camera filming our entire south-facing lobby with a two-story glass window space," said St. John. "Prior to using the Pixim-Powered Smartvue S2 camera, we would often record white out at this location. Now we capture detailed images accurately, 24/7."
The Smartvue S2 Wireless IP Video Security Solution located on the musuem's lighting track system delivers a secure, reliable, long-range wireless IP surveillance solution with MIMO wireless providing 10 times the range of existing systems. "A big advantage is that I can easily and wirelessly relocate the cameras based on any change to our threats, such as an increase of shoplifting in the museum store during the holidays. I believe this Pixim-Powered camera system would be excellent in any retail environment," explained St. John.
Smartvue S2's 1-Click Surveillance™ also offers the industry's first self-configuring IP video surveillance system, enabling staff without IT or surveillance experience to install professional grade IP video surveillance solutions with ease.
For more information or to purchase Pixim's products, visit their website, www.pixim.com, send email to sales@pixim.com, or call Pixim's headquarters in Mountain View, CA. (650) 605-1107.
To find out more about Smartvue, visit their site www.smartvue.com, email them at sales@smartvue.com, or call (615) 296-0175.
To learn about Reynolda House Museum of American Art, visit their site at www.reynoldahouse.org
