HIGHWIRE allows IP Network Cameras to communicate over existing co-axial video cables.

Signal Converter

HIGHWIRE turns any existing analogue video cable (co-ax) into a high-speed Ethernet connection. This allows multiple networked IP cameras to replace a single analogue CCTV camera, without installation of any new cabling. Thus the investment in the original cabling (usually some 30% to 40% of any system installation cost) can be retained and exploited for new-generation networked CCTV camera systems. HIGHWIRE is especially suited to mega-pixel IP camera applications or multiple IP cameras as it supports high data rates.

Installing HIGHWIRE is extremely simple. HIGHWIREs are used in pairs. One HIGHWIRE unit is connected to each end of the co-axial cable with the BNC connectors, thus providing a straight RJ45 to RJ45 network connection from end to end across the existing cabling. This HIGHWIRE to HIGHWIRE connection instantly operates as a full 100BaseT Ethernet connection and is completely transparent to any network device. HIGHWIRE has no MAC address or IP address and requires no set-up whatsoever. If the co-axial cable is of poor quality, longer than the recommended distance, or suffers from signal interference along it's installed path, the two HIGHWIREs will auto-adapt to the signal transmission conditions, lowering the total bandwidth as necessary. However, this will still be transparent to the network system, although the network performance (connection bandwidth) will be slightly reduced.

HIGHWIRE itself is a compact box about the size of a cigarette packet. It has a standard RJ45 network connector on one side and a co-axial BNC connector on the other. It uses very little power, and is designed to fit inside a camera housing.

Exploitation of legacy video cable with HIGHWIRE actually solves a major problem with mega-pixel cameras - that of the high network bandwidth requirements for such devices. HIGHWIRE provides fully transparent 100BaseT network performance, so that any network devices can be connected at either end. (See over for application examples).