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17
THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE TIME
Time Synchronisation and NTP explained
“All CCTV and video management system installations require accurate
reference time signals for synchronisation of system clocks to ensure that
they are always set at precisely the correct time and recorded evidence
is accurately time-stamped”
Video surveillance systems can ultimately
prove what happened, where it happened,
exactly when it happened, and nowadays
is usually able to provide information to help
identify the persons and/or vehicles involved.
Thus such recordings must be evidentially
robust. The requirements for evidentially
robust recordings include verifiable time
stamps. However, sometimes even the most
sophisticated, high-end CCTV and VMS
installations can be let down by something
as simple as having the clocks set at the
incorrect time. All VMS systems run on NVRs
or servers with internal clocks which drift
out of sync over time. It is also a fact that
the evidential value of CCTV recordings is
severely reduced if the recorded time stamps
are not correct.
The traditional solution to providing an
accurate reference time has been to use an
atomic clock radio receiver or GPS sensor
linked to an expensive rack-mounted master
clock server, separately powered and
sometimes only with a serial output to
a separate server for NTP transmission.
Consequently smaller VMS installations tend
not to have a reference time server at all or
are insecurely linked to the internet to get
a time signal, leaving the systems open to
cyberattack.
TIMENET Pro integrates the GPS receiver
and master NTP time server into a single
POE-powered cyber-secure device which is
directly connected to the network and can
be used as a closed system. TIMENET Pro
is extremely compact, can be wall-mounted,
uses very little power, is very reliable over
many years and is less than half the cost of
competing solutions.
About NTP
NTP stands for Network Time Protocol and is
a universal standard for time synchronisation
of computers or other devices on a network.
TIMENET Pro is NTP-compatible and acts as
a time server for any NTP-enabled client.
About UTC Time
Universal co-ordinated time is an official
worldwide atomic clock standard for time,
agreed by national standards around the world.
About GPS
GPS is a global satellite system used primarily
for position location, using very accurate
atomic clock references. GPS signals are
far less prone to interference than traditional
national radio clock signals. Thus TIMENET
Pro is a universal solution which can be used
anywhere in the world.
About Time Zone
UTC is effectively a GMT reference time and
TIMENET Pro provides this via NTP as a
universal reference. All data is recorded with
a UTC time reference. It’s the task of the network
device (server or PC) to define the local time
zone setting for the country or zone location,
including local or national variations to
daylight savings time or equivalent.
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