Equip the Britain's most famous inhabited lighthouse with a robust and flexible security solution

The Belle Tout Lighthouse is a decommissioned lighthouse and British landmark located at Beachy Head, East Sussex. The lighthouse has been coined "Britain's most famous inhabited lighthouse" because of its breathtaking location and numerous televised appearances. In 2008, the lighthouse was purchased by David and Barbara Shaw, whom engaged in a 2-year, £1.2 million renovation project to convert the landmark into a luxurious bed and breakfast (B&B). Since then, the Belle Tout Lighthouse has achieved the second highest rating on Tripadvisor for the Eastbourne region and received several certificates of excellence. Moreover, the Belle Tout Lighthouse website accumulates approximately 100,000 visitors a year, the bulk of which are potential visitors and interested media. Reputation and publicity are key factors that govern the sustainability of B&Bs. For accommodation-based businesses, reputation can be maintained by improving the overall safety of the establishment; whereas the sharing of those beautiful scenes around the place is the primary method of gaining publicity. In this context, Rob Wassell, writer, lighthouse enthusiast and IT expert, adopted VIVOTEK’s network cameras in the effort to satisfy both factors. In addition, the solution must be extremely robust and flexible to withstand harsh outdoor and erosive conditions and to capture quality images that not are only attractive to visitors, but also clear-cut to identify potential risks.

Live viewing the magnificent scenery online

Based on the client’s requirement, VIVOTEK created a solution comprising two state-of-the-art bullet-style network cameras - the IP8332-C and the IP8332. Regarding camera specifications, the IP8332 and the IP8332-C are relatively similar. Both cameras feature a 1MP CMOS capable of capturing video at 1280×800 resolution at 30 FPS, and removable IR-cut filters and IR illuminators (effective range of 15M) for surveillance under low-light conditions. The primary difference between the two models is the mounting bracket featured on the IP8332-C for cable protection. Moreover, both cameras are encased in an IP66-rated housing and weatherproof casing to withstand the rain and dust. The cameras were installed on the east (IP8332) and west (IP8332-C) side of the lighthouse, and the video feeds were linked to the lighthouse’s website. Potential visitors could then log on to the website and take a firsthand glimpse of the magnificent scenery of Beachy Head, such as the panoramic English Channel or the enigmatic Seven Sisters. In addition, management also employed the cameras as a monitoring mechanism to guard against vandalism, avoid potential hazards, and ensure visitors receive a world-class experience 24 hours a day.

Customer Feedback

The VIVOTEK solution is a great success. The versatility of the IP8332 and the IP8332-C supports a wide range of applications, such as video recording, snapshot recording, and writing to NAS or FTP. In fact, with so many configurable options, this solution has been able to satisfy all my needs. Having used numerous brands in the past, the VIVOTEK camera has outperformed each and every one of them in terms of workmanship, reliability, security, ease-of-use, and quality. There has yet to be a requirement that VIVOTEK cannot fulfill.

- Rob Wassell

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Special Thanks

• Photos in this case taken by Rob Wassell