Case study
West London College
Legacy analogue cameras replaced with a centrally managed IP system across Hammersmith, Ealing Green and Southall.
- 103
- camera positions
- 3
- campuses, one control room
- 30 days
- recording retention
Electronic systems
Commercial CCTV systems
IP camera systems designed around how your site actually runs, from a single entrance to multi-site estates.
- Platform
- IP
- Covers
- ANPR · Thermal
- Coverage
- UK-wide
The problem
Recording is not the same as evidence
- 01
Images that prove nothing
Ageing analogue cameras give you footage that shows something happened but not who did it. IP cameras give you images that stand up as evidence.
- 02
Footage nobody can find
Hours of video and no way through it. HikCentral's AcuSeek lets operators search recordings in plain language for a person, vehicle, colour or activity.
- 03
Sites watched separately
Several buildings, several systems, no single view. One platform manages every site, with local viewing kept at each one.
- 04
An IT department that says no
Cameras are on the network, so they get reviewed like any other kit. We design for segregation, hardening and audit logging from the start.
What it covers
Cameras, recording and the software to use them
- IP, HD and ultra-HD cameras
- Thermal, ANPR and PTZ cameras
- Upgrades from analogue to IP
- Video management with Luxriot EVO or HikCentral
- Remote viewing on desktop and mobile
- Integration with access control, alarms and fire systems
Standards and platforms
- Luxriot EVO (NDAA compliant)
- HikCentral
Accredited for this work
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Hikvision
VASP Partner -
Axis
Authorised Partner -
Hanwha Vision
STEP Authorised -
SafeContractor
Accredited
How you can buy it
- Supply only for sites with their own installers
- Designed, installed, commissioned and handed over with training
- Phased analogue to IP migration that keeps cameras still worth keeping
- Centrally managed multi-site systems with local control at each site
What we install
Cameras and platforms
- 01
Fixed, dome and bullet cameras
The everyday coverage: entrances, corridors, car parks, yards and perimeters, in HD and ultra-HD.
- 02
PTZ cameras
Pan, tilt and zoom under operator control, for following activity across large open areas from a control room.
- 03
Thermal cameras
Detection by heat, not light. For fence lines, yards and anywhere watched in the dark.
- 04
ANPR cameras
Number plate capture and logging at vehicle gates and car park entrances.
- 05
HikCentral Professional
Hikvision's management platform, with AcuSeek AI search, ANPR, person tracking and third-party access control integration. Facial recognition is a platform capability we do not deploy without a DPIA and a lawful basis agreed with you.
- 06
Luxriot EVO
An NDAA-compliant, open management platform that scales from one site to many and suits mixed-manufacturer estates.
Recent work
CCTV in practice
Guide
Planning a CCTV system
Where the cameras go, what they record and how they sit on the network decide whether a system is any use. We work through all of it at survey.
Request a free quote- 01
Size of the site
Larger premises need overlapping coverage and a central place to watch from. The design starts with what has to be seen, and the camera count follows.
- 02
Light, day and night
A camera that works at noon can be useless at midnight. Poorly lit yards, car parks and fence lines are where thermal and low-light cameras earn their place.
- 03
The high-risk spots
Entrances, loading bays, cash handling areas, stores and perimeter fencing usually need closer coverage than the rest of the site.
- 04
No blind spots, no waste
Good positioning gives full coverage without extra cameras that add cost and storage but nothing useful. It is where most self-fitted systems fall down.
- 05
Evidence that holds up
Footage is often wanted by insurers and the police. That means images good enough to identify someone, a reliable record, and exports that show they have not been altered.
- 06
Room to grow
An IP system can take more cameras later without replacing what is there, so it is worth designing with the next stage in mind.
Can you upgrade our analogue system without replacing everything?
Usually, yes. Cameras of a recent enough standard can stay and work alongside new IP cameras, and the rest can be replaced in phases to suit a budget. We tell you at survey what's worth keeping.
Will it pass our IT security review?
That is how we design it. Segregated VLANs where your IT team provides them, no direct internet access from cameras or servers, encrypted site-to-site VPNs for multi-site, devices hardened with default credentials removed, TLS throughout and full audit logging, in line with NCSC Secure by Design principles.
How long is footage kept?
You set the retention period against your own policy, and we size the storage for it. Thirty days is a common answer.
Can we view cameras on a phone?
Yes. Both platforms have desktop and mobile apps, with permissions set by role so people only see the cameras they should.
Can CCTV work with our access control?
Yes, where the platforms support it. HikCentral integrates with third-party access control including Paxton Net2, so an access event can bring up the camera covering that door.
Electronic systems
The rest of what we do
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Electronic Access control and door entry Card and fob readers and intercoms, set up around who needs to be where. Readers · Intercoms Learn more
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Electronic Maintenance contracts Annual servicing and support for the systems we install. Annual contracts Learn more
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Physical Fabrication and welding Bespoke steelwork from our workshop: balustrades, ramps, platforms and repairs. MIG · TIG · Powder coat Learn more
Why MerFen
One firm makes it, fits it and keeps it working
Most installers fit what a manufacturer sells them. We make the physical side ourselves, so the specification starts with the site.
Request a free quote- In-house
Made in our own workshop
Screens, counters, doors, gates and hatches are fabricated in Edenbridge, to the sizes the building actually has.
- One team
Nobody passes the job on
The same people survey the site, draw the specification, make the steel, fit it and come back to service it.
- Approved
Accredited and partnered
SafeContractor accredited, with Hikvision VASP, Axis, Hanwha Vision and Paxton partner status behind the electronic side.
- After handover
Covered once it is in
Twelve months on our installation, three years on Hikvision hardware, and annual service contracts for the systems we install.