CONTENTS Kieran Sanchez, Director, Digital Video Channel, WD
30 Cover Story
Surveillance Storage for Peace-of-mind WDŽ continues color-coding its hard drive lines with the introduction of the WD Purple™ model, built specifically for video surveillance applications. The WD Purple™ differs from regular hard drives in that they are designed for the 24/7 always-on surveillance environment, whereas desktop HDDs are designed for a typical 8-hour-per-day workload.
Market Dynamics
Myanmar and Cambodia: Open for Business
36 14
Myanmar and Cambodia are two emerging stars along the Mekong River that share many similarities in both vertical growth potential and market challenges as economical, social, and political transformations take place.
MAY 2014
Vertical Solutions
50 Market Demand Spurs
Versatile Commercial Building Solutions Asia is divided in its economic performance. According to the World Bank, most Asian countries fall under the category of the developing world while a few have advanced into developed countries. This has led to different integrated solutions, in which building automation (BA) and security have become intertwined with one another on different levels. This report examines how different commercial buildings can devise integrated security strategies based on their unique security demands.
a&s Asia, published by Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd., is a bimonthly professional publication for channel players
CO NT ENTS May 2014
in the regional electronic security industry. It caters to importers, distributors, OEM/ODM searchers, system integrators and other product purchasers to get updates on product sources and developments in CCTV, Digital Surveillance, Access Control, Biometrics, Intrusion Alarm, Intercom/Video Doorphone, Home Automation and other fields relevant to electronic security.
ISSN 1997-6259 ˁൢඵ̻͔ݭᕻϫ୷ ༚ ੮ທച৪ᕻგΠ Parson Lee Joseph Lee John Shi
Product Exploration
56
Publisher & Managing Director General Manager General Manager
Editorial
General Press Alf Chang Ariel Chao Jill Lai Eifeh Strom
Senior Consultant Editor Int'l Contributor Int'l Contributor
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Corporate Management
Multisite Remote Monitoring: Real-Time Assurance From Afar The concept of multisite remote monitoring in security is a great fit with modern facility management: centralization and subsystem integration. As enterprises are faced with the daunting challenges of how to best allocate capital to achieve more with less, they are resorting to wireless technology that realizes the management of multiple buildings or dispersed locations remotely and easily.
62 What to Consider for a Multisite Remote Monitoring Solution 64 Product Showcase
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Special Feature
66 How Much Does Cost Reduction Really Cost You? Production cost and the sophistication of security equipment are directly related; therefore, the more the manufacturers try to lower the cost of raw materials used in circuit designs, the more performance problems arise.
Secutech EXCELLENCE Awards 2014
86 Tried and Tested: Secutech Excellence Awards 2014 Winners are Real McCoy! 18
Editor’s Note
78
New Products
20
Project Tracking
76
Show Calendar
28
Products of the Month
101 Companies in This Issue
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MAY 2014
Editor's Note Growth in Asia Relies on Economy as well as Government
R
ecently, I traveled to India and Thailand, where I discussed the Asian security market with local distributors and foreign businesses. While these were two different countries, they shared many things in common, one being government inefficiency and corruption, which has led to delayed infrastructure bidding, a slowed economy, and depreciation of local currencies. These, in turn, resulted in poor growth both in the government and private sectors. When asked when this situation would turn around, I was given the same answer: when a new government comes into power. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, two schools of thought emerged in the security arena. The first suggested that an economic slowdown would hamper growth in the industry, while the other believed that a slowdown would result in a rise in crime, which would in turn increase demand for security, minimizing the impact of the shakedown on the industry. Yet, based on analyses of security firms’ sales and financials between 2009 and 2010, we found that the slowed economy did affect the industry, especially in two ways. The first had to do with the government, which plays a significant role in security. When the government tightens its budget, it cuts spending on security and becomes more sensitive to price. The second way in which the slowdown affected the industry was price reductions by companies, which saw diminished revenue and profitability even with increased sales. Besides these two countries, several other Southeast Asian nations experienced the same thing — when the government does something right, the economy goes up. Unfortunately, the global economic uncertainties that arose after 2008 still exist today. However, the Asian and Southeast Asian markets are sure to see their economic importance rise. We hope that, with the growing maturity of the Internet, people can participate in the shaping of economic and social order peacefully, and help ensure stability and soundness in the region. This way, Southeast Asia and Asia’s security markets will be sure to see continuing prosperity.
The a&s Editorial Team as-pr@newera.messefrankfurt.com
EDITOR
A
sia is quite a fascinating area, with highlydeveloped countries in Hong Kong and Singapore, emerging places like Thailand and Malaysia, and also the latest fast-rising economies like Myanmar and Cambodia. In this issue, we tried to feature different security solutions in building automation adopted by these countries and cities, according to their current economic status. Meanwhile Myanmar and Cambodia have recently opened many new opportunities for foreign investors. Hope you enjoy it! Jill Lai Jill.lai@newera.messefrankfurt.com
EDITOR
R
emote monitoring is not just a privilege of large scale enterprises anymore. In fact, any business with multiple properties can easily benefit from a centralized and integrated management solution that enhances situational awareness for security and operational efficiency. Discover some examples of applications that are currently being pursued in the APAC region in the product exploration unit! Ariel Chao ariel.chao@newera.messefrankfurt.com
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MAY 2014
Project Tracking THAILAND Shopping Mall Thai developer Central Pattana is spending US$185.3 million to build its 29th shopping mall — the CentralFestival East Ville. The new center, on Bangkok’s Praditmanutham Rd., will be the company’s first lifestyle outdoor mall, modeled after neighborhoods like London’s Covent Garden and New York’s East Village. The 135,000 square meter center will be home to 200 tenants when it opens in November 2015. Rival, The Mall Group, is also embarking on expansion. The Mall Group is bullish about its prospects at home with plans for six new mega malls. It will invest around $618.14 million to build Bangkok Mall on Bang Na-Trat Rd. and another $617 million on resort mall Blu Pearl in Phuket. It is also opening Blu Port in Hua Hin, The EmQuartier, and The Emsphere. The Emporium is under renovation and is set to reopen by the end of the year.
Airport City Scale: US$927 million The Airports of Thailand (AoT) plans to develop "airport city" projects at 6 key airports nationwide with an initial investment of more than US$927 million. The airport city concept would include development of a shopping mall, sports complex, and facilities for aviation businesses. The development would be undertaken at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan, Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok, Phuket Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Chiang Rai Airport, and Hat Yai Airport. The development at Phuket Airport is expected to be completed by 2017.
CAMBODIA IT Infrastructure Schedule: Work begins in October 2014 Internet service provider (ISP) Emaxx said it would scrap its retail operations and invest US$148 million in telecommunications infrastructure with work beginning in October 2014. Emaxx will elevate the company to become Cambodia’s largest wholesale optic fiber and 4G network supplier. The company had finalized the purchase of 3,000 kilometers of existing optic fiber network from Cambodia Fiber Optic Communication Network — a Chineseowned telecommunications infrastructure supplier. The optic fiber network will support the construction of a nationwide 4G Long-Term Evolution (4GLTE) network with up to 600 base stations scattered around the country. Two $24 million data storage hubs — one in Vietnam-border town Bavet and another in Phnom Penh — will also be built. The data centers are expected to be completed by Q1 of 2015.
SoHo Commercial & Residential Building Scale: US$300 million Singaporean investors will invest US$300 million to erect a twin-towered commercial building called The Bridge, in downtown Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Bridge, a joint venture between Singapore's Oxley Holdings and Cambodia's World Bridge Land, aims to make its mark on the city landscape by constructing a quality, lifestylefocused residential building. Construction will begin in 2014 and is expected to be completed in 2018. A SoHo, which refers to “small office, home office,” is a block of small units that are designed for both living and working and have become increasingly popular in developed cities, such as Singapore and Beijing. A SoHo can easily be converted into a residential or office space with a clever mix of interior design and renovation, he added. The Bridge will be built in the Tonle Bassac area — a 45-story twin-tower mixed development, with a freehold address close to the Australian Embassy. Besides 762 one-to-three bedroom apartments, penthouses, and residential units, the project will also include 963 SoHo units.
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MAY 2014
Project Tracking VIETNAM Textile Manufacturing Scale: US$150 million Tai Yuen, a subsidiary company of the Taiwan-based Yunlon Group, will carry out a project on a high-tech textile mill worth US$150 million in Ha Nam. Construction will begin in August and is expected to be completed in 12 months. Once operational, the mill will require around 1,500 cubic meters of water for its daily operation in the first phase, later increasing to 2,500 cubic meters, said a business executive while expressing his wish that the province will ensure a stable water supply for the factory. He also pledged to treat waste produced by the plant in accordance with Vietnam’s environmental standards. Yunlon is one of Taiwan’s largest multidisciplinary groups, specializing in the automobile manufacturing and textile industries. The mill in Ha Nam province is the first project invested in by the Taiwanese group in Vietnam.
Waste Plants Scale: US$522.3 million Ha Noi will build nine new solid-waste treatment plants and improve the capacity of eight existing plants in the city by 2030. The total area of the 17 plants were estimated to be built over more than 580 hectares. It is the aim of the city's plan to treat solid waste in moving towards fulfilling the vision of 2050, recently signed by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai. The new solid-waste treatment plants will be located in suburban areas, including Gia Lam District's Phu Dong Commune, Phu Xuyen District's Chau Can Commune, Thanh Oai District's Cao Duong Commune, and My Duc District's My Thanh Commune. The Deputy PM assigned the capital's People's Committee to take the helm of the plan which was estimated to cost US$522.3 million. The funding was drawn from the State budget and mobilized from official development assistance (ODA) and other sources, Hai noted.
PHILIPPINES Diesel Plant Scheduled Commissioning: 2014 Siquijor Island Power (Sipcor), a Villar-backed company, is set to build a new 6.464-megawatt (MW) diesel plant in Siquijor, to be commissioned in early 2015. The power stations are intended to replace the aging power generation facilities of National Power Corp. (Napocor) on the island, which is only 85 percent energized and in dire need of electricity. The project is
about to start since equipment is set to come in around the middle of May 2014. “From the time the equipment is delivered, they are counting 11 months to commissioning,” said Sipcor consultant Froilan Tampinco. The project, made up of two power stations, is Sipcor’s first energy project. Data from the Energy Regulatory Commission showed the project was estimated to cost around US$10 million. To supply power under the PSA, Sipcor agreed to
construct, own, operate, manage, and maintain brand new bunkerfired power generating facilities consisting of two power stations with a total installed capacity of 6.464 MW. It will serve as the primary source of electricity on the island and will be installed in site of Napocor’s existing diesel power plant. The power station in Lazi will consist of one 1.616-MW unit. It will provide power in the southern part of the island as well as “reactive power support” or voltage regulation
to Prosielco’s distribution system during peak or heavy load conditions. Sipcor’s power stations will be interconnected with Prosielco’s 13.8kV distribution network. The generating units will not only provide the required generation capacity but also the necessary ancillary services to the distribution system such as load-following and reactive power support or voltage regulation.
Solar Power Plant Scale: US$45 milion Filipino-Korean energy developer Next Generation Power Technology (NGPT) will start operating by early 2015 its US$45 million, 20-megawatt solar energy project in Bataan. According to NGPT, the construction of the solar power plant at a 37.5-hectare tract of land within the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) in Mariveles town will begin in the next three months. Commercial operations will start in Q1 of 2015, NGPT said. The power that will be generated by this solar facility will go to the grid.
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MAY 2014
Products of the Month
4K Resolution to Rock the World of Security Editor’s Note: HD has been a basic norm for current network security cameras. This year, most of the major camera and image sensor manufacturers continue to pave the road towards the technological breakthrough to launch 4K cameras. It can be expected that 4K will soon replace HD as the standard resolution for security cameras.
Axis P1428-E 4K Network Camera The AXIS P1428-E network camera is the top-of-the-line model in the compact AXIS P14 Series. With 4K technology, it offers the latest generation of HDTV standards and features a resolution four times higher than HDTV 1080p. The camera offers a number of value-adding features such as remote zoom and focus, a built-in slot for micro SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards and I/O connectors for interfacing with external devices. The new 4K camera from Axis is ideal for monitoring large areas like parking lots and public squares while also being able to capture fine details. ■
KEY FEATURES •4K ultra HD/8.3MP at a resolution of 3840x2160 •Covers a large area with detail sensitivity at 30 fps •Supports P-Iris control for optimal image clarity •Supports PoE and is designed to eliminate installation mistakes with remote zoom and focus capabilities •Features weatherproof IP66 and UV-resistant polymer casing
Supplier: Axis Communications URL: www.axis.com
Bosch DINION IP Ultra 8000 UHD Camera DINION IP Ultra 8000 UHD camera offers 4K ultra HD ideal for IP video surveillance applications. 4K ultra HD from Bosch enables users to cover large areas and still focus their attention on particular regions of interest in the same scene. Large amounts of data therefore becomes more manageable without losing situational awareness. Persons or objects can be identified at incredible distances, whereas moving objects can be captured in 4K ultra HD resolution at 30 fps. The focus of the camera enables users to see every detail, everywhere, at the lowest cost and network strain.■
KEY FEATURES •Saves up to 50 percent on bitrate with intelligent dynamic noise reduction and encoder regions •Delivers 4K ultra HD resolution at 30 fps; 12-megapixel resolution at 20 fps •Automatic tracking of persons or objects of interest in a single frame •Provides intelligent back and front light compensation (intelligent auto exposure) and wide dynamic range of 108 dB
Supplier: Bosch Security Systems URL: www.boschsecurity.com
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MAY 2014
CTOR, Z, DIRE SANCHE L, WD E N N KIERAN A IDEO CH V L A IT DIG
the s with e n video i l e lly for driv a d c i r f a i c h r t spe g its regula el, buil r-codin m d o o l o r f o m c s r s e diffe urple™ ontinu ys-on urple™ e WD P P h WD® c t D f /7 alwa W o 4 e ed 2 n h e o T i h t . uc or t design ons f i t e d r a e a c i n l introd s g app HDD re desi llance esktop d they a s t a survei a e h r t , whe rives in nment o load. r hard d i v n y work ce e a n d a l l r i e e surv our-p ical 8-h p y t a for
E C N A L L I E V R U S E C A R E FO P 30
MAY 2014
Cover Story
E G A R O T S
D N I M F -O By a&s Editorial Department
BURGEONING VIDEO DATA DRIVES STORAGE DEMAND
There is no doubt that high-definition (HD) video is an unstoppable trend, both in the consumer electronics and surveillance industries. Both camera and storage manufacturers are thinking ahead to offer easy migration for users and installers. “In the surveillance industry, the current trends show growth in higherresolution video cameras, which produce much more storage-hungry video files, as well as strong expansion of surveillance system shipment
volumes. Additionally, as the industry moves from analog cameras to IP digital cameras, storage requirements also are increasing,” said Kieran Sanchez, Director, Digital Video Channel, WD. “The storage requirement is growing and we are growing with it. WD Purple™ drives are available in up to 4 TB capacities, which is the largest surveillance hard drive shipping in the market today.”
PURPLE IS THE NEW COLOR OF SURVEILLANCE With the surveillance market becoming more versatile than before, a consumer electronics
hard drive can no longer satisfy the needs for its application. WD optimized WD Purple™ specifically for the surveillance market. “We used to serve the AV and surveillance markets with the same hard drive designed for video recording. With increasing demand for surveillance video storage solutions, the surveillance application is very different than that of a set-top box video recorder designed for entertainment purposes,” said Kieran Sanchez. With WD Purple™, we analyzed use cases of different surveillance systems to understand demands on the hard drive. Surveillance systems impose on the hard drive a continuous, write-intensive environment, handling many channels or streams from all the cameras. For typical consumer home use, each of these cameras features a relatively low bit rate. Comparatively, a set-top box handles
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Market Dynamics
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MAY 2014
Myanmar and Cambodia: Open for Business
Myanmar and Cambodia: Open for Business Myanmar and Cambodia are two emerging stars along the Mekong River that share many similarities in both vertical growth potential and market challenges as economical, social, and political transformations take place. The two countries did not have the luxury of using more sophisticated technology until well into the 21st century, and with foreign investments pouring in, the technology that came along are the most advanced available on the market. In many areas, and certainly in security, instead of going through a whole phase of upgrading, the two countries have directly leapfrogged from nothing to using the most advanced options out on the market. BY ARIEL CHAO
www.asmag.com
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Vertical Solutions
Market Demand Spurs Versatile Commercial Building Solutions Asia is divided in its economic performance. According to the World Bank, most Asian countries fall under the category of the developing world while a few have advanced into developed countries. This has led to different integrated solutions, in which building automation (BA) and security have become intertwined with one another on different levels. This report examines how different commercial buildings can devise integrated security strategies based on their unique security demands. BY a&s EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
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MAY 2014
The management of identity using several ID technologies is important as not a single piece of information can properly authenticate an identity. Patrick Lim, Director, Sales and Marketing, Ademco (Far East) (an Ademco Security Group Company)
Developers and engineering consultant firms [are] looking for energy savings and a more cost effective solutions for building projects. Ricky Law, Account Manager, Ensec Solutions
A security platform allows for an easy control and checking of all events inside the building. Nuttawaj Chieobangyang, CEO, Coretech
A security platform is able to provide a more comprehensive picture of a building's security conditions. Aloysius Loy, MD, ACTAtek
In addition to fire, unauthorized entries and malfunctions on supervisory control and acquisition data (SCADA) systems are also security concerns. Thomas Tran, MD, Citek
I
n Asia, the commercial building market has relatively strong potential compared with other parts of the world as private funds, such as those in the U.S., have been showing great interest in the region in recent years. Some US private funds are either buying commercial properties in countries like Singapore or taking on new construction projects. Due to a great number of new constructions in Asia, the demand for integrated building automation (BA) systems are also on the rise.
INTEGRATED BA SOLUTIONS WITH SECURITY In some developed economies like Singapore and Hong Kong, office buildings and financial buildings are common types of commercial structures. Office buildings can range from state-of-the-art skyscrapers housing regional headquarters of multinational corporations (MNCs) to mid-end buildings accommodating small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Financial buildings are those whose tenants are banks and financial institutions. Office buildings used as regional head offices and financial buildings are the types that would resort to an integrated solution that bundles security and BA systems at the same time. As to the commercial building market in Asia, where building codes are not as clear as those in Europe or North America, what devices and functions should be included in an integrated system and how they should be done are largely dependent on the whims of building owners. But in general, the integrated BA solutions which highlight the improved energy efficiency and identity management is getting popular in these countries.
Identity Management in High Demand The type of commercial buildings whose occupants are MNCs are required to protect physical and non-physical intellectual property, since the wealth of intellectual property, be it product prototypes, business letters, or customer information, can fall prey to break-ins and database infiltration. Moreover, the flow of
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Product Exploration
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MAY 2014
Multisite Remote Monitoring:
Real-Time Assurance From Afar The concept of multisite remote monitoring in security is a great fit with modern facility management: centralization and subsystem integration. As enterprises are faced with the daunting challenges of how to best allocate capital to achieve more with less, they are resorting to wireless technology that realizes the management of multiple buildings or dispersed locations remotely and easily. Having a centralized control and command center that oversees the property and alerts ad hoc to portable personal devices is becoming the desired way for proactive and efficient security. Today in Asia, much of the demands for multisite remote monitoring come from retail chain stores to city surveillance with different attention to the equipment and services bundled in.
BY ARIEL CHAO
OPPORTUNITIES IN ASIA As an IHS report indicates, commercial and residential buildings are among the driving verticals for remote monitoring systems. In Asia, Shirley Chen, Product Manager, Nuuo, observed: “There are more and more multisite projects as network technology is getting mature in many Asian countries. In fact, 2-5% of the projects in the Asian market will be multisite remote monitoring projects. The tier 1 countries and regions are Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. We see more upgrades such as extending existing systems or replacements for broken devices, and the booming demands for
system-based solutions comes mostly from retail and financial institutions.� Chen is optimistic for a 20% growth in Asia as network infrastructures and technology matures, and more international enterprises open up branch offices in the region. She explained further that customization is highly necessary as multisite remote monitoring often involves integration with fire safety, access controls, or license plate recognition and it must be adaptable for local viewing and central alarm management. Sharing the similar observations, Steve Hu, Product Manager, Merit LILIN sees
opportunities in Asian countries particularly in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Exemplified with a case in point of large currency exchange chains in Malaysia, Hu said, “the currency exchange company has branches located across Malaysia from domestic and international airports, shopping malls, to local hotels. As the safety of people who are exchanging currency in the store and the security of store operations are considered top priorities, there must be a surveillance system that serves as a preventative purpose, rather than producing foggy footages with an old
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Product Exploration THINGS TO CONSIDER Some of the top things to consider recommended by manufacturers and integrators include: networking support, bandwidth, storage, scalability, flexibility with other subsystems, vendor’s experience and capability, user’s experience, and a health-check system. BY ARIEL CHAO
Network-Friendly Solution That is Flexible and Scalable David Shneerson, Senior Director, Sales Engineering, Verint Systems
Networking is a very important building block when talking about remotely monitoring multiple sites. There may be several sites with much lower bandwidth, so the solutions need to have the architecture typology to support various types of network topologies of different bandwidths as video can be very consuming. The solution must be future-proof so the system can grow as a business develops. Choosing a product that is proven to accommodate facilities larger than the actual project will give users peace of mind in case of future needs.
Proprietary or Best-of-Breed? Software is the Key! Steve Hu, Product Manager, Merit LILIN
Both proprietary and best-of-breed systems can work well for multisite remote monitoring. From IP cameras to recording site, using ONVIF cameras for a recording system at a store is highly recommended. From recording system to VMS, a proprietary solution might be used for maximizing scalability. Video servers and DVRs can be used at the existing analog surveillance sites. A VMS at a remote site should be able to integrate both IP cameras and analog cameras. Scalability, low bandwidth consideration, redundant edge SD card recording, local recording, stability, and interoperability are all things to consider. Shirley Chen, Product Manager, Nuuo
Much of the integration will involve third party integration, such as access control or a POS system. I will recommend a proprietary solution if it already has a full-scale integration that can fulfill the project’s demand. Normally, these kinds of projects may ask for many customized functions to integrate original security devices, such as access control. Custom-developed software can be a platform for controlling all security devices in one system centrally.
Remote monitoring security is more than protection. It is a tool to provide situational awareness that can assist in preventive security with comprehensive decision-making clues. A clear objective during the planning stage is of utmost importance to the success of multisite remote monitoring. Here, manufacturers and integrators offer some guidance for the deployment of multisite remote monitoring.
What to Consider for a Multisite Rem 62
MAY 2014
Health-Check System & Maintenance Adlan Hussain, Global Head of Marketing, CNL Software
For some of our projects we have integrated network health monitoring software to prove the following information back in the control room. • Network Performance Monitoring • Monitor availability and performance, analyze traffic usage, and manage configurations • Get granular information for networks for reporting • View live graphical representation of the complete network • Server Performance Monitoring
• Monitor server performance across multiple operating systems • Monitors over 100 deep performance metrics • Monitor essential Microsoft services or applications • Monitor Servers for CPU, memory and disk utilization, services, Windows services, processes, and custom scripts • Device Performance Monitoring • Monitor temperature sensors, IP cameras, panels, access points, IR sensors, etc., for performance and failures We do health checking on cameras and camera systems as well as alarms, so we can tell the customers that they have an issue before it turns into a bigger problem later. Some customers like a manual approach,
where the cameras are assessed by a human operator on a manual basis. This is typically Daniel Lewkovitz, M., Infotech CPP, monthly or Calamity quarterly. However a growing number of customers are happy to pay for automatic testing, that checks if both the cameras and the recording hardware is working and identifies if there is a problem with the internet connection. Rather than monthly tests, we can test from our datacentre every hour or even minute and alert the end-users to potential problems or simply dispatch a technician to resolve them.
Other Key Features One of the other key features to 1. System convergence involving consider is analytics. ShouJen Ng, MD different silo systems in a smart of NuTACT said operators of businesses building, such as building automation with multiple outlets will be able to system (BAS)/building management benefit from the analysis of sales video system (BMS), security, ICT, and surveillance outlet traffic (from people enterprise asset systems, to achieve counting systems) and make faster resource consolidation, cost and better decisions or identify the optimization, and unified situational culprit and come out with a solution awareness of all systems in the faster. “Businesses wishing to monitor building to the operations center. remotely need not so much of 'products' 2. 3D building models or building or 'systems;' but rather, the right information model (BIMs) — solutions to their existing problems, Governments in Asia, such as or increasing of their productivity and Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and profit.” South Korea, are pushing for BIM Shinwe Yeow, MD of G Element adoption by the ASEAN Economic offered some observations for the Community (AEC) industry by 2015, outlook of multisite remote latest 2020. BIMs or 3D building monitoring: models are efficient containers
ShouJen Ng, MD, NuTACT
Shinwe Yeow, MD, G Element
of building information, structures, and updates. For multisite monitoring, the ability to support BIMs or 3D building models enables efficient situation visualization where the real-time sensor data is fused with the 3D building environment to provide the whole situation picture in one single view. 3. Federated architecture design — Federated architecture design enables high flexibility and agility in the design of information and command flow between the central monitoring command and the local onsite command. This enables the business owner to manage and decide the degree of centralization and localization in the organization structure of the remote sites.
ote Monitoring Solution? www.asmag.com
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Special Feature
How Much Does Cost Reduction Really Cost You? Production cost and the sophistication of security equipment are directly related; therefore, the more the manufacturers try to lower the cost of raw materials used in circuit designs, the more performance problems arise. There are two areas where these measures are commonly observed: circuit materials and designs, and peripheral equipment. This article delves into problems with material cost reduction for circuit materials and designs. BY ALF CHANG, a&s CONSULTANT
S
ome dishonest manufacturers simply claim that they choose different materials to optimize the interoperability of different components. However, the ugly truth is that it is done to “lower� the total production cost. Material substitutions can occur in all components, from resistors and chips to single or layered circuit boards, wiring connectors, relay designs, voltage stabilizers, and many more. Likewise, the external casing material, paint selection, fans and jacks used are also possible places to make alterations. But as mentioned above, these alterations are done to lower costs in order to boost competitiveness, despite the serious impact it has on product performance.
quickly, while others only emerge due to the influences of certain environmental or operational factors. Nevertheless, any problem is a headache for users and integrators. Below are some common problems resulting from production cost reductions.
THE PROBLEMS COMING FROM MATERIAL SELECTION
Cameras
Some problems surface
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MAY 2014
Lenses For lenses, cost reductions usually happen with the replacement of the metal molding components with plastic materials. As a result, two problems arise: A. The lens may or may not be tightly sealed with the rest of the camera due to its elasticity. Plastic molds may lose elasticity, shrink, curve in, or curl up with time, or even worse, change shape as temperatures change. This is almost impossible to avoid with plastic, which affects the accuracy of focal alignment. B. In addition, without a piece of metal that serves as adequate grounding, external electromagnetic signals can easily interfere with the auto-iris lens and damage the signal output, leaving interference lines on images.
The makeup of a camera involves complex circuit and structural designs, including optics, electric wirings, mechanical structures, network
modules, and many more. Hence, cost reduction measures to substitute these components may create the following problems: A. Traditionally, security cameras use a sophisticated locking screw ring to adjust the back focus through rotation. To cut down costs, some manufacturers use a metal strip or loosen/tighten the screws to stabilize the back focus. These substitutions do save on production costs, but over time cause cameras to easily become “out of focus” due to vibrations, requiring further manual adjustment by the installer. B. To save on costs related to circuit boards, some manufacturers combine the imaging sensor and the DSP/ISP into a single double-layered and double-sided board. Because two individual boards have been shrunk down into one, three problems may occur: 1. Crowded soldering on a circuit
board could result in solder skipping or false soldering and could even lead to a short circuit. 2. The simplified board design allows IP cameras to become smaller as a whole; however, as the size gets smaller, the heat dissipation mechanism can be compromised. 3. The overcrowding of the pieces of components on the circuit board makes it difficult to maintain or repair. Therefore, instead of repairing a broken circuit board, the manufacturer would just replace it with a new one. It is a faster solution, but it can take a great toll on installers’ maintenance service. C. Unless the camera uses power over Ethernet (PoE), to lower the production cost, some manufacturers may simply change its AC/DC power supply to switching mode power supply (SMPS) and simplify the interior
The external casing material, paint selection, fans and jacks used are also possible places to make alteration.
■Cost reductions usually happen with the replacement of the metal molding components with plastic materials.
power module and voltage stabilizer at the same time. Three problems could surface as a result: 1. Voltage and current flow could be very unstable and fluctuate wildly, thus overheating and damaging the camera. 2. When the external power supply becomes too heavy, the surge protection device (SPD) can be easily penetrated; cameras designed with the substitution or elimination of SPDs or lightning arresters are at greater risk of such damage. 3. In case of lightning strikes, the SMPS could become so sensitive that it would pick up the lightning-induced current and cause damage to the circuit board, which may be too vulnerable to handle strong currents. D. When downgrading electronic components, electrical connections and transmissions in the interior of a camera can be problematic, leading to impedance mismatching to 75Ω. As a consequence, the images shown can be overlapping, too bright, and full of jittery OSD or noise lines. E. Some manufacturers may eliminate the output of video (CVBS) signals or switch the BNC connector to the cheaper RCA jack, even in some network cameras without automatic focus. It may cause a short circuit or loose connection of the
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Companies in This Issue Market Dynamics
Product
Vertical Solutions
•AES GROUP
Exploration
•ACTATEK
•AZISAFE
•CALAMITY
•ADEMCO (FAR EAST)
•BOSCH SECURITY
•CNL SOFTWARE
•CITEK
SYSTEMS
•G ELEMENT
•CORETECH
•MERIT LILIN
•MERIT LILIN
•ENSEC
•OT SYSTEMS
•NUTACT
•PANASONIC SYSTEM •NUUO COMMUNICATIONS
•VERINT SYSTEMS
NEXT ISSUE Product Exploration Network Transmission & Storage Vertical Solutions Hospitality Special Feature Key Components
•VANTECH GLOBAL
Market Dynamics
Hong Kong & Macau
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