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INDUSTRY NEWS

ADI and Avigilon agree distribution ADI Global Distribution has announced a distribution agreement with Avigilon. ADI customers across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) will have access to Avigilon video solutions which includes more than 100 new products being added to the ADI portfolio.

Hemant Trivedi, general manager for ADI EMEA said: “We are excited by this new partnership and the benefits it will deliver to our customers.”

Avigilon products will available for purchase online and in ADI branch locations across the EMEA region.

“We are excited to work with ADI to offer our ecosystem to their customers,” said Paul Such, vice president of EMEA Sales Avigilon at Motorola Solutions. “With ADI’s geographic footprint and distribution channels, we will be able to expand our reach further across the security market.” Sentinel and Facewatch announce partnership A new technology partnership between Sentinel and Facewatch has enabled them to offer an integrated solution focused on improving workplace security. Michael Askew, CEO at Monitor Computer Systems, said: “Profit margins in retail are so tight that losses from theft can undermine the viability of stores. The Facewatch facial recognition system provides a means of preventing shoplifting before it happens, resulting in loss reduction. By immediately alerting store managers and security guards of the entrance of a suspicious person, a low-key

Evolution launches new engineer training academy Evolution is expanding its Training Academy to help address the skills challenge threatening the security industry.

The Academy looks to welcome a range of potential employees, from new starters to more experienced engineers with time served. For beginners, Evolution will provide training on the elementary skills including basic circuits, relays, lock and reader circuits, and practical skills such as soldering. For the more experienced engineers, the purpose is to upskill with training on the fire and security systems and technologies that Evolution specifies and installs. These include but are response can deter would-be thieves. Where staff are unable to respond to potential theft or anti-social behaviour, the Facewatch system can transmit notifications to a Sentinel alarm receiving centre, where the operators can respond by issuing audible warnings over the store PA system. Eight ‘Til Late stores can gain particular benefit from this remote protection service during the hours when managers are not present and staff are particularly vulnerable. We believe that this combination of Facewatch and Sentinel technologies will be a big step forward in the fight against crime.”

Nick Fisher, CEO at Facewatch, added: “As we come out of lockdown and enter a tough period of high unemployment and a long recession, crime and anti-social behaviour, which is already showing a huge spike, will only get worse. It is therefore incredibly timely that we have been able to partner with Michael and his team to deliver the integration upgrade now.”

not restricted to CCure, Lenel, Kantech, S2 Systems, and Honeywell.

The training will not only be personalised and bespoke, but it is also ‘mobile’ such that it can be delivered remotely.

Louise Gough, HR Manager at Evolution, says the launch of the Academy represents a significant investment: “We assess the skills levels and knowledge of every candidate when they apply to determine their training requirements, and then create a four-day training programme tailored to their needs. The challenge is how do companies attract, train and retain the best talent and one of the answers to that is by teaching engineers bestpractice from the start. By subsequently building on those good habits, we create a new generation of engineers who are highly professional, highly skilled, and add real value to the companies they work for and the clients they serve. Training is constantly updated and refreshed, both to satisfy their own appetite to learn, but also to ensure their knowledge reflects the broad range of skills a modern-day engineer needs to work across multiple departments and teams”

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ONVIF steamlines with open source development

ONVIF, the initiative for IP-based physical security products, has announced it is implementing open source for its network interface specifications for physical security technology. The move will streamline administrative and collaborative processes while also leveraging the collective ingenuity of the global developer community. ONVIF interoperability specifications are already publicly available as open standards and are used as common communication interfaces between devices and software clients, such as IP surveillance cameras, video management software and physical access control systems from different manufacturers.

The use of GitHub, an online open source development platform, will reportedly allow for easier contribution and collaboration on ONVIF specifications by applying software development tools to specification engineering.

barox technology now available through Oprema barox Kommunikation has announced that its video transmission products are now available through Oprema.

“Oprema is delighted to become a distributor for the barox range of network switches,” says Tim Duggan, Technical Director at Oprema. “barox switch products offer many features that are tailored specifically for network video and security applications. In

This will enable software engineers and developers from security, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, cloud services and other industries to contribute new ideas and proposals, spurring greater feature interoperability and new interface specifications that will help ONVIF continue to contribute to these industries. Other important aspects of ONVIF, such as the development of ONVIF profiles and test tools, the conformant product submission process, the activities of the ONVIF committees and working groups, and the ONVIF membership and governance structure remain unchanged.

“The data that powers our businesses and homes relies on feature-rich and standardised pathways of communications for interoperability, and ONVIF will continue to evolve to provide those pathways,” said Per Björkdahl, chairman of the ONVIF Steering Committee. “Augmenting our development methods with open source adds a collaborative and convenient platform through which ideas can be discussed and implemented and eases many of the administrative burdens that are inherent in the standards development process.”

addition, they offer many features that other manufacturers don’t, with many barox features targeted specifically towards IP cameras –which fits-in perfectly with us.

“Our new partnership will benefit both parties. barox has a new UK distributor promoting their brand and products, while Oprema has a new product range, one that fits in a different space to our existing offering. So Oprema’s customer base now has access to a new range of high-end switching equipment –with the added benefit of the level of service and support they are accustomed to. Moving forward, Oprema will be offering system design, training, and on-site commissioning services for barox, as we strengthen our partnership over the coming months

Commenting on the new distribution partnership, Rudolf Rohr, barox Co-founder & Managing partner said: “From my point of view, Oprema is a perfect fit and with the company being a Milestone distributor, barox offers exactly the right switches and a fully featured Milestone plugin.”

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Genetec announces integration with Bosch MAP 5000 intrusion panels

Genetec has announced the latest integration to result from its partnership with Bosch Security Systems with the news that users of the Bosch MAP 5000 intrusion alarm panels can now directly connect to Genetec Security Center through the Intrusion Manager, combining intrusion, video and access control into one interface.

Integration with Genetec Security Center ensures operators can monitor all intrusion events on dynamic maps alongside other security data such as video footage or access control records. This provides a fuller real-time understanding of what is happening in the facility so that organisations can react faster and contribute to more efficient day-to-day operations.

The integration also provides customers with additional intrusion management capabilities. This includes the ability to operate all intrusion systems from a central location, an alarm persistence feature that identifies where alarms originated, and a specialised interface to ensure operations can quickly arm specific zones while continuing to monitor the rest of the system. Furthermore, it offers the potential for customers to take advantage of other integrations and modules available within Security Center. For example, with Genetec Mission Control, users can implement a decision support system that ensures each intrusion event is handled in compliance with the organisation’s standard operating procedures.

“This integration further deepens our long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship with Bosch, bringing true value to our joint customers and partners,” commented Francesco Serra, Vice President, Sales, Europe at Genetec. “While our existing intrusion management features have long helped customers to manage their systems more easily and to catch intruders faster, this new integration allows us to extend those benefits to new areas across Europe.”

Check out the PSI Security News podcasts on Spotify The PSI Security News podcasts are available on Spotify, Apple and Castbox along with Spreaker and via the PSI website. Just search for “PSI Security” and you’ll find all of the recordings so far, ready for streaming or download.

THE B OTTOM LINE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CSL The interview that gets the facts from the top

This month Simon Banks talks to Darren Rewston, Creator of CheckMyCCTV™, a software solution that remotely performs maintenance checks for multi-brand, multi-location CCTV systems, to ensure they’re working and fit for purpose 24/7.

How has the demand for remote access to CCTV systems changed during the lockdown? Over the past few months, many Installers have seen their traditional business mod el s disrupted and have understandably spent time reviewing their estates. Many have used this time to upgrade and future-proof older connections by moving aspects of their maintenance onto a remote checking platform. When the lockdown started, no-one knew how to react! Installers had sites that couldn’t be attended by an engineer, where stock was being stored and endusers were obviously concerned. As the risk to premises and people grew, so did the demand for remote access to ensure systems were working correctly. This was reflected in a significant increase in the number of connections compared to the same period last year. Installers wanted to be able to prove to their customers that they were still offering them a great service, even if they couldn’t physically attend a site. Has the way we monitor CCTV systems changed because of this? In many instances, yes it has. Lots of ARCs have transitioned from their normal 12 -hour monitoring set up, to 24 hours, whilst thousands of maintenance visits had to be done remotely instead of onsite. Going forward, I think this is part of the “new normal”, especially for multi-site estates, where huge savings in cost and workload reduction can be had by doing most of their service checks remotely, allowing the company to focus efforts on new business. However, simply moving these checks online does not solve the entire issue. For large multi-site retailers or critical infrastructure projects, sites are often under different management teams, and checking sites manually, even remotely, still takes a lot of time and resources. Having the ability to check thousands of sites automatically and autonomously, using an online checking platform, can save hours of time every single day. We also see instances where end-users need to complete daily checks of the CCTV systems. This can be replaced entirely with automated remote checking which also ensures they take place in a consistent format and issues are reported as they happen. How can remote maintenance platforms benefit CCTV Installers and ARCs? The need to be proactive, rather than reactive, is increasing all the time. With regul ar automated checks, issues can be identified and resolved before they become a problem. Remote maintenance checks allow Installers and ARCs to create a proactive service for their customers, reducing the need for the enduser to report faults and ensuring systems are working and fit for purpose. Onsite annual maintenance visits are still required to clean equipment and check the hardware isn’t damaged – but this only ensures the CCTV is working one day a year. For the other 364 days, it is the end-user who must spot issues on the system. Furthermore, any faults identified during a site visit may need parts to provide a fix, which could take days or weeks and could have been an issue for months. Remote access allows Installers to proactively check for and identify issues, allowing them to be prepared to fix an issue remotely, or arrange a maintenance visit if required.

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TEST

PRODUCT TEST

What’s in the box? Opal Plus Dual-Tech Device Wall mounting pivot bracket Corner mounting bracket Misc. fixings Bracket tamper microswitch Instruction sheet

Optional items Hood (shown on this page) Remote control fob Manuals on memory stick T he Opal Plus is a Grade 2 outdoor Dual-Tech (Passive Infrared and Microwave) detector with anti-masking and remote configuration. An in-built dusk sensor can be used for home automation use. The detection angle is up to 100° with a maximum range of just over 15 metres. It is supplied with additional brackets for pivoting or corner / angle mounting with colour options of white or grey for the UV resistant housing.

Getting started A single captive cross head screw holds the top cover in place and once the cover is removed all of the connectors and controls are visible. Two cross head screws hold the PCB in place by two keyhole slots that when released allows the board to be removed from the rear casing. The plastic back

Satel Opal Plus

panel has a layer of thermoplastic elastomer covering all mounting hole drill-outs and the cable entry point to help resist moisture penetration of the IP54 rated enclosure.

There are 11 screw terminal connectors along the top of the circuit board. These are of good size to suit a standard terminal driver and are identified from left to right as follows:

AM, AM, TMP, TMP, NC, NC, COM, +12V, LED, SVCE & D/N.

Where AM = Anti-masking normally closed relay output, TMP = Tamper output (normally closed relay output), NC = Alarm Output (normally closed relay contact), COM and +12V are the power supply input pins, SVCE = remote control configuration set and D/N = Dusk sensor output (open collector circuit).

The “Manual” is presented on a large folded 600 x 420mm sheet with small light-grey text on white, with seven different languages sharing the space so it is not ideal for field use. The website pdf downloads do allow you to copy and paste the language of interest however, so it is worth spending some time before installation to produce your own document with screen captures of any diagrams you may need.

The detector may be mounted directly on to a wall or at a 45° angle using the corner mounting bracket. Alternatively, the pivoting ball-joint racket can be used, and this allows the detector to be mounted with a range of 90° horizontal and 60° vertical. When using one of these brackets, the supplied microswitch can be fitted and connected in series with the internal tamper switches or wired to a separate tamper circuit.

Set-up options The three buttons on the circuit board are Minus, Plus and Mode to the right. Pressing the Mode button for more than two seconds enters the configuration routine. This allows changes to be made individually to the microwave and PIR sensors and to change the light level at which the dusk sensor switches. The mode button is used to select which element to configure and the Minus and Plus button are used to increment or decrement the sensitivity or setting as appropriate. Holding the Mode button for a further two seconds returns the device from its configuration with all settings saved in nonvolatile memory. The optional OPT-1 Keyfob is most appropriate for adjusting the sensitivity as it allows real-time assessment of the sensitivity without having to constantly return to the

TEST

This dual-tech detector is straightforward to install with multiple mounting options, and relatively easy to configure especially when used with the remote Keyfob

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device. As an alternative, depending on the method of control and wiring, the SVCE (Service) terminal can be externally linked to the common to enter configuration mode without removing the device cover. When in configuration mode the first setting is for the microwave sensor; here the Green LED flashes to show the sensitivity setting with a fast rate indicating higher sensitivity and the Yellow LED shows activation. Similarly, when in PIR setting mode the Yellow LED flashes to indicate sensitivity and the Green LED signals motion detected. For the Dusk setting the Red LED flashes to indicate its setting and the Yellow LED illuminates when the light level is below the set threshold. The mode switch takes you out of the setting and on to the next. Default individual sensor values can be restored by holding down the Plus and Minus buttons momentarily when in configuration mode, or for all sensors by holding them both down for more than three seconds.

Operation When power is applied the Green, Red and Yellow LEDs sequence for approximately 40 seconds as the detector goes through its start-up routine. Once operational the left hand side Green LED is used to indicate microwave sensor detection and the right hand side Yellow LED shows PIR detection. When both sensors are activated the centrally mounted Red LED illuminates to indicate

an alarm has been triggered. The LEDs can be disabled for discrete use by removing the 2-pin link at the top of the board or for remote switching, the LED terminal on the PCB can be switched to Common to Enable / Disable the LEDs.

The PCB has front and rear mounted tamper switches and an additional microswitch is provided for fitting into the wall brackets if they are used.

The detector draws around 20mA when in use and has an operating temperature range from - 40°C to +55°C. Temperature compensation is included to take account of wide temperature variations.

Individual alarms signal for 2 seconds. The normally closed alarm contacts presented a resistance of approximately 25 ohms before going open circuit on alarm. The anti-masking output had a similar 25 ohm resistance and the Tamper was less than 1 ohm when secure going to open circuit on fault condition.

The microwave sensor operates at a frequency of 24GHz.

Performance The Opal Plus detector performs well and has configuration settings that once familiar with, are easy to work through and set up. When mounted at its recommended 2.4 metre height it is capable of detecting movement beyond 15 metres and includes creep zone coverage. Pet immunity (animals up to 20kg) is built in, though higher sensitivity settings may reduce the performance. Anti-masking detection is based on the microwave sensor with movement at 10 – 20cm from the detector triggering the AM relay for 2 seconds.

A low voltage supply of less than 9V for more than 2 seconds will raise a continuous alarm output until correct power is restored.

The optional hood provides an additional level of weather protection and is simply clipped onto the rear casing.

Conclusion This dual-tech detector is straightforward to install with multiple mounting options, and relatively easy to configure especially when used with the remote Keyfob.

8.5 out of 10

NOTE: This PSI Product Test was carried out by an independent third party, not editorial staff. The manufacturer had no input in the review or the final result