Security Electronics & Networks Magazine by Security Electronics & Networks Magazine

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers August 2012 Issue 335

security 2012:

show report

l Bosch Solution 144 alarm, access l Takex’ new PXB-100ATC photo beam l Kraut installs Vivotek for Sunbus l Video Security Products’ EasyIP l Gigapixel surveillance solutions? l Interview: Pierre Racz, Genetec

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editorial s ec uri ty e l e ct ro n i c s & netwo r ks

Broad brush approach

As for access control, the enormous number of existing solutions, many of which are now due for an upgrade to truly bring them into the glow of the digital era, guarantees local access control a bright future.

WITH Security 2012 under our belts we’ve all got a better overall idea of the sorts of products and product developments we can expect over the next 12 months. My current sense of the market is that there’s a lot of work being done on software development – not only software that manages systems but very clever and upgradeable firmware that drives hardware and supports ever more flexible management solutions and SDKs. It used to be that firmware on ROM, EPROM or flash memories of various kinds was the functional skeleton of a device and once installed it never changed for the entire lifespan of a device. No longer. The increasing power of hardware and processors means that serious improvements can be made by streamlining and polishing the broadening operational code that ultimately constitutes a device’s technical horsepower. Pretty obviously, not all programmed capabilities can be made available to users and installers, but within the bounds of ever larger operational possibilities, hardware is now able to be tweaked and focused in order to meet the demands of given applications. 3MP cameras can offer an enormous range of resolution capabilities, from D1 to 720p, 1080p or a full 3MP, with divisions of resolutions in between. Then there are encryption options which can be deployed simultaneously or selected on the basis of application. Image enhancement capabilities are also evolving endlessly and almost all of them are available for adjustment by installers or end users who take the time to venture beyond default. Along with accessible software development kits there are also now regular firmware upgrades, allowing R&D teams to extend the functional lives of products by continually extracting the best possible performance from existing hardware. This applies as much to access control as to CCTV. There’s no surprise that all this IT capability is beginning to be applied to electronic security solutions but it’s a thrill to recognise the possibilities. The broad standardization on 720p and 1080p camera technologies is a continuing change that was visible at the show – which of these ends up being the default is yet to be decided. Notwithstanding the excellent

august 2 01 2 i ssu e 3 3 5

By John Adams performance of some of the latest 720p cameras across a range of applications, I think we’ll see 1080p becoming the general default in our surveillance applications, but there’s a caveat. While releases like Panasonic’s brand new WV-SP509, the upcoming Sony 1080p HD camera, Sarix Surevison, Bosch Dinion HD, iMEGAPRO, VIVOTEK, Avigilon’s H3, all are either built as 1080p cameras or have 1080p settings, picking a perfect resolution remains a bit perilous, in my opinion. All the 1080p cameras have 720p settings and all the megapixel cameras have 1080p settings. To me the idea that for the first time in the industry’s history we’ll all settle down and be happy with a single fixed resolution is a misrepresentation of human nature. The challenges of managing megapixel video streams larger than the 2MP of 1080p notwithstanding, cameras will continue to improve, I think. H.264 compression has by no means been milked dry performance-wise and the next generation H.265 cameras will allow significantly larger video streams to be transmitted and stored. One of the curious things about the electronic security industry has been the back-rooming of alarm technology. I saw a few control panels at Security 2012 but it was telling that the most comprehensive range of controllers at the exhibition was arguably that of relative newcomer AlarmIP Australia. Given that alarm systems are the front line of any site’s defence against intrusion it’s a curious thing that perhaps reflects shrinking margin and ubiquity of function and operation. It’s been a long time since I’ve been blown away by a domestic alarm panel (DSC, I’m thinking of you) despite the fact there’s plenty of technological cross-pollination potential with surveillance, wireless access control, wireless automation and remote GSM panel control. As for access control, the enormous number of existing solutions, many of which are now due for an upgrade to truly bring them into the glow of the digital era guarantees local access control a bright future. I think there’s going to be a lot going on in the access control space over the next 12 months, with new releases and recent releases getting plenty of attention. zzz

se&n 03

Integriti Security Management System from Inner Range

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LOGOS USED ON PMS 313

54: Takex PXB-100ATC

aug 12 20: Security 2012 Expo Security 2012 offered some surprises, gave us hands-on opportunities to play with the latest products, provided a clear sense of Australia’s market mood and pointed towards future trends. 44: Bosch Solution 144 So fresh the paint is barely dry, the soon to be released Bosch 144 features 16 onboard zones expandable to 144, 256 users, 8 areas, 16 doors of access control and GSM/GPRS and Ethernet reporting. This panel is a great new release and was one of my favourite products at Security 2012. 48: Reach for the stars Genetec’s founder, CEO and President, Pierre Racz, combines piercing vision with instinctive team spirit and an appreciation for the things money can’t buy. A devout trekkie with a deep love of the possibilities of clever technology, Racz is committed to lateral integration and has a comprehension of the core nature of his products rare in a CEO.

New from Takex is the PXB-100ATC PE beam which was designed to eliminate stack crosstalk allowing installation heights of 8m, while at the same time improving detection sensitivity to attempts to step over the anti-crawl beams. 58: Magic bus Kraut Enterprises has installed a Vivotek surveillance solution for Transit Australia Group’s Sunbus repair and services centre, factory and office building. 60: Gigapixel CCTV? By synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device, electrical engineers from Duke University and the University of Arizona have built a 50-gigapixel prototype camera. 62: Geutebruck hits the gas Integrators Alphatron and Strukton Systems have upgraded the network and surveillance system across the 15,000km of gas pipelines and stations of Gasunie’s northwest European ‘gas roundabout’ using Geutebruck hardware and software. 72: Easy rider Just released by Video Security Products is EasyIP, an NVR solution that takes the network

verification of intrusion events, a technology that reduces false alarm call outs and allows operators to ring police directly in the event of a verified burglary.

installation out of network installation using a purpose-built platform so simple I was able to install it myself. Simply put, EasyIP is an IP version of a DVR.

+regulars

78: editor’s choice What’s new from our manufacturers.

10: news

Latest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world.

80: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

66: monitoring What we consider to be the biggest technical breakthrough in alarm monitoring is still failing to take off in the manner we’d expect. It’s video monitoring, including video

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers August 2012 Issue 335

SECURITY 2012:

SHOW REPORT

PP 255003/08027

Publisher Bridge Publishing Aust. Pty Ltd ABN 11 083 704 858 PO Box 237 Darlinghurst NSW 1300 tel 61 2 9280 4425 fax 61 2 9280 4428 email info@bridge publishing.com.au

Editor John Adams Advertising Manager Monique Keatinge Customer Service Annette Mathews tel 61 2 9280 4425 annette@bridge publishing.com.au

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Overseas 12 months $A155.00 (incl GST) 24 months $A270.00 (incl GST) WEBSITE www.securityelectronicsandnetworks. com.au No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form in whole or part without prior written permission of Bridge Publishing.

// news /

i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // industry develop ments // busin ess p rof i l es //

Axis IP training

l AXIS Communications has announced the availability of what it says is the world’s first professional network video certification in the South Asia Pacific region designed to help people and companies demonstrate their competence and skills in the IP surveillance area. The Axis Certification Programme is launched by the Axis Communications Academy, which has trained more than 25,000 individuals worldwide since its inception in 2005. “The growth in demand for network video in the South Asia Pacific region has stimulated a great deal of interest from security professionals who want to learn more about the latest technologies, applications and integration possibilities in IP surveillance,” said Wai King Wong, country manager South Asia Pacific at Axis Communications. “This move endorses Axis’ commitment in ensuring that the end-user gets the most value out of their investment in IP CCTV surveillance. “The Axis Certification Programme not only provides valuable professional development but is a unique differentiator for customers to recognise as a sign of quality, giving our partners added credibility as providers of video

DVTel TruWitness wins

surveillance solutions.” To become certified, individuals need to pass an advanced test that proves they are well-versed in the latest network video technologies, solutions, products and best-practice techniques. The certification program is appropriate for anyone wishing to validate and demonstrate their practical knowledge and skills in network video surveillance. The certification works to promote individuals and the companies they work for, reinforcing the participant’s status as an Axis Certified Professional. Once certified, participants will also earn Axis’ global stamp of endorsement and additional benefits that strengthens both their personal and their company’s credentials. Axis Communications’ Academy offers a variety of classroom and web-based training, along with tutorials and guides to help individuals prepare for the exam. The certification program is now available across the region from USD$150 onwards. For more information about the Axis Communications Academy and Axis Certification Programme, please visit www.axis.com/ certification

Dick Tracy upgrades his timepiece l A NEW product has been released which highlights the flexibility of digital CCTV technology. It’s a waterproof wristwatch with a 1080p HD camera. This device employs M-JPEG compression, has image resolution of 1920 x 1080, an 8GB flash memory, and audio recording and a high capacity Li-ion battery.

10 se&n

l DVTEL’s mobile surveillance application, TruWitness, distributed locally by Pacific Communications, has been honored as a winner in the Security 2012 Exhibition’s New Product of the Year Awards in Sydney. The award program recognizes the best security product innovations, judging products on their originality, benefit to users and installers, and ease of integration with current market technologies. More than 20 products were entered into the competition. The first application of its kind in the security market, TruWitness transforms cell phones into realtime networked video surveillance cameras. Users can tap into the power of their smart devices to stream, record, analyze, review and export video from any location. Available with DVTEL’s Latitude 6.2 VMS, the product operates over WiFi, 3G/4G and LTE networks, and provides security and operational teams with more mobility and enhanced awareness. TruWitness extends the coverage of surveillance networks to reach blind spots and other areas that traditional cameras cannot reach, and enables the relocation of cameras in real time, as the need arises. “We are pleased to be honored with this prestigious award. The industry is always searching for solutions that deliver a high level of situational awareness to allow for quick response and better informed decision-making in crisis situations,” said Yoav Stern, President and CEO, DVTEL.

// news /

i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // industry develop ments // busin ess p rof i l es //

ObjectVideo drops patent case against Samsung l AFTER a year-long legal battle, ObjectVideo has dropped its patent infringement case with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against Samsung Techwin and Samsung Opto-Electronics America. In July 2011, OV filed a complaint with the ITC against Samsung and others claiming that the companies infringed upon OV’s patented technologies. The patents in the suit dealt with video analytic software for security camera systems, such as metadata, tripwire and slip-and-fall technology. A day before the July 18 ITC trial began, OV filed an unopposed motion to terminate the ITC’s investigation against Samsung. In a statement, Samsung credits the dismissal to recent setbacks in OV’s case. In June, an administrative law judge dismissed the 175 patent (video segmentation using statistical pixel modeling) allegations against the video surveillance camera manufacturer. Moreover, on July 6 the Office of Unfair Import Investigations’ staff attorney decided that Samsung did not infringe the remaining patents asserted against it, and that the patents were invalid. “We are very happy that the staff attorney and now ObjectVideo has

apparently realized what we have been saying all along, that our products do not infringe ObjectVideo’s patents,” said a spokesman of Samsung Techwin’s Intellectual Property Department. “We respect the intellectual property of others but we do not pay unnecessary license fees simply to avoid litigation. That is why we decided to litigate this case and this outcome vindicates our company principles.” In response, OV released a statement stating that Samsung received a very limited covenant not to sue on current Samsung products in the U.S. marketplace. The covenant applies to only three of OV’s 47 U.S. and international patents. OV has ongoing patent cases with a large number of other major manufacturers but has shown itself very willing to drop cases in exchange for license agreements with patent offenders.

Baltimore CitiWatch focuses on private cameras l IN its plans to expand the CitiWatch surveillance program, Baltimore intends to build a database that will make it easier for businesses to give the police department access to their private security cameras. The city of Baltimore currently owns 583 security cameras and has access to more than 250 video feeds from various businesses. With the new database, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) can build on the current arrangement it has with large organizations such as Johns Hopkins Hospital, by reaching out to smaller, retail stores. The city will build the database and pay for outreach to businesses using a $US53,000 grant from the Abell Foundation. Businesses are not required to take part in the new program, called CitiWatch Community Partnership. Police will only look at footage from the expanded private system after they have received an alert of crime in the area. The CitiWatch surveillance program started in 2004 with a goal of reducing violent crimes in the area. A group of retired and offduty police officers monitors the system, which costs roughly $1.4 million annually to operate. In 2011, city surveillance assisted in the arrests of 1,236 suspects. Of those arrests, 145 were violent crimes, including robberies and assaults.

Sony makes best analogue cameras l SONY Electronics’ Security Systems Division has been named the 2012 Award for Best Brand of Analogue Cameras by research firm Frost & Sullivan. Frost & Sullivan asked U.S. retail facility managers, which brand of analogue surveillance cameras they considered first, second and third-best. Weighted-mean scores were computed from these responses with Sony receiving the most number 1 rankings and the highest weighted-mean scores. “We are proud that retail facility managers across the U.S. recognize that Sony is synonymous with image quality,” says Mark Collett, general manager, Sony. “While many retailers have started migrating toward IP camera systems, the analogue market remains strong.”

12 se&n

The object is ultimate security.

Breach resistant Layered security Utilizing standard algorithms

Introducing iCLASS SE™ with the Secure Identity Object (SIO) data model.

Tighten up your security with new iCLASS SE. The platform that simpliﬁes everything. Learn about SIO. hidglobal.com/sio or Scan this with a QR reader

iCLASS SE protects your identities with multiple layers of breach-resistant technology including a secure key management system. It’s also amazingly flexible — supporting MiFARE/DesFIRE, EV1 and Indala technologies as well as iCLASS®, while allowing any device enabled with our SIO data model to be turned into a secure credential. Pick your technology and program the credentials to create your ideal access control solution today — then reprogram your reader as your needs change down the in access control. To learn more about iCLASS SE from HID Global, visit hidglobal.com/object-sen or contact us at 852-31609800 or email at asiasales@hidglobal.com

// news /

Biometrics held back by lack of expertise

PCSC offers the world’s first Fault Tolerant (FT) controller series creating the highest level of reliability with its automated process of system recovery for access control, alarm monitoring and output control systems. Hitachi’s brand-new biometrics technology “Finger Vein Authentication” enables a high security system to verify a person’s identity by finger vein pattern matching. The Schlage Multi Technology readers are the most flexible readers in the industry. Finally one reader handles all applicable ISO reader standards )( 14443 & 15693) Schlage Multi tech readers contain both 125 khz and 13.56 mhz capabilities in one unit. PCSC offers the world’s first Fault Tolerant (FT) controller series creating the highest level of reliability with its automated process of system recovery for access control, alarm monitoring and output control systems. Hitachi’s brand-new biometrics technology “Finger Vein ChaSeenables SeCurity SolutionS Authentication” a high security system to verify a SpeCialiSeS in... person’s identity by finger vein pattern matching.

l ACCORDING to ABT Security’s outspoken CEO, Reg King, the slow take-up of biometric security measures; including finger print readers, finger vein readers, palm vein readers and eye (iris) readers; is attributable to many security companies poor understanding of technology. “What we are seeing is that enterprises and most particularly retail stores are missing out on advanced and often very cost effective security enhancements. This is simply because their security company lacks the IT expertise

• Fast Production of Access Cards

ISD’s Jaguar wins Security 2012 Product of the Year

The Schlage Multi Technology readersKeri are the most flexible • Schlage, HID, Indala, readers•inAccess the industry. Finally one reader handles all Control applicable ISO reader standards ) 14443 & 15693) Schlage • Identity Management Multi tech readers contain both 125 khz and 13.56 mhz • Biometrics capabilities in one unit.

l INNOVATIVE Security Designs (ISD) 1080P Jaguar, part of the company’s DVR-free range of Jaguar IP cameras, was named Product of the Year at Security 2012 in Sydney. ISD’s security cameras address the high cost associated se&n 13 with traditional DVR systems with its EDGE technology, effectively cutting 27/6/11 4:03:19 PM out labour and having technology on-board intelligent enough to report onPM human traffic in real-time 24/1/12 2:32:19 without the aid of a technician. AFN Security is the exclusive distributor of the Jaguar series in Australia. ISD was founded in 2012 by a team of seasoned security industry veterans with a clear and passionate vision 19 that IP-based surveillance solutions should be simple to configure and easy to install.

Sales@ChaseSecurity.com.au p: 1300 79 33 16 / f: 1300 79 33 19 www.chasesecurity.com.au

ChaSe SeCurity SolutionS SpeCialiSeS in...

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Fast Production of Access Cards Schlage, HID, Indala, Keri Access Control Identity Management Biometrics

Sales@ChaseSecurity.com.au p: 1300 79 33 16 / f: 1300 79 33 www.chasesecurity.com.au 14 se&n

EM711_Chase1.2v.indd 1

to integrate biometric devices with existing systems such as POS (point of sale) or time and attendance” said King. “I think it is fair to say, that most security companies come from a traditional security world, rather than from a technology background, so naturally they tend to stay within their comfort zone,” said King. “Perhaps that was understandable a decade or so ago, but with technological improvements we consider that IT and security should be intermeshed. “Our biometric devices can’t be abused and shared around like ID passwords, dramatically improving loss prevention strategies, retail shrinkage, employee theft, whether they’re suspicious transactions, false credits/returns or just errors; and have a host of human resource applications with direct links to timesheets and payrolls.” ABT Security Systems is the authorised Australian Reseller for biometric manufacturer M2SYS ABT Security Systems and is currently working on biometric integration for a major chain of telco retail stores, using a fingerprint reader device.

se&n 13 27/6/11 4:03:19 PM

Advantage Line by Bosch The choice you always wanted

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// news /

Macquarie Uni launches campus-wide alert system l MACQUARIE University has become the first Australian university to introduce a comprehensive emergency alerts system across its campuses. The same cloud-based technology used by organisations like the US armed forces, the US Coast Guard, UCLA and the Pentagon will notify students and staff of emergencies via email and SMS notifications to any device they choose. The emergency broadcast system, Alerts.mq.edu.au, can be used to warn staff in specific areas of a localised problem, or issue campus-wide announcements for more serious events. It can also be used to provide advice on what to do as a situation develops, with features allowing individuals to respond to messages if they need more help. “This gives our university a front line emergency response

reach like no other”, said John Durbridge, head of campus security. “People can respond to messages to let us know they are safe or tell us they need help. It means we get better information in real time so we know exactly what is happening and where to send our resources in an emergency.” All Macquarie University email addresses are automatically entered into the system while SMS notification is optional for staff and students. Take-up of SMS notification is expected to be high, given the size of the campus and the convenience of the system. “Our campus is a safe place and we hope we’ll never have to use this for the kinds of emergency we see on the news at overseas universities, but we have around 2 square kilometers of open space at our North Ryde campus,” says Durbridge. “We don’t have to look overseas to see how recent weather events can cause an emergency, and this system means we can respond to something like that much faster than before.”

HID Global, Lenel enter reseller agreement l HID Global and Lenel Systems have entered into an agreement that allows Lenel to resell HID’s EasyLobby Secure Visitor Management (SVM) software with the Lenel OnGuard advanced access control application. Integrating EasyLobby SVM with Lenel OnGuard enables users to grant different levels of access to visitors, contractors and employees from the EasyLobby SVM visitor station. When a visitor or contractor is badged using SVM, the information is automatically passed from the SVM database to the OnGuard system, and the prox card or barcode is activated in real-time. When the visitors check out of EasyLobby, the OnGuard system is immediately notified and the card is deactivated. “This agreement with HID Global allows us to offer our customers a comprehensive solution,” says Lenel product marketing manager Jim Crowley. “Our customers can now employ a single integrated security solution that includes access control and visitor management capability.” 16 se&n

Security is just a touch away

Touch Screen

Scalability

Quick Keys

The Hills Reliance TouchNav offers simple fingertip control of your Hills Reliance security system with an intuitive graphical interface and 3.5â&#x20AC;? touch screen. It has the ability to support up to 128 zones, 99 users, 8 areas and 16 outputs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; satisfying the requirements of residential homes, medium offices, retail shops and all the way up to large warehouses and multi-tenant buildings. Call or visit your local DAS branch for more information.

// news /

i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // industry develop ments // busin ess p rof i l es //

Panasonic Australia Launches New Security Solutions App l PANASONIC Australia Business Systems Group has launched a new security solution comparison app, the i-Pro Calculator, to make the job of choosing the right security camera, lens and storage easier and more accurate. The free app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch was designed in conjunction with Gish Technology for Australian sales people of Panasonic security products (systems integrators, independent security consultants, resellers, and distributors) to allow them to easily service their customers on site, selecting the correct camera and lens combinations to meet their clients’ prescriptive specifications, as well as accurately identifying bandwidth and storage requirements for video surveillance projects. The app is designed to reduce the need for manual searching and make the job of selecting the correct security camera and lens easy by quickly giving a range of options based on a job’s individual needs, instantly calculating the Field of View, Angle of View and Focal Length based on the Object of Interest, Visual Acuity Index (picture quality)

and Target Distance – all vital calculations needed to ensure the camera and lens will be able to deliver to your specific needs. Fraser Larcombe, national business development manager of security at Panasonic Australia, explained that one of the most important features of the app is that it gives a range of options to more accurately estimate bandwidth and storage requirements. “Previous predictor tools take the worst case scenario for quoting storage and bandwidth needs, always opting for the highest level possible – and when you are talking about deployments of hundreds of cameras around the country; this could mean your estimates are petabytes over what your client actually requires. The i-Pro Calculator offers a much higher level of accuracy, taking into account the different levels of scene complexity and motion to reduce the reliance on ‘worst case scenario’ and offer a far more accurate quote,” said Larcombe. Panasonic surveillance products are distributed locally by Pacific Communications.

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18 se&n Magazine: Security

Electronics & Networks Magazine

Innovative Solutions

Visit Axis at SecuTech Vietnam: Booth 217-220 August 22-24 Saigon Exhibition & Convention Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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People expect more from technology today — or in other words, less. Less cables, less equipment, less hassle. Why should video surveillance be any different? AXIS Camera Companion lets you offer cuttingedge network video also to customers with smaller areas to cover — giving them the advanced options they’re looking for today. AXIS Camera Companion records all video directly on each camera’s SD-card — so no need for DVRs, NVRs, extra cables, or even a computer during operation.

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SECURITY 201 2

SECURITY 2012 Security 2012 offered some surprises, gave us hands-on opportunities to play with the latest products, provided a clear sense of Australia’s market mood and pointed towards future trends. 20 se&n

love exhibitions. They drill deep into our industry’s ecosystems allowing us to see the products that are thriving in perfect niches as well as the products that are evolving hard to survive. My sense of the show this year without knowing the organisers’ registration count was that it was muted in terms of stand and visitor numbers but there were still plenty of people checking out the gear. Sometimes a slightly quieter show can be an excellent opportunity to spend more time with quality customers and most the exhibitors I spoke with agreed with me. I also felt there were more installers and integrators this year though perhaps we were simply missing some of the government people who we’ll see at SIG in a couple of month’s time. A number of big players gave the show a break this year and went with alternative marketing

BY J OHN ADAM S

Something that struck me at the show was that it seems cameras are specialising in a way they’ve never done before. This reflects the limitations of current technology more than anything, in my opinion

options, conducting parallel sessions in adjacent hotels, for instance. Others devoted a part of their spend to extra-curricular activities like harbour cruises. Most exhibitors went with variation of existing stands, some in smaller footprints, while a number of bigger players showed their newest products in smaller displays than usual. None of this fiscal restraint is surprising. As the GFC drags into its 4th year with unresolved problems in foreign markets eroding local confidence it seems clear that a recovery period of 10 years is probably optimistic. This quiet time is the new normal and products will need to be clever, sharply priced and well supported to succeed. One thing that was obvious to me at the show was that the relationship sale is well and truly back. The Security 2012 best stand award went to Anixter which built a simple open layout with a feature wall, part of which was suspended in space

and all of which was painted with urban art. The barred windows, garbage bins and overhanging ivy brought to mind tough city security applications. A deserving winner, I thought. Anixter showed a wide range of the product lines it carries and is continuing to leverage its expertise in networking to bring together installers and manufacturers, in line with the recent successful national road show it conducted with its networking partners. Given the complexities of networked solutions this umbrella approach is a vital one. At the heart of the exhibition, as it has been for many years, was the Hills Industries stand. Combining the vast product ranges of DAS and Pacific Communications into a space that was at once welcoming and intimate, this stand enjoyed the most traffic in my opinion. Other neat larger stands included Axis, HID, Salto, Gunnebo, BFT, Vivotek, Mobotix, Verint, Sony, C.R. Kennedy, Honeywell, Merit LiLin, Avigilon, Milestone and Genetec. Smaller stands that looked great included Videofied, D-Link, LSC, Bosch, Alarmcorp and Infratherm. A special mention goes to ActivConsole, whose display floated in the middle of the second hall. And there were plenty of smaller players who made the most of unbuilt environments, relying on their hardware to draw the eye, including Unified, which builds mobile electronic security solutions onto extendable trailer-mounted poles. The pole seemed more than usually festooned with hardware this year, with multiple cameras, sensors and comms devices.

WHAT WAS NEW

It goes without saying that there were a lot of video surveillance cameras at Security 2012 but only a few alarm panels. In fact there were cameras as far as the eye could see but that shouldn’t be interpreted as a bad thing. Having standardised at 720p and 1080p HD resolutions for general applications, typical surveillance cameras are improving fast. There was some smart stuff though the market’s hybridisation is still visible. Something that struck me at the show was that it seems cameras are specialising in a way they have

se&n 21

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SECURITY 201 2 ASSA ABLOY APERIO enabled locks

never done before. This reflects the limitations of current technology more than anything, in my opinion. Cameras like Axis’ 1602 Lightfinder and 1604 WDR are a case in point. Each is excellent in its area of speciality but their separate existence indicates that it’s currently difficult to handle backlight and low light using the same hardworking chipset. Test driving the best cameras recently I’ve had the feeling that up to this point manufacturers are designing cameras to perform at their best in one particular area but this is likely to change. One of the cameras that’s said to balance WDR and low light extremely well is the new Panasonic WVSP509 which I got a brief look at on the Pacific Communications stand. There’s also a new HD release on its way from Sony, if the rumours are true, but that’s at least 6 months away. While we’re talking about cameras, the winner of the Security 2012 Product of the Year Award was Innovative Security Designs, whose JBS-AF-1080p and JBS-CS-1080p Jaguar cameras caught the eye of judges. Having never heard of the winning camera manufacturer I went over to the ISD stand to see what all the fuss was about. First up I did not see the camera in a test environment so all I got were paper specifications and a feel of the hardware. It’s a comparatively heavy unit in the hand and feels well made. All the key performance specifications are on the mark, though they are nothing out of the ordinary. You get mini-USB slot, zero-touch installation with selected VMS solutions, a 3-10mm lens, .05 lux minimum scene illumination and an SDXC card slot allowing up to 4TB onboard storage at whichever distant point in the future such titanic flash drives come into existence. More realistically, the camera is also Trinity and HDWitness server ready, there’s a microphone, PoE and the excellent signal-to-noise ratio of 72.4 dB suggests very strong WDR performance.

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Compression looks good with H.264 baseline profile, main profile (the default) and high profile Level 5, as well as MPEG. The unit delivers 4 simultaneous video streams. All this is very nice but by no means groundbreaking. Instead, the stand-out features of the Jaguar, which comes in CS and AF designations, seem to be related to the company’s proprietary suite of edge technologies which somewhat unsurprisingly, ISD calls EDGE technology. According to ISD, this offers ‘DVR-free’ operation and incorporates analytics that ‘report human traffic in real time’. I did not see how any of this works as the AFN staff were busy the couple of times I visited the stand so I had to make do with a brochure. While an unproven camera is an unusual winner (beta tests are underway at a number of local sites), perhaps less widely known is that ISD’s CEO is former IQInvision CTO, Ian Johnston who is committed to supplying the market a camera that does not require a ‘ton of infrastructure’ to support it. The result is a camera that ‘does not need a server’ (how long you could store real time 2MP streams on currently available 64GB cards is a worthwhile calculation), that monitors and reports its own operating condition and that of its fellow cameras, can assign itself to an external recording device and can be driven and configured using a universal remote ‘sourced from Walmart’ without an installer needing access to the device once it’s installed. There’s a raft of digital functions to play with from PTZ and privacy masks, to noise reduction and motion detection. Pretty obviously, what Johnston and his team are doing is trying to make IP as simple as analogue in order to stop installers from putting IP solutions into the too-hard basket and continuing to install reliable but increasingly outdated analogue cameras. In part this need to dumb down digital is an indictment on techs who remain ignorant of IP but in fairness to our men in vans, IP is challenging even for the initiated and things like messy switch configs are still agonising to address when they go wrong. My own choice for best in show turned out to be something else but ISD’s intended direction can’t be faulted nor can the company’s pedigree and I’m looking forward to getting a test drive of this camera in the near future. All you installers interested in the Jaguar should bear in the mind that price is projected to be in the $800-1200

A company I was especially impressed with at this show was Vivotek which was showing a bunch of clever new gear including the Supreme fixed camera and a 5MP 360-degree hemispheric with a very cool management solution.

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S H OW RE P O RT bracket depending on which unit you select and this number is for the US. That means cost is likely to be higher here in Australia putting the Jaguar at the upper end of the fixed internal camera market – think Panasonic, Sony, high-end Axis, Bosch Dinion HD and the like. Also of interest was the increased presence of D-Link at the show. The D-Link range looks to have grown and while I did not get a chance to have a demo of any of the company’s products it looks like D-Link is the first large mainstream IT peripheral maker to have made a serious commitment to physical security solutions. D-Link was showing a range of fixed and dome cameras, as well as wireless solutions and network storage. The stand was also pushing the SydLink Cloud solution. As far as I could tell this cloudbased surveillance system is designed for smaller retail outlets and domestic environments and uses low cost wireless cameras to simplify installations. A company I was especially impressed with at this show was Vivotek which was showing a bunch of clever new gear including the Supreme fixed camera and a 5MP 360-degree hemispheric with a very cool management solution. Having visited the company’s head office in Taipei many years ago in the early days of IP I can’t help but feel supportive of Vivotek’s long history of digital commitment. The company’s IP camera technology is now proven and all the hard work of many years is

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SECURITY 201 2 paying off with many compliments coming from competitors. What was obvious in Sydney was that Vivotek is not chasing the market but leading it with cool features never seen before at this price point. It’s nice to see one of the industry’s pioneers doing so well. There was something interesting on the DAS stand. It was the presence of high end Optex alarm sensors, not the Rokonet I expected to see. The rumour mill suggests Rokonet has decided to change its distribution model for reasons unknown and as a result the company chose not to continue distribution of Rokonet gear with DAS. After poking around the stand it seemed to me that the DAS team has managed to get their hands on pretty much everything nice from Optex’s high quality Japanese-built movement sensor range, more than making up for the change. The range includes indoor and outdoor passive and active IR sensors and beams in wireless and hardwired configurations. Optex also has a laser detector in its range. I want to play with that. DAS was also showing new Forcefield functionalities that combine video surveillance with its proven access control capability. Combined with detailed site mapping, the video capability includes a popup live view with full PTZ control linked to icons and generated by alarm events. It’s a nice piece of evolution from a proven performer. Another product I liked a lot was the FSH EcoMag

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SECURITY 201 2 Axis Q60C

Geutebruck LPR on a tablet

FEW3800, which is designed to save power. The unit achieves the savings in a very interesting way – by reducing the current consumed when not in alarm to a very low 170mA and ramping it up to full power when an unauthorised attempt to open the door is detected. If you think reducing current through the windings of a mag lock is going to reduce the holding force when the door is not in a state of alarm, you’re perfectly right but this does not impact on the security of the door. When the FSH boys demonstrated their new lock to me it was clear that as soon as the door is moved by a would-be intruder the current spikes instantly, increasing the sleeping holding force from a considerable 140kg at 170mA to a hearty 250kg at up to 620mA. According to FSH’s Trevor Mackle, the design cuts power consumption by 200 per cent and you get all FSH’s usual features like internal early warning alarm and red alarm LED. FSH was also showing LifeLight technology which displays arrows on surfaces indicating which way to go to get to exits in event of emergency. This technology retrofits to existing emergency exit hardware making it a very neat idea, indeed. Sony showed its SLOC digital over coaxial cable technology, as well as IPELA camera, large HD PTZs and smaller cameras, IPELA HD IR. The core functionality of SLOC technology is the ability to transmit analogue CVBS video and digital IP video

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I spent a bit of time of the Geutebruck stand getting a look at the GSCView, a management solution I was familiar with. It’s a nice solution, highly capable.

over a single coaxial cable simultaneously. From an end user’s point of view this means megapixel IP cameras can be deployed on existing coaxial infrastructures and operate at distances between 300 and 500m unamplified, depending on the quality of the cable. It’s some pretty serious capability and we’ve seen it work, too. I spent a bit of time at the Geutebruck stand getting a look at the GSCView, a management solution I was familiar with. It’s a nice solution, highly capable. I also saw the LPR capability universal to Geutebruck products that’s clever enough to distinguish between license plates and sign writing on the sterns of vehicles, as well as logging all details in associated text. Nearby, Bosch was showing the new rugged NDN-832 IP66 rated HD dome camera and a fixed body version of the same excellent chipset – remember we reviewed the former camera in detail last month. The lens on the fixed HD Dinion is a very wide angle lens with optical correction built in so as to remove the de-warping burden from the chipset. Also on show was the Bosch Video Client camera management software which handles 16 cameras free. But what really caught my eye on the Bosch stand was a new alarm panel- the Solution 144. It goes without saying that new alarm panels are few and far between so I was stoked to find an alarm product I’d never seen before at the show and installers should be pleased, too. This is a nice unit, well thought out and with plenty of power. The panel has 144 zones, 256 users, a fingerprint reader, a PIN-based keypad and a prox fob reader (these are proprietary), there are new expansion boards including a 4 output card and a 16-zone input card. There’s a new GSM/GPRS unit as well – it’s the first time Bosch has offered a panel with potential for SMS capabilities for reporting and control. We’re reviewing this unit in this issue so if you’re interested take a look. Meanwhile, the Pacific Communications stand featured all the brands we’ve come to expect, including the DVTel TruWitness, an app that turns any PDA into a camera point accessible through Latitude 6.2 VMS. I also saw the DVTel Quasar HD camera, Vario lighting solutions, Pacom Evo DVRs, FLIR thermal solutions, Arecont MP cameras, as well as Pelco’s Sarix SureVision and Sarix Ti. Also on the Pacific Communications’ stand was Snap Network Video Surveillance, which was spun out of the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Visual Technologies in 2009. Headed up by CTO Dr Henry Detmold, whom I spoke with on the stand, Snap is offering a solution designed to integrate the data from thousands of cameras in a way that better allows operators to follow events in real time by associating groups of adjacent cameras. Having spent time in the Myer control room recently and watched operators following incidents using their long experience to pick the

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SECURITY 201 2 TruVision NVR 20. On the Assa Abloy stand was a full range of Aperio-enabled locksets. Aperio is a short haul wireless comms solution that links Aperioenabled locks to an existing networked access control solution. Given the vast number of mechanical locks in every facility, not just in remote buildings but within secure areas, the technology offers significant enhancements to security as well as audit trails through the existing access system. Still with access control, I next got a look at HID Global’s multiCLASS SE readers, which are part of HID’s next gen platform built around Security Identity Object (SIO). This combines with HID’s Trusted Identity Platform (TIP) to turn mobile phones into smart identity credentials and I got a demonstration of how this all works. Employing highly secure 13.56MHz smart card technology, multiCLASS SE readers are

CEM control unit

right camera intuitively, it seems to me that Snap offers a solution that turns any operator into an expert instantaneously. When an event occurs, all cameras that have a view of the scene are called up around the primary view and as the operator follows the event by pulling a new camera onto the main viewing window in the middle of the screen this process continues, always allowing the operator multiple adjacent views of an event. It’s a very cool product and I was instantly taken with it. Applications like stadiums, large railway stations, casinos, public surveillance applications all sprang to my mind as Detmold powered through events, a multiplicity of entirely relevant camera views wheeling around the perimeter of the display screen. My immediate reaction was commiseration with the poor programmer having to associate all these cameras but according to Detmold, Snap automatically finds the relationships between every camera in a network all by itself. Wow. Meanwhile on the Alarmcorp stand I got a look at the Adpro FastTrace 2 Hybrid recorder and transmitter, which is an H.264 multi-site video solution supporting up to 16 cameras, analogue or megapixel IP. While FastTrace 2 has many of the features of a very powerful NVR and is designed for multisite applications, its great strength is eventbased video transmission. On alarm the unit sends video from a remote site to Adpro VideoCentral remote video and alarm management software and Adpro M3000 command and control software. Features of this unit are considerable and it will take a detailed review to tease them all out. They include in part up to 8TB onboard storage, dual codec or dual stream for independent recording and viewing of analogue or IP cameras, an audio input per video input, an intuitive web interface and fast searches using post record metadata motion detection presented as a timeline in increments of seconds. Alarmcorp was also showing off a range of product from Salto and SiPass to BPT, as well as the

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On the Assa Abloy stand was a full range of Aperio-enabled locksets. Aperio is essentially a short haul wireless comms solution that links Aperio-enabled locks to an existing networked access control solution. surprisingly compact and the process of registering a phone onto a network and using it as a credential was no more complicated than registering a card. Reads with a mobile device are just as quick as card reads. Also on display at HID were VertX Evo networked access control solutions, which are making headway in the local market, as well as Fargo printers and the ActivIDentity assurance solutions. Salto also showed its product at the show and I liked what I saw. Salto’s SVN technology brings mechanical locks into an electronic access control environment using wireless communications and integration with access management solutions from the likes of Gallagher and Inner Range. Lock

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SECURITY 201 2

Above: Snap’s lovely piece of software engineering Left: Salto wireless padlock

types range from padlocks to mortise locks and plenty in between. We’ve not reviewed Salto’s solutions in SE&N before but we’ll be doing so in the months ahead. Avigilon was showing a number of new cameras including its H3 range which now includes a big IP66-rated speed dome. H3 uses H.264 compression and the company’s High-Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology to move high resolution video streams across networks. According to the company, H3 uses 4x less bandwidth in low light, which is excellent performance. True to the company’s megapixel expertise, H3 employs 3 and 5MP sensors giving up to 2.5x HD resolution, making H3 cameras ideal for larger scenes like airports, stadiums and large external spaces. They have 3-9mm lenses with P-iris. That HDSM gives expanded multi-streaming for efficient playback on the Avigilon Control Center

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software, as well reducing long-term archival storage requirements. Along with H3, Avigilon was also showing its 29MP fixed camera, which according to Avigilon’s Sean Borg, is the largest CCD sensor ever used in a surveillance camera. For single camera coverage of huge scenes with high resolution zoom capabilities the 29MP is likely to be a strong performer. We’re looking forward to reviewing it in the field in the near future. Axis Communications never fails to impress at these events and the company offered its usual swag of recent and new releases, including the 1602 Lightfinder and 1604 WDR cameras mentioned earlier. There was also a new PTZ, the P5544, with 18x optical zoom, day/night switching and IP51-rated casing. But just to complicate its categorisation, the 5544 has a second lens on the camera dome, poking down like a snout. Inside this protuberance is an additional hemispheric lens giving a full 360-degree view, letting viewers see footage from all around the camera at once. The idea behind this camera is to give recordings of an entire 360-degree scene, as well as allowing users to pan tilt and zoom in full HD resolution as required. There were also some smaller cameras on the Axis stand including the M10, the M1033 wireless and the M11 Series network cameras with integrated IR-LED illumination and mechanical IR-cut filters for day/night surveillance. Compact and good looking, these cameras offer 720p HD and lever-adjustable focus and field of view – neat. There are a pair of integrated long life LEDs with an MTBF greater than that of the camera. Also on the Axis stand was the Q19 Thermal fixed camera and the imposing Q60C PTZ camera designed to meet MIL-STD-810G military specifications for operation in extremely harsh desert environments. Q Video shared space with Tyco and was showing a combination of product including the its new DSC PowerSeries Touchscreen, the Spyder surveillance camera, the first to combine IR capability with full PTZ functionality, as well as CEM access control solutions and a cool new range of easy to install alarm solutions from wireless specialist, Visonic. Merit LiLin was showing a bunch of good stuff including its new NVR104, the larger 16 channel NVR Touch, the company’s new CMX management software, as well as the powerful iMEGAPRO IPR7334SX IP66 camera we reviewed last month. All these are strong releases from Merit LiLin,

Genetec was on display front and centre and was showing Security Center, its unified security platform combining Genetec’s IP video surveillance, access control and license plate recognition systems.

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S H OW RE P O RT which is pushing hard thanks to the capability and price point of the iMEGAPRO range of fixed and dome cameras. Not surprisingly, the CMX and the NVR Touch are joined at the hip functionally speaking and I spent a bit of time with Merit LiLin’s NSW state manager, Graham Madden, getting a feel for their combined capabilities. We’ll be reviewing them fully in an upcoming issue but suffice to say the CMX gives great control and is easy to use. Milestone’s latest XProtect management solution was running on the Milestone stand and to make a point Milestone was running the system with a multiplicity of cameras from the likes of Arecont, Bosch, Axis, Vivotek and other ONVIF compliant makers. I spoke to a number of integrators and manufacturers at the show who lauded Milestone’s open-ended product and after Angelo Salvatore ran me through a quick demo I was impressed, too. The latest VMS solutions are far advanced compared to their forebears but it’s the invisibility of all the hard work going on under the surface that impresses me most. Mobotix was showing a spread of product most of which we got a look at in Melbourne at the Mobotix conference. There was the Q24 Hemispheric, the M12D day night camera, the D24M wall mount, the D24 Vandal. I also spent some time getting a look at the S14 FlexMount, a tiny double hemispheric camera. The IP65-rated S14 is characterized by its pair of miniature lens units with integrated microphone connected by a 2m cable. You tuck the housing in a ceiling or wall and secrete the hemispheric lenses nearby, covering 2 rooms, a room and a corridor, in fact any combination that comes to

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SECURITY 201 2

Merit LiLin’s NVR Touch CMX

mind. The cameras give nothing away in terms of performance, either. Well worth a look. Genetec was on display front and centre and was showing Security Center, its unified security platform combining Genetec’s IP video surveillance, access control and license plate recognition systems. Having got a close look at Genetec’s integration capabilities at a recent Melbourne install, I was impressed. The ability to combine access control, video surveillance, alarms, visitor management, lifts, air conditioning, lighting all in a single screen (yes, you read that right) with all functionality no more than a couple of clicks away is no mean feat. I expect to see a lot more of Security Center over the next couple of years. C.R. Kennedy was showing a Panomera Unit – the first time it’s been seen in Australia, I hurried over to see the 54MP monster but the unit on display was a smaller but still impressive 16MP solution. In the flesh it looks just like a huge fixed camera. Performance was extremely good and from the camera’s location at the back of the hall we were looking up the main aisle out the door, across the garden beds and getting face recognition of pedestrians on the far pathway across the moat. Perhaps they were 200m away. Backlight was not an issue either and it was a bright day. Also on the stand was SMAVIA, which is a recording server software that can be used on a range of different hardware platforms - either on special video recording servers made by Dallmeier or as a stand-alone software on standard servers or PCs – Linux as well as Windows. Essentially, SMAVIA enables the recording of video images and streams in a large variety of image compression and transmission codecs (H.264, MPEG-4, MJPEG). In addition to standard definitions, SMAVIA also supports Full HD (1080p) and up to 8 megapixel – pretty serious numbers. Another nice product on the C.R. Kennedy stand was the sweet DF4910HD-DN/IR IP66-rated IP camera we reviewed last month. With up to 3MP resolution, including 720p and 1080, and 25m of IR range, this is a great camera at its price point. Meanwhile on the Takex stand I got a look at the TAKEX PXB-100ATC photoelectric beam sensors which were developed specifically to defeat all attempts at breaching, as well to eliminate crosstalk so they can be stacked much higher than in the past, up to 8m. The units have an excellent range of 100m and there’s OR Gate as well as AND Gate response to intrusions, allowing the sensors to offer excellent discrimination between real alarm events and the movement of wildlife. Other features of this product include ±20 degree vertical adjustment, anti-mask & anti-cloak, alignment aids, a narrow envelope, dual output and response processing, advanced synchronisation and ingress protection. The units are IP65 rated and have a number of features designed to keep out insects, dust and water so that performance in the field is not compromised.

’

// news /

S H OW RE P O RT

SECURITY 201 2 industry developments // business profiles //

DVTel Quasar HD Another standout product at the show was with IR Videofied’s XTIP710, a hybrid alarm system with video verification that now reports alarm events and status using GPRS and IP. We’ve like Videofied’s products for a while now and think they offer you installers a great up-sell or panel replacement option. Using reliable spread spectrum wireless devices, the company has a real track record of visible success. massive Texas school district recently due to the number of employees that tend to Sending alarm events along with video ONE footage upgraded its video surveillance system in an move from campus to campus in such a large is pretty much Rolls Royce performance and effort to keep up with advancements in Web school system. Russell says prior to the Video Videofied has 450-odd arrests under its beltmanagement thanks platforms. Austin Independent Insight implementation his VMS administrator to its ability to identify burglars. When you consider School District – the America’s 38th largest spent a considerable amount of time with user most alarm systems are blind and cannot assist school system – has replaced its existing maintenance. “With this number of users a video management system with Video Insight reliable Web client is more economical than operators by doing more than reporting multiple software. Encompassing 230-square miles, installing (and uninstalling) thick VMS clients on adjacent alarm events, Videofied’s capabilities There was plenty more to see at the show and in Austin ISD has 86,000 students, 11,000 each PC, which also overburdens our already stick out even more. and subsequent issues taxed VMS administrators,” hewe’ll says. be reviewing many employees, 124 campuses and more than 3,000 this ofThe the switch stand-out solutions. forresulted the editor’s to Video InsightAs has in pick for video surveillance cameras. an improved video management “We were unhappy with the platform that we SE&N’s Best Product at Securitysystem 2012 –for I chose the Austinsolution ISD in many including: had invested in and we needed a more practical Snap fromrespects, Network VideoLittle Surveillance to no trainingbyforPacific employees; increased video For its solution – something that was easy to use,” says distributed Communications. Austin ISD Police Department Representative camera image quality; more efficient storage; ability to automatically wrangle the power of Wayne Russell. “We needed something that faster system performance; variety in camera existing cameras challenging real choice and of LDAP integration. The in 3,000-plus didn’t require an incredible amount of CPU thousands environments, it hasbytothe beAISD my pick camera system is monitored policefor SE&N’s processor power that could also serve as a fully- world Best in Show. dispatch 24-hours a day, seven days a week, functioning Web client.” particular during peak times144 alarm After an exhaustive bid process, Russell found paying Up there with attention it is the Bosch Solution to camera in the panel bus drop off and pickfeatures up the solution in Video Insight. and accessfeeds control with neat like “Video Insight was the only software solution areas, cafeterias during breakfast and lunch pre-built garage door control and a succession of that worked seamlessly with our existing time, playgrounds and in hallways during class readers and expanders. The Solution 144 is just cameras and it offered a very dependable Web changes. Administrators monitor cameras at We’ve spent a bit of time looking at Videofied that a solution. Thought fromtobeginning each– school campus, but they through report incident client,” Russel says. alarm event footage. Image streams are currently end, I think willhave resonate Bosch AISD policeitwho the solewith authority to installers A fully functional Web client application was tothe black and white for low light performance clip and to export very and important to Austin ISD, says Russell, looking givevideo. their customers more capability in optioned for low bandwidth but they’re still large domestic and small commercial applications. ACCESS control solutions provider ASSA excellent what they are.of Greensteel Twin SIMs and an NBN-proof network comms ABLOY has for purchased assets Now the product under port built into a medium-sized alarm panel with Industries Ltd., word a metaliscommercial door anddevelopment will maker. incorporate the latest advances in video frame 16 doors of biometric, prox and keypad access The Greensteel products now be better marketedidentification compression givingwilleven control? Yes, please. and manufactured under Baron and Fleming ability day and night. Special mentions go to the Axis 5544 for brands, ASSA ABLOY Executive Vice President As far as I’m concerned all alarm systems conceptual awesomeness, the Axis 1604 WDR for Thanasis Molokotos says. should work the way Videofied’s does and I can’t its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex PXB“This acquisition will enhance our ability out non-residential why more alarm have 100ATC which takes affordable perimeter security towork provide door manufacturers opening not seized this customers,” combination of technologies to a new level, FSH FEW3800 for being greenest, solutions to ouron Canadian he says. Established in 1932, Greensteel Industries for their own solutions. Giving the same great and C.R. Kennedy’s Dallmeier Panomera, which operates in Winnipeg, Canada. catch performance with the combination of GPRS looked the furthest and saw the mostest. Finally, It’s anonboard interestingIPlateral move from ASSA and connectivity in its latest XTIP710 the most improved product range honours are ABLOY, which is a significant player in the solution is just icing on what was already a very shared by Vivotek and Merit LiLin. Nice work, folks. Australia domestic locking and commercial tempting Videofied cake. zzz access control markets.

3000-camera school system deploys web-based solution

Special mentions go to the Axis 5544 for conceptual awesomeness, the Axis 1604 WDR for its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex PXB-100ATC which takes affordable perimeter security to a new level...

assa abloy buys Greensteel industries

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Competence in Video Security w w w. g e u t e b r u c k . c o m . a u | P h o n e 1 3 0 0 8 5 5 2 9 1 14 se&n

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Standing out You’ve read about the product but there was plenty of good work put into the stands as well, the best being Anixter’s awesome bit of urban art. Not as big or busy as previous years, perhaps, but Security 2012 was still a worthwhile event.

Anixter proves that simple ideas often win best stand awards

Axis Communications is a new product blunderbuss

Vivotek – nice stand, nicer product range

Gallagher’s Command Centre v7.00 drew attention

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s p e ci al re p o rt security 201 2 exp o

Bosch’s Solution 144 hit a hole in one

Avigilon showed H3 and its new 29MP camera

Fibre on their minds – the Comnet boys

The breadth of new product showed there’s strong effort going into research and development – hardware and software.

C.R. Kennedy showed its Dallmeier gear

Alarmcorp keeps growing its range

Open Platform Systems: Watch this space

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RealGuard mobile security solutions

ActivConsoleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neat exhibit floated mid-floor

Fully the winner of best product name award

A number of companies were targeting mining and remote site requirements, including RealGuard and Unified.

BFTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team awaits the opening whistle, Day 3

A weather eye open for photo opportunities

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s p e ci al re p o rt security 201 2 exp o

Samsung’s range – enormous

Geutebruck has reason to celebrate

FLIR’s thermal cameras a hot topic

Specially pleasing was the ongoing development of management and control systems which are reaching stellar levels of sophistication.

Honeywell does the business

Team members of the Tyco and Q crew

Merit LiLin showed brilliant iMEGAPRO

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HID’s future in the cards

Milestone’s solution much complimented

Mobotix showed its S14 hemispheric: The all seeing eye

2012 saw an increase in the number of integrators and installers at the show. Pleasing too, were stands from new industry players.

Takex released new photo beams

Verint’s super smart Nextiva

Hills: The epicentre of Security 2012

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www.pacom.com.au

Witness a true innovation DVTel’s TruWitnessTM mobile video application www.pacom.com.au

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p ro d u ct rev i ew bosch

Bosch Solution

144

So fresh the paint is barely dry, the soon to be released Bosch 144 features 16 onboard zones expandable to 144, 256 users, 8 areas, 16 doors of access control and GSM/GPRS and Ethernet reporting. This panel is a great new release and was one of my favourite products at Security 2012. 44 se&n

OSCH’S new locally-built Solution 144 was a surprise release at Security 2012 and it was a pleasure to see a new alarm and access control solution at the show. Building on the Solution 64 and the Solution 16i control panels but with far greater capabilities, the Solution 144’s design is clever in multiple ways, from its vast expandability to its suites of reader technologies and multiple onboard reporting paths. Best of all, the pricing targets Solution 64 pricing so you get more features for similar dollars. In terms of its core capabilities, the Solution 144 supports 256 users, has 16 zones with 144-zone wired or wireless expansion, 8 areas and integrated access control for 16 doors. There’s a selection of readers including weatherproof metal keypads, proximity keypads, fingerprint LAN readers, and internal and external LAN readers. The LAN readers include egress and lock control built-in, making for faster and easier installation. All the readers have lock output and egress input to operate door strikes and egress connections. There are also Ethernet modules and Voice modules. Programming is by menu text or Solutionlink

by john adam s

“There’s also a new GSM/GPRS unit,” says Bailey. “This is the first time we’ve had a panel with GSM SMS event reporting. These reports can be sent to multiple contact numbers and the panel is also controllable by SMS. A strong feature is that as the NBN rolls out you can replace a PSTN connection with GPRS wireless reporting – all you need to add is a SIM. “There’s been good interest in the panel with many installers keen on it. Their typical reaction to many of the new features is ‘my customers have been asking for that’. “To my mind this panel is like a Solution 16i and a Solution 64 squashed together. The 16i is a big seller for us but it only has 16 inputs so if installers want to do 30-input jobs they cannot. With the Solution 144 they can do those larger systems and there’s plenty of flexibility for other functions like access control as well.” Making installers lives easier is high speed Windows programming software the Bosch people say is the easiest to use on the market today. This software has a new cross reference bar so it installs easier and faster – the names of the doors, the outputs that are associated with the doors and the time schedules are included. It means installers don’t have to remember which door is which. There’s also a contact relay which is set up

There’s been good interest in the panel with many installers keen on it. Their typical reaction to many of the new features is ‘my customers have been asking for that’. software either remotely or by direct connection. Other features include telephone fail line monitor, 5 onboard outputs expandable to 37, Advanced RS485 LAN with anti-substitution, and GSM/GPRS and Ethernet options. That Advanced RS-485 LAN has a proprietary data encryption algorithm and can be 1200 metres long (using Belden 8723 2 pair twisted shield cable) – more with LAN isolators. According to Bosch’s Matt Bailey the Solution 144’s universal expansion boards incorporate a power supply module, a 4-output card and a 8/16zone input card.

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automatically for a garage door. “About 90 per cent of the people who call us asking for a relay ask for a garage door relay – now it’s already there for them,” says Bailey.

Additional features

The Solution 144 has a serious features list including things like Sensor Watch which monitors zone activity when an area is disarmed and reporting trouble after a given time period. There’s also a chime mode, separate tamper inputs, walk test and 16 time zones with 4 possible periods. The keypad has a graphic user interface which has a text-driven menu similar to mobile phone menus. There are colour-coded illuminated keys to make night operation easy, along with red and green LEDs indicating status. Tones signal sound during operation. Out of the box, the 144 has 5 onboard programmable outputs but these can be expanded to 37 in total. All outputs are protected and will shut down individually in the event of

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overload. Such output conditions are displayed on the code pad and can be externally reported. Outputs can be triggered via event or manually and can be set up for pulsing, polarity or one-shot operation. Outputs can be programmed to correspond with more than 60 different event types. Meanwhile, zone programming is what determines the panel’s response to open/short and tamper conditions on the zone loop and zones can be programmed individually to monitor all types of security alarms, fire alarms and supervision devices. CID, SIA, DOMESTIC and SMS text reporting are all included and that neat dual-SIM reporting capability lets installers pick which reports need to be sent to which routes and in which formats. You can select open and close reporting individually for each user and area on the panel, allowing the owner to monitor things like cleaner access, kids returning from school or restricted area access, all via mobile phone. A cool multi-tenant feature locks the first 128 users on the system to the first 128 zones so that each time a particular user enters their pin code a corresponding zone is automatically bypassed. It’s a feature that’s great for school class rooms or self storage facilities. The event log is comprehensive and includes 1000 events from all areas with all events recorded no matter the reporting setting. You can view the log from the keypad or using SolutionLink software. Due for release in the next couple of months, Solution 144 offers installers plenty of firepower for their larger alarm systems and for small/ medium alarm and access control applications. Best of all, Bosch installers already know how to program it. zzz

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pi e r r e r acz

reach for the stars Genetec’s founder, CEO and President, Pierre Racz, combines piercing vision with instinctive team spirit and an appreciation for the things money can’t buy. A devout trekkie with a deep love of the possibilities of clever technology, Racz is committed to lateral integration and has a comprehension of the core nature of his products rare in a CEO. 48 se&n

Q: Genetec has had enormous growth over an extended period of time – is that year-on-year growth still continuing? A: Yes it is. Last year we did 33 per cent growth globally, in the Americas our growth was phenomenal – more than 50 per cent growth. Our planning projects that we will sustain 30 per cent growth for the next 3 years. The world’s hunger for software is insatiable. Q: What do you credit with the company’s endless success? A: Genetec is not just a software company – we are software craftsmen. The analogy

by joh n adam s

I love to make is that Genetec is like a fine restaurant – for people to have a good dining experience you need good waiters, you need good chefs and at the end of the evening the chefs have to come out and have a glass of wine with the waiters. This is the business model that Genetec has. We have excellent people to manage relations and to get the information out and we have people that design components – but they are not stereotypical engineers. Our engineers come out and learn about customers. Great software is created through the active participation of an active user base with a small group of talented engineers. Q: How much customisation of software do you carry out on behalf of your end user customers? A: We come from a software and IT background – I’ve been writing code for 34 years and I still love writing code – one of the things you learn very quickly writing code is that configuration management is a huge problem. For instance, when someone reports a problem, what is that problem? It could be software, it could be hardware, it could be the network but you need to know which version of the software is running. So, if you have thousands of custom versions of software out there, your task is enormously complicated. We avoid as much as possible having custom versions of our software. When customers come up with ideas that are viable – and the best customers use our applications in ways we never dreamed of – we take those ideas and work them into the baseline product. We also have a rich software development kit that lets the end user make little adjustments to the software themselves but because of the isolation the SDK gives it does not complicate the configuration management. Q: From your perspective as a VMS developer is there a camera type, a resolution, say 720p, that works best with network applications? A: I think the market is standardising on its own. What we have noticed is that integrators and end users tend to choose 1080p HD resolution, as a standard

Q: What do you think the percentage of analogue to IP is at this point? A: I think it’s a little over 30 per cent penetration of digital on a global basis. Some markets are more digital than others – those markets see the advantage of being able to share the video, long haul transmission and long term storage.

I think the market is standardising on its own. What we have noticed is that integrators and end users tend to choose 1080p HD resolution, as a standard resolution – they are gravitating towards that – less towards the megapixels which tend to be a bit more trendy. resolution – they are gravitating towards that – less towards the megapixels which tend to be a bit more trendy. Why? Because then there can be rules of thumb on how much storage they need, how much network pipe they need for the most common displays, and these resolutions are more than good enough to do the job. I think that’s a good thing. The 2Mb of 1080p is easy to handle but when it’s 15Mb or more then it’s challenging. In technology there is always a trade-off – there are no free lunches.

Q: The Canadian market where Genetec is based is similar in many ways to that of Australia – how is the business doing over there? A: Canada is our home turf so we have an advantage there and it is a market where we test out ideas on willing and involved customers. We have a lot of marquee customers in Canada that give us excellent feedback and support. I have to single out the West Edmonton Mall. The CIO, Joe Schuldhaus, is a visionary and he always pushes us and when we come up with something new he experiments with it. West Edmonton Mall is a huge facility – the second largest shopping centre in the world with 15,000 employees. They use all our features and have done some wonderful integrations. There is a certain amount of turnover in their employees and they have this wonderful onboard process that’s completely automated where HR creates some records in their SharePoint system, assigns roles and this is integrated with our active directory and automatically enables the doors and privileges that this person is allowed throughout the facility. Q: I saw an installation managed by Genetec in Melbourne recently that was integrating video, access control, visitor management, air conditioning, lifts, lighting, turnstiles. I’ve not seen an integration of so many systems so seamlessly organised in a single screen. Is Genetec the best solution of its type? A: We are never satisfied. We always see more we can do – I’d love to automate way more things. I know we have a good solution. Interestingly enough, a lot of the names of our software products are inspired by Star Trek – we have a vision of 23rd-century automation. Our Federation feature was named after the Star Trek Federation of planets. Often in

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some parts of the world and as a result the demand for integration is quite high. We are going to step up to that challenge. Q: Do you feel you have a competitor in the market or are you in a class of your own? A: I feel that there is no one that matches our broad appeal but when you start going into different segments of the market there are competitors whose profile is raised. There are some competitors in the low end of the market ready and willing to compete on price. But in the high end high scalability part of the market certainly we work hard to set the pace. We have a good creative process and we are constantly coming out with new and improved ways of using automation to take costs out of installations, having smarter software, being able to scale and anticipating the need of users to tie in all kinds of things. It’s very exciting times.

We have a good creative process and we are constantly coming out with new and improved ways of using automation to take costs out of installations, having smarter software, being able to scale and anticipating the need of users to tie in all kinds of things. It’s very exciting times. Star Trek stories logic alone fails to solve problems on the show, emotion comes in and lubricates the situation and solves the problems. We try to emulate that combination. Q: I’ve been focusing on video. How important is the access control component of the Genetec system? A: When I first specified the access control I specified it at one million doors and 10 million credentials and my chief architect came to me and said this is a silly requirement – he showed me a spreadsheet that said 10 installers at 1 door per hour will take 37 years to install this solution – no one has a system like that. About 2 weeks later the engineers came back and said ‘we know how to do it’. Later we were so happy to have designed a system that scales to these heights and to have anticipated the fact that people will connect a lot of appliances and they will want 50 se&n

to manage it through a simple to use interface. When you have these large numbers of appliances you really need to have ways of authenticating and authorising people and Active Directory is the only way you can do this on a large scale. We have cities that share the video from independent systems through multiple departments that each have their own Active Directory hierarchies and we integrate into forests of active directories and this is not for the faint of heart. In fact we have to credit our close cooperation with Microsoft to be able to get solutions to work – and it actually does work which is really cool. Q: Are there ways in which the Australian market is different to markets in other parts of the world? A: I’ve been talking to users in Australia since I arrived in order to find out the cultural differences here. Labour costs in Australia are considerably higher than

Q: Do you think the rollout of the NBN in Australia will allow these large scalable systems – will give us an infrastructure capable of supporting the capabilities of our networked surveillance solutions – will the NBN bring to an end the era of performance compromise? A: Actually, we have been involved in some very large networks and people would be surprised by how heterogeneous these solutions actually are. The different networks integrated to build them are not the same bandwidth and some have very low bandwidth. One of these is a Canadian civil air navigation services provider with a network that is spread over ten million square kilometres. The organization’s air control towers use our software to control doors and to view video and action doors remotely anywhere in the network. Security, like everything else, is under budgetary constraints so there’s not an infinite amount of money for bandwidth. The bandwidth between cities is fantastic but there are some ISDN links of only 128kbps and yet we are still able to manage it and the system can optimise depending on the network topology. So we are getting fibre to every premises but it’s not going to be everywhere and it’s still possible to design a network that is distributed and that you can have local smarts and video can trickle up and down the hierarchy – you tag important video.

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t h e i n t e rv i ew

pi e r r e r acz

Video trickling was designed to offload video from trains that would come to a station and we’d have a short amount of time to burst as much video as we could using wireless to the server and from there it would get pumped to the central server. The same technology is used to do storage on the camera – recording to an SD card and then on schedule or on alarm we move the video through the hierarchy of storage. We will work with whatever network capacity is available. Q: Genetec used to license product for a number of other big companies. Has it been exciting to develop product solely for Genetec, for yourself? A: It has been exciting. We made the decision to distribute the product we developed for a key reason. We had never OEMed in the Canadian market because we wanted to be closer to customers. We quickly acquired 20 per cent of the Canadian market and later we took on distributors in other markets and their efforts did not prove as successful and we began to wonder why. With this in mind, we took a more direct approach in France and we quickly secured 20 per cent of that market also. What we discovered was that not having direct contact with the end user to ensure we could effectively serve them was detrimental. Also, it could result in our software competing on price only and not on capabilities. I think that when the chains of communication are too long it can result in 2 things. Firstly, a manufacturer can end up providing solutions that are not what their customer needs and secondly there are long delays that frustrate the customer. In our experience, being available to directly support customers, and end users if they require it, is essential. Q: Do you see open architecture as the way for the future, with multiple devices and elements all integrated in every conceivable way? A: I think what’s happening is that more and more end users are aware that certain manufacturers are able to produce solid solutions that fit into large distributed systems. The large customers that realise these IP security solutions are part of computing systems are choosing manufacturers whose

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We are seeing end users put in more surveillance cameras for reasons other than security. The idea is a reverse principle to teleporting in Star Trek. Unfortunately we can’t teleport people from one place to another but we can beam video to people as well as security operators. For example, in an open solution the video can have multiple uses. Customers can take a look remotely and view live camera feeds of hotel lobby to see if they we want to stay there.

solutions can function in large distributed computing environments. We are seeing that the scale is increasing ever more, it really is. And the flexibility that’s required is ever increasing as well. This is a reality of business. The hunger for computing is increasing and the new source of wealth is better use of resources and energy through information technology. We are seeing end users put in more surveillance cameras for reasons other than security. The idea is a reverse principle to teleporting in Star Trek. Unfortunately we can’t teleport people from one place to another but we can beam video to people as well as security operators. For example, in an open solution the video can have multiple uses. Customers can take a look remotely and view live camera feeds of a hotel lobby to see if they want to stay there. Another of our marquee customers is an international airport and they do a lot of inspections of critical infrastructure through their camera network. A: What’s coming up for Genetec in the next 12 to 18 months? What’s going to be new? A: We are looking forward to the new Microsoft tablet coming out – Microsoft is different from other players in the market in that they have both the client side and the server side and are designed for a business environment. The new Windows 8 metro-style interface is really cool for touch applications. With Windows 8 it’s the same platform on the server, workstation and tablet and that allows better authentication between trusted devices giving more options for monitoring and management. Also, we worked very closely with Unisys a few years ago to optimise our software to work with their monstrous 64-core servers. It turns out the payback for doing that was not in the very large but in the very small. Now under the hood we have something that scales linearly with a number of processors and is very efficient in terms of the amount of throughput we can put to the network. We believe it is double that of other vendors so on resource constrained devices we believe we’re able to do things no one else can do. Also our scalability is really paying off in our data centre applications and you are going to see more really large systems in the future. zzz

p ro d u ct rev i ew

takex

Takex PXB-100ATC New from Takex is the PXB-100ATC PE beam which was designed to eliminate stack crosstalk allowing installation heights of 8m, while at the same time improving detection sensitivity to attempts to step over the anti-crawl beams.

NFRARED photoelectric beams are an underrated perimeter detection technology. They combine comparatively low cost and are not vulnerable to slow-rate-of-change attacks when compared with rivals like microwave and VMD. Another big advantage of the technology is its modest requirement for real estate. PE beams are narrow, they’re not propagating large signals through open space that might spill into neighbouring areas and generate false alarms. They are also long range, with these units offering detection zones of 100 metres. The latest PXB-100ATC PE beams from Takex offer all the typical benefits of IR applications with some serious improvements to catch performance. They’re also hugely stackable, allowing them to protect a whole range of boundaries and facilities with impenetrable walls of detection. According to Tom Kinkade, national sales manager, Takex Australia, one of the issues with all PE beams over the years is that you are limited in how high you can stack them. “In the past it’s always been dangerous to transmit neighbouring channels in the same direction or channels of the same frequency because of crosstalk,” he explains. “Traditionally they’d be installed transmitter, receiver, transmitter, receiver and you were limited to about 4 high and could not have linear zones

These latest PXB-100ATC PE beams from Takex offer all the typical benefits of IR applications with some serious improvements to catch performance.

54 se&n

by j ohn adam s

because channel 1 here might hit channel 1 over there. “With this new PXB-100ATC series of beams there are a couple of benefits. First, they are synchronised by a time division system. In the past units 1 and 3 might have gone in one direction and units 3 and 4 might have gone in the other. “Now the top units are channel 1A and channel 1B – on same frequency – and with the other units it’s the same. So we have a bank of 4 sets and we are able to have another bank of 4 sets above it and another bank of 4 sets above that and then one more above those – we can go to 16 units high.” According to Kinkade, another difference with the new beams relates to the setup and function of the anti-crawl beams. “What we used to have was anti-crawl beams with quad beams above them. This was the traditional way of doing it with PE beams. The

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p ro d u ct rev i ew

takex

In the past it’s always been dangerous to transmit neighbouring channels in the same direction or channels of the same frequency because of crosstalk. weak point with that is that there was a window between them and it was possible to get through that window using a folding ladder. “With the PXB-100ATC we have closed that window and we can stack a whole lot higher. And with this new set of beams not only do you have the time division, you also have an upper and a lower signal – designated AND, OR – and there are separate outputs for those as well as a different response time of up to half a second.” As Kinkade explains, the idea is that humans can’t crawl through a beam perimeter in half a second. The OR Gate and AND Gate response to intrusions allows the sensors to offer excellent discrimination between real alarm events and the movement of wildlife. The OR response is initiated when an opaque object of 216mm in height passes through the 56 se&n

detection area at ground level and either the lower or upper beams are broken. When an OR detection occurs, beam interruption time is determined by the settings applied during calibration. The adjustable response times for OR detection are 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 & 0.5 seconds. The 4 configurable OR detection response times ensure that small animals such as birds and rats can pass through the detection area undetected, but attempts by humans to crawl through a portion of the detection area are always detected and reported to the alarm controller. Meanwhile, the AND response is initiated when an opaque object of 513mm in height passes through the detection area at ground level and both lower and upper beams are broken simultaneously. When an AND detection occurs, beam interruption time reduces to 0.05 seconds ensuring that large objects cannot ever pass through the detection area. During an AND alarm condition, both the AT and HF outputs are engaged to communicate a full alarm. The size and speed processing reduces the likelihood of nuisance alarms caused by birds or debris flying through the detection area, while maximizing the catch performance of legitimate targets, like diving intruders. Other features of this product include 20-degree vertical adjustment, anti-mask and anti-cloak, alignment aids, a narrow envelope, dual output and response processing, advanced synchronisation and ingress protection. The units are IP65-rated and have a number of features designed to keep out insects, dust and water so that performance in the field is not compromised. The PXB-100ATC uses a sophisticated dual response and output system that has been designed to distinguish and allocate specific alarm responses based on the size and speed of target objects moving through the detection area. zzz

Features of the PXB-100ATC include: l Independent control of upper and lower beams l Choice between Synchro Quad and Anti-Crawl operation l Separate outputs for crawl attempt and full beam break l 20 degree vertical / ±90 degree horizontal adjustment l Vivid colour coded internal casings for easy visual alignment l Integrated ‘sound check’ tone generator and ‘monitor output’ l Advanced synchronization - stack more TAKEX sensors than ever before l IP65 housing

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cas e st u dy transit australia

magic bus Kraut Enterprises has installed a Vivotek surveillance solution for Transit Australia Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sunbus repair and services centre, factory and office building.

RANSIT Australia Group is the largest privately owned public transport company in Queensland. From bus manufacturing through to the delivery of scheduled, school and chartered services, the company delivers transport products and services to the government, the industry and various communities of Queensland. Sunbus is one of the bus production entities owned by Transit Australia Group, carrying residents of Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Townsville, Magnetic Island and Cairns. Additional similar organizations under Transit Australia Group oversee other neighbourhoods, such as Gold Coast and Tweed Shire. Recently Sunbus embarked on an initial surveillance installation throughout its facilities. As this is a depot surveillance project, there are various

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sections on the premise that need to be covered. After consulting with Kraut Enterprises, VIVOTEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s integrator partner in Australia, it was decided that the cameras would be placed at the repair centre, the factory, the office building and would cover the entire depot with a pole mounted aerial view. VIVOTEK IP7361, FD8361, MD7560 and SD7323 cameras were chosen, all of which were supplied by ADI. The VIVOTEK IP7361, a 2-Megapixel bullet designed with various outdoor-specific features, such as concealed wiring and tamper detection, was installed at the bus repair and services centre. At the centre, employee safety was the greatest concern, especially where workers test run buses on the brakepit. According to Andrew Kraut, ICT systems administrator from Kraut Enterprises, the users found the IP7361 particularly impressive. It was affordable, costeffective and highperformance. Also,

with advanced features like multiple streams, ePTZ function, PoE compliance, on-board storage and two-way audio, the IP7361 is an all-in-one monitoring device. As of Q3 2012, VIVOTEK IP7361 will have experienced an upgrade and been replaced with the IP8361, its second-generation model with enhanced features and higher performances. Inside the factory, Kraut chose the 2-Megapixel, bandwidth-efficient VIVOTEK FD8361 to take on the role of supervising staff and the assembly line. In this particular environment, where fast motion is constantly taking place, the user demanded a camera capable of capturing as much detail as possible during work hours. After work hours, suspicious behaviour and potential criminal activities become the priority. The FD8361 is equipped with activity adaptive streaming for dynamic frame rate control, which meets the needs of many industrial end-users. For a camera suitable for the industrial vertical market, it also needs to be easily installed anywhere in the factory for easy viewing of the entire scene from every possible angle. The 3-axis mechanical design makes the device perfect for ceiling or wall mount installation. The FD8361 also comes with a vari-focal lens (3~9 mm), which allows for versatile applications in various types of environments. The 2-Megapixel VIVOTEK MD7560 was chosen to monitor employees or visitors entering and exiting the building. It has a compact and unobstrusive design. The device is also vandal-proof and comes with the tamper detection function, perfect for building surveillance. Providing images of the entire depot, including the parking lot, is a VIVOTEK SD7323 PTZ allowing staff to zoom in on passing and parked vehicles in the yard. It is imperative that the users can clearly see and make out the identification numbers on the vehicles in order to be aware of what vehicles they have available for use on bus routes. Its 360-degree continuous pan and 90-degree tilt makes the monitoring process smooth and effective. Also, the 2-way audio function allows for instant communications between a vehicle operator and an employee in case of an incident. Designed for demanding outdoor surveillance applications and with an IP66-rated housing, the speed dome meets the users’ requirement for being able to identify close-up images of distant objects and withstand challenging weather conditions. Kraut is extremely pleased with the performance of the VIVOTEK cameras and he says image quality is impeccable and the technologies implemented on the products are highly advanced and suitable for professional projects. “I would definitely recommend VIVOTEK cameras to all other members of the security industry,” Kraut says.

It is imperative that the users can clearly see and make out the identification numbers on the vehicles in order to be aware of what vehicles they have available for use on bus routes. Meanwhile, Stacey Lien, chief regional sales manager for Australia, pointed out that VIVOTEK highly values the Australian market and is investing more in this territory. “We look forward to working closely with our partners in Australia and continuing to deliver effective solutions to all members of the surveillance industry.” zzz

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t e ch n o lo gy

Gigapixel CCTV? By synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device, electrical engineers from Duke University and the University of Arizona have built a 50-gigapixel prototype camera.

MAZINGLY, the camera’s resolution is 5 times better than 20/20 human vision over a 120 degree horizontal field. The new camera, which was reported in Nature magazine, has the potential to capture up to 50,000 megapixels. By comparison, most consumer cameras are capable of taking photographs with sizes ranging from 8 to 40 megapixels. The camera was developed by a team led by David Brady, Michael J. Fitzpatrick Professor of Electric Engineering at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, along with scientists from the University of Arizona, the University of California - San Diego, and Distant Focus Corp. “Each one of the microcameras captures information from a specific area of the field of view,” Brady said. “A computer processor essentially stitches all this information into a single highly detailed image. In many instances, the camera can capture images of things that photographers cannot see themselves but can then detect when the image is viewed later. “The development of high-performance and low-cost microcamera optics and components has been the main challenge in our efforts to develop gigapixel cameras,” Brady said. “While novel multiscale lens designs are essential, the primary barrier to ubiquitous high-pixel imaging turns out to be lower power and more compact integrated circuits, not the optics.” The software that combines the input from the microcameras was developed by an Arizona team led by Michael Gehm, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Arizona. “Traditionally, one way of making better optics 60 se&n

has been to add more glass elements, which increases complexity,” Gehm said. “This isn’t a problem just for imaging experts. Supercomputers face the same problem, with their ever more complicated processors, but at some point the complexity just saturates, and becomes costprohibitive.” “Our current approach, instead of making increasingly complex optics, is to come up with a massively parallel array of electronic elements,” Gehm said. “A shared objective lens gathers light and routes it to the microcameras that surround it, just like a network computer hands out pieces to the individual workstations. Each gets a different view and works on their little piece of the problem. We arrange for some overlap, so we don’t miss anything.” The prototype camera is 2.5 feet square and 20 inches deep. And only about 3 per cent of the camera is made of the optical elements, while the rest is made of the electronics and processors needed to assemble all the information gathered. Obviously, the researchers said, this is the area where additional work to miniaturize the electronics and increase their processing ability will make the camera more practical for everyday photographers. “The camera is so large now because of the electronic control boards and the need to add components to keep it from overheating,” Brady said, “As more efficient and compact electronics are developed, the age of hand-held gigapixel photography should follow.” Pretty obviously, it’s a leap from gigapixel still cameras to gigapixel surveillance cameras but this sort of development shows the enormous potential CCTV technology is likely to offer installers and end users in the future. zzz

While novel multiscale lens designs are essential, the primary barrier to ubiquitous high-pixel imaging turns out to be lower power and more compact integrated circuits, not the optics.

cas e st u dy Geutebruck

Geutebruck W hits the gas Integrators Alphatron and Strukton Systems have upgraded the network and surveillance system across the 15,000km of gas pipelines and stations of Gasunie’s northwest European ‘gas roundabout’ using Geutebruck hardware and software. 62 se&n

ITH more 15,000 kilometres of pipeline in the Netherlands and northern Germany, dozens of installations and approximately 1300 gas receiving stations, Gasunie operates one of the largest high pressure, gas pipeline grids in Europe. Its annual gas throughput totals approximately 125 billion cubic metres and its network forms the core of what is called the northwest European ‘gas roundabout’. Gasunie operates a rolling programme of infrastructure expansion and modernisation, which naturally applies to its security systems too. Video surveillance has been playing an increasingly important part in protecting its most significant sites in recent decades, particularly because of its role in alarm verification. Gasunie is a long term user of Geutebruck digital video products having always had Geutebruck recording hardware and software at heart of its CCTV system. Gasunie’s sites vary in function and size. Some are very small, remote and rarely visited. Others occupy several hectares and are routinely staffed

The limited bandwidths available between head office and some of Gasunie’s more remote gas pumping locations generate perfect environments for Geutebruck equipment to demonstrate its efficient bandwidth management.

by dozens of Gasunie employees as well as external contractors. Since 1988 the company’s strategy has been to install technical security systems and centralize site security. Depending on the site, the security infrastructure ranges from simple fencing to sophisticated fence systems with perimeter detection systems and CCTV. “The fundamental requirement at every location is that unauthorized intruders are always identified as fast as possible at the perimeter,” explains Reiner Woldring, Gasunie’s corporate security advisor. Security processes such as controlling the access of authorized staff and the verification and tracking of alarm reports following the detection of an intrusion event are all coordinated from the 24-hour Groningen control centre. CCTV systems operate at 25 sites. “We need the camera pictures for verifying the alarm reports which may need to be followed up by the police or another special guarding service,” says Woldring. “We don’t do a full preventative evaluation of the

images. We no longer have guards with dogs on site who could take a look when a detection report comes in. Instead we rely on camera surveillance. For this we need good quality cameras, reliable transmission and storage of camera pictures as well as user-friendly functions for calling up the pictures in the alarm centre.” At Gasunie the complete security system for all sites is now IP-based. “Even the old analogue camera system has been modernized”, says Herman van Hierden, a member of Gasunie’s electrotechnics, instrumentation and process control department. “We now have the same standard across the whole country on all sites. There used to be sites with 30-40 analogue cameras which still couldn’t provide any usable quality pictures. “So even though the detection was very reliable, it was not always easy to verify the detected events. Now we work with a lot fewer cameras per site, and most of them can be remote controlled from the centre. Control centre staff now call up camera images in real time and can immediately replay the recorded footage whenever there is an alarm. “Where necessary there are two high fences with alarm systems on the outer fence,” von Hierden explains. “That way unauthorized intrusion can be detected even earlier.”

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cas e st u dy Geutebruck

Local system integrators Alphatron and Strukton Systems have been responsible for upgrading the cameras and are responsible for maintenance of the alarm centre systems. They replaced the old X.25 data network with a broadband Ethernet connection and the old Pegasus transmission system with a modern GeViScope platform to which all cameras are connected. At remote sites, nocturnal camera surveillance is made possible by automatically controlled lighting. And data connectivity at remote sites has always been a challenge. “The limited bandwidths available between head office and some of Gasunie’s more remote gas pumping locations generate perfect environments for Geutebruck equipment to demonstrate its efficient bandwidth management,” says Koen Pelle, Geutebruck country manager for the Netherlands. GeViScope video platforms are fully integrated into the Gasunie security management system which it developed itself. Multi-system integration is vital, for instance to ensure that the camera system can be linked to the access control systems - so staff in the control centre can know at any given moment how many and which people are present at which site. “All site visitors have to present their passes on arrival,” explains van Hierden. “This goes for people from third party companies as well as our own staff. Anyone who has not obtained a visitor’s permit in advance cannot enter the site.

The system is set up so that when a detection event occurs in a particular sector, pictures from the cameras in that area are available straight away.

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“At some locations we retain remote control over access at the alarm centre. Then the camera system is vital. The control centre staff can tell from the permits or identity cards whether an individual has been issued with a visitor’s permit for the relevant site and they can compare the pass photo with the camera image to determine if the person present is the one who has authorization.” Both for remote-controlled access control and for detecting an unauthorized intruder, it is important that the camera pictures are available immediately in the alarm centre. “In practice it is now just a matter of seconds,” Woldring says. “The system is set up so that when a detection event occurs in a particular sector, pictures from the cameras in that area are available straight away.” Within the security infrastructure, subsystems running under different operating systems operate amicably together. Several of these technical marriages have been cemented with the help of Geutebruck’s free software development kits and its free assistance for software developers. “At Gasunie, SDKs facilitated the seamless integration which allows security centre staff to control their own large video wall, to manage remote PTZ cameras and to export video sequences all through their own management system’s operating interface,” explains Patric Meyer, SDK manager at Geutebruck. So far so good - but what would happen if there were a catastrophic failure which knocked out the Groningen control centre? Gasunie has planned for that eventuality, setting up an equivalent security centre at an undisclosed location somewhere else in the Netherlands. “Whenever necessary this second centre can be used to take over all duties,” Woldring says. zzz

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THERE’S no doubt whatever that technology is now capable of delivering video verification and alarm monitoring in real time over existing networks. Thanks to H.264 and the advent of low cost, high resolution cameras equipped with IR capability, getting usable images down the line is a straightforward process. To me there’s more capability in remote video monitoring than we are currently seeing, especially given the technology offers monitoring stations the ability to deliver a drop-in service, where operators will call up a customer camera if an alert button is pressed and keep an eye on a situation – perhaps in a late night retail store. Another neat application is delivery of video for monitoring of an opening/closing or arming/disarming event. Deploying video to monitor events naturally leads to using video as a potential replacement for guard services and if there’s a team capable of handling response, this can work well, particularly if there’s audio combined with video. Challenging, is the fact that a video solution is remote and it cannot intervene or respond in the same way a security officer can. Where video monitoring can help though, is in checking license plates of vehicles for transport companies and opening gates remotely if the vehicle appears in the day’s manifest. Large operations may have thousands of heavy vehicle movements a day and being able to handle multiple entries from a single control point delivers significant savings, particular after hours and on weekends. But to me video verification is currently the biggest potential application of remote video monitoring – less in domestic than in commercial applications. I think at some point in the future, video verification will be a standard demanded by insurance companies – perhaps not for all businesses but for high risk businesses or those experiencing multiple breakins or incidents.

Should video verification ever be written into an Australian standard as best practise for alarm systems? In my opinion it should be, giving installers and monitoring stations a selling point that differentiates their clearly superior monitoring and alarm installation services.

One of the great things about video verification, and one of the reasons industry associations should get behind the technology in my opinion, is its impact on false alarms. There’s a double-edged sword here, given that reducing the number of responses by 80 or 90 per cent would be likely to lead to patrol company failures. In some ways then, false alarms provide a built-in subsidy allowing the existence of patrol companies that also respond to genuine alarm events. This said, best practise should dictate an end to all false alarms and more than any other technology, video verification offers our industry the capability to deliver this level of performance to customers prepared to pay for it. Not only does video verification offer the ability to end all false alarms, it’s a relatively easy fix, too. In other parts of the world, pressure on shrinking police forces is likely to drive the move to video verification. Typically, the folks in blue will not respond to an unverified alarm event – ever – and that’s in Australia as well as overseas. Should video verification ever be

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alarm m oni tori ng / segm ent

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They’ll have a choice - to standardize on one proprietary video solution and accept no others, or duplicate their video verification systems endlessly. This could mean dozens of video verification systems in one control room, none compatible with any other.

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written into an Australian standard as best practise for alarm systems? In my opinion it should be, giving installers and monitoring stations a selling point that differentiates their clearly superior monitoring and alarm installation services. One of the challenges for monitoring and alarm installation companies is lean returns on installs and ongoing monitoring revenue. Video verification offers an additional selling point that leverages existing capabilities with a minimum of extra hardware. A key issue with all kinds of video verification is that there are no industry standards for resolution, delivery path, compression type, encryption level, minimum scene illumination (say 5m with IR), or any other relevant performance parameter. Given the thought that goes into ensuring alarm comms get through with the least possible delay, I think it’s a mistake for video verification to evolve into a

welter of proprietary ‘standards’ with no guiding principles. In fairness, such official standards could be relatively broad, covering a range of resolutions, encryption protocols and comms paths, with a security level assigned to each solution, allowing end users to be sure what it is they are paying for. But there’s a bigger issue here. Without a common standard, a common reporting protocol, a common receiver-type (offshelf server with common software, or an alarm monitoring software that integrates video), monitoring stations are painted into a farcical corner when it comes to the only technology that could eliminate false alarms for all time. They’ll have a choice - to standardize on one proprietary video solution and accept no others, or duplicate their video verification systems endlessly. This could mean dozens of video verification systems in one control room, none compatible with any other, or it could mean the monitoring station will need to build its own private video verification solution and integrate everyone’s cameras or video verification solutions into it. Further, installers are not likely to only install one brand – they’ll install what costs a customer least, changing monitoring stations to get the support they require. At present there are only a handful of providers offering video verification and given the proprietary nature of their systems, each has standardised on a single system by default. But taking video verification to its ultimate conclusion is going to require plenty of work and plenty of talk between manufacturers, monitoring stations, installers and end users. In the early days of the alarm industry, all reporting techniques were proprietary and it was only after the late 1980s that considerable standardization appeared. That plethora of standards was the bane of early monitoring companies and it looks likely that, in the absence of concerted action, the expansion and integration of video verification might follow the same torturous course. zzz

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cas e st u dy

hikvision

Hikvision goes to Rio The Supervia Stations Surveillance System is a groundbreaking surveillance system developed for the urban passenger rail network of Rio de Janeiro. This rail network, on average carrying 450,000 passengers a day, represents Brazil’s first-ever megapixel surveillance railroad project.

“T

HE key to this solution was the ability of Hikvision megapixel technology,” says Alvaro de Souza, CCTV manager at VMI Sistemas de Seguranca, Brazil’s official Hikvision distributor and partner of Interimagen (the Brazilian integrator responsible for this project). “In taking this approach with Hikvision cameras, we were able to add both tremendous value to the project and simultaneously position ourselves – from a business standpoint – as a provider of high-technology components,” Souza explains. Hikvision’s DS-2CD883F-E 5-megapixel network camera was vital for tasks such as recognizing individuals, as well as getting clear, defined images of fast-moving trains. The DS-2CD883F-E offers full HD 1080P real-time video resolution, H.264/MPEG4/MJPEG video compression, true day/night, and PoE.

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“Since this camera needed to be used in 2 distinct locations; and since both of these locations have fundamental differences, we needed something that possessed both quality and the technical ability to achieve these concurrent goals,” says Souza. The primary location, consisting of 80 per cent of these units, is providing surveillance for the rails themselves. In this instance, the DS2CD883F-E is connected through fiber optics to a control center that is responsible for the overview of the moving trains, the actual rail, or any other circumstance that warrants further investigation. “The DS-2CD883F-E is great where you have quickly-moving objects. This is due to the 1/2.5 inch progressive scan CMOS,” he explains. The other 20 per cent of the DS-2CD883F-E cameras are located on the platform walls overlooking the embarkment areas of the actual train cars themselves. In this instance, the goal of these cameras is not to view moving trains, but moving passengers. “On the platforms, we use this camera for issues such observing customers embarking and debarking train cars. We need to have the capacity to record clear images of the passengers’ faces in the event a problem arises,” Souza explains. Additionally, PoE capabilities were used to simplify the installation and power of these platform-adjacent cameras. In both cases whether over the rails or over the platforms, the environment is outdoors. To protect the DS-2CD883F-E, Hikvision’s DS-1311HZ outdoor camera housing was selected. Around the actual train stations a different Hikvision camera was chosen for optimal surveillance. In this instance, the compact DS2CD7153-E 2 megapixel CMOS mini vandal-proof network dome camera was the choice. Due to the placement of this camera it was important to address any potential distance issues that might adversely affect the performance of an indoor camera. Thanks to the DS-2CD7153-E’s 4mm lens, this was not an obstacle. “The DS-2CD7153-E’s 1/3-inch progressive scan CMOS provides the ability to view the thousands and thousands of everyday passengers running to catch their trains – and always in a clear and accurate fashion,” Souza explained. VMI Sistemas de Seguranca and Interimagen secured 5 stations of this Rio de Janeiro metro line in 2011 and during 2012 another 10 stations are in the process of being secured. zzz

24th Security in Government Conference 2012 3-5 September 2012 • National Convention Centre • Canberra

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN The annual SIG Conference and Exhibition is the largest gathering of government and private sector practitioners in one conference. The SIG 2012 Conference theme is Building a Security Culture, which will explore: • The Government’s security arrangements; • Policies, plans, procedures and better practice to enhance a security culture that protects business outcomes for industry and government; and • Key threats to national security, including cyber espionage and the insider threat. The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General, will give the opening address at SIG 2012. REGISTER NOW at www.ag.gov.au/sig For all other queries contact SIG2012@ag.gov.au

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p ro d u ct rev i ew Easy I P

Easy rider Just released by Video Security Products is EasyIP, an NVR solution that takes the network installation out of network installation using a purpose-built platform so simple I was able to install it myself. Simply put, EasyIP is an IP version of a DVR.

ARRIVE at Video Security Products at Rosebery not really sure what to make of the company’s brand new EasyIP solution and am troubled to find that I’m going to be installing an NVR-based surveillance solution, a process that if successful will clearly show this is the simplest IP video system ever made. Before we get going, VSP’s Zaki Wazir gives me a run-down on the nature of the system and the ideas behind it. According to Wazir, EasyIP is Video Security

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Product’s answer to the challenges of jumping to full IP for those who are currently installing analogue DVRs. It’s an NVR that’s limited in size, less limited in scalability and designed to require no effort from installers. “We have traditionally come from the low to midrange market and today we would still sell up to 150 DVRs on an average month,” Wazir explains. “Now we have gone to IP we find the installers used to the analogue gear are finding it very difficult to make the transition, setting up networks and switchers is too much for many of them and EasyIP is a onebox solution that allows them to handle an IP-based system.” The system is made by Kobi, the same company that builds VSP’s DVRs, Wazir tells me, hoisting up a pile of boxes to the workbench. This means there’s a lot of synergy between the functionality of the Kobi NVR and the Kobi DVRs VSP techs are used to installing. The sleek, white primary unit can house storage options from 500GB to 4TB, depending on your needs. There are 4-channel and 8-channel options. It’s a sweet unit, I comment, looking it over. Wazir tell me there’s no need to open the unit and even installing hard drives only requires the removal of a single screw.

by john adam s

As Wazir opens the box, he pulls out a booklet, a CD, 2 power supplies – one for the NVR and one for the PoE, and a remote control. “See how the PoE cord is built into the NVR? What makes this different is that you are not going to need an external PoE switch and there’s no external network setup required,” he says. “The only time you will need to set up a switch is if you are going out onto an existing network. But if you want to do a standalone 4-8 camera system, it’s plug-and-play with no external devices – it’s really an IP version of a DVR.” On the rear there are audio inputs and outputs, some physical inputs and outputs, eSATA and an HDMI monitor port. There are also a couple of USB ports on the front of the unit. The system we play with uses a wireless mouse with a wireless USB plugged into one of the front ports, making for a most elegant solution. EasyIP comes as a package because the manufacturer makes the NVRs and the cameras and the system’s overall ability to configure itself depends on that proprietary connection between cameras and NVR. The cameras in question are nice Kobi units with a good feel to them, excellent specifications and a sharp price point. There are going to be about 6 cameras in the range, Wazir says. Now we get into the install and happily for me, it’s very simple. The power supplies are different sizes so there’s no chance of getting them in the wrong places. We get out the fixed dome cameras and plug them into the NVR using short Cat-5 cables. The HDMI cable goes from the NVR to the HD monitor above the work bench and the mouse plugs into the front of the unit via the USB. It’s all super straightforward. When we plug the cameras in, the system immediately goes to work and a ‘connecting’ message appears on the screen and after a minute of configuration in the background, the camera images themselves appear. Effortless. By far the easiest IP Video installation I’ve ever done. “You now have IP cameras working on an NVR and you have not had to select any ports, you’ve not had to set IP addresses. You simply plug the cameras in and away the system goes,” Wazir explains. “Once the system is set up you do have to set recording resolution and motion detection and you can play with image quality but all these functions are just the same as they are on any DVR – just point and click.” Next we go upstairs to drive the CMS software. The boys have set up a separate 8-camera unit in the board room for us to play with. The management solution is basic and functional and in this application it’s driving a mix of IP and analogue cameras via the 8-input Kobi NVR with one camera coming in via a Kobi DVR just to show the ease of integrating other Kobi products. Up to 64 of these

Now we have gone to IP we find the installers used to the analogue gear are finding it very difficult to make the transition, setting up networks and switchers is too much for many of them. machines can be connected to the Kobi CMS, which in this case is operating on a laptop, giving a lot of room for expansion if you want to use it. The GUI is simple. There’s record, continuous record, alarm and pre-alarm recording, motion and panic recording. Recorded information is accessed via a timeline and can be searched by date. It’s simple but everything is there. There are single frame, 4 frame, 9 frame screen options. You can make notes in the screenshots and archive events to USB, or to desktop. There’s also a speaker and a microphone allowing communication with camera points if this is set up. “A good feature is that when you view a camera on playback the system displays all the cameras that were recording at that time giving you incidental footage. A lot of other systems will only show you one camera, this shows them all,” Wazir tells me. We go into the software and run through setup of a camera and once again it’s extremely easy to

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p ro d u ct rev i ew Easy I P

manage and totally intuitive. “You can play with image setup parameters like exposure, slow shutter, gain control, iris control on/off and so on. There’s autofocus and auto-zoom – it’s remote,” says Wazir. “There’s no standing on a ladder with a test monitor. You can manage the camera from anywhere – it’s faster and it’s a one-man job. You can also adjust the camera view if the user needs it to be tweaked and camera views and management can be driven using a tablet or iPad. “There’s also a covert camera function and cameras can be covert to user, manager or administrator. There’s motion sensing and again, managing this is the same as a DVR, very simple, as is PTZ setup.”. Watching Wazir driving the system, it’s clear this solution is absolutely simple to install, set up and manage. There are group authorities and there’s a network setup tool. “That’s your IP address and DNS – that’s when you want to put the system onto an existing network.

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There’s no standing on a ladder with a test monitor. You can manage the camera from anywhere – it’s faster and it’s a oneman job. Obviously if you are going to go to that extent you are going to need a little bit of IT knowledge but in terms of getting the cameras onto the NVR you don’t need to be IT conversant at all,” Wazir explains. There also a window that shows the entire network system status on a single screen, from connection paths, to power draw of connected camers, to IP addresses, web service ports and all the rest. So while the system does not need to be connected to a network, it can be, it scales and its network programming is as simple as all the rest of Kobi’s solutions. There are also email settings – same as DVRs – and you can have reports generated for camera fail and other events. There’s a system management tool for time and date setup, USB type, passwords and password expiry and there are PoE controls. The programming side of this solution is a real strength thanks to its simplicity and its functionality. According to Wazir, EasyIP has been a 2-year project and is part of Video Security Products’ wider push to make IP video solutions simpler and easier for installers to handle. And if this compact yet capable solution is anything to go by the company has succeeded. zzz

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crime control

Crime is estimated to cost Australian companies and government departments billions in lost assets and earnings every year. Although controlling internal losses in the corporate environment is difficult, planning is the key.

p front you need to establish definitions of crime as they relate to your organization. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe to assume that all your organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s material assets are covered by corporate or government ownership. What this means is that any employee removing or damaging organisation property has committed a crime. Such property might include computer hardware and software, office furniture, office supplies - any item not brought 76 se&n

into the work environment by an individual for an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal use. Also important to take into account are criminal laws. Breach of criminal laws might include dealing or using drugs in the workplace, making violent threats or stealing the personal property of other staff members. In all cases, breaches of criminal law will be breaches of organisation policy and if sufficient evidence is found, senior management will need to decide on prosecution or dismissal. From this point onward, things become more complicated. Crime can manifest itself in a huge number of ways at any level in an organization, from the padding of executive expense accounts, to sexual harassment. A few other examples of such crime include: l Making unauthorized payments l Awarding contracts on the basis of kickbacks l Using organisation funds for personal payments l Employing organisation assets for private business l Siphoning funds from organisation accounts l Counterfeiting or forging organisation documents

by john adam s

l Stealing and/or selling organisation secrets l Claiming for expenditure never legitimately incurred l Selling client databases to competitors l Using the organisation’s name for private purposes l Making private phone calls on organisation lines. This by no means exhaustive list gives a broad idea of variation seen in crime and should also give security managers an appreciation of the difficulties they’ll encounter when seeking to control and investigate it. Once the organisation’s policy on crime has been formulated, it should be circulated to all members of staff. And security people who will police the rules must fully understand the organisation’s internal crime policy.

Audit and control

Taking on board a comprehensive audit and control program is seen by many as too difficult. But without such a program, the security department’s investigations of crime will become a nightmare. Consider this. An organisation employing 80 staff has no audit trail controlling management of assets. During an office refit, a shared computer goes missing and the loss is not noticed for a few days. When the computer is reported missing nobody knows anything about it and the organisation is forced to write off the loss at a cost of $3500. While it may sound innocuous, in a large organization there are hundreds, even thousands of computers. Many security managers would not be aware how many PCs or laptops their organization has, how many office chairs, fax machines, printers - what software had been purchased. The only way security managers can stay on top of asset loss is to actually know when an asset has gone missing. Encouraging department heads or the organisation’s property department to stay on top of asset lists and asset movement is the only way to succeed. It may be wishful thinking to expect a database of all organisation assets be established and constantly updated but it is only audit controls that will allow you to limit and control loss of organisation property. Without audit controls it’s impossible to establish just what sort of problem the security department is facing.

Asset management

Ideally, asset controls should be managed at both an organizational and departmental level and, within reason, every item of organisation property should be categorized and issued a reference number. Details stored on a file should include a description of the asset, including serial numbers, model and make, the location of the asset, which site, which department and which employee. You also need to log asset value. Other site-specific details should be included. When an employee changes jobs or moves

...security managers, in conjunction with all other departments in an organization, need to work together to formulate total audit controls which deter criminal activity and allow fast and accurate investigation. desks, asset lists should be updated and at all times, employees should be held accountable for organisation assets under their supervision. Other methods of crime control relate to management at an operational level. Controls implemented should include the following. l One workstation per staff member or dual passwords if the workstation is shared l Physical security for office machines l A number identifying each operator that must be used with each transaction processed l Parity checks to ensure data has been correctly transmitted through the system without manipulation l Limit checks demanding the authorization of a supervisor or manager for large dollar figure transactions l Separation of duties to ensure no single staff member is responsible for an entire transaction l Sequencing checks. Each transaction should be numbered and if entries are made out of sequence, the computer should question or reject them. In addition, managers should also be responsible to another manager and never given total control of high value operations. Another manager should coauthorise such activities whenever possible. Once controls are in place, they should be maintained with no excuses accepted for deviations from corporate policy at any level.

Investigations

Planning is the cornerstone of investigations. And in this case, planning doesn’t only relate to the compilation of effective investigative procedures, Instead security managers, in conjunction with all other departments in an organization, need to work together to formulate total audit controls which deter criminal activity and allow fast and accurate investigation. Administratively, total audit controls can be time consuming in their implementation but, once up and running, they perform a vital role in protecting an organisation’s assets. In essence, what you are seeking to create is a paper trail that ensures all assets are accounted for at all times. While this may sound difficult, properly managed audit trails can check corporate losses and make investigations easy. zzz se&n 77

s p e ci al re p o rt

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editor’s choice

What’s new in the industry

DMS 2400 with Smavia The DMS 2400 is a high performance VideoIP appliance with a processing capacity for up to 24 HD video channels. In conjunction with the dedicated and preloaded software SMAVIA recording server it is a cascade-able IP security solution e. g. for retail stores, gas stations or company premises. The DMS 2400 is a high performance server hardware with multi-core CPU and 2 x 3.5-inch HDDs. The operating system of the 3HU high appliance is on flash memory for highest system stability. The DMS 2400 is suitable for up to 24 SD-IP or HD-IP video channels. Optionally, an upgrade for hybrid use with up to 24 analogue channels is available. The DMS 2400 is a stand-alone device and can be installed in a 19-inch rack using the optional 19-inch bracket. It supports one local playback of one camera (analogue, SD-IP or HD-IP) as well as the local live display of analogue, SD-IP and HD-IP cameras in the multi split. A sophisticated hardware concept and coordinated components allow for a high recording speed. Due to the EasyChange functionality hard disk drives can easily and conveniently be changed from the front of the device in case of an HDD failure. The preloaded SMAVIA Recording Server Software supports standard resolutions as well as Full-HD (up to 1080p) and up to 8 megapixels. RTSP and ONVIF compliant cameras can be configured and recorded with SMAVIA. The connection to an Active Directory user administration is possible via the LDAP protocol. The evaluation of live and recorded images can be done either with the SMAVIA Viewing Client (one access license, the so-called basic license, is already included) or with SeMSy via Ethernet (LAN/WAN). PRemote-HD, a special method developed by Dallmeier that enables the transmission of HDTV streams even at low bandwidths, is supported in real time. n Distributor: C.R. Kennedy n Contact: +61 3 9823 1555

BQT turns cobalt THE Cobalt and Cobalt-mini manufactured by Magna Electronics and distributed by BQT address the biggest issues with electric locking; failure to lock due to a misaligned door and failure to unlock due to load on the door. Because of the rotating cam action of the locking pins, both of these issues are now resolved with these products. The Cobalt has a dual bolt pin mechanism and is designed for use on swing thru doors. It senses which way the door is closing and activates the appropriate bolt pin to grab the door and pull it into alignment. The door can be off center by up to 8mm yet the Cobalt will still align and secure effortlessly. The Cobalt-mini with its single bolt pin is designed for single acting doors and is ideal for pulling a door in against a seal. Like the dual version, the Cobalt-mini will align a door that is up to 8mm away from being centered. The second issue that these locks overcome is the failure of an electric lock to release when requested if there is pressure on the door. When a ‘request to exit’ signal is given to the Cobalt or Cobalt-mini they will release instantly even if there is up to 1000N (100kg) being applied to the door at the time it is signalled to unlock. The lock will behave in the same way if there is a power cut and the lock is configured as Fail Safe. n Distributor: BQT Solutions n Contact: +61 2 8817 2800

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Samsung Lumina bullet from CSD LUMINA cameras combine the Samsung Winner-5 (W-5) chipset, which delivers outstanding quality 600TV line images, with installer-friendly mechanical housings and great pricing to deliver an excellent range of analogue cameras. True Day & Night functionality performing at as low as 0.00001 Lux and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) provided by Samsung’s W-5, makes Lumina the ideal choice when seeking the best result from challenging environments. The new Lumina Versatile Bullet Camera (LA-B550WDN-IR) is designed to impress with its versatility and performance with 42 IR LEDs and a 5-50mm VF Lens built into a vandal resistant IP67 tube. n Distributor: CSD n Contact: 1300 319 499

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HID Global’s EDGE EVO and VertX EVO

CSD’s iParadox app NEW iParadox app enables users to remotely access their Paradox security system. With arm / disarm control, PGM control, and live system status, iParadox turns any Wi-Fi or 3G iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad into a remote keypad. The iParadox is compatible for use with the EVO and all Spectra and Magellan panels which include multisite support. Wi-Fi and 3G communication require the user’s security system include the IP100 Internet Module V5.10 or higher. With this fantastic app newly available on the Android platform, users can now control their Paradox security system from their favourite Android devices as well. n Distributor: CSD n Contact: 1300 319 499

HID Global has announced the production release of its next generation EDGE EVO and VertX EVO controller platform that brings intelligence and decision-making to the door for advanced and highly customizable networked access control solutions. EDGE EVO and VertX EVO offer an open and scalable development platform for the deployment of a wide range of access control functionality, including remote management options, real-time monitoring, report generation and a powerful custom rules engine that enables the use of the system hardware for complimentary applications. Protecting the hardware investments of end user organizations, the new platform builds on the success of the company’s EDGE and VertX solutions and provides the most extensive access control architecture that delivers enhanced security features and superior performance with versatile installation and future upgrade options. EDGE EVO and VertX EVO platform components include EDGE EVO Controllers, Reader/Controllers and IO Modules that enable higher security with an on-board encrypted Hi-O communication bus. EDGE EVO also broadens its worldwide usability of networked access control solutions with the addition of 12/24VDC lock support, mounting options and plug-and-play IO modules that extend IO at and behind the door. Meanwhile, VertX EVO V1000 Controller and the V2000 Controller/Reader Interface solutions that expand cardholder capacity, decrease door transaction time and increase door uptime, while offering 100 per cent plug-in compatibility with existing HID Global access control systems and associated V100, V200 and V300 downstream devices. n Distributor: HID Global n Contact: +61 3 8838 0891

Hikvision WDR network camera HIKVISION says a new addition to its WDR network camera family, the DS-2CD764FWD-E (I)(Z) 1.3 Megapixel WDR network dome camera, has optional motorized vari-focal lens and IR LEDs. Apart from its WDR technology and low-light capability, this camera outrivals its competitors with the addition of its unique motorized vari-focal lens. By allowing the user to adjust the DS-2CD764FWD-E(I)(Z) through Hikvision’s remote zoom and onetouch focus feature, this camera brings a new level of functionality to the market. This easy-to-use feature is operated via the camera’s user interface (i.e. video management software or IE Client). Hikvision further incorporated a built-in 20m range IR LED illuminators for true day / night surveillance in the new DS-2CD764FWD-E(I)(Z). Additionally, this camera has a vandal-resistant housing to protect against tampering or physical damage. Other key features include: 1.3 megapixel high resolution and HD720p real-time recording, 120dB wide dynamic range, 3D digital noise reduction, and an ultra-low illumination functionality (0.01 Lux @ F1.2, 0 Lux with IR). As well, ONVIF, PSIA, and CGI protocols are supported. n Distributor: Security Merchants n Contact: +61 2 9890 5300

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re g u lars help desk

helpdesk

Our panel of experts answers your questions.

time use neutral cure sealants. They take longer to cure but it’s worth the wait.

Q: We’ve inherited a site that has a number of early IP cameras installed that have a lot of trouble with the strong backlight the site gets in the afternoons – particularly between 3-5pm at this time of year. Is there some way we can use a smoke dome to improve the bright light performance without impact on the low light performance. A: Not really – smoked domes chaw through lux so if you use one your lighting requirements will be far greater. We’d be thinking sun shades of some sort. If the sun’s not in the camera’s field of view, a well-designed shroud should do the trick. Even something simple will do. Make the shroud as long as possible and don’t worry if the shroud intrudes into a scene if it means you’ve got a more useable picture over the rest of the target area. If the sun’s actually in the shot then you’ll need to get a quality WDR camera and program it to handle the blooming. Another option is to change the field of view, perhaps covering the same scene with 2 cameras located at different angles.

Q: What’s SE&N’s position on megapixel cameras? Should we be encouraging our customers to buy 1080p HD cameras as a maximum given the challenges of getting megapixel cameras working on networks?

Q:We’ve had an issue with a retail client who was robbed and actioned their panic button but an alarm event was not reported to the monitoring station. As it happened the terminations had been pulled out of the button because the drawer in which it was installed repeatedly pushed it against the back of the cabinet. It could have been torn free years ago and we’d never have know. Is there a simple answer to this problem? A: Yes, when installing a hardwired holdup button use a supervised end-of-line resistor as it will greatly improve circuit integrity. One of the weaknesses of a holdup button is that there’s no guarantee it will work when pressed, but using a supervised circuit will strengthen the zone’s integrity by reporting trouble if the terminations pull out of the circuit or the line is cut. Q: We sealed a camera into a housing here on the central coast 3 years ago and after we had a few problems with the camera we’ve opened the housing and the camera body to find the terminations and even the camera board itself covered with corrosion. They almost look like they’ve been exposed to salt air, despite the fact the housing seams were totally wrapped in silicone. What are your thoughts? A: If you’ve just used ordinary standard silicone sealant that might be the problem. If you used a bucket of standard silicone the acid fumes it gives off during curing could definitely cause corrosion on PCB tracks and uncovered terminations. Next

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A: There’s no doubt whatever that 720p is the sweet spot at the moment when it comes to low light, backlight, storage and network performance. Nor is there any doubt that 1080p is better still, offering increased ability to pull detail from scenes, though with the loss of low light performance and an increase in storage demands. This said, there are plenty of applications that benefit from the bigger resolutions of megapixel cameras. Most notably these involve the ability to pan, tilt and zoom inside the large scenes of fixed cameras while retaining 1080p display and recording resolution at all times, instead of losing detail to pixilation as 720p and 1080p cameras definitely do over medium to long ranges. It’s this sort of performance that allows a couple of megapixel cameras to give face recognition of an entire stand in a stadium or to cover a whole railway platform, or an entire airport hall, carpark or town square. So long as the software management is designed properly, there’s sufficient light and the lenses can handle the job, the retention of full HD display resolutions on deep zooms is priceless to serious investigations. The thing with megapixel is that if you need it, you need it. Generally, that means you want frontto-back high

resolution coverage of an entire scene all the time and you are prepared to invest in a network and a back-end able to support it. Something else that drives megapixel camera purchase is a lack of installation points in built environments given they allow fewer cameras to handle the same job. Personally, I would not install any solution using nothing but the same resolution and camera types or even the same brand of cameras at the moment. People do so and end users ask installers to do so but they are not showing an appropriate understanding of the inconsistent nature of current IP camera technology. Different interpretations of compression algorithms, different software capabilities, different processing imperatives, different quality lenses – all these mean today’s cameras have quite different ‘personalities’. Right now, you need to specify different cameras for low light, backlight and resolution based on a careful consideration of a given system’s operational requirements. That doesn’t mean you should install 10 different cameras on a single site but 3 or 4 types and 2 different resolutions covering indoor and outdoor areas would cover most applications.

...there are plenty of applications that benefit from the bigger resolutions of megapixel cameras. Most notably these involve the ability to pan, tilt and zoom inside the large scenes of fixed cameras while retaining 1080p display and recording resolution at all times, instead of losing detail to pixilation as 720p and 1080p cameras definitely do over medium to long ranges.

Q: If water was getting through the sheath of cables in an alarm system, how would it show itself? A: Water damage to wiring is much more common than you’d think. As water penetrates the sheath what you’re going to get first is noise on the wire indicating high frequency leakage between the conductors. Water conducts electricity a whole lot better than PVC, remember. You’ll also get greater impedance (this may not be measurable, even on an oscilloscope) and the level of isolation will fall. As the copper corrodes you’ll get increasing resistance and a lot more noise. In the end you’ll get false alarms. We’d recommend using a gel-filled cable for wet runs, or try a wireless zone.

Q: How can we check if fuses are getting near replacement age? A: IT’S possible to keep a close eye on fuse health by measuring voltages over fuse circuit connections. If your multimeter doesn’t have auto-ranging, set its controls to a voltage that you know is greater than the known voltage source in the system. Connect the multimeter’s probes to either end of the fused circuit’s connection. What you’re looking for is either zero or very low voltage. But any sign of positive or negative source voltage means it’s time to change the burned out fuse.

Q: I often find myself playing around behind walls, blindly fishing for cable with a wire coat hanger – is there a good cable fishing rod that’s inexpensive? A: An inexpensive cable fishing hook can be constructed by using a telescoping antenna with a simple hook silver soldered to the top end. Because it can be telescoped there’ll be no trouble carrying the tool into ceiling spaces where it will be an ideal fishing rod for cables in ceilings and wall spaces. zzz se&n 81

events

SEPTEMBER – november 2012 Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers August 2012 Issue 335

Security in Government Conference 2012 Date: September 3 – 5 Location: National Convention Centre, Canberra Contact: +61 9254 5000 The SIG Conference commenced in 1987 as a meeting of agency security advisers focusing on protective security issues. The extensive trade exhibition attached to the Conference features over 100 security-related service providers who work closely with both the Government and private sector to provide cutting-edge solutions to protective security issues.

SECURITY 2012:

SHOW REPORT

8/08/12 3:54 PM

ASIS 2012 Date: September 10-13, 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center,Philadelphia, PA, USA Contact: Tel: +1-703-519-6200, Fax: +1-703-5191-6299 Website: http:// www.asis2012.org Focused solely on the security of businesses, organizations, and nations, ASIS 2012 is the most forward-thinking event driving the industry’s future. Exhibit here in Philadelphia and connect with top decision makers from the public and private sectors. They come to the ASIS show to find the latest information and solutions they need to secure their organizations’ people, property, and data.

Security Essen 2012

Date: September 25-28, 2012 Location: Essen Trade Fair Ground, Essen, Germany Contact: +49-201-7244-0, Fax: +49-201-7244-248 Security essen is celebrating its 20th edition. Like no other fair, it embodies security and fire prevention technology at a top international level. This world fair dominates the market as an innovation engine, a meeting place of experts and a hub for excellent business deals all around the world. In times of social and political turbulence, security is a market of the future with tremendous growth potential. Modern technologies, products and services are in demand like never before.

Security China 2012 Date: October 22-25, 2012 Location: China International Exhibition Center, Beijing Contact: +86-10-5192-0615 / Fax: +86-10-5192-0049 Security China 2012, is one of the leading trade platforms for the security and protection industry in China. Based on a rich and experienced suppliers and buyers database, it benefits attending suppliers and global participants.

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IFSEC India Date: November 1-3, 2012 Location: India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, India Contact: +91-11-2376-5553 IFSEC India is the largest security exhibition in India, bringing together all of the key decision-makers from the security industry. Over the past 5 years, IFSEC India has repeatedly proven its status as country’s premier security exhibition.

DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers August 2012 Issue 335

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SECURITY 2012:

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ENEWSLETTER

Advertising enquiries call Monique Keatinge on 02 9280 4425 or email info@bridgepublishing.com.au

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