Security Electronics & Networks by Security Electronics & Networks Magazine

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers September 2012 Issue 336

radio artist

l Digifort for Sheraton on the Park l Security Technician Certification l Test drive – LILIN’s new NVR Touch l Mobotix’ tough new S14 Flexmount l Fujinon D-60 long sighted solution l Easy being green: FSH FEW3800 EcoMag l Axis P5544 PTZ with 360 hemispheric l UBiQUiTi 802.3af IP65 Concept links

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Need for speed

The market is maturing and quality distributors now have long standing relationships with the global factories that supply them. The result of this is more product for less money, more in terms of performance, more in terms of simplicity of operation and more in terms of ease of installation.

september 2 01 2 i ssu e 3 3 6

By John Adams

IT’S not going out on a limb to suggest that one of the fundamental changes of the past couple of years is the speed of change we are seeing in our new products and technologies. And it’s a change that far from slowing down seems to be picking up. Not long ago it took years for a new product to be released and one of the great strengths of many solutions lay in their longevity, their fixity. Installers came to know products, end users came to trust them. But these are changing times and as the competition heats up between suppliers, R&D engineers are working feverishly to gain a leg up on their competition. There’s no chance whatever that you could release a solution and not modify its capability for 2 or 3 years and expect to retain market share. In fact, so fast has change become in some market sectors that manufacturers are not so much upgrading existing product as they are playing leapfrog with new releases, pitching finely tuned solutions at specific areas of the market almost as quickly as a need is identified. The market is maturing and quality distributors now have long standing relationships with the global factories that supply them. The result of this is more product for less money, more in terms of performance, more in terms of simplicity of operation and more in terms of ease of installation. In that last area there’s real headway being made with many more solutions designed to minimise the grief for installers stepping out of analogue for the first time. With basic systems it’s now possible – using proprietary cameras I have to concede – for installers to allow some IP video surveillance solutions to mostly install themselves. Importantly, it’s not just the very basic systems that are showing increasing sophistication in the area of self governance. Even medium-sized solutions now have the ability to undertake at least part of the process of network configuration without the intervention of the harried tech.

Something else that’s good to see is the conglomeration of strong functionalities into single flexible solutions. This is most prevalent in the video surveillance industry with products like Dallmeier’s new 25m HD-IR camera, MERIT LILIN’S iMEGAPRO IPR7334SX, which hustles a 10-50 optical zoom and 70m IR range. Both these cameras are under the $A1500 mark. A unit that offers similar flexibility is DVTel’s new Quasar dome, distributed by Pacific Communications, which combines strong camera performance with integrated IR and a game-changing new compression technology. Perhaps one of the real driving forces of this change is the increasing cleverness of end users. In recent interviews I’ve noticed there’s none of the fumbling around with IT jargon that used to predominate. The typical engineer or facilities manager is thoroughly across the networked future and seems to have no desire to lock their organisation into the proprietary substrates of yesteryear. Important to note is that while end users want open systems, just at this moment they want these systems to be bridges between yesterday and today. Rare are the applications we review these days that do not incorporate some quality analogue legacy gear ported onto the networks through encoders that still seem offensively expensive given the price falls in other areas of the market. It’s at this point we get to the role of installers and integrators in all this – and here we must recognise the opportunities for the clever and the brave. In these rough waters there are plenty of opportunities for smart players to grow fast in the wake of IP’s metaphorical HMS Dreadnought. When markets shift fast, as they are doing now, it’s the perfect opportunity for you little guys to compete toe-to-toe with older and bigger players whose skillsets are obsolete and whose cumbersome operational structures cannot meet the need for speed. zzz

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34: NVR Touch

sept 12

42: Coast watch

18: Drive train The Security Technician Certification program, an alliance between national industry association ASIAL and national RTO Integracom, looks like it might finally give security electronics people a consistent benchmark for technical excellence. 22: Mr Flexibility MOBOTIX’ new S14 FlexMount is a double hemispheric camera and is available in mono and dual versions. With a 180-degree panoramic view and 3.1MP of resolution per lens head, this is a truly serious surveillance solution despite its diminutive form factor. 24: Hybrid’s suite Integrator Spectrum Security Solutions International has installed Samsung IP cameras and a Digifort management system running on Digicor servers for Starwood Hotels and Resort’s big Sheraton on the Park Hotel in Sydney.

New from MERIT LILIN is the NVR Touch offering H264 compression, 1080p HD recording at 30ips on all 16 channels with up to 48Mbps throughput. NVR Touch supports multiple touch screens and comes springloaded with CMX 3.8 video management software.

Fujifilm has supplied Vision Intelligence its powerful Fujinon D-60 lenses to watch over the historical wreck of Japanese midget sub M24, off the coast of Sydney.

46: Radio artistry JUST released by CSD is a range of UBiQUiTi Networks wireless links that can be used to support remote Concept panels securely at distances of up to 2000m with unit prices so low they make trenching or data network sharing look like madness. 52: FSH FEW3800 EcoMag FSH has made a habit of developing clever products in the past couple of years, including the rugged, compact and economical MEM lock, which combines magnetic and physical locking characteristics. Given the company’s habit of smart takes on existing technologies, the new FSH EcoMag FEW3800 should come as no surprise.

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62: open architecture

10: news

In this month’s interview, John Adams speaks with Milestone’s Eric Fullerton about the nature of the market, his thoughts on the rising power of the end user, open architecture and challenges of the future.

Latest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world. 56: monitoring What does the future hold for domestic alarm monitoring – no I don’t mean just transmission technologies. Can the alarm industry really escape being fundamentally changed by our new digital landscape?

66: Mount panorama Just released by Axis Communications is the P5544 PTZ dome with 360-degree panoramic view and a powerful 18x optical zoom. The key feature of this unit is its support for Axis’ Advanced Gatekeeper, which allows the camera to monitor a 360-degree view for motion and PTZ when motion is detected.

76: editor’s choice What’s new from our manufacturers. 80: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

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// news /

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers September 2012 Issue 336

i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // RADIO ARTIST

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@bridgepublishing.com.au Editor John Adams Advertising Manager Monique Keatinge Customer Service Annette Mathews Tel: 61 2 9280 4425 annette@bridgepublishing. com.au Design Tania Simanowsky e: taniasdesign@optusnet. com.au

NYC’s analytic Domain Awareness System l NEW York City has installed a Domain Awareness System supplied by Microsoft in a move that could become the template for public surveillance globally. The system pulls data from 100 license plate readers on bridges; in tunnels and on city police cars; as well as gathering data from 2600 radiation sensors and images from 3000 public surveillance cameras around Manhattan. According to Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, the system, which will support crime prevention and counterterrorism, will relay information “so it can be analyzed and acted upon” by the NYPD, Bloomberg said. The technology has a role “in fighting everyday crime.” According to a joint statement by city officials and Microsoft, the system was developed “by police officers for police officers.” Its capabilities

include real-time alerts and the ability to display data on maps of the city. Cameras can be programmed to sound an alarm if they spot suspicious activity, such as an unattended package or vehicle parked in front of a building. New York police commissioner Ray Kelly said the system “allows us to connect the dots” by providing access to crime records, 911 calls, license-plate registration, video, and other data sources. Microsoft worked with the NYPD’s Intelligence Division and Counter-Terrorism Bureau over several years to develop the Domain Awareness System. Depending on how it performs, the system may be offered to other municipalities. In a unique business relationship, Microsoft will pay New York 30 per cent of revenue on sales of the system to other cities.

Subscriptions 11 issues per annum One year (11 issues) Australia 12 months $A104.50 (incl GST) 24 months $A188.00 (incl GST) Overseas 12 months $A155.00 (incl GST) 24 months $A270.00 (incl GST) WEBSITE www.securityelectronics andnetworks.com.au No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form in whole or part without prior written permission of Bridge Publishing.

WA’s Alarm & Video Monitoring Centre welcomes new members l ALARM & Video Monitoring Centre (A&VMC) is proud to welcome 4 new team members to the growing East Perth-based business. “We are thrilled to have attracted 4 new team members recently from Signature/ADT that all have extensive experience within the Security industry,” said Demetrios Pynes, managing director of A&VMC and parent company Threat Protect Australia. “The new team includes Colin Dakers, Drew Frost, Liam Connolly and Jake DeGeest. “At A&VMC we are focussing on attracting the best staff, putting plans in place to look after them, and creating a supportive workplace culture. We are committed to attracting and investing in people of a high calibre in the future as well. A&VMC was purchased in May 2012, and is 100 per cent owned and operated by Western Australian company, Threat Protect Australia. A&VMC offers an A1 Grade control room, specialising in electronic surveillance, and has been operating in WA for the last 5 years.

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// news /

industry develop ments // b u si n ess p rof i l

Monitoring market exceeded $US29 billion in 2011

l ACCORDING to IMS Research, the world market for remote monitoring services was worth more than $US29 billion in 2011, equivalent to $2.4 billion in recurring monthly revenues (RMR) across the year. IMS Research also estimated that, in the same year, 54 million accounts, or customer locations, were provided with services such as alarm monitoring, remote video monitoring, physical access control and fire detection monitoring, and PERS (Personal Emergency Response Services). Driven by its strong residential and commercial alarm monitoring markets, the U.S. market accounted for around 45 per cent of world revenues. Other notable regional markets include Canada, the U.K., Spain, France, Japan, South Korea, China and Australia.

“The penetration of remote monitoring services varies significantly between different countries and regions,” comments report author and IMS research analyst, Niall Jenkins. “For example, the US residential alarm monitoring market has a penetration of between 20 and 25 per cent of all residential buildings, while the residential market in Germany was estimated to be less than 200,000 accounts.” “There are a number of social and economic reasons for these regional differences,” continues Jenkins. “Perception of crime, comparative wealth, service pricing and the isolation of the location can all drive the decision to remotely monitor a building. In less developed countries, the lower cost of manned guarding can also act to limit uptake. In extreme examples, a lack of trust in the police force can drive customers to include manned guard response in their service agreement, hence increasing the RMR generated on the account.”

OPS makes BRW’s 2012 Fast 100 l OPEN Platform Systems’ founder and CEO Kobi Ben-Shabat reports the rapidly growing networking specialist has made the BRW Fast 100 for 2012. It’s a good achievement that caps off 5 years of hard work for the company, which was a pioneer of IP-only video surveillance solutions. According to BRW, this year’s survey received a record number of entries, and admission to the list has been extremely competitive. In positive news for all business, the cut off for 2012 was a growth rate of 39.22 per cent, the highest it has been in 5 years. 12 se&n

// news /

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

Hills Holdings acquires LAN1 l DIVERSIFIED Australian Company, Hills Holdings Limited announced late last month it had reached agreement to buy Lan1. Lan1 is a leading solutions provider of IP Storage, IP Networking, IP Security and IP CCTV and Access Controls. “In recent years the businesses in our electronics and communications Division have all been experiencing the transition from analogue technology to digital technology,” said Hills chief executive officer, Graham Twartz. “Access to products and services in support of IP and networking applications is important for the future development of

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our businesses.” According to Twartz, the acquisition “demonstrates a further step in Hills strategic direction to invest in emerging and growing technologies to complement our market leading position in electronics and communications markets.” Lan1 is expected to turnover in excess of $A30M in financial year 2013 and provides engineering support, training, assistance with design and configuration and implementation of IP products. Lan1 is based in Sydney with operations in key states. It is Hills intention to run Lan1 as a stand-alone entity while leveraging

its product range and network expertise to the Electronics & Communications Division. Lan1 CEO Daniel Lee said Lan1 was delighted to be joining the Hills team. “Having Hills support and infrastructure provides us a platform to enable significant growth,” Lee said. “Our technology offerings integrate extremely well into the Hills Electronics & Communications group and we look forward to working closely with them”. The transaction is subject to a number of pre conditions and is expected to settle in October 2012.

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// news /

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

Verint to become independent, public company l A MERGER deal with parent company Comverse Technology could see $US1.1b networked video surveillance company Verint become 100 per cent publically listed by February 2013. “This is really good news, long term, for Verint,” Jeff Kessler, managing director of Imperial Capital, told Security Systems News recently. According to Kessler, the merger deal will give Verint a cleaner capital structure and increasing liquidity of the stock available to investors. Under the terms of the deal, CTI will spin off its telecom business

to Comverse shareholders, at which point “the only asset left is the 53 percent share in Verint,” Alan Roden, Verint SVP corporate development, told SSN. Verint will then acquire Comverse through an exchange of shares. What this does is get rid of Comverse’s majority stake in the company. Specifically, Verint will buy CTI for approximately 27.5 million Verint common shares and up to an additional $25 million in Verint common shares. The additional shares are related to dividends to which CTI is entitled. The deal must be approved by Verint and CTI shareholders.

Axis expanding in all directions l AXIS Communications has expanded its presence in the region, opening new sales offices in both Brisbane, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand. The expansion comes about after a strong period of growth for Axis Communications and high demand for IP network technology. “We have seen demand for our products skyrocket over the last few years as IP surveillance has transformed from a nascent, raw technology to a mainstream, affordable and reliable solution,” said Wai King Wong, country manager for the Oceania region. “As a result, we have decided to expand to enable us to work more closely with our partners to provide full scale solutions across more geographical locations across Australia and New Zealand. “A big factor in the spike in demand has been the introduction of several new products that meet the needs of a variety of market segments and verticals.” said Wong. “It is always exciting to be opening new offices as it gives us a chance to connect more closely with our partners and customers.”

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ASSA ABLOY buys Alarm Controls l IN acquiring US-based Alarm Controls Corp, ASSA ABLOY is gaining a manufacturing company that has the “ability and willingness to do custom work,” said Scott Baker, president of ASSA ABLOY Electro-Mechanical Specialties and OEM Group. Alarm Controls, based in Deer Park, manufactures access control accessories such as “magnetic locks, timers, everything you need except the access control itself,” Baker explained. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Alarm Controls has modest revenues of less than $US10 million. The company has been in business since 1971 and has approximately 30 employees. Alarm Control’s products are widely available through distribution channels. Alarm Controls will supply accessories for jobs big and small, but it’s particularly good at quickly coming up with unique solutions to problems integrators run into, Baker explained. “It could be a 200-door job and [in the middle of the job, the integrator finds] they have 14 doors with a specific problem that needs a special solution.” That’s where Alarm Controls does a very good job, he said. ASSA ABLOY will invest in improvements to Alarm Controls’ backend operations, “like IT, HR, accounting, sourcing—logistically things that a very large company [such as ASSA ABLOY] does very well, without interfering with the flexibility, speed and customer service [that a small company does better],” Baker said. Sales and product development operations will stay the same.

Alarmcorp partners with Verint l ALARMCORP Australia is partnering with network video surveillance, VERINT, as well as VERINT partner Dell. According to Alarmcorp’s Joe McCann, the partnership with Verint is founded on a long-standing commitment to provide superior solutions and business value. “Close working relationships and Verint certification and testing programs help us to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction,” McCann said. “Verint Video Intelligence Solutions help protect banks and financial institutions, retail

chains and supermarkets, enterprise and critical infrastructure. “Its Nextiva portfolio features IP video and physical security information management software, integrated analytics, encoders, cameras, wireless devices, and intelligent network video recorders.” To support the new enterprise with Verint McCann says Alarmcorp has also partnered with Dell. Dell hardware is recommended and supported by Verint for the Nextiva platform to deliver reliable 24/7 performance.

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training

DRIVE TRAIN The Security Technician Certification program, an alliance between national industry association ASIAL and national RTO Integracom, looks like it might finally give security electronics people a consistent benchmark for technical excellence.

S long-term readers of Security Electronics & Networks Magazine will know, we’ve lamented the lack of coherent training for young techs in our industry since SE&N was published back in October 1998. But for all the breast beating that’s gone on, no one has ever had what it took to muscle through national technical training. Instead we all hark back with misty eyes, aching for the glory days of Wormald apprenticeships that ended decades ago, failing to see that achieving Wormald’s singular corporate focus across a whole industry beset with special interests is utterly impossible. The result of the impasse is a mish-mash of educational railway gauges, with different RTOs doing their subjective thing in different states and

18 se&n

no nationally recognised training standards. And we’ve all simply accepted this parlous condition as the status quo. Given the recognised complexities of cat herding it’s not surprising then, that ASIAL has spent the last couple of years talking to one widely respected RTO with a track record in telecommunications and digital, while quietly working to get its training modules sorted before bringing the new course to the market. What is it? Simply put, Security Technician Certification provides training with professional recognition in areas including CCTV, alarms and transmission pathways, with additional levels of certification covering areas like advanced comms, networking and access control. From the point of view of installers, there are three 3-year certifications. The first is the Certified Security Technician, which comprises online training and face to face assessment (2 attempts). It covers cabling installation, intruder alarm installation, CCTV fundamentals and telco transmission pathways. The course cost is $A760 and includes a study book, the online process and the face-to-face testing.

by john adam s

Next there’s the Advanced Security Technician course, which covers IP networks, CCTV advanced, access control, optical fibre and structured cabling. The cost for this course is $650 and it, too, includes online training and up to 2 face-to-face assessments as required. Finally there’s the Master Security Technician Course, which requires evidence of 10 years practical experience in the electronic security industry in a technical capacity, evidence of currency of vendor/ manufacturer training certification, membership of a recognised industry body and a current security license. There’s also an online assessment with the Master STC and the cost for this course is $295. When you pass these courses you get a certificate and a shirt badge applicable to each level, as well as the right to promote your STC capability commercially. According to ASIAL’s GM, John Fleming, there’s long been a need for national technical certification. “From an industry point of view there’s nothing that’s addressed training at a national level,” Fleming says. “Instead what has happened nationally is that there are TAFEs and a number of registered training organisations all doing their thing separately with none of the courses recognised at a national level. “ASIAL saw that developing and administering the Security Technician Certification was the only way to get some basic qualifications recognised at a national level, to give employers a performance benchmark for new staff and to give reputable installers something they could use in their marketing and advertising.” Listening to Fleming outlining his case I find myself agreeing with him. No other commercial, industry or government body has the desire or the capability to implement this much-needed initiative. Of course, a plan like this has ramifications and those ramifications look likely to have most impact on existing RTOs and TAFEs teaching what must now be regarded by the establishment as independent training courses. “It’s important to realise we are not trying to marginalise anyone who is out there in the training market,” Fleming explains. “The decision to select a single RTO was logistical more than anything. Rather than trying to work with 100 RTOs and their different courses and getting nowhere, we are working with one large RTO that came highly recommended – that’s Integracom.” According to Fleming, Integracom is a national registered RTO and a government trainer. It undertakes training for organisations like Foxtel, NBN Co. and digital broadband networks. “Integracom specialises in telecommunications courses and security. We know its training, we know the quality of its course material, we know it does assessments and can deliver all the modules that we’ve got.” Fleming concedes there will be some impact on current RTOs but he suggests there is room for them

ASIAL saw that developing and administering the Security Technician Certification was the only way to get some basic qualifications recognised on a national level.

to come online with the new STC program once things are up and running. “Absolutely, we’re not excluding anybody,” he tells me. “It’s simply that while it’s possible for us to work with a single national RTO, trying to get the course consensus and consistency the industry needs , doing that across 100 RTOs would be impossible. The idea is to get the STC up and running, get it into the market and then look at other RTOs getting involved with an established course.” Ultimately does this national course and ASIAL’s clout as the national body mean the Security Technician Certification program might subsume courses which are not nationally recognised? I ask. And might all RTOs end up teaching this course? “Yes, and that would be great for the industry,” Fleming says.

The STC program

So, just what is it that ASIAL is offering installers and technicians? “The Security Technician Certification gives installers all the basics, alarm installation, CCTV installation, access control installation,” explains Fleming. “The course is self-paced and 80 per cent of it is online using a product called Noodle. “The process of enrolment for installers is undertaken by simply logging onto www. securitytechniciancertification.com.au, paying your money and being issued with hard copy manuals. These manuals come with login details to the site. Installers read and study the manuals and go online and look at videos and start answering questions. “There’s quite a bit to all this. Once the course is completed online, there’s a face-to-face assessment and once installers have been certified they can move up to the advanced course which incorporates further training. “Bear in mind with these courses there are also 3-year gap analysis programs. The idea of this is to ensure installers are up to date with changes same as they might be for Cisco or Lenel or Inner Range Concept courses. “In 3 years the NBN will have come on board and there will be new pathways of alarm transmission required – such as PSTN-to-IP converters coming out. There will be redesigned panels so installers will need to understand these.” As Fleming outlines the fundamentals, my brain is whirring away with how this might play out – perhaps we should hope for blanket certification on the basis of objective testing. Perhaps it could lead to national licensing, though that might be a hope too far. Do you ever see a time when techs will be required to have Security Technician Certification in order to work as installers? I ask. “Yes, I think so,” Fleming agrees. “It won’t happen overnight but in 3-5 years. It will become a benchmark of technical assessment and if you were

se&n 19

s p e ci al re p o rt

a recruiter you’d want installers to have attained this level of capability in order to work in the industry.” But what about people who have been in the industry and are self taught and are actually exceptionally good installers? There are some excellent self taught, or inhouse trained installers out there. How do these people fit into the new certification? Will they get special dispensation because they are the head of a successful integration company or a senior technician? “Yes, there are some great guys out there with no formal qualifications and obviously they know their stuff and will have no problem with the course but no, there’s no special dispensation,” Fleming explains. “We argued about this a lot in the early stages and we agreed the only way is for everyone to do the course – in fact, I just did the course myself,” he says. So, is it likely that in the future not having completed the course would affect your ability to get a job? “I would think so,” Fleming tells me. “Some of the major companies are looking at it in a very serious way. There will be a ramp-up period and then there will come a time when companies start asking installers whether they have this certification on board in the employment process.”

training

There will be a ramp-up period and then there will come a time when companies start asking installers whether they have this certification on board in the employment process.

The course began mid-August, runs 24 x 7 and Fleming says ASIAL is expecting an initial intake of 1000 technicians, which is a staggering number – you’d simply never be able to achieve numbers like these with ‘analogue’ training methods. Regardless of where you stand on this, ASIAL’s Security Technician Certification is the best opportunity the electronic security industry has ever had to establish national training standards. An opportunity like this may not come our way again. zzz

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20 se&n Magazine: Security

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p ro d u ct rev i ew mobotix

Mr Flexibility

MOBOTIX’ new S14 FlexMount is a double hemispheric camera and is available in mono and dual versions. With a 180-degree panoramic view and 3.1MP of resolution per lens head, this is a truly serious surveillance solution despite its diminutive form factor.

HAT’S interesting about the S14 is that it’s a single camera body that can deploy a pair of hemispheric lenses complete with image sensors allowing it to secure 2 rooms that are adjacent, or a room and an external corridor, or 2 rooms located one on top of the other. But what impressed me about this unit at Security 2012 was that it offers the performance of 2 extremely powerful cameras in a miniscule form factor. We’ve been banging away about the inventive future we’re going to enjoy once digital surveillance technology settles in terms of capability and this unit really makes that point. The idea is that for the price of one camera you get what amounts to the performance of 2 superb cameras with very little increase in cost, installation time or labour. The discreet nature of these lenses is such that you’d need to really know your stuff to realise they were there. Depending on the ingenuity applied by the installer, the S14D can also see both sides of a right

22 se&n

The idea with S14 is that for the price of one camera you get what amounts to the performance of 2 superb cameras with very little increase in cost, installation time or labour.

angle corner, secure indoor and outdoor areas, view a room and a ceiling space at the same time or handle any other adjacent configuration you can come up with. It’s also capable of dealing with the challenges of creative architectural design or can be moved about in sites like galleries or stores where displays alter over time. The 2 image sensors allow the S14 to generate a pair of distortion-corrected, high-resolution 180-degree panorama images, each with a resolution of 3.1 megapixels. All other MOBOTIX lenses, from super-wide angle to tele lens, will be available as options with the S14 in the near future as day or day/night versions. On that topic, the S14 is the world’s first hemispheric day/night camera. When both modules with black-and-white and color sensors are mounted directly next to each other and cover the same area, the camera automatically chooses the best available mode depending on the lighting conditions. I’ve not seen it working yet but according to Mobotix this provides excellent colors in daylight as well as superb light sensitivity in dark environments. Having seen the quality of the Mobotix 3rd gen chipset in the presence of very strong backlight (direct morning sun), it’s likely this claimed day/night performance is similarly exacting in its execution. Panning and zooming into the image is done electronically. The user is provided with detailed views and other image sections without any mechanical movement, meaning that there is no wear-and-tear on the camera and no maintenance is required. Each of the 2 hemispheric lens units have integrated microphones and are connected to the main housing via cables. Both module units and the separate housing with the latest dual camera board are weatherproof in accordance with IP65 and operate in a temperature range of -30 degrees to +60 degrees. The flat housing of the camera, including flash memory with up to 64 GB and all external connectors (Ethernet, MiniUSB, MxBus), can be installed discreetly and with optimal protection behind a wall or ceiling panel so that only the lens units in their tiny rugged housings are visible. Power is supplied very cost effectively via a network cable (PoE) and at less than 5 watthours, the energy consumption is extremely low. MOBOTIX also offers the appropriate installation accessories for mounting the sensor module on thicker walls. Using several extension pieces (each approx. 40 mm), longer ‘tunnel holes’ through a wall can also be bridged. As usual with all MOBOTIX products, the complete MX Control Center software for configuration and operation of the camera, is integrated directly into the camera. Additonally, professional video management software can be downloaded free of charge. zzz

cas e st u dy sheraton on the park

I Hybridâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

suite

Integrator Spectrum Security Solutions International has installed Samsung IP cameras and a Digifort management system running on Digicor servers for Starwood Hotels and Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big Sheraton on the Park Hotel in Sydney. 24 se&n

N many ways, the upgraded video surveillance solution at the Sheraton on the Park Hotel is a perfect example of the flexibility and power of IP solutions arguably best expressed not as an endto-end digital system but as a hybrid. It might sound like sacrilege to talk up the capability of hybrid IP solutions but the fact is that when it comes to balancing cost and functionality, hybrids currently make a lot of sense. Capable hybrids like this one leverage existing cabling and cameras and save the serious money for building back ends actually capable of supporting HD and megapixel cameras without incorporating bizarre internal contradictions like heavily reduced storage resolutions and throttled frame rates. The perfect hybrid is a system open to any future requirement as well as being open to all former investment and these imperatives defined

by john adam s

Andrew Smith (l) with Eddie Dagher

the Sheraton’s new video surveillance solution. But while they coloured the installation, the technological agnosticism of the Digifort VMS meant they had no impact on its IP-based operational functionality. According to Andrew Smith, chief engineer at Sheraton on the Park, the biggest challenge for the hotel is recording coverage time. Because the system is used retrospectively in the event of incidents, healthy recording times and high resolutions from front-of-house cameras are vital. “We have the requirement of recording at least 21 days on all cameras,” he explains. “We formerly had an old analogue recording system and one of the biggest issues was that every 12 months the recorders were given away and that was a significant expense – it cost up to $7500 to replace each of these recorders.

Boom gate (l) and main entrance

“As well as being expensive, the analogue recorders were continuously unreliable but, thanks to new digital technology that has been brought on through Spectrum, we’ve now got a solution that is user friendly, that gives us far better detail compared with the analogue system, and that can handle our 21-day recording requirements. “Because the system is investigative, it’s also vital that it delivers good clear images and has the ability to find those images quickly,” he says. “There are incidents that hotels have all the time – things like guests leaving bags in a cab and our staff having to find those taxi plates to get onto the taxi company to find out where their luggage is. “With the old analogue cameras you’d spend hours trying to catch the images and work out the details but with the DigiFort system you just pull cameras from the camera tree to the screen using a mouse and then right click to find all the recording time options. The image quality is excellent, too. “The coverage includes the arrival side of the driveway and the exit side of the driveway. This allows us to look at vehicles for damage if a guest thinks a valet has damaged a car. It’s useful information and we’ve been able to resolve a number of issues thanks to the high resolution images we now get.” When it comes to slips and trips Smith says the camera views cover vital areas at the front of the hotel where they support proactive physical measures like handrails and anti-slip pads which are designed to increase the safety of guests. “The other side of surveillance in the hotel is identifying persons of interest,” Smith says. “A lot of people walk into the hotel and we use the imagery we get from the surveillance system and provide it to staff so they can see what such people are up to - we share that information around other hotels as well.

se&n 25

cas e st u dy sheraton on the park DigiFort’s client/server architecture allows local and remote surveillance, functionality that is regularly used by Sheraton management when they are away from the hotel. Sheraton on the Park also deploys the system’s capacity for redundant recording, failover recording and automatic disk administration, increasing reliability. Other useful pieces of functionality include DigiFort Evidence, an optional module allowing the classification and documentation of events that occurred in the surveillance system, including the archiving and organization of video footage and any files related to the occurrence for later look-up, and the generation of administrative and statistical reports. Integrated are UDP Technologies video analytics, including Zone Enter/Exit, Zone Appear/Disappear, Dwelling, Tamper, Speeding, Stop, Tail gating, Directional and Object Counting. Digifort parses the metadata from these devices then can set and trigger events as well as provide reporting functionality. The license plate recognition uses the Carmen library as an engine. You can set up traps for detected numbers and trigger events. Video analytics and LPR are not yet deployed at Sheraton on the Park but according to Smith, they are planned for the future.

The installation

“Using that footage we have been able to catch criminals not only in this hotel but in other hotels. “Obviously, the better the quality of information you get, the more useful that information is. The new system also give us the potential for significant enhancements including number plate recognition, face recognition and other things we can build on as we go forward. While our current system does not yet have these capabilities, we now have the ability to move into the next generation.”

The Digifort solution

The beating heart of Sheraton on the Park’s surveillance solution is the DigiFort IP Surveillance System Version 6.6 and it’s worth taking a quick look at the nature of this system before we move onto the installation. Distributed locally by EOS Australia, DigiFort is a video management system for TCP/IP environments that incorporates core functions like image recording, image monitoring, synoptic maps, PTZ control, video exports, alerts and events and admin. This system is affordable, robust and intuitive and offers layers of functionality often at a single mouse click. The focus of Digifort is simplicity and speed of operation. That makes it ideal for Sheraton on the Park, which has no dedicated operators - instead authorised administration staff have passwords that allow them to access parts of the system when required. 26 se&n

Sheraton on the Park is around 20 years old and is fitted with busy internal risers and all the legacy cabling and componentry you’d expect in a 24-story building of this size. A key element of the installation was finding room for cabling in crowded trays and risers and more importantly, labelling it clearly. But undertaking an installation in a working hotel has other challenges, as Smith quickly points out. Firstly, it’s a large site, 24 floors with 42 rooms per floor. And it’s busy. There might be 1100 or more guests on a busy day. “And we are a 24-hour, 7-day operation so we had to pick our days and a lot of installation work was done after hours so it would not impact on areas like the hotel foyer,” he explains. “During the day was a good time for corridor access on guest floors because those are the times guests are out of their rooms. “The total upgrade took about 4 weeks and that was driven by the way the hotel operates – the installers had to work in with us. So we did bits during the day in certain areas of the hotel and other things were done elsewhere. I think some of the work in the driveway was done at 4am in the morning so as to minimise risk from traffic. Spectrum gave us good advance notice and we timed it between us.” Spectrum’s Eddie Dagher agrees that time was the key challenge for the installers, as was the need to keep installation teams small. “The time was the real challenge for us – working at night. We had 2 separate teams – a day team and a night team,” he says. “The teams were kept to 4 people because I did not want the hotel to

The network side

And we are a 24-hour, 7-day operation so we had to pick our days and a lot of installation work was done after hours so it would not impact on areas like the hotel foyer.

be crowded with technicians. There were no complaints and no problems and the installation went smoothly at all times.” The nature of the physical installation is shaped by the switch closets, with 2 located on every floor, including the front of house areas. These link with the surveillance system’s rack in the network room over Cat-6 cable. Analogue cameras get to the local switches via encoders, while the megapixel and HD cameras in the front of house areas are PoE and travel onto the network via blue cable. None of the links between switches is greater than 100 metres. “Obviously to replace every camera in the hotel with IP would have been a huge expense so in phase one of our upgrade we identified the areas information is picked out 90 per cent of the time and we installed megapixel and 720p HD cameras in those locations,” Smith explains. “We retained our analogue cameras back of house where the information is not as vital – we know all the staff and can recognise them easily with the existing analogue cameras. We also put new IP cameras onto every floor of the hotel – even though we have key card security for doors and lifts, people can follow a guest onto the floor.” So, were there challenges in relation to low light, strong backlight or blooming and smearing from downlights, sunlight or vehicle headlights during the install? I ask. “No, none at all,” says Dagher. “We didn’t come across any of that. We had no issue with low light or backlight inside or outside. The lighting here is very good. All the new IP cameras we installed were day/ night cameras so they will switch over if light levels fall but there’s plenty of light for colour operation at all times.” It’s a good-sized installation this, I think as I follow Smith and Dagher through the hotel to the network room. There are 60 analogue cameras, mostly Samsung and Bosch, and 65 Samsung IP cameras including 3MP Samsung 7080 IP65 vandal domes and 720p HD internal dome cameras, all of them being fixed units with digital zooms. The 3MP cameras view the main driveway where there’s the most foot and vehicle traffic, while the cameras in the rest of the hotel are all 1.3 megapixel – that’s 720p HD.

Main switch

Not surprisingly, the network elements of this system required the most care and attention and at various times throughout the installation there was local and remote support from EOS, DigiFort, server supplier DigiCor and the hotel’s IT staff. “This was not our first Digifort install so there were no dramas on the network side,” Dagher says. “EOS came and gave us some support when we were setting up the servers because it’s a bigger server solution than we have done before. We wanted them to be there so there would be no complications – they are very good and were fantastic to work with. We also got good support from Sheraton on the Park’s IT staff.” According to Smith, the network at Sheraton on the park is locked down and strongly supported with backup power. “It’s a subnet with restricted access into certain areas. There’s a UPS supporting the head end and generators to back that up. Dagher agrees network security is tight. “Yes, it’s very restricted – the way the hotel’s IT department has designed the IP surveillance system is that it is on a dedicated network. It’s very secure and access is strictly controlled,” he explains. “At the same time it’s also designed to allow for the next step so it is not limited in architecture. If the hotel wants to add more cameras or servers, then they can. The expansion plans are already in place. “For example, I can accommodate another 20 megapixel cameras on the servers with no effort right now. And if the hotel decides to go with face recognition or number plate recognition, we have the facilities to do it easily.” Dagher says one of the good things about DigiFort includes being able to access the designers behind it. “If the hotel needs to add a camera the system does not integrate with, any camera, DigiFort will do it for us. The system will accommodate any high

se&n 27

cas e st u dy sheraton on the park

quality camera already but if we want to use a lower cost brand in the future they’ll integrate it for us.” As part of our tour of the hotel we check out the server room. Standing in front of the server rack there’s not a lot to see. It’s a very compact installation. There are 3 RAID-5 DigiCor servers, each with 24 bays, with all servers and bays designed to swap over in the event of failure. Mounted at the top of the rack is the system’s main switch. It’s all very straightforward for a medium-sized system with 125 cameras. I take a look at the rear of the racks. Having the cameras porting to switches outside the network room does make things tidy when it comes to cabling – all I can see is power and a handful of network cables. The real strength of the system is those big DigiCor servers, which were purpose-built for this application and are designed to handle heavy loads while offering redundant recording. And they need to be powerful, given the high frame rates, quality resolutions and 21-day recording retention required. At the Sheraton on the Park the system records all the driveway, foyer and front of house in full resolution of 3MP or 720p HD at 12-15 frames, while the back of house is D1 with all analogue cameras recorded at 10 frames per second. The 720p HD cameras on different floors of the hotel all record on motion so as to reduce storage demand in low traffic areas.

The control room

The core characteristic of the Sheraton of the Park surveillance system from an operational standpoint is that it’s an investigative tool and that means the surveillance workstation is unmanned unless required. “We do not have a dedicated security team here handling surveillance,” Smith explains. “Our security is only overnight and safety is handled by our staff during the day with relevant staff members having different levels of access to the system via passwords. “Some can view certain cameras and senior managers can record events. That’s a good thing about the system - we can assign different access levels – not everyone can just play with the system.

EOS came and gave us some support when we were setting up the servers because it’s a bigger server solution than we have done before. We wanted them to be there so there would be no complications – they are very good and were fantastic to work with. 28 se&n

Covering the driveway

Additionally, authorised staff can view footage from home as well.” The surveillance system’s workstation is built around several larger LCD monitors and a number of smaller monitors mounted on a wall in a rectangular space. All these monitors are legacy but are still doing a decent job of it. The plan is for 3 large screens to replace this group of monitors as part of the next upgrade. To get a feel for performance in real time, we use the system to look at the areas where there are a lot of IP cameras, including the driveway and the foyer area. Coverage with just a handful of cameras outside is exceptional and resolution is great. When Dagher pulls up the full resolution images onto the main screen the depth of field offered by these cameras really shines. This is a wide site, as hotel entries often are, and I can see how easy it would be to use the system for number plate recognition of all traffic coming through the driveway using these big 3MP Samsung 7080s teamed up with DigiFort’s digital zoom. The 3MP camera we are viewing is looking all the way down the driveway across the front of the building getting face recognition deep into the scene. The shot is very wide angle – it’s been stretched to cover the whole space. The scene shows the main steps as well as walkways approaching the entrance. It’s a bright day outside and the area outside the

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cas e st u dy sheraton on the park

covered driveway is comparatively light but it’s still possible to see vehicles and pedestrians out there in the sun – it’s not easy for a megapixel camera to achieve this performance. Dagher tells me the lens on the camera we’re viewing is 5-70mm which is an awesome-sized lens and capable of seeing much further than the width of these large premises. It does good work and would handily support LPR, in my opinion. “Such a capable lens means I can go to the other side of the driveway if I want to but we concentrate on the entryway and number plates of vehicles entering,” Dagher says. There are also 720p HD cameras situated to show guests and visitors coming in through the main entrance and other cameras that covers cash transactions, the entry to the restaurant, and the lift lobby. As we look at footage of cameras in the foyer Dagher double clicks on a scene to get the high resolution footage and highlights an area in the scene to activate the digital zoom. The images are strong – much superior to any analogue camera. Showing me these, Dagher drives the system using a mouse but there’s a Digifort keyboard on the desk which has all the functionality of the on-screen controls. “At the moment we have 4 of the 3MP video streams displayed on the main screen – in the future we will have 12 screens,” Dagher explains. “Cameras can be assigned to any monitor you like – you just pull them over from the camera tree.” At first glance the images do not appear as sharp as I expected with megapixel cameras but Dagher quickly shows me why. The images are being displayed at 640 x 480 for the purposes of general monitoring while recording is done in full resolution. “A great feature of the system is that it displays

30 se&n

Views of reception

in lower resolution to reduce server load and if you double click on an image it will increase the resolution from a display of 640 x 480 pixels to 2048 x 1536 pixels,” he explains. “All the cameras are set up like that, we wanted it that way.” As I look at the Digifort VMS taking in the details of its interface I notice there’s an indicator showing the work rate of the server’s processor. It’s idling along at only about 10 per cent of power. The DigiFort offers a nice simple layout, I think. The camera tree is on the bottom right rather than the left and in this system camera numbers make identifying camera views easier. There’s a control panel above the tree allowing PTZ and jog shuttle control. When you jump into full screen when viewing recordings of existing footage, a timeline appears at the bottom of the full screen viewer while large icons allowing functions like export, print, motion search and image filters appear on the right. A key strength of the system Dagher shows me is the digital PTZ functionality which was designed by DigiFort specifically for megapixel cameras. The function allows zoom areas to be drawn onto a preview picture. DigiFort can also put the same camera onto a monitor screen multiple times even if the picture is only being recorded once and then use that digital zoom to look into multiple areas of the split image. It’s a brilliant feature for the driveway of a

This upgrade was about the new system being easy to use, the ability to continue to use our existing cameras and cabling and the ability to upgrade in the future as needed. big hotel like this one with its multiple 3MP cameras and Smith says staff use the Digital PTZ all the time. Also neat is the fact the system can remember the position of a digital zoom so later when you come back to a saved view you can see the multiple points of interest in the wider scene you nominated and saved earlier. In one of a number of intuitive features the camera tree also indicates motion – a camera icon that is experiencing motion will turn yellow and a red record indicator appears beside the camera icon if the camera is recording. It’s a simple but neat piece of functionality. Another good feature DigiFort offers is the ability to right click once on a camera view and instantly jump to playback from 30 seconds ago, 1 minute ago, 5 minutes ago, etc. In fact, there’s a whole list of predefined times you can jump back to at a single click or you can specify a specific time. Next we look at the camera viewing the boom gate into the carpark – it’s a great image with excellent depth of field and good colour rendition. A vehicle drives in.

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cas e st u dy sheraton on the park

“You can see the number plate is very clear and the imagery is excellent,” Smith explains. “If someone forces the boom gate we can see exactly who they are.” Next we look around the loading dock which is lit by the usual fluoro lighting. The 720p HD camera we view gives great depth of field inside, there are no dark spots at all, no blooming from lights. As I watch Dagher working I observe it’s a simple system to use. “Yes, it’s very easy to use,” Dagher agrees. “It only takes you 5 minutes to train someone to operate it.”

Conclusion

Talking with Smith and Dagher on the hotel steps at the end of my tour my overriding impression is that this upgrade has gone extremely well, that all expectations have been met, and the system functions as expected. These impressions are reinforced as I chat with Dagher as we drive down Elizabeth St after leaving the hotel. “We worked closely with Andrew during the upgrade and got on well,” he says. “The relationship we have with the hotel and with Andrew is fantastic, you’d never get better. The IT team is very friendly too. Whatever we do with regard to IT we talk to them and tell them what we have planned. They loved working with the Digifort system. “They are good people, easy going and we treat them as friends as well as clients,” Dagher explains. “We help them like friends, too. If there are any problems we react immediately, we are here within an hour or 2 not days – that’s our policy. We are in the city and we respond immediately to their calls.” Meanwhile, George Maamary, Spectrum’s managing director says that the design and integration of the solution was made easy by the fact he and Dagher were in constant communication

Lift lobby

With the old analogue cameras you’d spend hours trying to catch the images and work out the details but with the DigiFort system you just pull cameras from the camera tree to the screen using a mouse and then right click to find all the recording time options.

The compact server rack

32 se&n

with Smith before, during and after the installation. “It was a pleasurable experience dealing with people who understand that a little patience is required to achieve much,” says Maamary. Most importantly, Smith is also happy with the system at the Sheraton on the Park. “It’s easy to use – there’s no need to train people in the use of the system – it took a few minutes to learn,” he says. “Most people are familiar with this sort of interface. “Our previous system was a bit complicated. It was 5-year-old technology and we were switching between recorders. It was unreliable, and unfriendly. This upgrade was about the new system being easy to use, the ability to continue to use our existing cameras and cabling, and the ability to upgrade in the future as needed. “Cost was another thing. We went out to some competitors for pricing and we found suppliers that wanted us to start all over again with their systems. The cost made that a deal breaker. The numbers did not stack up to replace an entire system when parts of it were still useable. In the end the DigiFort system simply met all the requirements the hotel had for an upgraded hybrid surveillance system.” zzz

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p ro d u ct rev i ew nvr touch

NVR Touch New from MERIT LILIN is the NVR Touch offering H264 compression, 1080p HD recording at 30ips on all 16 channels with up to 48Mbps throughput. NVR Touch supports multiple touch screens and is managed with CMX 3.8 video management software.

34 se&n

HIS is a hot-looking solution, I think, when first spying the management system on MERIT LILIN’s stand at Security 2012. It’s not just the hardware that impresses me, shiny and well laid out though it is. I really like the simplicity and flexibility of MERIT LILIN’s CMX 3.8 management software, specifically designed to be ever-so-easy to use. Let’s get the dry specs out of the way up front. Standout features of this NVR Touch include 30ips at 1080p HD on all channels with a maximum throughput of 48mbps. Recording mode includes external alarms, motion detection, scheduled recording and manual activation at resolutions of 1080P, 720P, D1 and VGA. Driving the bus is an ARM Cortex A9 processor running a Linux 2.6 kernel at a clock speed of 600MHz. The A9 is optioned for low power draw and it has the capacity to run at 2GHz. That means it’s just loping along in this application, which should mean cooler running for higher reliability and a long life even in a constant duty application like this one.

by john adam s

Menu screen

What the system does is display all the motion events as a jpeg of the camera view. We can select the image of the scene we’re interested in and we can save it, email it or play it back and see exactly what happened in the course of that event. user access. Network protocols include ARP, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP, DDNS, Web live, event log and time search playback and AVI.

Driving the system

Timeline

According to MERIT LILIN’S Graham Madden, the whole idea of the NVR Touch and its free CMX 3.8 front end is to offer a user interface that’s a lot simpler and more intuitive than some of the management systems currently available, something more like an iPhone or iPad. And this applies to end users viewing recordings as well as installers commissioning new systems. “We use touch screens, we have pinch and squeeze options for zooming in and out of a scene and you simply touch the screen to go back from anywhere to the menu page,” Madden explains. “To call up menu options you just touch the appropriate

The CMX 3.8 software is bundled free and you get support for 8 SATA HDDs, remote storage capability of up to 24TB, and 3G mobile phone solutions for iPhone, iPad, Black Berry and Android. Management reports include alarm, configuration, and operation reports, with report export over HTTP or USB. There’s LCD backlight saving mode, support for USB multi-touch screen, split screens of 4, 8, 9, 13, 16 camera views, digital zoom up to 64x on live and playback, user authentication, 20 x 12 motion detection on each channel with 8 sensitivities, email of JPEG on alarm event and remote control of up to 255 individually addressable NVR Touch units. Other functions worth noting include external alarm, video loss, stop recording, power recovering, motion detection, schedule, logon, HDD format event notifications, jog shuttle, FF, FR, Step, instant rewind, and menu setup. There’s mouse USB, mouse-click, mouse scroll and mouse drag controls on the unit. Network ports include Gigabit LAN, one networkdirect internet browser access port and multiple

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// news /

S H OW RE P O RT SECURITY 2 01 2 p ro d u ct rev i ew nvr touch industry developments // business profiles //

DVTel Quasar HD Another standout product at the show was with IR Videofied’s XTIP710, a hybrid alarm system with motion events as a jpeg of the camera view. We can button, options appear that and now you can slip alarm through video verification reports events select the image of the scene we’re interested in and and select from using thingsGPRS like searches, motion and status and IP. We’ve likeevents, Videofied’s save it, email it or play it back and see exactly what screen setups,for system PTZthink – it’s they all done products a whilesetup, now and offer you happened in the course of that event.” through the simple icons.” installers a great up-sell or panel replacement What Madden is describing here is the capability This CMX 3.8 management solutionspectrum offers a range option. Using reliable spread wireless of the system, as you move your cursor or finger of functions live view, timelines, devices,including the company hasplayback, a real track record of along a timeline, to bring up thumbnails from and PTZ control on workstations or mobile devices. visible success. those precise you that exactly due to moments the numbershowing of employees tend what to ONE massive Texas school district recently In a workstation can drive the unit Sending environment, alarm events you along with video footage then. If you an event looks move from campus to see campus in suchthat a large upgraded its video surveillance system was in anoccurring usingisa touchscreen a normal VGAperformance monitor with and pretty muchor Rolls Royce system. prior to the Videoand effort to keep up with advancements insuspicious, Web school you tap orRussell click says on the thumbnail a mouse. For this demo Madden uses a touchscreen Videofied has 450-odd arrests under its beltmanagement thanks Insight his IVMS platforms. Austin Independent drill down andimplementation watch the event. loveadministrator this feature. It and ittoseems verytoeasy indeed. its ability identify burglars. When you consider spent a considerable amount of and time with School District – the America’s 38th largest makes searches completely visual evenuser more In most the flesh, thissystems is a really screen with big, alarm arenice blind and cannot assist school system – has replaced its existing maintenance. “With this number of users a intuitive. Best of all, it was developed on the fly by video bold operators icons that open with more a tap on the reporting screen andmultiple an management system with Video Insight reliable Web client is more economical than by doing than LILIN’s engineers at uninstalling) the suggestion of aclients customer. installing (and thick VMS on software. Encompassing 230-square miles, excellent onscreen control panel that’s just like an adjacent alarm events, Videofied’s capabilities There was plenty more to see at the show and in You have to love that. each PC, which also overburdens our already Austin ISD has 86,000 students, 11,000 actual NVR. This has images displayed above it and stick out even more. this subsequent issues betimes reviewing When it and comes to recordings there are that many taxed VMS administrators,” hewe’ll says. employees, 124 campuses and more than 3,000 an excellent timeline showing alarm states using the switch stand-out solutions. As forresulted theand editor’s to Video Insight has in pick for video surveillance cameras. footageofThe does not need to be encrypted NVR different colours. an improved video management “We were unhappy with the platform that we SE&N’s Best Product at Securitysystem 2012 –for I chose the Touch allows for that as well. While I’m taking all this in, Madden starts running Austinsolution ISD in many respects, including: Little had invested in and we needed a more practical Snap from Network Video Surveillance “If we want to get footage that’s not encrypted to no trainingbyforPacific employees; increased video For its solution – something that was easy to use,” says distributed through his demo with characteristic enthusiasm Communications. we go tocamera a camera, then to the timeline. Let’s say we image quality; more efficient storage; Austin ISD Police Department Representative for the product. Cleverly, he comes at the product ability to automatically wrangle thetimes power of want an HD version recorded between 2 given Russell. “We needed something that faster system performance; variety in camera from the point of view of the end user, basing Wayne his thousands of existing cameras challenging to achieve do integration. a backup andin the system real choicethis andwe LDAP The 3,000-plus didn’t require an incredible amount of– CPU observations on what he’s been hearing from environments, it has beAISD myus pick camera system is AVI monitored bytothe police processor power that could also serve as awrites fully- world the footage as an file, informing thefor fileSE&N’s installers about what their clients most need. in Show. dispatch 24-hours a day, seven days a week, functioning Web client.” will beBest 71MB. “The most troublesome aspect of any DVR or NVR paying particular attention during peak times After an exhaustive bid process, Russell found Upthen there with it is the Bosch Solution “You can send this footage to anyone, play144 it, alarm is when customers have an event and they wantthe tosolution in Video Insight. to camera feeds in the panel bus drop off and pickfeatures up and access control with neat save it to USB or, if you have no USB stick with you, like “Video Insight was the only software solution areas, cafeterias during breakfast and lunch get footage to the police,” he explains. “With NVR pre-built garage control and a succession of the footage be saveddoor to aintemporary area on the time,can playgrounds and hallways during class that worked seamlessly with our existing Touch it’s a matter of putting in a USB, going across readers and expanders. The Solution 144 is just NVR’s HDD so that when the hard drive writes it will cameras and it offered a very dependable Web changes. Administrators monitor cameras at to our We’ve searchspent menu, andofsearching a particular a bit time looking at Videofied that – school afile solution. Thought fromtobeginning skip over the and that recording will always be each campus, but they through report incident client,” Russel says. time.alarm The system will immediately startare playing event footage. Image streams currently tothe end, I think will resonate AISD policeitwho have thedelete solewith authority to installers A fully functional Web client applicationthere was for you to retrieve until you it.”Bosch backblack recorded thelight cameras that were andfootage white of foralllow performance clip and export very and important to Austin ISD, says Russell, to givevideo. their customers moreinclude capability in The looking other functions relevant to end users displayed on screen at up to 64x, allowing optioned for low bandwidth but relevant they’re still large domestic and small commercial applications. the NVR control panel mentioned earlier which ACCESS control solutions provider ASSA events to be spotted quickly.” excellent what they are.of Greensteel Twin like SIMsautofocus, and an NBN-proof network ABLOY has for purchased assets has features one button pan, zoomcomms The ease translates into downloading files, too. Now the word is product port built intoofathis medium-sized alarm panel Industries Ltd., a metal commercial under door anddevelopment and presets. As part control screen there’s a with “When saving to USB welatest just press the record will maker. incorporate the advances in video frame 16 doors of biometric, prox and keypad virtual PTZ control joystick which lets operators access button once andproducts the footage directly The Greensteel willeven nowisberecorded marketedidentification compression giving better control? zoom in, zoom Yes, out,please. pan and tilt. As he’s explaining and manufactured underrecord Baron and Fleming to the USB.day Press the button again and ability and night. Special mentions go using to the Axis 5544 for this, Madden drives the system the big touch ABLOYAutomatically, Vice President the brands, recording thealarm footagesystems is As ASSA far stops. as I’mExecutive concerned all the Axis WDR for screen,conceptual pulling theawesomeness, PTZ control from side 1604 to side Thanasis Molokotos says. stored with work a program called Backup Manager, should the way Videofied’s does and I can’t its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex with his fingertip. It’s extremely easy to operate PXB“This acquisition will enhance our ability which ensures encrypted and watermarked forhave out it’s why more alarm which perimeter security towork provide non-residential door manufacturers opening and he100ATC doesn’t take histakes eyesaffordable from the monitor as he authenticity. not seized this customers,” combination of technologies a newthe level, FSH FEW3800 for being greenest, solutions to ouron Canadian he says. wheelstoaround scene. “And – Greensteel where Giving NVR Touch reallygreat Established in this 1932, Industries for look their atown solutions. the same and C.R.looked Kennedy’s Dallmeier Panomera, “What we’ve at so far, saving and sending which excels is making it easy for users find footageofofGPRS operates in Winnipeg, Canada. catch performance with the to combination looked the furthest and saw the mostest. footage and controlling cameras in live and recordedFinally, It’s anonboard interesting lateral move ASSA an event. What theIPsystem doesfrom isindisplay all XTIP710 the and connectivity its latest mostthat’s improved product range honours are image the streams, really the functionality as far 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 zzz access control markets. cake.

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

Logo_Anz_AUS_185x50_print:Layout 1 22.08.11 11:17 Seite 1

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 34 se&n 36 se&n

p ro d u ct rev i ew nvr touch

as the end user is concerned. In fact it seems there’s not much to NVR Touch, it seems too simple but instead it’s been engineered to be simple to operate,” Madden explains. Have seen things from the end user perspective Madden calls up system setup so he can show me the programming options. The overall feel of this part of CMX 3.8 has the same level of simplicity as camera operation. You’d not suddenly bogged down in acres of industrial strength setup menu. There are also some unexpectedly neat features which use the video itself as part of the management process. “Going into setup, the system shows all the cameras and we can go into Discovery and command the system to go out onto the network and search all cameras, checking MAC address and ID automatically. We can ask for a snapshot and the system will take a snapshot from every camera and display it so you can ID where the cameras are visually, then confirm their fields of view or check their views are unchanged. “Making life easy for installers, out of the box the cameras have an IP address and it’s possible to instruct the system to auto-assign cameras. If you want to make unique addresses then you use the Set IP function and the system will go to each camera and change the IP addresses and set them up for you, updating configurations. This is all done automatically – that’s all there is from the installer’s point of view in terms of default setup.”

Features and functionalities

I think for me the most difficult part of NVR Touch to communicate is the way it’s open-ended to the onboard functionality of the iMEGAPRO range of cameras. These 1080p cameras have a stack of programmable functionalities that can easily be accessed via the CMX 3.8, binding management system and camera together in very cool ways. There’s neat stuff like LPR and advanced image enhancement in multiple layers.

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“Once the cameras are installed then you can tweak functions like recording resolutions for each camera. We can also set up a recording schedule that might cover office openings. And in the advanced recording function we can set frame rate and bandwidth of image streams customised per camera,” Madden tells me. “There’s also alarm waiting, allowing us to set a camera to record at 5 frames per second as a default and to then jump up to 25 frames as soon as there are any motion alarms in the scene for whatever configurable pre and post alarm recording times you’ve set. “And even though we might say we are doing a low resolution record, the system is always recording 2 levels at the same time – the D1 resolution you are looking at when you are in multiscreen and 1080p HD at the same time.” There’s also that awesome in-camera quad stream feature that allows 4 streams to be sent out simultaneously, where you pick a profile you want to use and you access this functionality through Internet Explorer. This lets you set up the camera to send D1 over the internet, 1080p HD to a local

With IP addresses we could have the NVR accessible on the network but set the cameras up as a subnet within a subnet so if someone is trying to get to the cameras via IP addresses they have to get through multiple secure layers.

NVR Touch hardware

server, while sending JPEG CIF to cloud storage and JPEG 720 x 480 4CIF to an iPhone, all of this being simultaneous. “As part of this function you can set frame rate – you can totally customise the streams to suit application and LAN and WAN networks,” Madden explains. “Next there are image settings like brightness, contrast, hue and saturation and even exposure value,” Madden tells me. “How much light do we want hitting the sensor? There’s also adjustable gain control, backlight compensation and a sense-up feature.” Other cool features of the iMEGAPRO range that can be setup via NVT Touch include support for customisable license plate recognition. “We can set minimum or maximum shutter speeds so that at night when you want license plate recognition you can slow the shutter down and get a bit more light and set the minimum level depending on the speed of the car,” explains Madden. “In the daytime you’d probably have it set at the maximum. If you start playing with all these settings it has an amazing effect on image quality – you can tailor the camera for maximum performance in a given application.”

p ro d u ct rev i ew nvr touch

You can also customise privacy masks and there’s region-of-interest that lets you sub-stream parts of a scene you want to monitor and ignore parts that are irrelevant like ceilings or views of the sky or an adjacent wall. And there’s tamper detection that detects changes in focus, masking, blocking, spraying, if the scene changes all of the sudden a tamper alarm will be activated. “When we go into alarm setup we can set up motion per camera – we can select a range of locations for motion detection,” Madden explains. “We could select the entire camera view to record on motion – you toggle on and off to set those things up.” All this is good stuff and you can see how the CMX and camera functionality is symbiotic. You can’t really consider NVR Touch’s capabilities without taking into account the power of the LILIN iMEGAPRO chipset. Also settable through NVR Touch’s CMX 3.8 is edge recording in the event of network failure. You pick the recording during setup; say it’s recording on alarm trigger, or continuous recording; plug in the required resolution and apply it from the NVR Touch control screen. There’s also audio in and out so operators can communicate with camera points via the CMX 3.8 management solution. Relevant network functions can also be set up to suit the network the system will reside on. “When we go to network settings we can set up everything related to the network,” Madden says. “You might want to be on a DDNS server if you don’t have a static IP address built-in. When we get down to our network advanced settings, it allows us to set up 3 layers of subnets so if we want to look at cameras across different networks we can put in subnet ranges and we can do something else.

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Driving a PTZ

“If you are worried someone might try to attack the IP address of your cameras directly, we can bury them, so we could have the NVR accessible on the network but set the cameras up as a subnet within a subnet so if someone is trying to get to the cameras they have to get through multiple secure layers. “On the setup side it’s all quite simple – in fact it seems so simple when you’re doing a demo like this that you don’t realise just how capable it is,” explains Madden. “NVR Touch can do everything a normal NVR can do from scheduled recording, motion detection, deep camera functionality – taken together it becomes a powerful package.” Another neat feature I’d not seen before was spot monitors which are handled anywhere on a network using a network-based video decoder which is touch screen driven and has a quad output. “With this device, video out is HDMI and there’s a USB to control the screen and power,” Madden says. “We can install it anywhere on the network and it will find cameras, it can store up to 256 IP addresses, so once it’s done the scan it says ‘Hey, here are all the cameras’ and you select the ones you want and set them as inputs to the spot monitor. “If I want another spot monitor elsewhere in the network, I install another of these units and

NVR Touch is just a really good solution at the price. It can handle all the typical analogue applications and it is easy to manage and install. The response we’ve had is that it seems too simple, too easy, installers love it. designate 4 more cameras to be displayed on an attached remote monitor. This device costs a couple of hundred dollars and another version has an SSD drive allowing you to handle remote recording from a mobile application or a gatehouse, etc.” “NVR Touch is a really good solution at the price,” Madden says. “It can handle all the typical analogue applications and it is easy to manage and install. The response we’ve had is that it is simple and too easy, installers love it.” MERIT LILIN’s NVR Touch is a nice solution. It’s uncluttered and its functions are intuitive. While Windows-based VMS systems can tend to be busy and complicated, this is modern and very simple in terms of its look and feel. As an extension of the powerful and clever iMEGAPRO camera range, this is solution that deserves serious attention. zzz

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cas e st u dy fujinon d- 60

coast watch Fujifilm has supplied Vision Intelligence its powerful Fujinon D-60 lenses to watch over the historical wreck of Japanese midget sub M24, off the coast of Sydney.

PECIALIST security technology organisation Vision Intelligence has used one of Fujinon’s high quality D-60 surveillance zoom lenses to watch over the M24 midget submarine wreck, the only Japanese midget submarine wreck located in Australian waters, which lies 5km off of Bungan Head in Sydney.

According to the director of Vision Intelligence, Dr Maher Magrabi, Vision Intelligence offers design and consultancy services for custom security and surveillance projects. “As Fujinon lenses are seen as the benchmark in quality and reliability we always try to design them into our system solutions wherever possible – that’s why the D-60 was included in the M24 midget submarine wreck surveillance project,” he says. The M24 midget submarine project came as a result of the belated finding of the wreck in 2007 by a dive team off Sydney Harbour. The wreck became part of the 70th anniversary of the midget sub attacks on ships in Sydney Harbour and is important as a heritage site. “We have undertaken several projects over the years requiring specialised surveillance solutions,” says Dr. Magrabi. “The M24 wreck

As the wreck is 5km off the coast we needed a surveillance solution that would include a high powered, high quality lens mounted on a land-based camera. 42 se&n

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cas e st u dy fujinon d- 60

project required another of this type of solution. “As the wreck is 5km off the coast we needed a surveillance solution that would include a high powered, high quality lens mounted on a landbased camera. After an assessment of all suitable options the Fujinon D-60 was chosen as the best suited for this job.” The D-60 provides Vision Intelligence with clear images across the 5km distance and enables the capture of critical video which when integrated

Fujinon lenses have proven themselves in very challenging applications, both in terms of quality and performance and we will certainly continue to use them where possible. with a vessel tracking system creates a valuable surveillance tool. Once a vessel is detected, the Pan Tilt Zoom mechanism of the camera attached to the D-60 can then be controlled to track it. Information on the vessel is simultaneously relayed back to the Water Police and Department of Heritage so both organisations can keep a record of activity near the site. “Fujinon lenses have proven themselves in very

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challenging applications, both in terms of quality and performance and we will certainly continue to use them where possible,” Dr Magrabi says.

Fujinon D-60

The Fujinon D-60X12. 5R3H series is the industry’s highest standard, day and night HD electronic zoom lens. Features include IR day/night function, automatic focus, fog penetration function, multiple infrared wavelengths optional (808/850/950nm) and the ability to monitor a site at a distance of 5-10km. The wide spectrum 400-950nm has a permeation rate over 80 per cent and there’s 60x optical magnification and a 750mm focal length which can be doubled using an extender giving a focal length of 1500mm. Control functions include electric control, RS232 control and servocontrol and there’s an e-coating technology of Nano EBC which guarantees no mould and no oxidation of the lens hardware for 20 years. Other functions include automatic and manual aperture adjustment according to actual needs so as to obtain the best aperture for image detail as well as optical technology in the colour change when in fog penetration mode, that solves the challenge of secondary focus. Fujinon has assembled the D-60 lens into a portable unit which can be booked for a full demo by contacting Chris Royal at Chris.Royal@fujifilm. com.au zzz

p ro d u ct rev i ew csd

Radio artist JUST released by CSD is a range of UBiQUiTi Networks wireless links that can be used to support remote Concept panels securely at distances of up to 2000m with unit prices so low they make trenching or data network sharing look like madness. 46 se&n

by john adam s

HESE compact UBiQUiTi Networks solutions integrate with the Concept LAN Ethernet Bridge (CLOE), an interface used to allow Concept RS485 LANs to be supported by networks. Typically, CLOE’s are linked by copper or fibre networks but using the UBiQUiTi Instant 802.3af adapters turns the Concept CLOE’s into 802.3af wireless devices replete with +/-15kV of surge protection. The adapter sits between the Concept control module and one of UBiQUiTi’s NanoStation M and NanoStation loco M 2x2 AirMax time division multiplexing Access stations which are built around integrated antennas and give 1000 and 2000 metre ranges. The key thing with UBiQUiTi’s time slot wireless comms is that they reduce node collisions and enhance efficiency, improving latency and scalability, vital when it comes to larger access control solutions. UBiQUiTi is no newcomer to the market and has been into wireless since 2005. The company really started making waves in 2008 when it released a range of extremely compact and very powerful IP65-rated wireless Ethernet links that put cablefree IP comms into the hands of system designers. In 2009 the company released the airMAX MIMO TDMA polling technology, a protocol that led to an entire lineup of radio/antenna systems, building on the 802.11 b/g series, including the latest NanoStation units and the powerful Rocket M. If it was not delightful enough that UBiQUiTi eliminates the torment and expense of cabling on large and complex sites, the company’s wireless is a real brain box. Supported by airOS, airVIEW and airCONTROL software modules, you can configure, monitor and manage networks of UBiQUiTi M devices from any authorised networked workstation. According to CSD’s Charlie Stokes, typically there are a number of different methods installers use to carry remote access control communications on big sites. “You can use RS-485, fibre links or convert Concept LAN to Ethernet. This gives us the flexibility to get security systems into a building in multiple ways,” Stokes explains. “Of course, as soon as you start talking about Ethernet you are talking about getting onto an organisation’s networks and then you are vulnerable to someone putting other devices on links, pinching IP addresses, IP address conflicts, routers being turned off, blackouts and poorly managed networks.” And with UBiQUiTi there’s no need for expensive trenching? I ask. “There’s no trenching,” Stokes laughs. “Trenching is expensive, cutting concrete is expensive and in most cases if you’re bringing in a single building then trenching can be cost prohibitive. Users will often resort to installing 2 separate solutions and having them report as 2 separate sites just to get

Antenna

airControl screen

Users will often resort to installing 2 separate solutions and having them report as 2 separate sites just to get around the challenges. With UBiQUiTi you have the ability to bring that remote building onto a central system. around the challenges. With UBiQUiTi you have the ability to bring that remote building onto a central system.” It sounds great to be able to eliminate the expense of cabling and trenching on campus style sites, I comment, turning the tidy housings over in my hands. “Yes, this solution is really solving problems,” Stokes agrees. “As soon as you say to somebody I’m going to have to cut up the road, carpark, trench through the park, it’s just so expensive and time consuming. The trench has to be dug, the conduit pulled and laid. It might take 2 or 3 days to do the trenching and cabling, then another day on the install and another day on programming. With UBiQUiTi you could complete the job in 2 days instead of a week.” How’s does all this work? As Stokes demonstrates, it’s far simpler than you’d think. “What we have done is taken the Concept Lan Over Ethernet module (CLOE) device and instead of using a client’s network we used UBiQUiTi radios point-to-multipoint, running on 12V DC which we power from the Concept board,” Stokes explains.

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p ro d u ct rev i ew csd

NanoStation ports

Managing UBiQUiTi

Charlie Stokes with the NanoStation M

It might take 2 or 3 days to do the trenching and cabling, then another day on the install and another day on programming. With UBiQUiTi you could complete the job in 2 days instead of a week. “With most radios you are talking about running them on 24-48V but these units will run down to 10V DC and that means we can power them off Concept power supplies with passive PoE – they only draw about 275mA. Our controllers are 12V battery-backed so whatever happens to a network does not matter. These links will never go down. “Stations can be 80m away from the controller and each access point has the capability to have 300 UBiQUiTi stations supporting 300 Concept boards. This keeps communications safely in the Concept domain.” What’s the setup from the installer’s point of view? How difficult is this solution to configure? “One of the great things about UBiQUiTi is the ease of setup and the distances that you get,” Stokes explains. “It’s point-to-point, or point-tomulti-point and line-of-sight with ranges of 1000 or 2000 metres. Both the NanoStations are IP65-rated and we often put them into plastic enclosures for additional protection and to hide them from view.” We look at one radio capable of going 1000m (45-degree spread) and another with 3dB higher signal capable of going 2000m (30-degree spread). The smaller one is $A100, the larger is $130. There are other products on the market but this is much more affordable. It’s amazing performance for the money, I think to myself. The UBiQUiTi range goes right up to the powerful Rocket, which is a separate antenna with a radio that clips on and 2 antenna cables. This gives a range of 2000m at 120 degrees allowing installers to fit more buildings into the wireless comms path. CSD is also carrying UBiQUiTi’s 13dBi 360-degree antenna that can be placed in the middle of a campus and gives 360 degree coverage with a diameter of 1000m.

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Programming UBiQUiTi modules is straightforward and takes no time at all. These units are both transmitter and receiver and are capable of being Stations or Access points so once you install the hardware you can use the airControl software to configure them as you choose. According to Stokes, commissioning is simple. “One of the best things about this technology is how easy it is to set these up on a network,” he explains. “You put up your Access point and configure that, and once that’s done all the UBiQUiTi stations find that Access point automatically. You then say to the client station, this is user name and password and lock it down to the access point MAC address so it won’t talk to anything else. Setting up an access point takes about 5 minutes and it’s less than a minute to get the remote Stations to connect to it. “They all have a default IP address and user name and password on the box and ready to go,” says Stokes. “You configure the laptop with a static IP address so it can talk to the IP address of the device, then set them up to be an Access point or a Station. “The web server is in the device – as soon as you open the software it comes up requesting the user name and password and you can then log in and change settings, download diagnostic tools including speed test tools, signal strength tools, it can analyse what radio frequencies are in the air, if there’s any interference. When it comes to Concept system monitoring, if links do go down the system’s modules drop offline and there’s a report to the monitoring station or monitoring software – same as RS-485 or fibre. “Another of the cool things about UBiQUiTi is a software package called airControl which all the devices report back to. As soon as you have any problems it will send an email out and alert you to issues. “All the airMax devices report status to the airControl server and this passes on issues to nominated email addresses. You can also program each device during airControl commissioning with a GPS location so that when a link goes down the software will display the location on Google maps.” Then there’s airView, a diagnostic software package that uses the antenna inside a NanoStation to scan the air and see how noisy it is. airView offers installers an advanced spectrum analyser capability able to give waterfall, waveform and real time spectral views of the RF signature of a location. This allows installers to minimise interference so as to ensure reliability and performance. UBiQUiTi from CSD is an excellent extension of the networking capabilities of Concept systems. It allows remote modules to report to central controllers at minimum cost over serious distances using proven TDMA wireless technology. Getting across a carpark, a sterile production line or a busy retail floor has never been this easy – nor so affordable. zzz

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p ro d u ct rev i ew QVS

Independence day

configuration, automatic camera assignment, and smart phone app. The H.264 codec displays 100ips in real time in the 4 channel unit or 200ips in real time in the 8 channel and the record rate per channel is 25ips in 1080p HD. There’s a pair of hard drive bays that offer RAID 5 capability and the unit is delivered with 2TB onboard. External storage includes eSATA and NAS capability. Ports on the stern of the unit include 4 or 8 PoE LAN ports, one RJ45 LAN port and one RJ45 WAN port. A USB port allows retrieval of footage for police while the Independence CMS supports local and remote management and operation on Windows or Macintosh machines.

Camera options

Just released by QVS is the 1080p Independence NVR and a family of IP cameras which together offer 1080p or 720p resolution, H.264 compression and real time storage in full HD. Standout features include smart phone app, auto configuration and auto camera assignment.

VIDEO Systems has released its new plugand-play 1080p HD Independence NVR and camera family, designed to make life easy for installers unfamiliar with IP installations. According to QVS, by simply pressing a button, installers can auto detect and assign IP cameras, auto focus cameras from the GUI, record and playback footage and all at 1080p HD quality. Another neat feature of the Independence NVR is its ability to recognise network problems and display their location using a network map. Also cool is smart phone functionality and handling this for Independence is nViewer, a smart app available in lite version for free, or full version for a few dollars. According to Q, the price is the best part and it’s so competitive customers who might not have thought they could afford a digital solution can now afford the latest IP technology. Standout features of the H.264 Independence NVR include 1080p HD, 4 and 8 channel versions, built-in PoE switching hub, user friendly GUI, dynamic search mode, fully automatic 50 se&n

There are 6 Independence HD camera options all of which have been designed to work hand-inglove with the Independence NVR, according to QVS’ Christian Sutherland. “The cameras have been specifically selected to cover a variety of high definition CCTV applications, including anti vandal and IR through to disceet mini domes able to record at least 1.3MP (720p) or 2MP (1080p) HD resolutions in H.264 or MJPEG – and both in real time.” Sutherland says that the cameras are ONVIFcompliant and can be purchased standalone for other security applications. They’ll also work with all other ONVIF compliant DVRs or NVRs, which is nice because these cameras are all very capable in their own right. Perhaps my favourites from a quick read of the spec sheets are the 1080p Box Camera and the 720p Vandal Dome. Camera options include the QVS0NMX-2003P Mini Box, which supports H.264 and MJPEG compression and runs a Sony IMX-036 2MP chipset with 5x optical zoom. Next there’s the QVSNMD-2003P Mini Dome, which features all the same features but has a 2.1mm fixed lens. The QVS-NCX 1300P Box Camera is a 720p unit with H.264 and MJPEG compression, while the QVS-NCB-1300P IR Bullet is 720p, with the same dual compression options and a 3.3-12mm lens with TDN thanks to integrated IR. Next come the domes – the QVS-NCD1-1300P 720p Internal Dome, with the same H.264 and MJPEG compression, as well as a strong 3.3-12mm lens. Finally there’s the QVS-NCD-1300P Anti Vandal Dome, a rugged 720p camera offering the same compression and that capable 3.3-12mm lens. All these cameras have good specifications in their own right with 50dB of signal to noise ratio promising decent wide dynamic range and good minimum scene illumination numbers on all units including the IR Bullet, which can see in total darkness thanks to that integrated IR ring. zzz

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P RO D U CT REV E I W FSH

FSH FEW3800 W EcoMag FSH has made a habit of developing clever products in the past couple of years, including the rugged, compact and economical MEM lock, which combines magnetic and physical locking characteristics. Given the company’s habit of smart takes on existing technologies, the new FSH EcoMag FEW3800 should come as no surprise.

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HAT’S so neat about the FSH EcoMag FEW3800 is its ability to save very large amounts of money through major reductions in power draw, extrapolated over hundreds or even thousands of access points across major sites. The power savings are claimed to be around 200 per cent, which on sites with large numbers of locks, is going to be significant. The secret to this lock, is its ability to reduce the power draw by falling to sleep until the lock is moved by an unauthorised access attempt and then waking up and applying full current to its windings in order to develop maximum holding force. Central to this is self monitoring capability facilitated by optical switches that detect the slightest movement in the door and spike power in response, all in a few hundredths of a second. I saw the FEW3800 on the FSH stand at Security 2012 and was impressed with both the numbers and the instant response to unauthorised opening attempts. The FSH team had set the new lock up on one of their test rigs with an integrated meter measuring milliamps. With the lock in sleep mode, 12v DC consumption was a very frugal 170mA but when the ‘door’ of the test rig was shaken to awaken

BY JOH N ADAM S

As you can see looking at the meter, our new device sleeps on less than 100 milliamps – that’s a 200 per cent power saving when you consider that when awake the lock draws 350mA. the lock, it ramped up to 680mA. It’s a smart piece of design. Ordinarily if you reduce the current running though the windings of a mag lock you’re going to reduce its holding power and its level of security but FSH has gotten around that, giving end users the best of both worlds. The sleeping holding force of the FEW3800 is quoted as being a still considerable 140kg – far too much to allow the door to be opened by a would-be intruder before the full 280kg is applied. FSH’s Trevor Mackle explains that while typical magnetic locks draw 300mA or more, the FEW3800 is much more economical. “As you can see looking at the meter, our new device sleeps on less than 170 milliamps – that’s a 200 per cent power saving when you consider that when awake the lock draws 680mA,” he explains. “And if someone comes to the door and pulls on it, there are optical switches behind the lock that sense the door moving and instantly pump the lock up to full power and to full hold. The lock has a sleeping hold of 140kg but as soon as someone pulls on the door it goes up to its full hold of 280kg.” As Mackle explains, the EcoMag has the usual suite of smart FSH technology integrated into it that makes establishing lock status visually or audibly very easy. “The EcoMag has an early warning system built into it and as soon as someone pulls on the door the integrated early warning system activates an audible alarm,” he says. ”At the same time it also sends a signal advising that someone is pushing on the door back to the access panel so the incident can be given an appropriate response.” Mackle says another interesting feature of the lock is that it spikes momentarily if the door is opened too long. What this means is that if the door is only partially opened the repeated power spikes drag the door closed and once secure it will go back to sleep. Mackle shows me how this works by releasing the door and then not closing it completely and it’s clear from the demonstration that a weak or faulty closer is not going to stop the FEW3800 from closing completely. More of the neat FSH technology onboard includes a built-in long distance backlight, green being secure,

red unsecure. These lights allow staff or security officers to check door status from a distance on larger sites, like big retail stores or commercial or industrial sites. When it comes to the FEW3800, the way this works in real time is that the early warning alarm feature triggers an internal alarm buzzer to sound intermittently and flash the long distance alert panel red when a would-be intruder is shaking the door from the other side. When pressure is no longer being applied to the door, after 3 seconds, the buzzer will cease as the EcoMag returns to sleep/Eco Mode. At the same time, the long distance panel will return to green showing the door is secure. Of course, the optical circuits remain alert to the slightest movement of the door and will activate full hold in an instant should the intruder return. Additional lock monitoring functions of the FEW3800 EcoMag include door status, lock status and exit switch delay.zzz

Features of the FSH FEW3800 EcoMag l Door status monitoring l Lock status monitoring l Early warning signal and local alarm buzzer l Accepts multi-voltage 10-28V DC supplies l Sleep power consumption of 170mA l Exit switch delay function.

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p e ri m et e r s e cu r i ty by john adams

Red walls Are you pushing electronic detection zones outside of buildings in order to protect fencelines and approaches to your facility? Active infrared technology offers affordable high security performance at distances of hundreds of metres.

here’s no need to think of perimeter intrusion detection systems as prohibitively expensive collections of devices that will require separate control and management. Any facility can significantly improve its electronic security system by incorporating active infrared sensors (AIRS) into existing alarm panels. In terms of design and construction, the complete sensor includes an infrared LED light source inside the transmitter. The transmitter pushes a specific light wavelength across open ground to a receiver’s photoelectric cell. If the beam is broken an alarm is generated. There are 3 possible configurations for external perimeter AIRS installations. First up is the short-range single beam sensor. It’ll have a range between 30-150m and will be pole mounted between 1.2 and 1.8m. Sensor cases will be waterproof and dustproof and there should be an anti-tamper switch. These single-source AIRS sensors are going to rely on unsuspecting intruders or an interlocking pattern of several units installed at different heights to detect perimeter breach. Ideal applications include support of boundary fences, gates, lanes or access routes. Installing them behind perimeter fences gives increased protection for vandal attacks. The next AIRS option is the short-range stack. These sensors are also known as invisible fences and are distinctive in appearance with their elongated sensor bodies. The principles that govern a single beam AIRS unit rule here too, the only difference being sensors are located vertically within the transmitter case, their position matching photoelectric cell location in the receiver stack. Beams can be parallel or divergent depending on applications and the false alarm threat posed by wildlife or wandering pets. AIRS’ invisible fence heights can range up to 8 metres – much too high to climb over.

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Another clever idea is to install multiple stacks in overlapping fields so the location of one stack is protected by the cover of another. This technique will also give a more complex beam pattern, improving overall site coverage.

Finally, there’s the long range, single or multibeam sensor. This is a single purpose unit with a range up to 400m. They are best used in support of longer physical perimeters and have the advantage of a super-slim profile.

Features you want

There are a number of features any good quality AIRS unit should have. Remember that these units are designed to be installed outdoors and that means they’re going to be assaulted by the elements. Look for a polycarbonate enclosure that’s weatherproof and dustproof. Any metal fittings or brackets should be resistant to corrosion and of robust construction. In terms of operational features, you want defogger, defroster and heating elements, as well as an attenuating alarm indicator that indicates the presence of fog. Look for anti-tamper, anticlimb, low beam dispersal, angle adjustment and DSP discrimination between objects like birds and moving branches or leaves, and intruders. You want the sensor to be able to recognize an object’s size and speed of travel. To achieve this, a dual or quadruple sensor beam is used. You should also make sure stacks have a springloaded anti-climb switch built in and always activate the anti-masking feature. For higher security sites install multiple beams in towers with a number of sensors located above each other. Something else that’s vital is anti-crawl beams. Another clever idea is to install multiple stacks in overlapping fields so the location of one stack is protected by the cover of another. This technique will also give a more complex beam pattern, improving overall site coverage. And look for a sensor that is designed to avoid cross talk when multiple stacks are being used. Another useful feature that should be deployed if available is programmable interruption time. This lets installers set sensors up to ignore the swift passage of birds or the movement of wildlife. Try to make sure any AIRS sensor you buy has screening to protect the receiver from the effects of strong natural light that might blind it. And look for double modulation. This second frequency confuses learning remotes and ensures they can’t beat your defences. The best systems use 4 IR beams to deliver 16 separate beam paths between transmitter and receiver. zzz

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What does the future hold for domestic alarm monitoring – no I don’t mean just transmission technologies. Can the alarm industry really escape being fundamentally changed by our new digital landscape? 56 se&n

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OU don’t have to look too far around the electronic security industry to see that things are in a state of flux, with almost no technology layer untouched by IP solutions and increasingly pervasive network interfaces. Yet somehow basic alarm products have escaped the paradigm shift in the market. Sure – alarm systems now have onboard or after market SIM support allowing secure IP monitoring using GPRS but the underlying alarm technology has not altered one iota and that’s not a good thing. I love the idea of remotely addressable alarm sensors residing on secure networks that operate as edge devices, sensing intrusion, taking snapshots of events, monitoring environmental parameters and self-reporting alarm

events. The technology to build know-all sensors certainly exists but the nature of the global domestic alarms market is so drear in terms of creativity, that we still see nothing but one-dimensional technologies.

The technology to build know-all sensors certainly exists but the nature of the global domestic alarms market is so drear in terms of creativity, that we still see nothing but one-dimensional technologies.

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The basic Normally Closed/Normally Open spring-loaded contact sensors still reign supreme despite their 1960s antiquity, the same-old solid state control modules offer singular functionality. The only change to alarm technology seems to be attempts to tart up user interfaces with silver fascias and blue backlit LCD screens, an improvement that comes at the expense of the plasticization of every other component in a bid to makes sense of the single selling point of an entire industry segment - price. Yes, yes I agree with you. This is a singular and somewhat negative viewpoint. Alarm systems are robust, reliable and generally, they work well enough. But are they as good as they could possibly be? Are they good enough to become must-have products in the eyes of end users? Do they have feature sets that offer sales people real selling points and distinguishing features that set them apart from the rest of the beige brigade? For the most part, no, they do not. Sad too, is the thought that the great manufacturers of the alarms industry will greet the dawn of full IP alarm monitoring by pulling out their digital diallers and replacing them with 1 or 2 SIM card bays as if this addition somehow catapults their same-old panels into the 21st century. With these growing doubts about the future of domestic alarm monitoring in my mind recently, I found myself intrigued by the news that monster telco AT&T launched its new Xanboo home automation and security service in the US this month. AT&T bought Xanboo back in 2010, in the process acquiring a technology that enables home owners to monitor security, energy consumption, and digital media across a slew of allwireless devices. Field units supported include fixed and PTZ cameras, moisture sensors, motion sensors, reed-type switches, water level sensors, temperature threshold sensors, thermostats, lights and light dimmers, wireless power controllers, garage door controllers, universal modules, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Consider these capabilities in comparison to a

58 se&n

the Xanboo panel allows consumers to use any Webenabled device, regardless of wireless carrier, to remotely view and manage their homes. The panel can also connect to AT&T’s wireless data network as a backup to the primary link. standard domestic alarm panel and ask which solution your clients would prefer to have in their home. More pointedly still, the Xanboo panel allows consumers to use any Webenabled device, regardless of wireless carrier, to remotely view and manage devices in their homes. The panel can also connect to AT&T’s wireless data network as a backup to the primary link. There’s no word on third party monitoring but if there’s a profit in it, I would argue AT&T will provide professional monitoring services. At the time of the Xanboo purchase an AT&T spokesperson said that Xanboo’s monitoring services are a natural extension of the company’s high-speed Internet, video and voice offerings and a good fit for its wireless services. That last is what’s really interesting to me because in a few years that high speed Internet capability will be available to every

hungry telco in Australia and it’s a fair bet fibre-to-the-door has the potential to blow our alarm industry wide open. And it’s not just AT&T that’s in on the act. Verizon is also offering home automation and energy management service over its fibre network partnering with 4Home while cable company Comcast is allied with iControl, a company that sells home energy management products. What do these sorts of changes mean for the alarms market? Quite a bit, actually. And they don’t just affect manufacturers and monitoring outfits either. You installers are likely to be squarely in the sights of hungry telcos a little further down the track. I make this observation based on what happened after AT&T bought Xanboo. Immediately it advised all installers and dealers of the technology their contracts were terminated as of the middle of last year and the understanding is that Xanboo installations and services will be sold only at AT&T stores. The company is in the process of hiring employees to support the expansion of the service. Former owner of Greater Alarm and current ESX chair George De Marco said at the time he was not surprised by AT&T’s decision to abandon its current sales channel strategy for Xanboo. “This strategic shift by AT&T’s management reflects its goal to deal directly with the consumers and by-pass the existing go-to-market strategy. De Marco said it was “another data point that confirms the electronic security industry is at a tipping point. Consumers are continually moving on to the next big thing with eagerness,” De Marco said. “Large, well-capitalized players (Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and Ascent Media) are beginning to enter the market armed with products and services that are app-driven, enabling them to deliver bundled services solutions to consumers,” he said. Given the thin margins and trudging services our alarm industry is operating on, it’s high time the intrusion market experienced its digital revolution. Because if we can’t manage this on our own, someone else is going to manage it for us. zzz

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Ottumwa Police Department has implemented Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS) and 32 rugged Q6032 Axis cameras supported by a Current Technologies Corporation (CTC) wireless network and integrated by Electronic Technology Inc. (ETI).

INCE installing its new digital surveillance systems the Ottumwa Police Department says crime rates in the Iowa town have decreased significantly with live events streaming to alert system operators. “The Milestone solution has made a tremendous difference in the safety of downtown Ottumwa,” says Jim Clark, chief of police, Ottumwa Police Department. “There has been a significant reduction in crimes across the board. With a live feed from around the city and instant access to video recordings for evidence, we publicize crime-related events to the town’s residents to further reinforce safety.” A small city with a proportionate police force, Ottumwa had its share of crime like any city – thefts, vandalism, drunk and disorderly people, burglaries and muggings. Looking to help enforce the law and improve protection of citizens, the police determined that a video surveillance solution would help manage crime and improve the rate of convictions. Working together with consultants Electronic Technology, Inc. (ETI), the police designed a comprehensive surveillance system to provide a 1080p HD video surveillance solution for

60 se&n

monitoring the city streets, with the ability to view and download recorded video. Current Technologies Corporation (CTC) supplied and installed a wireless network supporting 32 Axis network cameras managed and controlled by Milestone XProtect Enterprise VMS. Storage is at full frame rate and resolution for 30 days. “Our design was based on the requirement for a robust solution that could be expanded when needed,” says Dan Carr, senior systems integrator, ETI. “Implementing an IP platform such as Milestone was the only viable solution for Ottumwa.” A wireless Motorola local area network (LAN) powers the system backbone. After 4 weeks installation time, Axis Q6032-E PTZ dome cameras were stationed strategically in the intersections that police identified as problem areas. “Installing the cameras and Milestone system was very easy for our technicians,” says Darryl Bosak, VP of operations, CTC. “The main issues that arose from this implementation were just ensuring the cameras and networking solution had enough power to run 24/7.” The video feeds travel through the broadband/ wireless LAN and are broadcast at the police station where the operators and a select team of administrators have been given access. From the station, administrators assigned to operate the Milestone XProtect software have the ability to control the cameras live in real time: to zoom in on an event, face or license plate; to take screen snapshots for fast evidence; to move the camera views a full 360 degrees; or to change the screen views to other cameras in an instant. The officers began working with the Milestone solution as soon as it was installed. The improved detail coverage - from checking high-definition shots of faces and license plates to connecting multiple cameras for establishing a timeline of events - has improved the operations of the Ottumwa police on a large scale. The prevention factor of the cameras has also helped bring down the crime rate. Police earn positive publicity from open communications, highlighting the installation in local news segments and showcasing evidence to the public after convictions. “The surveillance is working,” says Lieutenant Mickey Hucks, Ottumwa PD. “We can see what needs to be seen successfully and efficiently with the Milestone solution. There is definitely a new perspective on the safety of our town. The decline in the rate of crime in Ottumwa has reinforced this great technology: we are proud to protect and serve our residents to the best of our ability and then some.” zzz

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t h e i n t e rv i ew E r i c Fu lle rto n w i th John Adams

Open architecture In this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interview, John Adams speaks with Milestoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eric Fullerton, chief sales & marketing officer, about the nature of the market, his thoughts on the rising power of the end user, open architecture and challenges of the future. 62 se&n

Q: Since we spoke last economic conditions have changed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; things are tighter and more austere. Do you think a solution like yours that leverages existing and off-the-shelf systems while offering all the flexibility of global management and integration is perfect in challenging times? A: Open platform pushes freedom of choice to the end user, and what we do see

is that although this notion of end user freedom might take time to penetrate industries, it is extremely powerful. With open platform, customers can see they have the choice to add new technologies, to integrate and to avoid what I call the ‘proprietary deal’. The advantages of this are so obvious that I don’t have to sell the customers on this: they tell me how happy they are to have the power of choice to make changes to their open system. They tell me that proprietary solutions are stuck in the mud when facing growth and integration challenges. To go a step beyond your question – what customers experience is that the value of their open platform system actually increases over time because they can replace and add to their solution with building blocks that improve the return on investment, not only with security elements but also with business process optimisations. In an open platform scenario where you can evolve the building blocks through integrated third-party systems, you get an increasing return on investment over time as you upgrade. Proprietary models that lock people in and don’t let them have the power of choice, they deny the power to make their own decisions, which depreciates their investment purchase over time. In the old security days, people had a 15-year depreciation of their analogue systems, which reduced to 10 years, then 7 years, as new technology surpassed it. As the security industry’s speed of innovation keeps increasing, the writeoff period on investment shrinks. The IT depreciation cycle is now 3-5 years – less for some things - and we are seeing that as the rate of the depreciation cycle speeds up, the value of an open platform solution increases. Q: How’s the American market going for Milestone? A: I think the American market has its own cycle – we’ve had certain domestic situations including the financial downturn. We had stimulus, saving financial institutions - the government had to cut funding in some areas to cover extraordinary expenses in other areas. During this period, public debt increased and we’ve seen redirection of money

growth year-on-year for some time now, so there’s no doubt this is the way things are going. I can see in other markets the tendency for this kind of pick up as well, and we will continue to see that kind of growth in open platform IP video going forward.

There’s still a lot of analogue and there’s been a lot of inertia surrounding the move from analogue to IP. As the end users become more powerful and more educated that convergence is going to go faster and faster. We are seeing this in pockets of the industry in Australia. End users are getting information on new technology and are demanding that technology. from education and the public sector. If you look only at the security industry, there’s been a relatively strong surge of investment in the commercial market. There was investment after 9/11 in public security solutions – transportation, city surveillance, critical infrastructure - but that’s now being redirected to drive improved quality of life for citizens. IP convergence is doing very well; we are approaching 30 per cent convergence, maybe more. Milestone and several other companies have been experiencing healthy 40, 50, 60 per cent

Q: How about the Australian market – we have this 2-speed economy. Do you see evidence of growth in states driven by mining and a slowdown in the traditional economies of the Eastern states? A: The Australian economy is very focused. In Perth, it’s focused on Perth, in Adelaide, it’s focused on Adelaide. In general there’s been a strong period of prosperity and we’ve only recently seen a downturn. From the outside I see a country very focused on local spending issues yet from an external perspective the country is actually doing quite well as a whole. The go-to-market model in Australia is different from that of other areas. There’s a very strong consultant community who act as independent third-party advisors but it seems they are tied to the vendors and there’s an acceptance that the architects and engineers have a lot of influence and might be tied to their favourite vendors much more than would be tolerated elsewhere. There are camps making the distribution layer an exclusivity club, which does not seem to focus on helping the end user. I think we’ll see these relationships become less lucrative as the open platforms come through and the end users start demanding their freedom. Q: It’s still a hybrid market, isn’t it? A: There’s still a lot of analogue and there’s been a lot of inertia surrounding the move from analogue to IP. As the end users become more powerful and more educated, however, that convergence is going to go faster and faster. We are seeing this in pockets of the industry in Australia. End users are getting information on new technology and are demanding that technology. The question is whether they want to be dictated to or get the best of what is available. Q: My experience is that with larger

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t h e i n t e rv i ew E r i c Fu lle rto n w i th John Adams

the interesting things we’ve been adding this year include third-generation mobile clients that run on Apple and Android – we had a great response to these. We’ve also come out with something we call Push Video which enables users to turn an Android or iPhone into a camera point that can record straight into our system – security officers can record any situation into the system – shoplifting, assault, traffic control – it’s applicable to many vertical industries. You can add scenes in real time! We’re getting tremendous response from that feature. We are continuing to develop new management functionality with a whole slew of features our customers are asking for. Milestone aims to make our platform even more intuitive and easy to use so the next releases are going to focus on simplifying the way the software works. As the market gets more penetration with IP video, we are going to cover more target markets. The masses are going to be using our products and these people expect software to download and install itself. This is how our software will work in the low end. With higher end solutions it gets more complicated and even though we will keep Milestone solutions intuitive, more features obviously make a system more demanding to install and manage – which is supported by our partner training certifications.

companies there is a pronounced move to open solutions – perhaps a tendency to hang onto some legacy analogue cameras but always as part of an open networked solution. Smaller companies with tighter budgets are doing things differently and tend to rely on NVRs and DVRs – this seems to be based on price. People are only spending what they have to spend. How does this impact on Milestone? A: Our solutions can handle 4CIF, 25 frames per second and integrate it into a digital video management system and when the end user is ready to replace the analogue camera with a digital camera, they can do so. But I think the real thing is, when will the end user take control, as they’ve taken control over IT? In the IT market, end users demand what they want and are not dictated to.

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Q: There’s definitely more and more involvement from IT departments and they seem to have more say. Do you think in the future security will be almost completely in the hands of the IT department? A: Many IT departments already work this way and I think in larger organisations this is the future. The way we see it, the more powerful the IT departments get, the more it will be in the hands of end users to decide what to do in relation to their security systems. Q: New technology from Milestone – is there anything in the pipeline, anything new coming through? A: We are a software company so we have new technology coming through all the time, including upgrades to all our software products annually and new camera drivers being added to our VMS support list every other month. Some of

Q: There are a number of companies in the IT video space that do things differently to Milestone – they might do the VMS for nothing, they have proprietary NVRs or some other type of proprietary server hardware. With some the software lives on cameras supported by onboard storage. Many of these systems can support third party cameras but they work better with their own cameras whose feature parameters are loaded into the back end of the VMS. It’s a different model to yours, which sees a VMS sitting on any server, integrating any cameras, recording to any storage solution. It seems to me that many manufacturers are clinging to the old paradigm. Do you agree? A: I think that’s a natural tendency – they can make more of a profit margin by trying to deliver the whole solution. When we go to market with an ecosystem of different players that deliver the camera, the infrastructure, standard off-the-shelf servers and

storage, each player makes a margin from the building block they contribute, as do the integrators. The companies that try to deliver the whole package have to be experts in storage, computing, infrastructure, the imaging. They have to guarantee the customer their system works today, however, if you look at what’s happened in the IT industry with the companies that founded the PC industry such as Intel making processors and Microsoft with operating systems, they have survived by driving a faster speed of innovation by giving greater freedom of choice and more powerful solutions to the end user. A whole ecosystem of companies developed around these key players using their products and adding on to them so they all evolved together, making money by adding value for the end users. In contrast the single-provider integrated solution depends on the efforts of one company to develop the software and the hardware – they need a lot of development resources for not a lot of revenue. The question relating to this business model is whether you want to be vertically integrated and carry everything yourself, or go horizontal and get many more deals and more revenue enabling you to fund more focused development. At the moment we are seeing companies that want all of the revenue versus companies like Milestone that earn a little slice of a bigger pie allowing us to fund a lot of further development. It comes down to whether you believe in one or the other business model. Q: PSIM – from your perspective as a developer of integrated management solutions – what is PSIM about? A: PSIM is a lot of things. If you look at it from the high end, the big organisations have a need to give direct instructions to security officers on what procedures they must follow in the event of an incident. There’s a whole procedure management element that a lot of companies have tried to bolt on top of the technology part. At the high end it’s management of what you do, when, where and how. Who makes the decisions? Is it the security officer, the police, the fire department, the CEO? Personally, I don’t think this is what PSIM should be. The real need for PSIM comes from the fact that old technology

A whole ecosystem of companies developed around these key players using their products, adding on to their products and they all evolved together making money by adding value to the end user. But the integrated solution depends on the efforts of one company, developing the software, developing the hardware – they need a lot of development resources for not a lot of revenue.

had a number of barriers. You had CCTV, access control, intrusion, building management, lift control and other areas that were all siloed. IP now allows a lot of integration that wasn’t possible before and it enables integration deeper down in the platform layer. If you look at the installed base around the world, end users have systems they don’t want to just throw away and that’s where PSIM comes in because it takes information from existing subsystems like CCTV, access control, building management and provides an abstraction layer that allows sharing the correlated information between these areas. That’s the real need for PSIM and there’s definitely a value in that. If you look at the digital systems of today like Milestone’s open platform, we enable correlation of CCTV with PSIM through our SDKs. Q: Do you have an opinion on who makes the best cameras for

networked video applications? A: We support more than 100 manufacturers and maybe more than 1000 if you take into account the number of ONVIF compliant manufacturers. It would be impossible to say one was better than the other. They all focus on different applications and there’s a constant innovation cycle. We see new manufacturers appear and then fail after 2-3 years while others are continually innovating and developing new products. Q: Do you think 720p will become the default standard for networked video? A: Because of the speed of innovation I don’t think you can generalise like this. You can’t standardise something that hasn’t been invented, and in this market innovation is going to happen. There’s 720p, 1080p, HDcctv, megapixel, Sony’s SLOC digital over coax technology – it’s impossible to standardise when so much innovation is going on. Q: Are there any threats to the market that you see? A: If consultants are too powerful they are more or less tempted to be corrupted and to promote their own interests, not the interests of end users - that is a local threat. A locked go-to-market distribution model that reduces options for the end user - that is a threat. Q: Tell me about the per-channel license model VMS makers typically charge. Some end users resent the ongoing cost associated with this model. In my opinion there’s got to be an ongoing fee for ongoing development. Where does Milestone stand on this? A: With Milestone software you can buy it as is and use it with no upgrades and/or further development and pay nothing more in the future. Or later on when you choose to, you can buy an update and get trade-in value on the latest version. Another option is that you can buy a software update plan which gives you access to all updates as part of an ongoing program. Milestone pushes the choice of options. If you want to buy it like a piece of hardware you can. If you want a plan for further updates you can choose that. Or you can choose one thing and change your mind later. We stand for the power of choice for the end user. zzz

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p ro d u ct rev i ew

Mount panorama Just released by Axis Communications is the P5544 PTZ dome with 360-degree panoramic view and a powerful 18x optical zoom. The key feature of this unit is its support for Axis’ Advanced Gatekeeper, which allows the camera to monitor a 360-degree view for motion and use PTZ when motion is detected. 66 se&n

axis

get a look at the Axis 5544 at Security 2012. It’s an interesting looking camera in flush mount and full-dome options, with the dome distinguished by a pair of lenses, one being a fixed lens that projects directly downwards and the other being part of the mechanical PTZ. Axis calls this cool new technology Panopsis and it’s capable of covering 950 square metres with a single camera. “I call this the panoramic PTZ because it is essentially 3 cameras in one,” Axis’ Chris Tangsilsat explains to me. “You still have your mechanical PTZ with pan, tilt and optical zoom in 720p HD video and at the same time at the bottom of the bubble there’s a 360-degree fisheye lens. Important to bear in mind is that the camera records what it sees – either PTZ or full 360-degree hemispheric. “What happens is when the PTZ head looks straight down, it’s actually looking through the fisheye lens and this converts the PTZ into a hemispheric camera. You can zoom into these scenes by highlighting a particular area and then

by john adam s

come back out again into 360 overview mode.” According to Tangsilsat, one of the most useful applications for this unit is where you may have a PTZ camera covering an entry point so if someone comes in from another entry point the PTZ will never ever be able to see the second person. “The 5544 supports an Axis feature called Gatekeeper which identifies various key regions in the hemispheric overview scene and when someone moves in that area the mechanical PTZ takes over, zooms in for a set period of 5, 10 seconds or more,” says Tangsilsat. “Then after that period, the PTZ returns to looking through the hemispheric lens and goes back into overview mode until the next movement takes place in the scene. “You can pre-define multiple areas of interest which means the camera is capable of covering multiple entry points. So, depending on where they are coming from – back, front, left or right, the camera can be programmed to zoom in on that location.” At this point in the demo Tangsilsat has called up the P5544 management software which is split into Normal (full PTZ) and Overview (hemispheric) modes and is showing me how easy it is to use the mouse as a digital magnifier. “What you’ll also notice is that with the 360-degree fisheye lens, it’s actually a true 180-degree horizontal field of view meaning that ceiling height is not an issue. If my ceiling height is 2m the camera will see from wall to wall, if my ceiling height is 5m the camera will still see from wall to wall. “It’s a new concept and the objective of this camera is to offer the best of both worlds in a single affordable package – a hemispherical camera and a mechanical PTZ.” This is a neat camera, I think to myself later. The fact the key functionality is straightforward optical makes the whole thing more reliable and capable. I liked the camera at the show and sitting at my desk going through the specifications, I like it still more. One of the strengths of the stabilisation of resolution at 720p and 1080p formats is that proven sensors and compression chipsets like this Axis engine can be applied to all sort of cool and inventive applications and that’s just what we see here with the 720p P5544.

When the PTZ head looks straight down, it’s actually looking through the fisheye lens and this converts the PTZ into a hemispheric camera. You can zoom into these scenes by highlighting a particular area and then come back out again into 360 overview mode.

by clicking on a preset button that might highlight a door, foyer, point of sale or other high risk area in a scene. The zoom can also be activated by deploying a joystick, the interface zoom bar or spinning the mouse wheel. The Normal mode user interface is comprehensive too and allows operators to make the most of this camera’s capabilities. The PTZ works like any PTZ in normal mode with 18x optical zoom doing good work, well supported by 720p of resolution. When you’re in Normal mode there’s a snapshot of the 360-degree view in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. This serves to orientate the operator to the way the camera is pointing rather than being the live hemispheric view you get in Overview mode. PTZ presets appear on the Overview snapshot as little circles – you click on these or a preset button to drive the camera to these preconfigured viewing locations. When you’re done in normal mode and want to duck back to Overview, all you do is click one in the centre of the Overview snapshot or on the overview button in the menu. Too easy. This unit is IP51-rated against dust and dripping water, supports PoE+, and has a 360-degree pan and 180-degree tilt. There’s 2-way audio, audio detection and inputs/outputs for external devices are supported when an optional multi-connector cable is used. Use of AXIS Camera Application Platform enables the installation of additional intelligent video applications. The AXIS P5544 comes with a mounting kit for hard and drop ceilings and the camera’s day/night functionality gives good images in both day and low light conditions, while multiple streams in H.264 and Motion JPEG formats are supported. zzz

Camera operation

Allowing users to manage the camera using the hemispheric lens is a little VMS designated as Overview mode and you use a mouse pointer as a digital magnifier to highlight points of interest. You just trawl the cursor across the scene – it takes the form of a white cross. Click, and lo and behold, a dewarped magnified view of the area you’re pointing at appears in the right hand corner of the interface screen. In the flesh this capability is seriously useful. The magnified image is a flat 2-dimensional tile – just as you’d view using a standard fixed camera. Users or operators can also drive the PTZ function of the camera to points in the scene manually just

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l i g h t i n g

by john adams

Visible light sources Illumination is the key component of every surveillance system. In the absence of visible light a colour camera is monochromatic. The question installers and security managers face is which light source is best suited to their needs if 24hour colour performance is needed.

OST surveillance installations will take place after lighting has been installed and security managers will be forced to choose between potentially unachievable (though desireable) performance and easily achievable cost savings. Bear in mind the importance you attach to your colour night vision. If 9-to-5 surveillance is the crucial element then lighting won’t be such a big issue, but it should still be a major consideration taking into account gloomy winter afternoons, after-hours functions and late-working staff.

Incandescent light sources

Basic incandescent filament lamps are ideally suited to colour surveillance cameras. They radiate all the colours of the near IR-spectrum. Tungsten-halogen is also a capable light source with a relative spectral intensity peaking at just over 60 on a wavelength of 750 nanometres. But there are problems with incandescent luminaries in a surveillance environment. Firstly, they cost a lot to run, secondly, they release a great deal of heat and thirdly, they have a brief life span - only about 2000 hours. Lifespan is also directly affected by power output. The higher the wattage, the higher the temperature of the tungsten filament, and the sooner it will burn out. Incandescent lamps do have instant ignition, however.

High intensity discharge

Perhaps the perfect illumination partner for video surveillance systems is the high-intensity discharge family of enclosed-arc lamps. There are three members in the family: high-pressure sodium in a translucent aluminium-oxide tube, metal halide in a quartz tube and mercury in a quartz tube. All HID lamps are discharge-driven, have electrical ballast and use a starting device that operates at high voltage. One of the disadvantages of HID lamps is that

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they must be warmed up before use, a process that can take between 2-10 minutes before full brightness is achieved. Once turned off, they must be allowed to cool, then warmed up again before use. Having said that, mercury and metal halide HID lamps have a lifespan up to 16,000 hours if used for at least two hours per start. They push out more than 60 lumens per watt and are widely used at sports grounds. They are both useful for colour camera applications. High-pressure sodium is a strong performer and useful if its limitations are taken into account. With a lifespan of 24,000 hours and an output of 140 lumens per watt, high-pressure sodium is an economically sound. Bear in mind that the spectral range of sodium is orange-yellow with little to offer at the blue and green end of the scale (490-560 nanometres). High-pressure sodium is the smart choice for monochrome installations but not great for colour.

Fluorescent lights

Next in line are the long-tube fluorescent lamps. These luminaries give good support of colour cameras but they lack power when used externally. Ideal applications for fluorescent lamps include installation in doorways, along covered ways where they can be used in series, and along verandahs. Fluorescent lamps have some advantages in that they’re low cost, have a low current draw and last a long time - between 7000-10,000 hours. Smaller fluorescent globes are really designed for internal use as they push out a measly 50 lumens per watt. You could install them to light doorways and signage, or string them together along verandahs but it would be cheaper to install more powerful, long tubes. You’d be putting in less wiring and getting better performance. Fluorescent luminaries have a unique way of generating light that deserves further explanation. Constructed in both their variations as tubes (in a globe tubes are bent) they have an electrode and a filament at either end, and are filled with a lowpressure inert gas. The inner wall of the tube is covered with a phosphor coating that fluoresces under ultraviolet radiation. When electricity is present, a tiny current passes through the heater elements and as the elements are heated, ions boil off and form a cloud around the electrodes. After heating, the starting device activates and reduces the flow of current in the choke, collapsing its magnetic flux, which then cuts the turns of the choke, creating an electromotive force and causing a pulse of higher voltage across the electrodes. The voltage pulse breaks the resistance of the gap between the electrodes and drives ions through the vapour, forming a diffuse arc that is rich in ultraviolet energy. This energy causes the phosphor coating to irradiate white light. zzz Next month we’ll discuss LED light sources.

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cas e st u dy kings cross station

Track work Network Rail has been working with NICE Systems and Fourway Communication to deliver a PSIM-based security solution at Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cross Station in the heart of London.

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cas e st u dy kings cross station

ING’S Cross Station in the London Borough of Camden, opened in 1852 and is one of the largest and most historic railway stations in the UK. The station is run, maintained and owned by Network Rail and its 12 platforms are used by 4 separate train operators. Kings Cross is the London terminal for the East Coast Mainline which runs from the capital to the north of England and Scotland. In addition, 6 London Underground lines all converge below ground at King’s Cross St Pancras. There are no less than 47 million pedestrian movements through the entire interchange annually. Following a major refurbishment of the main train sheds and the addition of an iconic new concourse, which was opened in March this year, the station is home to the largest single span structure in Europe which houses many famous High Street retail brands and restaurants.

Improving security

The onsite security team members at King’s Cross are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of everyone that either visits or works in and around the station. Therefore, an important consideration during the re-development project was how to improve the quality and performance of existing security systems. The station already had a robust security infrastructure in place with hundreds of analogue CCTV cameras on site, as well as other security systems and a further 8 sub-systems. “We recognised that by integrating these disparate technologies in to one centralised station management system we could become far more 72 se&n

proactive in our security awareness and response efficiency, without the need to replace our legacy infrastructure,” said project manager at Network Rail, Brendan O’Keeffe. The answer for Network Rail was a Physical Security Information Management System (PSIM), and NICE Systems was appointed to deploy its NICE Situator solution.

The Situator system

The NICE Situator is a situation management software platform that enables situation planning,

To implement and integrate a management system of this nature with so many interfaces in a live operational environment is nothing if not a huge logistical challenge. response and analysis for the security, safety and emergency markets where the risk of human error can lead to financial loss, injury and damage to public image. By integrating and correlating information from multiple and diverse systems and coordinating response actions, NICE Situator ensures that everyone in the operational chain knows what is happening and what to do. With the NICE Situator Planning Tool you can quickly and easily plan even the most complicated procedures for routine and emergency situations.

cas e st u dy kings cross station

Working closely with the Network Rail project team, NICE and specialist systems integrator Fourway Communication devised an implementation plan to integrate the station’s current systems and deliver the Control Room team a clear, single view of the station’s safety and security operations around the clock.

Integrating systems

By integrating these disparate technologies in to one centralised station management system we could become far more proactive in our security awareness and response efficiency, without the need to replace our legacy infrastructure. Actionable plans powered by NICE Situator include rule-based task activation with event-triggered and time-triggered activation, sensor commands, automatic notifications, resource assignment and escalation policies. Meanwhile, the NICE Situator Control Room and Mobile applications provide real-time unified activity monitoring and control for all connected devices and systems. With NICE Situator, you can also deploy and monitor the status of pre-planned procedures and send multimedia messages using all types of communication systems.

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The hard work between Network Rail and NICE in advance of deployment meant the roll-out was straightforward and smooth. “It was vital that we completed on schedule, as the system needed to be operational for the grand opening of the new concourse,” O’Keeffe explains. There were plenty of challenges for installer Fourway Communication, too. “To implement and integrate a management system of this nature with so many interfaces in a live operational environment is nothing if not a huge logistical challenge,” says Richard Osborne, senior design manager at Fourway. “Our own work and that of NICE Systems, along with the versatility of Situator, ensured the successful delivery of the project.” NICE Situator now provides the Control Room operators at King’s Cross Station with a single, standardised interface from which to monitor activity across its CCTV, access control, fire, NCF III, ACS, Help Points, customer information and Public Address systems. Security alerts from each system are immediately flagged to operators by way of clear on-screen displays. This enables the operator concerned to take the appropriate course of action in adherence to predetermined processes, whether that’s to continue monitoring, make an announcement, coordinate ground-staff or engage with third party organisations. “As operators only need to use one interface, the initial training required to get them accustomed to the new system was minimal, which means we can get new operators up-to-speed far quicker,” says O’Keeffe. “It also means that they can focus more on using their surveillance skills.” Having a central system in place has also improved the speed and efficiency with which the Control Room operators can share vital information with on-site and external stakeholders, such as train operators, the British Transport Police and other emergency services and co-ordinate a response to an incident, as well as improve services to members of the public. “We have far more insight in to what is going on throughout the station complex,” O’Keeffe says. “We can now investigate areas where people have fallen, or places where people are asking for directions which may indicate a need for better signage. This is an important consideration as our success is measured on public perception.” zzz

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new pr o d u ct s h owcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase / n ew p rod u

editor’s choice Prisma Terminal from Inner Range INNER Range has released updated versions of the Prisma Terminal, featuring an enhanced self-calibrating touch sensitive keypad feature, and full support for Inner Range is new Integriti Security Management System. The much anticipated Prisma Terminal boasts a stylish user interface and features a full colour LCD screen, and a simple to use icon, function key and scroll wheel navigation system. The new Prisma Terminal provides a delightful user experience. Available in either White or Black versions the Prisma Terminal can be tailored to blend in or stand out in any environment. End users will find the Prisma Terminal a breeze to use and many of the standard programming and commissioning features are available for system installers. Two versions of the Prisma terminal are now available from Central Security Distribution, one offering support for Concept 4000 systems while the other offers support for the Integriti Security Management system. n Distributor: Central Security Distribution n Contact: 1300 319 499

What’s new in the industry

Omniscient’s iQ-Hawk integrates with Sony HDs IOMNISCIENT’S Automated Surveillance product, iQ-Hawk, is now integrated with Sony’s HD network cameras to provide customers with a high resolution system that not only provides the user with a comprehensive portfolio of video analytics capabilities, but also enables automation of the surveillance process with minimal human intervention. iQ-Hawk is a unique application which performs multiple detections and recognitions of people and vehicles, simultaneously on a single camera. As events are detected the system automatically zooms in on the event to capture the face (for humans) or license plate (for vehicles). This capability pulls together iOmniscient’s detection engine (including slip and fall and the ability to detect theft and abandoned objects in crowded scenes) with its Face Recognition and License Plate Recognition systems. n Distributor: iOmniscient n Contact: +61 2 9411 7776

Arecont Vision unveils 100dB WDR cameras

Smartphone Control for Concept 3000/4000 Systems

ARECONT Vision has released a new selection of Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) cameras that can provide clear images in extreme light conditions containing both very bright and dark areas in the field of view. These new WDR cameras provide a low cost megapixel WDR solution for mainstream applications. While they’re not yet available in Oz, keep an eye out for these awesome units. The new cameras provide a dynamic range of up to 100dB representing up to a 50dB improvement compared to traditional non-WDR cameras, which is equivalent to 300 times wider dynamic range. By combining long and short exposures in the same video frame, Arecont Vision’s WDR line provides the greatest amount of detail in both bright and dark areas of the picture at the same time. In addition to providing the highest dynamic range 1080p and 3 megapixel cameras in the security industry, these cameras also deliver the industry’s highest frame rates of 32 frames-per-second (fps) for 1080p high definition (Full HD) cameras and 21fps for 3 megapixel cameras.

INNER Range has released a WEB interface kit designed to provide convenient control of Concept Security Systems via any web browser. It is optimized for use on portable smart touchscreen devices such as iPhones, iPads, Android Mobile Devices and Tablet PC’s, but can be used on any device with a WEB browser application. Smartphones can be used to remotely control Concept Security Systems from anywhere in the world. There are no additional apps to install or purchase – simply use your devices existing web browser. The user screens are intuitive and provide a simple user-friendly layout that is very easy to use. The Concept WEB interface provides Multi-User login, Arming & Disarming of Security Areas, Locking & Unlocking of Doors, Control of Home Automation Devices and viewing of system reviews events.

n Distributor: Arecont n Contact: anz.sales@arecontvision.com

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n Distributor: Central Security Distribution n Contact: www.centralsd.com.au

uct showcas e / n ew p ro d u ct s h owcas e / new pr o d u ct showcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase /

AXIS P3384 WDR fixed domes

S2 Global from Anixter

“AFTER the successful introduction of AXIS Q1604, the first of Axis’ cameras incorporating wide dynamic range with ‘dynamic capture’, we are now introducing our first fixed domes with the same level of WDR,” says Wai King Wong, country manager, Australia and New Zealand, Axis Communications. “The new fixed domes provide clear images in demanding light conditions, by applying WDR ‘dynamic capture’ of scenes with great variation in light, and Lightfinder technology to handle extreme low light scenarios.” AXIS P3384-V/-VE cameras provide HDTV 720p/1.3MP resolution based on a top-quality, 1/3” image sensor. All cameras in the AXIS P33 Series offer a modular design with quick and easy installation capabilities, including remote zoom and the pixel counter to ensure that the camera’s angle of view is optimised for the area to be monitored and the required pixel resolution. Remote focus is included to eliminate the need for manual focusing at the camera.

NETWORK-based integrated security system provider S2 Security on July 17 launched its S2 Global product, now available from Anixter Australia. S2 Global unites global appliances “under one centrally controlled distributed network, while retaining many of the principles that S2 pioneered, including an appliance-based architecture and Web browser delivery,” according to the company. Features of S2 Global include SMS access control database that can be managed centrally or remotely, automatic import from common HR systems, ability to scale to thousands of locations and Security Operations Center alarm management software handles multiple simultaneous operators, immediate access to data at remote sites. There’s also integration with S2 NetVR and NetBox VR for distributed VMS management and unique reporting features that aggregate activity from remote devices and deliver reports via email. n Distributor: Anixter Australia n Contact: +61 2 9333 0800

n Distributor: Axis Communications n Contact: +61 3 9982 2111

IndigoVision’s upgrades PTZ Dome cameras INDIGOVISION has enhanced its 9000 PTZ camera range to provide the reliable video surveillance that is needed in these conditions. Pendant-mounted cameras are inevitably affected by wind, particularly when zoomed in on a scene. The new 9000 PTZs include automatic image stabilisation and StableZoom technology, to minimise the effects of movement and ensure effective monitoring and recording of events. Two new optical zoom variants are offered include a 28x optical zoom (plus 12x digital) with StableZoom and suitable for day and night operation with market leading low light performance and a 36x optical zoom (plus 12x digital) with StableZoom, day/night capability, plus wide dynamic range (WDR) for challenging lighting situations and progressive scan sensor for improved video quality on PC monitors.

VIVOTEK FD8131 indoor vandal dome VIVOTEK FD8131 is a compact, bandwidth-efficient megapixel fixed dome with a 3 -12 mm vari-focal lens designed for indoor surveillance. The FD8131V is the vandal-proof model for outdoor applications. Equipped with a 1-Megapixel sensor enabling viewing resolution of 1280 x 800 at 30 fps, VIVOTEK FD8131/31V delivers excellent image quality with fine details. In addition to high-resolution videos, advanced features such as tamper detection, MicroSD/SDHC card slot, 802.3af compliant PoE and VIVOTEK’s 32-channel recording software are all included in this all-in-one solution. VIVOTEK FD8131/31V is suitable for environments such as corporate offices, school buildings, banking institutions and retail stores. n Distributor: Altech n Contact: +61 2 8622 8000

n Distributor: Integrated Products n Contact: 1300 055 164

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editor’s choice Kenwai touch intercom Kenwei’s popular touch sense intercom is now available in a 2-wire model. Supporting up to two external door stations in addition to two standard CCTV cameras, the KW-S702C-T series can be easily operated yet provides an impressive list of features. Directly page any one or all four room stations at the press of a button, view the front door camera and remotely unlock the door or gate. The Do Not Disturb feature allows a room station to be isolated and CCTV surveillance cameras can be added to improve security even further. Up to three extra monitors, available in black or white finishes are supported, and best of all...it’s a 2 wire product. n Distributor: Central Security Distribution n Contact: 1300 319 499

What’s new in the industry

New analysis tools for Q24M MOBOTIX has enhanced image data processing inside the camera with the MxAnalytics video analysis tools thus offering new and valuable information sources. For example: How many people go in and out of a selected entrance during the day? Which shelves in the shop attracted the most customers this month? MxAnalytics makes it possible to track the movement of people and objects in the image and to collect statistical behaviour data. For this purpose heat maps, highlighting the most frequented areas, can be created and counting lines defined. All this added functionality is available as a free download for supported cameras. n Distributor: Central Security Distribution n Contact: 1300 319 499

Fluidmesh FM3100M-HW MITO NEW Fluidmesh FM3100M-HW MITO from Pacific Communications is built on the latest 2 x 2 MIMO radio technology and has an integrated 90 degree horizontal sector antenna specifically designed for medium to large point-to-multipoint deployments of up to 150 clients. The FM3100 has a tri-band radio operating in the 5GHz ISM band and modulates up to 300Mbps with up to 100Mbps real throughput capability. The MITO system uses Fluidmesh’s proprietary intelligent transmission protocol optimised and prioritised for IP video packet and PTZ data transmission. The imbedded FluidMAX technology is used to create Point-to-Point, Mesh and Point-to-Point wireless networks. The highly developed and easy to use FM Quadro system web interface allows user to configure, monitor and troubleshoot the entire wireless network in real time. The unit comes with built-in system tools such as a spectrum analyser, real-time bandwidth monitoring tool, antenna alignment, ping, Softdog and bandwidth tester. The FM3100 employs the FluidThrottle technology which allows the user to limit cost of ownership by paying for the bandwidth required, which is upgradable at any time. The unit features AES-128 bit encryption support at the hardware level, VLAN support and SNMP3 support. The 3100 MITO is a highly integrated compact outdoor unit with remote PoE injector for ease of installation. n Distributor: Pacific Communications n Contact: +61 3 9676 0222

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Satisfaction.

The Yarra Honda four-story dealership in Melbourne, Australia focuses on customer service with help from Milestone XProtect® Enterprise. Staff use the video surveillance software to identify showroom customers who need help and receptionists monitor if employees are at their desks before transferring incoming calls. Proving again Milestone can solve problems that are more than security.

Milestone XProtect® is the world’s leading IP video surveillance management software and is reliable, future proof and easy to use. It supports the widest choice in cameras and seamlessly integrates with business and security solutions such as video analytics. Which means your possibilities are unlimited and you can keep your security options open. Discover the Power of Choice and the new ways to use XProtect® at: www.milestonesys.com

Milestone Systems Australia Теl: 03 9466 7806

re g u lars help desk

helpdesk

Our panel of experts answers your questions.

report motion as a full alarm event. You can set the PTZ to jump to a preset on alarm event if that helps your cause. Use a rugged IP66-rated external sensor with multiple sensing technologies and resistance to RFI and EMI – something like the big Rokonet WatchOUT, sold in Australia by Direct Alarm Supplies. Check the photo attached – try to mirror this application, which is in Sydney and monitors the base of a bridge. Q: We’re looking at a UPS for an access control solution. Are there features we should be looking for?

Q: I’ve got an external location in a hot spot that we’re monitoring with an analogue dome camera using a legacy recording solution that doesn’t have the ability to offer motion detection. Because the system is not monitored, we have incidents occurring that we are able to view in retrospect but not respond to in real time. Is there any solution you could suggest that might allow some form of motion detection using an analogue solution? How much light will we need? A: Sure – there are servers that will detect motion in a converted analogue video stream but at high cost and for a single camera, at unacceptably high cost. We’re guessing this location is still using legacy analogue because swapping out to an IP camera with onboard VMD is too expensive and/or the backbone of the system simply won’t support your requirements. That makes the user cost sensitive, we think. We would forget about VMD for a single camera point with all its cost and challenges and instead use the alarm inputs on that existing PTZ to

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A: Aside from affordability and quality and long warranty from a reputable supplier who is sure to be around in 5 years to honour that warranty we’d be looking for a low heat fully rectified transformer, a solid state voltage regulator, a high temperature cut-out switch, solid state main input suppression filter to pull out transient spikes, a solid state linear current regulator, a continuous monitor low voltage alarm circuit (reporting 24/7 as a priority alarm) and a trickling battery charger. We also like true deep cycle batteries in UPS solutions. You can kick them in the guts with deep, deep discharges down to 25 per cent of capacity and they will still give you their full lifespan. Big truck batteries might seem the same as deep cycle batteries but they’re not. They are cheaper for a reason. Their plates are far lighter and in our opinion, if they are ever needed for an extended period, they instantly become a false economy. All this said, there are quality dedicated UPS products available that use lithium ion technology, some with remote reporting of status, and you should consider these as well.

Q: I’ve enclosed in my email a series of images of the Reader’s Digest building in Sydney where a pair of fixed cameras in quality housings have been destroyed. You can see from the wide angle shots and the close ups that this was actually a quality installation with the cabling led to the camera points either by drilling back through the fascia of the building or having been pulled when building works were underway. What could the installers have done to ensure the cameras were immune to attack in your opinion? A: We know this building. It was constructed back in 1967 so we think it’s very unlikely the cabling is original. But yes, it was a nice installation with quality housings, probably dating back to the 1990s by the looks of what’s left of the hardware. The cabling seems to be chased directly back through the bracket into the interior of the building – there must be cable access at that point. Perhaps the quality of the install is not surprising. Our research suggests this was actually the first building in Sydney to house a computer system. In our opinion, another 2 metres of elevation would have saved these cameras from vandalism. They are made more vulnerable by the ornate decoration beneath them which offered vandals a

foothold so they could reach them. The increased height might have meant tighter camera angles that would have either reduced views directly below the cameras or up the sides of the building, or tighter focus that might have reduced the overall field of view. It’s not easy to tell exactly what their original field of view might have been but we think a wide angle view of the entry point on one street and a view up the hill to the car park entry on another. A little extra height would not have greatly hurt the fields of view, in our opinion. Perhaps the original installers simply used the longest ladder they had with them and it was ultimately not long enough. We tend to think that with proper fixings today’s compact IP66-rated vandal domes would be a far more resilient option and would not allow enough leverage to pull them from the masonry. Q: I’m looking for a way to activate a panic alarm in a service station that has been held up multiple times. A staff member was recently attacked after being seen by robbers activating the manual panic button under the counter. Is there some other way we can manage the panic function? A: Yeah, this is a nasty one. Our suggestion would be kick bars, which used to be very common in banks but are now rarely seen in the wild. Shenzhen Wale Security Company still makes them, a quick Google search informs us. Kick bars are floor mounted arch enclosures made of light steel. Inside is a switching device that activates when a foot slides inside the enclosure and hits the pivoting bar. We’d try to ensure we found UL or BS 4737 standard units that could not be activated accidentally. You want the device to be silent in operation, not crash like dungeon doors in Xena Warrior Princess. The gold standard for silent operation is 30dB depending on the nature of the counter and the ambient noise in the store. Another feature you want is a latching lock that ensures an alarm will be generated continuously until the key is turned to deactivate the device. The other important feature of these products is a life span of at least 50,000 cycles.

Kick bars are floor mounted arch enclosure made of light steel. Inside is a switching device that activates when a foot slides inside the enclosure and hits the pivoting bar. Q: You mentioned the new Takex PE beams in the last issue. What are the advantages and disadvantages of AIRs beams generally in your opinion? A: The beauty of AIRS as a perimeter solution

is low cost, tiny footprint, skinny detection zone which needs no shoulder room for the propagation of radio waves as microwave does, invisible to intruders, low power draw, low cost, great for walls, adjustable sensitivity, easy to install, very long range for your dollar. The challenges include the fact AIRS is lineof-sight – it doesn’t hug the terrain like a microwave barrier might so you might need to do some light earthwork or multiply zones. Low cost units can be masked though quality units cannot. These beams can be climbed over and sometimes under or through, depending on configuration and the quality of the beam setup, though again, the good units are highly resistant to such attacks. Additionally, fog and heavy rain attenuate performance and we’d avoid cheaper units that can be blinded by third party IR sources like learning remotes – double modulation defeats this. When all is said and done, AIRS is the most capable electronic perimeter solution for the least money, in our opinion. Some sites will not suit it but many will. It’s especially good around buildings. If you have an application you think it might apply to, talk to a quality supplier. Q: We’re in the process of reviewing a commercial site in Melbourne that has a really old but beautifully installed CCTV solution. The coax is mostly fine and can be used again we think, as can some of the cameras. One interesting thing is that we have come across a camera in an external housing outside one of the loading docks that looks like it might once have been supported by an IR light of some kind. It doesn’t work at night now but the image during the day seems fine for an old analogue camera – 300 lines maybe. Written on the side it says ‘Superchalnicon’. Does that mean anything to Help Desk? A: That’s a camera that was developed from the Chalnicon medical camera and they’re a rare breed indeed. SuperChalnicons were designed to work in infrared light – that’s probably what that dead lamp you mention is. They were expensive as well as rare and generally only got used in fully covert James Bond-style applications. Maybe that loading dock was used for cash-in-transits or perhaps for some other after-hours mystery purpose. If you remove it, hang onto that camera. It’s a wee bit of history. zzz

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events

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

ASIS 2012 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 SEM812_1cover.indd 1

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.

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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.

CCTV World 2012 Conference

Date: October 22, 2012 Location: Gold Coast Convention Centre Contact: Call: +61 2 8908 8555 / www.depexpo.com.au/cctv2012/register.html Gain insight into the effectiveness of your surveillance system, and how it fits in with your public safety and security strategy, by attending the 2nd annual CCTV World conference.

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.

IFSEC India

= DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.

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

WEBSITE

SECURITY 2012:

SHOW REPORT

MAGAZINE

8/08/12 3:54 PM

ENEWSLETTER

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

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