December 2013 Issue 350
Best products of 2013
l BriefCam’s New Syndex l Wine Ark Installs DigiTech l Sony’s New Generation Revs Up l 2014: Facing The Year Ahead l VMS: Tomorrow Vision l Hikvision Goes Shopping l Z is for ZigBee l Dahua launches HDCVI l Aritech’s DD400 Series l Solar-Powered Flir
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editorial s ec uri ty e l e ct ro n i c s & netwo r ks
DECEMBER 2 01 3 is su e 3 5 0
Change is an opportunity for brilliance
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More telling still, many users are demanding high levels of integration between access control, intrusion detection and video surveillance systems, as well asking for integration with core electrical and automation systems.
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ASTING your eye over an electronic security industry under pressure from changing user expectations, from changing manufacturing techniques, from changing routes to market, it’s easy to decide our business is under threat. There is some truth to this perception but it’s by no means the whole story. Fact is, there’s plenty to look forward to. It’s certainly been an interesting 12 months. During the year we’ve watched Australia’s largest and most successful electronic security company begin to undertake a process of reinvention, seeking to streamline and reposition itself with a greater online presence and a sleeker backend. And we’ve watched as the previous year’s cutting edge technologies have become widespread, faster. We’ve also seen ongoing pressure on margins, a pressure I don’t think is going to go away any time soon. But one thing should never be forgotten. The underlying fundamentals of the electronic security business have not changed. Our systems and technologies must still detect and report intrusion events, facilitate authorised access and monitor and record scenes in real time in any conditions. Undertaking these tasks reliably, securely and with optimum levels of performance and control is a lot harder than it seems. More telling still, many users are demanding high levels of integration between access control, intrusion detection and video surveillance systems, as well asking for integration with core electrical and automation systems. Bringing entire buildings together on a single workstation is not easy, nor is it the sort of solution that can be ordered online and delivered overnight by courier. There’s something else afoot, too. The other day a citizen called the SEN office looking for an alarm panel that integrated ‘proper’ video surveillance cameras. Aside from solutions like S2’s nifty Quattro and Honeywell’s AXS-123, neither of which
By John Adams
is a domestic alarm panel, there’s really nothing out there fit for this purpose. What interested me most about this query was the fact consumers had integrated video and intrusion detection together in their minds as desirable. Something else I like is the accelerating development of cutting edge solutions. It’s not just going on in alarms with remote management and automation functionality. Consider that today a good external surveillance camera typically combines IP66-rating, IK10-rating, 1080p HD resolution, IR illumination or strong low light performance, onboard storage, PoE functionality, a flexible lens of reasonable quality and solid WDR characteristics. And the best cameras are 60ips. The speed with which all these definitive camera functionalities have been combined is just dizzying. Why does it matter? It matters because now it’s not just analogue cameras that are out of date. It’s every camera more than 2 years old that sees snow at 10 lux or is blinded by glare or tricked into dark foreground shades when exposed to mild or medium levels of backlight. Access control is no different. Yes, there are some slick new access control cloud solutions out there but when it comes to upgrading existing systems, the latest controllers from our major manufacturers are far more powerful than their yester-gear. As many businesses grow and as management teams insist on greater system flexibility, there will be more and more upgrades to this network-ready technology. I was intrigued when speaking with integrator Raj Masson of ECS recently. Masson told me in pointed tones that he always sought products that set his solutions apart from the competition. And Masson is not the only integrator to have made comments like this. Clearly, the most enterprising integrators seek defining solutions, they seek brilliance in technology. They too, need hooks for their sales. zzz
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40: Tomorrow Vision
18: BriefCam Syndex
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BriefCam, distributed locally by OPS, has released BriefCam Syndex, a new product range that brings the power of Synopsis to security and law enforcement teams.
48: Hikvision goes shopping Atheer United has installed Hikvision surveillance solutions in 16 Rawda & Coop Society supermarkets throughout Kuwait. The systems offer HD surveillance for security and safety.
20: Wine Ark Wine Ark in Alexandria in Sydney has installed a DigiTech access control and alarm system and management software, reporting through a Concept 3000 panel. An analogue CCTV solution handles local and remote video surveillance.
50: Best Products of 2013 What were the key product and technology releases of 2013 and how will they impact on the future of our electronic security business? And what broader technical developments look set to impact on us in 2014?
30: 2014: The year ahead How did the electronic security industry fare in 2013 and how is 2014 stacking up? Will 2014 see improvement in market conditions or will it be more of the same? 34: Scene to screen Sony will release a swag of new cameras in the new year – not just new models but new technologies – including thermal cameras and panomorph units incorporating Immervision lenses. Global Sony improvements include new dome seals and cable glands.
Video management solutions are now a very mature technology with a trend towards ever greater simplification. We spoke with a number of manufacturers to get their ideas on where the technology is likely to head in the future.
62: Z for ZigBee
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Current market trends towards wireless and networking suggest to me that electronic security sensors will join the digital age. The question is, which technology is most likely to prevail and what are the security risks such systems would face? 66: Dahua launches HDCVI DAHUA Technology has released its High Definition Composite Video Interface (HDCVI)
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technology, a coax-based analogue HD video transmission standard, giving reliable long-distance HD transmission at low cost.
6: news
Page 70: Aritech’s DD400 Series
Latest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world.
One of the gems in the Aritech range is the DD400 Series dual technology sensor which combines all the best things the company’s R&D team have come up with over many years.
44: monitoring Connect 2013 brought together installing security contractors from the First Alert Professional (FAP), Commercial Security Systems (CSS) and Honeywell Integrated Security (HIS) networks. What was said there deserves our attention.
72: Solar power Omega Seguridad is deploying Flir thermal imaging cameras for perimeter protection of its solar parks.
78: editor’s choice
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What’s new from our manufacturers. 80: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.
December 2013 Issue 350
BEST PRODUCTS OF 2013
PP 100001158
l BriefCam’s New Syndex l Wine Ark Installs DigiTech l Sony’s New Generation Revs Up l 2014: Facing The Year Ahead l VMS: Tomorrow Vision l Hikvision Goes Shopping l Z is for ZigBee l Dahua launches HDCVI l Aritech’s DD400 Series l Solar-Powered Flir
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ADT Profits Up 6.9 Per Cent in 2013 l ADT, which spun off from Tyco International and went public last year, saw an increase in customers to 6.5 million and an increase in recurring revenue. This was largely driven by more customers buying its new home automation Pulse products. “If Pulse was a standalone, it would be the 6th-largest security provider in North America,” chief executive Naren Gursahaney said. For the year ended Sept. 27, ADT reported a profit of $US421 million, up 6.9 per cent from $394 million a year ago. Annual revenues were $3.3 billion compared with $3.2 billion in 2012. While its customer base rose by 1.5 per cent from a year ago, the home security company continues to battle customer loss from relocation. ADT also is working with an independent dealer with financial issues and replaced a dealer’s telemarketing operation that didn’t meet ADT standards, Gursahaney said. Recurring revenue, which accounts for the bulk of ADT’s overall revenues, grew 4.8 per cent for the year. That increase reflects higher prices for upgraded equipment as well as additional customers. “We expect to realize greater economic returns from our Pulse customers,” Gursahaney said. He said ADT added a new battery-powered thermostat to its product line this quarter and launched ADT Alert, which gives weather alerts on smartphones and other electronic devices. ADT has nearly 1000 employees in South Florida and more than
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470 at its Boca Raton headquarters. For the 4th quarter, ADT reported a profit of $96 million compared with $94 million for the same quarter in 2012. Quarterly revenues were $846 million, up 4.2 per cent from $812 million in 2012. Quarterly earnings per share were 45 cents compared with 40 cents a share last year. Taking out separation costs from the spinoff and other items, the per-share profit was 46 cents compared with 43 cents a year ago, which met analysts’ expectations.
Naren Gursahaney
Introducing Allegion l INGERSOLL Rand’s spin-off security products business Allegion will be launched December 1, with global revenues of $US2.05 billion. Allegion includes the well-known Schlage brand of locks and Wayne Pannell other electronic and biometric accesscontrol products including LCN, Von Duprin, Interflex, CISA, Briton, Bricard, BOCOM Systems, Dexter, Kryptonite, Falcon and Fusion Hardware Group. “The future is bright for Allegion,” says Allegion Australia’s Wayne Pannell. “Our people take great pride in putting the customer at the centre of everything we do, and have a problem-solving spirit and eagerness to tackle our customers’ toughest security challenges. As a global enterprise, we will continue to lead the industry in defining and raising the standards for safety and security everywhere. “The future demands a company that understands the security landscape inside and out. It demands people who can help customers adhere to codes and standards, because they help advocate for and raise those security standards in the first place. Above all, it demands a company that will speak out for safety and security everywhere. That’s us. That’s Allegion.”
“Great products and great service. What more could I ask for?” DANIEL COLLET, BUSINESS MANAGER - FORGE GROUP ASSET MANAGEMENT
“We have been using a range of products from OPS over the years including CCTV Camera’s, Video Management Systems, License Plate Recognition, Access Control Products, Networking, Storage, Servers, etc and have always found them to be of the highest quality. This has also been backed up by team of professionals who can not only ensure delivery in a timely matter but have the knowledge and experience to help support the product from design to commissioning”. “Dealing with OPS is like dealing with an extension of my own team. They are responsive, reliable and help us get the job done.”. To get in contact with Open Platform Systems today call your nearest branch or visit www.opsystems.com.au
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Global Electronic Security Market Worth $US23B in 2013
© 2013 Genetec. All rights reserved. Stratocast, the Stratocast logo, Genetec, and the Genetec logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Genetec. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
l GLOBALLY the market for security products will total $US23.4 billion at the conclusion of 2013, according to research firm Memoori Business Intelligence. The study reports that the market in China has forged ahead at the highest rates of growth recorded in the industry, and its aggregate growth within the past 5 years has not slowed down. Despite the fact that their China penetration has increased by almost 60 per cent during
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this time, leading western IP companies have failed to assert themselves in what will become the biggest single market in the world, according to Memoori. In the report titled “The Physical Security Business 2013 to 2017,” the research firm states that video surveillance represents 52 per cent of that number, bringing in $12.26 billion. Intrusion alarms followed with $6 billion (26 per cent) with access control trailing at $5.11 billion (22 per cent).
In 2013, combined product sales grew by 8 per cent with growth in the video surveillance market achieving 12 per cent, access control 9 per cent and intrusion alarms 2 per cent. The report also credits the growth in IP network video surveillance (30 per cent) with the increased demand for physical security equipment. The research firm notes that despite the poor economic conditions worldwide, the electronic security equipment market has squeezed out more sales and investment dollars than expected. This is attributed to the fact that the industry continues to deliver products and services that meet customer value propositions, such as increasing productivity and reducing operating costs while delivering return on investment (ROI). The analysis of the structure of the industry indicates that a small group of leading edge companies that are relatively new starts in the business are taking the lead in the products market. These providers have taken the opportunity to use emerging technologies to produce products that can deliver on customers’ requirements. By contrast, the major conglomerates’ share of the product market has declined and they have failed to correct this through their normal process of growth through acquisition.
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New prods in 2014
Secom STS wins on Sydney Harbour l FOR the third year in a row Panasonic has sponsored Pacific Communications’ annual Charity Regatta, and Julie Kirkness, the new principal of the Alice Betteridge School was grateful for the $A3,634.85 raised at the event in November. Security integrators ADT Security, Securetek and Secom Technical Services took to the harbour on a cloudless Sydney afternoon as a thank you from Panasonic and Pacific Communications for raising the much needed funds for the school, which is part of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children at North Rocks. The funds will be used at the upcoming graduation for some of the school’s students, each of whom have a sight and/or hearing impairment as well as an intellectual disability. ADT Security was
awarded the Charity Challenge Trophy for raising $1305.00 – they nudged out Securetek by a mere $57.15. Robert Jason from Secom Technical Services won a brand new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 digital camera for single-handedly raising $737.00 for the cause, and his team went on to come first and win the Line Honours Cup. Paul Newby the general manager for the security division at Panasonic joined the teams in what was a very exciting race that began with 2 yachts heading straight for another that had lost its wind, with the skippers changing course in the nick of time. “What a race and what a great cause,” Newby said. “We are pleased to be back this year supporting the Alice Betteridge School and it’s great to see so many contributors in our industry”.
l WHAT’S new in the way of product in 2014? At Bosch Security Systems, Chris Dellenty says the company will continue to add to new products throughout the year. “We have spent 2013 re-categorising our product offerings into definable sets to make it clear to our customers what products work together in the best way possible to provide an ideal solution for every application, ranging from residential through to commercial and industrial,” Dellenty explains. “We have already started rolling out major changes in our intrusion portfolio with One Solution, and there is more to come in the first half of next year. Bosch has listened to what the market is demanding, and I know our customers will be pleased to get what they have been wanting.” Zaki Wazir at Video Security Products is looking forward to offering the revamped Sony X series range and also the new Sony SNC-VB635 full body camera with ½-inch Exmor CMOS. At C.R. Kennedy, the buzz is about new HD PTZ domes from LG, which features high frame rates and sharp prices. “QSS has a switched-on product evaluation team headed by Stanley El Komala and GM of sales and marketing (Cliff Simons) who work closely to ensure we are at the cutting edge of new products and then ensure the release process goes smoothly,” says Rob Rosa. “We have a great 360-degree, HD camera that we have just released, with an excellent price point and there’s more to come in 2014.”
Allied Telesis appoints EOS Australian distributor
Tooma Chong 10 se&n
l ALLIED Telesis has announced the appointment of EOS Australia as an authorised distributor for the Australian market. Allied Telesis has an industry-wide reputation for providing best of breed switching solutions – particularly for demanding multicast applications such as IP surveillance solutions. According to Tooma Chong, with the increasing prevalence of IP-based surveillance and access control solutions, EOS is well positioned to assist Allied Telesis identify new business opportunities and to drive significant growth throughout Australia. “EOS provides its business partners with a single point of contact for a complete complete array of surveillance and access control solutions and services,” Chong says. “This new relationship allows EOS business partners to quickly and easily add Allied Telesis solutions to their existing product and solution offerings.”
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ABB, Bosch, Cisco, LG - allies l ABB, Bosch, Cisco and LG intend to develop an open architecture for automation system data exchange. The software platform would allow diverse devices and services to interoperate and to exchange information with each other. Application software distribution will also be enabled. This will allow appliances and devices made by different manufacturers to be part of home automation, security, healthcare, and entertainment services. A common platform such as this has not been available up to now, making it a challenge for appliances and devices – light switches, motorized roller blinds, washing machines, multimedia equipment, smartphones, and tablets – to communicate with each other or to simply exchange information over the internet in a standardized way. The common platform is one more step toward the Internet of Things for the home, in which physical objects will be networked. The software platform is intended to make the standard available to all manufacturers, software developers, and service providers. It is intended to unite diverse services in
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areas such as energy management, security technology, and convenience and consumer electronics. This will enable new business models: software developers, for example, will be able to develop diverse apps for these areas. And in the future, end-users wanting to have automated control for their electronic appliances in residential buildings will no longer have to choose between different technologies.
Ken Holt joins QSS l RESPECTED networked surveillance specialist Ken Holt has joined QSS as IP Service Manager QLD. Holt spent 6 years in the IT industry before joining Pacific Communications in Ken Holt 2002, just as digital CCTV technologies were beginning to become mainstream. “My 11 years at Pacom were immensely enjoyable, but I felt it was time for a fresh change and to broaden my horizons,” said Holt. “I am really excited to be starting a new beginning with the newly-revamped Q Security Systems, and helping to grow the business locally in Queensland. “We’ve got a strong sales team and if I can help to back them up more with great after-sales service, the future looks very bright. I believe developing close relationships with clients and users is the key to providing good support.”
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i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // industry develop ments // busin ess p rof i l es // I ND U STRY D EVE LO PME NTS // BUSINESS P ROFILES // INDUSTRY DEVELOP MENTS // BUSIN ESS P ROF I L ES // S H OW RE P O RT SECURITY 201 2 industry developments // business profiles //
DVTel Quasar HD Another standout product at the show was with IR Videofied’s XTIP710, a hybrid alarm system with video verification that now reports alarm events and status using GPRS and IP. We’ve like Videofied’s products for a while now and think they offer you installers a great up-sell or panel replacement option. Using reliable spread spectrum wireless l PANASONIC announced the acquisition of Cameramanager.com, a leading provider of Video l TYCO has acquired Westfirehas Inc.,a areal provider firehas protection services with operations in devices, the company trackofrecord of Surveillance as-a-Service (VSaaS) inanalysis Europe.as well as the United States, Chile and Peru. Westfire, which specializes in hazard l CNL Software and Western Advance visible success. The acquisition of the cloud-based video solutions company reinforces Panasonic’s existing security LNG system design, installation, testing, inspection and maintenance, will become part ofrecently Tyco have been awarded one of the due to the number of employees thatlargest tend to ONE massive Texas school district Sending alarm events alongbusiness with video as itfootage looks to extend its cloud-based solutions to the business and consumer Assecurity part of SimplexGrinnell. (Liquefied Natural Gas) markets. safety and from campus to campus in such a large upgraded its video surveillance system in an move is pretty much Rolls Royce performance and the acquisition, the Cameramanager.com team will join Panasonic Europe. The acquisition will strengthen SimplexGrinnell’s ability to meet the special hazards fire projects in the region. The 2 companies effort to keep up with advancements in Web school system. Russell says prior to the Video Videofied hasof450-odd arrests its telecommunications, beltmanagement thanks It’s an interesting move in the vertical plane from one of theInsight world’s leading manufacturers of video protection needs customers in theunder mining, energy and data storage willimplementation commence work anadministrator integrated his on VMS platforms. Austin Independent surveillance cameras, though exactly how Panasonic’s CCTV solution willof be presented the to its ability to identify burglars. When you consider industries, according to a press release. IPSecurityCenter PSIM solution which will spent a considerable amount time with userto School District – the America’s 38th largestcloud-based market is notschool yet clear. most isalarm systems are blind and cannot assist “With this of users a system –our has replaced its existing maintenance. “Westfire a powerful addition to Tyco’s capabilities. It expands service footprint include provision of number a life safety system “This acquisition an important strategic towards ourthe smart and connected reliable Web client is more economical than videoismanagement system withstep Video Insight and operators recurring revenue base along with adding a multiple highly-skilled and experienced team of enhancing by doing more than reporting during construction phaseservices on the offering the European and CIS market”, said Laurent chairman andwill CEO, Panasonic Europe. installing (and uninstalling) thick VMS clients on software. Encompassing 230-square miles,Abadie, engineers and alarm technicians. In addition, we arein adding vertical market expertise in special facility, which be repurposed to adjacent events, Videofied’s capabilities There was plenty more to see at the provide show and in which also overburdens oursolution already as AustinBrian ISDMcDonald, has 86,000 students, hazard detection suppression applications,” says Tyco’s COO for11,000 eacha PC, complete safety and security stick out evenand more. and subsequent issues we’ll many taxed VMS administrators,” heproduction says. be reviewing employees, 124 campuses and more than 3,000 this installations & services. the project moves into phase. ofThe theCNL stand-out solutions. As for the editor’s switch to Video has in pick for video surveillance cameras. Software is aInsight supplier inresulted Physical an improved video management system for “We were unhappy with the platform that we SE&N’s Best Product at Security 2012 –(PSIM) I chose the Security Information Management Austin ISD in many including: Little had invested in and we needed a more practical Snap solution fromrespects, Network Video Surveillance software. Western Advance, a specialist to no trainingbyforPacific employees; increased video solution – something that was easy to use,” says distributed Communications. supplier and integrator to the oil and gas, For its Austin ISD Police Department Representative camera image quality; more efficient storage; ability to automatically wrangle the mining, defense, airports, maritime andpower of system performance; cameraeVideo Wayne Russell. “We needed something that faster l STANLEY Security Europe has announced the launchvariety of theinStanley criticalof infrastructure protection sectors. thousands existing cameras in challenging real and LDAP Stanley integration. The Cloud 3,000-plus didn’t require an incredible amount of countries CPU choice Cloud solution to 14 across Europe. eVideo provides a l MONITRONICS, which is owned by Ascent Media, will have “We are delighted tohas partner with CNLfor SE&N’s world environments, it to be my pick camera system is monitored by the AISD police processor power that could also serve as a fullysecure, and high performance, video security and monitoring system l UNITED (UTC), the monitored UTC lines also says revenue forreliable the third quarter more than Technologies 600 installers Corp and one million Software. We are seeing and more in Show. dispatch 24-hours a day, sevenmore days a week, functioning Web client.” over without theBest hassle and cost of local recording equipment to owner Chubb and Interlogix, reports that totaled $15.5 billion, a 3the percloud, cent increase when itofcompletes a $US487 million acquisition of superprojects requiring PSIM software to ensure paying particular attention during peak times After an exhaustiveinstall bid process, Russell found Up there with it is the Bosch Solution 144 alarm and maintain. its Climate, Controls & Security (CSS) unit compared to last year, but still missing regional U.S. security company Security Networks. integration, management and complete to camera feeds the panel bus drop off and pickfeatures up the solution in VideoThe Insight. and access control with neat like Cloud solution is built onintechnology from Axis experienced a double-digit in the analysts’ predictions ofStanley $16.18 eVideo billion. The The deal, which is expected increase to close Aug. 16, includes $487.5 situation awareness” said Mike Pugh, CEO of areas, cafeterias during breakfast and lunch “Video Insight wasCommunications, the only software solution using Axis Video Hosting System (AVHS) server software pre-built garage door control and a succession of third quarter, as profits rose 10 per cent to company reported a net income of $1.43 million of cash, and 253,333 newly issued shares of Ascent Advance. playgrounds and in hallways during class that worked seamlessly with our existing time,Western and IP video surveillance cameras. readers and expanders. The Solution 144 is just nearly million. or $1.55 per share, up 13 per cent Series $US700 A common stock with an agreed value of billion, $20 million, “A key requirement of this project was cameras and it offered a very dependable Web changes. Administrators monitor cameras at Stanley Cloud can be usedafor securityThought surveillance as well as beginning We’vetospent a bit of The timepurchase lookingprice, at Videofied from the samesays. period lasteVideo year when UTC that solution. through from according the statement. which isRussel source a solution that is future-proof. each–toschool campus, but they report incident to client,” supporting a customer’s business operations. The solutionwith offersBosch a simple, brought in $1.41 billion, or $1.37 per share. alarm footage. Imageisstreams are Security currently end, I think will resonate subject toevent agreement at closing, based upon IPSecurityCenter offers us the peace to ofinstallers AISD policeitwho have the sole authority A fully functional Web client application was tothe cost effective video solutions that can be viewed from anywhere Invery addition to itstoprofit increase, CSS,Russell, arecording black and whiteRMR for of low light performance and clip and export important Austin ISD, says Networks delivering $8.8 million. Security Networks looking to givevideo. their customers more in mind that the systems in phase onecapability will there is an internet connection; from a PC to a tablet or smartphone. combination hadoptioned 2012 revenues of $78.5 million andbut adjusted EBITDA2 for low bandwidth they’re still of of UTC’s Carrier heating and large work together with the systems added in domestic and small commercial applications. ACCESS control solutions provider ASSA Cloud is a subscription-based video surveillance solution utilising cooling units, andeVideo its fire detection, security $46.5 million.for what they are. to providenetwork a complete excellent Twinsubsequent SIMs and phases, an NBN-proof comms ABLOY has purchased assets of Greensteel Axisbuilding IP cameras, allowing customers and surveillance, and automation, integrated solution.” Now the product under port built into a medium-sized alarm panel with Industries Ltd., word a metaliscommercial door anddevelopment to extendintheir video surveillance saw a 13 per cent increase equipment will maker. incorporate the latest advances in video frame 16 doors of biometric, prox and keypad access through lower cost hosted cloud orders. The Greensteel products now be better marketedidentification compression givingwilleven control? Yes, architecture compromising on please. “Our solid year to date results, without additional and manufactured under Baron and Fleming ability day and night. videoand quality. Special mentions go to the Axis 5544 for restructuring savings, improving sales brands, ASSA ABLOY Executive Vice President The solution uses the latestconceptual in data As far as I’m concerned all alarm trends systems awesomeness, the Axis 1604 WDR for give us confidence to increase Thanasis Molokotos says. encryption to provide a secure solution should work the way Videofied’s does and I can’t the lower end of our earnings per share its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex PXB“This acquisition will enhance our ability that doesnand ’t require firewall ports towhich takes affordable perimeter security range,” says UTC Chairman CEO Louis out non-residential why more alarm have 100ATC towork provide door manufacturers opening be open to2013 viewearnings video off site. eVideo Chênevert. “We now expect not seized this customers,” combination of technologies to a new level, FSH FEW3800 for being greenest, solutions to ouron Canadian he says. Cloud is powered Assure per share of $6.10 to $6.15, growth ofby14Stanley to and Established in 1932, Greensteel Industries for their own solutions. Giving the same great C.R. Kennedy’s Dallmeier Panomera, which giving full support to customers and 15 per cent, up from $6 to $6.15 previously.” operates in Winnipeg, Canada. Louis Chenevert catch performance with the combination of GPRS looked a cost effective monthly payment, the furthest and saw the mostest. Finally, It’s anonboard interestingIPlateral move from ASSA and connectivity in its latest XTIP710 the most improved product range honours are including installation, service, 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. hardware and hosting. Australia domestic locking and commercial tempting Videofied cake. zzz access control markets.
Big security PSIM CLOUD-BASED Tyco AcquiresPANASONIC Westfire, ACQUIRES Will solution for WA VIDEO SURVEILLANCE COMPANY Fold It Into SimplexGrinnell 3000-camera school system LNP project deploys web-based solution
MONITRONICS CREATES STANLEY ADDS EVIDEO TO AMERICA’S BIGGEST TOOLBOX Special mentions go toCent the AxisGrowth 5544 for UTC Reports 13 Per conceptual awesomeness, the Axis 1604 WDR MONITORING COMPANY In Security, Surveillance, Fire for its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex PXB-100ATC which takes affordable perimeter security to a new level...
assa abloy buys Greensteel industries
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Competence in Video Security w w w. g e u t e b r u c k . c o m . a u | P h o n e 1 3 0 0 8 5 5 2 9 1 se&n 14 14 se&n 34 se&n 16 se&n
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SNP Security wins Sydney Airport contract l SNP Security has signed a new contract with Sydney Airport. The deal builds on the company’s long-term relationship with the busiest airport in Australia and will bring SNP Security into almost half a century of service at the site. Tom Roche, managing director at SNP Security, says the team is ecstatic with the result and believes the company’s ongoing success at Sydney Airport can be attributed to the experience, commitment and loyalty of its aviation team, at all levels of the business. “This year, we are celebrating our 90th year in operation,” says Roche. “Over time, we have built an enviable reputation for our innovative security solutions, especially in the area of aviation security. The success of this contract reinforces our commitment to service and safety. All of our employees are eager to get on with the job of delivering industry-leading security solutions and service to Sydney Airport’s more than 37 million passengers a year,” says Roche. To coincide with the renewal of the contract, SNP Security has announced new aviation branding to be rolled out from 1 January, 2014.
“Our new branding, ‘Expect the unexpected. We do’, encompasses our commitment to service that surprises, while highlighting the crucial role security solutions play in ensuring safe travel for everyone,” says Roche. Kerrie Mather, CEO at Sydney Airport, says SNP Security has been a great partner over the years. “SNP’s culture of innovation ensures that we maintain leading edge security solutions,” Mather says. “SNP’s committed employees are friendly, professional and are always willing to go the extra mile for travellers. We congratulate the company on its reappointment and look forward to continuing to work with SNP to provide world-class security at Sydney Airport,” says Mather. Tom Roche
From light to pixels l VLADO Damjanovski launched the 4th Edition of his famed book – CCTV – from light to pixels at Sydney’s Maritime Museum last month. The author Vlado Damjanovski was praised by C.R. Kennedy’s Jim O’Flynn and consultant Les Simmonds for his professionalism and commitment to CCTV and to CCTV standards over many years. Called the bible of the CCTV industry when first published in 1995, Damjanovski’s CCTV has been translated into multiple languages, including Russian and Iranian. Vlado said he was happy the book was finished and thanked his sons for their support with editing. CCTV – from light to pixels includes all CCTV theories and technologies, from light, optics, imaging chips, cameras, encoders, compressions, networking, transmission, system design to testing. You can order a copy by visiting http://www. vidilabs.com
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p ro d u ct rev i ew
BriefCam Sy ndex
BriefCam Syndex BriefCam, distributed locally by OPS, has released BriefCam Syndex, a new product range that brings the power of Synopsis to security and law enforcement teams.
B
RIEFCAM Syndex is a next-generation product range based on Video Synopsis technology. Video Synopsis is the simultaneous presentation of objects, events and activities that occurred at different times. Users can pinpoint events of interest, reach targets quickly and take action as required. In addition to offering a powerful set of tools for fast video review, BriefCam Syndex augments the basic Video Synopsis by allowing users to search video according to attributes that they define: size, color, speed, direction and location within the frame. All parameters are under the user’s control - including the order of objects displayed in the Video Synopsis. BriefCam Syndex is offered as a standalone product, or an integrated or embedded part of the VMS environment. Like all search engines, BriefCam Syndex ranks the Video Synopsis results in order by probability - from highest to lowest - ensuring that the most relevant events of interest are presented first. “Since launching sales in mid-2010 BriefCam products have been used successfully by law enforcement and investigative agencies worldwide,” said BriefCam CEO and president Dror Irani. “The BriefCam Syndex product line is a major step
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forward in our effort to meet customer needs and stems from the vast experience we’ve gained during that time.” “The new product opens BriefCam up to new markets and uses beyond security as it also serves as a productivity enhancement tool. It enables users to extract value and actionable information from video that had previously gone unwatched due to time and cost constraints. With BriefCam, video can now easily be accessed, searched and reviewed, with rapid video review facilitating proactive modes of use.” BriefCam Syndex is geared towards a range of user groups and market verticals. It enables law enforcement, security officers, and others responsible for the post-event review and investigation of large quantities of video files, to review hours in just minutes. BriefCam Syndex FS+ is intended for law enforcement and/or security officer teams: multiple users responsible for the post-event review of large quantities of video files for investigative purposes, as an individual, group or collaborative effort. BriefCam Syndex EP is ideal for small to mediumsized enterprises already invested in a VMS environment with up to 200 video cameras and a small team of video investigators engaged in postevent and/or real-time video review. BriefCam Syndex EP+ is a scalable solution intended for use by large enterprises with more than 100 cameras, able to support an unlimited number of cameras and investigators. As with all BriefCam products, BriefCam Syndex stresses ease of use, integrating the user’s experience, intelligence and intuition as a vital part of the search and review process. The human mind and eye are always engaged. “Video contains potentially valuable data,” Irani says. “Until now, most recorded video was unwatched and eventually dumped along with that information because the existing tools for reviewing video were impractical. Your cameras and recording equipment are already in place. Why not exploit them? “Our ultimate goal is to help turn seemingly useless video into useful information that supports better decision making and faster action.” zzz
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wine ark
Wine Ark in Alexandria in Sydney has installed a DigiTech access control and alarm system and management software, reporting through a Concept 3000 panel. An analogue CCTV solution handles local and remote video surveillance.
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by john adam s
H
OUSING and protecting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fine wine, Wine Ark in Alexandria is located inside a towering concrete industrial unit with a very large and very heavy timber door clamped with a big FSH electromagnetic lock. You climb up onto a high-waisted concrete slab to reach this door so there’s no way anyone can break into the site using a motor vehicle. These physical barriers are only the outermost layer of security at Wine Ark, with multiple layers of access control ensuring only authorised customers and staff can get into the facility. This is not accidental. Unlike so many applications which tack on the bare minimum of protection, Wine Ark’s security is front and centre – a vital element of the overall service. Wine Ark’s service lets wine buffs, dealers or retailers store between 100 and 100,000 bottles in an individually secured and a climate controlled environment. Key aspects of the Wine Ark service that are promoted to clients include biometric fingerprint scanners, a PIN-coded security tag access system, a CCTV surveillance system, backto-base alarm monitoring, remote alarm reporting, alarm detection including movement (PIR and reed), temperature, vibration, and 24 x 7 onsite security guards and patrols. On meeting Wine Ark’s CEO John Cuff, his passion for wine and for the wine business is immediately apparent. Cuff, whose background is wine retail, takes sales calls from over Australia, and he points out that it’s vital staff love wine, know wine and understand its storage needs, given they are talking to wine people. “This is a unique business – it’s not a place you keep your drinking wine,” Cuff tells me. “Wine Ark is where you store special bottles of wine for long periods – it might be that 6-12 bottles of special wine you want to look after, or it might be a dozen cases or more. It’s 3 dollars a case per month to store wine so it’s very affordable. “Given the high value of the wine we store, security is important to our clients and to us,” he explains. “We have alarms, access control, CCTV, back to base monitoring. There are hundreds of sensors across the site – PIRs, reeds, vibration sensors. Another key aspect is temperature control to 12-13 degrees, which is monitored as well.” Something else that’s integral is customer engagement in the storage process. Each case of wine put into managed cellarage is inspected, catalogued and labelled with a unique identification barcode. A customer’s inventory is then uploaded into the online cellar management system. As each case is added or removed from the wine collection, records are automatically updated so customers always know the state of their cellar. This is important from the point of view of the future when cloud-based surveillance and security
Our video footage and alarm events are accessible on our mobile devices and we have remote control of access control functionality where we need it. systems allow more customer involvement. According to Cuff, wine storage is a long term relationship. “You have a rapport with clients and you can work with them so they appreciate and understand operational processes – lead times to access wine at busy times of the year and security procedures. They understand and expect these things. Premium wine is a luxury, let alone having many dozens of bottles and storing it, so wine people are passionate. “Storing their wine, drinking their wine, thinking about the last bottle of a particular wine they have. It’s aspirational. If someone has hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of wine they have collected over many years, they need to be able to speak to people who speak the same language, who know the value of a single bottle from a particular vineyard in a particular year, who will protect their wine. That’s the business we are in.” Wine Ark has been around for 15 years. The business started at Camperdown, expanded to Chatswood and then to this site at Alexandria 12 years ago. The security solution we are looking at was installed and integrated 12 years ago and at that time represented the best balance of performance and economy. “At that time the site was a high-span warehouse,” Cuff explains. “Our landlord put in a massive concrete slab for us but this aside, the facility we
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have today was purpose-built for our requirements. It’s a big concrete bunker really, which is ideal for security and controlling temperature.”
The DigiTech solution
Involved from the outset was integrator Martin Dugdale of Holdfast Security and before we go inside the facility, he points out that massive steelframed timber door. “The first thing you notice is that this door is more suited to a castle keep. It’s designed to give an impression - you’re not getting in here unless you belong,” Dugdale explains. “It’s an excellent expression of CPTED principles, as is that concrete slab which protects against ram raids.” Every site has a defining aspect, a characteristic that governs the nature of the entire application. Wine Ark’s is this. The site has 2500 alarm inputs, including hundreds of reed switches on individual vaults, as well as PIRs, vibration sensors and temperature sensors. This meant the system selected had to be affordably expandable on a grand scale. Further, because Wine Ark has 3500 customers, the security system needed to be able to support thousands of PIN codes – and few systems do. Dugdale found the solution in DigiTech, an American solution that supports access control and intrusion alarms and is renowned for its highly expandable and robust bus-based architecture, as well as keypads of great physical integrity. According to Dugdale, he’d seen all kinds of keypads but when he saw how robust the DigiTech 7000 keypad was, he knew it was ideal for an application like this one, whose first line of defence was entry of a customer PIN into a keypad in an external environment. The overall DigiTech solution at Wine Ark comprises Digitech DigiGate Controllers, Digitech Multiplexers, DigiTech 7000 keypads and DigiTech 700 management software, which allows operators to see the condition of the entire site at a glance. “What governs this system is the underlying fundamental that self storage facilities like this one can have thousands of customers, each with an individual access code,” Dugdale tells me. “That access code has to get customers through the main door, into the lobby and once they get through the biometric entry, that same code also has to disarm one or more of their storage areas inside the vault. So we need one code to do 2 or 3 jobs, which is unusual.” This part of the system is driven by the DigiTech DigiGuard and given it’s a product most people would be unfamiliar with, it’s worth delving a little deeper. The DigiTech system at Wine Ark is governed by DigiGate system controllers and DigiGate software, which handle intrusion detection and access control. The software allows monitoring and control and both PC and syscon store customer and event data so as to provide redundancy.
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The way this solution is different to most access control systems is that with DigiTech you can have 2000 different codes, each one linked to a different arming situation The system controller and DigiGate-700 software simultaneously monitor, process, and store system activity. They accommodate up to 64 keypad/ time zones and 4000 alarm points. The software allows management to change access zones, and run multiple reports with only a few mouse clicks. DigiGate-700 software allows use of multiple codes per unit or assignation of multiple units per code. Meanwhile, the DigiGate-700 system controller controls devices for access and exit, timed activities, and alarm monitoring. The controller interfaces with a Wine Ark PC for report generation and tracking of customer activities. Importantly, each controller is equipped with built-in surge suppression and automatic power backup. DigiTech’s DigiGate 7000 heavy gauge aluminium keypads incorporate functions like LCD screens, a built-in intercom and card readers. The keypads can accept over 50 million actions and withstand the most extreme weather. Easy to install and configure, the keypads have easy-to-use connections and are easily added into the standard DigiGate-700 software. There’s an on-board tamper switch, device operating relay, 2 independent alarm inputs to the system, and as a measure of the manufacturer’s faith, a lifetime warranty. “The nature of the system means all the alarm inputs can’t report back-to-base. When this system
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went in, the only comms we had was contact ID which offers just 256 alarm codes, so on a site like this it’s useless. To get anything off-site we had to use a relay from the DigiTech controller to a Concept 3000 panel.”
Designed in layers
As Dugdale explains, the electronic security system is designed in layers. A PIN code gets customers through the front door into the lobby. A biometric authentication procedure gets customers from the lobby into the vault and once in the vault, their PIN code allows them to access their individual storage areas. There’s a simplicity and cleverness to this solution. It means the tough DigiTech 7000 keypad can act as doorman, while sensitive biometric readers make absolutely certain of identity before allowing access to the vault. “We took our time planning the installation and getting this site set up properly,” Dugdale explains as he offers his PIN code to the hulking DigiTech keypad. He pushes open the front door and we walk into the lobby, a quiet, high-roofed space flanked by wine racks. Swinging around I see there are cameras here and what look like wide angle Paradox PIR sensors – perfect for a stable, cool thermal environment like this one. In fact it’s hard to think of a more blissful environment for a PIR. At the far end of the lobby there’s an insulated door that leads to the self storage wine vault secured with another magnetic lock and activated using a pair of Kantech’s BioScrypt V-Smart-A-H biometric readers. Cuff authorises our entry into the vault with his fingerprint and we go through the door into the cool, thrumming heart of the Wine Ark. The metal skeleton, ladders and scaffoldings,
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If a client calls me and says they can’t get into their vault for any reason I can verify their identity, check their account to make sure payments are up to date and then automatically open locker doors from home. the surface-mount pipes and conduits and the white noise of air conditioning units bring to mind the lower decks of one of Her Majesty’s Australian Ships. We are on the vault level, which is self storage. Above is the managed storage used by the trade for handling and filtering valuable wine stocks for stores or restaurants. Walking down the dim main corridor, storage cul de sacs lined with timber-doored lockers stretch out into lateral darkness. My first impressions are the size of the operation. It’s big. The sub-systems governing the facility are comprehensive at all levels, power, air conditioning, fire control, security, lighting. The other pronounced sense is that it’s dark. There’s a reason for this. Ultraviolet light can cause hydrogen sulphide compounds to develop in wine, so Wine Ark needs to keep lighting at a bare minimum. Clearly, this is a challenge from the point of view of surveillance. Minimum scene illuminations in many parts of Wine Ark are sub 10-lux and in corners, sub 5-lux. IR seems an ideal solution to me, but not being a wine buff I’m uncertain how the infrared spectrum would impact on bouquet. “These storage cupboards are unlike other storage facilities and they are designed for atmosphere,” Cuff explains as we check out the smaller storage spaces. “They’re all timber, and each has a wired reed switch alarm sensor. “And these are our walk-in 220 case vaults,” Cuff says, unlocking a secure door and walking into a significant storage space around 3m high, with comprehensive and deep shelving. It’s all so big - maintaining temperature and security coverage – you must have back up power? I ask. “That redundancy is all provided by South Sydney Business Park – it comes from the common grid,” Cuff says. “And yes, we have full redundancy on climate control, too. There are 3 chillers upstairs so it’s more than fully redundant. We’ve used 1 air conditioning unit at 65 per cent during the winter, so there’s capacity to spare.” Along another wing of storage units, Dugdale takes the cover off a metal housing. “This is an unexpanded Digitech multiplexer that can handle up to 110 alarm inputs,” he tells me. “It has 3 boards at the moment and each board can handle 22 alarm inputs. There are 2 of these multiplexers per area here in self storage. The multiplexers are
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Walking towards the PIRs in the storage aisles – which is not a strength of their detection characteristics – I notice they pick me up almost immediately. The only thing I can put this down to, other than a pulse count advance, is the cool environment making me a more noticeably warmblooded target.
The installation
linked by RS-485 to a controller in a central location.” Meanwhile, the surveillance side of the system is analogue and performance is adequate, given the fact analogue CCD’s typically handle low light very well compared with the IP surveillance cameras of 2001. Not surprisingly in a facility like this one, there are pools of light and areas of darkness. “Current camera performance is fine – we don’t have cameras covering every aisle, it’s the access points and the thoroughfares that matter,” says Cuff. “The system gives an idea of events, rather than face recognition inside the facility. Of course, by the time you get into the facility, the system already knows for certain who you are, thanks to the biometric readers.” Cuff points out that something very important for Wine Ark management when it came to electronic security, including CCTV, was the ability to manage functionality remotely. “The surveillance system is more client-related from the point of view of functionality – it allows management to verify identity remotely when managing access, which is very useful on a site with low staff numbers,” he explains. “If a client calls me and says they can’t get into their vault for any reason I can verify their identity, check their account to make sure payments are up to date and then automatically open locker doors from home. A key aspect of the system for me is that I can do everything remotely.” On the surveillance side there are plans for an upgrade and given the customer-centric nature of the service, part of an IP-based surveillance system might include a cloud-based service that allows users to see their precious vintage. “We are currently testing and considering a number of options,” Cuff says. “The new solution will be IP and will be accessible remotely via Internet connected computers or mobile devices.” Next, we climb a flight of stairs into the managed storage area. It’s a big space this, with towering racks of wine challenging surveillance and intrusion detection coverage. Cameras are focused on walkways and in this area I can see there are PIRs installed at the end of each row on both sides of a central corridor.
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How did Holdfast Security get involved in the installation? “Dean Reilly was the guy who was first involved with this installation and I got a call just before they started building Wine Ark and came down for a look,” Dugdale tells me. “From there it just grew and grew and grew. I think all up the installation process took 8-9 months, given we were working during the build.” Wine Ark is a big site. There are dividing walls, multiple levels, conduits carrying power and multiple systems to be integrated. This system is entirely hardwired – it has to be given the shielding created by the metal structures that make up the facility’s internal structure. And given the zone loops are fairly long it’s hard not to imagine there would be some challenges on a site like this. But surprisingly, Dugdale, who was involved from the word go, says the physical installation was the easiest part of the job. The challenges came with power and integration of the biometric readers into the DigiTech control units. “In terms of the physical installation, that was easy - there’s no pre-cabling through the slab – there’s no need – exposed conduits are ok in this sort of environment and they are easier for installers,” explains Dugdale. “Power and software are the biggest challenges you ever find from an integrator’s point of view, in my opinion. Once we got power supply issues sorted and everything talking, it worked very well. The first year was tricky, getting everything working but it’s been very stable since then.” When you say ‘tricky’ what does that mean exactly?
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“DigiTech systems are engineered for durability and reliability so there were never going to be fundamental problems there,” says Dugdale. “From my point of view, the biggest challenge was getting the Bioscrypt biometric readers connected to the DigiTech system controllers powered correctly, then getting the readers up in software and then getting that software linked to the DigiTech system controllers. “That integration process was undocumented,” Dugdale points out with a wry chuckle. “After making a request for information we eventually got a very cryptic email from DigiTech saying something like: ‘there’s no guarantee you won’t lose all data during this process but this is how you upgrade’. So John and I sat down and followed the process step by step and it worked.”
The control room
Our final port of call is the control room where the DigiTech control panels and the Concept 3000 slave are installed. “This is a more congested panel than normal because we’ve also got the biometric readers coming into it which made things more difficult during installation,” Dugdale tells me, opening a housing. “It’s a very simple controller but it has a great deal of redundancy built into it. For instance, this DigiTech syscon polls the RS-485 LAN constantly. It knows when a multiplexer goes off line and will continue to attempt to connect. When the multiplexer comes back online it will tell the management software a connection has been re-established. “For added security there’s a kill switch in the controller. If an intruder meddles with a controller and inadvertently hits the switch, the controller will dump all client data so there’s no way to gain access without going back to software to reload customer data codes and biometrics – it’s like a tamper. But if the computer goes offline, the remote control unit will continue to manage the system through its distributed intelligence.” As mentioned, the only connection between the DigiTech controller and the Concept 3000 doing alarm reporting is a single relay giving a single alarm event to the monitoring station. Site management then goes through the onsite logs to ascertain exactly what the alarm event was post-event. “As I pointed out earlier, there is no comms protocol capable of turning 2500 line events into software so that means you get a general alarm if a sensor or switch in the vault is tampered with you don’t know which one at the monitoring end,” Dugdale explains. “It’s a challenging brief. Fortunately the nature of the overall system – which means we always know exactly who has access to the vault - means any alarm events can be sheeted home to the handful of people on site at a given time. “We certainly looked at having the alarm events related to a local multiplexer but decided it didn’t
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Martin Dugdale (l) with John Cuff
give us any more information. So basically what you need to do when there is an alarm event is look at the cameras and see what’s happening or log into the system and view events which are logged in detail. “There’s no point trying to get anything other than a single alarm condition into the monitoring station with this application. As soon as the system delivers more than one alarm event you have to start making choices and the choices became impossible.”
Conclusion
Wine Ark’s security solution is a fascinating one. Faced with a number of problems unique to this application, Holdfast came up with an integration that offers layered security in a flexible and affordable way. Even after more than a decade I don’t know a solution that would support the challenges the DigiTech is handling here – thousands of codes driving multiple devices. “Wine storage is a very niche application and it’s one of the only industries where security is not a reluctant purchase,” Dugdale says with a note of genuine appreciation in his voice. “People in this business want security – they want to show it off to their customers as a marketing tool. Those sorts of applications are few and far between and are a pleasure to work on.” What about from an operational point of view – any challenges for the end user? “We haven’t had any dramas with the system,” says Cuff. “Bogan moth season can be interesting with false alarms, but overall the system is self sufficient and well supported. Our video footage and alarm events are accessible on our mobile devices and we have remote control of access functionality where we need it.” zzz
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n ews Re p o rt
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2014: The year ahead How did the electronic security industry fare in 2013 and how is 2014 stacking up? Will 2014 see improvement in market conditions or will it be more of the same?
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HAT economic downturn we’ve been slugging through for so many years continues to bend the market to its stingy will. We still have plenty of legacy analogue stuff in the surveillance market. In the access control market things are slower internationally than locally. In alarms there are improvements in technology but much remains the same. Part of the malaise it seems to me, is the impact of price on almost every quote. Multiply this effect across a competitive global marketplace and you get a classic race to the bottom, with price the defining feature. There are those who have long desired that manufacturers adhere to set video standards. And now we know what the results of a set standard in CCTV will be. If everyone is building similar 1080p HD hardware and if only paper specifications are considered, price becomes the primary delineator.
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Chris Dellenty, Bosch
by john adams
As margin shrinks, R&D teams invest money in changing plastic and adding gee-gaws, not creating new tech. Real innovation is strangled. Perhaps I’m being a bit negative but I think it’s fair to say that a market governed solely by price, not by features, is going to be technically less capable in the future. Perhaps this is the sign of a maturing market but as I pointed out last month, it also seems to be a sign of poor sales ability at many levels of the industry. The idea CCTV and access control might go the way of alarm panels, which are sold at cost in hopes of a few shreds of recurring monitoring revenue, is too awful to contemplate. We’ve all seen the decades of technological stagnation that situation led to. In terms of fiscal policy, the never-ending situation in the U.S means interest rates there are likely to stay at zero keeping the Australian dollar at unrealistic values and making things harder for local businesses overall. Property market bounce locally is likely to attract greater investment in the building market, which would be a good thing for many installers. The change of government may have led to a little more confidence across Australia’s business community, given conservative governments, including this one, are pro-business. Generally, I think the biggest impingement on the local market is continuing concern over government debt in key world markets. While things have generally calmed down, the underlying issues remain. Locally, we are likely to see continued low interest rates, which might encourage business investment, a continued high Australian dollar and a general climate of caution. Building is the key industry that drives the electronic
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Already our quoting activity is stronger and just being out there talking to customers there is a sense that 2014 will be a healthy business year. security industry and until the construction sector rebounds business will be competitive.
Market feel
According to Rob Rosa of QSS, the company’s P&L shows that business has been stable throughout the year with mixed signals in the market place. “The threat of an election called at the start of the year did slow things down but thankfully now that is over we can start to concentrate on building business through new and existing opportunities,” Rosa says. “We have had growth at Q Security Systems during 2013, which is pleasing.” According to Rosa, the standout pressures on the QSS business in 2013 included loss of margin and patchy conditions. “The challenges have been mainly margin erosion which I would think all distributors are feeling at the moment given the lack of major projects which creates a feeding frenzy among suppliers when opportunities do come about,” he says. “Another issue relates to the fact some clients have been busy and others have found it difficult in 2013. Some of these issues relate to the announcement of an election and funding for projects drying up.” When it comes to market feel in the last calendar quarter of 2013, Rosa sees some positive signs emerging. “I can say that already we have seen market conditions improve since October and the feel is that it will continue into 2014,” he explains. “Already our quoting activity is stronger and just being out there talking to customers there is a sense that 2014 will be a healthy business year. QSS feels this as well and we are very keen to move into the New Year.” In what areas will this growth come? “I think areas of IP surveillance will definitely see improvements as people continue to move away from traditional analogue and while this has already started, the technology is getting better and more affordable every day,” he says. “Access and intrusion detection for QSS have also been outstanding and growth in detection is fantastic with the DSC product. Government spending as well as infrastructure improvements
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Zaki Wazir, VSP
Rob Rosa, QSS
both through the private and public arenas will bring opportunities, too. Sales of IP for us are truly exciting and we look forward to a great 2014.” Zaki Wazir of Video Security Products also says the business has grown in 2013. “2013 started off rather slow, it’s like people were still on leave up until March. We then built on from there,” he says. “I think that 2014 will be a carbon copy of this year. Growth will come from midsized IP video projects. What we are seeing is that we are replacing more and more legacy systems. Analogue systems comprising of multiple DVR’s and early IP video systems seem to be getting replaced rather frequently.” “In terms of pressures on the business, probably the stand out is the increased reliance on our technical support,” Wazir says. “I guess that this is due to the larger and more complex solutions that we now offer.” Bosch, too, has grown in 2013. “Despite challenging business conditions, it’s been a good year for Bosch, with exciting new product released to market, which has led to visible growth,” says Chris Dellenty. “2013 has been a year of change for us, with new systems and processes being implemented within the business, creating the foundations for providing an enhanced customer service experience for our clients going forward. “Undoubtedly the biggest hurdle to overcome has been the delay in commencement of major projects. These deferred buying decisions were more than likely attributable to the Federal Election, and the uncertainty of government.” What’s the feel of the market late 2013 in terms of orders? “Post-Election, we are now starting to see buying decisions being made and projects moving ahead, and it’s very encouraging,” Dellenty says. “I do feel that the first 6 months of 2014 will be very active in this respect. 2014 has all the signs of being a more stable year for business. We’ve seen double digit growth in our ProSound business in 2013, which is indicative of buoyant consumer market sentiment. I expect these conditions to continue into 2014. “IP video is another obvious growth area. Bandwidth and storage are no longer issues and people have invested more in IP infrastructure, making network-based options more viable. We expect strong growth in this market segment with our recently released products like Starlight cameras and the DIVAR IP storage solutions. “I also believe the intrusion alarm market will experience a growth cycle, due to the recent resurgence in the property market, which is being led by Sydney,” says Dellenty. “You only have to read the news to know that auction clearance rates and property price levels are at unprecedented levels.” zzz
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Sony SNC-VB600 at 10 lux
5 lux
1 lux
Scene to screen Sony will release a swag of new cameras in the new year – not just new models but new technologies – including thermal cameras and panomorph units incorporating Immervision lenses. Global Sony improvements include new dome seals and cable glands. 34 se&n
by john adam s
R
ECENTLY I took a trip out to Sony to chat about planned releases for 2014 and there’s plenty to look forward to as the company gets its entire range loaded with the Generation 6 (Gen 6) sensor and processing engine. That’s an interesting move in itself, notwithstanding the fact Sony has been expanding its range to meet high temperature and panoramic applications. In short, Sony has inserted its Gen 6 sensor and IPELA Engine under the hood of every camera in the Gen 6 range. So what is Gen 6? In a nutshell, Sony Gen 6 is built around the 1/3-inch progressive scan 2.1MP Exmor CMOS sensor offering 1920 x 1080 pixels. There are 720p and 1080p options, 30 and 60fps versions, along with 90 and 130dB versions. Gen 6 compression includes H.264 (High/ Main/Baseline Profile)/JPEG video codecs and AAC (16 kHz/48 kHz)/G.726/G.711 audio codecs. Part of Gen 6 core functionalities are scene analytics including face detection, intelligent motion detection and a rule-based filter (DEPA Advanced). There’s also exposure control, exposure compensation, auto white balance, AGC, shutter speed, and iris control as well as image stabilisation and visibility enhancer. Minimum scene illumination at 50 IRE in colour (that’s at about half normal contrast) is claimed to be 0.05 lux for 720p version at (F1.2). Sitting behind the Exmor chip and handling much of this functionality is Sony’s IPELA Engine EX, an integrated signal processing system that combines Sony’s various signal processing and analytics technologies. These include XDNR noise reduction processor, View-DR which works to enhance light and dark areas of a scene, the Colour Adjustment module, the Encoding and Packetizing modules, and the simultaneous DEPA Advanced Video analytics model. “Sony Japan has fast-tracked Gen 6 to market on the back of lower manufacturing costs and superior technology. The latest in Exmor chip technology is what will lead us forward, coupled with the new IPELA Engine,” explains Steve Charles, Sony’s sales and marketing manager, video security solutions. “The Gen 6 Exmor chip is unique to us. It’s at least 2 generations ahead of everyone else and it’s supported by the IPELA Engine. And what Sony is now doing is selling its Gen 6 technology in layers of functionality – W Series (top of the line), V Series, E Series, X Series and C Series – a cloud-ready camera which offers Gen 6 performance.” This is a significant move from the point of real world capability. “If you look at some of the cloud cameras out there they are running at VGA and are terrible in low light,” says Mark Franklin, Sony’s product manager, video security solutions. “But our C Series cloud-ready cameras are a proper CCTV camera in
With some of our competitors, when you get into the lower end of their ranges, fundamental image quality is compromised. We don’t do that. a very compact form factor.” How does Sony delineate between each series in its camera lineup? It all comes down to functionality. “A less expensive series of Sony cameras will give you a simpler camera – still with all the functionality of Gen 6 but with fewer bells and whistles. If you don’t need multi-power I/O let’s take it out. If you don’t need true day night, take that out. “But while we’ve stripped some of the features back, we’ve left the core functionality in place,” Charles says. “The Exmor imager and IPELA Engine are the same, so all Gen 6 cameras have the same low light performance, they all have Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), noise reduction, digitally enhanced analytics and other Sony standard features. “With some of our competitors, when you get into the lower end of their ranges, fundamental image quality is compromised. We don’t do that. Gen 6 cameras do not compromise in low light – even in low light our cameras stay at full colour. There’s no drop in resolution in low light – we keep our resolution in HD – we don’t reduce to D1 or switch to SVGA.” To indicate the capability of the Gen 6 technology there are video recordings and as Franklin is quick to point out, this footage is a raw AVI file, it’s not been through a VMS and had editing. As Charles plays and pauses a traffic recording repeatedly, the paused frame is a crystal clear 1080p image every time of vehicles and their number plates. It’s striking performance. And there’s no doubt that with 60 frames you get better clarity with fast moving
Sony SNC-ER58H
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Sony SNC-VB635 holding colour under 8 lux
vehicles, day and night. I can see the difference. Next, we look at an industrial unit site. What we are viewing is a recorded shootout undertaken by an integrator comparing Sony and other Tier One competitors on one VMS to ensure objectivity. To the eye the performance of the Sony Gen 6 is much superior, particularly when it comes to low light. “What we are looking at here is the Sony SNCVB600 camera we showed at BGWT in a light controlled environment,” Franklin explains. “The idea there was to show the cameras at the edge of their specified capabilities.” I saw this demo on the Sony stand at the BGWT confab on the Gold Coast myself. The Sony camera and a leading competitor were buttoned up in a closed environment in default configuration and the lights were turned down in realistic stages from 10 lux to 5 lux to 1 lux. The results were interesting. Both cameras were very good but the Sony performed measurably better in that test. Back in the Sony demo room, Franklin shows me footage from the ½-inch SNC-VB635 in a public surveillance application – a major city street with an intersection. Yes, you read that right - Sony has a ½-inch imager. The depth of field in our demo is over 100m and the scene is complicated by footpaths shaded by trees in full leaf and multiple light sources offering varying levels of glare. “This will be the best low-light 1080p camera for city surveillance when it becomes available early in the New Year,” Franklin explains as he steers his way into the demo footage. “The VB635 has super high sensitivity, RS-485 support, 60fps, image stabiliser and Sony’s View-DR (WDR). You get the Exmor sensor and IPELA Engine with all the processing that brings.” We look at the competitor first, a well known brand that makes some excellent cameras. It’s performing strongly with very good depth of field, low light performance and clarity. You’d be happy with this image if you didn’t see the comparison. It shows the Sony is simply doing far better with colour, with sharpness, with contrast, with blooming, with variable light levels when peering under the trees. It’s doing better with depth of field, 36 se&n
too. I can see people on the road at 70m that are a blur through the other camera. Looking at the 2 images side by side, the competitor is going a bit sepia but the Sony colour reproduction is superb. I can see this in the yellow markings on the road which I can’t see with the competitor. It seems the Sony is still operating in colour while the other camera has gone to night mode. And I can see the image clarity is better, too. It’s really quite noticeable that the Sony image is sharp, not soft. Even the bark on the trees has texture. It’s nice work from Sony. View-DR (Wide dynamic range) to handle the challenges of backlight is also a key aspect of Gen 6 cameras. To demonstrate this, we look at a challenging carpark driveway through a Sony Gen 6 camera with 130dB. There’s also a visibility enhancer in each camera that adjusts the lowlights and the highlights – that’s where the View-DR kicks in. “What the camera does is take 4 images at different shutter speeds and all this happens in real time with the processing done simultaneously,” Franklin tells me. “The way it works is that the processor is actually running at 120 frames per second and there’s no latency because the multiple shutters are working faster than real time.” The display shows each of the different images the camera’s various shutters are offering before it combines them into the one image that is perfectly clear despite monstrous levels of backlight and a dark foreground, all in real time.
New tech for 2014
Now we’ve looked at coming Gen 6 releases, what’s
This will be the best lowlight 1080p camera for city surveillance when it becomes available early in the New Year.
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sony
Steve Charles
Something else Sony’s IR cameras offer is the ability to automatically adjust the intensity of the LEDs as a person comes closer to the camera. The result is that the face does not bloom with reflected light. new in terms of technology for 2014? There’s a new 5MP 360-degree hemispherical camera, indoor/ outdoor IP66 and IK10-rated camera, with a panomorph lens that is claimed to have excellent low light for a 5MP camera. According to Charles, from what he’s seen customers will be highly impressed with the ePTZ operation, with 11 viewing modes, 180-degree panoramic, quad view, split screen, 2-way audio and edge storage. “Other new products include the powerful W Series PTZs – full 1080p HD with 60fps and 130dB WDR at full HD – nothing touches it,” says Charles. “There’s 700-degree-per-second pan, image stabilizer, defog mode to handle fog, bushfire smoke and dust storms at close or long ranges. “Also on the roadmap is the X series camera, an indoor/outdoor camera with a transport version for buses and trains. There are 3 versions – the main difference being the connector. They all look identical and all offer IP66-rated environmental
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protection, IK10 vandal resistance, face detection, tamper alarm, edge storage, vibration resistant and a lock screw on the lens. They are ideal for the transport industry being very tough and they still offer Gen 6 performance. Some changes to the current X series Gen 5 line-up include incorporation of the Gen 6 IPELA Engine and with some cosmetic changes.” Recently released is the last of the Gen 5 products, a camera specifically designed for high temperature installations – the SNC-ER585H. It’s full HD, has 30x optical and can handle up to 65 degrees C with no additional cooling. It also has high-speed 360-degree endless rotation, WDR, as well as IP66 and IK10 ratings. “Across the range Sony cameras are going towards wider temperature ranges,” Franklin explains. “These SNC-ER585H integrated domes are double layered so the first layer covers the air intake so they are dust and waterproof. Air circulates between the 2 layers to cool the cameras.” Franklin also points out Sony’s thinking when it comes to its latest IR cameras and he makes cogent points. “Our range is 15m on these cameras and that relates to the wide angle lenses on these cameras,” he explains. “Unless you have a telephoto lens with an appropriate depth of field there’s no point having a longer IR range. Compared with other cameras you have to use a digital zoom and you’ll get almost no detail. In comparison, our cameras are fit for purpose – a 2.8 – 8mm lens for applications like foyers, entry ways, walkways – that’s the sweet spot. Further than that and IR light projection and lens focal length fall apart.” Something else Sony’s IR cameras offer is the ability to automatically adjust the intensity of the LEDs as a person comes closer to the camera. The result is that the face does not bloom with reflected light. “It’s like an auto iris effect,” Franklin says. “The closer you are, the higher the video levels, the lower the LED, and that’s standard across all our IR range of cameras.” Installers and end users can expect to see more from Sony’s R&D department, according to Charles. “Sony is now working to share information between technical divisions – between the consumer digital imaging group and CCTV and other divisions. For instance, the vibration reduction from Sony camcorders is now in Gen 6 CCTV cameras,” he explains. “There’s also face detection from consumer coming through. It’s not smoke and mirrors, they are usable technologies. At Sony, we think of ourselves as delivering from scene to screen and we believe we are the only company with the technological capability to do it.” zzz
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s p e ci al Re p o rt
vms
by john adam s
Video management
Video management solutions are now a mature technology with a trend towards ever greater integration and simplification. We spoke with a number of manufacturers to get their ideas on where the technology is likely to head in the future.
J
UST before the end of World War Two the director of the U.S. office of scientific research and development, Dr Vannevar Bush, wrote the most famous technical essay of all time, urging scientists to dedicate themselves to making knowledge more accessible. In the mind of Vannevar Bush, the apocalypse of war was governed by human irrationality, and human irrationality was fuelled in part by our inability to retain sufficient knowledge to overcome biased thinking. Bush, who headed up a team of 6000 scientists during WW2, had long understood that human perceptions are badly limited, that short term
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memory is feeble, that human ability to make useful associations in real time is painfully inadequate. And so, after governing vast scientific ingenuity for the task of the destruction of men, Bush called for that ingenuity to be redirected towards giving people contextual comprehension. A comprehension so exacting that in their dealings with each other they might never again appeal to force. But more than being a humanist, Bush was an empiricist. He envisioned a machine that would give humans the ability to get around the frailties of their own minds. Bush called his machine the memex, a mechanized private file and library.
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A memex application would store all human knowledge; all records, books, communications, video, photos; as well as all a person’s past lines of enquiry. For Bush, writing in July 1945, memex would consist of “a desk, and while it can presumably be operated from a distance, it is primarily the piece of furniture at which (the operator) works. On the top are slanting translucent screens, on which material can be projected for convenient reading. There is a keyboard, and sets of buttons and levers. “In one end is the stored material. Only a small part of the interior of the memex is devoted to storage...yet if the user inserted 5000 pages of material a day it would take him hundreds of years to fill the repository, so he can be profligate and enter material freely.” Bush also imagined associative indexing, with data, photos, film and communications relating to an event being catalogued and accessible at the click of button. Bush called these multiple layers of association a ‘trail’ and he imagined people passing trails of interest between themselves. While we do not integrate “the wisdom of race
The technology evolution and new hi–tech gadgets can be useful in certain applications but to mainstream customers the basic requirement is user interface improvement and HD cameras. experience” in the electronic security industry, our integrated management systems most completely mirror the concept of Vannevar Bush’s memex. Through a workstation interface they associate the data from multiple sub-systems, maps, engineering plans, data, video and communications across the networks of global enterprise in real time. Our systems put this information at the fingertips of a single operator while simultaneously giving them power to respond at the device level. And after an event, electronic security systems are designed to give investigators clear trails, allowing more complete understanding of events. The fact these management systems are the interface between operators and the data our field devices gather makes their future development of central interest to integrators and end users. According to Kobi Ben-Shabat of OPS, integration and unification is definitely the current major requirement from customers. “The ability of systems to manage integration and unification will continue to be a key requirement of end users,” he says. “The delivery of a unified platform (video, access control, LPR) as well as the ability to integrate to 3rd party systems such as intrusion detection, IP Intercom, BMS, Lifts and other services is crucial for end users.
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“I think the second key requirement is user interface enhancement. This includes the ability to use either powerful maps or enhanced user interface features that provide an operator with better capability to manage the edge devices out in field.” For Ben-Shabat, there are a number of key aspects of video management in the future from the point of view of underlying functionality. “Mobility is one of the key requirements, as well as enhanced capabilities in web clients and specific applications together with the unification of video and access control assisting in driving that requirement,” he says. “Encrypted video and edge recording (SD card) together with the ability to stream cameras to the cloud simplifying the management of the cameras and providing video as a service (VaaS) is also becoming important to more and more customers.” As to operator functionality in terms of futuretech, Ben-Shabat doesn’t see gesture-based solutions or Google Glass for security officers just yet. “But touch screens giving mobility are a very important part of how operators can be more efficient and can enhance their day to day work,” he says. “The technology evolution and new hi–tech gadgets can be useful in certain applications but to mainstream customers the basic requirement is user interface improvement and HD cameras.” Over at Camvex, Matt Del Biondo agrees, saying he doesn’t believe in hi-tech gimmicks but favours the KISS principle when it comes to video management solutions. Instead, says Del Biondo, the most significant trends in the development of video management solutions include lower costs, as well as simpler setup and operation. “I see a trend towards an easier and more affordable migration path to HD utilising existing cable infrastructure while still incorporating legacy SD cameras,” he says. “Vital too, is producing far superior evidential video by recording at high quality HD resolution but being able to manage the distribution of live and higher bit-rate HD recorded images over limited bandwidth connections.” Del Biondo has a pragmatic view of video management solutions in the real world. “More than 90 per cent of CCTV cameras installed in Australia aren’t actually monitored live,” he explains. “Instead they are reviewed after an incident has occurred with the hope that some useful video evidence will be available. “This means a VMS should be simple to use for live monitoring, playback and backing up an incident. Support documentation and video tutorials for installation and operation of a VMS are paramount to the satisfaction of the user. “Additionally, local technical support is essential, as well as further development of software features and maintaining backward compatibility with older hardware,” Del Biondo says. zzz
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Wireless, apps & automation
CONNECT 2013 brought together installing security contractors from the First Alert Professional (FAP), Commercial Security Systems (CSS) and Honeywell Integrated Security (HIS) networks. What was said there deserves our attention.
A
RGUABLY the global alarm industry’s biggest installer conference hosted 800 attendees who enjoyed educational sessions, including networking. Honeywell’s decision to host one conference covering multiple business segments highlighted the fact many industry segments are linked by networks to the same customers with solutions
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that enhance lifestyles as well as impacting a business’ bottom line. Scott Harkins, president of Honeywell Security Products for the Americas told installers if the security industry can change lifestyles, then the entire dynamic of the industry will transform and open to unprecedented growth potential. “Our industry is changing. We’re not really the security industry any longer,” said Harkins. “You now play in the consumer space. How you deliver products and services isn’t going to work if you continue to do it the way we’ve done it over the last many decades.” The change is due to broadband, smartphones and apps, which are providing easy access to information and altering user expectations across the entire marketplace. Harkins said all customer types should be viewed first as consumers, given that technology now intersects with consumer behavior and expectations.
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He said the homeowner or the security director and the small or medium business owner might have wildly different needs for their security systems. Yet they have very similar expectations in how they interact with their home or business. “You don’t sell to a homeowner or a business, you sell to a consumer,” Harkins said. “If you change and impact their lifestyles, I truly believe we can unlock dramatic growth in every segment of the security industry by combining lifestyle, removing complexity from the home and business, and building that on top of life safety. This is a critical element of our future success.” Expanding U.S. intrusion detection market penetration beyond its historical 20 per cent ceiling will require the industry to cut attrition; to drive awareness and sell lifestyle products and services will play a key role toward that goal, Harkins said. “But don’t stop there. Get out and visit your existing customer base to seize other opportunities to create sticky customers.” The conference heard that about 30 per cent of households are purely wireless today, with no land line. According to Harkins that number has
46 se&n
“You don’t sell to a homeowner or a business, you sell to a consumer... If you change and impact their lifestyles, I truly believe we can unlock dramatic growth in every segment of the security industry by combining lifestyle, removing complexity from the home and business, and building that on top of life safety. This is a critical element of our future success.”
doubled in the past 3 years. The trend suggests security systems that are connected to a phone line will soon require dealers to update the customer with some type of communications such as broadband, Wi-Fi or a GSM radio. Harkins also cited 44 per cent of 18 to 30-year-olds — the next generation of homebuyers — that have no phone lines today; and 50 per cent of households either don’t have or use the phone line in the home. “This suggests those phone lines are going to go away, giving dealers more reason to update those systems to new technology to transmit alarm signals, but also offer them new remote services like Total Connect by adding simple things like the Tuxedo or Vista panel.” And then there is America’s 2G wireless sunset. Honeywell estimates there are roughly 3 million 2G radios still in operation that will all have to be replaced with broadband or 3G or 4G technology in the next 24 months, and likely sooner. Australia faces the same dilemma in the new future, though on a smaller scale. “It’s another reason you are going to have to go visit your installed base and update them, and when you update them show them, sell them these lifestyle services,” said Harkins. “It’s a way to do 2 things: do the radio update, maybe even get paid to do that radio update, and add RMR to the customer and reduce attrition. Your attrition is going to be your competitor’s upgrade. If you don’t upgrade them (to an automation/lifestyle solution), somebody else will.” At the conference, Marek Robinson, president of Honeywell’s Authorized Dealer Programs, announced 2 new partnerships to help drive business for its members. In a direct push against Verizon and AT&T with its Digital Life product, which both have a strong retail presence and offer home automation and security offerings, Honeywell is aligning with Sprint to sell its systems in retail kiosks. It’s an interesting development, no doubt. zzz
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Rawda & Coop Society
Hikvision goes shopping Atheer United has installed Hikvision surveillance solutions in 16 Rawda & Coop Society supermarkets throughout Kuwait. The systems offer HD surveillance for security and safety.
W
HILE supermarket names like Coles and Woolworths are ubiquitous in Australia, in Kuwait the market leader is Rawda & Coop Society, with 16 stores. Rawda & Coop Society management contacted integrator Atheer United Company which an authorised distributor of Hikvision in Kuwait to improve overall security. Atheer United introduced Hikvision to the top management of Rawda and Coop after being told the company had a series of goals including monitoring cashier areas in high resolution, providing better surveillance and control for the exterior of entrance areas and providing a better method of centralizing security operations. Ali Taleb, business development manager at Atheer United Company noted that “a big focus was put on bringing high-resolution megapixel technology to every register. Coop management wanted to very clearly see the detailed exchange of money between customers and employees.” Largely, this goal stemmed from a high incident rate of disagreements between customers and employees, as well as incidents of theft and balance issues with cashier trays at the end of employee shifts. Previously, the best and only resolution method was to simply deal with each problem after the fact. This was not only slow, but highly inefficient. To reverse this trend to a proactive instead of a reactive stance, Atheer United Company chose Hikvision’s DS-2CD7153-E 2MP network mini dome camera placed opposite each register. 48 se&n
“Coop management is now able to see what is happening in real-time and react accordingly,” says Taleb. “Most importantly, 2MP resolution provides the means needed to achieve this goal.” Additionally, the DS-2CD7153-E’s 1/3-inch progressive scan CMOS and HD 720p 30ips video ensure images are clearly visible. With this new technology, Coop management has already seen a markedly improved situation at the registers, as well as far fewer incidents of dispute regarding these related issues. Another goal was a better, and more secure, environment for both the main entrance and the general areas in front of the stores. It was the DS2DF1-512 5-inch network PTZ dome that secured this environment. Because these areas are very large, the IP66-rated DS-2DF1-512 was placed outside the store. In addition, due to the large coverage areas, Atheer United Company assessed the DS-2DF1-512’s 12x optical zoom and its 360-degree endless pan range and 5 to 185-degree tilt range as equally vital. “This model not only provided tremendous value from an overall solution standpoint, but security personnel are able to completely control the DS-2DF1-512 with Hikvision’s DS-1100KI Network Keyboard...further adding convenience to the overall solution and drastically reducing training time requirements for Coop personnel,” says Taleb. Finally, the goal of streamlining all 16 individual branches’ security needs into one centrally-located control room was also facilitated by 3 Hikvision NVR models: the DS-7608NI-ST, DS-7616NI-ST, and the DS8632NI-ST NVR Series. The DS-7608NI-ST’s smaller size and smaller 8-channel camera capacity makes it ideal for smaller Rawda & Coop Society shops, while the DS-8632NIST’s larger memory and 32 channels provides for larger branches. All 3 models provide up to 5MP resolution recording to make sure that regardless of the number of camera units, or store size, the pictures are crystal clear. For Rawda & Coop Society, internet connectivity tied this whole solution together. Previously, individual shops were not connected to the main headquarters in Kuwait. This obviously exacerbated all of the earlier problems. However, with Hikvision NVRs, each of the 16 shops are linked to corporate headquarters. Specifically, all security responsibilities are now a function of one speciallydesigned central control room. This sharply contrasts with the previous method of security being a responsibility of 16 smaller, and uneven, in-house procedures. Rawda & Coop management - with the help of both the Atheer United Company and Hikvision technology – have streamlined operations and addressed chronic problems in a proactive manner. zzz
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s p e ci al re p o rt
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Best new products of
2013
What were the key product and technology releases of 2013 and how will they impact on the future of our electronic security business? And what broader technical developments look set to impact on us in 2014?
Risco LightSys 50 se&n
Y
EAR’S end is the perfect time to take a moment to think about the pivotal product releases of the previous 12 months. I think 2013 hasn’t disappointed. While there have been a number of new software products of note, there have also been strong hardware releases in CCTV, access control and intrusion detection. We’ve also seen the release of broader technologies that are certain to impact on the business at multiple levels in the years ahead. Part of me thinks such releases may alter the business fundamentally, while another part thinks they’ll simply broaden our opportunities and enhance the ability of our systems to support end users and integrators. Cloud was the biggest new technology of 2013. There were cloud-based releases in access control, video surveillance and intrusion detection. Another key technological trend in 2013 was mobile access to alarm, access and video surveillance systems. Yes, we’ve seen this sort of thing before but when it starts coming from alarm manufacturers whose sensors have integrated cameras inside them, I think it’s fair to say remote apps have arrived. There are case-by-case risks associated with this technology but it’s certainly here to stay. A couple of other things that were of interest include the release of 4K monitors and mid-term plans for 4K cameras from the likes of Bosch and Sony. Then there was the appearance of biometrics in Apple’s iPhone 5. As well as resolving the security industry’s worries about user authentication during remote sessions, biometrics in smart phones would be a big deal for the access control industry. It would legitimise our very mature biometric authentication technologies. Online credit fraud is becoming so pervasive I seriously think biometrics authentication of smart devices is more necessity than choice. Another development worth paying attention to in 2013 was wireless data networks. We’re all up to our necks in IP but wireless networks from the likes of Fluidmesh and FireTide add a level of flexibility and reduced installation cost that opens opportunities. Public surveillance applications, brownfield sites, quirky remote building applications. Better wireless technology means a better electronic security business.
by john adam s
Mainland Chinese manufacturers. Yes, most everyone manufactures their stuff in Chinese factories anyway but Chinese electronic security developers started to push into the local market more strongly in 2013. The quality of Chinese CCTV equipment is comparatively high and price is attractive, while the product ranges of companies like Hikvision are extensive. Chinese product is CCTV mostly but companies like Chuango make some very nice alarm panels and the chances they won’t reach us are zero. The cancellation of the NBN. The politicisation of the NBN has muddied the waters so much it’s hard to know what the market is going to be getting in the way of broadband. Clearly, Telstra is going to be the dominant player. Given none of us get the data rates we pay for, NBN Lite’s 25Mpbs download and 4Mpbs upload speeds will be better than we are getting on copper. Then there’s 4G. I do think that for the Australian security industry, Gigabit NBN would have been an enabling technology the likes of which the industry has never seen before. IT distribution. A number of companies are distributing their products to the IT industry through huge global IT distribution outfit, Ingram Micro. This is happening only in the U.S. so far but the model must spread. These companies include familiar faces like Axis Communications, Bosch, Mobotix, Exacq, Cisco, D-Link, Sony, Brickcom, Everfocus, Genetec, Panasonic, Moog, Milestone, Fargo, Ingersoll Rand, Paxton Access and others. Some have made their entire ranges available to Ingram while others have not. It’s easy to see why manufacturers want access to the huge IT integration market but there will be ramifications for our distributors. Ingram Micro is openly pushing itself not as a box mover but as an end-to-end supplier, handling sales and pre and post-technical support. Nor is it promoting itself just to the IT industry but to security integrators as well. As the IT industry’s most powerful distribution business Ingram Micro is something wholesalers and distributors need to watch. Honeywell Tuxedo
Mobotix MI5
AT&T Digital Life
Tuxedo is a pivotal release. I think price is a thing that needs to be handled with care but the functional direction is right.
Network area storage manufacturers are stepping into video surveillance. In 2013 we saw this happening in earnest, with Synology and others displaying at Security 2013 Exhibition in Sydney. Why is it a big deal? You buy a Synology NAS with VMS is already loaded aboard. These aren’t the best VMS solutions around but they work well and these NAS units are widespread. For instance, SEN’s office NAS is a big 4TB Synology.
Video surveillance
Given it’s such a large and complex business segment there’s plenty to talk about when it comes to video surveillance. The key technological trends in video surveillance include the growing prevalence of thermal, the release of cloud-based products and services, the introduction of 60ips in 1080HD and the leeching down of high-end chip sets into lower-end CCTV cameras for network and cloud applications. Thermal was a big one in 2013. It used be just Flir. Now it’s Axis, Mobotix, Sony, DRS and Moog, too. The key thing is that mainstream optical makers are dipping into the thermal market. More players means lower prices means more sales means more R&D. Thermal is a topical application but the great thing about it is how well it works as an intrusion detection device. Thermal guarantees a catch and is indispensible for onsite security teams defending large perimeters. Wireless was another thing that wicked up in 2013. As mentioned, we had strong releases from Fluidmesh and FireTide as well as ComNet’s wireless Ethernet transmission product, including NetWave, a commercial grade and industrially hardened point-to-point kits, as well as point-tomultipoint models. We also saw Wi-Fi HD cameras released by D-Link. Continual packaging of processing engines into
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Briefcam Synopsis
more and more diverse and lower and lower cost form factors continued. We also saw the release of products that combined a whole lot of good things for not very much money. You know. PoE, 720p HD, integrated storage with a decent lens for typical small business application. Some have an LED for low light performance and a PIR for movement detection. It seems almost every manufacturer now has a basement range. This shows the industry is maturing and there are plenty of bigger and more powerful solutions for serious users. There’s something about these basic releases that has the potential to make a mockery of our Aussie installer licensing laws – particularly when combined with IT or online distribution. When IT techs or keen amateurs can build their own CCTV systems it changes the game at the price sensitive lower end of the market. There’s no doubt that when it comes to basic cameras, we will see a race to the bottom over the next few years.
Bosch Starlight
As the IT industry’s most powerful distribution business Ingram Micro is something wholesalers and distributors need to watch. Access control
In my mind the one of the biggest things that happened in access control in 2013 was Axis Communications’ decision to enter the market. I’ve not had a demo of this technology yet so I don’t fully understand how it works and can’t say anything about how robust it is. But given we are talking about Axis, I think we can say end-to-end IP and we can assume it will be modular and affordable. If the move is successful, I think we can also assume there will be money thrown at product development. Of all the big CCTV manufacturers, Axis has been the strongest in new releases over the past 5 years. This compulsive targeting of niches is likely to carry over to access control. Further, Axis makes great CCTV cameras so there’s also going to be integration.
52 se&n
D-Link Wi-Fi
Just as big a deal was the release of Genetec’s Synergis Master Controller. SMC is a full-featured access controller that changes Genetec’s route to market. It’s an important release in a number of ways. It shows the centrality of hardware in facilitating the distributed intelligence of access control solutions and it makes Genetec a real access control manufacturer. ONVIF released its Profile C standard for networking physical access control this year. Profile C will give systems integrators, specifiers and consultants the ability to deploy an integrated IP-based video and access control solution from a variety of different but compatible video and access control providers. Cloud also impacted on the access control market, with releases from Salto, Risco and H5Controls that turn access control management into a cloud-based service. Distributed intelligence being what it is, there’s always going to be boots on the ground in the form of door controllers but I think in smaller applications cloud is a perfect fit if secure and if pricing is not too ambitious. There were a couple of other things. I think the penetration of access control into home automation is interesting for those domestics system installers and integrators able to tap into it. Another development in access control in 2013 was biometrics in consumer mobile devices. It’s only early days but maybe this time biometrics will become mainstream… Despite this talk of change, the most impactful products released in the access control sector in 2013 came from local manufacturers which have been around for a very long time. I’m talking about Inner Range’s Integriti and the locally
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Synology CMS 6
designed Interlogix Tecom Challenger. Despite their differences, these products are a big deal because they allow many thousands of sites across Australia to move into networked environments while retaining most their existing infrastructure.
Alarm systems
I think the key development in alarm systems in 2013 was remote apps for system management. I think remote apps for alarm systems are going to be an enabling technology. It seems a very small thing but when you can play with your alarm system online, why shouldn’t that system offer multiple functionalities? Whether these additional functionalities include inputs for environmental monitoring, integrated cameras in sensors, a couple of video inputs on the board; or outputs for automation, air conditioning and lighting; I can’t help thinking that’s the way alarm panels ought to go. It’s the way AT&T is taking its Digital Life security system. Why an industry outsider, a telco, should be the only big company smart
Panasonic WV-SW598
enough to understand that alarm salespeople need hooks is beyond me. The other development in alarm systems during the years relates to IP-based alarm reporting. IPbased alarm reporting has been available from the folks at AlarmsIP, Bosch and others for some years now but why it’s still seen as niche is beyond me. Releases from the likes of Risco and Bosch further cemented IP comms in 2013, I’d like to see every single alarm panel having an RJ-45 port and twin SIM bays for 3/4G in the future. Consider the Americans have shelved 2G and we cannot be far behind. And locally, PSTN is up in the air. Something else I liked in 2013 was cameras integrated into alarm sensors. Honestly, I think the last and even the current generation of alarm sensor cameras were lacking in the performance department. You’re talking QCIF or worse, which isn’t great. I think the first major manufacturer that incorporates quality image sensors will make real headway in video verification. Obviously there are challenges. Sending images from sensors to panels using current technology is pretty laborious even with still images. Available wireless technologies are capable of handling the task, however. For instance, ZigBee has a set bandwidth of 250Kbps, which is more than enough. Wireless alarm sensors are low power draw so a Wi-Fi sensor pushing HD to a switch is out of the question. One answer might be an alarm sensor with a standard low resolution thermal imager. You’d get video verification but no face recognition. Cost is the issue. Or we might see hardwired camera sensors. I’ve been moaning about slow development in the alarm industry for a while so it was good to see strong releases from respected makers like Risco. The Risco sensor range is epic and growing but it’s the remote interface and the cloud support of video verification that’s neat in my opinion. The release of DAS’ WireFree range was also good to see.
Products I liked in 2013
What did I think were the best products of 2013? I elected not to narrow it down too finely. There’s a bias obviously, because I don’t get to see everything and there are some technologies I like more than others for personal reasons. Sony’s Generation 6 camera technology. I think the inevitable success of Sony Gen 6 will make 60ips the new benchmark in CCTV technology. This range of cameras takes low light performance and WDR to new levels. Sony has also worked hard to make Gen 6 affordable. I liked S2’s gear in 2013. I saw the latest of its controllers at BGWT’s Gold Coast event, recently. S2 combines alarms, access control and video surveillance with storage and browser-based local or remote management. It’s a wonderful solution for SMEs, as well as for bigger applications. The rest of the industry will catch up to S2 one day. Honeywell Tuxedo. This is a watershed product. 54 se&n
I don’t think it’s the only one of Honeywell’s alarm panels that handles automation and I know the company also makes access control boards that incorporate alarm and video inputs but Tuxedo is a pivotal release. I think price is a thing that needs to be handled with care but the functional direction is right. D-Link’s DCS-2136L day/night camera - the first IP camera with 500Mbps of 802.11ac Wi-Fi support. There’s 1280 x 720p HD (1 megapixel), PIR for enhanced motion detection, 2-way audio with built-in microphone and speaker, microSD Card (SDHC) slot for local storage, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (3-step installation) and H.264, MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG compression. The camera features aren’t earth shattering – it’s the 802.11ac capability that interested me. Salto Clay. It’s a nice product that brings silly amounts of access control functionality to end users wherever they are on planet Earth. It’s
GBO’s S1080 features a huge 1-inch CMOS with the metaphorical sensitivity of Arecibo and circuitry optimised to handle low light while producing very low noise. affordable. It’s built on layers of proven tech. It’s simple to operate and install. For locksmiths and access control installers familiar with the whole bureau monitoring RMR thing, having a bureau of cloud-based access control sites is going to feel like very familiar territory. Briefcam Video Synopsis. We’ve collectively installed hundreds of millions of cameras globally but there’s never been a better way to view the events they record than this. Video Synopsis displays a day’s events in a few minutes, overlaying events on screen so you’re seeing a dozen or more at a time. Each event is time-tagged and when you click on it you can watch recorded footage. This is a great solution – one of my favourites of 2013. HID’s multi-application iClass Seos credentials. Authenticated smart devices as credentials is clever and when smart devices incorporate biometric identifiers this tech will be smarter still. Flir’s IP66-rated FC-Series S thermal camera. It’s the best affordable thermal camera I’ve seen. There’s excellent ability to handle backlight. The fact the camera gets contrasty images with the sun actually in the field of view, is really something. Resolution is good at 640 x 480. Axis A1001 IP-based access controller, with open architecture for integration of IP video or intrusion detection systems, as well as automatic synchronization and data storage capabilities. It’s PoE, data and config are automatically stored and
synchronized between controllers and the units can be managed from any computer in the system. There’s one controller for each door and a fixed price per door, the whole structure scalable in increments of 1. You get support for most existing reader protocols and reader types. There’s an install wizard and colour coded connectors. Risco’s axesPlus, a cloud-based access control solution. Also Risco Agility 3 and Lightsys alarm panels and their attendent squadrons of sensors. Local wireless. Video verification. High quality sensors in every conceivable category. Cloud management on mobile devices. What’s not to like? Panasonic’s WV-SW598 1080p PTZ with hydrophilic Rainwash, 30x optical and 90x digital zoom with 0.5 lux in colour mode and 0.06 in monochrome. The camera features Panasonic’s Super Dynamic (WDR), Day/Night capability, and claims 0.5 lux in colour mode and 0.06 in monochrome. There’s also a light-shield called Auto Eye-lid Mechanism (AEM) and fog, smoke and sandstorm compensation. This is an impressive camera, especially on zoom – it was one of my favourite demos of the year. Intruder Alarm or Exterior Deterrent Product of the Year at IFSEC in the UK was Chuango Security Technology’s CG-B11 GSM/SMS touch keypad alarm system. There’s nothing ground breaking about the technology. It’s just a nice, complete intrusion detection system that’s less expensive than everyone else’s gear. Not a local release as far as I know but it’s a statement of intent to look out for.
Risco Agility se&n 55
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Interlogix Tecom Challenger v10
When it comes to a product that combines something everyone needs (a physical door lock), with the latest mobile IP technology I can’t go past Salto Clay.
Genetec’s Synergis Master Controller is a hardware controller that offers distributed intelligence to Genetec access control solutions and integrates with Genetec Security Center 5.2, bringing in video surveillance and all the rest. It supports 64 readers, 512 inputs or 512 outputs, 100,000 cardholders and 150,000 offline events. DAS Zero Wire. It’s designed to simplify alarm installation in the extreme. The keypad is attractive, there’s a range of sensors, including PIRs, CO2 sensors, smokies and reeds. I’d like to see the range expanded moving forward, so hopefully Hills will continue to invest here. Global Bionic Optics, developer of the Infinity lens, released its S1080 HD camera through BGWT in 2013. GBO’s S1080 features a huge 1-inch CMOS with the metaphorical sensitivity of Arecibo and circuitry optimised to handle low light while producing very low noise. This camera’s performance in low light is really good. It comes standard with a GBO lens and the cost is oddly sharp. It needs to be tucked up in a quality housing when used outside but it was another favourite of mine. FSH’s Eco range include the Ecomag 5700, the V1260 and the FE90MP ecostrike all of which cut lock power consumption by about 5x in access control solutions. FSH has been nipping away at power saving for some years now and this new lineup represents the pinnacle of the company’s efforts to date. On larger sites power savings add up. Synology’s big NAS range with CMS 6 for video surveillance management. Compatible with all ONVIF cameras, it would be ideal for SMEs with a modest number of cameras. It’s also going to appeal to IT integrators or IT departments looking to find off-the-shelf solutions, as well as to capable home networkers. H5Controls cloud-based access control. H5Controls has developed web-based solutions to manage and monitor security, safety and energy systems over the net. The idea is that an entire 56 se&n
Fluidity
building or facility can be controlled over the internet via any connected device. Bosch IP66-rated Starlight HD 720p60 camera family. These cameras are built around a progressive scan CMOS sensor offering 720p resolution (1.4MP or 1312 x 1069 pixels) and a frame rate of 60ips. Bosch is the second manufacturer to head to 60ips (Sony was first), which gives superior performance in fast action scenes. The external version is a very tough customer. What else? In 2013 I liked Paradox PDX-NV780 external 12m curtain PIR, Aritech’s 5D dual technology sensors, the Mobotix M15 thermal camera and S14 dual-sensor camera, Pacific Communications’ Fluidmesh Fluidity, Interlogix’s Tecom Challenger v10 and BENS’ catchClip HD video verification system. Other nice things this year were IQinVision’s app for Google Glass, Inner Range’s Integriti control panel, Raytec Vario IP and Vivotek’s 8371E bullet camera featuring 3.1MP, P-iris, 60ips, 30m IR and Smart Stream. AT&T’s Digital Life alarm panel. I don’t like what it means for the business but it’s likely to drive our alarm manufacturers to greater efforts, which I think is a good thing. Which of these do I think is the best new release of 2013? It’s not easy to choose. All of these products have strengths and capabilities that make them admirable. Sony’s new Gen 6 low light is right up there but not quite available in 2013. Briefcam Synopsis was an excellent release, too. When it comes to a product that combines something everyone needs (a physical door lock), with the latest mobile IP technology I can’t go past Salto Clay. In August I wrote that Clay melds hardware and software in a simple and beautiful way. I feel the same way in December. zzz
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Axeze Studio
axeze
Designed and produced locally by South Australian access control manufacturer Axeze, Axeze Studio is a modular, IP-based access control solution that employs multiple applications to administer, maintain, manage and configure Axeze hardware and software modules.
A
XEZE Studio is the integration of Axeze software applications which include KENCore, Phoenix, Axeze Database Management and Axeze Credential Management with Axeze Proximity Controllers and input/output controllers supporting RFID 125 KHz, 134.2 KHz, Mifare and biometrics readers. Axeze modules have been developed using the latest version of Microsoft .NET and use Microsoft SQL server to manage databases that can be installed on one or separate computers. Axeze Studio supports serial port or LAN (wired or wireless) for communication with the Axeze access control network. The resulting system is fully networked yet retains distributed intelligence. Events are stored in the database and any offline events in controllers will be retrieved periodically by KENCore. In the Axeze Studio environment, the controllers communicate with the core component – KENCore. On setup, an installation wizard will unpack all the tools required to establish the Axeze Studio solution. KENCore setup will install the prerequired software first. It then installs KENCore itself and creates and configures the databases, gets them up and running and starts the KENCore Service and KENCore Agent Service automatically. Next, Phoenix setup will install the Phoenix web application (using IIS to host) and allow the database connection strings to modify. One of the most important parts of the Axeze Studio is installing a new database and maintaining and upgrading the database during the lifetime of an application. This is achieved with the Axeze Database Management so the installer who may not be fully proficient with SQL Server can quickly and easily get a system up and running.
Axeze modules
At the heart of Axeze Studio, KENCore is a Windowsbased service that handles all the communication between the access control network and software like Phoenix. Meanwhile, Phoenix has been designed to offer total control of access to property for businesses and commercial purposes. Next there’s KENCore Agent, a Windows-based service that monitors KENCore and ensures that it is always operating. Then comes KENCore Manager – a Windows-based application that is a user interface (GUI) for the KENCore Service and KENCore Agent Service. KENCfg is the software that configures the controller and enables the user to retrieve the controller ID and version. Meanwhile, Phoenix is a web application that is used to administrate, maintain and manage the Axeze access control network. There’s also Axeze credential manager – which communicates with Axeze KEP reader and sends
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by john adam s
the badged card code to Phoenix (or any other third party application, as well as Axeze Database Management – which manages the KENCore and Phoenix databases. A combination of all these hardware and software modules can be selected to create powerful and flexible network-based access control solutions. Axeze Database Management manages the KENCore and Phoenix databases. This wizard handles common tasks (like those built into SQL Server) such as Backup, Restore, Attach, Detach and Upgrade. This means you can maintain the database if you change a server. There’s also a DB Management tool. It offers a huge benefit as upgrading the database is easy. The Axeze Database Manager can be installed on the Database Server without the need for the KENCore or Phoenix. Axeze Database Management software can work with Axeze GUI or launch from the command line in Quiet (silent) mode. Central to remote management, Phoenix is a web application that can be installed on a server allowing users to log in via any Explorer across internet or intranet. Phoenix is the main software application used/seen by the end user and handles the interfacing, configuration and maintenance of the system. Its jobs include access levels, keeps records of various items like logged events or changes within the system. Phoenix requires a user name and password to log in and manages all the physical aspects of the system - add controllers, credentials, retrieval of logs, searching for users or tasks undertaken, as well as finding credentials or people. You can search on everything. Reports are variable in different formats and highly configurable, can be viewed on screen or exported as required by the user. Phoenix uses SSL protocol for communications for the entire web application and can be accessed through the desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. Phoenix is tested and fully functional with 5 major explorers (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Fire Fox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Opera). The entire system has been designed to make a complex software program appear easy and simple to use from the point of view of end users. Once a user is familiar with the GUI they find it very easy to add and remove credentials, to send a report, filter a report or carry out a myriad of tasks that end users require. Assisting end users in this process, Axeze Credential Manager is a tool that manages the credentials in the system. It allows you to send the credential code to the active window. Credentials can be issued to a remote user and activated by a pre-arranged setup that ensures the tag can be activated once the setup is processed.
You can define zones with configurations like soft zone, hard zone, time zone and per controller with passback and anti passback functions. You can assign several credentials to one person and a person to a group to make it easier to assign access control to controllers. To find out what access is related to a credential or a person is easy and implemented at the Home page.
Local manufacturer
By no means a newcomer to the market, Axeze is a South Australian tech house that develops access control and keyless identification systems. The company has been building access control systems since 2000 and has had its products installed in the Australian outback for 13 years without a single failure. Clearly, Axeze Studio has a robust pedigree and local development guarantees an advanced level of support. “We ensure our products work with other products so that only small parts of our range remain proprietary,” explains Shelly Elder, Axeze’s passionate CEO. “For instance, our new Axeze Studio software is sold with the option to purchase tech support.” “Axeze Studio is web-enabled, built with the very latest tools and has a great deal of functionality built-in to ensure it is unlimited in almost every function and feature,” she says.
We are determined and we don’t let go. Our support is second to none and we never leave installers alone with problems.
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axeze
Our software is also superior to many other solutions on the market... And on the drawing board is a new controller as well as more software that will wow all.
“The goal of Axeze Studio was to develop a system with the ability to be installed on a single computer or server, or to have each part installed on separate servers according to the customer’s organisation and policy.” While Axeze may not be familiar to some installers and end users, many years of development lie behind the product range. “Our senior technical engineer designed our little mini controllers that have a unique ID way back in the year 2000 when our range was already TCP/IP addressable,” says Shelley. “It was just done in a different way and he was awarded a commendation for engineering excellence for his efforts. “We have worked hard to develop a sound platform and we work to improve every aspect of our product range and ultimately our business. No one else that we know of offers powerful little mini controllers that can stand on their own, keep logging and keep managing tags while offline. “Our software is also superior to many other
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solutions on the market,” says Shelley. “And on the drawing board is a new controller as well as more software that will wow all.” Shelley explains that during the development process Axeze’s software and hardware engineers put in plenty of time on-site so as to tailor products for the needs of installers. “Our technical team returned and immediately re-wrote parts of the software to make it far more user friendly and to operate faster in processing all the information required by installers,” she says. According to Shelley, while some imported products are cheaper, she believes quality, local support and lifetime value outweigh initial savings on products manufactured in other countries by nobody knows who. “As a developer, we are determined and we don’t let go. Our support is second to none and we never leave installers alone with problems. This is the approach we offer customers who support us,” she says. “If integrators are looking to work with an organisation that goes the extra mile I thoroughly recommend they give Axeze products a good look. We are competitive on price and strong on product quality, after sales service, and technical support. And we know our technology inside out because we designed our products from scratch.” Axeze Studio applications can be installed for a 45-day trial. Purchasing and activating the license can be carried out by the installer or end user online. Apart from a one-off purchase for configuration software, installers do not need to purchase anything else when ordering Axeze Studio.
Features of the Axeze Studio and Controllers: l REX button l Door sensor input l Any type of door strike support l Door forced report l 2 different reader inputs 1. Compatible with any Wiegand reader (NFC, RFID, Mifare, Biometric) 2. Remote antenna (only – not a reader) which is installed outside premises (for high security) l On-board Real time clock l Lift control
l I nternal memory to keep access control when offline l I nternal flash memory when offline (logging) lA bility to work online and offline lH old lock open function lE vent handling lC ommunication with host through RS-485 or TCP/IP (wired/wireless) l8 inputs with 8 isolated outputs through the relays (NC/NO, and Common are available).
NetAXS-123 with Video
Access Control just got better Introducing NetAXS-123 with Video. It’s the easiest way to incorporate video into your web-based access control system without buying an NVR or DVR. NetAXS-123 with Video is ideal for sites with one, two or three doors, and it’s scalable so you can add doors as your needs change. It offers a more advanced way to help you instantly confirm your access control events and alarms to help prevent losses. You can view live video and retrieve and export stored video, and you can easily check in on your business anytime via any web browser. And because video is recorded only when events occur, you don’t need expensive storage. NetAXS-123 is Simple. Scalable. Flexible. And now with video it’s even better!
For more information call 1300 234 234 or visit www.honeywellaccess.com © 2013 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.
n etwo rk i n g
zigbee
Z for ZigBee Current market trends towards wireless and networking suggest to me that electronic security sensors will join the digital age. The question is, which technology is most likely to prevail and what are the security risks such systems would face?
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HERE’S something afoot in the surveillance market. It’s the adoption of consumer standards and the cross pollination between CCTV solutions and the consumer market. When you think about technology like 4K monitors, it’s obvious which market segment is the bleeding edge and it’s not the electronic security industry. I think we’ll see the alarms industry go the same
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way in the future. Not all at once but increasingly, consumer standards will impact on alarm technology, particularly comms. The standards I think we’re going to see will be IT standards and given alarm installers’ growing distaste for hardwiring, the predominant technology may be ZigBee. What is ZigBee? It’s an open, global wireless standard catering to low-cost, low-power machineto-machine networks ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2003. The frequency is IEEE 802.15.4 in familiar unlicensed bands such as 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz and 868 MHz and the protocol is designed to offer simple to use, secure, reliable wireless network architectures. Essentially, the specification is a packet-based radio protocol for battery-operated devices across a range of topologies with a battery life of years. There’s a lot of support for ZigBee from many companies, including those with an interest in electronic security. Familiar faces include Schneider Electric, Landis and Gyr, Assa Abloy, AT&T, Honeywell, KABA, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson Controls, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Siemens, Sony, Visonic, NYCE Control and D-Link. There
by john adam s
ZigBee wireless data networks aren’t entirely secure! I hear you cry. Well, I have bad news. Typical 433MHz wireless security devices are far less secure. are hundreds more companies involved across a range of electronic industry segments. Why not just use WiFi? Because WiFi has a data rate of up to 100Mbps for home and commercial data networks supported by mains power. ZigBee, while it complements WiFi, is all about preserving battery life, which in some cases can extend past the life cycle of the device. Because ZigBee nodes can go from sleep to active mode in 30 ms or less, the latency can be low and devices can still be responsive, particularly compared to Bluetooth wake-up delays, which are typically around 3 seconds. The fact ZigBee nodes can be dozing most of the time means power consumption is very low. Furthermore, the ZigBee protocol is designed to communicate data through hostile RF environments. Features adding to its robustness include support for multiple network topologies such as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and mesh networks. There’s low duty cycle for long battery life, use of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), up to 65,000 nodes per network, 128-bit AES encryption for secure data connections, collision avoidance, retries and acknowledgements. Compared to the simple 433Mhz sensor comms of most wireless alarm sensors, there’s really no comparison. The specification goes on to complete the standard by adding 4 main components including network layer, application layer, ZigBee device objects (ZDOs) and manufacturerdefined application objects which allow for customization and favour total integration. As well as incorporating a pair of high-level network layers in the underlying structure, the key thing here is ZDOs. These are responsible for tasks including device roles, management of requests to join a network, device discovery and security. On the network side, the ZigBee network layer natively supports both star and tree networks, as well as generic mesh networks. Every network must have a coordinator device for its creation, the control of network parameters and basic maintenance. Within star networks, the coordinator must be the central node. Both trees
and meshes allow the use of ZigBee routers to extend communication at the network level. A strength of ZigBee is the ability to support mesh networking. In a mesh network, nodes are interconnected with other nodes so that multiple pathways connect each node. Connections between nodes are dynamically updated and optimized through a sophisticated, built-in mesh routing table. Mesh networks are decentralized in nature; each node is capable of self-discovery on the network. Also, as nodes leave the network, the mesh topology allows the nodes to reconfigure routing paths based on the new network structure. The characteristics of mesh topology and ad-hoc routing provide greater stability in changing conditions – including jamming or failure at single nodes.
Attacking ZigBee
Attacks against ZigBee fall into 3 categories – physical attacks, key attacks, and replay and injection attacks. Physical attacks are the most dangerous. If a technically capable attacker can access a device containing a ZigBee radio, chances are good they can compromise it. The thing that makes physical attacks against ZigBee so damaging is that a clever intruder can jag an encryption key used by a ZigBee network. The weakness exploited here is that ZigBee radios use a hard-coded encryption key loaded in RAM memory when the device is powered. These keys are flashed to every device in a ZigBee network and may never be changed. This means that attackers can employ serial interfaces on the ZigBee device to trawl for encryption keys being moved from flash to RAM when a device powers up. Open source tookits like Bus Pirate have interface boards supporting industry standard serial
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n etwo rk i n g
zigbee
How will alarm networks look in the future? That part is uncertain. But what is clear is that alarm systems will increasingly be wireless. They will increasingly be part of data networks.
protocols like 1-wire, JTAG, SPI, and asynchronous serial. When a ZigBee device is hooked to them across a Bus Pirate serial bus, an attacker can tease apart the security of an entire ZigBee network. It’s also possible to obtain encryption keys remotely using a toolkit like KillerBee, which allows interception, analysis and transmission of ZigBee packets. The toolkit is deployed using a ZigBee device like RZ Raven which has been hotted up with Python scripts. More sophisticated attacks might include devices with Yagi antennas – this allows the attack to come from further away. ZigBee radios use 1 of 2 encryption methodologies known as pre-shared keying and Over the Air (OTA) key delivery. A larger ZigBee network will typically utilize OTA for security and ease of updating. In node-based attacks, a device mimics a node on the ZigBee network and collects the network’s wireless transmissions. The collected packets are then analyzed or potentially decrypted using free and open-source equipment. The potential damage is increased by the fact there’s minimal session checking in the 802.15.4 protocol and no intrusiondetection capabilities. There are also key-based attacks that incorporate packet replay and/or injection attacks to trick the ZigBee device into particular actions. ZigBee radios are susceptible to these types of attacks because the protocol is relatively simple and has minimal replay protection. The way they work is that an attacker uses a
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ZigBee family
rogue external ZigBee radio to collect packets from a ZigBee network. While the attacker may not be able to decode the packets per se, they may know enough about the system to know that the target node controls security for a particular home or building on a site. If the attacker replays the captured packets back to other nodes on the ZigBee network, it will mimic signals from the recorded node. And because there’s so little session checking performed by the ZigBee radios, the security network will then think the traffic is legitimate and respond as if the commands came from a valid node. Importantly, some of these weaknesses only apply to devices and networks that are not employing ZigBee security functions including protocol stack security, any of the security building blocks, Frame security 1 and 2, authentication, digital signatures, credentials or certificates. There’s no doubt that it’s possible to build a very rugged ZigBee network but manufacturers and installers would need to engage with what is a fairly comprehensive security stack to achieve this. ZigBee wireless data networks aren’t entirely secure! I hear you cry. Well, I have bad news. Typical 433.92MHz wireless security devices are far less secure. This band is overflowing and federal laws demand the devices be low power – just 25mW in Australia. Little things like garage door openers and microwave ovens can pop off wireless alarm devices while all such systems are vulnerable to jamming. A portable wireless jammer covering the 900Mhz to 2.4Ghz bands is capable of jamming all 433Mhz wireless security sensors for tens of metres and allowing an intruder to stroll around as if the alarm system is not there. It seems to me that manufacturers use 433Mhz because the devices are cheap to manufacture, not because they offer secure and reliable communications between alarm sensor and panel. Security levels cannot be used as a defence for the continued use of low tech local alarm comms. How will alarm networks look in the future? That part is uncertain. But what is clear is that alarm systems will increasingly be wireless. They will increasingly be part of data networks. They’ll be integrated with domestic and commercial automation systems. They cannot continue to be built around the unsecure ISM band. zzz
CREATING THE FUTURE OF SECURITY . . . TODAY
The Security Professionals’ first choice for today’s security infrastructure, from one room to multi-location complexes around the world. Our reputation is based on a time-honored tradition of rock-solid quality, premium reliability and the integrity of DSX and our network of factory-trained, authorized dealers and support. When you are staking your reputation on a solution - choose the most powerful and intelligent access control systems in the world, choose the total security relationship with DSX.
• No “Per Seat” Licensing In System Pricing
• Backwards Compatible Architecture
DSX Access Systems, Inc.
• LAN/WAN Compatible
• Alarm Text Message/ E-Mail Notification
• Smart Card and Biometric Integration
• Hot Swap Redundant Communication Server
• Unlimited Access Levels Per Cardholder
• High Level Elevator Control Interface
• Integrated Photo ID Badging
• Integrated Wireless Locksets
www.dsxinc.com
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DSX CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 10731 Rockwall Road Dallas, TX USA 75238 214.553.6140 sales@dsxinc.com
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CONTROL SOLUTIONS Austlink Corporate Park, Unit 3, 4 Narabang Way Belrose NSW 2085 Australia 11.612.9485.0485 iscs@iscs.com.au | www.iscs.com.au
ELECTRONIC SECURITY SALES PTY LTD Suite 285 / 79-83 Longueville Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 Australia 1300.ESS.DSX (1300.377.379) sales@esecuritysales.com | www.esecuritysales.com
Quality. Reliability. Integrity. The Security Professionals’ First Choice.
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hdcvi
Dahua launches HDCVI DAHUA Technology has released its High Definition Composite Video Interface (HDCVI) technology, a coaxbased analogue HD video transmission standard, giving reliable long-distance HD transmission at low cost.
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NALOGUE CCTV systems built around coaxial cable still dominate the video surveillance market. According to CCTV manufacturer, Dahua, there are approximately 400 million analogue cameras in use in the world. At the same time, the demands for high definition from end-users are increasingly higher. However, with a live running video surveillance system, it is a headache to change an entire cabling infrastructure.
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Dahua says its HDCVI is the answer, allowing existing systems to be upgraded from standard definition to high definition with no new cabling or complicated IP config required. Furthermore, says Dahua, HDCVI offers reliable, long range transmission via coaxial cable with a lower total cost compared to HD-SDI.
What is HDCVI?
HDCVI is specifically designed for high definition applications and offers low latency long-distance megapixel transmission at low cost. The name has something to do with the modulation technology — base-band and quadrature amplitude, modulating video signal to level before transmission. This technology avoids the cross talk of CVBS and completely separates the brightness and hue signal, further enhancing video quality. HDCVI is incorporated into cameras and DVRs and is designed to function as a star topology. The DVR serves as a node and offers over-coax P2P pointto-point transmission to cameras. The technology is available in 1080p HD (1920×1080) and 720p HD (1280×720). HDCVI technology features patented Auto Signal Compensation (ASC), which ensures there’s extremely low signal distortion in longdistance transmissions. How long? Range is excellent at over 500 metres,
Because there’s no compression processing, the signal maintains its original form and presents vivid image quality.
depending on cable type. Coaxial cables 75-3 and 75-5 are recommended for transmissions of less than 500 metres, while 75-5 is best for distances greater than 500 metres. When it comes to connecting, it’s all standard stuff installers know well. You solder your terminations or use crimp connectors in the usual way.
3 Signals in 1 Coaxial Cable
HDCVI technology is actually 3 signals – video, audio and control data - in a single coaxial cable, which simplifies the installation. To achieve multiple-signal transmission over 1 cable, audio signal and duplex data communication signals are embedded in a blanking zone; which enhances the synchronization with video signal; and supports a 44.1kHz sampling rate thanks to that ASC we met earlier. The forward and reverse data channels are a composite in the frame blanking zone, giving 2-way transmission to support control commands such as camera focus, PTZ control and real-time alarms. Data out has a high transmission baud rate, the send time and electric signal baud rates are predictable, and the receiving end enjoys that high ASC performance. Conversely, the reverse data output supports lower baud rate due to its low signal frequency and limitation of data characteristics that are affected by the impedance matching and channel transmission
uncertainty. However, thanks to ASC, the reverse channel can restore the signal during long-distance transmissions to some degree. Dahua’s HDCVI chipset comprises a transmitting chip (TX) and a receiving chip (RX), which are designed for front-end HDCVI cameras and DVRs, respectively. These chips can also be applied in fibre optic transceivers, network distributors, and matrix systems. TX chip interfaces have a BT1120/BT656 digital video interface, an I2S audio interface and an I2C configuration interface. All are of industrial standard design, allowing the TX chip to use any standard interface for ISPs and audio chips on the market. As for analogue output, in addition to HDCVI format, the TX chip is also compatible with CVBS. The TX chip supports 720p @ 25fps/30fps/50fps/60fps, as well as 1080p @ 25fps/30fps. The compact TX chip is suitable for application in all kinds of camera sizes. Meanwhile, the RX chip supports HDCVI HD inputs and digital video outputs; I2S audio output, multiple-chip audio cascade output as well as I2C configuration interface. It can also handle flexible mapping of HDCVI video input channels and digital output channels; with each channel having its own format. A built-in equalizer supports video parameter setup including brightness, contrast, hue, saturation and 2-way control signal transmissions. The RX chip has the same interface as the AD chip in a conventional analogue DVR, which is to say that it provides seamless integration with conventional DVRs; and the built-in equalizer allows HDCVI DVR to receive HD video signal up to 500 meters. The TX chip supports 1080p@25fps/30fps/50fps/60fps and 720p@25fps/30fps. Dahua says that compared with IP solutions, HDCVI is more reliable as it adopts direct P2P transmission. It also features zero latency giving outstanding real-time performance. Because there’s no compression processing, the signal maintains its original form and presents vivid image quality. In comparison, IP camera signals are transmitted across local Ethernet and may suffer from jitter and packet loss with a delay that could reach 300 milliseconds even in a fair networking environment. When it comes to a comparison with HD-SDI, Dahua says HDCVI has a significant advantage in terms of transmission distance. With general transmission media, HD-SDI reaches 100 metres at most while HDCVI transmits up to 500 metres using 75-3 cable while still retaining low signal distortion rate. For installers and end users who want to retain zero latency coaxial infrastructure while getting the benefits of HD image quality and very long range transmission, HDCVI is well worth a closer look. zzz
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Maximus MHX range
Maximus, Maximus Videotec’s Maximus MHX range from Q Security Systems features a broad range of electro-polished explosion proof AISI 316L stainless steel housings, designed for demanding applications in accordance with the strictest Standards for hazardous areas, ATEX - IECEx.
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AXIMUS is characterized by build quality, absolute sturdiness, rugged construction, easy installation and low maintenance. It’s designed specifically for installation in highly corrosive and with explosive risk environments, such as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, mines and marine applications. Particular care and extreme precision in the design and production processes have been dedicated to the Maximus line of explosion proof products. A hazardous area is defined as an area in which the atmosphere contains, or may contain insufficient quantities, flammable or explosive gases, dusts or vapours. Electrical apparatus for use in hazardous areas needs to be designed and constructed in such a way that it will not provide a source of ignition (no arcing contacts or high surface temperatures).
This equipment must be designed and manufactured in accordance with particular construction parameters known as protection concepts. Ex d Flameproof is a type of protection concept that it can be used in a hazardous location area. The equipment that may cause an explosion is contained within an enclosure which can withstand the force of an explosion and prevent transmission to the outside hazardous atmosphere. Equipment to be installed in such locations must be designed and tested through third parties to ensure it does not initiate an explosion. The Maximus range has been certified and designed to meet these rigorous requirements. The Maximus series includes a complete array of static cameras and PTZ, suitable to any need for an effective 360-degree Day/Night surveillance of vast outdoor areas with a risk of explosion, even in the worst environmental conditions. The stainless steel used for the construction of the Maximus range is the best passivated and electropolished AISI316L, making these products impervious to rust and corrosion and ensuring full compliance with the strictest Standards for classified environments. All items are Ex d certified for Zone 1, 2, Group IIC for gas and Ex tb Zone 21, 22 for dust. The PTZ units are characterized by a fast and smooth rotation speed at 100-degree/sec for an extremely accurate target detection and tracking. They have a total absence of exposed rotating cables, either for the control of the P&T or for the camera and lens, and the presence of a special inspection box directly into the unit that simplifies electrical connections and allows a quick inspection. These are very important features for hazardous environments. All Maximus cameras can be supplied with an integrated wiper for a perfectly clean front window at all times. A water tank with certified electro valve is also available. The range includes thermal cameras for hi-security surveillance tasks, even in total darkness or in the far distance, through fog, rain, heavy smoke or for fire detection. zzz
Features of the Maximus range include: l AISI 316L electropolished stainless steel l A pair of ¾-inch NPT threaded holes for use of cable glands or sealing fittings l Integrated telemetry receiver for version with wiper l Supplied with sunshield and heater l Certified ATEX and IECEX l Options include integrated Day/Night camera 10x, 1/3-inch wiper.
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Want to better understand networking? Need to find a Tier 1 vendor who understands your industry? Looking for a vendor who can deliver the service and support you need?
Look no further than Allied Telesis All your networking and connectivity needs are now available from EOS Australia, an authorised Allied Telesis distributor.
www.eos.com.au
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aritech dd4 00 series
Dual detection One of the gems in the Aritech range is the DD400 Series dual technology sensor which combines all the best things the company’s R&D team has come up with over many years. 70 se&n
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IRST up there are 3 sensors in the DD400 dual technology range. They include the DD450 – which is 12m with 7 curtains (reducing to 7 or 5m), the DD470 – which is 16m coverage with 9 curtains (reducing to 10 or 7m) and the DD490 – which offers 20m coverage with 7 curtains (reducing to 12 or 7m). Basically, the folks at Aritech took all their best PIR technology and all their best microwave technology and shoe-horned it into a single housing. On the PIR side the DD400 Series has sealed Gliding Focus Mirrors with proven 4D signal processing. On the microwave side Aritech is using a microwave module with Twin Opposed Antennae. The advantage of this configuration is superior signal-to-noise ratio, as well as enhanced directional detection from the microwave, which
is important given microwave’s bulky signal shoulders. Sensors in the DD400 range have solid curtains of detection. Full undercrawl protection gives maximum security while the special characteristics of a curtain ensures not only better intruder detection but also better PIR stability from the environment. A further advantage is better performance in warm environments where a conventional PIR’s optics experience loss of range. Aritech’s patented Step and Gliding mirror optics is at the core of its PIR technology. Essentially, the mirrored lens surface is designed to create a continuous curtain of detection coverage regardless of the focal point location in the sensor’s range. The gliding mirror design gives complete coverage of an entire scene. Standard PIR lenses can create lanes of sensitivity that might be just a few inches wide but many metres apart at the extremities of a sensor’s detection range. In comparison, Aritech’s mirror optics covers every single part of the scene in view with such accuracy that it’s possible to use supplied masks to cover particular areas. The design of Aritech’s mirrored lenses also allows the reflected IR in the target area to be compensated for on the basis of range. That means the voltage generated at the pyro by an intruder is identical whether the person is standing 2 metres from the sensor or 12 metres from it. And this sense of perspective allows speed of movement to be compensated for with perfect accuracy, too. From an installer’s point of view, there’s no calibration with an Aritech gliding mirror sensor. The signal received at the pyro is consistent regardless of the distance the intruder is from the lens. Another key property of Aritech’s gliding mirror technology is that it gives a sensor the ability to autofocus’ on an IR source in the target area perfectly and with no need for adjustment of sensitivity. Typically with other PIR’s, in smaller rooms the pulse count will be turned down to reduce sensitivity and avoid false alarms. Trouble is, this makes the sensor much easier to defeat by crawling or creeping, especially on warm days. So what’s with the 4D PIR signal processing? Aritech breaks its analytics up into process levels. There’s 1D processes based on shape, 2D on duration, 3D on speed, 4D on size and 5D on environment. With 4D processing, the DD400 range processes based on shape, duration, speed and size of signals. Moving Pole Filters recently added to 4D processing ensure real immunity to tough environments. When it comes to microwave the DD400 Series uses Distance of Motion (DoM) Processing. This proprietary microwave processing converts the analogue signal into a digital one so the sensor’s ASIC processor can measure the distance travelled by the intruder, irrespective of speed or distance
With 4D processing, the DD400 range processes based on shape, duration, speed and size of signals. Moving Pole Filters recently added to the 4D processing ensure real immunity to tough environments.
from the detector. This gives a significantly more uniform microwave signal over the entire protected area and prevents microwave detection hot spots close to the detector. Something else that’s neat with the DD400 Series is that it’s able to adjust PIR and microwave channels simultaneously using that Gliding Focus Curtain Mirror we met earlier. That means it’s possible to reduce how hard the detector is working in smaller rooms, in both the PIR and Microwave channels, making detection even more stable, and without compromising catch rate. The DD400 units with anti-masking deploy active infrared and light guides in the detection of masking. The light guides allow the AIR to protect fully both the PIR and microwave technologies. According to Aritech, the most sophisticated masking attempts made to disable the detector, using a wide range of materials, are automatically reported to the control panel. The DD 400AM operation and reporting are easily field-programmable making it flexible enough to meet the requirements of any application. The DD 400AM also performs its own regular self-test of the PIR and anti-masking functions, reporting any discrepancy automatically to the control panel. In terms of general specifications, the DD400 Series target speed range is 0.2-3.0 metres per second while current draw is 14.5mA. The unit has normally closed contacts, a 1.8-3m mounting height, an alarm time of 2.5 seconds and a temperature range between -10 to 50C at 95 per cent humidity. The sensor’s field of view is 86 degrees. DD400 Series housings meet IP30 which decree the survivability of a 5kg object from 40 cm height or a 200g object from 10 cm height, as well as IK0210, which means the sensor is protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters but not from liquids. Sensor dimensions are 126mm x 74mm x 54mm. zzz
Features of the DD400 series include l 3 models offering 12-20m ranges l Wall and ceiling-mount bracket supplied l High performance PIR verified by HQ microwave module l Precision sealed ‘gliding focus curtain’ mirrors l Twin opposed microwave antennae l Custom dual technology ASIC processor l PIR with 4D signal processing l Microwave with advanced proprietary DoM signal processing l Extremely low microwave power with optional day disable l Alarm memory versions (selectable control polarity) l Excellent RFI and white light rejection.
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cas e st u dy
Omega Seguridad
Solar power
Omega Seguridad is deploying Flir thermal imaging cameras for the perimeter protection of its solar parks in Romania.
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PANISH security specialist Omega Seguridad has already secured over 20 solar parks across Spain and its neighboring countries. The company always tries to convince its customers to install thermal imaging cameras for perimeter protection and surveillance projects. And this is exactly what happened for a solar park surveillance project in Sebis, Romania.
Integrator Omega Group, based in Sevilla, Spain, offers a comprehensive range of surveillance and security services. One of the company’s main areas of expertise is perimeter protection of solar parks. As an increasingly important provider of electricity across the globe, solar parks need to be effectively secured. The threats these installations face are the same as for any other energy producing facility: vandalism, sabotage and terrorism. Omega Seguridad has completed solar park projects in other European countries like Portugal, France, Italy and Romania. For the Sebis, Arad, Romenia project, Omega Seguridad installed 22 thermal imaging cameras for perimeter surveillance purposes. The new park is the country’s largest and also one of the largest parks in Europe. The park has been developed by Bester Generación, a leader in the renewable energy market, specialized in the promotion, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructures for the production of clean energy. It stretches across 200 hectares and includes some 72,000 photovoltaic panels, amounting to 15 MW of power. The new solar park is will supply energy for around 100,000 people.
Flir’s SR Series
Omega Seguridad usually offers 2 options for perimeter protection to its customers - CCTV cameras and thermal imaging cameras. Although traditional CCTV systems are effective for security
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and surveillance applications, they are not able to see in total darkness. As a result, they have to be complemented with additional lighting, which allows the cameras to see at night for a certain distance. Antonio Millán Fernández, project manager at Omega Seguridad says his company always makes an extra effort to convince the customer to choose thermal imaging cameras. “Thermal cameras can see much farther than traditional CCTV cameras and therefore you need less of them,” he says. “So in short, less cameras, less issues.” Although a thermal camera is still more expensive than a visual video camera, the investment cost for perimeter surveillance will still be lower, since you need fewer camera units. Fewer cameras also means that there will be less required investments for all camera-related equipment. All these added costs need to be made per camera unit. By reducing the number of required cameras, thermal imaging allows customers to make significant savings with the camera-related equipment and civil works. On top of that, thermal imaging cameras need no lighting equipment whatsoever and will operate with the same accuracy during night and day. For this project, Omega Seguridad relied on FLIR’s SR series of thermal surveillance cameras, offering high quality thermal imaging night and day in any environmental conditions – rain, snow, fog or smoke. Flir’s SR-Series cameras provide high contrast imagery optimized to get the most out of video analytics software. The total perimeter, including 2 separate confined areas of approximately 2.1 km, could be covered with a total number of 22 cameras. On average, this amounts to approximately 1 thermal camera per 190 metres. The cameras selected were the SR-313 camera with 35 mm lens and 320 x 240 pixel resolution, as well as the SR-324 camera with 19 mm lens and 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The SR-Series of security cameras provide high contrast imagery optimized to get the most out of video analytics software. In this case, video analytics was provided by Spanish company, Davantis. Last but not least, Omega Seguridad calculated that the overall power consumption of a project with traditional CCTV systems is about 50 per cent higher than the power consumption of a project with
Sometimes, car headlights can set off false alarms but since thermal cameras are unaffected by light, they are also not disturbed by it. thermal cameras. This is a considerable saving on the electricity bill of the end user. “For distances between 60 and 120 meters require 2 conventional cameras, but only 1 thermal camera so the cost of equipment involved on both systems would be equivalent,” explains Enrique Delgado Torres, engineer and project manager at Omega Seguridad. “For distances between 120 and 180 meters where 3 conventional cameras would be required, the equipment associated to the thermal system becomes more economical. Longer distances will make the advantage bigger.” “The more bends and curves a perimeter has, the more camera positions you will need to have a sufficiently good view,” says Vicente Nanclares Ocio, director of the engineering department. “Luckily for us, solar parks generally tend to have straight shapes, so this allows thermal cameras to see even farther than 180 metres.” The lower overall investment is not the only reason why Omega Seguridad prefers thermal imaging for the Sebis project. Thermal cameras also have a higher accuracy and they generate fewer false alarms, which ultimately results in less frustration and less workload for the control room operator. “Obviously, we no longer experience lightrelated false alarms,” says Vicente Nanclares Ocio. “Sometimes, car headlights can set off false alarms but since thermal cameras are unaffected by light, they are also not disturbed by it. “Thermal cameras also allow us to see better through fog. Sometimes, the fog here can be so dense that traditional CCTV cameras are unable to see through it.” zzz
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a la rm s ap p s
Push or pull?
If you are planning to use a mobile application to keep an eye on alarm events, including video clips, then it’s important to think about the inherent design of the app. Does it deploy a push notification or a pull notification to send the data to a network of mobile devices and which is best? 74 se&n
T
O understand the nature of push versus pull mobile application designs when monitoring the state of large integrated security solutions you need to get your head around the 3-tier web. What are these tiers? The first tier sees users load a page into a browser. The second tier is on the server side, with requests sent via a secure gateway to a web server containing content. The third tier includes backend services – databases, records – that personalise the user experience and record session data. If you think about it, this 3-tier web design is fundamentally based on pull because in the first instance, the user makes the request for content. In comparison, push applications can send system status data, including alarm event data
Pull protocols can potentially open up devices on a system to remote access and denial of service attacks. to end users 24x7. This means there’s virtually no delay between the alarm event and notification received by management or security staff. As soon as a push-registered mobile device is powered up it automatically registers with the controller and that means alarm events can be reported faster. And with push, the polling tasks are distributed among the mobile devices and that means there’s linear scalability. The central collector simply listens for updates from registered mobile devices and stores data it receives. And it’s minimal work for devices to report. Importantly, push technology is inherently secure against remote attacks since it does not have to listen for network connections that might leave it open to opportunistic hacking. The configuration required for devices is relatively simple. When it comes to latency, the low overhead and distributed nature of the push model permits data to be sent more frequently, allowing the management system to react faster to changes. In addition, many push protocols are implemented on top of UDP, providing non-blocking, low-latency transport. The push model is particularly attractive for large scale cloud environments where services and hosts are constantly being added, removed, started and stopped. Maintaining lists of devices to poll for data in these environments is challenging and the discovery, scalability, security, lowlatency and the simplicity of the push model make it a clear winner. In the push pattern, the user performs a onetime registration with the security system using their mobile app. From that point, the system pushes monitored system data to the mobile device to keep data current. Systems of Record are part of the architecture and developers eliminate the dependency on a web app server for pulling updates. It’s also possible with push for users to select how often their security system status is updated on their mobile device. Some will choose to have immediate push alerts to keep system data current while others may prefer to have data sent
once per day unless there is an alarm event. Users may choose to only receive system updates when connected via Wi-Fi or when they have plenty of battery power remaining. Or they might reject push updates altogether, except in specific cases such as alarm events or tamper conditions. Conversely, with pull architecture, a user loads a page onto their browser and requests services from a remote server. Pull protocols can potentially open up devices on a system to remote access and denial of service attacks. There’s operational complexity, too. A pull-enabled system needs to be configured with a list of registered devices and security credentials required by the devices when they request data. Then firewalls need to be configured to allow bi-directional communication between poller and agents. zzz
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cas e st u dy
statue of liberty
Spirit of giving Integrator Total Recall and 9 tech suppliers have donated a $US4 million security system to the Statue of Liberty. The system incorporates gear from Axis, BriefCam, Milestone, Pivot3, Scallop Imaging, Winsted and others.
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NTEGRATOR Total Recall’s decision to donate a security system to the Statue of Liberty was interrupted by Hurricane Sandy, which obliterated much of Liberty Island’s aging infrastructure. When the water went down U.S. Park Police were determined to have the statue re-opened as quickly as possible and set Total Recall and its supplier partners a fierce deadline. “Plans changed dramatically the night Hurricane Sandy hit,” Jordan Heilweil, president of Total Recall said. To meet that deadline, Total Recall had to redesign certain aspects of the project plan and work around the schedules of various construction crews. And it didn’t have the benefit of power on site; it had to rely on generators. “Total Recall worked within a compressed time frame, night after night, after the construction workers went home,” said Park Police Capt. Greg Norman. The park reopened on time, with a brand new security system in place and online. The IP-based wireless system encompasses both Liberty Island, where the statue stands, and Ellis Island, where the new command centre is located. The perimeter of the system extends to Battery Park in New York City and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J., where passengers board ferries. As part of the upgrade, Total Recall and the technology team migrated the Lady of Liberty from a piecemeal of analogue CCTV to the latest in digital video technology to enable the park to cover areas with high-quality video surveillance that the team could not reach before. Additionally, the team constructed an intelligent and ultramodern command centre to help the NPS and U.S. Park Police do their jobs more effectively. The technology partners who helped to make the project possible with special partner pricing considerations include: Axis Communications, which provided more than 150 HDTV IP cameras; BriefCam, which provided Synopsis software, which can very quickly review hours of surveillance video and DragonWave, which provided multigigabyte microwave radios. Milestone Systems provided the VMS while Pivot3 provided storage, Proxim provided wide area wireless broadband and RGB Spectrum which enables multiple video feeds [64 screens] to be displayed on a video display wall using its MediaWall 2900 Display Processor. Meanwhile, Scallop Imaging provided solid state M6-200 IP cameras with a 200-degree panoramic view for perimeter security; and Winsted Corporation provided command center consoles. The products and labor for the project are estimated to be worth more than $US4 million and Total Recall and its partners will maintain the systems for a period of 9 years at no cost. “What’s nice about this solution is that it’s not restricted by budget,” Heilweil said. “It has the features and benefits the Park Service and police need. “We were able to put in the wireless connectivity
Jordan Heilweil (l) with Fredrik Nilsson
necessary, put in the BriefCam Synopsis, the right cameras to provide coverage, other technology and the appropriate consoles for the site,” he said. “That’s why we called Team STS (Secure The Statue)...the Dream Team.” According to Heilweil, saying the system is nightand-day different to the ancient surveillance solution that used to cover the statue is not accurate (I can endorse this judgement having seen the old system). “It’s like going from Mr. Magoo who couldn’t see his hand in front of his face, to Superman with X-ray vision,” Heilweil said. Previously, the analogue system at the Statue of Liberty included 5 different systems that were not integrated. Operators had to know how each system operated and drive them separately. The new system, on the other hand is completely integrated and intuitive. “It allows us to identify any problems and quickly take action,” Capt. Norman said. “It allows us to make real-time decisions to better manage the park - such a visitor flow and vessel arrival and departure.” Based in Suffern, N.Y. and founded by Heilweil in 1985, Total Recall is a 25-employee firm that specializes in high-end integration projects. It does a lot of work in the New York tri-state area, although it is involved in projects around the country. Total Recall had worked on the security system at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the 1990s. “I’d seen the National Park Service, which oversees the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island struggle to get funding for a security system,” Heilweil said. He decided a few years ago that the site should have a world-class security system and that Total Recall would design and donate the system. “The Statue of Liberty is the icon of freedom for the world,” he said. “When people come here from other countries — kings, queens, presidents — they want to see the Statue of Liberty so it’s important to have the site truly secure, and donating the system is an important legacy for our company.” “The National Park Service and Statue of Liberty National Monument greatly appreciate the donation of the state-of-the-art, comprehensive security system developed by Total Recall,” U.S. Park Police said in a prepared statement. “This system has already helped the park not only maintain the security of the park through a busy summer, but has also aided visitor services by helping NPS employees respond promptly to visitor needs.” zzz
This system has already helped the park not only maintain the security of the park through a busy summer, but has also aided visitor services by helping NPS employees respond promptly to visitor needs. se&n 77
s p e ci al re p o rt
new pr o d u ct s h owcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase /
editor’s choice
LG LNV7210R HD dome l C.R. Kennedy is distributing LG’s powerful new network vandal dome family which includes the 2MP 1080p, 60fps, LNV7210R. Additional features include IR, 108dB wide dynamic range, 3~9 mm F1.2 (x3 Compact Zoom). Low light performance is excellent – it’s 0 Lux (IR on) and 0.05 Lux (IR off). Features include H.264 (High Profile)/MJPEG, and defog compression, audio/face/tampering detection, alarm in/out, audio in/out, microSD slot, vandal-proof, IP66 and motorized pan/tilt. There’s also region of interest streaming and built-in analytics for event triggering. According to Phil Viggiano, the key point about these new HD domes are that they are fully motorised PTZs yet they are priced around the same price as stationary or fixed dome cameras. Suggested sell price for the indoor dome without IR is $A589 exGST ranging up to $A649 ex-GST for the outdoor IR model. Distributor: C.R. Kennedy Contact: +61 2 9552 8350 78 se&n
Allied Telesis POE+ WebSmart Edge Switches
What’s new in the industry
Integriti 8Amp smart power supply
l RECENTLY released by Allied Telesis is the GS950 PS Series of WebSmart network switches with POE+ support, providing connectivity for security cameras, IP phones, RFID readers and wireless access points. Integrating the simplicity of unmanaged switches with the performance and reliability of managed switches, this series offers a value-driven, yet secure and reliable, solution for users who wish to integrate management at the edge of their networks. Allied Telesis GS950 PS switches offer user-friendly, web-based management, requiring minimum configuration while enabling security within the network solution. The GS950 PS Series is available in configurations of 8, 16 and 48-port PoE+ (AT-GS950/10PS, ATGS950/16PS and ATGS950/48PS).
l MONITORING of power supply status is pivotal to the operation and performance of any security system, and the Integriti 8Amp Smart Power supply delivers this very effectively. The new Inner Range Integriti 8Amp 13.75Vdc Smart power supply is a highly efficient purpose built power supply solution designed to meet the modern high spec requirements unique to access control and intruder security systems. When used with Inner Range’s Integriti system, the 8Amp power supply offers quick connect status monitoring for critical power-related aspects, such as Battery Fault, Low Battery, Battery Not Present, Battery Failed Test, Mains Power failure, Power Supply Low Volts, Power Supply Failure and status monitoring of all Smart Fuses. It also features general purpose low level status outputs Distributor: EOS and a separate battery Contact: +61 2 9749 5888 charger output with deep discharge protection. Distributor: Inner Range Melbourne Contact: +61 3 97804300
Tuxedo Touch with zone activation l HONEYWELL’S Tuxedo Touch controller combines the security capabilities of Honeywell’s Vista control panels with the lifestyleenhancing benefits of home automation all in one easy-to-use interface. Built-in Wi-Fi lets dealers connect to their customers’ wireless networks without running a CAT5 cable, simplifying installations and saving time and labour. The built-in web server lets users locally control Tuxedo Touch anywhere on the premises on wireless mobile devices and web-enabled TVs using their Wi-Fi network. The Tuxedo Touch controller has now been upgraded to allow Zone activation of Z-wave devices when combined with Vista panels. Distributor: Honeywell Contact: 1300 234 234
Hikvision Launches the 960H Smart PTZ Dome Cameras l HIKVISION has introduced 2 smart analogue PTZ domes (the DS-2AF7268 and DS2AF7264, respectively) which both incorporate a 960H image sensor to capture superior images at a horizontal resolution of 700TVL. These 2 PTZ domes provide enhanced IR illuminators and offer up-to 150m clear visibility in low or zero lighting conditions. Digital WDR and 3D DNR are also supported to improve image sharpness in variable lighting environments. Engineered with a smart tracking function, both domes are able to detect a moving object and track it within the camera’s area of coverage without fault. The dome housing can also be ordered with a wiper to automatically clean the lens when exposed to rain, snow, or dusty environments. Distributor: CSD Contact: +61 2 8014 2600
n ew p rod
duct showcase / 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 /
Vivotek’s VS8100
R&M FM45 connector
l VIVOTEK VS8100 is a small-sized H.264 1-channel video server that helps installers migrate easily from an analogue to a digital surveillance system. Its power sharing with CCTV and tiny design make it ideal for frontend installation and surveillance applications such as home, offices, retail stores, banks, and city surveillance, where power supply and IP network connections are already settled. With the high-performance H.264 compression format, it reduces file sizes and conserves valuable bandwidth and storage space. Supporting simultaneous multiple streams, the video streams can be transmitted in either of H.264 or MJPEG formats for versatile applications. Together with the ST7501 multi-lingual 32-channel recording software, users can set up an easy-to-use IP surveillance system with ease.
l MADE in Switzerland, Reichle & De-Massari’s (R&M) FM45 connector simplifies the field termination of copper cables resulting in reliable connectivity. Installing connectors on-site makes planning simpler, reduces cable overlengths and increases flexibility over the installation process. The reliable FM45 plug connection with IDC wiring technology not only stands out through solid data transfer performance but also through the stable, long-lasting cable plug connection that is a must under difficult operating conditions. The FM45 connector can be directly mounted on a variety of cable sizes, as well as on UTP, STP, solid and stranded cables. This method of installation not only reduces material costs and installation overheads but also increases reliability in cases where detached, individual devices (e.g. CCTV cameras) are connected to the IT network.
Distributor: Altech Computers Contact: +61 2 8622 8088
Integriti lowprofile, wide-body enclosure. l DESIGNED with costeffective intelligent access control solutions in mind, the new Integriti Wide-Body enclosure from Inner Range will conveniently house all the electronics, power supply and backup batteries necessary for Intelligent access control of up to 8 doors. This eliminates the need for any additional enclosures or external backup power supplies. With the Integriti 8Amp 13.75Vdc Smart power supply on-board the enclosure provides ample device and lock power and allows for lead acid battery configurations for up to 36Amp hours of backup supply time. Flexible mounting options for all Integriti Controllers, LAN Modules and UniBus Devices is standard. Additional modules or devices can be conveniently housed within the enclosure with the addition of the hinged second layer equipment mounting plate.
iVision Turret from iTech
Honeywell HD-NVR-1032
l NEW iVision turret camera by iTech Security is available in 1.3MP & 3MP versions. Its tough construction and vandalproof housing make it a worthy investment for any business. It offers up to 30 metres EXIR range, is a true day/night camera and is IP66 rated. This IP camera also features Digital Wide Dynamic Range, 3D digital noise reduction and PoE (Power over Ethernet) capability ensuring seamless network connectivity.
l HONEYWELL HUSNVR-1032 is an easyto-use, high definition 16-channel @720p, 8-channel @1080P NVR. It is designed with various user-friendly features such as intuitive user interface, timeline function, quick file transfer to improve the overall user experience. The HUS-NVR-1032 can either be used as a standalone application or to be integrated with HUS for multi-site deployments. With 8 HDD slots, the HUS-NVR-1032 is also a power storage solution for large-scale systems. Thanks to hot plug technology, the hard disks can be replaced without switching off the device. This results in smooth and continuous operation even at maintenance. The realtime display of CPU and HDD status gives a clear picture to users of their capacity.
Distributor: iTech Security Contact: +61 3 9553 2488
Distributor: Honeywell Contact: 1300 234 234
Distributor: Inner Range Melbourne Distributor: Contact: +61 3 97804300 R&M Australia Contact: +614 0967 4738
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re g u lars help desk
helpdesk
Q: We have done an installation in an industrial facility and we’re getting intermittent problems with a camera in an analogue surveillance system. The coax run is long but has a signal amplifier, we soldered our terminations and there’s no power near the cables and the images are excellent until they disappear completely then reappear a few hundredths of a second later. Obviously the client is not happy with this. We’ve considered that there could be some problem with the DVR but after running a camera on a short cable on this input for half a day we had no problems whatever. What do you think the problem might be? A: It sounds like a dodgy soldered connection somewhere in the cable run. If solder hasn’t matured properly you’ll be getting shorts causing signal losses. The fact they are so brief suggests a weak termination that is being subjected to vibration from plant equipment, heavy vehicles or even adjacent foot traffic. Periodic signal losses definitely occur due to vibration causing wall, ceiling or floor movement shifting connections. Soldering coax is a bit of an art as you obviously know, given you’ve used this technique for the job. Trouble is, if you get it wrong you can damage the cable permanently so it will need to be nipped and re-terminated. We would take out the terminations and re-do them. Ensure the cable was hanging vertically when you start work. If you ensure this then there’s less chance the centre conductor will poke its nose through the dielectric as your iron softens it. As well as the cable hanging vertically, you want to ensure that it’s under no excess tension.
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Our panel of experts answers your questions.
Another simple solution is to use the hottest iron you can possibly work with. The hotter the iron, the faster you’ll heat the copper (that dielectric will heat proportionately slower) and the quicker you can get the job done. Of course, the hotter the iron, the slipperier that solder is going to be, so practise and timing are the keys. During the process of re-termination we’d first take the camera and crimp it onto the cable on the DVR-side of that signal amplifier. It’s a bit of a fiddle but a clean signal on the DVR-side means the issue is either the terminations at the amp or the amp itself. Q: How capable are capacitive perimeter detection systems? Are some systems better than others? Is it true they simply alarm on detection without giving additional information? How stable are they? A consultant has suggested to us they are not to be relied on – he recommended a fibre solution. Our contracted security integrator recommended a capacitive perimeter system saying it was the best option for the money. What do you think of capacitive solutions? A: A good capacitive or e-field system that’s well-tuned for a site is a great solution that’s comparatively low cost and very discerning if well designed. Such systems can establish whether or not an intrusion-based change
took place all in the one direction, it can work out the speed of the change of an intrusion and the size of the intruder – a bird, a rabbit or a person. Good systems use 3 or more band bass filters – a lower frequency filter to ignore blown leaves or rubbish, a higher frequency filter to take out wind vibration in wires and a third filter to take care of lightning strikes. A system will alarm if frequencies detected at the controller have an amplitude typical of a human being-sized object, shows a frequency consistent with an object loitering or moving around or crawling in the detection zone, or a signal change that continues over a long period of time. Quality solutions are not only reliable but they have excellent detection rates between 98-100 per cent and can be installed in zones. Capacitive solutions are considered by some to be among the best sensors available for higher security fence applications and they are great from an economy point of view on larger sites. Be sure your fences are too high to jump and cannot be easily dug or crawled under. That means anchoring, burying or embedding footings and fixings in concrete. A fence with a capacitive installation needs to be taut and not flex due to wind or the opening of gates. To avoid false alarms you’ll also need to maintain an area on both sides of the fence of about half a metre that’s clear of plant life.
Q: We’re an end user with an old Toshiba timelapse recorder with 4 Samsung analogue cameras and an analogue quad. The cameras work pretty well on the monitor but the recordings have suddenly turned to snow on the monitor in our office. I’m writing to you because when we spoke to an installer we were told we needed to rip the entire system out and start again. Could you give us some idea of the trouble so we know whether it’s just the camera that needs replacing as we are babes in the woods with technology.
Q: We’ve just completed a surveillance installation that quite frankly, turned into a circus. While we had agreement from one level of management on what was required, other groups in the company and engineering staff had other ideas. The issues were endless, from access to power, access to network closets, changes to the building façade that covered a key field of view and because it’s a wet cement site there’s an issue with the trees that have been planted. There was more but it’s pointless to moan about it now. I’m not sure if this is common from the point of view of other integrators?
A: Given the images are fine on the monitor live and snowy on the recordings it sounds like a VCR problem. Snowy pictures can be caused by a weak input off the broadcast signal. A tech would need to carefully check to see if one channel of the video head is dusty or defective. It’s also possible that the head amp IC might be partly defective, the RF cord might be defective, or that video tapes might be poor quality. If you’re experiencing large-grained snowy raster then it’s likely both channels of the video head are either dusty or defective, or that the head amp itself is defective. Further,
Capacitive solutions are considered by some to be among the best sensors available for higher security fence applications and they are great from an economy point of view on larger sites if you find that the machine’s still picture is snowy, that the quick finder is snowy and that the picture jumps it’s likely that both channels have weak video heads or that tape tension is not adjusted properly. We agree with your installer. Keep your analogue cameras by all means – Samsung makes a lovely analogue camera. But it’s time to buy a DVR. They are not as expensive as they used to be and the convenience in searching and exporting is so great as to make the thousand and a half dollars or so a 4-input unit will cost you when installed a real bargain. zzz
A: Yes – any green field installation is an organic rolling project and the more interested parties there are, the harder the installation is likely to be. Yours sounds particularly challenging, however. And a bit strange, given that a well-designed system will be mapped out well in advance. Before beginning installations it’s obviously important to negotiate the necessary path of cables with site engineers. It’s vital to find relevant power supplies before the installation. The location of power and comms is going to have some impact on the layout of the system. You’d want to look at building overhangs or locations where building projections could conceal an intruder from the camera’s view. But you know this already. At this point we’d be registering our concerns about these troubles in documented form, trying to establish your client’s chain of command and asking about plans for the future well in advance.
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events
DECEMBER 2013 – JULY 2014
November 2013 Issue 349
IFSEC India
SALES MACHINE
Date: 7-12 December, 2013 Venue: India Expo Center, Greater Noidia, India Contact: +91 (0) 22-6172-7272 India’s largest Commercial, Government Security & Fire safety show will return to showcase latest technologies, products, innovations and act as a launch pad for introducing new products & technologies, as well as being the platform for generating leads, one-to-one interactions & generating enquiries.
l St Paul’s College Installs Salto l IP Vs Analogue – The Tipping Point l New Name, New Manager For QVS l Aimetis Symphony Protects Artisan l Hikvision Embraces Plug And Play l Axis Releases IP Access Control l The Interview: BGW’s Laurie Murphy l What Was New At ASIS 2013 l Pacom’s Awesome Staging Room
PP 100001158
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Intersec 2014 Dubai Date: 19-21 January, 2014 Venue: International Convention and Exhibition Center, Dubai, U.A.E. Contact: +971-4-389-4500 Intersec is the leading international meeting platform for the Security & Safety industry. For 15 years Intersec has proven to be the no. 1 business platform in the MENA region.
Secutech International 2014 Date: 19-21 March, 2014 Venue: Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan Contact: +886-2-2659-9080 ext. 660 In 2013, more new faces were attracted to Secutech as the industry is going through transformation. More than 30 per cent of international visiting companies were at Secutech for the first time and more than half of them had an IT background.
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ISC West Date: 2-4 April, 2014 Venue: Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A. Contact: +1-203-840-5602 ISC West is the largest physical security show in North America featuring over 1,000 exhibitors in one place in just 3 days. You’ll see more breakthrough product unveils than ever before.
Safety & Security Asia
= DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.
Date: 22 – 25 April, 2014 Venue: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Contact: 65 6278 8666 SSA 2014 will present an array of issues and challenges faced by the government and civilians to increase awareness of the importance of maintaining security in numerous forms. Congruently, a series of solutions and strategic plans are also exhibited to encourage and enlighten the people on ways they can adapt to combat this heightening threat.
Secutech Thailand Date: 3 – 5 July, 2014 Venue: Bangkok / Thailand Contact: 886 2 2659 9080 Ext. 665 Secutech Thailand is a dynamic trading platform for security, fire and safety that helps spearhead security businesses into Pan Asia. Technology includes CCTV, access control, biometrics, RFID, smart cards, gate/fence, intrusion alarms, intercoms and networking solutions.
DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.
November 2013 Issue 349
SALES MACHINE l St Paul’s College Installs Salto l IP Vs Analogue – The Tipping Point l New Name, New Manager For QVS l Aimetis Symphony Protects Artisan l Hikvision Embraces Plug And Play l Axis Releases IP Access Control l The Interview: BGW’s Laurie Murphy l What Was New At ASIS 2013 l Pacom’s Awesome Staging Room
WEBSITE
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NEW IP CAMERAS Ranging 1.3MP to 5MP
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