February2015 Issue 362
smart phome l Rec Xpress integration l Triple Shield DIY solution l New transistors herald big change l Bosch Dinion IP ultra 8000MP l Best new products of 2014 l Plug and play IP video l Review: Axis Q6000-E l Hills Professional IP range
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T RU ST E D T EC H N O LO GY F O R 70 Y E A R S
editorial s ec u ri ty e l e ct ro n i c s & netwo r ks fe b r ua ry 20 15 issue 362
Happy New Year!
Y
OU can’t help standing on the brink of a new year without wondering what the future holds for our industry. We’ve all read about the financial situation in Europe, the possible slow down of China, the stop-start recovery of the U.S. now overshadowed by an oil price-war, our own resources boom waning yet bolstered by a falling currency. Given the intellectual labour of making sense of all these variables it’s easier to focus on something over which we have control, like the TV remote. But there are conclusions to be drawn, not just from the conditions we face in 2015, but from the long shadows cast by the global financial crisis, which in most parts of the world is still misshaping technology. Many of the products we’ve seen over the past 5 years remind me of Kylie Tennant’s can-do Aussie battlers, constraining internal combustion with fencing wire and the guileless panache of those without a choice. Of course, it’s not the long paddock our industry’s battlers contend with but the weight of years bent by the downward tilt of falling margins, and the chasing of volume, all this leading to that place of untold dread, commoditisation. Yet there’s more to the story of commoditisation than this and there’s absolutely nothing depressing about it. While manufacturers are standardising components and distributors are rebranding solutions from
By John Adams
The best products in our industry are noticeably better than the rest. They provide more coverage, integrate more effectively and offer significantly superior performance. those manufacturers possessed of the most overwhelming economies of scale, quality is high and functionality continues to reach new heights of excellence. In my opinion, what this means is that our industry stands at the doorway to massive lateral growth. Part of the story of falling prices is that finally every home and every business can afford to leverage the unquestioned power of electronic security solutions for safety, security and general management of internal affairs. The lower tier of electronic security solutions is robust, compact, comparatively powerful and so resistant to the elements that sensible installation by technical teams possessed of merely average dedication assures unnatural long life. And while these entry-level solutions are good in their way, there is simply no questioning the unbridled power of high-end gear in all parts of the market. The best products in our industry are noticeably better than the rest. They provide more coverage, integrate more effectively and offer significantly superior performance. And this applies to detectors, cameras, management solutions, storage solutions, locking devices and remote management apps. The good stuff is very, very good. When I first joined the security industry in 1391, there were 4 CCTV brands on the Australian
market. Their logos were slightly different but there was nothing much in it. Importantly from a technical perspective, there was practically no scope for variation. Within the body of each camera an electrical waveform ran from CCD through the dizzy wizardry of knee circuitry, was ushered by the glory of a multiplexer to the muzzle of a cathode gun where it was blasted at light speed into a wall of phosphor. Things were not much different for alarm panels in the Middle Ages. You had the choice of 2, EDM or Ness, one of which was activated by a warded camkey most users left in the lock for the sake of convenience in the technological equivalent of hiding the front door key under the mat. And it wasn’t that these solutions weren’t reliable and comparatively excellent at what they did, because they were. Simply, the state and cost of technology left no scope to blow a user’s socks off. In those days, the primary sales technique was fear, which is a good technique as Presbyterian children will tell you, but it only works on a fixed minority of the population. What works on absolutely everyone is a sales pitch enlivened by a solution’s extreme flexibility to offer safety, security, convenience, protection from liability, improved productivity, improved efficiency of adjacent systems like lighting and air conditioning, and all this sculpted by useability and globally empowered by connectivity. zzz
se&n 03
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Brisbane Monday 4th May 2015 Sydney Wednesday 6th May 2015 Melbourne Monday 11th May 2015 Adelaide Wednesday 13th May 2015 Perth Monday 18th May 2015 Enquiries please contact Monique Keatinge +612 9280 4425
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20: Rec Xpress 24/7 Fitness Centres
feb 15
Businesses and organisations wondering about ways they might have mitigated the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris, are going to need to concentrate hard on the basics.
42: Dinion IP ultra 8000MP Bosch will release its new Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP day/night camera early in 2015. This 1/2.3-inch camera offers 4K UHD at 30ips, strong WDR, minimum scene illumination of around 2lux in colour at 4K and loads of other features. SEN got a sneak peak late December.
Vic Watch Security has undertaken an Inner Range Integriti security management system upgrade for Melbourne’s Rec Xpress 24/7 Fitness Centres. The solution supports 12,000 cardholders, is spread across 3 sites and integrates with a Hikvision video surveillance system. 32: A time of war
imaging, communication and computing. Improving its performance directly enhances device performance, especially that of photodetectors.
48
48: Best products of 2014 2014 was a strong year for new product releases in all market segments. We saw good things in CCTV, alarms and access control. Perhaps the changes were more evolutionary than revolutionary, except in the area of remote management.
34: Triple Shield
52: Plug and play
The alarms market is going to run head first into DIY competitors over the next couple of years and one of the first of a new wave in Australia is Triple Shield from Omnivision’s residential/consumer arm, My Home Connect.
One of the growth sectors of the IP video surveillance market is plug and play solutions that combine the power and flexibility of IP video with extreme ease of installation. In this feature, we’ll take a look at the capabilities of some of the market leaders.
40: Fat trans SIGNAL amplification is at the core of all electronic security systems, impacting on
66: Axis 360 AXIS Communications has released the
76 42 10
66
regulars
Axis Q6000-E, a unit that attaches to the Q60-E to offer a surveillance solution whose simplicity of installation belies its inherent power. 72: Simplicity is a virtue
10: news Latest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world.
52
62: monitoring If anything is going to shape the nature of the alarm monitoring industry in years to come it will be the way people interact with information. It’s a seismic shift the industry still doesn’t seem to be entirely on top of.
Hills IP CCTV range is built around an 8-input NVR with a 3TB hard drive and a selection of extremely capable IP66rated, 3MP network cameras. It’s a solution designed to eliminate the thorny issues of networking entirely.
76: editor’s choice What’s new from our manufacturers. 80: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.
February2015 Issue 362
SMART PHOME
PP 100001158
l Rec Xpress integration l Triple Shield DIY solution l New transistors herald big change l Bosch Dinion IP ultra 8000MP l Best new products of 2014 l Plug and play IP video l Review: Axis Q6000-E l Hills Professional IP range
SEM215_1cover.indd 1
28/01/15 11:19 AM
Publisher Bridge Publishing Aust. Pty Ltd ABN 11 083 704 858 PO Box 237 Darlinghurst NSW 1300 tel 61 2 9280 4425 fax 61 2 9280 4428 email info@bridge publishing.com.au
Editor John Adams Advertising Manager Monique Keatinge Customer Service Annette Mathews tel 61 2 9280 4425 annette@bridge publishing.com.au Design Tania Simanowsky e: taniasdesign@ optusnet.com.au
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CSD expands in the West p.12 Axis Opens New Sydney Office p.16 Hills Offering 24-hour product pick-up p.16 Samsung To Sell Stake in CCTV Business p.18
news in brief F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 5
Hikvision 2014 sales were $US2.82 billion
co m p i l ed by j ohn ada m s
Michael Bates
Fire Takes Off
■
Xtralis, distributed locally by Hills Ltd, continues to grow market share according to the latest IHS Technology report titled “The World Market for Fire Detection and Suppression Products – 2014 Edition.” The measure of fire detector manufacturers shows Xtralis rose from 7th in 2006 to 4th in 2013 with a 6.3 per cent global market share, up from 5 per cent in
2006. Xtralis continues to have a significant lead in the aspirating smoke detection (ASD) category of fire detectors, with an estimated 61.3 per cent market share, up over 15 per cent from 2006 levels. That share does not include China, where Xtralis believes its market share exceeds 80 per cent from sales of its VESDA, ICAM, and FMST ASD products.
CSD Opens New Fyshwick Branch n CSD opened its new ACT branch on February 2. According to CSD’s Mark Cunnington, the branch, located at Unit 1/15 Quilpie Crescent, Fyshwick, will be bringing the world’s best brands to the ACT. “We are pleased to announce that Charlie Stokes will be leading the team as operations manager,” said CSD’s Mark Cunnington. “Originally from Tumut, Charlie has been with CSD for more than 4 years and is almost returning home with this new role. “Charlie will be joined at the Fyshwick branch by Mitchell Laidlaw who will be taking up the warehouse and customer support role. Mitchell is relocating from
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our Northmead (Sydney) office so we will be opening our newest branch with an experienced team on hand and ready to assist. Both Charlie and Mitchell will be working closely with Mark Edwards the NSW/ACT state manager.” According to Cunnington, the new branch will stock and supply a comprehensive range of CSD products available for immediate supply. “Customers are always welcome to view our demo products in the new showroom,” he said. “The branch also features meeting rooms which can be utilised by our customers for end user presentations with back-up
support from our team. The new CSD branch at Fyshwick will house a dedicated training area which will allow on-line training of Inner Range’s product offering.
“If you’re after immediate supply of security products, great advice or you’re simply wanting to see some exciting new security devices, plan a trip to the latest CSD branch”
HIKVISION has announced the company’s financial results for the year ending December 31st 2014, achieving revenues of $US2.82 billion. The company has continued its extraordinary growth rate in 2014, increasing sales of $1.76 billion in 2013 by 60 per cent. Hikvision has achieved a CAGR of 56 per cent from 2004 to 2014 and firmly entrenched itself as the global leader in CCTV, more than double the size of its nearest competitor. Most impressive of all, Hikvision’s net profit of 25 per cent will facilitate staggering R&D investment of over $190 million in 2015, ensuring the company will continue to set benchmarks for the industry. “Hikvision’s investment in R&D is the critical element which has allowed the company to rewrite industry standards on what is achievable,” says Hikvision Oceania’s sales director, Michael Bates. “Hikvision will continue to surge ahead in 2015 with some very exciting new technologies and products and a focus on increasing our penetration into the project market.” In further news, Hikvision has been ranked as one of the 3 leading companies in the global security market in A&S 2014 Security 50. “Locally, the Hikvision Oceania office has now been up and running for just over 12 months and we are very proud that our regional growth will be over 100 per cent for the year ending December 2014,” said Bates.
Avigilon helps you identify the 2014-May-05 07:38:09.223 PM
who was caught 2014-May-05 07:38:09.223 PM
on the campus 2014-May-05 07:38:09.223 PM
while analogue helps you identify CAM1 2014-May-5 07:38:09 PM
Only our high-definition campus surveillance solutions give you the full story. Give your campus the security it needs with Avigilon’s high-definition surveillance systems. Our broad range of cameras provides complete coverage options for all campus environments, while keeping bandwidth levels low. Learn how Avigilon can help you maintain a safe and secure learning environment at avigilon.com/education
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Unit 6, 35 Dunlop Rd MULGRAVE 3170 vic@centralsd.com.au
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Marleston – SA Balcatta - WA Loganholme – QLD (08) 8468 8400 (08) 6465 1500 South Australia (07) 3333 0800 www.centralsd.com.au Northmead, NSW Alexandria, NSW Queensland Western Australia Unit 6, 185 Briens Road NORTHMEAD 2152 nsw@centralsd.com.au
Unit 23, 56-58 O’Riordan St ALEXANDRIA 2015 nsw@centralsd.com.au
Unit 9, 17 Cairns Street LOGANHOLME 4129 qld@centralsd.com.au
21 Grove Avenue MARLESTON 5033 sa@centralsd.com.au
Unit 1, 1 Natalie Way BALCATTA 6021 wa@centralsd.com.au
2014-06-17 12:06 PM
news
CSD Expands in the West
F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 5
UTC Security Grows Sales 11 Per Cent in 2014 n UNITED Technologies Corp’s UTC Climate, Controls & Security equipment orders increased 11 per cent organically in 2014. However, revenues remained unchanged year-onyear at $US4.2 billion. Operating profit at UTC Climate Controls & Security remained flat at $623 million. UTC lowered its full-year earnings forecast to $6.85 to $7.05 per share on revenue of $65 billion to $66 billion. In December, the company also said that it expected to earn $7 to $7.20 per share for 2015.
Dahua Enhances CCTV for AB DNB Bank n AB DNB Bank is the third largest bank in Lithuania with 26 branches, as well as cooperating with SEB VILNIAUS BANKAS bank to operate the largest ATM network in the country. In order to safeguard customers, employees and assets, AB DNB bank decided to enhance security. The project demanded not only network cameras but
also NVRs and Dahua’s HD network (motorized) IR-bullet cameras and HD WDR network cameras were selected to protect every corner of each branch. Upgrades covered the most important areas of the bank, including the front desk, counter, lobby and ATMs. The camera models used include the HDBW3300P full HD vandal-proof network
(IR) dome camera, which has IP66 weatherproofing and dust-proofing. IK10-rated vandal resistance protects against violent attacks. Managing and providing recording for each site are Dahua’s DH-NVR4216 Network NVRs, which provide high-quality video with 1080p real-time live view, so staff can get access to the security status immediately in the surveillance centre. “Banks require the highest level of security compared to other verticals,” said Tim Shen, marketing director at Dahua Technology. “Dahua’s solution provides the specific features the bank requires, such as WDR, HD as well as real-time playback. With Dahua’s video surveillance system, AB DNB Bank is capable of enhancing its security to provide a secure environment for the business and the employees.”
With Dahua’s video surveillance system, AB DNB Bank is capable of enhancing its security to provide a secure environment for the business and the employees.
Sony ANZ Conducts Certified Technical Training n SONY conducted a series of Sony Certified Technical Training courses recently. Encompassing Australia and New Zealand, the sessions were run over October and November in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. According to Sony, these sessions were designed to equip installers to confidently install Sony video security products and set the cameras up to achieve the best image possible for the scenario. Conducted by Sony ANZ’s regional product manager Mark Franklin the sessions combined technical
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knowledge with hands on experience. The sessions were split into 2 sections, Installation and Camera set-up. “The installation portion showed how to install, configure and update Sony products quickly and effectively; while the camera set-up section illustrated how to configure and optimise a camera to deal with environmental conditions such low lighting, high-contrast scenes, street lighting and motion blur, among others,” explains Franklin. “Sony tools and technologies, such as SNC Toolbox and
View-DR, which assist with commonly faced image quality and installation problems were explained and demonstrated.”
The next sessions of Certified Technical Training will continue in 2015. For more information contact sonypro. anz@ap.sony.com.
Ray Mills
CSD has announced further expansions to the Western Australian team with the appointment of an enterprise business development manager and a new state manager. Joining CSD as the new WA state manager is Ray Mills, who will bring to the role a wealth of technical knowledge as well as management and sales experience accumulated over more than 20 years in the industry. Mills will be commencing his role with CSD in early January. Paul Knight has been appointed as the new national product manager for Security & Alarm Products and will be based in the WA sales branch. Paul’s extensive knowledge and experience will be a welcome addition to the national team. CSD has also expanded its sales team with the engagement of an enterprise business development manager, Simon Buchanan. Simon has more than 20 years experience in integration and sales and will be a valuable asset to the CSD team. “We are continuing to build the CSD brand across the country and with these changes to the WA business, continued success and growth is expected,” said Peter Grimshaw, CSD’s national sales manager. “Western Australia is an important growing market for CSD and we are looking to build an even stronger branch to support those sales.”
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For all the features and to see AXIS Q6000-E in action, visit www.axis.com
Distributed by:
news F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 5
Ian Harris (l) and Larry Kallenbach
Dahua Appoints Seadan Exclusive Distributor in Australia
C
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n RAPIDLY emerging Chinese CCTV powerhouse Dahua has announced Seadan Security & Electronics as exclusive brand distributor of its products in Australia. Dahua is an advanced video surveillance solution provider manufacturing leading edge CCTV software and hardware, while Seadan Security & Electronics is a leading Australian wholesale supplier of security system solutions, including CCTV. The partnership and exclusive distribution agreement allows Seadan to actively promote Dahua’s video surveillance products to the Australian market. Seadan will utilise its extensive national branch network and regional distribution centres, including Sprint Intercom & Security. “The alliance with Dahua brings greater depth and wider reach to the most innovative range of video surveillance Australia has ever encountered” said Ian Harris, managing director of Seadan. “Our customers will
appreciate the sophisticated and revolutionary CCTV systems that will provide video surveillance like never before”. Harris says with more than 3500 engineers in its R&D department, Dahua is a force to be reckoned with. According to Harris, Dahua is rapidly becoming one of the most respected names in global video surveillance due to its dedication and concentration on providing products that exemplify leading edge technology, quality, reliability and continuous improvement. Dahua has enjoyed much recognition, awarded ‘Top 10 Security Brand in China’ for nine years as well as being ranked 6th in the ‘Security 50’ by A&S magazine for 5 years. Moreover, Dahua has seized the second largest market share in the electronic security industry, according to 2014 IMS global report. “Seadan is pleased to be appointed the exclusive supplier of Dahua, and its products are now on display in all its showrooms across Australia,” Harris said.
Avigilon Acquires More Video Analytics Patents n AVIGILON announced recently that it has acquired 96 more patents for video content analysis software. This comes around a month after it acquired all of Objectvideo’s patents and licensing agreements. Avigilon is a major supplier of video surveillance equipment. Objectvideo
was a supplier of patents and licensing agreements for video content analysis software.
Security control at your fingertips Solution 2000 & 3000
NEW RELEASE
Built around the concepts of lifestyle, connectivity and expandability, Bosch introduce the Solution 2000 & 3000 alarm panels. Offering 4+4 and 8+8 zones respectively, Solution 2000 & 3000 give you everything you love about the Solution Ultima with the added bonus of IP & GPRS communication options and 4 on-board outputs, with an optional output expander to add 8 more relays. With LCD Icon, Alphanumeric LCD keypads and a range of touchscreen options, controlling your security system has never been simpler, especially with the Bosch smartphone app available for IOS & AndroidOS. These panels are even NBN ready with integrated CSV-IP communications*. Add remote programming via USB/PSTN/IP using A-Link Plus software and the option of wireless expansion using Radion (for Solution 3000 only), and you have an extremely agile security system that can cater for residential and small to medium commercial applications. All at an extremely competitive price! With future expansion options in coming months incorporating video integration and home automation, Bosch is excited to present the Solution 2000 & 3000. For more details visit: www.boschsecurity.com.au or contact your nearest Bosch Security Systems distributor. * some functions mentioned require additional modules.
Bosch National Order Desk: 1 3000 BOSCH (26724) Security Master License No: 409 400 739 Email: stsales@au.bosch.com
Smartphone app for IOS & AndroidOS
available now
news F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 5
n HILLS Ltd will trial new secure lockers to allow customers to pick up orders outside business hours. The new lockers will be available for customers to collect their orders outside business hours at Hills super centres in Hendra (Qld). James Macrae, group sales manager, Queensland, said the lockers were an important part of improving customer service. “These lockers facilitate greater access for our customers, they are easy to use and secure,” McCrae said. “Our customers have been telling us that they would like more options
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and flexibility in picking up goods. “Making our products available after hours maximises the time our customers can spend in the field and means they can pick up products at a time most convenient to them. “We will trial these lockers and obtain feedback from our customers on how we can further improve our customer service experience. “This is about Hills delivering on its customer service promises and responding to growing community demand for greater flexibility in receiving goods.”
Pär Ahlberger (l), Ray Mauritsson and Wai King Wong
Sir William Gallagher
Axis Opens New Sydney Office n AXIS Communications has expanded operations in Australia with the opening of a new office in Sydney’s Norwest Business Park, Bella Vista. The new office includes an Axis Experience Centre, which allows customers and channel partners to see how Axis solutions can be set up and used in practice. “It’s always an exciting time when you out-grow one office and move to another,” said Oceania country manager, Wai King Wong. “As a company we’re very pleased with our continued progress in New South Wales, as well as Australia as a whole. “The new space will allow us to hold specific in-house training with a designated training area, as well as a larger boardroom with state-
of-the-art video conferencing facilities.” To mark the special occasion, the Swedish Ambassador to Australia, Pär Ahlberger, and Axis CEO Ray Mauritsson joined around 20 guests, including distributors, resellers and partners, at an official office-opening event.
The new space will allow us to hold specific in-house training with a designated training area, as well as a larger boardroom with state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities
GALLAGHER has won at the New Zealand Engineering Innovators of the Year Award at the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards held in Auckland. A Gallagher product development team responsible for designing 2 world-leading perimeter security technology devices - the K20 Tensioner Link System and Z10 Tension Sensor – collected the award. “We’re very proud of our people” said Gallagher Group CEO, Sir William Gallagher. “It’s wonderful to receive an award that recognises how brilliant and innovative our team is.” Gallagher’s winning team comprised 4 core members of the wider Gallagher product development team: senior product manager, Craig Malins; technical engineer, Paul Reid; senior electronics engineer, Keith Gallagher; and technical leader, Andrew Bealing.our intrusion security portfolio offering so that we can continue to deliver the most innovative and intuitive solutions to our customers in the residential, commercial and service provider segments.”
Sir William Gallagher (Tony Deurson, NZ Portrait Gallery)
Hills Offering 24-hour product pick-up
Gallagher Team Takes Top Engineering Award
The Future of SECURE ACCESS Control
Secure 128bit AES Encryption
Multi-Tone Audible Feedback
Encrypted from Card to Door Module
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Water & Dust Proof to IP65
Size 39(w) x 93(h) x 15(d) mm
SMART CARD READER TECHNOLOGY
1300 319 499
www.centralsd.com.au
Product Specialists
Ash Ramanayake M. 0428 538 330 ash.r@centralsd.com.au
Rusty Blake M. 0439 326 757 russell.blake@innerrange.com
news
Samsung To Sell Stake in CCTV Business to Hanwha Group
f e b rua ry 2 0 1 5
Jong-Wan-Lim
Hills Technology Expo n TO celebrate its 70th birthday in 2015, Hills will host an exclusive technology expo for customers, vendors, suppliers and industry consultants. To be held over 3 days in March 2015, the event will showcase Hills’ Security, CCTV, IT, AV, Communications and Health technology solutions. “This will be the first time we showcase all of Hills trusted technologies and turnkey solutions in one
place for our customers, sales team, system integrators, industry consultants and specifiers,” said Hills security practice lead Kobi Ben-Shabat. “In the security, CCTV and IT sectors, we will be exhibiting a range of products from our key brands, including Panasonic, Interlogix, Axis, Ruckus, PowerShield, Mobotix. Assa Abloy, Sophos, EMC, Juniper, Cambium and many more,” said Daniel Lee, head of
Hills CCTV and IT practice. As one of the largest value-added distributors in Australia, Hills wants to demonstrate its unique service capacity to the industry. Hills entire sales force will be on hand to show key customers and leading industry consultants the power of its products. “We have had a significant strategic overhaul and we want Hills customers, vendors and suppliers to get first-hand experience of our
vision for Hills future,” said Ben-Shabat. The event will be held on 1012 March 2015 at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney.
We have had a significant strategic overhaul and we want Hills customers, vendors and suppliers to get first-hand experience of our vision for Hills future
SAMSUNG Electronics is to sell the holding stake in its security division, Samsung Techwin, to South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group. According to a statement, Samsung will sell more than 13.5 million shares of Samsung Techwin to Hanwha Group for 661 billion won ($US596 million). The company said that the funds from the sale would be used for investments in new businesses and to strengthen its core competencies. With the acquisition, Hanwha Group now owns a 32.4 percent stake in Samsung Techwin. The agreement will result in the controlling shareholders of Samsung Techwin, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T and other Samsung Group affiliates, selling their holding stakes in Samsung Techwin and Samsung General Chemicals to Hanwha for about $1.7 billion. The transaction is expected to be completed during the first half of 2015 and is subject to approval from antitrust regulatory authorities.
Vale Keith Hankinson
Hikvision makes key new Australian appointments
n Hills Ltd’s Keith Hankinson died in a tragic 6-car accident when another car pushed his vehicle into the path of an oncoming truck on January 8. He was 52. Hankinson had spent many years in the Australian CCTV industry, mostly with Pacific Communications, now Hills Ltd. He excelled at product selection and system design and loved his photography. Hankinson will be remembered by those who knew him for his good-nature and his generous spirit.
n “FOLLOWING year on year growth of 95 per cent in 2014, Hikvision Oceania’s aim in 2015 is to exceed this growth and become the number one CCTV manufacturer in the region,” says Hikvision Oceania’s Michael Bates. “To help us achieve this goal, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Hancock and Ricardo Fernandez in new business development roles. Chris has had 7 years of experience in the security industry, 5 years with Anixter and 2 years with BGW primarily on project work. He will be focused on further development of enterprise opportunities.
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“Meanwhile, Ricardo has 7 years’ experience at both security integrator and distribution level, most recently with EOS Australia, and will work with security integrators to increase
Hikvision’s dominance in the entry to middle level of the market. Hikvision will be recruiting for several other roles to support our rapid expansion in 2015.”
Ricardo Fernandez (l), Michael Bates and Chris Hancock
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Rec Xpress 24 /7 Fitness Centres Vic Watch Security has undertaken an Inner Range Integriti security management system upgrade for Melbourne’s Rec Xpress 24/7 Fitness Centres. The solution supports 12,000 cardholders, is spread across 3 sites and integrates with a Hikvision video surveillance system. 20 se&n
by john adam s
2
4-hour fitness centres are wonderfully convenient, giving busy customers the opportunity to wedge in a workout at any time of the day or night. But every 24-hour business needs to think extra hard about security and safety. For Rec Xpress 24/7 Fitness Centres, the ideal solution had to manage access, report intrusion and duress events, as well as integrating video monitoring with event recording. A key issue for any 24-hour fitness centre is ensuring that only members use the facilities and the best way to ensure this is to integrate access control events with video surveillance in a single workstation to create an indelible event trail. And because Rec Xpress has a light management footprint, saving time lost in investigations between disparate systems is a big deal. The icing on the cake with the Integriti upgrade is building automation that reduces energy costs. To meet the needs of its client, integrator Vic Watch Security installed an enterprise Integriti solution integrated with Hikvision video surveillance and leveraged the capabilities of both systems to offer some really clever building automation. This nice work from Vic Watch shows just how capable Integriti actually is.
The original installation The story began nearly 3 years ago when the owners of Rec Xpress in Melbourne opened their first gym in Carnegie. “Rec Xpress management contacted us to provide them with a quote for an access control and intrusion detection solution,” explains Peter Back of integrator, Vic Watch. According to Back, when he visited the first Rec Xpress site it was an empty shell and while there
was no talk of expansion, he knew Concept 4000 offered the ability to expand to cover additional sites should this be required. As things turned out, the system’s future-proof nature really paid off. “I presented them with the product I knew best delivered what they wanted at the time – Inner Range’s Concept 4000,” says Back. “At that stage there was no plan for an expansion of the gym. We ran through what the Concept 4000 could do in terms of user management and integrated security and I asked Etwell Pausigere from Central Security Distribution to come down to speak with our clients. Rec Xpress was very impressed with the system and its capabilities and wanted to move forward from there.”
The Rec Xpress upgrade As time passed, the Rec Xpress business began to grow and once the company had opened 2 more fitness centres, management began to feel the need to centralise the security management function.
A key issue for any 24-hour fitness centre is ensuring that only members use the facilities and the best way to ensure this is to integrate access control events with video surveillance in a single workstation to create an indelible event trail.
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“Recently, we sat down again with Rec Xpress,” explains Back. “Once we got talking it was clear it wasn’t just an access control system they needed but an all-in-one solution that could manage security, access control and CCTV. They also wanted a security system that could do an autoarm if there was no one in the gym – that meant automation. “The Vic Watch team approached CSD looking for a high-level integrated solution both with Integriti and with a CCTV product and Hikvision was put forward as front runner thanks to its integration with Integriti. “We went back to Rec Express and told them about the new Integriti system, which was of the same family as the Concept…but a newer model, newer features and a new GUI. As well as being a full enterprise solution, Integriti also integrates with IP video surveillance. “As we did the presentation we ended up selling Integriti to ourselves as well as to the customer,” laughs Back. “We all fell in love with how easy this product is in terms of backward compatibility with Concept 4000, as well as integrating and talking with other systems. From an integrator’s point of view, it’s just a very good solution.” According to Back, at the same time as presenting Integriti, Vic Watch unveiled the Hikvision CCTV solution, which would integrate with access control events and allow everything to be driven through a single interface using one Integriti time signal. This is an important capability because in the past the state of technology meant staff had to use 2 different unsynchronised systems to investigate incidents, a process which was flawed and inefficient. “Our Integriti and Hikvision integration eliminated these synchronisation issues between systems. We found the Integriti is a very powerful tool because not only do you have the integration, Integriti synchronises the 2 systems together, saving time. If there’s a door event with a door, management can right-click in the Integriti event log and view the CCTV footage exactly at it occurred at the time. “This capability is why the client has fallen in love with Integriti,” Back explains. “And it’s so easy to drive for managers who are not technically-minded.
After the success of their first gym, Rec Xpress opened a second and then a third gym. What they needed was for members to be able to go to any Rec Xpress gym and have access to its facilities 22 se&n
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David and Tanya Piotrowski, Rec Xpress
If you know your way around a computer, even to search the internet or create a document, it’s very simple to operate.” Meanwhile, CSD’s Etwell Pausigere says the other feature Rec Xpress wanted was to synchronise the databases between multiple sites so they would only need one database and one server for all their members. “With the Concept 4000 they were running their separate sites as standalone systems,” Pausigere explains. “Now with Integriti all of their sites connect to a central server and they manage all their cardholders with the one database. This saves them a lot of time.” Important too, this Integriti upgrade gives Rec Xpress a global solution - a member can use their access card across multiple gym sites. “That global access control is a key aspect of the solution,” says Back. “After the success of their first gym, Rec Xpress opened a second and then a third gym. What they needed was for members to be able to go to any Rec Xpress gym and have access to its facilities. This is why with the upgrade all the sites needed to connect to one Integriti server.” As well as centralised programming through Integriti, Back says there are plans to integrate the Rec Xpress billing management system with Integriti as well. “Again this system goes to the next level and provides Rec Xpress with a more complete solution,” says Back. “It’s end-to-end, it’s highlevel, it’s open-ended in terms of its integration capabilities. We’re always finding that it can do something more. This is why for us moving forward from here as a company we want to continue using Integriti because it’s a product that is very powerful, it’s a product that we love, it’s a product that we want to push as hard as we can. We don’t want to look back at other products. Integriti is right for us.”
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System architecture In terms of system architecture, the Integriti server is located at the Rec Xpress head office at Brighton East. Running over a secure 3G WAN, this server manages all 3 remote locations. The Hikvision video surveillance solution, which includes NVRs and cameras located at each fitness centre, is also centralised at Brighton East over the company WAN. At remote sites, client workstations and local controllers communicate back to the central server. Everything gets routed through the server. Even if a remote site wanted to control an object (i.e. unlock a door) at their local site, the command would be sent to the server and the server would send it back to the controller. Controllers are not dependent upon the server, however. If the link to the server or the server goes down, all local access control and security events will be processed as normal by the local controller. Any events that occur when the link to the server is offline will be buffered in the controller and automatically re-synchronised when the link is re-established. In the past, it was necessary for staff to visit each site to work on databases but this centralised system design means there’s no need for any of that. According to Back, the Rec Xpress 3G service has proved equal to the task, with only minor drop-outs on the ISP side. “Obviously, should the network go down, local management can still do changes locally,” explains Back. “And when the network comes up again, the data gets sucked out of local sites, through the server and automatically uploaded to Integriti controllers on all Rec Xpress sites. The architecture is fully
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distributed, with the entire user database residing locally in each of the remote Integriti controllers, giving business continuity.” When it comes to intrusion detection devices and access control points, numbers are not huge, though the CCTV side is proportionately quite large, which is to be expected in a 24-hour gym. Importantly, most the cabling, sensors, door controllers, strikes and door hardware from the Concept 4000 system could be switched over to Integriti as part of the upgrade. According to Back, in terms of intrusion sensors, each site has 8-10 PIRs per site and being a 24-hour establishment, each fitness centre also has wireless duress pendants. The idea here is that members can wear the pendants while they are working out. “If you’re in the gym by yourself at 3am in the morning and you’ve fallen or hurt yourself and can’t get access to a phone, you have the pendant right there so you can alert security. “Importantly, all of these sites are monitored 24/7 using the Inner Range Multipath STU’s,” Back says. “We’ve provided specific instructions for security operators at the monitoring station in case they receive an alarm from a pendant. From a management point of view, all of the managers have the Hikvision App on their phone or tablet and if there are any issues at any time they can remotely log in and see what has gone on…they have the flexibility of historic and live viewing.” While management can also use the Integriti mobile App, Back says they are not doing so at the moment. The nature of the business means remote video view in the event of an alarm is more important than offsite management of what is an extremely stable and
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Given the sites have between 8-12 cameras each, using 16-channel NVRs allows for extremely fast and affordable expansion in the future. robust, fully-distributed system. In terms of access controlled doors at the fitness centres, one of the sites has one entry point and the others have 2, one front entrance and one rear entrance, with 2 readers per door allowing badging in and out. “Part of the requirements is that all members must badge in and out of the gym,” explains Back. “Having 2-way badging allows the system to report who has been in and out, as well as giving management a snaphot of how many people are in the gym at any one time.” It also allows the introduction of automation. The way this works is that the system is set up to use the counting function within Integriti and when the building count reaches zero, Integriti arms the system. Conversely, as soon as an authorised member arrives and badges at the entrance, the system disarms and turns on the lights.
Integrating video surveillance A key aspect of this system is video surveillance. According to Back, while there is a security capability with CCTV, the primary reason coverage is so extensive is something else altogether. “We use 8-12 cameras per site to deliver 100 per cent coverage for safety and liability reasons,” he
Russell Blake of CSD (l) Peter Back of Vic Watch and Etwell Pausigere, CSD
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explains. “Because these are unmanaged gyms, if anything goes wrong the gym is liable. That means management needs to be able to respond instantly to an emergency and needs perfect footage for investigations.” The CCTV side of the Rec Xpress solution is built around 16-channel PoE Hikvision NVRs located at each fitness centre and residing on a dedicated subnet. Given the sites have between 8-12 cameras each, using 16-channel NVRs allows for extremely fast and affordable expansion in the future. “When it comes to camera types, we’re using Hikvision’s 2MP, 5MP and 3MP IR fixed cameras and we have multiple 3MP bullet cameras, as well as the usual dome cameras,” says Back. “One of the features Rec Xpress management really wanted was photo identification on entry so they could verify who it was that had badged a card. So we needed a camera with WDR capable of handling a backlit entry point while giving face recognition of members coming through the door. “Obviously making this work, you need to have everyone’s images stored in the access control system,” explains Back. “What we’ve done is set up Integriti so that when a member joins, all their details are taken down, along with photo identification which is stored in their user profile. “This means management viewing footage through Integriti can compare the video they are viewing with the file photo to confirm who’s been in and out of the fitness centres.” The key functions management uses with the integration between Hikvision and Integriti are live view and historic video. There’s a very neat Send Events function which is part of Integriti but Back says it has not been deployed at Rec Xpress yet. “We know that feature exists but we haven’t extended that far,” explains Back. “The current capabilities are above and beyond what the
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customer needs for sites this size and that applies to schematic mapping, too. “The way they designed the gyms is with the office close to the front door so management can see who is coming and going. It means there’s no need for intercoms or anything like that, either. Of course, it’s good to know these functions exist and we can use them in the future should the client request them.”
Building automation According to Back, when Rec Xpress management wanted to put timers on lights to save energy, VicWatch suggested going a big step further. “One of the other major selling points with Integriti was that it would allow integration of lighting and energy management,” Back explains. “As people are probably aware, with the gyms being a 24/7 establishment, there are times where the gym is quiet. So what we’ve done is incorporate automation in terms of lighting management using Integriti for timing control. There’s a lot of energyhungry lighting in gyms and automation of these lights provides a clear cost saving. “It’s just another reflection of the flexibility of Integriti,” says Back. “This is not just a security and access control system, it can genuinely help customers save money in other areas.” According to Back, the way the lighting
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Something that’s easy to overlook is just how challenging management of a solution like this can be. Rec Xpress has 12,000 cardholders. That’s a vast database to manage, even more challenging given each member needs to access to 3 sites. automation is set up is that lighting controls are funnelled through relays into Integriti, with PIRs and cameras used as motion detectors. “We took relays from the Hikvision NVRs and looped them across to an Integriti input,” Back explains. “Because of the large size of each fitness centre, it made sense to use the CCTV cameras to provide motion detection, rather than having a PIR at every corner. “When no movement is detected by Integriti for one hour, the system starts the process of arming the building and turning the lights off,” Back explains. “And since we applied building automation to the lights through Integriti, our customer’s power bill has gone down noticeably.”
Managing the system
According to Back, another big advantage of Integriti was the speed Rec Xpress staff learned its operation.
“It seriously took one hour of training for the enduser to pick this system up,” he explains. “Some members of the management team have gone beyond this and learned to create fields and dropboxes and so on, which is good, because they are getting involved and gaining more confidence with the product. It also means that when a new staff member joins the team, they are internally training themselves. We only get involved where there is some level of complexity or if they want to make some major changes. Creating users, deleting users, adding cards, suspension of users, cancellation of users, it’s all done in-house. Pausigere agrees. “I’ve watched the Rec Xpress team and every morning the manager goes through the Integriti event log and looks at all the user access that has been granted or denied from the night before,” he explains. “And they click on the Integriti event and select Show Video and display the historic video from the CCTV system according to that time and date. “So they really do use it… they interrogate the system to the maximum,” Pausigere says. “It’s not like they use a few features here or there, they really do use all aspects of the integration.” Something that’s easy to overlook is just how challenging management of a solution like this can be. Rec Xpress has 12,000 cardholders. That’s a vast
Peter Back (l) and John Ciccone of Vic Watch
database to manage, even more challenging given each member needs to access to 3 sites. When you consider the fundamentals, it’s easy to see how appealing an enterprise solution like Integriti is to the customer. With a large database, the key to management is reporting. According to Back, a number of different types of reports are set up that allow Rec Xpress management to see how many members are active, how many members are cancelled and how many cards a member may have lost. When it comes to lost cards, management likes to do a report to give an indication of loss events or scenarios, allowing them
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have at all the sites. The idea behind this is that any manager can turn up at any gym and won’t be confused about the setup from a security, access control or CCTV point of view. “Commissioning was fast because basically all the sites are identical – it took about 4 hours per site, if that,” says Back. “From this perspective, it doesn’t matter how big the organisation grows, Integriti has given Rec Express a completely scalable solution.” Another key to the speed of this installation hinged on the speed at which Vic Watch’s technical crew came to terms with Integriti. “I think with every new product it’s natural to be standoffish about its capabilities,” he says. “But in no time at all, our technicians didn’t want to use anything but Integriti. They loved the ease of programming, the ease of training and the functionality of the system itself.”
Conclusion to order new cards just when they are needed and this is all done by Integriti. “We are running advanced reporting at Rec Express,” says Back. “It gives the customer so much flexibility in terms of what information they want from the system. Another good thing is that inside the Integriti user profile there is a comment section where management can enter notes relating to each member. Having the reader in and reader out on each door you get members trying to bypass the system, but they can’t. Also if there are different managers on at different times, the comments section is really valuable. “There have been a few incidents where members have been letting their non-member friends in the building and because of the CCTV integration these incidents were quickly picked up and addressed. Having the comments section for each member meant that managers could share information with other managers as they changed shift.”
The installation process While there was existing Inner Range infrastructure that could be re-purposed, because of the centralised and integrated nature of the upgraded system, it was important to get things right at head office. “When it came to the installation, the first site was something new to us and we had to set up the servers and all of the integration, making sure both systems were talking to each other,” Back explains. “And we always do some dry tests and dry runs before we go live. Doing a job properly always takes time. “But we decided after installing the system at head office that every remote site would mimic the commissioning and programming across the board. This means what we have at one site we
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The Vic Watch team is an Inner Range integrator and has successfully used Concept 2000, 3000, 4000 since 2006. It’s a history that gives Back an excellent perspective on the capability of the new Integriti solution and he doesn’t stop praising the product. “It’s just a fantastic solution and it comes with the support of Inner Range and CSD,” Back says. “Thinking about the various iterations of Concept, I think this Integriti panel is much more powerful overall. Although Concept was very good, in terms of creating and deleting users, the GUI, reporting, Integriti is so easy to drive. “Integriti can support more users, more doors… we’ve found it to be a very powerful system. We are so impressed we’ve standardised Integriti as our number 1 security, access control and video surveillance integration solution. “It’s not just a security system. From access control, to intruder detection, to energy management, from integration with Hikvision, this platform gives you so many capabilities. And when you actually apply this in the field it’s unstoppable.” Back says that reflecting the quality of the integrated system is the fact Vic Watch hardly ever gets major service calls. “Sometimes Rec Xpress management might need some clarification but there’s been nothing serious,” he says. “Integriti is a product we are proud to be associated with.” zzz
“Integriti can support more users, more doors… we’ve found it to be a very powerful system. We are so impressed we’ve standardised Integriti as our number 1 security, access control and video surveillance integration solution.
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by john adams
A time of war Businesses and organisations wondering about ways they might have mitigated the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris, are going to need to concentrate hard on the basics.
W
HAT will challenge security managers in the future is finding ways to protect businesses and sites that need to be accessed by customers, contractors and staff from paramilitary assault. In Paris, parallel attacks were carried out by radical Islamists who claimed to be members of Islamic State and Yemeni Al Qaeda. They killed 11 staff at the office of satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, as well as killing a police officer. Meanwhile, an accomplice killed another police officer and later 4 customers at a kosher deli in a Jewish district. The attackers used automatic weapons and military techniques. SEN generally focuses on products and applications, we don’t delve too deeply into security management. But post-Paris January 2015, it’s impossible not to wonder about ways electronic security solutions might be used to mitigate smallscale paramilitary attacks terror attacks on small and medium-sized premises. The options don’t look good.
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At Charlie Hebdo, the access control system was neatly side-stepped when attackers forced a staff member to key in the building’s access code at gun point, before heading to the second floor and opening fire on journalists and administration staff. Access cards and biometrics would have been equally vulnerable to a threat-based entry. Only a panic code triggering a delayed entry and an audible tone inside the offices supported by drummed in procedures might have given staff time to access a safe room, flee to a roof top protected by secure doors, or to evacuate the building. Surveillance with a large display of the main entrance visible from the central work space may also have bought time. Concentric physical layers are the best form of defence against such attacks, including fences, gates and manned gate houses, turnstiles, access controlled lifts and access controlled internal doors. But all are vulnerable to forced or coerced access using violence or threats against a staff member. Aside from significant onsite armed response, a crash evacuation to secure or external locations seems the best way to get staff out of danger for that vital 5 minutes before law enforcement arrives. Another possibility is centrally managed or automatic lockdowns governed by firearms detection devices. Such devices pick up the pressure waves of firearms discharge. The trouble is they only detect an attack once it starts but it’s better than no response at all. It would be possible to have an access control system go into total lockdown for a set period of time if the discharge of a firearm was detected. Something else to think about is working on communications links to local police forces and security response companies. This might include multiple panic buttons that direct a monitoring station to call for immediate police assistance. Another thing worth bearing in mind is practising procedures. Sadly, this sort of thing takes place in schools in the U.S. and security managers of at-risk sites should think about it here too. Security managers and integrators in Australia should soberly consider that a significant minority of believers of all religious persuasions hold literal views of all or parts of their holy texts. If such doctrines are benign and socially empowering, then they contribute greatly to social cohesion and provide a conduit for good works. But doctrines that vilify out-groups and make threats of violence in the present tense that are open to misinterpretation or literal interpretation, can lead to the divine sanction of violence. Considered from a global perspective, empirical evidence suggests believers are not joking when they make threats against Western societies. In the face of such threats, electronic security is no joke, either. zzz
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Triple Shield O The alarms market is going to run head first into DIY competitors over the next couple of years and one of the first of a new wave in Australia is Triple Shield from Omnivision’s residential/consumer arm, My Home Connect. 34 se&n
MNIVISION is a Melbourne-based electronic security integrator with a proper history and a quality client list, so this foray into DIY with the Triple Shield system is not coming from a marketing outfit that will be in your letter box today and gone tomorrow. It’s an interesting play from Omnivision. It’s sensible that if you believe DIY will be a serious trend, you make a play of your own. An integrator also has the advantage of knowing which technology works and which doesn’t. According to Omnivision, My Home Connect was established in 2014 to take advantage of new technological developments in smart devices, cloud technology and connected devices. It’s
By John Ada m s
raison d’être is to source products from reputable global companies, and offer a high level of service and reliability to consumers who want security, safety, home automation and peace of mind at an affordable price. So, what is a DIY alarm system? It’s a userinstalled solution that combines video surveillance capabilities with detection and automation control devices, and reports back to a management app on its owner’s smart device via the internet. To me, DIY alarm systems are designed for those who want to keep an eye on things most of all. These same customers might just as well use a traditional and more secure back-to-base monitoring service if only it gave them the fingertip access into their
living rooms they so keenly desire. It goes without saying, that self monitoring comes with downsides. You can’t always have your phone on. You are not always awake. Do you really want to be the first responder to an actual break-in? But it seems to me that what My Home Connect is offering customers is peace of mind. You can check kids are home, check the house is undisturbed while you are away and rest assured the system is armed and there’s not been an alarm event. One thing this system offers that really is important is not only video verification of alarm events but remote viewing. Customers can see inside their homes whenever they want. The other thing it gives users is no ongoing monitoring costs.
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trip le shield
Processing unit
The Lowe 2014 Smart Home Survey in the U.S. discovered that close to 60 per cent of end users felt ongoing costs were a significant purchasing decision. This is not likely to please monitoring stations who are still charging the same measly dollar-a-day to offer what constitutes an extremely high quality, around-the-clock service.
Smart phone app
My Home Connect System My Home Connect’s Triple Shield security, monitoring and surveillance system was developed by Silicon Valley NASDAQ company, Oplink. According to My Home Connect, it’s the world’s first multi-tiered, multi-location, multi-useraccess, alarm, CCTV and automation system that allows integration of all devices. I lack the flawless global context across deep market segments necessary to verify such claims, but there you have it. Triple Shield uses a smartphone app that allows users to view CCTV footage on their phones in real time. This data that can be accessed by one master user and up to 5 others. According to My Home Connect, many users allow second and third level access to neighbours, friends and family who can be alerted with video and audio should an intruder break in to the monitored property. The idea is that these neighbours confirm the event and call police, rather than rushing over to intervene. On the technical side, Triple Shield is a security and automation system that is wireless and plug and play. There are no screws or drilling required during installation if you don’t want to use them. My Home Connect says it’s easy to set up and users can save $A200 to $1000 on installation over traditional systems. That does not mean the system is extremely low cost, however. My Home Connect offers 3 TripleShield packages including a Smart Renter Bundle ($1260), a Smart Couple Bundle ($1590) and a Smart Family Bundle ($1890). The difference
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On the technical side, Triple Shield is a security and automation system that is wireless and plug and play. There are no screws or drilling required during installation if you don’t want to use them.
between the various bundles is the number of cameras and sensors. Once you’ve paid this oneoff fee, there are no additional monitoring costs, according to My Home Connect. The demo system I am looking at includes an Oplink Processing Unit (OPU), 2 IP cameras with auto night vision and motion detection, 2 door/ window sensors, 2 key fob remotes, 1 PIR motion detector, 1 siren, a 16GB video storage device, 1 smart plug that allows you to activate one powered device remotely, a backup battery, and the mobile app. Each bundle can be expanded to 8 cameras and unlimited sensors. To add a device, you scan the QR code on the device and the system automatically configures it. There is no pairing and no IP addresses to worry about, which is no bad thing. Other sensors I don’t have include Panic Button Siren Repeaters and a Water Leak Remote Detector. The key attraction of Triple Shield is that it can be accessed and controlled from anywhere in the world via a smartphone/tablet. In the event of an alarm, the system sends real-time push notifications with video and audio 5 seconds prealarm and 25 seconds post-alarm to everyone on the nominated access level. The fact these are pushed messages shows My Home Connect knows what it is about. Push makes the system much more secure in the world wild web. Setting Triple Shield up is a piece of cake on the physical side. The first thing to do is apply power to the Oplink processing unit. There’s an RJ-45 port on the stern of the unit and I apply Cat cable to this port and connect it a nearby switch, giving the unit access to the Internet. The kit devices come with sections of doublesided tape, as well as screws and anchors, and the cameras have their own mounts. You put power to the cameras, power to the siren, install a battery in the PIR and fix the reeds to your selected doors. There’s a Smart Plug which allows you to drive a device like a light, a washing machine, an air conditioner or a dishwasher, remotely. This is a nice feature, in that it lets you hop on and use power at low draw times or get the air con or heater going while on the way home. Setting up all these things turns out to be extremely simple, just as the TripleShield instruction guide says it will be. I set my cameras up, use a bit of double-sided for the PIR (sacrilege!). I cram the control unit into SEN’s mayhem of a node zero. Putting power to it, the unit beeps and I find later on when I pull power from the unit, an audio warning comes through on my phone when the system goes offline. With the hardware side out of the way, the app side needs to be done and that requires unlocking an apple ID I’ve forgotten but this resolved, the process of downloading the Oplink mi Security app is very easy and once I set up an account (I cheated and set up all the hardware with power earlier), all
Integration into common management systems. Integration into common management systems. Integration into common management systems.
Further information can be found at: Further information can be found at: Further information can be found at: www.panomera.com
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Even though there’s no creep zone, the Fresnel lens must incorporate some look-down angles because even if you’re within a metre and a half and way under my 2.2m mounting height, you’ll get snagged. I need to do is scan the QR code on the belly of the processing unit with my iPhone and the system comes to life. I had a glitch with my setup in that the SEN WiFi is down so I access the system and the cameras over the cellular network for long enough to get a good idea of things before turning the system off until I can sort out the wireless. In that period it becomes clear that TripleShield is a functional solution that’s very easy to navigate. All the hardware is well made, the kit is thoughtfully done, the PIR, (which is probably a dual pyro) has as nice a feel to it as any I’ve handled recently. It’s also extremely sensitive. I can’t get near it once it’s powered up. Even though there’s no creep zone, the Fresnel lens must incorporate some look-down angles because even if you’re within a metre and a half and way under my 2.2m mounting height, you’ll get snagged. Camera performance isn’t too bad at closer ranges but once you get out to 4 metres or so, the 480p resolution starts to seriously limit detail. For general situational awareness, however, performance is perfectly fine. Storage seems to be the most likely motivation for the crimped resolution. The low light performance is typical IR with the cut filter pulled – flare and grain abound but you can see whether something is going on. I thought WDR was pretty good but it was a rainy day when I pointed the camera out the back door – only about 7EV – so not much of a challenge. Device range is implied to be limited by the instructions, which suggest keeping all the devices central to the processor but I took one of my cameras and vibration sensors about 12m from the OPU with no impact on performance. Latency with the video signal was quite good, too. It’s not live but this is one of the better cloud solutions I’ve handled. Storage is local on a supplied flash drive. The great strengths and attractions of TripleShield are the simplicity of self-installation and the ease of setup via the app. Same as other cloud based systems sold in Australia, the cost of the hardware is relatively high compared to global standards, but My Home Connect has been offering
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trip le shield
some nice discounts, so pricing may have room to move. One thing I did wonder about was that with arming and disarming by wireless key fob and only a small group of 6 authorised users, you lose the convenience of being able to provide a PIN to trusted friends, family or contractors. That will be something to manage day to day. But all in all, I think the TripleShield is a signpost, not just of functionality but the nature of the alarms market in years to come. I don’t think end users serious about security will desert monitoring stations in droves chasing DIY but for more modest needs this system has real advantages. Most of all, I think TripleShield offers end users something the traditional alarm industry has been far too slow to embrace - user management of video equipped security and automation systems using smart devices at relatively affordable prices. zzz
Features of the Triple Shield solution include: l Oplink processing unit (OPU) l 2 IP cameras with IR & PIR l 4 door/window sensors l 2 key fob remotes l 1 motion detector l 1 siren l 1 16GB video storage device l 1 smart plug l 1 battery backup l 6 authorised users l 5 emergency contacts l Mobile App.
t e ch n o lo gy signal amp lification
Fat trans SIGNAL amplification is at the core of all electronic security systems, including imaging, communication and computing. Improving its performance directly impacts device performance, especially that of photodetectors.
A
NEW signal amplification process discovered by a team of University of California researchers will drive new generations of electrical and photonic devices, transforming the fields of communications and computing, while making photo sensors more sensitive at lower cost. “For many years, the semiconductor industry has relied on photodetectors for optoelectrical conversion, followed by low-noise electronic amplifiers to convert optical signals into electronic signals with amplification to enable information detection and processing,” Yu-Hwa Lo, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, told Applied Physics Letters. It’s also widely recognized that the highest sensitivity can be achieved by combining an electronic amplifier with a photodetector that uses an internal amplification mechanism to optimally balance out the thermal noise of the electronic amplifier and the shot noise, a type of noise in the photodetector that arises because of the particle nature of light. “Following this established principle, avalanche photodetectors that use impact ionization became the devices of choice and have remained so for many decades,” Lo says. Impact ionization, however, has drawbacks such as high operation voltage – typically 30 to 200V – and rapidly increasing noise with amplification. So the team searched for a more efficient intrinsic amplification mechanism for semiconductors to amplify the photocurrent at much lower voltage and noise than the current method.
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“Thanks to insights of the complex interactions among electrons in localized and extended states and phonons (a unit of vibrational energy that arises from oscillating atoms within a crystal), we’ve discovered a far more efficient mechanism – the cycling excitation process (CEP) – to amplify the signal,” Lo said. The device primarily has a p/n junction (the boundary between 2 semiconductor materials within a single crystal of semiconductor) similar to those found in all semiconductor devices. “The only unique feature is that both sides of the p/n junction contain a substantial amount of counter doping – a large number of donors exist in the p-region, with acceptors in the n-region,” explaines Lo. “Such a structure is called a “heavilycompensated p/n junction.” Counter impurities in the compensated p/n junction are responsible for the team’s highly efficient signal (photocurrent) amplification process. Electrons or holes crossing the depletion region gain kinetic energy and excite new electronhole pairs using the compensating impurities (donors in the p-side and acceptors in the n-side) as intermediate states. “An energetic electron, for example, can excite an electron from an occupied acceptor to the conduction band, while a phonon is absorbed subsequently to fill the acceptor with an electron from the valence band – producing a hole in the valence band to complete the generation of an electron-hole pair,” explains Yuchun Zhou, first author of the paper and a doctoral student in Lo’s group. “This type of process occurs on both sides of the p/n junction and forms cycles of electron-hole excitation to produce high gain.” The key discovery and innovation for the amplification process is to use the compensating impurities as the intermediate steps for electronhole pair generation in current p/n junction technologies. “Impurity states are localized, so the conservation of momentum that limits the efficiency for conventional impact ionization can be greatly relaxed and leads to higher signal amplification efficiency and reduced operation voltage,” added Lo. zzz
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Dinion IP ultra 8000MP
A Dinion IP ultra 8000MP Bosch will release its new Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP day/night camera early in 2015. This 1/2.3-inch camera offers 4k UHD at 30ips, strong WDR, minimum scene illumination of around 2lux in colour at 4K and loads of other features. SEN got a sneak peak late December. 42 se&n
T it’s heart, Bosch Dinion IP ultra 8000MP has a large 4 x 3 sensor that gives a whopping 12 megapixels of resolution. The beauty of all this metadata is that it allows Bosch’s engineers to do a bunch of fun things with the raw file, making camera performance extremely flexible now and in the future. In some ways this new Bosch camera feels more like a platform than a traditional video camera – there’s a lot of flexibility in its performance. If you use the camera at 4K and 30ips, the big 12MP image is cropped to UHD – that’s 3840 pixels X 2160 pixels, or a bit over 8MP. But you can still employ the full 12MP at a frame rate of 20ips if you choose. The fact Bosch is delivering 4K at 30ips is worth noting, too. Plenty of 4K cameras don’t offer full frame rate. Importantly, there’s decent wide dynamic range. The camera offers 92dB native and you can squeeze another 16dB out of the sensor using intelligent auto exposure – that’s a total of 108dB. And fairly typical
By John Ada m s
Other strong features include Bosch’s intelligent video analysis, intelligent auto exposure and intelligent noise reduction. Bosch’s IVA combines 8 rules to reduce false alarms.
of Bosch, this WDR is based on OECF charts, it’s not based on the somewhat arbitrary claims of inhouse design teams. Low light performance is good, too, considering the huge number of pixels Bosch has laid onto the surface of the sensor. The specification suggest you get useable images at just under 2 lux and in this demo I saw the camera in a dark box at under 1 lux giving situational awareness at close ranges. The video functions of the 8000 are what you’d expect from Bosch. You have adjustable picture settings, contrast, saturation and brightness, white balance from 2500-10,000 K, auto electronic shutter with selectable fix, backlight compensation options, intelligent noise reduction, contrast enhancement, 4 privacy masks, image flip and watermarking. Operating temperature is -20 to 50C, which is on the low side for extreme external applications but ideal for big internal applications like airports, or locating
under roof eaves in train stations. But something that’s really interesting about the 8000 is the camera’s 9 configurable user modes. It’s a bit like something you’d find in a DSLR menu. You choose a mode and once applied, the camera automatically selects settings for aperture, exposure and frame rate, as well as tweaking the processing engine to give you the best performance. This is nice for installers who may not be experts in CCTV camera setup but what it really offers is a faster install. Modes include Indoor, which is designed for typical indoor scenes without sun or any strong artificial light sources. Meanwhile, Outdoor mode handles general outdoor scenes with sun highlights and strong light sources and Night Optimised mode tweaks the camera for best performance in low light. There’s a Low Bit-Rate mode, an Intelligent AE mode optimised for scenes with variations in front and rear light caused by sunlight or artificial light, and a Vibrant mode for enhanced contrast, sharpness and saturation. A Sports and Gaming mode gives high speed capture and improved colour rendition and sharpness. Meanwhile, Traffic mode is designed for monitoring traffic movement on roads or in carparks while minimising movement artefacts. It can also be used in industrial applications where fast moving objects are being monitored. Finally, there’s a Retail mode offering improved colour rendition and sharpness with reduced bandwidth requirements. Other strong features include Bosch’s intelligent video analysis, intelligent auto exposure and intelligent noise reduction. Bosch’s IVA combines 8 rules to reduce false alarms. Meanwhile, IAE manages big variations in strong light in the background and foreground. IDNR reduces bandwidth by distinguishing between noise and actual movement in a scene. This capability means it is able to reduce its uptake of noise at the sensor – so no excess noise is captured at all. While all this is going on, Bosch’s IDNR adjusts spatial and temporal filtering based on analysis of scene content and there’s motion compensated
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temporal filtering to reduce motion blur associated with standard temporal filtering. The result is improved quality of fast moving objects at optimised bitrates. Another feature that reduces bandwidth demand is area-based encoding. It allows 8 user defined regions to be set – regions not of interest can be highly compressed saving bandwidth for important parts of the scene. When it comes to recording, you can manage this on a local or remote server using Bosch video recording manager or point the camera at iSCSI without needing software. The camera also has an SDXC slot that allows local storage of up to 2TB on flash when it becomes available. Cool, too, the camera supports time-based or alarm-based JPEG posting to 4 different accounts – cloud or FTP – as video clips or still images.
Testing the Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP Holding this camera in your hand you get a sense of the quality of the unit. It’s got serious weight to it at 860 grams and looks nicely made, all the joints are clean, the ports on the rear are smooth and tidy. There’s nothing raw about the build at all that I can see – it’s very Bosch. According to Bosch’s Steve Malesevic, the talk about the new UHD 4K/12MP camera is about how good it is in low light despite having a monster resolution. “One of our reps showed it to a couple of consultants and they were nonchalant until the Ultra 8000 MP was hooked up and thrown into a laptop bag,” he explains. “The camera stayed in colour and they could read a letter at the bottom of the bag. The rep then turned off the lights in the room – obviously a little light was coming through the zipper or stitching – and only then did the camera switch to monochrome mode but they could still see the letter.” Malesevic gets to work hooking up the camera so
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Dinion IP ultra 8000MP
Most high resolution cameras that are doing a lot of paddling under the surface give away their labours as considerable heat through the housing. Not the Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP.
we can view its performance in the dark box. Same as all Bosch IP cameras, you have a choice of Bosch management software, browser or a free video client with video security app, as well as any third party software. In this case, we are browsing into the camera directly from a convenient local workstation with a colour-corrected Bosch monitor. “It’s an interesting looking lens,” I say, pointing out the convex shape of the camera’s wide angle lens. “Yes, this camera comes factory fitted with 1 of 2 lens options, a 5mm with a 70-degree FoV and a 3.2mm with a 120-degree FoV,” Malesevic explains. “Both focus closer than you’d seriously ever need them to – the 5mm to 1.1m and the 3.2mm goes down to .045m.” We are looking at the 120-degree 3.2mm lens in this review and when it’s hooked up and I’m pointing the camera around the room, there’s no doubt the field of view is colossal. It’s like having eyes in the side of your head. Wider angle lenses tend to give strong depth of field and this is no exception, even given the constraints of the demo space here at Bosch’s Huntingwood facility. The UHD 8000 MP is simultaneously resolving my watch, the room, and peering out through the window and getting images in the carpark – the latter without being bothered by backlight of probably 12EV. The field of view is almost 3-D, with everything in the scene in good focus. I’m able to see quite fine detail throughout the scene as I point the camera around the demo room. Something else you get with all wide angle lenses is distortion. Depending on the type of lens manufacture, rectilinear or curvilinear, straight lines may bow in the scene or the edges of the scene may become distorted. Swooping the camera around this 8 x 10m internal scene hunting parallel lines, I’m not seeing any noticeable distortion at all, though objects (unrealistically) close to the lens expand in the typical wide angle way. My guess is that this lens is rectilinear – it preserves straight lines – though it’s possible there’s some corrective software tidying things up in-camera. It’s a very well proportioned image. Colour rendition is good. In the dark box I note that contrast remains strong on the lines of the test chart. There’s no sign of noise snow from wild ISO settings
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at low light levels, no detail-eating noise reduction artefacts, no sign of a camera failing to manage that great contradiction - maintaining brightness while minimising colour noise. To the eye there’s no sign of colour fringing on the colour-corrected Bosch monitor, though light levels in the room are constant and moderate, so not much of a challenge. Something else wide angle lenses have a tendency to do is make objects that are more distant seem further away than they really are. But while this camera is gobbling great swathes of real estate, in this internal application the proportions remain good. Performance under the 200-250 lux fluoros in the room is neither too warm nor too cold. I can see no pronounced colour shift. It’s a very neutral image. Malesevic has got the camera into the dark box and we get the image up on a monitor in front of us. Oddly enough, it’s very dark in the dark box. I can’t measure the lux inside without holding the lid open partially but with the lid shut it would have to be .1 of a lux at very best. With the lid closed you can actually see a little of the test chart detail but there’s no colour at all. Being able to see the chart with the lid shut is an accomplishment. There’s no sign of light around the rim. With the lid held open about 5mm to let a little light in you are arguably getting less than 2 lux inside the box and that lets you see the chart, the divisions in the chart, and other items in the box. With the lid of the box opened a little further, you get colour and at around 7-10 lux the image is very good indeed. Something I note during the demo is that despite all the work it’s doing, this camera runs perfectly cool. It speaks of layers of clever design. Most high resolution cameras that are doing a lot of paddling under the surface give away their labours as considerable heat through the housing. Not the Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP.
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Dinion IP ultra 8000MP
Steve Malesevic
“There’s enough processing power in these cameras so that even at 4K you are getting full frame rate – that’s unusual,” Malesevic says. “Many of our competitors will do live video at 1080p but at 4K they’ll only do 12 or 15 frames per second. This camera does 30 frames per second at 4K and at 12MP will still deliver 20ips - it’s strong performance.” These are quad streaming cameras. Stream 1 might be 4K at 30ips, stream 2 is a copy of 1, stream 3 is the iframes only and stream 4 is jpeg. The entire stream array is too complex to go into in a prose piece, it’s best explained using a stream assignment table. Suffice to say, it gives integrators and end users a lot of room to move. “A feature of the Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP I really like is independent regions of interest,” Malesevic tells me. “This means we can have 2 operators controlling virtual PTZ in a region of interest simultaneously and independently of the other. An important aspect of this functionality is Intelligent Tracking (ITracking), which is constantly analysing the scene looking for moving objects. Once an object is detected, the camera adjusts settings including field of view, to get the best possible view.” Bandwidth requirements are surprisingly light, considering the resolution on offer here. At 30ips and 4K, the bandwidth is 6000kbps, at 1080p it’s 1600kbps, while at 12MP at 20ips, bandwidth is just over 5Mbps. “If you consider that even a 1080p image stream would be 1500-2Mbps and if you multiply that by 4 to get the resolution of a 4K camera then you would multiply the bandwidth by 4,” Malesevic says. “But the bandwidth performance of the Dinion IP Ultra 8000MP ismuch less.” This latest release comes on the back of the Dinion IP starlight 8000 MP and both these releases show Bosch remains a force to be reckoned with in networked video surveillance. This company makes very good cameras that make hard work look easy. 4K is edge-tech in CCTV yet the Ultra 8000 MP feels and looks an extremely polished offering. zzz
Features of the Dinion IP ultra 800 MP include: l 4k UHD at 30ips l 12MP at 20ips l Bandwidth of 6000kbps at 4K, 30ips l Wide dynamic range of 92+16 dB (based on OECF charts) l 2 4K H.264 streams, 1 stream of i-frame and 1 JPEG stream l Minimum scene illumination 1.9 lux at 4K l Intelligent noise reduction (50 per cent reduced bit rate) l Intelligent video analysis l Intelligent auto exposure l Full duplex audio streaming.
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s p e ci al re p o rt
best p roducts 201 4
I
Best products of 2014 2014 was a strong year for new product releases in all market segments. We saw good things in CCTV, alarms and access control. Perhaps the changes were more evolutionary than revolutionary, except in the area of remote management. 48 se&n
T’S always tough as army boots to unpick the strands of product releases and judge the best releases of any given year and 2014 was no different. Happily, it was a good year for new product and unlike past years, this strength was across the board. I could not pick a single product that really broke out of the mould and offered the market something it has never seen before but there were plenty of products that delivered on promises. As I’ve said a few times, in 2014 I liked Honeywell Vista and Honeywell’s V-Plex comms bus. It uses existing infrastructure to make installations easier and cheaper and is supported by a company that’s super strong on product, from sensors to user interfaces. In this regard, the Tuxedo app is another winner from Honeywell. I have not seen this product but I think it’s worth noting Honeywell’s LYNX 7000, which was awarded Best Intrusion and Detection solution at ISC West in 2014. It’s claimed to be the first proper alarm panel to offer support for 4 CCTV cameras and 2-way audio using Wi-Fi as a comms path. Hooray! Honeywell also showed off its colossal 256-input HUS-NVR-7200A-E 265-input NVR last year. DSC NEO was another favourite intrusion detection solution of mine in 2014. It combines the simplicity of IMPASSA with PowerG comms (2000m LoS), as well as offering PIR cameras. I still think video verification and remote live monitoring is the key trend in the intrusion market. Monitoring stations and/or manufacturers need to own it before end users do. On this topic, Risco’s VUpoint which allows users to remotely view their premises through live video clips up to 30 seconds via the iRISCO smart phone app, is one of the more polished solutions of its type in the market. I really rate Risco when it comes to video verification and remote control. This is a proper electronic security manufacturer that has brought quality intrusion detection hardware into the cloud. It’s not a cloud startup sourcing a solution from a third party in order to flesh-out a recurring revenue model. CSD’s HD77 – the first high-end intrusion sensor
By John Ada m s
Panasonic 6 Series was a key release. The performance of these cameras under test conditions showed they are right at the top of the tree at the moment. I’ve seen that incorporates a 720p fixed lens camera was released in 2014. I like this because I want to see more than 480p in video verification devices. I’m sorry folks but low-res video is fine up close but it’s just not good enough at distances over 3-4m. 2014 saw new controllers from Bosch with its new 2000 and 3000 panels and that’s one to watch. The company was talking home automation at Security 2014 and it’s certain those functionalities will be added in the first part of 2015. Paradox released Insight (CSD), Linear subsidiary 2GIG released the Go!Control alarm panel, which includes GSM and a Z-wave chip (Ness, locally). On the subject of Ness, in 2014 the company was working on some interesting solutions in this space that installers should keep an eye open for in 2015. New sensors included Xtralis’ ADPRO long range PIR from Hills and Denso from Bosch Security Systems. Hills’ Xandem TMD mesh sensor was another interesting new sensing technology of 2014. It offers brilliant catch performance and big coverage for complicated applications like retail stores. I’ve not seen a Xandem application but I’d like to. For areas it suits, this is a fantastic solution and compared to the other high-end stuff it’s very sharply priced. On the monitoring side, Bold Technologies’ Manitou range of central station, PSIM and automation solutions was something else we saw in 2014. Meanwhile BENS released its Bluehub IP alarm monitoring solution, which is designed to be extremely easy to install and commission. When it comes CCTV it really was an avalanche of product and trying to decide what was best becomes too hard to do. You inevitably rate the products you’ve seen and understood higher than those you’ve
heard about but never held in your hand. Panasonic 6 Series was a key release. The performance of these cameras under test conditions showed they are right at the top of the tree at the moment. Another important release was Sony’s Generation 6 camera technology which is applied to all the company’s big range of cameras. Of the Sony releases I liked the SNC-WR632 PTZ, which features a pan speed of 700 degrees per second, 1080p resolution, 60ips, IP66 and IK10 rating an awesome dynamic range of 130dB. In demos it’s an outstanding street camera in poor light – the best of its kind right now. I thought Hikvision’s 4-Line Series was another great release in 2014. This lineup goes from 1.3MP WDR cameras capable of 50ips though to 3MP models with 120db WDR and motorised lenses. With Hikvision 4-Line it’s the combination of solid performance and sharp price that makes it so compelling. Other strong releases in 2014 from Hikvision were the technically excellent Darkfighter, and the DS-2CD6362F-I, a 6MP, 360-degree camera with 4 IRs and 5 video streams. I reviewed both in the latter part of the year and each impressed in its own way. AD’s Illustra 625 from QSS was another great PTZ I saw last year. Its quick, image quality is strong, zoom range is brilliant and its WDR performance is something to see. QSS also released Alumia range
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in 2014, a range that covers entry level to premium and is available in 1.3, 2 and 3MP variations. It was another release that combined great performance and price. In 2014 FLIR released its BT-Series thermal mini-bullets with 50-degree and 25-degree fields of view priced at $US499. Mobotix M15-D was another brilliant release. Running thermal and optical alongside each other unquestionably improves situational awareness. This combination empowers Mobotix MXActivity Sensor video analytics, which was my favourite CCTV product at Security 2014 in Sydney. DVTEL released its new ioimage HD CF5222 (2.1-mepgapixel HD 1080p) and CF-5212 (1.3-megapixel HD 720p) cameras, bringing militarygrade video analytics and Quasar HD broadcastquality IP video together. 2014 also saw the release of CBIT technology in Bosch’s IP cameras. As well as handling image processing, CBIT powers Bosch’s IVA and Motion+ from a single processing module. Bosch has some very good IP cameras today. It’s Starlight gear is exemplary – one of the best releases of the year, in my opinion. Canon came out of nowhere in 2014 with a full range of quality IP cameras and it will be interesting to see what new developments we see from Canon in 2015. Towards the end of the year, we saw a new VMS and a couple of sweet cameras from Samsung including a 720p 43x zoom PTZ. In demos this camera is just awesome. Samsung also released the SRM-872, a full-featured, eight-channel NVR for mobile use, and Samsung’s WiseNet III was another strong release with excellent WDR and bandwidth management
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performance. Samsung’s new 1000-line BEYOND Series of analogue cameras also deserves a mention. Evolution from Pelco by Schneider Electric is a range of new 360-degree, 5MP cameras, ComNet introduced a 6-port, self-managed Ethernet switch, the CNGE2FE4SMS. Meanwhile, IQinVision released IQeye Alliance-mx cameras which include the increased processing power needed to run analytics or VMS applications at the edge. Vivotek’s WDR PRO cameras were shown at Security 2014 and performance really was excellent. Not only was the unit strong in backlight, it was strong with no light whatever. From Axis we saw the Q1615 and Q1615-E (external) combines pretty much all of Axis’ functionality in one awesome unit. Axis Q1615 cameras not only offer full HD resolution but new stuff like enhanced wide dynamic range (Axis’ WDR-Forensic Capture), Lightfinder technology, electronic image stabilization and shock detection. The cameras automatically switch settings between high dynamic scenes and Lightfinder mode. Something else that was nice was the Q6000-E, which turns the Q60-E PTZ into a 360-degree solutions. In 2014 I saw the latest AVL-2 from Infodraw, distributed locally by Conceptual Technology Solutions. It’s a palm-sized, portable streaming and video monitoring system that comprises embedded hardware and software combined with built-in cellular network interfaces. At a surprisingly low cost, you get a wearable, professional grade video, audio and alarm input monitoring solution with GPS. It’s highly mobile yet leaves nothing out. I
Canon came out of nowhere in 2014 with a full range of quality IP cameras and it will be interesting to see what new developments we see from Canon in 2015. liked AVL-2 a lot. If you want serious, robust mobile video, or a very small single camera surveillance solution, this is the one. Raytec’s new IR VARIO Hybrid, which combines infrared and white light in a single solution was another good release last year. Good white light is the key to entirely usable CCTV and I’d like to see more people deploying it, instead of relying solely on IR. In NVRs, Milestone released Husky, Geutebruck’s 16-input net-porter NVR with its onboard PoE switch, Genetec’s hardy SV-32, Sylo’s tough fanless mobile NVR and for small applications Synology’s EDS14 NAS hub all impressed during the year. There were also releases in the plug and play market from the likes of Hikvision and Dahua and these, combined with affordable IP66-rated cameras supported by IR, were a key trend of 2014. S2 released NetVR 700, a high-performance solution that supports up to 128 IP cameras and is available in 12 and 24-bay storage configurations that provide up to 96 terabytes of video data storage (RAID 5 or RAID 6). That’s solid stuff.
When it came to management solutions, United Technologies PRISM, Lenel, Genetec, Geutebruck G-SIM, March Networks Command, Honeywell and SAAB’s latest PSIM solution were all noteworthy. IVA was a big trending technology in 2014. Sony, Geutebruck with GTect, Bosch, Mobotix with MxActivity Sensor, Avigilon, Bosch, C.R.Kennedy (Axxon) EOS (Samsung), Hills, CSD with Hikvision and Avigilon, Briefcam Syndex and plenty of others showed off new developments in IVA. In access control, 2014 saw the release of Inner Range’s multi-drop RS-485 SIFER reader that supports MIFARE cards, including Inner Range’s own DESfire EV1. SIFER readers and cards deliver AES encryption right through to the access module. CEM Emerald was another impressive showing, as was Tecom Challenger v10’s video integration with access control. I did not review Hattrix last year but looking through the specification I felt this cloud-based access control solution deserves a mention. What about 2015? I think cloud will go on building. It still needs to find a price point that works for everyone and we need proper internet speeds but there’s going to be growth. Something else I’m interested in is Ultra HD 4K, with quality cameras like the new Axis P-1428 and Bosch’s new Dinion 8000 and a full release from Dahua. In my opinion, 2014 was not the year of 4K but 2015/16 is likely to change that, courtesy of H.265. The only question is which manufacturer can bring a solution to market that best controls bandwidth and price. zzz
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Plug and play One of the growth sectors of the IP video surveillance market is plug and play solutions that combine the power and flexibility of IP video with extreme ease of installation. In this feature, we’ll take a look at the capabilities of some of the market leaders.
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NE of the fastest growing market segments in video surveillance is plug-and-play (PnP) solutions, which are designed to be as easy to install as analogue systems. From the point of view of installers, PnP doesn’t just mean easier installs, but faster installs as well. The best PnP solutions incorporate onboard PoE switches, allowing techs to Cat-cable a cluster of cameras direct to an NVR. Once connected, the NVR’s onboard software detects the presence of the camera, registers it, displays it on the connected monitor and starts recording. You can’t get much easier than that. Dedicated NVRs are managed using integrated software that might not offer all the features of the dedicated VMS solution but covers most the bases in terms of viewing, recording and reporting of
By John Ada m s
The cameras are automatically assigned an IP address when connected to the NVR and our setup wizard then steers the installer though the install with ease.
motion detection events. Teamed up with affordable and rugged 1080p cameras, PnP solutions offer a surprisingly affordable solution for smaller applications. And while it’s tempting to think PnP is all about 4 camera solutions, there are 8-channel, 16-channel and 32-channel PnP systems on the market. That means it’s possible to put together a mid-sized CCTV system not only for a modest cost, but with very little fuss. According to Michael Bates of Hikvision, the company’s key plug and play IP CCTV offering consists of a range of NVR’s all with built-in POE ports, and a very wide range of cameras in different resolutions and form factors to allow a huge degree of flexibility for the installer as well as the end user. “The range includes 4-channel with a maximum bandwidth of 50MBps, 8-input with a maximum bandwidth of 100MBps, and 16-channel with 200MBps,” he explains. “This allows installers to run the cameras at higher bandwidths with increased image quality. “So far as the maximum storage goes, the 4 and 8-channel can take up to 8TB (2x4TB HDD) and the 16-channel can take up to 16TB (4x4TB HDD). Hikvision’s cameras have a huge range of features
from Smart IR to region of interest to edge storage. Every camera in the plug and play range carries DWDR and dynamic noise reduction, too.” Bates believes plug and play has been integral to Hikvision’s recent success. “Hikvision’s extraordinary growth over the last 2 years in Australia and New Zealand has been largely due to our success, along with distributors CSD and Atlas GenTech, in the plug and play segment and we are now very much the dominant player in this space,” he says. “We still see huge growth potential in the PnP space for 2015 and beyond this, coupled with the strength of our enterprise offerings, positions us very well.” According to Bates, the main advantage of plug and play from the point of view of installers is easier installation. “Integrators who have historically installed
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analogue systems are now able to transition to IP very easily,” he explains. “The cameras are automatically assigned an IP address when connected to the NVR and our setup wizard then steers the installer though the install with ease – as few as 5 clicks on a mouse to commission the system. “The speed of the commissioning process saves the installer time and money. What was once a very slow move to IP in the market has become a stampede, largely because the technology has become so much simpler and less daunting.” Bates can’t think of specific weaknesses of plug and play solutions, in terms of camera performance, expandability and VMS functionality. “In this segment of the market I can’t think of many disadvantages,” he says. “If the customer is looking for a more feature-rich solution with edge analytics then plug and play may not be the answer. While our plug and play range comes with free onboard software and client software is also downloadable at no charge, if the customer needs the flexibility of a fully expandable system they might prefer to look at a VMS/server based system.” What standout feature sets Hikvision’s plug and play solutions apart from the opposition? “It is hard to pick just one stand-out technical feature for Hikvision in the plug and play range,” Bates says. “It could be the EXIR range of cameras that provides unrivalled IR performance due to the IR LED being separate to the lens and outside the dome, or it could be the smart search features built into the NVR’s.
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“Ultimately, what sets Hikvision apart from our competition is our value proposition - we offer superb products and outstanding value for money. We offer a comprehensive range of cameras and NVR’s which are easy to install and use, deliver extremely high quality images and great functionality at a very competitive price.” Bruce Maxwell of Seadan Security Distribution says the company’s leading plug and play IP CCTV solution includes NVRs with a built-in POE switch and IP cameras in box, integrated box, dome, bullet and PTZ form factors. These are supported by free Smart PSS central management software, which offers easy smartphone setup with QR code and no port forwarding required. When it comes to specifications, the Seadan solution offers entry level NVRs with a bandwidth of 80Mbps, mid level NVRs with a bandwidth of 128/160Mps and professional level NVRs with a bandwidth of 256Mbps. On the IP camera side, performance specs include a 5MP with 12fps and 3MP and below cameras at 30fps; IR and a motorised lens on vandal domes, speed domes, and bullets. Cost is sharp, with a recorder and 4 cameras being around $1100ex with 1.3MP Outdoor IR cameras and a 1Tb HDD. A higher performance system with 3MP outdoor IR cameras and 2TB costs $1500. “Growth in this market area has been rapid,” says Maxvell. “The technology has eclipsed the megapixel analog (HD-SDI)solutions which were emerging as a natural growth path for standard definition analogue systems.” According to Maxwell, the advantages of plug and play solutions are straightforward setup saving time, as well as allowing installers without a deep understanding of networking to handle video surveillance jobs. “On the weaknesses side, plug and play solutions are built around a Linux-based hardware NVR appliance, therefore the first limitation is that of the hardware itself,” Maxwell explains. “These systems support a smaller number of cameras compared
to non-PnP Windows server style systems. “But there is no real limitation regarding camera performance if the correct model is selected and there’s no real limitation regarding expandability, as multiple NVRs can be operated in a network group via a PC and free software. And plug-in e-SATA 4-bay storage units are readily available. “On the software side, Smart PSS VMS software is ideal for the recording, searching and replaying of video, though it lacks some network architecture elements of auto failover, auto archiving and health monitoring.” According to Maxwell, it’s a combination of features that sets the SEADAN SmartView PnP IP video products apart, including built-in PoE switch with automatic IP addressing of cameras (4/8/16 ch models), QR Code to auto setup smart phone remote access, expandability (the NVR supports additional cameras equal to the number of PoE ports) and the fact more cameras can be added via additional PoE switches, as well as e-SATA 4 bay storage units. Meanwhile, Daniel Lee says Hills has a number of offerings in the plug and play market segment. “We represent the best brands in the market ranging from entry level to enterprise systems,” he explains. “To accommodate the entry level opportunities we have the Hills Video Security products and for the mid to high end professional range we have the Pacom SmartIP range of NVRs coupled with the EVOnet range of cameras.” The Hills Video Security (HVS) CCTV range of network video recorders (NVRs) and IP cameras are a feature-rich and plug-and-play solution. These NVRs come in 4, 8 and 16-channel formats with recording capabilities up to 3 MP at 20ips. All the Hills NVRs have the same number of PoE ports as camera inputs. To complement the range, Hills offer a range of 3MP fixed lens cameras with and without IR in dome and bullet formats. “The SmartIP series Network Video Recorders come in a range of 4, 8, 16 and 32-channels,” says Lee. “In addition to working directly with the EVOnet branded devices, they are also compatible with the Panasonic, Axis and ONVIF range of cameras. “To complement the SmartIP NVRs, we have the EVOnet range of cameras, ranging from full body cameras through to bullet and dome cameras (1 to 3 MP), with and without IR. A range of speed domes is also available. As the range does not come with the same number of PoE Ports as its capacity (model specific), we also have a range of SmartIP Gigabit switches consisting of 12 and 24 ports. “The Pacom SmartIP and EVOnet range of products come with the DirectIP protocol. The DirectIP protocol’s primary goal is to provide customers with an HD surveillance solution which is easy to use, simple to install and quick to
There is no real limitation regarding camera performance if the correct model is selected and no real limitation regarding expandability, as multiple NVRs can be operated in a group. configure through ‘plug-and-play’ capability.” “All the Hills NVRs come with a 3TB HDD installed, while the 8-channel can accommodate one extra HDD, with the 16-channel accommodating an extra 3 HDDs. All NVR’s will record real-time at 1080p, or 20ips @ 3MP.” “For customers in need of a cost effective solution, the Hills Video Security systems are available which retail at under $750 for a 4-channel NVR and offer a range of low cost 3MP cameras ranging from $300 to $400 (RRP) for fixed lens domes, bullets with and without IR,” says Lee. “Meanwhile, the Pacom SmartIP-4ED NVR retails at just over $1000 (RRP excl. GST) and the cameras range from $310 through to $2500 (RRP excl. GST) for speed domes. Each system comes with the RASplusIP SW which allows users to remotely view the SmartIP range as well as the Pacom PDR range of DVRs. It provides a user friendly GUI that controls monitoring of live video and playback of recorded video from up to 2048 devices (analogue or IP) within a LAN (local area network) or a WAN (wide area network).”
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The key to the Pacom SmartIP NVRs as well as the Hills Video Security NVRs is that they are easily configured. Having a built-in PoE switch means installations are made easier in that the network cables (CAT5 or CAT6) are connected directly from the camera to the NVR. On power-up for the first time, both systems will step you through the setup via the setup wizard making it very easy for the installer to setup. Additional changes are made through the menu structure if required. The Hills Video Security (HVS) NVRs come with Hills Auto-Config, a P2P application for remote access where no configuration is required. Connecting to the Hills IP cameras is also easy, involving only simple plug-and-play steps. No configuration, no port-forwarding and no DDNS server registration is required when it comes to remote accessing Hills NVRs. Installers simply scan the QR code, verify the Hills NVR ID and login to view live footage. There is no time-consuming configuration required. In addition, when new features or bug fixes are available, upgrading the Hills Video Security system with the latest firmware updates is made easy with a one-click process, over the network using the Hills Firmware Server. The Hills Firmware Server is the backbone in providing a secure upgrade path that is quick and easy and most importantly, there is no need to physically access the NVR to carry out the upgrade, therefore saving time and effort for the installers. When it comes to the weaknesses of plug and play solutions in terms of things like camera performance, expandability and VMS functionality, Lee says there are a number of things installers should consider.
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“This is an important question and should be looked at from 2 points of view,” he explains. “Firstly it should be looked at from a professional installation point of view and secondly, from the entry level point of view. Both offerings have a purpose and place in the market space. “For the professional installation, it is a requirement to have a more expansive range of product offerings especially when looking at the camera range and be able to provide not only higher resolution images but also have the features of varifocal lens, motorised zoom, PTZ cameras and interfacing capabilities with key branded cameras as well. VMS expandability through the LAN and WAN would also be key when looking at these types of solutions “For the entry level market, having a range to suit the most common but lower cost applications is what the market is dictating. In terms of VMS functionality and expandability, this is not necessarily the requirement in the lower end space and hence a differentiator between the 2 market segments.” Lee says Hills is definitely experiencing growth in the plug and play IP video market. “There is a growth opportunity in the entry level market,” he says. “We have embraced the opportunity with the Hills Video Security offering, while still being able to offer the Pacom range of products for existing sites where end users have made significant investments in their surveillance systems. And rather than replacing, we are able to offer a Pacom SmartIP NVR that can complement the existing system and offer the end user the ability to view live, playback and manager their systems as a complete solution.” According to Dahua, there are 2 solutions regarding plug and play including wireless and PoE. When it comes to wireless solutions, installers don’t need to install cables so they can save much time and avoid causing damage to buildings. With hard-wired solutions, the obvious advantage is that the NVR can supply power to IP cameras through network cables. Also good, these solutions can automatically find and add IP cameras, avoiding complicated networking procedures. In a word, the main advantage of plug and play solution is cost saving (manpower and time), simplifying
With hard-wired solutions, the obvious advantage is that the NVR can supply power to IP cameras through network cables.
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Dahua says the main weakness with PnP solutions can be the distance limitation. For a Wi-Fi solution, the larger the distance, the more attenuation is introduced by the surroundings, making the signal less stable.
the installation and the procedure of device configurations. At Dahua the PnP range includes the NVR4104-W, NVR4208V-8P, NVR4216-8P-4K and NVR41088P NVRs, as well as the DH-IPC-HDBW1200E-W, DH-IPC-KW100/100A/100W, DH-IPC-HFW4200E and DH-IPC-HDW4200S cameras. Meanwhile NVR4216-8P-4K has 16 channels, 8PoE ports and supports live 4K. This unit has a 256Mpbs bandwidth. The NVR4208V-8P is an 8 channel 2HDD 8 PoE vertical NVR with a bandwidth of 200Mbps. It can support 5Mp, 3Mp, 1080p, 720p and lower resolution cameras. NVR4104-W is a 4-channel Smart 1U Wi-Fi NVR with one HDD bay, 80Mbps bandwidth that can handle cameras with resolutions of 5MP and below. Next is the NVR41088P, an 8-channel Smart 1U NVR with a single HDD and 8 PoE inputs, 80Mbps bandwidth, ability to support 5MP resolution and below cameras. On the camera side, the DH-IPC-HDBW1200E-W is a 2MP full HD Wi-Fi IR, IP66, mini dome camera with 2.8, 3 and 6mm lens options. The DH-IPCKW100/ 100A /100W is a 1.3MP HD cube network
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camera with 10m IR, PIR sensor and micro SD memory. The DH-IPC-HFW4200E is a 2MP full HD IR bullet camera with a 1/2.8-inch progressive scan Exmor CMOS, 3.6, 6 and 8mm lens, 30mm IR range and an IP66 rating. The DH-IPC-HDW4200S is a 2MP full HD IR dome camera with 3.6 and 6mm lens options, 20m IR range, IP66 rating and PoE. Dahua says the main weakness with PnP solutions can be the distance limitation. For a Wi-Fi solution, the larger the distance, the more attenuation is introduced by the surroundings, making the signal less stable. For the PoE solution, the IP signal transmission will be constrained by the maximum cable distance of around 100m. When it comes to a standout feature, Dahua says it always focuses on technological innovation, and constantly launches innovative products. “For example, our 4K NVR is the world’s first 4K NVR based on the ARM processor,” says Dahua. “It supports H.265 decoding which can greatly reduce network bandwidth, resources and the investment in storage. Our Wi-Fi series products support WPS one-button-adding, which is easy to use and install. Furthermore, we also have an overall plan in cloud storage and smart home which can provide the best solutions for different customers.”
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We have carefully selected cameras and NVRs which have specifications and feature sets at or above the highest level on the market. In the case of NView, the system is designed to be easy to use as well as offering strong performance. At Ness, Pete Mohan says in 2015 the company will release a number of new systems including additions to its IQ Series and the all-new NView which simplifies PnP setup but also allows detailed setup like setting up PTZ cruises, AutoNetworking (no port forwarding) and cloud features. When it comes to specifications of the series, NVR throughput is 60mbs which equates to greater than 25fps/ch @ 2MP and a storage capacity of up to 4TB. Cameras in this solution have strong WDR performance, IR, and PoE. Cost is very sharp. “The trade can expect to pay from $350 for a 4 channel NVR, IP cameras from about $200 and a complete kit from $1200,” says Mohan. According to Ness national products engineer, Neil Morgan, PnP is quicker to setup and get running, but it’s probably a bit too easy to compromise security and leave backdoors open if you’re not careful. “Recently it came to light in mainstream media that over 900 IP CCTV sites were found to be wide open with default usernames and passwords and almost 95 per cent of these sites were plug and play solutions,” Morgan says. “This shows that either installers are not fully trained in IP or some installs are being done by unqualified people who think they can do the work because the sales pitch was “simple to install”. “That said, we’re still convinced that plug and play is the way forward for a good chunk of the market, which we intend to back up with ongoing training for our customers.” When it comes to weaknesses, Morgan says that apart from the risk of unsecure installations, so far, plug and play has shown to be quite flexible as most cameras use the standardised protocol of ONVIF, allowing them to be connected to larger systems. At the same time, image quality has vastly improved, even from just a year ago.”
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Is there a standout feature that sets the Ness solution apart? “Our new NView range is not just an extraordinarily well priced entry level product, but of course is carefully tested and chosen for reliability and quality to deserve a place in the Ness stable,” Morgan explains. “We have carefully selected cameras and NVRs which have specifications and feature sets at or above the highest level on the market. In the case of NView, the system is designed to be easy to use as well as offering strong performance. Even our apps are very simply setup using QR codes located on the screen or printed on the product. “If I had to pick just one feature it would be the ability to integrate CCTV into other products like our Ness SmartBell IP intercom, or our Home Automation range such as the Ness M1 System or Push Controller. “This complete package and integration of various Ness technologies remains the backbone of our success. Supporting this, we are also releasing a series of How-To end user videos to explain commonly used techniques such as archiving video or setting up a smartphone accept video over IP.” Mohan says there’s growth in the plug and play market but there are issues that need addressing in the market, too. “We’re certainly expecting growth in the easy to install PnP market and while it sounds contradictory, it’s also an area that calls for training,” he says. “Plug and play is dead easy for most installers but this oversimplifies networking and there’s a real concern that IP security and CCTV is in danger of being less secure if the installer doesn’t understand the basics of IP. As the market for IP CCTV expands, we’re doing our best to improve installer knowledge with our ongoing training and education programs which now includes a dedicated national training program and trainer.” zzz
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BY JOHN A DAMS Your Monitoring Specialists
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Smart phome If anything is going to shape the nature of the alarm monitoring industry in years to come it will be the way people interact with information. It’s a seismic shift the industry still doesn’t seem to be entirely on top of.
Y
OU don’t have to walk far around Sydney’s streets to realise that every second person is walking while online. Because I traipse through the CBD to work and because I find the practise of walking online deeply infuriating, I’m well positioned to have noticed this trend. It’s impossible to view such behaviour, in which humans seem to have internalised their latestgen smart devices, without wondering about its impact on the way people would like to use broader technology. In a fundamental way people still interact with representations of separate physical interfaces, they are simply bound up in a single alwaysconnected multi-media device. And it’s this ability to remotely access avatars of physical interfaces in real time that’s so appealing. People genuinely exploit this convenience, whether it’s using a virtual ATM, visiting a virtual store, thumbing through a virtual music collection, photo album, or database. And the same power of convenience, of instantaneous knowing, points people towards virtual
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1300 130 515
www.bensecurity.com.au
controllers for their alarm/CCTV systems. Same as you, there are times I would really like to look at the inside of my home from wherever in the world I happen to be and make sure everything is fine. Given the increasing connectedness of people – Google recently announced the Internet would soon become invisible – it’s impossible to understand why the interfaces of domestic security management solutions stubbornly remain in a profound state of yestertech. In my mind the danger is that by failing to offer the experience users are accustomed to expect with aspects of technology in their lives, we’ll drive them away completely. Something that grates for users if studies like the Lowe Report are anything to go by, relates to users’ increasing expectations of a particular high standard of technological capability that does not come at additional expense. When they pay for an internet service, they want to be able to leverage that for everything to do with comms in their lives. They don’t respond well to additional charges unless they clearly understand what the advantages are. This seems to be encouraging the growth of DIY home security and automation solutions. It’s partly an entire social change. Today, people comprehend communications, they are on and off multiple devices all day long. They have remote management of banking, shopping, entertainment and interaction with friends. And they want to be able to use the indubitable power of existing smart devices to manage traditional technologies. Exactly how the alarm industry is going to respond to its customers’ extreme connectedness still remains to be seen, in my opinion. Some players in the market are all over this trend while others are much slower on the uptake. Given the length of time we are spending at this
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With the increase in the number of products equipped with Wi-Fi technology, the demand for wireless technologyenabled home automation solutions is experiencing substantial growth globally. fulcrum point, it’s impossible not to feel that an Apple or a Google could create a game-changing piece of the technology in this space. A multicomms controller offering endless connectedness and flexibility,
as well as very secure comms. A controller supporting any input or output devices and capable of connecting using open standards of communication. A key aspect of the discussion lies in recognising that there’s an enormous opportunity in open security and home automation solutions that remain secure in the public domain and can be supported by professional monitoring services. Important to bear in mind, there’s growth in home automation. The market is growing at a compound rate of 26.3 per cent on its way to a projected $US21 billion by 2020. Further, the life safety and security segment has the biggest slice of this and is expected to maintain its leading position. The wireless system segment of home automation technology held the largest revenue share, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the overall market. With the increase in the number of products equipped with Wi-Fi technology, the demand for wireless technologyenabled home automation solutions is experiencing substantial growth globally. And while North America led the home automation market in 2014 and is expected to continue its dominance through 2020, affinity towards new technology is delivering growth in Asia Pacific. I think it’s no longer possible to cling to vague observations in relation to alarm monitoring. The shape of the future is becoming increasingly clear. Just as SEN went to press a report was tabled that projects the global VSaaS market – video surveillance as a service – will be worth $US50 billion by 2020. While it’s tempting to dismiss such a big number as blue sky, 5 years is a long time in technology. But what most interested me about the Grand View Report was what it claimed the drivers of the VSaaS are going to be over this period – they were traffic surveillance and you guessed it intrusion detection. zzz
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axis
360 AXIS Communications has released the Axis Q6000-E, a unit that attaches to the Q60-E PTZs to offer a surveillance solution whose simplicity of installation belies its inherent power.
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axis 360
By John Ada m s
I
GOT a look at the Q6000-E at Axis HO in Sydney recently. Running the show was Axis’ John Richardson, who had set the camera up on a pole in the carpark. It was another of those funny days for camera testing. There was plenty of glare and then a storm came through and things got much darker. Standing underneath the unit looking up, it takes me a while to get my head around what this solution actually does. Richardson has to explain it to me twice. In short, Axis Q6000-E is an outdoorready, 360-degree network camera system (it comprises 4 wide angle 1.3mm 2MP cameras in a circular housing), that installs around and seamlessly integrates with the AXIS Q60-E Series of PTZ dome network cameras. “The idea with the Q6000-E is to use the cable and bracket that you already have with the Q60-E PTZ camera,” says Richardson. “You simply pull off the camera, remove a couple of bolts, install some longer ones and the Q6000-E bolts right on using the existing mounting bracket. “It’s an easy setup – this single cable goes up to the camera – that’s power and data – we are using the existing power supply provided with the Q60-E camera. And for an existing customer with one of our PTZs they pull it down, remove the bolts on top, bolt the 6000 on and plug the same cable straight in. The combined unit perfectly fits the existing brackets.” While this simplicity of installation is attractive, it’s the functionality of the combined solution that’s the real eye-opener. “What the Q6000-E allows is a real time (25ips), quad split image at a fixed focal length allowing situational awareness no matter where the PTZ is focused,” says Richardson. “There are 4 cameras in the Q6000-E unit, each is 2MP and they output 720p at 25ips. The Q6000-E cameras are fixed but they are installed on a rail with magnetic detents, so you can move them to improve your view or cover another area more effectively if the unit is mounted on a pole that masks out a particular part of the scene.” According to Richardson, all Axis Q6045 cameras will be upgraded to a MkII shortly, which gives them a 32x zoom lens. This new lens is wider and more telephoto and the low light sensitivity
What the Q6000-E allows is a real time (25ips), quad split image at a fixed focal length allowing situational awareness no matter where the PTZ is focused. John Richardson
is double what it was. It’s a change that will make incorporation of the Q6000-E more powerful still. While I’m mucking around taking photos of the camera, Richardson is working away at the demo workstation he’s set up in the undercover carpark at Axis. When I finish up we get right into taking a look at how the system works. It’s all deceptively simple. Operationally, the unit is managed with 2 screens that give a full 360-degree overview from the Axis Q6000-E, and a zoomed-in view from Axis Q60-E. Important too, the Axis Q6000-E provides multiple, configurable video streams in H.264 and MJPEG to optimize bandwidth, storage and image quality. This combination of 4 wide angle fixed cameras and one quality PTZ gives constant 360-degree recording and surveillance, while also allowing one click zoom to an object of interest anywhere in the 360-degree scene. The solution Richardson has built is driving on a mature age HP Elitebook and the 5 separate cameras, 4 fixed and 1 PTZ, are supporting by a single 100Mbps link. Rather than using Axis Camera Station software we are viewing the image streams on the pair of monitors through the local web browser hooked directly to the camera. I stand there looking at the full 360-degree image shown on one monitor in a synchronised quad
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screen, while Richardson demonstrates the way the one-click PTZ works. “When viewing footage on the quad split image, if you click a mouse onto the live view, the PTZ will pan and tilt to that part of the scene so operators can continue their viewing with great control,” Richardson explains, clicking. With each click on the 360-degree view, the PTZ steps instantly to a new view in which full PTZ functions are immediately to hand. “And at the same time, even though the operator is moving the PTZ, the 360-degree overview provided by the 4 fixed cameras continue to be available for viewing and recording,” Richardson says. “As well as viewing events through the PTZ monitor screen, we can also call up the images from the quad stream as full frame. Natively they run in 4x3 resolution or they can run in 720p mode.” What Richardson is doing is completely seamless. We have full coverage (minus the few degrees of the mounting pole) for viewing and recording and we have the ability to zoom and pan using what must surely be one of the CCTV industry’s most capable PTZs.
Our engineers found during development of the Q6000-E that we get better depth of field and much better coverage using 4 cameras than trying to use one fisheye lens.
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axis 360
“Something else to note is that the software allows you to calibrate the position of the Q6000-E cameras relative to the PTZ,” Richardson says. “The PTZ and all the cameras around the Q6000-E ring will run at 25 ips, including all 4 around the Q6000 ring. When it comes to the Q6000-E quad-stream like this, it’s the equivalent of a 3MP image. With the Q60-E PTZ bandwidth is adjustable – you set frame rate and bit rate to match your target bandwidth. “When it comes to managing the image stream, we can go a step further than just clicking on part of the scene when something of interest occurs, we can also draw a box around an area we want to pay attention to and the PTZ will zoom to that box. If I move the PTZ, you can see the box is updated every second no matter where I am looking.” Those images from the 4 Q6000-E cameras look surprising good, I point out. “Our engineers found during development of the Q6000-E that we get better depth of field and much better coverage using 4 cameras than trying to use one fisheye lens. Using 4 moderately wide angle lenses is much better. If you look at the screen you can see we have sharp focus from up close all the way into the background.” I look at the screen and yes, Richardson is perfectly right. There’s no doubt whatever that 4 fixed 1.3mm wide angle lenses like these offer vastly superior imaging to any panomorphic lens type. With fish eye lenses, the greater the depth of field, the greater the visible distortion. There’s certainly edge distortion in these images but it’s not excessive and is inevitable in any wide angle lens. And all the while we are looking at the monitors I can’t stop noticing and re-noticing the beautiful image quality of the Axis Q60-E PTZ. It’s a lovely image, with great colour rendition, contrast,
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axis 360
“That PTZ has a really nice image, doesn’t it,” I say to Richardson for the fourth time. “It’s just excellent, considering the funny light, too. The field of view is good and we are getting deep into that scene without using zoom.” Richardson agrees. “Yes it is a great image,” he says. “That camera used to be a 20x zoom but now it’s 32x and it’s not just got longer range in tele, it’s also got a shorter focal length lens, so you get a wider image as well – the lens starts out wider and zooms in further.”
Installing the Q6000-E
general acuity and depth of field. This camera has a collection of features that make it the perfect teammate for the Q6000-E. It’s a big outdoor PTZ running 1080p and offering 32x zoom. These cameras are vandal resistant to IK10 and have shock detection and surge protection to railway standard. There’s also IP66 and NEMA 4X protection against dust, rain and snow, and an operating range from -50 to 50C with an Arctic Temperature control function. There’s an electronic image stabiliser, auto de-fog, auto-tracking and active gatekeeper, a built in memory card slot, PoE plus, 256 preset positions, tilt to 20-degrees above the horizon, and colour down to half a lux at an aperture of F1.4. But none of these dry specifications capture the way in which the image quality of the Q60-E impressed me.
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Strong PTZ view top, Q6000-E quad view underneath
Next, Richardson takes the Q60000-E and its host Q60-E off the pole and we head into the office to take a look at the process of attachment. Watching the combined unit being removed from the bracket you can clearly see the thought that has gone into making it work in the simplest possible way. There really is only a single cable and a couple of bolts and when I get a feel of the combined system in my hands as Richardson passes it to me from the ladder, it’s not too heavy or unwieldy to manage. Richardson gets busy with his drill whizzing out the handful of bolts that hold the Q6000-E to the camera. It is a simple business. Once these bolts are moved the 2 parts come apart without further ado. “It’s about a 15 minute process to retrofit the PTZ with the Q6000 unit on the bench and another 10 minutes to calibrate the 4 sensors relative to the PTZ once it’s been mounted on the pole or pendant,” Richardson explains. “In terms of time and complexity, it’s not a big deal. These are the bits I had to remove,” he says, showing me a small group of bolts in the palm of his hand. “It’s all quite straightforward. Now, let’s have a look inside the unit. “See how the ring comes off cleanly and look at how it’s all weather-sealed. The home position of the cameras is marked around the ring, which makes life easier for installers. And when you power it up there’s a selectable screen displaying all the cameras so you can perfectly adjust camera positions during commissioning. This Q6000-E is an entirely separate unit with its own processor and applications, so in the future we might see IVA applications using the 4 cameras.” Richardson unscrews the little door on the Q6000-E housing and points out the reset button and SD card slot and shows me where power and data internally pass through in a weather-sealed environment. It’s all very nicely done, indeed. Later on my impressions of the Q6000-E are materially indivisible from the Q60-E PTZ. Working in combination they offer new customers and current users of the Axis Q60-E PTZ entirely new capabilities. While each is noteworthy in its own way, considered together they are 2 halves of an extremely powerful new system, a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. zzz
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With over 70 years experience and 1.2 million alarm panels nationwide, you’ll secure more business with a Hills security solution. Hills security solutions are used at some of our nations most significant sites. These include: The Sydney Harbour Bridge, Government Buildings, Banks, Hospitals, Prisons, Schools and Universities. They offer superior manufacturing and reliability, they’re easy to install and allow you to set and forget. With Australia’s largest product range and the added benefits of after-hours technical support, Hills security solutions are the most trusted in Australia. For more information call 1800 685 487 or visit hills.com.au/branches for your nearest location.
T RU ST E D T EC H N O LO GY F O R 70 Y E A RS
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Hills IP CCTV
Bullet camera
Simplicity is U a virtue Hills Professional IP CCTV range includes an 8-input NVR with a 3TB hard drive and a selection of extremely capable IP66-rated, 3MP network cameras. The series, which includes 4 and 16-input NVRs, is designed to eliminate the issues of networking. 72 se&n
NPACKING Hills’ new Professional IP series 8-channel kit from the big box it arrived in, I come to a heart-stopping decision. This installation is going to be undertaken entirely without the support of instructions. Hills’ product guru Fei Lee, has sent me some details of the system and I open that file long enough to find the password and turn back to the boxes. My initial impressions are just how light this stuff is. The shipping box was quite large but the Hills CH8 NVR and the Professional IP series cameras are as compact as can be. I pull out the NVR and open that first. It’s light – about the size of a second last-gen DVD player, though it’s considerably heavier thanks to the big drive. Inside the NVR box there’s a smaller cardboard box containing a bag of grub screws, a compact instruction manual, a mouse, a power cable, a Cat cable and a couple of other items. There’s
By John Ada m s
no software to mess around with. Without further ado I take the NVR over to my desk and put power and a monitor to the respective ports. Into the rear USB goes my mouse, leaving the front one free for downloading files. The front panel of the unit has some controls and a cluster of LEDs denoting status of key functions. Running my hands over the NVR case there are no jags or snags, no rough edges. This NVR has been built by people who know what they are about. There are 3 cameras in the box, a bullet, a dome and a mini dome. There’s a 4th unit, an eyeball, which I’ve not got for this demo but it shares the same fundamental specifications as the other cameras in this group, excepting the mini dome. And those specs are very solid as we’ll see later on when I start tormenting the cameras with too much light. Continuing with the unpacking it’s all very simple. I put together my motley crew of Cat5 cables and unpack the HD cameras. They feel great in the hand. All are supported by IR. They’re all IP66 – and they feel it. Build quality is first rate and that 3-year Hills warranty on everything including the NVR is nothing to turn your nose up at. The cameras come with various brackets and fixings, though I’m intending to float mine so as to be able to move them around and outside the office as the light fades. All but one of the cameras have the same 4mm focal length (the mini dome is 2.8mm), and IR support ranges from 10m for the mini dome to 2030m for the others. These cameras are optional 12V DC or PoE. And when it comes the NVR, it has 8 PoE inputs, 50Mbps throughput and 2 HDD slots, though it ships with just a single 3TB drive. Now I put power to the NVR and…beep! – I get a heartbeat. The Hills Video Security logo comes up on my HP L244w monitor and the wizard sparks up and ask me the password, which I plug in and away I go. Entering the password without a keyboard is slightly harder than it might be but I get there in the end. Once the NVR accepts my password, I’m into the video management system. Next, I plug in the bullet camera and take it out the front to monitor the street, which is about 12-15 metres wide, from house front to house front. There are leaves moving and various fence gratings in the foreground. It’s a bright-ish day but with thick clouds coming over. I measure 12EV out the front on the Sekonic and then a big cloud comes over and whoops, 7EV. Once I’ve plugged the camera in I sit there for 10 seconds struggling to wait and then start trying to find the camera through the GUI functions but without my doing anything in particular, the camera has been registered by the NVR as D1 and up it comes on the screen. I jump in and set the camera to record on motion (it default records continuous on power-up. Then I sit back and take in the image. And yeah, this is a fine image from the little bullet camera. No complaints with that at all. It’s not high end image quality but it’s very good nonetheless. It’s
Dome camera
Mini dome camera
Rear of CH8 NVR
I’m getting good colour rendition, good contrast, strong depth of field, there’s no visible distortion discernible without the lines of a test chart laid over the image.
bright. There’s quite a lot of movement in this scene and think I can perceive some slight latency. I jump up and check the specs and sure enough all these 3MP cameras are recording at 20ips on the CH8. It’s only just noticeable if you care about these things but it’s very nearly real time. The mini dome, which runs at 2MP is the only member of this team that drives at full frame rate. I pull the bullet camera up to full screen and yeah, my first impressions were right. It’s a really good image. There’s no distracting motion blur with branches and cars and pedestrians, contrast is good, though while the image is strong in the background, it’s quite dark in the foreground. Time to play with some camera settings. Across the top of the screen are dropdown menus including Playback, Export, Manual, HDD, Record, Camera Configuration, etc. I jump into the camera config drop down and have a fiddle with the sliders, lifting brightness and saturation from default. There’s just a bit of latency in the application of new settings and that leads me to go too far with the slider and once the new values arrive blindingly on-screen, I hop back in and drop the brightness setting to 160. I had considerable darkness in the foreground, given I’m looking from shadow into strong sunlight but the new setting has sorted it completely. Other functions
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in the camera config dropdown are PTZ Control, Motion, Privacy Mask, Video Tamper, Video Loss and VCA. Now I pull out the other cameras – the dome and the mini dome and attach them to their respective Cat5 cables and set them up in the office. They handle conditions inside extremely well. There’s no drama there. Colour is good. The mini dome does find the intense WDR in the rear doorway challenging to see through (it’s a rugged view from gloomy office into full Westerly sun) but it’s doing fine everywhere else. Now I take the little bullet camera out the back and point it away across Surry Hills towards World Square. Out comes the Sekonic and it’s a whopping 15.2EV out here, that’s around 83,000 lux. And the performance of the bullet at this price point is singularly good. Clearly, lensing is the weakest link in any compact camera but I’m impressed. I’m getting good colour rendition, good contrast, strong depth of field, there’s no visible distortion discernible without the lines of a test chart laid over the image. There’s no weird colour shifts, no flaring off the lens – this might be thanks to the little sunshade on the camera. Most important for the applications it’s going to find itself it, the close work – out to about 35 metres – is giving me excellent texture and detail. Because the last camera I viewed out here performed so well using a big tele lens (it was a 6MP full-body camera of super quality), I can see the compromises this compact unit is making in comparison, especially at longer ranges but it’s an excellent image all the same.
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Hills IP CCTV
Full screen at 83,000 lux Sun just to left and above
IR performance in O EV
I’m really pleased with it. Running a monitor right off the NVR is fun, too. Australia’s internet speed came in at a blisteringly fast 40th place in global rankings recently and provided the empirical evidence to support my endless grumbling. If there’s one thing that makes quality surveillance gear look bad it’s Australia’s dismal internet performance. Not just in the regional towns where pigeons are now being used to carry packets of data but here in the city, as well. A couple of times I’ve under-rated equipment that deserved more praise than censure. When it comes to driving this system, GUI functions include live viewing, manual recording, event/motion triggered recording, playback, exporting of recorded files, camera management, privacy masking, system and log info and maintenance and upgrade management. There’s also web interface software and PC client software that mirror the onboard software capabilities. A mobile app compatible with iOS and Android operating systems gives live view, remote playback, alarm push notifications and alarm information. The motion detection mask is beaut and very easy to use. You just grab a point and pull it across the scene to create areas you want to detect motion within. At the top of the screen there’s a little dropdown that allows you to select screen configurations, as well motion detection recording, playback, output, add camera, previous screen and more. You can also right click on an image and a small number of options come up above the frame. So, there are a number of ways to address the VMS, depending on where your mouse happens to be.
I timed myself bumbling around and getting the NVR powered up with the 3 cameras connected and being viewed on the VMS and it took just over 7 minutes. Ease of setup I’ve talked about the cameras but the big deal with this new Hills Professional IP series is ease of installation. Not physical installation, mind you. That still takes the same amount of time it always did, but getting the networking side up and running is a non-issue with Professional IP. I timed myself bumbling around and getting the NVR powered up with the 3 cameras connected and being viewed on the VMS and it took just over 7 minutes. The reason it’s all so easy is that the SmartIP NVRs automatically look for and registers connected devices utilising the DirectIP protocol. This DirectIP protocol has been applied to the EVOnet range of IP cameras, keyboard and network switches as well as the Pacom NVRs and the RASplusIP remote software, ensuring compatibility, integration and functionality of the devices within the network. Devices connected via the built-in PoE switch are automatically registered to the SmartIP NVR, with cameras showing live images on the main monitor and the NVR defaulting to recording continuously
Split screen, note tough WDR at rear glass door
on all channels. You can’t get easier than that. Once everything is running, tweaking of views and recording schedules and whatnot can be handled through the VMS. Cool, too, the NVR can be remotely monitored and controlled via free RASplusIP software which comes with each unit, or monitored via smartphones and tablets using free mobile Apps. Basically everything else relating to a CCTV installation, including thinking about the position of the NVR, locating and then installing the cameras, not to mention running the Cat cable, is going to be by far the most time consuming part of your jobs. This is the easiest system I’ve ever set up. I’d like to credit myself with new-found technical ability but no, it’s the Professional IP series that’s doing the hard work here. I’m just a passenger. According to Hills’ Fei Lee, there are a number of special features that deserve attention. Chief among these is the Hills Auto-Config – a P2P function that allows remote access of the NVR on smart devices including smart phones thanks to free free iOS and Android App download. “To activate the Hills Auto-Config, you just connect the NVR to the Internet, download the Hills Video Security CCTV App to your smart phone, register an account under the Hills Auto Config table, sign in, and then click + to add a device,” Lee explains. “You then undertake the QR code process on the NVR and follow the verification prompts. Once the device is registered successfully, click on it to live view. It’s very simple. “Something else that’s worthwhile is the Hills Firmware Upgrade which is in additional to the USB stick upgrade. User can connect the NVR to internet to do a one-click remote firmware upgrade. We also have a promotion happening now until 27th Feb 2015. Installers can buy 12 NVR and IP camera kits and get complete one free.” Taken as a whole, Hills Professional IP CH8 NVR and its range of cameras make for an impressive solution and the smaller CH4 and larger CH16 will be no different. The hardware is well made, the performance vectors are more than good, not just in terms of the specification sheets but live performance in challenging conditions. For installers wanting to dip a toe into the world of IP video while maintaining their dignity and giving their customers a great solution, this is a quality place to start. zzz
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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
What’s new in the industry
Dahua HD over Coax 2.0
Hills TruVision TVN10 NVR
l DAHUA has introduced HDCVI Gen II cameras, taking a step
l AVAILABLE from Hills is the new entry level TruVision TVN10 range which can be integrated to Tecom software including Security Commander 2.1 and Forcefield 7.1. The plug and play TruVision solution provides customers with the opportunity to enhance their existing alarm systems with video verification on alarms triggered from these access control systems. The video integration in the Tecom management software enables common alarm, access, and video management tasks to be performed from a single user interface. This greatly simplifies operation for the end user by allowing visual verification of alarms and other occurrences, such as door access events. Video footage can be linked to alarm events to provide visual verification of the reported alarm. This means that users can instantly recall footage based on an event, rather than having to manually search through hours of footage. The retrieved footage can then be exported directly to a USB key.
up into the HD over Coax 2.0 era. The HDCVI Gen II camera features a high performance sensor and Dahua in-house chipset DH5000, which combines Image Signal Processor (ISP) and TX chipset, rendering impressive performance improvement. The new cameras not only provide clear images at 1080p and 720p, but good night vision. Wider dynamic range can better cope with places of strong lighting contrast. Meanwhile, Gen II inherits convenient functions of previous HDCVI models, such as HD/SD switch and OSD menu. In terms of camera types, in addition to the fixed lens cameras, the CVI family adds 2.7mm to 12mm motorized (Z) and vari-focal (VF) series. In motorized cameras, Dahua has adopted an optimized algorithm to realize faster and more accurate focus for instant and convenient adjustment. There are 7 camera models in total in various designs, including eyeball, IR-bullet and domes with IP66 waterproof and IK10 vandal-resistance.
Distributor: Hills PACOM and Hills DAS Contact: 1800 685 487
Distributor: Seadan Security & Electronics Contact: +61 3 9263 0111
fitlet compact open powerful PC
Vivotek launches 4 new 5MP cameras
l CompuLab fitlet from ICT Technologies is a miniature fanless
l VIVOTEK has launched 4 new 5MP network cameras, the professional outdoor bullet network cameras IB8381 and IB8381-E, the outdoor dome network camera FD8381-EV and the indoor dome network camera FD8181. Incorporating advanced features such as 3D Noise Reduction, Smart IR and Smart Stream technology, the IB8381, IB8381-E, FD8381-EV and FD8181 all 4 cameras are able to suppress sensor noise, prevent overexposure and result in clear images around the clock while further reducing bandwidth consumption and enhancing image detail in extremely bright as well as dark environments. In the near future, new features such as video rotation for corridor view and electronic image stabilization (EIS) technology will be introduced to the four new cameras.
quad-core PC designed for unprecedented openness: Memory, storage, networking, extension cards and operating system can all be easily installed and upgraded by the user. The Linux version of fitlet was developed with the Linux Mint team and will be available under the MintBox Mini brand. The fitlet is powered by latest AMD low-power APU and is built into a sleek, passively-cooled ruggedized housing. There are 3 fitlet models in various configurations ranging from a plug-and-play Windows PC to a barebones system. All models come with a 5 year warranty. fitlet-i features up to 8 GB RAM, mSATA, dual head HDMI, dual GbE LAN, WLAN 802.11ac, micro-SD socket and 6 USB port (2 USB3). There’s a powered eSATA, RS232, SMBUS, UART, 8 GPIOs and provision for mobile data communication. Features are user accessible. Integrator features include power plug locking, USB locking, replaceable battery, programmable power-on, remote power button, power button locking and robust mounting. Distributor: ICT Technologies Contact: +–61 02 8916 6367
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Distributor: Vivotek Distributors Contact: +886-2-8245-5282
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 /
Axis Camera Station S10 Recorder l AXIS Communications Camera Station S10 Recorder Series
comprise 3 out-of-the-box-ready desktop and rack-server models. Axis Camera Station S10 Recorder Series consists of the Axis S1016, workstation model for use in office environments for installations up to 16 video channels. Meanwhile, Axis S1032 is a rack server model for installations of up to 32 video channels and Axis S1048 is a rack server model for installations of up to 48 video channels. Axis Camera Station video management software is pre-installed on all solutions in the S10 Series. The software offers an intuitive user interface with features to meet the demand for effective and active surveillance such as a flexible live view layout, site maps, powerful event configuration, efficient alarm management and responsive PTZ control. System settings such as camera and storage are configured to further simplify system setup and maximize performance. Distributor: Axis Communications Contact: +61 3 9982 1111
Panasonic 9MP 4K 360-degree network camera l PANASONIC says its new i-PRO Ultra 360 Panoramic indoor
camera and IP66-rated outdoor 360-degree camera are the first line of products that utilize the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12MP sensor and 4K Ultra HD engine technologies. The cameras produce 9MP (3K x 3K) images at 15fps, 4MP images at 30fps. The 12MP image sensor delivers high sensitivity at less than 0.4 lux. Other features include camera display modes such as Fish-Eye, Single Panorama, Double Panorama, Single PTZ, Quad PTZ and Quad Stream, and through the inclusion of Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Super Chroma Compensation (SCC) and Auto Back Focus (ABF) features. The i-PRO WV-SFN480 and IP66 WV-SFV481 come equipped with advanced analytic options. On-board processors encode up to 2 H.264 streams simultaneously, with options for 2 JPEG modes. The WV-SFV481 outdoor 360-degree camera features an antishock, vandal resistant IK10-rated chassis that also complies to IP66 standards. The WVSFV481 carries an MSRP of $A2431 and the companion indoor WV-SFN480 carries an MSRP of $1924.
Bosch IP 2000, IP 4000 and IP 5000 camera families l THE recent release of the IP 2000, IP 4000 and IP 5000 camera families from Bosch Security Systems offer resolutions up to 5MP to make it easy to distinguish individuals or minor details. In low cost applications, the IP 4000 family offers 720p resolution. Meanwhile, the IP 2000 family is ideal for small retail businesses as it includes 2-in1 solutions that combine a built-in passive infrared (PIR) sensor and a 720p HD IP video surveillance camera. Content Based Imaging Technology (CBIT) tailors camera settings to scene contents. Depending on movement and varying light intensity, the camera settings are continuously and dynamically adjusted to ensure perfect exposure of objects of interest while reducing bitrate by up to 50 per cent. Video data can be stored in the cloud, on a network video recorder like the DIVAR IP 2000 recording solution from Bosch, or on the builtin SD card. Users can easily access video data and control cameras with the free Video Client or Video Security app from Bosch. Distributor: Bosch Security Systems Contact: 1300 1 BOSCH (26724)
NESS 104-477B auto-networking camera l NESS 104-477B Auto-Networking IP camera with proprietary server technology provides an easy IP camera solution with no IP address, no DDNS, no router mapping, no portforwarding required. Setup is fast and easy by Wi-Fi using a QR code. You get simple and easy connection to any network - without programming - to view remote video in your browser, mobile phone, and EZViewer (PC Software). The camera has IR illumination onboard, Wi-Fi, separate lenses for day and night vision, onboard PIR motion sensing and a microphone. You can record on SD card, smartphone, NAS, server, or record direct to a cloud server, such as Dropbox. Playback is via PC or smartphone. Contact Ness Corporation Distributor: +61 2 8825 9222
Distributor: Hills PACOM and Hills DAS Contact: 1800 685 487
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new pr o d u ct s h owcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase /
editor’s choice
What’s new in the industry
ADPRO PRO-E from Xtralis
Ness Premium Series III DVRs
ADPRO PRO-E product range by Xtralis is the latest generation of high performance outdoor PIR detectors for the protection of commercial, industrial and defence-grade facilities. A variety of models is available that cover long perimeter distances up to 150m right down to small volumes of space. The detectors include advanced features such as 360PROtect tamper protection (for the protection of the pole and the detector itself), vandal & manipulation detection, anti-masking and iCommission, for oneman commissioning and maintenance. Soon to be released will be a 220m version, along with completely wireless operation. ADPRO PRO-E series detectors achieve unsurpassed performance even under difficult environmental conditions.
l COMBINED with Ness HD-IP cameras, the Ness Premium DVR Series III supports all Ness and other IP cameras compliant with ONVIF 2.2. Ness NVRs feature up to 80/160 Mbps throughput in both 8 and 16-channel configurations. The intuitive, stable and user friendly operating system provides flexibility of operation for local and remote live and playback. The mViewer PRO app for iOS and Android smartphones allows easy and convenient remote viewing of multiple DVR sites. App features include intuitive graphical GUI, PTZ control, configurable channel displays, channel select by finger slide, digital zoom by pinch & drag, one touch image capture, alarm output control, push alarm messages, calendar search and more.
Distributor: Hills PACOM and Hills DAS Contact: 1800 685 487
Distributor: Ness Corporation Contact: +61 2 8825 9222
Avigilon’s HD Video Appliance Series
Axis Announces ½-inch camera
l AVIGILON’S all-in-one appliances combine the functions of a
l AXIS has introduced a new fixed network camera with a ½-inch sensor. Thanks to its large sensor and the supplied lens, AXIS Q1635 is Axis’ most light sensitive 1080p HDTV network camera to date. Featuring improved near-infrared (IR) sensitivity, the camera delivers high-quality black and white images in situations with very little or diminishing visible light with less motion blur and low bandwidth consumption. The camera’s advanced features for optimizing image quality also include Wide Dynamic Range - Forensic Capture, Axis Lightfinder technology, Electronic Image Stabilization, shock detection and defogging, as well as 50/60 frames per second in HDTV 1080p resolution. The camera is enabled to seamlessly transition between WDR and Lightfinder mode, which further optimizes image quality. AXIS Q1635 is equipped with all the features of AXIS Q1615, with an additional defog functionality to further improve image quality in tough weather conditions.
network video recorder, high-powered Ethernet switch and the power of Avigilon Control Centre (ACC) software into a single appliance. The appliance can be easily added to an existing ACC system, or as a standalone system for small to mid-sized applications. Harnessing the power of Avigilon’s High-Definition Stream Management technology, the appliances support up to 29MP of resolution while intelligently managing bandwidth and storage, ensuring minimal impact on existing network infrastructure. Available in 8, 16 and 24-port models, with 2-12 TB of storage, the HD video appliances give you the flexibility to build a security solution that meets the specific needs of your business. Distributor: Central Security Distribution Contact: 1300 319 499
Distributor: Axis Communications Contact: +61 3 9982 1111
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re g u lars help desk
helpdesk
Q: We’ve installed a camera to cover a long walkway in low light – it’s most useful to the security team after hours when students are returning to campus late in the evening. In order to get the right field of view we have a smaller aperture set as default during the day but at night there’s not a lot of light and the camera’s automatic response to this is to open the aperture. But at F1.2, in fact it’s even before this, the camera begins losing focus on parts of the scene closer and further away from the exact point of focus. The trouble is the closer part of the scene is where we are most likely to get face recognition but we want to see as much of the lane as we can. What’s the fix? A: With any lens the bigger the aperture becomes, the shallower your depth of field will be. Losing depth of field as aperture automatically opens when light is being lost is a classic CCTV installer’s PITA. You could go IR but you will lose aspects of the image you may want to keep. IR is great for situational awareness and allows face recognition up close but with IR you lose a certain amount of detail. At F1.2 you are talking about a rather narrow focus window on either side of which is a world of blur. How bad it is depends on the focal length of the lens. A wide angle lens will do much better even when wide open than a medium or long tele lens can.
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Our panel of experts answers your questions.
One easy option would be to change the camera’s point of focus, bringing it closer to the lens where you are more likely to get that face recognition. You’ll have to walk test to establish exactly where the sweet spot is. My sense is that you need to give the camera some support from lighting, allowing it to automatically remain stopped down, thus giving a greater depth of field after dark. There are quality low-draw white LED lighting solutions available from companies like Raytec that will ensure this camera is not having to open its aperture so wide that DoF is slimmer than a pane of glass. White LED will support the camera, make students feel safer and potential crims feel less safe. It’s worth the money in this sort of application. Going to the trouble of installing a CCTV system worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars that’s more or less blind when the sun goes down is not a sensible thing to do, especially where the safety of young people is concerned. Q: We see claims of extremely low light performance from some surveillance manufacturers. How realistic are these claims and what sort of functional performance would we be talking about? A: There are plenty of manufacturers making claims of crystal clear images at less than 0.01 lux unsupported by artificial light but these aren’t very sensible if you want useable surveillance in real time. Shooting
at –EV numbers demands enormous apertures giving artistic blurring but little useful detail. It also demands the sort of long-ish exposure times that virtually guarantee motion blur. There’s a point with low light performance where pushing ISO generates so much noise you don’t want to go there. Ever. I know some cameras have huge ISO numbers but just because they are available doesn’t mean they are worth using. And if it’s not noise snow, it’ll be noise reduction artefacts that strip your images of detail. They might look half ok in a wee tile on your VMS but pull these images up to full frame and watch the world go CGI before your eyes. Even with the best cameras I would argue that 8-10 lux is about right for unsupported street surveillance applications. It’s not going to be perfect but it will do – especially with bigger sensor sizes. Past this point, you’re going to get serious compromises. There are some wonderful low light cameras from the top-tier manufacturers but the engineers of all these companies would agree that low light performance is a juggling act – they can amplify but cannot change the laws of physics. To put this another way, you cannot manufacture photons the sensor has not detected. For meaningful surveillance outside the miniscule fixed fields of view displayed in a low light box, a camera needs 8 lux, preferably more. You can get situational awareness underneath this threshold but
Even with the best cameras I would argue that 8-10 lux is about right for unsupported street surveillance applications. It’s not going to be perfect but it will do – especially with bigger sensor sizes. you’ll only get face recognition at very close ranges – a couple of metres or so. Finally, when using low light cameras try to match them with lenses with somewhat wider angles (smaller focal lengths) and somewhat faster (lower) apertures. For low light applications, a fast lens aperture like F1.2 is always going to be better than F2.8mm, all other things being equal. Q: I’m wondering if it’s necessary to always use Cat-6 or whether Cat-5e cable will do to bring cameras into a centrally located NVR? Are there ways we can install the cable to make trouble less likely with the lower rated cable? A: Cat-6 is best for noise resistance and bandwidth, but sure, Cat-5e properly installed will do the job perfectly well. There are things to think about to ensure good performance from Cat5. For a start, be sure to match UTP-connected devices, such as couplers, modular plugs and wall plates, to Cat-5 for best performance. Something else to make certain of is that you don’t apply a bend radius to the cable greater than 2.5cm and never pull Cat5 at a pressure in excess of 25 pounds. This sounds easier than it actually is in longer cable runs, rest assured. If in doubt, install a draw cable and tab the Cat5 loosely to the draw. You don’t ever want to staple Cat5 cable either, as any pressure damage to the cable will attenuate performance. Use hooks or rings to attach the cable to fixed structures. If you must use cable ties, and I know you all do, then have this rule in your head - you must not apply any pressure so great it changes the diameter of the cable wall. Cat5e and Cat6 are much more fragile than coax. Never put Cat5 under carpet as
the pressure of foot traffic over time will break the shield and the twist will unravel, messing with the signal and damming bandwidth. Ensure no part of the cable is exposed on the unsecure side of the security system. And when you pull the cable to a device before you start stripping the shield and building terminations, shimmy the excess back inside the wall or ceiling cavity. You’ll need a wee bit extra to play with but not great loops and loops of the stuff. The issue here is that if the weight of this cable falls on a termination during manipulation back into the cavity, it risks putting undue pressure on your carefully-built connections. It’s not worth the risk. Finally, keep Cat5 at least 15cm away from mains signal – that’s about the distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your forefinger with a couple of extra centimetres thrown in for safety.
Q: We are thinking of installing a fixed camera at a distance of about 250m from the area we want to cover. There’s no way we can trench power and signal across 4 lanes of traffic and a car park to get the camera in the perfect place. Is it likely we will image vibration issues? How bad are these likely to be? How effective is vibration compensation? What about low light performance using a tele zoom? Will it be significantly effected? A: It’s true that a zoom lens at the long end is going to be prone to exaggerating any movement generated by the structure supporting it. But a quality bracket, properly installed on a well constructed pole or beam, or on a wall, should give you a decent base to work from at only 250m. In-camera vibration reduction will definitely help image quality so we’d use it if you have it but we’d not swap out an existing camera until we knew there was a problem. Yes, at the long end of a telelens you’ll be using a smaller aperture (thus a larger F-number) and that means low light performance is going to suffer, depending on how the camera is set up to react to low light. But given you’ll be getting a situational awareness stream anyway, it’s not likely the loss of a few f-stops will ruin things completely. Setting up the camera and seeing how it looks is the best way to establish where you are at with low light. Try borrowing a few different lenses so you can establish what works best in this application before making the client invest in quality glass. If light is a really serious issue, there are some long range laser cameras appearing on the market that may be worth a Google. Getting 250m from these would not be an issue. zzz
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events
february – july 2015 February2015 Issue 362
SMART PHOME
ISC West
l Rec Xpress integration l Triple Shield DIY solution l New transistors herald big change l Bosch Dinion IP ultra 8000MP l Best new products of 2014 l Plug and play IP video l Review: Axis Q6000-E l Hills Professional IP range
PP 100001158
Date: 15 - 17 April, 2015 Venue: Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A. Tel: 1-203-840-5602 With more than 26,000 industry professionals and more than 1000 exhibits, ISC West is the largest physical security event in the Americas. ISC West’s attendees represent over $US50 Billion in buying power.
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Secutech 2015 Date: 28 - 30 April, 2015 Venue: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taiwan Tel: +886 2 2659 9080 Email:intl@newera.messefrankfurt.com Secutech is where technological innovations become business opportunities and suppliers of security components, devices and total solutions gather here annually and present their solutions to the industry.
SecTech Roadshow
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Date & locations: Brisbane, Monday 4th May, 2015 Sydney, Wednesday 6th May, 2015 Melbourne, Monday 11th May, 2015 Adelaide, Wednesday 13th May, 2015 Perth, Monday 18th May 2015, Contact: Monique Keatinge on +61 2 9280 4425 www.sectechroadshow.com.au SecTech Roadshow is a dynamic new event that will put the latest security products into the hands of installers and end users in the capital cities of 5 Australian states over 2 weeks. SecTech is an exciting new concept – a pop-up roadshow with one stand per exhibitor – no one company dominates the floor. At SecTech, new products do the talking.
IFSEC Date: 16 - 18 June, 2015 Venue: ExCeL London, U.K. Tel: 44 (0)20 7069 5000 IFSEC International is the only event to bring together the entire buying chain, from end users, installers and integrators to consultants, distributers and manufacturers.
Security Exhibition & Conference
= DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.
Date: July 15-17, 2015 Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Contact: Kylie McRorie on 03 9261 4504 or www.securityexpo.com.au for more information. Australasia’s premier security industry event, the Security Exhibition & Conference, will return to Melbourne in July 2015. In 2014 more than 4500 security professionals attended, there was a record number of individual registrations and 170 brands exhibited on the show floor.
DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.
February2015 Issue 362
SMART PHOME WEBSITE
PP 100001158
l Rec Xpress integration l Triple Shield DIY solution l New transistors herald big change l Bosch Dinion IP ultra 8000MP l Best new products of 2014 l Plug and play IP video l Review: Axis Q6000-E l Hills Professional IP range
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MAGAZINE
28/01/15 11:19 AM
ENEWSLETTER
Advertising enquiries call Monique Keatinge on 02 9280 4425 or email info@bridgepublishing.com.au
ALL IN ONE TRIPLE TECHNOLOGY DIGITAL RECORDER Analogue, High Definition, IP
High Definition cameras work with either coax cable up to 500 metres or CAT5/6. Universal Digital recorder compatible with multi-brand Analogue, High Definition and IP cameras up to 5 megapixels.
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