Sen sept16 by Security Electronics & Networks Magazine

september 2016 Issue 380

Revolution will be

PP 100001158

televised

l Special Feature: Integrated Solutions l AES Encryption for IoT Sensors & Devices l Review: AXIS Q1615 Mk II with i-CS Lens l $US20 Billion JCI, Tyco Merger Approved l Review: Paxton net10 Access and Automation l Bosch Takes a Walk on the Wild Side l Considerations of Access Control l Applications: A Quest for Wide Angle Views l Review: D-Link Vigilance DCS-4802E

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editorial s ec u ri ty e l e ct ro n i c s & netwo r ks s e pte mb e r 201 6 issue 380

By John Adams

Centre of Operations In an industry like electronic security, which always has and likely always will, exist at the bleeding edge of technological development, viewing everything through an operational prism is vital. OMETHING SEN talks about with monotonous regularity is ‘operational requirements’ yet we consistently see products and applications which leave us wondering whether or not these imperatives got lost somewhere during the process of design and installation. It’s easy to see how this might happen when considering the complexity of many solutions and the variable performance parameters of much of the technology currently available. There’s also the cognitive bias inevitably introduced by products a company sells or installs. The pointed saying that when you’re holding a hammer every problem looks like a nail applies to electronic security solutions, too. Manufacturers and integrators tend to follow different paths toward solutions and that can leave end users with systems that don’t fully meet their requirements. For manufacturers and distributors - and this depends on the size of the system and the nature of the supplier – a sale of hardware and software is not necessarily the sale of a functioning solution. Meanwhile, integrators struggle to learn systems on the go while massaging them to fit a customer’s endlessly organic topologies. The challenges of meeting operational

requirements are not made any easier when solutions are over-sold as offering capabilities they can’t quite attain. You can see this in a small way with compact CCTV cameras that are alleged to deliver crystal clear images in .002 lux, or access control and security management solutions that purport to offer ‘total control of your global enterprise’. Taking such claims at face value and trying to apply them to the operational imperatives of serious end users is certain to end in a mixture of egg and face. In an industry like electronic security, which always has and likely always will, exist at the bleeding edge of technological development, viewing everything through an operational prism is vital. And you need to carry that intense focus all the way through the process of applying any solution, from start to finish. It can’t be only about a nebulous global fix, either. Each component of a system needs to be examined for operational fitness. I once saw an application in which the same camera had been used throughout a complex and challenging site and at the end of my walk-through it was clear the end user was angry about something he’d not had an opportunity to unload on before. What that something turned out to be was that in particular operating conditions in vital areas of the business, multiple cameras were completely blind. It was an intense example of a loss of operational focus. An entire solution, an installer’s reputation and an end user’s ability to legitimately operate under the law had been compromised to save a few hundred dollars.

It’s not the only instance I’ve seen such things. Another time a management system showed serious operational flaws that a good-natured end user had been convinced met an acceptable level of performance, despite introducing strange extended latency in cameras of the highest quality. The application demanded the highest level of live performance at key times to support law enforcement personnel, the solution resided on a beautiful purpose-built network, yet it did not meet the foundational operational requirement. End users, installers and integrators and consultants must ask, and manufacturers and distributors must answer, the most searching questions about attaining real world functionality from electronic security solutions. What do you really need? How can you deliver a solution that meets our need? We are at a point in time where 2 trends have intersected. The first trend is an increase in serious threat profile. The second is a reluctance to invest in high quality operational outcomes. It’s inevitable that every day, in thousands of applications, these trends continually meet. Operational challenges form the centrepiece of Security and Government Expo, which will be held in Canberra on November 3 from 12-6pm. The event is organised by SEN in partnership with ASIS ACT and it’s the perfect opportunity for end users, integrators and suppliers to go eyeball-to-eyeball over their most challenging security requirements. Don’t you miss it. n

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do n W CA ID â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t m M E a is s ER n th A gl e TE e ST

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Enquiries please contact Monique Keatinge +612 9280 4425

f o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a c t M o n i q u e k EATINGE ON 0 2 9 2 8 0 4 4 2 5

sept 16 22: Integrated Solutions Manufacturers are offering more and more integrated security and automation solutions – such systems are becoming more powerful and more pervasive. But what do installers and integrators need from such solutions? And what are end users asking integrators and consultants to design for them? 32: AES Encryption Developed for IoT Devices and Sensors Researchers have discovered a new technique for compressing the computations of encryption and decryption operations and succeeded in developing the world’s most efficient advanced encryption standard (AES) cryptographic processing circuit using 50 per cent less energy. 34: AXIS Q1615 Mk II Axis Q1615 Mk II offers up 50/60 fps in HDTV 1080p and up to 100/120 fps in

HDTV 720p and is equipped with an i-CS lens, enabling the camera to adjust zoom and focus during remote setup for quick installation and tweaking. There’s Lightfinder technology and WDR – Forensic Capture, Electronic Image Stabilization and much more. 44: Building Intelligence Paxton’s net10 access and building automation solution from Security Distributors Australia is license free, carries a long warranty, supports multi-format readers and has an integrated wireless network. This new solution is a strong addition to the Paxton line-up, firmly underscoring the company’s strong networking credentials. 52: D-Link Vigilance DCS-4802E D-Link Vigilance DCS-4802E is a compact IP66-rated 1080p dome camera with a highly adjustable axis supported by an integrated 20m IR array. It features a wide angle of view, low distortion and reasonable performance for the street, external residential and small commercial applications. 58: The Wild Side Bosch Starlight cameras have been used to assist in filming a wildlife documentary after being integrated into a mobile studio which allowed the crew to get footage of nocturnal creatures whose habits have not been observed before.

68 58 34

regulars 10 news

60: Considerations of Access

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

What are the most important features of an access control solution? There are some broad consistencies but taking these into account, the features that matter are those that best support the application you’re seeking to secure. At all times, the focus needs to remain on a client’s operational requirements.

48: Monitoring Echostar, a satellite TV and internet provider based in the U.S. with global operations and annual earnings of $US3.1 billion, has turned its attention to the security market and plans to provide automation, intrusion detection, video verification and video monitoring, as well as self-monitoring. Can its plan work? Maybe…

64: Wide Angle Views Scott Myles of Independent Consultancy Group recently tested a group of wide angle cameras to see which offered the best panoramic performance on the street. We went along to take a look at the process and decide which of these cameras we thought was best in this application.

SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE 380

REVOLUTION WILL BE

PP 100001158

TELEVISED

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

68: editor’s choice What’s new from our manufacturers. 72: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

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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news in brief

Honeywell Plans to Acquire JDA Software for $US3 Billion p.14 Hills Financing Security Solutions p.16 Victoria Police Seeking Mobile Field App p.18 CCTV, Comms Solution For Huge St Kilda Festival p. 20

september 2016

Security and Government Expo Canberra, November 3

■

SECURITY and Government Expo is a one-day expo with space for just 20 companies to demonstrate their technologies and products to government and commercial end users, consultants,

integrators and installers in Canberra and the ACT, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere with drinks and canapes from 3.30-5.30pm. This is an application-specific event and visitors should bring exhibitors

their biggest security challenges and demand workable solutions. Security and Government Expo partner ASIS ACT will present an open session sponsored by Hills on the expo floor during which Luke Williams,

compiled by john adams

chief security officer Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will speak on International Security Challenges, A DFAT Perspective. His presentation will deal with some of the challenges of protecting Australia’s embassies overseas and is sure to generate plenty of interest from end users in corporate and government organisations, as well as being revealing for consultants and integrators. Security and Government Expo also includes an application-specific demonstration of wide angle cameras with angles of view ranging from 180-270 degrees. This demonstration will give attendees the chance to make up their own minds which cameras they think handle very

challenging wide angle street and public space applications with the most resolution and the least distortion. Current exhibitors include Bosch, Chubb, Gallagher, Axis Communications, Inner Range, Avigilon, Sektor, LSC, DirectConnect, Sensor Mat, Geutebruck, Pelco, EKA, Perimeter Systems and FSH. Hills is the Lanyard and Speaker Sponsor. At press time there were just 6 exhibition spaces remaining, along with several sponsorship opportunities. Security and Government Expo is a great opportunity for suppliers, integrators and end users to talk straight about challenging security applications. Don’t you miss it. Contact Monique Keatinge on +61 2 9280 4425 for an exhibitor prospectus.

$US20 Billion JCI, Tyco Merger Gets Approved n SHAREHOLDERS of Johnson Controls and Tyco International voted late August to approve the merger of the 2 companies, a $US20 billion deal that was first announced in January. The transaction was expected to be finalized September 2. More than 80 per cent of JCI shareholders voted for the merger, which needed to be approved by a two-thirds majority. Tyco shareholders also overwhelmingly approved the deal, which will create a combined company with $30 billion

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in annual sales specializing in building systems and products, as well as battery and energy storage systems for vehicles and buildings. “I am pleased our shareholders have voted in favor of this powerful strategic combination, which will unite two world-class companies with complementary capabilities,” said Alex Molinaroli, chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls, in a prepared statement. “I am excited and enthusiastic as we create the world leader in buildings

and energy systems with a strong leadership team and dedicated employees around the world ready to deliver on the promise of smarter cities and communities.” The merger will allow JCI to move its official base of operations to Ireland so as to avoid a 35 per cent federal corporate tax rate. JCI has said it expects savings of $150 million a year on its taxes as a result of the deal. JCI will continue to be managed from Milwaukee, which will be the North American operating headquarters of

the company. Under terms of the deal, JCI will have a majority of the board of directors and the top management team. Molinaroli will lead the merged company as chairman and CEO, with Tyco CEO George Oliver to begin his tenure as president and COO. “We are excited about combining the vast capabilities of Johnson Controls and Tyco to help customers improve their safety, performance and operations,” Oliver said in a statement. “I would also like

to thank our shareholders for their confidence and investment in the company over the years and for their support of our vision with their approval of this merger.”

George Oliver

news september 2016

I would like to use this kind of facial recognition technology in video cameras at airports and train stations... Then, if a suspect appears and is recognized it will show up in the system.

Germany Plans Face Recognition for Transport System n GERMANY intends to deploy facial recognition software to video surveillance cameras currently installed at transportation hubs as part of new anti-terrorism measures, the country’s interior minister has told Bild am Sonntag. According to reports, Thomas de Maiziere told the German newspaper facial ID technology would be able to identify suspects following

2 attacks by Islamist militants in the past month. It’s not certain which brand of face recognition he was talking about – consistent performance has been challenging developers for the past 2 decades. “I would like to use this kind of facial recognition technology in video cameras at airports and train stations,” de Maiziere told the paper. “Then, if a suspect appears and is

recognized it will show up in the system.” According to de Maiziere, other security measures were also being considered. “We will have to get used to increased security measures, such as longer queues, stricter checks or personal entry cards,” he said. “This is tedious, uncomfortable and costs time but I don’t think it’s a limitation of personal freedom.”

Victoria University Integrates 800 Avigilon Cameras n AVIGILON APAC Conference included a site visit to Victoria University, where APAC attendees saw a major Avigilon application with more than 800 cameras deployed. Andrew Brewer of Victoria University, presented an overview of the entire system to the visitors who

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were blown away by the full capabilities of a system that many had not seen on such a large scale. “The ease of use for operators, especially casual operators, was a leading reason to choose the Avigilon Control Centre (ACC) software,” said Brewer. “Within 30 minutes they’ve

mastered the ACC software – searching recorded video is super-fast and responsive, bookmarking and exporting events is only a few clicks, and they can master control of the PTZ cameras due to the very low latency of the system.”

The German government has been under increased political pressure to introduce stricter measures since the recent attacks but privacy advocates have criticized proposals for increased surveillance, with Germany’s Green Party calling the plan “half-baked.” These criticisms are not without foundation. Flaws with facial recognition systems were recently exposed by researchers at the University of North Carolina, who discovered a technique to bypass the software using publicly available photos from people’s social media accounts. After collecting photos from people’s Facebook accounts, the researchers created 3D models of their faces. This allowed them to fool 4 out of 5 biometric security systems up to 85 per cent of the time. “Our work outlines several important lessons for both the present and the future state of security, particularly as it relates to face recognition systems,” said a UNC paper describing the research.

Access Control Market Growing Fast ACCESS control globally is projected to worth $US9.8 billion by 2022 and is growing at an annual rate of 7.49 per cent, according to reportsnreports.com. The fastest growing segment is electronic locks. The global access control market was valued $5.92 billion. The access control sector’s growth can be attributed to increased security threats across the world, growing urbanization and technological developments, according to the report. Electronic locks are projected to be the fastest-growing segment of the access control market. The market for electronic locks is expected to grow at a faster rate over other readers in the access control market. The report says this is due to reduced cost, increased convenience of not carrying credentials, and the ability for users to monitor and operate remotely locks and over the mobile phone apps. Residential properties are increasingly adopting electronic lock-based access control systems to integrate with home automation solutions, according to the report.

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news september 2016

Gallagher’s Type 1A Security Solution Given Seal of approval by SCEC

Gallagher Releases New Class 5 End of Line Module n Gallagher has released the Gallagher Class 5 End of Line Module (ELM), which encrypts a security system’s signals. High value and sensitive assets are normally protected by intruder alarm systems, using 3-4 state analogue monitoring to detect sensor tampering. Without a Class 5 ELM, sites are susceptible to sophisticated attacks, rendering high value assets unprotected. Gallagher chief technology officer, Steve Bell, said the Class 5 ELM uses the latest digital encryption security standards to protect against all known vulnerabilities, ensuring alarms are always reported should sensors come under attack. “Most security systems have a weak link with non-authenticated sensor inputs communicating

unencrypted with controllers,” said Bell. “The Gallagher Class 5 ELM secures this weakness by extending full end-toend authentication and encryption from highly secure Gallagher devices to any PIR or sensor in a system” Bell highlighted the ability of the Gallagher Class 5 ELM to protect against all known vulnerabilities and sophisticated attacks. “This includes sensor tampering, disablement or insider attack,” he said. In Australia and New Zealand, the addition of the Class 5 ELM to the Gallagher hardware suite means Gallagher security systems can now be configured to comply with the highest security level of the AS/ NZS 2201 Intruder Alarms Standard.

“As a component of an AS/ NZS 2201 intruder alarm system, the Class 5 ELM strengthens security solutions protecting high value and sensitive assets,” says Steve. The Gallagher Class 5 ELM provides physical input connections with the sensor, including alarm contact, tamper contact and anti-masking contact (available for sensor devices that have an anti-mask output that can be directly wired into the ELM). It features all the benefits of standard Gallagher device functionality, including field upgradeable code to improve device longevity; plug and play authentication for quick and secure installation; and multiple device support on the same wiring run. Simple to install, the

Gallagher Class 5 ELM is a small potted PCB device designed to easily fit inside a tamper-proofed junction box or the housing of a high-grade alarm sensor device, such as a PIR or contact sensor. Its small size and leveraging of Gallagher system flexibility to allow re-use of existing site wiring, means it eliminates the need to run additional wiring on install.

LEADING security technology manufacturer, Gallagher, has scored approval for its Type 1A high security solution from the Security Construction and Equipment Committee (SCEC). SCEC is the body responsible for providing the Australian government with protective security advice, product testing and evaluation. “We’re extremely proud that SCEC has deemed Gallagher product to meet the highest security standards. This certification reflects our investment in high security and our ongoing commitment to delivering intelligent and innovative protection solutions,” says Craig Schutte, general manager, Gallagher Australia. Type 1A manages alarms, monitors sensors and defends the system integrity of high value security assets. It is only available via a Gallagher Type 1A accredited installer.

As a component of an AS/NZS 2201 intruder alarm system, the Class 5 ELM strengthens security solutions protecting high value and sensitive assets. Phil Marr and Steve Bell

Honeywell Plans to Acquire JDA Software for $US3 Billion n REPORTS in WSJ suggest Honeywell International is in the process of acquiring JDA Software Group for $US3 billion. According to WSJ, Honeywell CEO David Cote recently pointed out

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that nearly half of the company’s 23,000 engineers now work on software. It’s a lateral move from Honeywell and a clever one, if the reports prove correct. JDA sells software

that assists retailers optimize supply chains and merchandising. Major clients include Walmart and Advance Auto Parts. WSJ suggests the deal could be finalised early next week.

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news september 2016

Hills Financing Security Solutions n TOGETHER with Pula

NGV Tenders Security To Protect $A4 Billion Collection n THE National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has invited suitably qualified organisations to submit a response for the provision of building automation and security system services in accordance with tender documents available to registered participants. The National Gallery of Victoria is an art museum in Melbourne founded in 1861. The NGV is Australia’s oldest, largest and most visited art museum, with 2 million visits every year. The NGV’s international art collection encompasses European and international

paintings, fashion and textiles, photography, prints and drawings, Asian art, decorative arts, Mesoamerican art, Pacific art, sculpture, antiquities and global contemporary art. The gallery has around 75,000 works of art with a total value of nearly $A4 billion and an annual income of around $A100 million. It has strong collections in areas as diverse as old masters, Greek vases, Egyptian artefacts and historical European ceramics, and contains the largest and most comprehensive range of

artworks in Australia. The NGV is now spread over 2 buildings a short distance from each other at the southern end of the CBD. The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, in Federation Square opened in 2003 and houses the Australian art collection. Grounds’ building, just south of the Yarra River, houses the international collection. It reopened in December 2003 after 4 years of renovations by architect, Mario Bellini. The tender for building automation and security systems closes on September 2, 2016.

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Capital, Hills is now offering its clients competitive finance solutions. Chief operations officer, David Lenz, said that finance provides a great solution for customers to ensure their security posture; with a recent sale leading to the capture of a would-be felon. Following a series of recent robberies and break-ins, Dunedoo 5 Star Supermarket took the advice of police and acquired an updated security system through Virgo Security. “Without Finance we weren’t in a position to have the security system we urgently needed installed. Rob from Virgo Security and Pula Capital made it possible. We are thrilled with the security system.” said store owner Trish Booth.

Days after the installation, Dunedoo 5 Star Supermarket experienced an attempted break-in. Due to the newly installed security system one of the culprits was apprehended. “The process was fast and efficient,” said Rob Cutrupi from Virgo Security. “I would highly recommend Pula Capital for service and expertise.”

Following a series of recent robberies and break-ins, Dunedoo 5 Star Supermarket took the advice of police and acquired an updated security system through Virgo Security.

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news september 2016

Victoria Police Seeking Mobile Field App

Avigilon Hosts APAC Conference at Melbourne Mercure n AVIGILON recently hosted its annual Asia Pacific Avigilon Conference (APAC) at the Mecure Hotel in Melbourne with more than 100 international and local Avigilon partners attending from more than 12 countries in the region. “Along with the end user sites visits, Avigilon’s APAC Partner Event showcased not just product updates – as you’d expect from a manufacturer – but also Avigilon’s marketing and demand generation initiatives relevant to accelerating growth of

the Avigilon partners’ business,” said Randolph Oudemans – Avigilon’s senior sales director, APAC. There were also live video calls from Avigilon’s James Henderson (senior vice president, global sales) and Dr. Mahesh Saptharishi (chief technology officer) to discuss Avigilon’s first step into artificial intelligence (AI) – in particular, Appearance Search, which gives users the ability to select a person or vehicle of interest in a camera view and then search the recorded video for them across all recorded cameras in the system, creating true

actionable video. “Security 2016 brings together many system integrators, installers, consultants and end-users wanting to know what’s new,” said Matthew Fisher – sales director, Oceania. “That’s where Avigilon could showcase it’s H4 Series of megapixel cameras with built-in solid state hard drive (SSD) and analytics, the 30 megapixel (7k) Pro series of cameras, explain Avigilon’s patented selflearning analytics, and demonstrate our artificial intelligence - Appearance Search.”

n Victoria Police is seeking a mobile application and ongoing managed service that allows real time information to be provided to police officers in the field. The new mobility solution will equip frontline police members with handheld mobile devices to promptly access the capabilities they require in the field and mitigate some of the inherent risks of policing to Victoria Police members and the public. The solution will significantly increase the ability of Victoria Police to deliver timely, relevant, and up-to-date information to and from police in the field. The object of the system is that it will provide frontline police members with immediate access to accurate information to ensure they can be responsive to reports of crime and the victims of crime; reduce reliance on station-based administrative processes, increase police mobility and efficiency, and help keep frontline police in the community; and will enable more informed, efficient, visible, and responsive policing to improve crime detection and prevention.

The solution will significantly increase the ability of Victoria Police to deliver timely, relevant, and up-to-date information to and from police in the field.

The RFT closed on September 7 and sought a tenderer to provide and manage the following aspects of the service: l Provision of a mobile platform (including devices, network, mobile device management, mobile environment, security) l Build of front-end mobile technology applications l Project management and implementation of application functionality, as well as integration of services to the mobile API Gateway l Ongoing service / operational management and support of the mobility solution, including logistical support l Provision of the necessary experience, capability and skillsets to support the deployment of a transformational mobility solution within a policing / law enforcement environment l A commitment to innovation and partnership throughout the life of the agreement with Victoria Police.

CSD Is Avigilon APAC Distributor of the Year

Randoph Oudemans

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n CENTRAL Security Distribution was presented with Avigilon’s APAC Distributor of the Year 2016 Award at the recent Avigilon APAC Conference in Melbourne. “CSD’s continued support is appreciated by Avigilon,” said Randolph

Oudemans, Avigilon’s senior sales director, APAC. “As Avigilon’s exclusive distributor in Australia, CSD is continuing to support and growth the mutually beneficial relationship that exists between both companies. In recognition of the efforts

of the team, CSD was the recipient of Avigilon’s Distributor of the Year 2016 Award for the APAC region.” The award was presented as part of Avigilon’s APAC Conference timed in conjunction with Security 2016 in Melbourne last

month. According to Oudemans, by aligning Avigilon’s partner event with Security 2016 Exhibition and ASIAL Conference, Avigilon was able to maximise the momentum and interest Lars in its technologies, products Thinggard and solutions.

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news september 2016

CCTV, Comms Solution For Huge St Kilda Festival n :CITY of Port Phillip Council has asked for tenders from suppliers for an event CCTV and comms solution, including UPS and noise monitoring, for the St Kilda Festival to be held early 2017. The St Kilda Festival is Australia’s largest free music festival and is held on the second Sunday in February every year, attracting more than 400,000 people. The streets of St Kilda are closed to all traffic and Australia’s best musicians play across more than 10 music stages, while people of all ages are entertained with a range of performances, workshops and events, from kids’ entertainment to live

wrestling, dance classes, community activities, buskers, food trucks and more. Services and technology required by council include the provision of management and staffing structure, provision of UPS systems over all network, CCTV and Communications equipment, provision of services to finalise all control room technology set up, provision of CCTV equipment and associated services, provision of noise monitoring equipment, professional weather station equipment, provision and maintenance of a high speed LAN and the provision and maintenance of a high

speed LAN extension. The technology services supply contractor will be required to work closely with numerous stakeholders including but not limited to festival management, site managers, festival contractors, the festival

risk management consultant, City of Port Phillip, Victoria Police, emergency service organisations, the festival security contractor, transport agencies and other St Kilda Festival stakeholders. The tender closed on August 26, 2016.

Fredon Technology Division Wins Crestron Award for Westpac Bank Barangaroo n FREDON’S Technology division has won the Crestron Project of the Year – Commercial award for the integration of a complex AV solution at Westpac Bank at Barangaroo in Sydney. The 28-floor project was unusual for its scale, compressed timeframe and the high level of commitment from the client. Fredon was involved in developing the specifications as the project was delivered, and maintained a close relationship with Westpac. Features include central monitoring and control

20 se&n

of all AV, which makes site support, service and maintenance more efficient. A key part of this was the use of a classleading Crestron 64 x 64 digital media switcher. Westpac is among the first commercial installations of this equipment globally. The integration makes it possible to manage up to 64 simultaneous high quality video signals from any input in an organisation (Blue-ray players, cameras, computers, etc.) and out to any screen and sound system. The project’s 27 floors of

AV equipment, including 6 specialty floors and 21 typical floors, with more than 7000 pieces of AV equipment. These include 416 AV-equipped meeting rooms and open collaboration spaces, 109 digital signage displays, 72 executive meeting rooms and custom specialist spaces. One major benefit of all that technology is improved collaboration in the workplace. Instead of being tied to a specific desk, the layout and design encourages the workers to use the AV technology

Fredon Security is a specialist supplier of all aspects of electronic security solutions and engages in design, installation, commissioning and service of electronic security solutions.

to form ad hoc groups to suit the projects they are working on. They can plug in multiple laptops and switch between them to share and discuss work on large screens. Fredon Security is a specialist supplier of all aspects of electronic security solutions and engages in design, installation, commissioning and service of electronic security solutions. Fredon has been installing and maintaining electronic security solutions for more than 25 years. As the security market has adopted IP technology, Fredon has evolved as a security integrator which specialises in hardware, software and underlying networks.

New Gallagher Customer Service Centre Opens in Melbourne GALLAGHER opened a new regional headquarters in Melbourne recently, incorporating a Customer Service Centre that will house Gallagher’s customer service, distribution, sales management, marketing, administration, technical and servicing support, and warehouse operation teams. “The new building doubles our capacity, so both its size and location improve our logistical capabilities. It also provides new opportunities in training, as well as customer and technical support,” said general manager Malcolm Linn. The Gallagher Customer Service Centre is accessible via the Hume Freeway while offering the added benefit of being located less than 20km from the Melbourne International Airport. “The new building sits right next to the Hume Freeway with some 50,000 cars passing the site each day so it’s a good way to promote the brand,” Linn said. The toll free number (1800 GALLAGHER) remains unchanged for customer service, technical support, trouble shooting and advice. Sir William and Lady Judi Gallagher attended the official opening of the new facility, along with members of Gallagher’s board and executive management.

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● Special report

Integration

Integrated Solutions Manufacturers are offering more and more integrated security and automation solutions – such systems are becoming more powerful and more pervasive. But what do installers and integrators need from such solutions? And what are end users asking integrators and consultants to design for them?

22 se&n

NTEGRATION is the name of the game and it’s spilling across the market segments of the electronic security industry, blending disciplines – not just at the top end but SMEs and residential markets as well. More and more systems offer alarms, access control, automation and video surveillance integration. But while we know where developers and manufacturers are steering the market, what is the integrator experience of this shift? And what are end users telling integrators and consultants about the system functionalities they want? Are there real opportunities for integrators to develop their businesses in ways that lift them out of the never-ending grind of price war? For ECS Services, an integrated solution combines or integrates disparate systems to operate as well as a single solution using through

BY J O H N A D A M S

In every project there is always a risk of getting so excited about the possibilities that you miss the core deliverables needed to satisfy the customer.

low level logic or high level interfaces. According to Raj Masson, the most important quality of an integrated security platform is reliability. “The benefits promised are quite often greater than the benefits achieved with integrated solutions,” Masson explains. “If the manufacturer advises the system is capable of achieving a particular result, it is important that the manufacturer live up to that promise. The key elements which make integration easier for the ECS team is the availability of API’s, SDK’s and HLI’s, if the product has available access to allow us to access key data, ECS can tailor it to achieve the best results for customers. Functionality is vital, too. “Too often the term ‘integrated solution’ is thrown around giving a perception of a complex engineering and revenue attraction, when understanding the key outcomes of the clients

might allow installers to determine whether integration is a real requirement or whether a product better fit for purpose can be used to deliver the required outcomes without a full integration,” Masson says. “It is true in larger scale, more complex systems integration, very sleek operational results are focused around presenting an operator with every bit of information instantly, including pre-defined actions and intercepts that greatly enhance the response to threats.” According to Masson, the aspects of integration that are most important to end users revolve around ease of operation. “Some customers are quite advanced in their understanding of what can be achieved,” he explains. “As a fundamental and general rule, ECS looks at the operational functionality from our customer’s perspective, we communicate with them to understand their needs and ultimately, we work on their behalf to tailor the systems and solutions to ensure the end result exceeds their expectations. Gaining an understanding of our customers’ needs is paramount to providing them with the best possible result. We then work between the customer and the manufacturer to get the best out of the products and make sure the manufacturer supports our efforts to provide the customer with complete satisfaction. “In addition, consultants play a vital role in the education of end users and the requirements of integration where the detailed threat analysis and clients requirements have been documented providing integrators with a broad scope to work on and the real challenge in these situations is ensuring that the systems selected are tried, proven and tested well.” What about SME users – is it fair to say that the ability to integrate alarms, access, CCTV, intercoms, fire alarms, visitor management with house systems like lighting, air conditioning and power management, all remotely managed, constitutes the next step in terms of security applications? “Yes, all of those sub-systems are already being integrated and provided to many of our existing customers,” Masson explains. “Some systems work better than others, so it is extremely important that we select quality products from manufacturers who support us in our efforts to get the best out of their products. ECS will quite often discuss with customers the need to change a particular product for an alternative. In particular for the customer who wants an integrated solution using a number of different platforms and disciplines, we understand the complexities of integration and the benefits and pitfalls of selecting the right products. Products with limited manufacturer support, limited developmental road maps and manufacturers reluctant to support us in our efforts to get the best from their products are avoided at all costs.”

se&n 23

● Special report

Integration

Raj Masson

If the manufacturer advises the system is capable of achieving a particular result, it is important that the manufacturer live up to that promise.

What are the greatest challenges of integrating security and automation systems, in the ECS experience? “We have invested heavily in hardware and software engineers to ensure the integration expectations of our clients will be met on time,” Masson says. “This is often not aided by manufacturers going directly to the end users promising them vapourware. Unfortunately, the sales reps of some manufacturers only know the limited functions of their own product and even then fall short when it comes to the real functionality of their HLI’s. This is what makes ECS a safe company to do business with as we have years of experience in real integration. “At times, we spend countless hours working through the bugs, anomalies and inconsistencies to effectively fault find and field test products and feature sets. Without an ECS, the client may be left with frustration and discontent. We try to buffer this pain with our expertise and our firm management of suppliers. These challenges can create project delays and have the potential to impact final pricing. ECS usually imposes financial penalties on manufacturers who do not comprehensively support their products, and this is why it is imperative that we select well supported products with a proven track record in their quality control.

24 se&n

“As the market is expanding so rapidly, changes in platforms, firmware versions and software platforms are endless, keeping abreast of each of these is not only the manufacturers and distributors greatest nightmare, it becomes the client’s nightmare where version changes cause unexplained functional variations and alterations in the behaviour of already established and working systems. To maintain integrated solutions effectively, we encourage every client to understand the ongoing costs in system maintenances and software maintenance agreements, as they all impact the system through the life of the product.” According to Masson, while it sounds negative and erroneous, the benefits on an integrated system must be weighed carefully against the operational security outcomes to ensure the benefits outweigh the costs incurred. “Safety, security and peace of mind is a paramount delivery to any system be it a standalone or a complex integrated solution,” he says. Up in Queensland, Rob Marsden of Addictive Technology Services defines the term integrated solution as being all about end user experience. “Integration is being able to combine multiple systems comprising of hardware and software into the one solution,” Marsden. “And the end result should be less complex for the end user and operate seamlessly as if it were all the one system.” As an integrator, Marsden says there are a number of vital qualities he looks for in an integrated security platform. “We are looking for well documented and supported interfaces with best practises for integration such as compliant protocols and APIs that offer a high level of control and transparency,” says Marsden. “In every project there is always a risk of getting so excited about the possibilities that you miss the core deliverables needed to satisfy the customer. The customer’s operational needs should be well understood and the functionality of the integrated platform built around those issues. Upselling then becomes a natural part of the overall solution.” What about those SME users – is it fair to say that the ability to integrate alarms, access, CCTV, intercoms, fire alarms, visitor management with house systems like lighting, air conditioning and power management, all remotely managed, constitutes the next step in terms of security applications? “Absolutely, when the systems are of high quality with the right architectures, frameworks and integration is designed from the outset we will see a whole wave of new benefits to SME users,” Marsden says. “These benefits will come from applications, including cloud based SaaS

www.hikvision.com

● Special report

Integration

(Software as a Service) models, that will be able to bring new levels of control, automation, speed of delivery, business intelligence and operational data to the surface via single-pane-of-glass windows and offer greater ROI, as well as control and support for integrators. There’s going to be a lot of disruptive technology emerge over the coming years, including more IT systems as infrastructure as a service (IaaS) system models evolve.” Marsden agrees there are challenges to integrating security and automation systems but he says there are serious rewards for integrators who put in the effort. “If integration is to be done properly, the systems need to function as one and be supported as one,” says Marsden. “This means the end user or integrator is not left wondering about which piece of the puzzle is not quite working and whose responsibility it is to resolve it. “Integrators should know what architecture works and should not deviate from this. Here lies the biggest challenge in an industry that is largely about hardware price. The good news is that integration gives you an opportunity to engage with the all stakeholders and cover the overall

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26 se&n

integrated solution to ensure it is well designed, delivered, supported and solves the operational problems, allowing you to demonstrate its true ROI, taking you out of the price war.” Young integrator Mitchell Smith of Platinum AV believes the most important aspects of an integrated solution for the end user are that it be simple and that it work easily and efficiently. And he agrees that integration has arrived for smaller end users who might have been forced to install 2 or 3 separate solutions in the past. “I think for SME users the integration of building management systems is the next level for security applications, especially with the way counter terrorism is evolving world-wide,” Smith argues. “As threat profiles change, security is becoming more important for businesses and organisations which in the past may not have felt they faced any serious threat. From the technological standpoint, it’s part of a trend. We have seen fire systems integrating into BMS systems for a long time now, where they are used to shut certain air conditioning units or deploy sprinklers on fire alarm activation. “I think the same will eventually become normal within the security industry where, when an alarm

● Special report

Integration

is executed during certain times or in restricted areas, can lock doors, open gates, or if 300 people come into a function room, with the use of clever cameras such as Mobotix thermal, can detect heat changes within the room which tell the air conditioning to lower the temperature without any human interaction.” According to Smith, there are a number of challenges to the penetration of automation into the residential and SEM market. “When it comes to the residential market, the greatest challenge will be cost,” Smith says. “Everyone wants the best solution but everyone wants the cheapest solution – they are never the same thing. Partly, I blame certain big manufacturers for creating budget kits - I think they have undercut their brands and product lines to serve a mass market that is not really serious about security and automation. However, when it comes to our commercial clients, while price does play a little part, it’s more about getting them to understand what the new systems capable of doing and how they can use them to best advantage to save money in other areas through improvements in security, energy management and operational efficiency.” What about end users? What do they most want from integrations? According to consultant, Paul Harrison, delivering effective security in the face of diverse and complex risks can be a challenge but he says using an integrated systems approach and a custom design allows protection of critical assets taking into consideration the requirement to reduce costs. Harrison says customers are very diverse in their requirements. “They require a broad range of security and safety technologies including CCTV, access control, gates and barriers, ANPR, alarms, fire, intercoms and system comms, integrated security system with mobile device controls, integrated service and maintenance and business critical systems; including lighting, air conditioning and industrial control,” he says. A key aspect of any integrated solution from the point of view of management systems is whether clients prefer interfaces that offer an holistic view of the multiple sub systems that support their security operations, or prefer to have some separation – for instance – access control and intrusion events with video footage attached as a single workstation, while video management is handled in parallel on another workstation/video wall altogether. “We have found that as the demands for security systems have become more and more complex the need for them to be easier to adjust and to manage increases,” Harrison explains. “Open platform architecture is clearly the answer, removing the requirement for individually developed software and hardware. Most our clients are currently tending towards systems/controllers that can

28 se&n

Rob Marsden

In every project there is always a risk of getting so excited about the possibilities that you miss the core deliverables needed to satisfy the customer. accommodate functionality for access control, intrusion detection, video management and locker management. They expect them all to be delivered as one truly integrated, flexible platform, instead of drivers linking separate servers and systems.” Does Harrison find client’s integrated solutions entwine with data networks when it comes to things like access control, or are network security solutions and physical security solutions still separate? “Both physical and logical security depend on each other so it is surprising to find that a number of companies still treat them as separate systems, from both a device management and government agencies perspective,” Harrison explains. “Until recently, this was a fair assumption, because the technology to integrate physical and logical security was not really available.” Harrison says there are operational issues here for many organisations. “When it comes to security, most organisations have at 3 concerns,” he explains. “The first is primarily concerned with IP theft, malware, viruses, and so on. The second covers network operations which handle network security including data at rest and data in transit security. And the third is physical security, which includes surveillance and access control. “Manpower is too often forgotten by many organizations, the guard at the gates is considered a separate operation. But personnal does form a key

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● Special report

Integration

part of an integrated solution. Today, more than ever, the challenges come down to governance, making it a priority to create a single body for security policies, procedures, and deployments.” How highly does Harrison rate mobile management applications for their ability to enhance a client’s security operations? Do they make system functionality more accessible more of the time or are they a security risk that needs to be considered very seriously? “A number of clients are looking for real-time, automated situational awareness, reporting and accountability for their security services,” says Harrison. “Both for electronics solutions and manpower, the latest systems allow for more intuitive interfaces and this makes it easier for officers and supervisors to adopt simplifying integration functionalities into daily operations. “But in my opinion the mobile device option inserts a whole new risk. The open nature of the internet makes it vital for businesses to pay attention to the security of their networks. As companies move more of their business functions to the public network, they need to take precautions to ensure that the data cannot be compromised and that the data is not accessible to anyone who is not authorized to see it.” Harrison argues there’s a lateral aspect to integrated security solutions that needs to be taken into account as part of their ability to serve the wider community, increasing security while

Paul Harrison

We have found that as the demands for security systems have become more and more complex the need for them to be easier to adjust and to manage increases.

30 se&n

Mitchell Smith

When it comes to the residential market, the greatest challenge will be cost.Everyone wants the best solution but everyone wants the cheapest solution – they are never the same thing.

increasing efficiency. He argues there are many businesses that would benefit from integrated security solutions in support of operations. “To illustrate this point consider that for parents there are few things as important to us as our children,” he says. “As a result, we take their safety and security very seriously and this is especially true when we leave our children in the care of others. Parents want to make sure kids are safe and secure when at school, day care, or elsewhere. Installing a security camera system in a day care centre gives the parents a sense of security that their children are not only being watched by a qualified facility but that the entire environment is being monitored using video surveillance.” In Harrison’s opinion, what is driving electronic security integration is an awareness that progressive thinking about security technologies allows users to more efficiently address their security challenges with the latest innovations and he maintains it’s an area the industry needs to be discussing. “Professional design engineers, security advisors and project managers should work together closely to deliver high quality customised solutions on time and on budget, that meet individual client needs of cost reduction and improved functionality,” he says. n

â&#x2014;? Special report

IoT

aes for iot A TOHOKU University research group supported by NEC Corporation has discovered a new technique for compressing encryption and decryption and developed the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most efficient AES processor. he IoT will see myriad devices connected to the network and necessitate builtin encryption technology to prevent malicious attacks. However, many battery or celldriven devices with tight energy constraints are also included in the IoT and running energy-consuming encryption processes on these is a big challenge. One of the most widely used international standard encryption methods is AES. Since this is used in areas such as wireless LANs, it is very important for practical reasons to design energy-saving AES cryptographic processing.

32 se&n

Tohoku University and the NEC Corporation focused on representing the AES encryption algorithm as a calculation based on a special numbering system called a Galois field. The research group succeeded in transforming the input numerical representation into a different one, and is now able to perform multiple computations in one go. Using this method, the number of required circuit elements is reduced significantly. Further, the team confirmed that the original output can be easily recovered by an inverse transformation and devised a computational method for inserting the transformed numerical representation and the inverse transformation before and after the computations, and for carrying out the computations internally using the transformed numerical representation. In addition, the team designed and developed an AES cryptographic processing circuit (encryption and decryption) based on the new method. The team now plans to embed this cryptographic processing technique in actual systems, to demonstrate experiments and apply the proposed method to other encryption algorithms. In addition, a configuration that is resistant to attacks will be considered with the aim of implementing it in the IoT. n

● Product review

Axis

AXIS Q1615 Mk II Axis Q1615 Mk II offers up 50/60 fps in HDTV 1080p and up to 100/120 fps in HDTV 720p and is equipped with an i-CS lens, enabling the camera to adjust zoom and focus during remote setup for quick installation and tweaking. There’s Lightfinder technology and WDR – Forensic Capture, Electronic Image Stabilization and much more.

The camera feels good in the hands – it’s well made in every visible respect.

34 se&n

BY J O H N A D A M S

XIS Q1615 Mark II with i-CS lens arrived at the SEN office the other day and about 10 minutes later it was up and running as I tried to work out whether or not the partnership between Axis and lens maker Computar lives up to the hype. Actually, it does. The Q1615 was good anyway and the Computar 2.8-8.5mm i-CS lens; which communicates data about baseline lens geometrical distortion and the exact position of its zoom, focus and iris opening; takes the camera’s capabilities to a higher level. This camera’s distortion correction allows the use of a very wide angles of view without any of the distracting hobbit hole effect you always see at 2.8mm, encouraging exploration of the short end of the focal length to meet the operational requirements of larger spaces. The camera has a progressive scan RGB CMOS 1/2.8inch sensor and a varifocal, IR corrected, CS-mount 2.8–8.5 mm lens with a fast aperture of F1.2. Angle of view depends on resolution selected. At 1080p it’s 11539 degrees horizontal and 61–22 degrees vertical (it’s 74–26 degrees in the horizontal place and 41–15 degrees vertical at 720p). In this test I keep the camera at 1080p and 30ips and all the specs we quote from here out reflect that setting. There’s an auto infrared-cut filter and minimum illumination in colour is 0.11 lux and 0.02 lux in monochrome, at 50 IRE and F1.2. Shutter speed is selectable from 1/143000 to 2 seconds - we stay in default auto. Compression options include H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10/AVC), Main, Baseline and High Profile, and Motion JPEG. There are multiple configurable streams and you can twiddle with frame rate and bandwidth. The camera offers Zipstream and I leave it in the lowest (least compressive) setting. Other image settings include colour, brightness, sharpness, contrast, white balance, exposure control, exposure zone, fine tuning of behaviour in low light, text and image overlay, privacy mask, mirroring of images, and rotation options include auto, 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees, including Corridor Format. I leave the camera settings in default and tweak text settings. WDR forensic capture is up to 120 dB depending on scene and I leave this in auto. Barrel distortion correction I turn on and off for academic purposes – it’s a very worthwhile feature, particularly given the relatively strong barrel distortion of the lens – it’s about 9 or 10 per cent towards the edges with distortion settings off and zero with correction on. I leave day/night shift level at default, electronic image stabilization on and leave local contrast and defogging off. Scene profile options include forensic profile, live profile and traffic overview and I choose live profile. The camera has 2-way audio, which I leave on. There’s an open API for software integration, ONVIF Profile S, analytics via Axis VMD 3, active tampering alarm, audio detection and support for Axis camera application platform enabling installation of cross line detection, digital auto-tracking and third-party applications. There are also event trigger analytics, edge storage events,

Easy plates, great DoF. Yes, DoF

Good detail in twilight

Colour with 2.5 lux at lens

Pushed into night mode. Excellent lack of blooming.

se&n 35

● Product review

Axis

The colour rendition is great and there’s very strong detail and great contrast.

external input, shock detection, Day/Night mode, Live Stream Access, Network, Temperature, Manual Trigger, Virtual Inputs, PTZ Control, System Ready, and schedules. Event actions can upload files to FTP, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, network share and email or a video clip can be sent via email, HTTP, HTTPS and TCP. There’s video and audio recording to edge storage, pre and post-alarm video buffering, external output activation, day/night vision mode, play audio clip, status LED, WDR mode, defog Mode, PTZ control, and data streaming of event data. PoE is Type 1 Class 3 with a typical draw of 4.4W and there’s also 8-28 V DC, with a typical 4.3W. There’s a terminal block for 2 configurable inputs/outputs, there’s a 12V DC output with a maximum load of 50mA, as well as a DC input. You also get RS485/ RS422 for data comms. Local storage is microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC card. Operating range is between 0-55C unhoused and up to 60C in the T92E20 housing. Dimensions of the camera and lens are 82 x 58 x 136mm and weight is 750g. The camera feels good in the hands – it’s well made in every visible respect.

Test driving the Q1615 mark II In the first part of the test, I set up off the front balcony looking up Bellevue Street from shadow into 75,000 lux of sunny side sun. We are running this camera with a NetGear ProSafe GS108P PoE switch on our dedicated Dell Optiplex 9020 i7 server via the Axis camera browser. It’s an easy interface and we’re very familiar with it, having no problems at any time with management of the camera. Latency is low – maybe 250th of a second for video and audio. As soon as I set up I’m impressed. In terms of overall capabilities, backlight performance is a strength, there are high levels of detail, good work with plates, excellent work with faces, good colour rendition and exceptional work with WDR. There’s a little bit of stepping with this camera, it’s very windy and there are trees in the scene, so it’s not unexpected. The colour rendition is great and there’s very strong detail and great contrast. I get some rainbow lens flare in direct light but generally and no matter what I do, performance in and out of shadow is very uniform. Colour rendition is very natural. Depth of field is a real strength. The wide end is very accommodating for street work. Very pleasing performance. The audio is good, too. We take a delivery during the test and the delivery team hurt themselves lifting something heavy and I get the full conversation. While I easily get faces out to 12m, I have less luck with moving plates. There are no strong signs of motion blur in this good light – it’s just that when I zoom in digitally on a 6mm image there’s a point I lose resolution completely – that point is before I can resolve the plates at 20m. 36 se&n

8m at 6mm

12m, Norman with Gordon Donald’s son, Heath.

16m

22m

● Product review

Axis As the afternoon goes along, I move the camera to the lane and performance stays very balanced and seamless.

Distortion correction on at 2.8mm

Distortion correction off

Would the camera do better with plates at 8.5mm full tele – yep, definitely. But the big thing here is barrel distortion at the wide end of the iCS lens. When I power the camera up and take a look I can’t believe there’s none to be seen and its only when I hop into setup that I see the camera has been set to distortion correction. I flip it on and off – big difference. Maybe 9 or 10 per cent off and zero with DC activated. Great feature and same as every other piece of neat Axis tech, it’s likely to filter down to lower end cameras over time. The camera has a 2.8 to 8.5 motorised varifocal lens with a quick autofocus and as usual, I move the focal length a lot, looking for the optimum angle of view giving the most detail and the least static elements. I’m never quite satisfied with my focal length but I find I’m happiest towards the long end – about 6mm, I think. Sometimes with back lanes a corridor format might make sense. Fully 60 per cent of my scene is brick and block wall and fences, which is an awful waste of pixels, I think. If I have any grumble with this Computar lens it’s the presence of longitudinal and latitudinal chromatic aberrations throughout scenes at the shortest focal length of 2.8mm. These disappear at longer focal lengths of 4.5mm so they can’t be related to tone mapping – there must be some tolerance in the lens leading to a variation of wavelength focal points at the wide end. Wide fast lenses do suffer from CAs but at 8 pixels deep, these impact on digital zoom and

38 se&n

overall image sharpness. They aren’t the end of the world by any means but they are something to take into account during commissioning. As the afternoon goes along, I move the camera to the lane and performance stays very balanced and seamless. There’s some processing swim in the images – it increases around 4pm and continues to increase – at 4.37, it’s evident as a little smudging and loss of detail in adjacent brick walls. At 5.01pm things are stable. There’s no direct sunlight on the lane. I toss up whether to tweak the camera for blur at the cost of noise. I leave noise in the centre and blur towards full. At 5.10 I pull out to full wide, giving me full aperture and letting me appreciate the total lack of barrel distortion. It’s a lovely composite image. I note some CAs on the edges of poles and buildings but it’s nothing to agonise over in this failing light. Same as all IP cameras, this image pulses a little with noise and digital artefacts – it does so every 3 seconds, which in a static image is a slow cadence. Performance is very linear with this camera – between 5pm (500 lux) and 5:27pm (100 lux) it stays almost unaltered. It’s impressive. There’s probably some more noise but I can’t readily see it. The next half hour will be interesting… At 5.33 the image gets

It’s a nice looking combo.

Hills, your Interlogix one stop shop

Juniper Networks We’ve got you covered! and FOX Sports. FOX SPORTS is Australia’s leading sports producer and broadcaster, broadcasting an average of 23 hours of LIVE sport per day into 2.3 million homes around Australia with over seven million potential viewers through FOXTEL, AUSTAR and OPTUS TV. FOX SPORTS also provides the FOX SPORTS NEWS channel via IPTV through FetchTV, produces a dedicated FOX SPORTS NEWS TV mobile phone channel and provides mobile content to all three major Australian telcos.

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Solution

In moving from SD to HD production, the impact on capacity and performance of contribution and production networks is significant. Increasing the amount of native HD content for FOX SPORTS subscribers meant the existing FOX SPORTS delivery and contribution solutions needed a major review and critical assessment. For program contribution, FOX SPORTS typically used a combination of one-way-satellite and telco digital video network (DVN) services. However, these solutions are generally bandwidth restricted, requiring heavy video compression and encoding, which can severely impact the overall broadcast quality delivered to subscribers.

The FOX SPORTS solution comprised two elements—portable outside broadcast (OB) equipment and a fixed-service router deployment. FOX SPORTS deployed two Juniper EX4200 Ethernet switches in a Virtual Chassis configuration to each of its 12 OB units. The OB units travel with the main broadcast production vehicles, allowing interconnection of the venue media and data services to the FOX SPORTS TV center.

New Zealand

The OB units remain parked in the sports venue for the duration of the match with the Juniper EX4200 switches connecting to the FOX SPORTS network using especially rugged optical interface cable and connectors. FOX SPORTS deployed two MX240 routers in its Sydney TV center as well as the Juniper Networks Network and Security Manager solution. state According to Tomkins, the EX4200 switches were the ideal solution for FOX SPORTS, offering the high availability and carrier-class reliability of modular systems with the economics and flexibility of stackable platforms.

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FOX SPORTS’ desire was to secure high-capacity services in key sporting locations, removing costly satellite capacity • need Well and eliminating the forstocked heavy videobranches compression. in every In addition, FOX SPORTS also wished to deploy a converged • Pre and Post sales support video, data and communications solution to enable full two-way communications between the various venues and • National sales and service call centre the TV station. The net result would be a huge increase in “Unlike most deployments, its HD capability • andL3 quality, while streamlining back-end technical support with on-site assistance availableour switches are installed in cases that move around the country, so we needed a solution that’s HD broadcasting production processes. To achieve this, very reliable—bomb proof,” said Tomkins. “When you’re in the FOX SPORTS decided to deploy its own private network business of live broadcasting, the availability of your network infrastructure over fiber carrier services and upgrade its and the reliability of your network infrastructure is critical.” existing network environment. This solution enables FOX SPORTS to transmit multiple streams of HD and SD video, “The EX4200 is robust and very fault-tolerant hardware,” and voice and data content from multiple locations over a Tomkins offers a redundant power supply to NSW: Lidcombe,network. Chatswood, Hill, continued. Coburg,“It Port Melbourne, Derwent Park single, homogenous It is a hugeAlexandria amount of dataVIC: with Notting ensure we remain operational even during a power outage. a requirement for very high levels of quality of service (QoS) ACT: Canberra Torrensville, Edwardstown QLD:ItsHendra, Arundel scalabilityLoganholme, was also a draw card. It comesWA: with Balcatta 24 ports, and reliability. To buildSA: its new virtual private network, FOX so it can support our future requirements as we grow.” SPORTS required a new Ethernet switching and routing layer NZ: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch on the existing fiber network.

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● Product review

Axis

When pushed into low light mode it offers useful image streams at sub-2 lux and excellent crisp contrast in the presence of IR.

cooler as light starts falling more quickly. Noise levels remain low. At 1741 it’s 3.8 EV – about 32 lux – and the image is beginning to get noisier. I’ve now lost quite a lot of detail from the besser block wall of the tower across and there’s considerable swim on colourbond fence. We are still in colour. Control of blooming by the sensor is very good indeed – this lens is making lovely 4-pointed aperture stars. At 5.46pm I hop into setup and pull the noise/blur slider to the centre. That does make a difference. I’ve seen before with Axis cameras that this slider really does have a functional impact but it should be reasonably balanced in the centre. At 5:50pm I get an interesting double flare ring with a central sphere in the lens. Light levels are 0.6EV – at the lens - that’s about 4 lux. The image is good for this level of light. Given the strength of the performance out front the night before where I had to push the camera into night mode, I should have expected this level of capability but it’s still impressive. There’s no foot traffic out here but I would expect face recognition to 12m and there’s very strong detail all the way to Albion lane 70m away. It’s very pleasing performance. The lane has patches of bright and dark but this camera handles them well. At 6pm, light levels are under 2 lux at the lens. There’s quite a bit of noise in surrounding walls where light levels are very low and the camera is amplifying that part of the scene into existence but we are still in colour. The image is stable and overall, low light performance is great. Out the front of the office, I find motion blur is moderate at balanced camera settings. Ronnie Rotakin shows about 45-degrees of blur at 25rpm but I’m definitely getting court admissible faces. At all times, the camera clings to colour like a terrier. When pushed into low light mode it offers useful image streams at sub-2 lux and excellent crisp contrast in the presence of IR. There’s not much change to image quality outside of loss of colour when moving from day to night mode – often an image noticeably improves but the Q1615 is doing well in colour in this application, though there’s some noise in surrounding walls. When I zoom to about 5mm this is reduced considerably and I get fine detail back. A car comes down the lane allowing me to confirm that the camera is very resistant to blooming – it’s one of the surest sign of a quality sensor, I think. I switch back to colour. Performance is still very strong. Noise in dark areas but overall good performance. Ok – time to come into the backyard with no streetlight assistance. Here, low light performance is also very strong – the camera has gone to monochrome by itself this time. I’m very surprised how well it’s doing here – it’s fine work from Axis and I rate it the best I’ve

40 se&n

8m at 6mm

6m – you can see the flare pattern. Sensor is doing well.

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Axis

12m

16m

22m

seen in this sub-2 lux application. This is the best view I’ve had of the test chart unassisted in the courtyard. When I take the camera into the office I find performance is good in the office with only 2 screens on. Again, I have to push the camera into monochrome. IR performance is good – very crisp and contrasty. If there’s a limitation here it’s the power of the IR array, which I’ve seconded from an adjacent D-Link dome and which is starting to drop off at 10m from the lens. The Q1615 would do better with a dedicated offset Raytec IR unit. Next day Norman and I check out WDR performance with 72,000 lux at the rear door of the office. Typical Axis, WDR is very well handled at my default settings. There are variations in performance based on the position of the camera – best performance is at 4m from the lens – inside that the camera starts exposing for the very strong external light, impacting on foreground performance. I also get some veiling flare from the lens and a little aperture ghost appears top centre. It’s a tough application out here but it’s nothing you would not find in the real world. In short, this Axis Q1615 Mark II is an excellent camera with strong performance in a range of applications from one end of the focal length to the other. With sub2 lux at the lens it holds good colour, albeit with some noise that is reduced at longer focal lengths of around 5mm. The camera also does very well under 1 lux at the lens. Other strengths are that undistorted wide angle

42 se&n

view thanks to the Computar i-CS lens and generally solid WDR performance. Since testing the Axis M1125 with a Fujinon lens recently and finding brilliant WDR performance, I can’t help thinking Axis cameras are more capable in the face of strong light than most the lenses they wear and that probably applies here, too, even with this purpose build i-CS lens. n

IR is a real strength of Axis cameras.

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● Product review

Paxton net10

Building Intelligence Paxton’s net10 access and building automation solution from Security Distributors Australia is license free, carries a long warranty, supports multi-format readers and has an integrated wireless network. This new solution is a strong addition to the Paxton line-up, firmly underscoring the company’s networking credentials.

44 se&n

HAT is Paxton net10? That’s an interesting question because in a number of ways net10 is whatever sort of system you need it to be. A building intelligence solution is the short version but that’s a rather opaque descriptor that doesn’t offer sufficient shape. The designers of net10 built the system to handle security, automation and energy management – the security side covers access control, intrusion alarms and CCTV. And net10 is modular – you just go on adding modules and the free software goes on managing them, all the way to 50,000 users and 1000 doors. If you need additional options there’s a one-off $A500 cost but for the mid-market Paxton and its local representative Security Distributors Australia, are targeting, 1000 doors is plenty enough. There’s more here than meets the eye. As well as security, automation and energy management out of the box, net10 interfaces with existing sub systems to control lighting, heating, air conditioning, intruder and fire detection. Operationally, a solution consists of a combination of PoE net10 controllers, net10 door connectors, net10 I/O connectors, net10 alarm connectors, net10 smartpoints, net10 servers, all supporting multi-format readers, as well as cameras from Dahua and Hikvision. The I/O connectors bring in subsystems that are designated during the Paxton-simple programming process. The overall solution is managed using Paxton’s web-based user interface and mobile interface. The net10 controllers can simultaneously record footage from 2 IP cameras while also controlling 2 doors. There’s a built-in high capacity rechargeable battery providing 43 watt hours of backup and hybrid power to deal with spikes in load, along with peer-to-peer communication, to ensure system resilience while reducing overall system bandwidth and latency. The net10 connectors are clearly labelled and easy to wire, minimising installation time. The net10 door connector provides the interface to link all devices to control a door. Its modular design makes net10 an easily scalable system. Detachable terminals mean quick and hassle-free maintenance and there’s a corresponding housing for 1 or 2 connectors and IDC termination. Each connector supports 1 door and up to 4 readers, as well as having a powered lock output and 2 4A bistable relay outputs. An optional connector housing allows the hosting of 2 connectors. Meanwhile, the net10 I/O connector controls

BY J O H N A D A M S

The net10 controllers can simultaneously record footage from 2 IP cameras while also controlling 2 doors. mains devices within a building, based on predefined criteria. When used in combination with triggers and actions within the net10 software the I/O connector can control devices such as lighting, air conditioning and heating, allowing management of a building’s energy consumption. There are 5 digital inputs which are monitored through the software, there are 4 output relays capable of switching mains powered circuits of up to 16A and these work in combination with net10 triggers and actions to give flexible control to appliances. Again an optional connector housing allows the hosting of 2 connectors. There’s a site graphics engine allowing visual management of a building, there’s secure remote access capability outside of the LAN, the intuitive user interface makes for easy programming and management and the powerful and flexible building automation hardware and software allows installers and users plenty of control. Being modular, net10 is scalable and the multi-

format token readers make administration of users easier. Same as the net2 Plus, you drive net10 through an HTML5 software GUI (there’s also a mobile interface) that lives in the integrated net10 server, which has a 32GB USB memory which is used for config backups. Each net10 server can support 100 PoE net10 controllers and each controller can support 2 doors and 2 video inputs. Controllers have a Bluetooth Smart gateway and can support 2 net10 connector modules, one of which can support 1 door, up to 4 readers, as well as a lock relay output and 2 additional outputs. The second connector module supports 5 digital inputs and 4 relay outputs. This module facilitates the creation of triggers and actions via the software, and can be used for a wide range of automation applications. What all this means is that each net10 controller can assume different shapes, managing 2 doors with up to 8 readers, 1 door with up to 4 readers, as well as handling 5 inputs and 4 outputs, or 10 inputs and 8 outputs – you can integrate hundreds of these controllers so scalability is never going to be a problem. Meanwhile, the net10 alarm interface is a miniature I/O connector that allows fire and intruder alarms to connect to a net10 system. Discreet, the board can fit inside a net10 connector housing or within the alarm panel it is integrated with. It allows secure user specific control of intruder alarms and fire alarm monitoring via 2 inputs and a single output. The nature of the interface means that a single board can restrict access to any number of doors across a site when the intruder alarm is armed, vastly reducing cabling required. The alarm interface is also intelligently controlled through net10 software. According to Wayne Krahner of Security Distributors Australia building management is not new for Paxton but the way net10 unifies disparate technologies is new and special in the mid-sized market. “One of the ways we unify all these technologies is with multi-format readers,” Krahner explains. “The system will read EM format, MiFare, HID as well as other protocols and this means we can

se&n 45

● Product review

Paxton net10

change readers out of a building and then use our multi-format readers to unify a system. On top of that we have low energy Bluetooth wireless networks and we can connect with near field communication, which the readers have, with the use of a mobile phone and the net10 app we have the ability to use the biometrics on the phone to operate the system. “For instance here I am controlling air con, lighting and alarm,” he says. “And with one presentation to the reader air con and lighting goes off and the alarm comes on. Come into the building and air con and lighting come on and the alarm turns off. If I’m managing the system remotely, I can control it with soft keys – I can turn lights off, go down a level and turn air con off and that applies to the whole building. The net10 has all the standard access rights you would have in any other system and we can completely manage services across them all with the management system unifying the services – it’s not a mechanical process of connecting a box to a box and trying to make them talk, we bring all functionality to one level and manage it there. “In the home screen we can add graphics – people, buildings – we can program in how many buildings have we got, what have we got in the buildings and from this basis we can start unifying everything – buildings, devices, people using software rules that allow us to link anyone and anything.” Given the additional capabilities of net10, there’s additional training required for techs wanting to install the system. “The way we will be putting net10 out to market is with training courses and only certified people

46 se&n

will get access to the product,” Krahner explains. “Certainly, we are finding more and more installers are looking for simple access control systems and net10 is license free, has a 5-year warranty and comes with great tech support, making it a real contender. What has happened in my opinion, is that the market is starting to realise there are alternatives out there and because of the simplicity and ease of use for installer and end user Paxton is growing all the time in Australia. When one installer tries it once, they always come back. “Obviously, Paxton is not a cure-all for every application and we don’t want it to be but it is perfect for the middle market, thanks to ease of use, ease of installation and a design with the installer in mind,” Krahner says. “It has a rightness to it – people say it is the easiest software they have ever worked with. And when installers ask about licensing costs they are always surprised when we say there are none. We also now integrate Hikvision and Dahua and those integrations are free as well. You can load Paxton software onto as many machines as you want, have as many users as you want – 50,000 users, 1000 doors – that’s free. We don’t get into licensing and our 5-year returns policy with questions asked means that if you buy a product and it’s installed and it breaks – even if you break it – just get it back to us within 5 years and we will replace it. The reason we do this is that we are interested in the end user being looked after.” According to Krahner, Security Distributors Australia had a very positive response to the new solution at Security 2016. “We are extremely happy with the product and we are developing the market more and more – we have an exciting few months ahead of us with our Paxton-certified access control training courses,” he says. “We are accelerating our growth and we have a lot of customers coming through saying they have heard about us. People are certainly talking about Paxton.” n

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Revolution will be Televised Echostar, a satellite TV and internet provider based in the U.S. with global operations and annual earnings of $US3.1 billion, has turned its attention to the security market and plans to provide automation, intrusion detection, video verification and video monitoring, as well as selfmonitoring. Can its plan work? Maybeâ&#x20AC;Ś

48 se&n

BY J O H N A D A M S

ECHOSTAR is an interesting tech house. For a start it’s old – the company was founded in 1980 on the back of C-band distribution. It applied for a satellite license in 1987 and launched into space late 1995. Since then, Echostar has expanded by acquisition, organic growth and raw technical prowess. It’s also a company that has invested in secure communications technologies. All this stuff matters because it shows Echostar has form, which it is now going to apply to considerably expand its domestic vertical with the addition of electronic security. Its new system will market to more than a million TV and internet subscribers in the U.S, as well as to its expanding base in Europe and South America. The system developed by Echostar subsidiary Hughes Network Systems is rather laboriously called the ‘SAGE by Hughes security and smart home system’. SAGE is described as a secure, affordable, flexible and easy-to-use security and smart home solution that can be controlled from a TV and an app on iOS, or Android mobile devices. The heart of the system is the SAGE Hub, which connects through any video source via HDMI to the TV, and creates a video-centric smart home control system. SAGE provides customers with an innovative self-monitored security solution. Motion detected by a camera, motion sensor, or door/window sensor in the home triggers parallel notification alerts to the SAGEconnected TV and all of the user’s mobile devices. Because customers can view camera feeds and review motion alerts, SAGE can help to avoid false alarms in non-emergency situations. In the event of an actual emergency, customers employ SAGE’s MyLocal911 security feature to call for help, a feature that is the first of its kind. With the touch of a button from the SAGE mobile app, customers can initiate a call to the local emergency authorities

What this development indicates most specifically to security people in Australia and New Zealand is that the future is going to be IP-based and thoughtful telcommunications giants like Echostar know it. at their home address, from anywhere there is a mobile connection, even if they are in another town or state (in CONUS). Unsurprisingly, given the capabilities of Echostar and Hughes, SAGE features multiple levels of encryption and data security that are applied to internal and external comms signals. “Recent reports indicate that roughly 80 per cent of households don’t own a home security or automation system, with major reasons being cost and complexity,” says Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies. “We built a comprehensive solution to address that market need, with quick emergency responsiveness, super-easy installation and a unique TV interface experience where it makes the most sense - from the centre of the home. SAGE is a DIY selfmonitored security and automation system that integrates seamlessly

with every device connected within the ecosystem, all while delivering the same experience whether you’re at or away from home without the expense or monthly fees that most monitored systems have today.” The DIY part is very simple. SAGE wirelessly connects to various devices the controller detects to create a fully integrated and encrypted smart home ecosystem. There’s a simple user interface, which seamlessly overlays

se&n 49

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into the TV screen and does not require the user to change video inputs. It includes a convenient picture-inpicture window that allows customers to watch their programming while managing their smart home system. With SAGE’s custom rules feature, customers can set up and control many devices with the creation of just one rule setting. The SAGE ecosystem currently offers bags of DIY devices and applications for control and management, including indoor and outdoor cameras, doorbell sensors, lights, light switches, dimmers, appliance modules, door locks, door/ window sensors, thermostats, and motion sensors. In addition, SAGE has an extensive roadmap of products that aims to provide customers with more security and smart home solutions. According to the manufacturer, SAGE is also economical, giving customers the ability to manage their home from anywhere helps them save on utility bills while reducing the home’s carbon footprint. Costs are fairly low. The starter kit is $199.99, the automation kit is $299.99 and the security kit is $349.00.

50 se&n

Additional security and automation devices are available to purchase online. The system comes with a free Essential Service package. Customers can upgrade to a Premium Service package that includes cloud video storage and the MyLocal911 feature for a monthly fee starting at $9.00. The SAGE iOS and Android mobile apps are available to download without additional charge from the App Store and Google Play, respectively. Echostar’s motivations are clear enough. Internet TV and changes to the way people consume video content are impacting on revenues – the company continues to grow but more slowly. One of the ways the company is looking to bolster revenues is to fatten its offering in order to make more money from fewer subscribers. Another way is with satellite internet and the ECHOSTAR XVII satellite now provides 100Gbit/s of capacity to the HughesNet product, with the HughesNet Gen4 delivering 2-way satellite internet speeds of up to 15Mbit/s. Is it likely to be successful? Maybe – especially if the hardware quality is high. Unlike most telcos, Echostar has

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a background in security, one foot firmly in the world of networking, a powerful inhouse internet product, as well as a skillset in terms of secure comms that is lacking across most the rest of the electronic security industry. The company is also embedded in many customers’ homes, playing a central role in content provision so expanding the content it provides makes sense. What does a development like this mean for electronic security people? Fundamentally, what this Echostar play indicates is that powerful corporations with significant marketing clout are taking the future of security and automation very seriously. It shows they will compete – and those that own infrastructure can re-write the rulebook entirely. It shows that there are areas of technological nous – secure comms in this case – that our manufacturers need to get on top of because failure to do so will allow new players compelling hooks to lure business away from established product lines. But what this development indicates most specifically to security people in Australia and New Zealand is that the future is going to be IP-based and thoughtful telcommunications giants like Echostar know it. n

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● Product review

D-Link

D-Link Vigilance DCS-4802E D-Link Vigilance DCS-4802E is a compact IP66-rated 1080p dome camera with a highly adjustable axis supported by an integrated 20m IR array. It features a wide angle of view, low distortion and reasonable performance for the street, external residential and small commercial applications. 52 se&n

-Link’s DCS-4802E is an IP66-rated outdoor mini dome camera that’s part of the company’s Vigilance PoE series of surveillance cameras. It’s compact – the camera is just 113mm in diameter, 85mm high and weighs in at 370 grams. Input is 12V DC and 1.5A, with a power consumption of 5.2 watts. Features include integrated IR array offering a viewing range of up to 20m, motion detection, built-in 802.3af compliant PoE module and ONVIF compliance. In the engine room is a 1/3-inch 2MP progressive scan CMOS sensor with a 2.8mm fixed lens wearing a magnesium fluoride coating on at least the first lens element topped by a flat, clear lens window. This lens offers an 84-degree horizontal field of view and it has a good vertical field of view at 46 per cent. The hyperfocal distance is quoted at 0.5m but it seems a little closer than this in testing. There’s an IR cut filter, a 10x digital zoom and with an aperture of F2.0, this lens is a little slower than is typical for its focal length. The camera has manually adjustable 360-degree pan, and 75-degree tilt, as well as 360-degree rotation

BY J O H N A D A M S

capability. This is a real strength during commissioning and it made my time with the camera much easier when it came to lock in views. There’s loads of movement in the endlessly rotatable ball-joint camera head – you just move it where you like and so long as there’s sufficient play in the cable – hooray. There’s H.264 and MJPEG video codec support, with 2 simultaneous video streams and JPEG for still image snapshots. Display format is 16:9 and resolution selections include 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 800 x 448, 640 x 360 pixels at up to 30 fps. You can also select a 4:3 display at 1440 x 1080, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 800 x 592, 640 x 480 pixels at up to 30 fps. This is fairly standard stuff at this level. Colour performance in low light is claimed to be 1 lux in colour and 0.5 lux in monochrome but these numbers are relatively arbitrary, as is often the case with IR-equipped compact domes. During this test, the DCS4802E hops into night mode and activates IR at 5.5EV at the lens – that’s around 100 lux. As soon as the camera trips over into night mode, the image improves, losing noise and increasing contrast and clarity. There are time and text overlays, configurable motion detection windows, configurable privacy mask zones, configurable exposure times, brightness, saturation, contrast, sharpness, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and 3D filtering. Given it’s a D-Link, a great strength is the camera’s networkability and network security functions – this camera has everything covered in that regard. DCHP makes camera setup easier and there are multiple browser operating systems supported.

8m at 2.8mm

12m

D-ViewCam I’m driving the camera using D-Link’s D-ViewCam management solution which I’ve not met before and it’s a surprisingly comprehensive piece of kit. Fundamentally, D-ViewCam is network camera surveillance software that centrally manages up to 32 network cameras. Features include digital monitoring and recording of video, audio, and events for use in various security applications. Furthermore, this easyto-use surveillance software provides users with a wide array of features, including video recording, playback, and live view. D-ViewCam displays real-time information during live monitoring. Map Mode allows you to create maps based on camera location and orientation, and the Device Tree lists all the cameras connected to the interface for easy viewing. Additional features such as auto-patrol, rotate, zoom, and focus provide users with additional control of cameras. D-ViewCam offers scheduled, motion and manual recording options to meet specific user demands. Recorded files can be searched according to video type or selected within the user interface for playback, editing, or AVI /ASF file conversion.

16m

Driving the DCS-4802E Setup is easy – I run the little CD on SEN’s Dell 9020 test server, load the software, set DHCP, locate the camera

22m

se&n 53

● Product review

D-Link This camera is very nicely made and the design is simple and wholesome. The light weight makes it easy to find a home for the camera anywhere it will fit.

Plates in good light

Plates lost in twilight

Hi, Fred! Depth of light is good.

There are those blooming tail lights... 54 se&n

and then open the viewer. It’s an easy interface to find your way around and I don’t have any great trouble finding the camera and tweaking any of the camera’s settings or functions. Something I do a lot of is random config changes as I go, looking to enhance performance and there’s no drama with any of these. What did I like? This camera is very nicely made and the design is simple and wholesome. The light weight makes it easy to find a home for the camera anywhere it will fit. In terms of performance, colour rendition is warm – I start at default and go all over the place with settings trying to get brightness and WDR without warm colour tones but I can’t do it and I go with the warmth and the small amount of extra detail. This is our usual wide and deep district view, with World Tower at 1000m. At first I think external WDR is not a strength but the camera does have reasonably good ability to look from the inside to the outside and later on I decide external WDR is actually not too bad – what’s challenging my scenes is blooming and lens or housing window flare, as well as pixel spread from the wide fixed lens teamed with the 1/3-inch CMOS sensor. Colour saturation is quite intense, too, with WDR on. As I look at the monitor I decide sharpness is not a particular strength and I think the sensor and camera system play a part here – when strained by WDR there’s digital rebuilt artefacts in the scene that probably relate to global tone mapping and these soften detail. But it can’t be only tone mapping because the DCS4802E is always a little soft no matter where I test it. Out back, I can’t see the outlines of bricks or besser blocks in neighbouring buildings with the little D-Link despite the fact depth of field is rather good. There’s a little processing swim even in good light. The image pulses about once every second and this effect increases as the night comes in. The modesty of the sensor’s performance in this area is a shame as there are strengths elsewhere – cost and build quality are obvious strengths and I also notice the camera has quite low latency for a unit of this tipe. Better still, distortion is extremely well controlled even though the angle is view is wide at 2.8mm. It’s a very impressive aspect of this camera’s performance – probably the best I’ve ever seen - barrel distortion is no more than 4 per cent. Depth of field is reasonably strong when it comes to situational awareness in strong backlight, but I find court admissible face recognition is not forthcoming, even in good light at relatively short distances. When I move the camera out of full sun to the edge of the back fence to view the lane, the image noticeably improves. I lose most the flare, contrast improves and so does detail – this suggests it is in part the WDR

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● Product review

D-Link

Blooming is an issue in WDR test

WDR performance is best close to the entry

tone mapping mechanisms that are smudging the wide district image. But there is still some Claymation going on in walls around me. I notice that I can get faces and they are court admissible to about 8m. They are not great but they are useable. I get number plates in good light at 25kmph, which is good, too. There’s no trail behind the image suggesting a slow shutter speed – in fact, shutter speed is managed rather well on auto settings with this camera, as I find when I carry Ronnie Rotakin out front later on. As the afternoon slips by, I pay attention to the ability to grab number plates from slow moving vehicles – I can get them inside 8m but not outside. Depth of field remains ok. With compact domes like this, it’s common for performance to deteriorate when light levels fall. In this case colour temp alters from orange towards pink, I lose the close plates at 4.17pm but by then automated lights are starting to come on. I notice at 4.42pm when there is still some light in the sky, that the image appears

It’s a beautifully made camera – ball joint mount is great.

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to be full night. Later on, over a 10-minute period there’s a significant amplification increase leading to noise and loss of contrast and 2 and a half minutes later the camera goes to night mode in slightly more than 100 lux at around 5.24pm. Monochrome is a much cleaner image with more detail but there’s still some DNR smudging. As light levels fall this image gets noisier. Depth of field remains ok – I can see people and cars in the far lane at 70m but I’m not getting much detail about them. The monochrome image continues to weaken as light fails but I retain decent situational awareness towards 20 metres, possibly admissible faces inside 5m. I can identify my neighbour Fred inside this distance as he heads out for tea. Something that is a weakness is blooming from headlights and activated tail lights, and this applies at considerable distance from the lens. This blooming has to do with the sensor design – the signal is leaching between pixels. When the bright points of light go away, the image is much tighter. Integrated IR performance in the lane is limited to about 10 metres but the spread is reasonably good. Out front the following morning in strong backlight with lux levels up around 75,000 lux there’s intrinsic sensor softness and blooming causing regional softness. Distortion levels are extremely low. There’s some mild chromatic aberration in very high contrast areas. Face recognition of moving subjects at close ranges of 6-8 metres is a challenge, even in good light but excessive motion blur of fast moving cars is low and tone mapping artefacts are not an issue, even when very fast moving objects are passing through scenes at right angles. The 10x digital zoom doesn’t contrive to dig more detail out. There’s a little bit of stepping of movement in scenes. With the camera mounted high above the street I never get face recognition past about 6m but I certainly get strong supporting evidence – clothing, hair colour, the general shape of features – you could easily identify a known person from the images. I can’t get plates of slow moving vehicles in this application but I have no trouble recognising vehicles and getting details. WDR performance is better in direct sunlight in the early morning. I find in the afternoon as the shadows length that the camera exposes for the dark foreground and background is over exposed costing contrast and detail. This is not unusual behaviour for an IP CCTV camera set to auto. In fact I think the camera is making the right choice but it’s not the best balanced performance we’ve seen. CAs stay low. DoF is generally quite good at all times. Just after midday, I take Norman out for a run and I have soft court admissible images at about 6m from the lens and I have detail from the B line and down. Colour rendition is about average. At 12m I have detail from the C line and down. You could recognise a person you knew from this image. I go to about 19m next and lose everything but a couple of large white squares on Norman’s midriff. I can still see skin tone and hair colour and I can see Fred’s car is parked beside Norman – but no plate. After this I just mess around with groups of people and moving vehicles. Motion blur is low. I get a big truck doing 35kmph and it’s a tight image minus the plate. Joggers and cyclists are tight but no faces. Over exposure on the sunny

side of the street worsens. Between 8-12m I get useful images of pedestrians. Light levels fall between the towers and at 3:30pm I’m getting a little tone mapping blur around fast moving objects. CAs in very high contrast areas are about 8 pixels deep. In the late afternoon I run a WDR test in the office looking out into the courtyard with light levels of more than 65,000 lux measured above Norman’s head. Performance here shows some of the characteristics I observed earlier. Colour temperature with WDR activated tends to be warm and there’s plenty of blooming and lens flare. In a number of instances, this blooming assumes biblical proportions and I’m relieved to find it’s only Norman standing in the doorway. The least strong performance is when the camera automatically sets itself up to expose for the internal spaces causing strong overexposure in doorways and in areas where there are strong reflections off hard surfaces. You reduce the issue by installing the camera closer to an entry so it always exposes for external light levels. At 4m you are getting court admissible evidence but foreground and background are typically soft. Colour rendition is good, CAs are very well controlled and again, there’s very little distortion at this very wide 2.8mm focal length – other manufacturers take note!

8m at 2.8mm – note the ghostly guy walking past Norman..

Low light and IR I come back to the office at night – the camera is in monochrome. Shutter speed, which is set to auto has slowed down and there’s a tail behind pedestrians now in my 8m range. There’s no face recognition with 7 lux at the lens. IR is causing some flare from license plates and there’s a bit of reflection off the verandah rail on which the camera sits. Depth of field remains quite good. Blooming of streetlights in the distance is acceptable. With Norman on the street I have no face recognition but the B line down at 6m. I have his plate, too. In this first image there’s a ghostly figure of a man walking in the opposite direction and that shows the nature of the camera’s night performance quite accurately. With Norman at 12m, I have the C line down, no plate, no face but an idea of features and attire from a still figure. There’s some blooming from a car back up the street in this image. I notice there’s a large soft circular ghost in the centre of the image. At the end of my night testing out the front I cart Ronnie Rotakin onto the street and set him going at 25rpm. Performance is better than I expected. I have the camera still up high on the verandah, so the angle is oblique. I am getting about 90 degrees of blur from head and torso. It’s fairly predictable performance – not great but quite useable within its limitations. It won’t give faces that hold up in court. Overall, night time performance is modest – there’s the characteristic softness I saw in the day and this is exacerbated by slow shutter speeds, even with IR on. Regardless, you’re certainly going to have useful situational awareness with reasonable detail to 20m and some awareness all the way to 70m – it’s just that levels of information decrease with distance and blooming interferes. The camera runs a little warm

12m

Ronnie’s showing blur of 90 degrees at 9m

with the IR array activated at night – the underside of the dome functions as a heat sink and you can certainly feel this warmth when you handle the unit after dark. IR performance with this camera is on the modest side, too – being soft and with a slowish shutter speed (default minimum is set to 1/25th of a second. In my opinion, it’s not the IR array, it’s the sensor. I test an Axis Q1615 using the D-Link as an IR light and the Axis sings and dances. Of course, the Axis costs 5x as much. Is the little D-Link a worthwhile surveillance tool? If you need face recognition and moving plates 24 hours, then not so much. But if you need situational awareness in a welllit area without too much backlight while retaining the capacity to offer useful images with no light out to about 10m in an affordable and very well-built package, then this DCS-4802E may fit the bill. n

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● Case study

Bosch

the wild side

Bosch Starlight cameras have been used to assist in filming a wildlife documentary after being integrated into a mobile studio which allowed the crew to get footage of nocturnal creatures whose habits have not been observed before.

ORE and more often, quality video surveillance cameras are finding their way into lateral applications where their high resolutions, robust build quality, low current draw and excellent low light capabilities make them ideal for a range of operational requirements their designers never conceived. In this application, producers from EMS FILMS in Amsterdam used Bosch cameras for shooting the documentary

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Holland – Natuur in de Delta. However, the local conditions were not suitable for regular recording cameras and after some thought, the film crew reached out to Bosch Security Systems to provide an alternative solution. Holland: Natuur in de Delta shows nature reserves of the country and inhabitants such as the beaver. The beaver finds itself in many different areas ranging from its lodge in the national park Biesbosch, which is in the south through the delta to the North Sea. The different species of creature, including the beaver, and their stories were documented by the film crew. Sometimes they had to spend months at a location to get proper footage. In case of the beavers, a huge filming crew being present was not favourable. “The shooting with the beavers was quite difficult because they are very timid and nocturnal,” Producer Ignas van Schaick from EMS FILMS. “That is why we chose to use night sensing equipment by Bosch. The employees helped us to find a solution and together we developed sort of a mobile studio consisting

Even though we could not move the cameras – we would have scared the animals away – it was possible to record the whole of the scene. Details were carved out afterwards using the zoom. of 3 DINION IP Starlight 8000 MP cameras and several intelligent-IR illuminators from Bosch which were placed in the woods. “It is amazing how Bosch showed us again what is possible with their cameras,” says van Schaick. “The outcome was outstanding. Even though we could not move the cameras – we would have scared the animals away – it was possible to record the whole of the scene. Details were carved out afterwards using the zoom. Even on a 20 x 8m screen, the image is still very high-quality.” A compact camera was used which is provided with motion detection, so it only starts recording when a beaver appears, not when grass or water is moving. This required intelligent video analytics where it is possible to set which parameters trigger the motion detection. The Bosch cameras have a high resolution of up to 5MP at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. The footage is 2992 x 1680 pixels at a ratio of 16:9. This provides a perfect image with zooming options that can be displayed on large screens. A special sensor technology and innovative solutions for image noise provide a low light performance of 0.0121 lux at 5MP in colour and 0.00825 lux at a resolution of 1080p. According to Bosch, these capabilities enabled the DINION IP Starlight 8000 MP cameras to depict images in colour where other cameras only depict greyscale and greyscale where other cameras cannot depict anything at all. Difficult lighting conditions such as varying front and back lighting can be filtered by intelligent auto exposure, which enabled the Bosch camera to adapt to varying lighting conditions to catch the object in the best camera setting possible. As the devices were placed in the middle of the woods, it was important to use batteries and to keep the power consumption as low as possible. Here energy-efficient products by Bosch came in handy. The cameras only require 9W of current. Saving the footage to local SD card also required relatively small amounts of energy. As the Bosch cameras provide images down to 0.0121 lux thanks to Bosch’s Starlight-technology, the IRilluminators from Bosch were not required for long periods, reducing energy consumption and ensuring the system could work all night with just one charge. The marriage of documentary and CCTV

camera was considered so successful by the team that right now EMS FILMS is employing Bosch cameras on the next project of the series: De Wilde Stad, which translates as The Wild City. The new film shows wild animals living in big cities like Amsterdam. n

Features of Bosch Dinion Starlight 8000 include: l

1/1.8-inch 6.1MP CMOS sensor

119dB of wide dynamic range

inimum scene illumination 0.0121 lux at full M 5MP

dge recording including a 32GB microSD card E slot

0fps @ 5MP in 16:9 (2992 x 1680) or 4:3 (2704 x 3 2032) or 1080P (1920 x 1080)

Intelligent Motion Detection

Intelligent Dynamic Noise Reduction

Day/Night IR Cut Filter

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â&#x2014;? Special report

Access control

Considerations of Access

What are the most important features of an access control solution? There are some broad consistencies but taking these into account, the features that matter are those that best support the application youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeking to secure. At all times, the focus needs to remain on a clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operational requirements.

60 se&n

BY J O H N A D A M S

HERE are operational variations but when it comes to access control, the most important feature of any group of equal solutions is a distributed architecture allowing doors to function in the event of network failure. Depending on the nature of the system, this function may be carried to the reader or the local door controller, which will hold an updated database of authorised users, as well as programming parameters for access times. With modern access control, you want lots of expandability and increasingly, the ability to integrate with CCTV and other sub systems. This applies to small systems as well as enterprise solutions. You need to take into account card security levels, too. These vary considerably and serious users should consider 3DES their encryption benchmark – not just from door controller to main controller but from reader to door controller. From the point of view of end users, access control systems should be easy to manage. Many systems of the past have been heavy going for users. A simple to manage system is an up-todate system. Consider topology. For simpler applications a server-based solution may be unnecessary. Consider the nature of the database. Some kinds of database management systems – role-based access control (RBAC) systems spring to mind – can be tough to create and maintain. Whether built top-down or bottom-up, role-based database creation, or migration and re-creation, can prove the most complex and expensive aspect of any major access control application or rebuild. Unless strictly controlled, role naming can be completely meaningless and the larger your organisation, the sillier things are likely to get. When you consider modern titles in certain companies like ‘mobile sensei’, ‘chief creative, inspiration and elation officer’, ‘director of fundom’ and ‘social media badass’, you can imagine database engineers tearing their hair out in clumps. There may be hundreds of roles that need to be created with all parameters programmed individually, and in very large organisations there may be thousands of roles. Note well: The more roles, the more complex everything about database management is going to be, now and forever.

Design and Installation Considerations The first thing an installation team needs to do is get its hands on site drawings and/or building blue prints. You need to know what is where. Things may seem easier on an old site but don’t be fooled. There are going to be bamboo thickets of series drops to wade through and these can be scarier than you think. Typically with a serial access control LAN, over time a number of series

At the heart of every access control system is the door controller, a solid state board in a dedicated housing that’s located near every entry point in a building to provide control of local doors.

drops supporting multiple doors spring up as technicians tag into the nearest drop. If the site is large and complex enough, this weird organic process will see doors on different sides of walls or doors on different floors being hooked into the same serial drops, leading to odd system behaviours. Cutting over systems like this in stages is seriously yikes. At the heart of every access control system is the door controller, a solid state board in a dedicated housing that’s located near every entry point in a building to provide control of local doors. As a rule, controllers handle 2 doors per board or a single door with access control in both directions. Expander boards offer exponential growth – you want a system with a design that offers lots of modular growth in every direction. The door controller will provide power to electric strikes or magnetic locks via high current relays, along with Weigand reader inputs. There will also be inputs allowing door position to be reported in real time and outputs allowing activation of lights, cameras or operation of door strikes from a control room or the secure side of the door. Depending on the nature of the system, multiple 2-door controllers can be installed in parallel, or larger door controllers can handle highrise applications. Along with power for door hardware and alarm inputs, a modern 2-door controller will also feature a network input to allow connection to a common data network for monitoring and administration. Once on the network, controllers can be managed locally or remotely and they’ll appear seamlessly on central management software. Another key element of door controllers is event buffering and a cache that allows distributed intelligence in the event of network failure or overload. There will also be features like antipassback for those doors with inwards and outwards readers. It’s important to point out here that not all door controllers are created equal – not so much in terms of quality when considering the most popular products installed in Australia but in terms of designed purpose. Some 2-door controllers are simply 2-door controllers that might store the details of 128 cardholders. Going up a level there are door controllers that will handle 2 doors with a pair of readers (in and out) per door. Or they might

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● Special report

Access control

he other important element at the door is the reader and with readers you’ve got a number of considerations relating to security levels, initial costs and lifetime cost of credential technology.

handle 4 doors (with expansion to 8) and include 16 alarm zones, multiple areas and support 10,000 users as standard. Then there are solutions that can expand to handle 8 doors, 92,000 cardholders and 16 perimeter controllers. There are also powerful access control and alarm controllers which are capable of supporting small/medium business applications, or multiple business units or offices on a site. Such systems can also be networked to form corporate and enterprise solutions controlled by powerful software. These advanced systems reflect the integral role of controllers as network-based modules in a modern access control solution. Downstream of access controllers and door controllers, things are relatively straightforward, though there’s still plenty to think about. On the comms side, we’re talking RS-485 infrastructure or a subnet, if the system is IP-based. Then there’s door hardware starting out with electric strikes, electric mortise locks and electromagnetic locks. You need to choose locking devices that offer the correct balance of security, economy, reliability and performance. You also need to be sure your locks offer the sort of alarm reporting capability you need, including door open too long and tamper. Something else to bear in mind is that the some of the latest lock designs incorporate increased attack resistance and alarm capabilities – you need to take these features into account given they’ll option up your system’s security level. You also need to think about door closers when you’re installing locking hardware. The other important element at the door is the reader and with readers you’ve got a number of considerations relating to security levels, initial costs and lifetime cost of credential technology. This latter applies most directly to card-based solutions and relates to the cost of administering and replacing physical cards – usually proximity or smart prox. Card solutions include the ubiquitous 125Hz readers, 13.56MHz contactless smart card technologies and MIFARE and DESFire cards. Depending on the readers chosen, you may have a combination of keypad, mag stripe, keypad and proximity, proximity-only, or smartprox. Smartcards offer higher security levels, integration with payment systems and support for biometric credentials but at a higher card cost. Then there are straight biometric readers which

62 se&n

remain outside the mainstream in Australia. This is odd considering the huge falls in cost we’ve seen over the past ten years. Biometric solutions kiss goodbye the ongoing cost of maintaining card libraries, which can be considerable over the life of a system. That’s appealing from an end user perspective. When you think readers you’ll also need to think about long range readers for vehicles and the power and number of these will depend on what sort of business you are protecting. With cars and vans, standard prox card readers may be enough but if there are heavy vehicles and your site includes boom gates, sliding gates and gatehouses, things go to another level altogether. In a comprehensive access control solution, additional downstream devices will include alarm inputs (security, safety and fire protection), CCTV

monitoring. Enterprise-wide used to be a solution that only applied to the big boys – the biggest end users and expensive enterprise-focused access control solutions. That’s changing fast, with easy connection of door controllers on a handful of sites together with video integration allowing management fingertip sensitivity to events in real time.

Features users need to consider

cameras, thermal cameras, perimeter detection devices and more. All these devices will increase the resolution – the sensitivity – of an electronic security system. Upstream of the door controllers you’ll find network devices, network infrastructure, servers, workstations and attendant management software. The ability to port to networks may be an integral part of some door controllers or readers but there may be expanders required. Think about network encryption here – 128-bit 3DES is preferable. Network components are most likely to be those that make up your site’s data network. Access control and alarm signals are so small they take up no bandwidth on a modern network. Integrated video surveillance is something else to consider. End users now want it. The nature of the network will dictate system

What should end users think about when it comes to access control? You want anti-passback, a feature that protects against more than one person using the same card. It defines each system card reader and card ID number as In, Out, or Other. Once a card is granted access to an In reader, it must be presented to an Out reader before another In reader access is granted. Cards will continue to have access to all authorized other readers. Audit trails are a listing created which may be created in real time and used to monitor the progress of a person through protected areas. You want a comprehensive audit trail. Executive privilege is an option which allows a cardholder unlimited access to all operational access points. Access may be without the system referring to any other access parameters, or there may be variations. Facility codes are a numeric code programmed into a card reader and encoded on the access card/token. This code is unique to one card and one facility. In enterprise solutions, the facility code will allow access to cardholders with the proper facility code when communications are lost with the CPU. Users want their system to have codes that are as far as possible, unique to their site and/or enterprise solution. A log of system activity that can be recalled by utilizing the report command is worthwhile, too. Most systems offer a feature that notifies the console operator of the amount of available storage for history information preventing information from being written over. The message will usually alert the operator to archive the information onto a removable magnetic tape. Time and Attendance is another good capability - the ability to utilize the time in and time out information per user, for the purpose of keeping track of employee’s hours at a facility. Many time and attendance packages work as stand-alone systems, and interface with payroll software. A capable access control system should integrate with sub systems, allowing support for automation, remote management of certain functions, support from partner monitoring stations, as well as the integration of video surveillance and process control. n

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● Special report

Wide angle

Wide Angle Views

Scott Myles of Independent Consultancy Group recently tested a group of wide angle cameras to see which offered the best panoramic performance on the street. We went along to take a look at the process and decide which of these cameras we thought was best in this application. HEN Scott Myles calls the SEN office and invites us to take a look at a camera test Independent Consultancy Group is undertaking that day we don’t need him to ask twice. The test jig is set up in ICG’s office in Marrickville, part of which is an old-style factory warehouse. The rain is pouring down as I dash down the street from the car park and it roars on the iron roof. This industrial application suits the operational metal of the test. It’s a large rectangular space with a lot of light industrial gear inside. Light is variable, with bright areas and deep shadows. According to Myles, ICG started looking at 180-degree and 270-degree angles of view in a single camera because the ability to look around corners in a single view is considered a strength by some of its clients. “I was doing a review for a client who wanted to simulate guard tours using video – I came across and liked the Pelco Optera because it was able to

handle the task,” Myles tells me, while making adjustments to the system. “Then I saw the Vivotek with its 4 sensors and IR illumination. Realising there were a number of options, I decided to take a look at other cameras in order to select the most suitable panoramic for situational awareness around key buildings and pieces of infrastructure.” Myles says this test focuses on multi-sensor cameras with one ONVIF stream requiring only one connection license. To be considered, cameras needed to interface into Genetec VMS and be capable of supporting an external application through a 24-hour day/night cycle. During the test process it was decided to add a couple of compact hemispheric cameras. “Once I got thinking about the test I wanted to look at everything, I didn’t want to discount hemispheric cameras,” Myles explains. “I didn’t

64 se&n

BY J O H N A D A M S

think, however, that hemispherics would be able to give me the levels of detail I can get from 4 dedicated 3MP camera heads stitched. But I was surprised at how capable the Panasonic was.” This system driving everything is Genetec’s Security Center and attached to the subnet are cameras from Vivotek, Pelco Optera 180 and 270, a Hikvision hemispheric with IR, a Panasonic hemispheric and a Vivotek hemispheric. Before we go further, it should be noted that there were some challenges with setup. Being very new technology, integration into Genetec was achieved using standard ONVIF protocol. Setting up and connecting these models to the latest Genetec 5.4 software version, it soon became apparent that all required further development. Currently the only model which features on the Genetec supported device list is Pelco Optera, and although the camera could be discovered in

I was doing a review for a client who wanted to simulate guard tours using video – I came across and liked the Pelco Optera because it was able to handle the task Genetec, the image and de-warping was currently not available, and for this reason the Pelco cameras were recorded and displayed separately. Vivotek featured the best integration, with Hikvision able to be discovered, however, camera settings are currently not available. What this all meant was that we weren’t able to get the best from the cameras at all times and in variable ways. Does this render the findings of the test invalid? Well…yes and no.

Cameras Test Driven The multi-sensor camera models tested here are

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● Special report

Panasonic

Wide angle

Pelco 270

the Vivotek MS8391-EV Multiple Sensor network camera, which has a resolution of 12MP with 180-degree panoramic views, IP66 and IK10 ratings and -50 to 60C operating temperatures. Next, comes the Hikvision DS-2CD6986F-(H) multi-sensor 180-degree panoramic dome camera with 7.3MP of resolution (4096 × 1800 pixels) IP66 rating and -30– 60C operating temperatures. Pelco cameras in the test included the Pelco 180 Panoramic 12MP, which has 4 x 3MP sensors and is IP66 rated with -40 to 60C operating temperature, WDR and Surevision technology. Alongside it is the Pelco 270 Panoramic. This 12MP camera is 4 x 3MP multi-sensor camera rated to IP66 and with an operating temp of -40 to 60C. It too, has WDR and Surevision capability. Fish eye cameras included in the test as a low cost alternative include the Panasonic WV-SFV481 9MP Fisheye, which is IP66-rated and has an operating temperature range from -40C to 50C, and Vivotek’s DS-2CD63C2F-I(V)(S) 12MP fisheye, which has up to 15m of IR range, IP66 rating and an operating temperature range from -30C to 60 degrees C. “The test required the support of manufacturers and suppliers to provide the cameras and equipment, their contribution and assistance is very much appreciated,” says Myles. “The test involved setting up a purpose-built test rig that

It is true to say that multisensor cameras provide an excellent tool to assist with situational awareness and provide clear coverages of large areas.

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Vivotek

would enable side-by-side comparisons under varying lighting conditions throughout the day and night.”

The results According to Myles, the results from all 3 multisensor products provided good situational awareness attributes as you’d expect from cameras with the latest advances in video surveillance technology. “All 3 brands provided a panoramic experience with stitched and blended panoramic views that provided a high-quality comprehensive coverage of the outdoor area,” Myles explains. “Comparing the resolution between cameras, and the ability to identify persons and objects such as license plates at distances of more than 10-15m, the Vivotek MS8391-EV 12MP camera had the advantage over the Pelco Optera camera, even though both these cameras feature 4 stitched 3MP cameras. “But in saying this, the Pelco Optera camera provided a more cohesive and balanced image quality and had superior - all but invisible - stitched views. The Hikvision DS-2CD6986F-(H) being only a 7MP camera struggled when digitally zoomed in on targets, however, this camera provided the best foreground and background coverage albeit with greater image distortion. “The Pelco and Vivotek 180-degree models produced very little image distortion and their areas of coverage look almost identical.” According to Myles, as the lighting conditions changed throughout the day, the Pelco Optera’s wide dynamic range showed its strength. “The Pelco camera was able to provide a more balanced scene producing more detail in shaded areas than the Vivotek and Hikvision cameras,”

Hikvision

Pelco Optera at this time. For applications where identification of persons and license plates are of utmost importance the recommendation is for Vivotek. In regards to Hikvision, for applications where foreground coverage is required, the depth of coverage of this camera is superior as it covers a larger area. “Reviewing the 2 single sensor fisheye cameras for short distance applications, from the results of these tests, the choice is Panasonic. However, to be fair, the Vivotek camera suffered integration issues and was not included in every test.” Watching Myles with the setup and seeing part of the test, my own take is similar - all these cameras have their pros and cons in terms of functionality, as well as performance. Optera and Vivotek are conceptually and operationally, very strong. Hikvision’s DS-2CD6986F-(H) dome has a bigger field of view but does not give as much detail – pixel spread is the reason for this as the camera is making do with 7.3MP. When you are stitching together huge fields of view, raw resolution is king. But I should point out, I saw the demo in relatively good light when all were making fine weather of it. Night performance is likely to be a different matter. The Panasonic does very well as an all-rounder, balancing both depth of field and angle of view very well in a compact form factor. Typically, hemispherics are strong on angle of view and good close in but things get a bit soft deeper into the scene and there’s a lot of dewarping required to straighten up a very wide image. Image height, depth of field and softness are all issues. Furthermore, classic hemispherics can be a bit difficult to drive – a little flippy – but the Panasonic hemispheric is easy to drive, too. n

Pelco and Vivotek

explains Myles. “Image balance between the 3 showed that when there were different light levels throughout a scene, with the Vivotek the user experience was of 4 separate cameras, rather than a single blended 180-degree scene.” Included in the test was the Pelco Optera 270-degree camera. This camera due to its design produces a 270-degree view, allowing camera to be mounted on a corner of the building providing views capable of looking around corners and directly below the camera. The single sensor Panasonic WV-SFV481 9 MP Fisheye Network Camera and Vivotek DS-2CD63C2F-I(V)(S) 12MP Fisheye Network Camera provided expected results from hemispherical lens products. “Comparing the 2 models, the Panasonic camera provided best image with little distortion, however, the Vivotek’s identification capabilities were superior. However, due to the integration, the Vivotek camera only operated sporadically and suffered regular dropouts during the session,” Myles explains. “It is true to say that multi-sensor cameras provide an excellent tool to assist with situational awareness and provide clear coverages of large areas. The results from the trial confirm that this emerging technology will benefit the users of the system and provides a useful tool if set up and used correctly. But being new technology, integration of all 3 products into Genetec is currently a work in progress, though I’m told full integration providing support and all features, will soon be available. “In regards to recommendations, one could argue that each camera provides particular benefits depending on the application,” he says. “As far as an all-rounder that produces a variety of features suitable for many applications, and again depending on full integration, arguably

Gentec Security Center

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● Regulars

Products

Editor’s choice D-LINK DCS-960L Wide Eye HD 180-Degree l D-Link ANZ has released the DCS-960L, a wireless camera that

offers a real-time 180-degree view of a room, without any delay. The DCS-960L Wide Eye HD 180 camera eliminates the need for 2 or more cameras to see everything in a room – you see more with less, instantly. “Previously cameras with this advanced level of technology were reserved only for businesses, however, that’s no longer the case,” said D-Link ANZ MD Graeme Reardon. “D-Link has been pushing the boundaries of home security products as we know both safety and security are increasingly on people’s agendas. With that in mind it’s fair to say the DCS-960L Wide Eye HD 180 panoramic camera is a truly ground-breaking new way to achieve the ultimate surveillance of a room from a single device.” The cameras offers HD 720p resolution, de-warping technology, wireless AC, which is the latest dual-band Wi-Fi technology for better bandwidth and improved range, motion and sound detection with push alert notification and local recording to a supplied 16GB MicroSD card. There’s also integrated IR with a 5m range. The DCS-960L is available now at an RRP of AUD$349.95

What’s new in the industry.

Ness Releases First Australian Consignment of Hikvision 3MP TVI l NESS Corp has released Australia’s first shipment of Hikvision 3MP TVI cameras, which the company says take digital-over-analogue performance to a new level. “Now in stock at Ness is the first Australian consignment of Hikvision 3 Megapixel TVI cameras,” said Peter Mohan. “3MP TVI has been eagerly awaited by the trade and the Ness team has got the jump on the market with good stocks available right now. “Features of the Hikvision 3MP TVI cameras include 1920 x 1536-pixel resolution, True WDR, Smart IR and OSD up the coax when used with Hikvision TVI DVRs.” Distributor: Ness Corporation Contact: +61 2 8825 9222

Distributor: D-Link Contact: 1300 700 100

Indigo BX Minidomes and Bullets

Evolution from CS Technologies

l IndigoVision’s all NEW BX Minidome and BX Bullet cameras

l CS Technologies free Evolution Access Control System

offer 120dB true WDR and low-light performance. Available in HD and 4MP resolutions, they feature in-built analytics and ONVIF conformance. The BX camera range is designed for multi-site monitoring over high bandwidth networks, it easily accommodates multiple viewing clients andmultiple recorders. It delivers high quality video in all lighting conditions as well as good quality audio. When combined with IndigoVision’s Control Center, it becomes a fully integrated user interface for managing video, putting everything at the users’ fingertips.

Management software now has built in support for HikVision, Dahua and SPR CCTV Integration. Evolution can now link user door transactions with the video footage from your CCTV system. Assign a camera to a door. Click on the video icon for each user transactions (on the main screen and history reports) to display the video footage recorded when the user was at the door.

Distributor: Indigovision – Integrated Products Contact: 1300 055 164

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Distributor: CS Technologies Contact: +61 2 9809 0588

Tyco is GO!

Dahua Pro Series Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ)

l TYCO Security Products introduces

l WITH a powerful 12x optical zoom, the compact, 2MP high-resolution PTZ camera provides 30fps at 1080p and 60fps at 720p, allowing operators to monitor wide scenes at high frame rates without losing details. Embedded with an IR cut filter for varying lighting conditions and industry-leading wide dynamic range (WDR) technology (120dB) to capture important details in scenes with both bright and dark areas, the camera provides excellent images at any time of day. The new Pro Series PTZ offerings provide a choice of either an indoor, in-ceiling (DHSD42AC212TN-HN-(I) model ideal for an aesthetic look on suspended ceilings or a surface mount model designed for easy installation on hard ceilings. It can also be pendant-mounted (DH-SD42A212TN-HN-(I) on a wall or a pipe with the proper mounting hardware. Both models offer optional Intelligent Video Surveillance (IVS) with the ability to detect and analyze moving objects. The surface mount PTZ models feature a durable IK10 rating, the highest level of impact energy, to protect the camera from vandalism, damage, and theft. Surface mount models feature an IP66 rated weather-proof housing. Optional built-in intelligent video analytics provide the ability to detect and analyze moving objects for improved video surveillance. The camera provides standard intelligence at the edge, allowing detection of multiple object behaviors, such as abandoned or missing objects.

the latest version of its VisonicGO mobile application, which puts eventrelated security decision-making, including images of proceedings as they unfold, into customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hands via an Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. The app can be used for selfmonitoring as well as to complement monitoring services. Through the use of cloud-based servers, residential and commercial users with PowerMaster control panels can connect to the VisonicGO app and perform key security system functions, including remotely arming and disarming systems, managing event history remotely, and receiving information on and responding to device status, such as a door or window left open. Users can customize their event notifications as well, so they only receive the information they want without getting overloaded with data. VisonicGo offers the ability to get images and text or sound notification based on alarms in real time. With visual verification available on demand, users can make decisions based on what is occurring, just as if they were on the scene. Archived images can be forwarded to law enforcement officials for identification of suspects or sent to insurance companies for documentation of incidents. The event images and alarm information can also be shared with the user and the monitoring company at the same time, providing peace of mind and vital facts during an active event and eliminating unnecessary expenses for false alarms. Distributor: Tyco Security Products Contact: +61 4 6776 3544

Distributor: Dahua Contact: overseas@dahuatech.com

Axis Releases 6 New Q60 PTZ Models l AXIS Communications has introduced 6 new models to its AXIS Q60 PTZ dome network camera series. These new Axis Q60 cameras deliver up to 36x optical zoom and up to 1080p resolution, depending on model. They all include day/night functionality, WDR and a memory card slot. The indoor models all offer two-way audio, audio detection, I/O ports, and 24 V AC/DC power and IP52-rated protection against dust and dripping water. The rugged outdoor models are vandal resistant (IK10 rating) and have IP66- and NEMA 4X-rated protection against dust, rain and snow. They also feature Arctic Temperature Control, which ensures safe start-up at temperatures down to -40C, even after a power failure. A focus-recall feature, available in AXIS Q6052/-E and AXIS Q6054/-E, provides instant focus in predefined areas, making it easier to use a PTZ camera optimally in challenging light conditions. With focus recall, there is no need to manually focus or wait for the autofocus to adjust, a step that can take several seconds. Focus recall is especially beneficial in scenes with low contrast and point-shaped light sources, for example, strong headlights from oncoming traffic. It is also useful in scenarios that require a lot of manual operation using a joystick. Axis Q6055/-E comes with several built-in Axis video analytic applications. The new cameras are the first cameras in AXIS Q60 Series to offer Zipstream, a H.264 compatible compression technology that reduces bandwidth and storage requirements by up to 50 percent even during camera movements. Distributor: Axis Communications Contact: +61 3 9982 1111

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Products

Editor’s choice Axis M10 Cubes l AXIS Communications has 3 new additions to its AXIS M10 Series of compact cube

cameras, the AXIS M1065-LW, AXIS M1065-L and AXIS M1045-LW network cameras. They deliver 1080p resolution, have WDR capability and IR support. These low-profile PoE (or 5V DC) cameras have a 110-degree angle of view. They also offer local storage via memory cards, eliminating the need to connect to a server to store data. Each camera has a high quality IR light that provides better illumination at night, and an IR cut filter for crisper colours in daytime. The higher end models – AXIS M1065-LW and AXIS M1065-L – include a built-in microphone for recording audio, a speaker that can announce pre-recorded messages, and a PIR motion sensor that detects motion in the dark and records only when required – thus saving storage capacity for true alarms. Both AXIS M1045-LW and AXIS M1065-LW are wireless, allowing quick and easy connection to existing wireless networks and eliminating the need for extra hardware. AXIS M1065-L offers Power over Ethernet (PoE), which allows both power and connection to the network via one single cable, simplifying installation and ensuring connectivity with high reliability. Distributor: Axis Communications Contact: +61 3 9982 1111

Connect O2 Take-over Device From EOS l REVIVE aging alarm accounts with Connect-O2’s Take-over device (Interactive Gateway Module). “Don’t let existing accounts with aging systems disappear,” says EOS. “Retain your accounts by upgrading them to full interactive services. Simply add the Resolution Take-over device (Interactive Gateway Module) to any supported Honeywell Vista, DSC PowerSeries or Interlogix Concord or NX panel and keep your existing accounts healthy and active with new technology. Unlike other cellular modules, the Connect-O2 Takeover device (IGM) provides smart phone-based security and Z-Wave home automation control of locks, lights and appliances. Distributor: EOS Australia Contact: +61 29749 5888

What’s new in the industry.

Hikvision launches Blazer Express l HIKVSION has launched Blazer Express, an easy-to-use and highly efficient intelligent video management software (iVMS) station, designed specifically to meet the needs of smallto medium-sized retail surveillance applications. Catering for up to 16 or 32 network surveillance cameras, Blazer Express (supplied with preinstalled operating system), offers individual shops, multi-site stores and petrol stations, centralized video management and easy operation, along with quick and easy installation via its set-up wizard, and automatic device discovery to recognize any connected Hikvision devices. Blazer Express supplies live, playback and alarm camera viewing functionality via its user-friendly interface, enabling easy location of relevant video footage via multiple video search options: including tag, lock, interval and segment. Displaying a complete visual overview of all camera locations, an on-screen E-map permits per camera related live video, playback and alarm activated events to be directly accessed for quick identification, alerting the retail operator to manage situations with an appropriate response. Further enhancing remote management, Blazer Express based iVMS systems can be accessed at any time and from anywhere in the world using multiple free clients. Supporting installation flexibility and saving valuable budget, Blazer Express supports third-party ONVIF compliant cameras or private protocols, with Hikvision providing a SDK for seamless third-party systems integration. Distributor: Central Security Distribution Contact: 1300 319 499

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Vanderbilt Eventys CCTV Range: More for Less l VANDERBILT Eventys is the latest addition to the company’s innovative video portfolio and is now available in Australia from Alarmcorp. Designed to meet the need for a cost-effective solution that doesn’t compromise on functionality and ease of use, Eventys offers more than you need for less than you think. The Eventys range offers variants of up to H.264+ IP compression efficiency, with 1.3MP to 2MP resolution cameras with both fixed and varifocal lens options. Powered via PoE, coupled with automatic IP addressing, along with auto-device detection, making Eventys truly plug and play. Robust, reliable and suitable for a wide variety of applications, the cameras are built into an IP66-rated weatherproof enclosure. The 2 NVRs are equipped with features commonly found on more expensive devices. A built-in PoE switcher is standard on both 4 or 8 channel variants that support live view, storage, and playback with up to 6MP resolution. One-touch record triggering, multiple recording types and instant playback for assigned channel during multi-channel display mode combine to offer reliable recording and review. Distributor: Alarmcorp Contact 1300 894 088

BOSCH FLEXIDOME IP panoramic in-ceiling l FLEXIDOME IP panoramic 6000/7000 from Bosch are discreet, aesthetic cameras that mount flush in a ceiling or wall. The easily painted cover plate blends in with almost all surroundings. There’s 12MP sensor resolution together with a high frame rate of 30 fps. An e-PTZ feature provides more detailed images. The built-in video analytics package is robust and intelligent. The intelligence-atthe-edge concept detects, tracks, and analyses objects, and alerts users when predefined alarms are triggered. The cameras offer edge or client-side dewarping for easy integration, situational awareness and simultaneous E-PTZ views in high resolution. Typical applications include large retail stores, airports, casinos and warehouses. Distributor: Bosch Security Systems Contact: 1 3000 BOSCH (26724)

FLIR Quasar hemispheric l FLIR Systems has announced the launch of the FLIR Quasar Hemispheric mini-dome camera, which provides an immersive, 360-degree real-time and forensic experience using United VMS. With adn indoor/outdoor vandal-resistant housing—coupled with two-way audio, IR illumination and I/O interface—the Quasar Hemispheric camera is fully featured to address a wide range of applications. The camera supports user-customized views and digital presets without affecting the recording of the complete 360-degree view, making it the ideal choice for full coverage, panoramic video surveillance. Features include broadcast quality video, multi-streaming with full frame rates, wall and ceiling modes, vandal-resistance, indoor and outdoor versions, automatic IR-illumination in lowlight conditions and bi-directional audio. Distributor: QSS Contact: +61 3 9646 9016

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Help desk ■ Below are the approximate recommendations for rest times (complete rest, that is) between sets according to your goal, per the National Streng th and Conditioning Association (NSCA). *Note that since fat loss depends primarily on diet, there is no official rest-period prescription for it, although we feel that both short and long rests work, depending on the program.

Q: Can very low cost cameras offer good quality performance? We know there are more expensive cameras available but some of the compact domes available now are really, really affordable and are impossible to ignore when customers are buying on price alone. A: We get asked this a lot! Our testing shows low cost cameras tend to be fairly ordinary in overall performance. Some are bloody awful! Compact cameras with IR support tend to have poor low light performance, use last-gen sensors, even have poor IR performance, and to be prone to creative internal flare issues day and night. They are also poor with blooming – their low cost sensor pixels spill the light signal into adjacent pixels. Sample variation is more pronounced because QA is less intensive. There are applications where such cameras may do ok – very confined spaces without too much backlight or direct sunlight. Objective testing is the only way to know for certain. Our take on low cost cameras is that they bring down the price of the more serious cameras that you should be buying. Consider that in the mid-dome space, the Axis P3225-LV is streets ahead of any compact dome we’ve tested for not much more money. It’s good at night and has wonderfully contrasty IR performance with almost no flare. Is it worth saving a few hundred dollars per camera in order to install a solution that doesn’t meet an

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Our panel of experts answers your questions.

operational specification? We think not. As we all know from decades of experience in other parts of our lives, very low cost electronic equipment isn’t as good as the stuff made to last by manufacturers committed to product integrity, who offer very long warranties and build serious distribution networks. This doesn’t mean you have to buy the most expensive gear – as we’ve seen before in SEN, low cost cameras like the Axis M1125 offer great performance with good lenses such as the Fujinon 15-15 F1.5 varifocal. As an installer trying to sell quality based on performance, there’s no substitute for a demonstration. For instance, if you can show an end user a comparison of the performance of a Mobotix hemispheric and a no-name hemispheric bought off the internet, they’ll see the Mobotix camera (and software) actually provides useable hemispheric performance at operational depths of field while the noname camera loses facial ID at about 4 metres. Just calling a camera ‘hemispheric’ doesn’t mean it’s capable of hemispheric performance in your client’s operational real world. We’ve tested low cost cameras we simply wouldn’t install in professional security applications. The same judgement does not apply to their more expensive cousins. Quality cameras typically offer users different levels of very, very good. Q: What did you think of the Sensor Mat fibre optic sensing solution at Security 2016? How might it compare in terms of reliability with volumetric sensors? We have an industrial site and have Sensor Mat intrusion detection signal

trouble with false alarms constantly. A: This is opinion only but a mechanical detection solution like Sensor Mat – it detects the changes to a light signal caused by foot traffic over a fibre optic sensor-equipped mat – is going to be highly reliable if it’s installed properly. Will it be more reliable than a PIR or dual technology sensor? Quite possibly. There’s not going to be any issue with heat or light. It can’t be masked and can’t be avoided if installed discretely and widely across a site. It’s not going to have the sprawling reach of a volumetric but it’s going to be immune to false alarms and looks highly discerning – these are very appealing qualities for any security sensor to have. An objective test will show – especially if you have a problem zone in a hot, dirty location in your facility. Q: We’ve had a recessed reed switch fail relatively early and when we took the sensors out of the timber frame is was cracked and corroded. Could that be from poor installation or is something else at work, like thermal expansion? A: Reeds can crack if forced into spaces too small in diameter – you may also break the sensor seal if there’s too strong an impact on the sensor housing. If a sensor is installed in green wood, the wood may swell as it dries and crush the housing. Thermal expansion of wood is a possibility, though wood is a poor conductor of heat thanks to its porosity. Typically, thermal expansion of wood in the direction of the grain is tiny but radial and tangential temperature expansion is greater and,

over time, could break a sensor installed in the frame of an external door. Q: I often find myself installing alarm systems alone and it can be a challenge when installing control panels on walls – I wish I had another pair of hands. There are times I’ve used my forehead to brace equipment against walls while I muck around – it’s worse if I’ve cabled something and then need to pull off the control panel to access something at the side or the rear – I have to completely unterminate the system. Is there a solution that works better than the spare hand mechanism some manufacturers include – this helps, but it’s not always what I need. A: The best solution is to put a couple of Velcro tabs behind the panel after you’ve drilled and before you position and fix the panel. Don’t use too many – just enough to hold the controller in place while you play with, fixing and tools. You may find cutting the tabs in half before you install them gives you just enough grip but not too much – you don’t want to be pulling the paper off the plaster board when you remove the panel for servicing. While we are talking about panels and cabling, use a standard set of home run colours from your zone loops – one colour out and one colour home. It makes trouble shooting way simpler. Q: SEN has criticised wide angle lenses a few times recently and I was wondering, do wide angle lenses of themselves, reduce resolution or add sharpness reducing levels of distortion? A: Wide is great! As long as you need wide! In our test applications, 2.8mm focal lengths on typical sensor sizes are far larger than the target field of view. We end up recording tons of things we don’t

need to see. But if you are looking across the grounds of a university, or a factory or car yard, things will be very different – you’ll want wide angles of view. The key thing wide angle lenses do is introduce barrel distortion and they do this because the lens is much larger than the sensor onto which it is focussing light. In order to fit a big image onto a small flat sensor, the lens incorporates pronounced curves that distort the scene to fit it all in. For a given image height and width at a target, pixel spread softens the image. Pixels are limited and the more stuff in the scene, the lower the resolution available to sense the reflection of light from each item will be. You see this most clearly when you zoom at 2.8mm as compared to zooming

The key thing wide angle lenses do is introduce barrel distortion and they do this because the lens is much larger than the sensor onto which it is focussing light.

at 10mm – at the longer focal length the angle of view is smaller and the pixels available are denser so digital zooming is better. Those parts of a wide lens with the highest levels of distortion will have the greatest pixel spread and will be softest when displayed, while offering the least useful digital zooming. With CCTV cameras, wide fields of view will be worse when digital enhancement is applied – pixels will be stretched and may be interpolated by software during tough times of the day, leading to excessive digital artefacts and pulses of noise created by the camera system trying to fill gaps in the data the sensor is providing. Optically, wides tend to be worse with CAs and are prone to flare. But there are times when nothing else will do, so don’t be down on wide angle lenses. Just make sure you apply them thoughtfully. n

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events SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE 380

REVOLUTION WILL BE

Secutech Vietnam 2016 Date: September 21-24, 2016 Venue: Friendship Cultural Palace, Hanoi, Vietnam Contact: +886 2 8729 1099 ext. 210 Going onto the 8th year, Secutech Vietnam continues to be the No.1 choice for manufacturers and distributors of security and safety products – local and around the world - to connect and explore new business opportunities in Vietnam.

PP 100001158

TELEVISED

China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security Date: October 25–28, 2016 Venue: China Internation Exhibition Center Contact: 8610-68731710 The 13th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security 2016 is the biggest security distribution and procurement event in China, and focuses mostly on the big market in North area of China.

SECURITY & GOVERNMENT expo

Security and Government Expo Canberra

Date: November 3, 2016 Venue: The Realm Hotel, Canberra Contact: Monique +61 2 9280 4425 Security and Government Expo is a one-day expo with space for 20 companies to promote their technologies and products in the nation’s capital. SAGE brings together government and commercial end users, consultants, integrators and installers in Canberra and the ACT to see the latest security solutions in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Expo partner ASIS ACT presents Luke Williams, chief security officer, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade speaking on International Security Challenges: A DFAT Perspective inside the expo.

SecTech Roadshow 2017 Date: May 4-18, 2017 Contact: Monique Keatinge on 612 9280 4425 SecTech Roadshow takes up to 20 of Australia’s leading distributors and manufacturers on a national tour – a simple and highly targeted touring tradeshow covering 5 state capitals over 2 weeks during the month of May. In 2017, SecTech Roadshow will visit Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

2017 Security Conference and Exhibition

= DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.

Date: July 2017 Venue: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour Contact: +61 3 9261 4500 Next year we’re heading back to Sydney to the brand new International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour and the anticipation is palpable! Our whole team is looking forward to reuniting the industry in sunny Sydney, we look forward to seeing you there in 2017.

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