Security Electronics & Networks Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE 413

SPECIAL REPORT:

PP 100001158

BEST PRODUCTS AT SECURITY 2019

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l Darwin Face Recognition In $A10 Million Smart City Solution l Hills to Streamline Distribution, Exit Comms, Focus On Health l Installer’s Guide: Soldering Skills l Special Report: Integrating Body-Worn Cameras l Central Southern Security Fights Theft, Fires l Mobile Malware, Threats & Responses l Alarm Monitoring: Communications Options l Product Review: Panasonic WV-S1550L Bullet

Integrating Body-Worn Cameras

28/8/19 11:22 am

The Future Face of Security

PH : 1300 663 904 Features

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editorial S E CU RI TY E L ECTR O NI C S & NETWO R KS S E PTE M BER 201 9 ISSUE 41 3

By John Adams

VIDEO ANALYTICS: THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

NE of the key things to come out of Security 2019 Exhibition in Sydney last month was implied by the winner of ASIAL’s People’s Choice Award – NiroVision’s cloud-based Mobile First face recognition solution.

There were plenty of other capable face recognition solutions at the show, and loads of analytics as well, but it was the growing comfort installers, integrators and end users clearly feel with cloud and video content analysis based on deep learning that was so interesting.

Speaking recently with large end users and enterprise-level integrators, a constant refrain has been an active interest in analytics, with face and object recognition capabilities being particularly favoured. There are a number of reasons end users want analytics – efficiency is a big one. The ability to find faces, as well as clothing, licence plates and all the rest, across a network of hundreds, even thousands of cameras, is so compelling it’s impossible to ignore.

The efficiencies aren’t just about opportunity costs won through saved time. For serious security applications, being able to recognise and track threats or vulnerabilities – such as missing children - at extreme speed is the key to successful operations.

Something else that’s at the heart of analytics is the importance of maintaining the operation of major infrastructure – that might be a railway station, an airport, a freeway, or a city street. And this is a priority not only for infrastructure owners, but for law enforcement bodies tasked with

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The entire notion of siloed security systems is being unstitched at the operations end, where managers want much more, much faster. protection and coal face management of cities. Faced with emergencies, they want to know.

Efficiency is about money, too. End users in the private and public sector have millions of dollars tied up in their surveillance systems. The latest solutions are extraordinarily capable and the data they generate is solid gold. But to deliver on their promise, this gold must be mined quickly and accurately to deliver the situational awareness that leads to an expedited response.

Wandering around the show last month looking at VCA solutions I couldn’t help thinking about the pioneers of analytics - companies like Briefcam and Avigilon, whose solutions have slowly and surely shifted the expectations of end users. Today, security managers and operations teams don’t want to drown in video streams but be informed and empowered by them – and nothing delivers this capability in the way analytics delivers it.

Something else we’ve noticed looking at case studies and product reviews this year is that CCTV systems are being federated and integrated on a scale we’ve never seen before.

The entire notion of siloed security systems is being unstitched at the operations end, where managers want much more, much faster. And there’s a lateral element to this hunger driven by the possibilities of technology, as well as by the growing expertise of integrators who have the capability of wrangling huge interconnected networks. We are starting to see overlapping ‘super systems’ of cameras, offering granular access and massive potential, but this power comes at a price.

Experienced control room managers know that there’s a point at which adding cameras to a video wall no longer enhances situational awareness but creates noise, slowing decisions and attenuating response times by making the system much higher touch. It’s this confluence of interconnected CCTV networks and the operational constraints of monitoring them that’s going to drive the uptake and functionality of video analytics to the next level, in my opinion.

Deep learning is playing a major part here – it’s delivering reliable functionality with considerably lower processing demands and doing so with none of the oldtime programming nightmares developers used to face. With deep learning, systems learn their environments from the moment of power up and do so at astonishing speed.

Just how video analytics like face recognition will play out in the user market is interesting – the general public in many countries is discomforted by face recognition in public surveillance applications and this may lead to tweaks like face redaction in some applications. But it’s impossible to imagine a future in which analytics doesn’t have a huge impact on security management solutions of all kinds.

As it stands, most large CCTV installations are not running anywhere near full potential in terms of data gathering and report generation and that’s because operators simply cannot drive every camera down to the pixel level. But video analytics can - and end users know it. n

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ex 35 O hib co ve i m r so ting pa lut se nie ion cu s s rity

4TH A N N UA L

SECURITY AND GOVERNMENT EXPO SECURITY

& GOVERNMENT EXPO

W W W. S E C U R I T YA N D G O V E R N M E N T E X P O . C O M . A U

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FREE EVENT

REGISTRATIO N N OW O P E N Don't miss Security and Government Expo The Hotel Realm, Canberra.

November 14, 2019 Canberra Bringing the latest security products and technologies to government and commercial end users, installers and consultants in the nation’s capital.

Expo opens 12PM – 6PM ASIS ACT SEMINARS & SAGE ANALYTICS SEGMENT 10.00AM – 3.30PM EXPO REFRESHMENTS 3.30PM – 5.30PM GUEST SPEAKER 4.00PM – 4.30PM EXPO CLOSES 6.00PM ASIS DINNER – PRESS CLUB DRINKS START 6.00PM See www.securityandgovernment.com.au for program and speaker details SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS

TM

ACT Chapter

F O R F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N C O N TA C T M O N I Q U E K E AT I N G E O N 0 2 9 2 8 0 4 4 2 5

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industry still includes a lot of hardware and recognising the increasing role software and comms paths play in achieving operational outcomes.

30: SOLDERING SKILLS

SEPT 19 10: DARWIN PROMISES NOT TO DEPLOY LIVE FACE RECOGNITION IN $A10 MILLION SMART CITY SOLUTION Darwin City Council has promised it will not use live face recognition in its safe city public surveillance system after 138 new CCTV cameras, public Wi-Fi, lighting and smart sensors were installed around the CBD as part of the ‘Switching On Darwin’ project.

10: HILLS TO STREAMLINE DISTRIBUTION, EXIT COMMS, INCREASE FOCUS ON HEALTH Hills has defined a path to long-term growth in profitability and shareholder returns which includes streamlining distribution, exiting its communications business, closing manufacturing at Hills’ O’Sullivan Beach facility and focusing on health.

20: BEST PRODUCTS AT SECURITY 2019 Walking around Security 2019 I found myself torn between acknowledging the electronic security

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Soldering is a skill every installer should develop.

It’s a great way to connect wires, including wires of different sizes and types, in environments in which there is very little flexing and vibration. A particular advantage of soldered connections is that it creates no microfractures in wires being joined.

32: BODY CAMERAS – WHAT’S AVAILABLE AND HOW TO INTEGRATE THEM Body cameras are an increasingly important part of the electronic security framework and allow video streams and audio to be recorded locally or streamed directly to a control room for monitoring in real time. For security managers considering this technology, it’s vital to get across the most important aspects of camera performance – and system integration.

38: CENTRAL SOUTHERN SECURITY FIGHTS THEFT, FIRES After a spate of thefts and fires, Central Southern Security has installed a video surveillance system comprising 40 Dahua IP and thermal cameras at Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight.

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regulars

40: MOBILE MALWARE As the electronic security industry increasingly drives its solutions using apps on smart devices, the threat posed by mobile malware has become greater. But how serious is the threat and what can integrators and end users do to ensure that threat is minimised?

48: PANASONIC WV-S1550L BULLET CAMERA Panasonic’s WV-S1550L bullet camera combines strong resolution with a mid-range optical zoom, making it a flexible solution on the street. The solid resolution makes digital zoom useful, too, while H.265 compression keeps bitrates to a minimum.

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

46: MONITORING We are in a state of flux when it comes to alarm communication options. Which direction installers take their customers is going to depend on a number of factors, including local service availability, security levels and the bandwidth levels required by the application to support functionalities like video monitoring and price.

52: EDITOR’S CHOICE What’s new from our manufacturers.

56: HELPDESK Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE 413

SPECIAL REPORT:

PP 100001158

BEST PRODUCTS AT SECURITY 2019

l Darwin Face Recognition In $A10 Million Smart City Solution l Hills to Streamline Distribution, Exit Comms, Focus On Health l Installer’s Guide: Soldering Skills l Special Report: Integrating Body-Worn Cameras l Central Southern Security Fights Theft, Fires l Mobile Malware, Threats & Responses l Alarm Monitoring: Communications Options l Product Review: Panasonic WV-S1550L Bullet

Integrating Body-Worn Cameras

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

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

Design Tania Simanowsky e: tania@ taniasdesign.com.au

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WEBSITE www.securityelectronics andnetworks.com

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28/8/19 11:29 am

NEWS IN BRIEF

Perth Integrator DTI Secures World’s Longest Robot p.12 Gallagher Wins Security Today’s Product Of The Year Award p.14 80 Per Cent Of ADT Installs Are Now Smart Home Systems p.16 Chubb Wins $A6 Million Ipswich Safe City Contract p.18

SEPTEMBER 2019

COMPILED BY JOHN ADAMS

HILLS TO STREAMLINE DISTRIBUTION, EXIT COMMS, INCREASE FOCUS ON HEALTH n HILLS has defined a path to long-term growth in profitability and shareholder returns which includes streamlining distribution, exiting its communications business, closing manufacturing at Hills’ O’Sullivan Beach facility and focusing on health.

The company recently undertook an operational review of its distribution business with a view to returning it to profitability.

In May 2019, Hills also confirmed a strategic review to explore options to improve the performance and growth prospects of Hills’ underlying businesses and ensure their value was properly reflected in the Hills share price.

As a result of a strategic review, the Hills Board

has taken the decision to increase focus on its growing and profitable health business, which provides patient care systems for hospitals and health care facilities. In addition, the distribution business, which provides audio visual, security and IT systems and services for customers in Australia and New Zealand, will be streamlined.

Hills will exit its Antenna and STEP satellite services businesses and will not be renewing its contract to supply satellite dishes to Foxtel. These decisions reflect the declining profitability of the communications business and the continued fall in Foxtel volumes.

As a result, manufacturing will cease at Hills O’Sullivan Beach facility

in Adelaide by the end of the calendar year. All costs associated with this closure have been provided for in the FY2019 financial result. Hills is pleased to confirm that it has received a conditional offer for the antenna business that will ensure the continued manufacture of the Black Arrow range of antennas in Australia.

Hills will continue to review the operations of the distribution business and strategic opportunities and will provide further updates at or before the annual general meeting in Adelaide on 8 November 2019.

“The strategic review has delivered the roadmap to focus on the exciting potential of Hills’ health business, with a streamlined distribution

business expected to return to profitability as early as the first half of FY2020,” said Hills’ CEO and managing director, David Lenz.

Further details will be provided at the full year results but the preliminary unaudited EBITDA results for the health and distribution businesses for FY2019 versus FY2018 are:

• Health $7.4m $11.1m • Distribution $4.5m $1.6m • Corporate ($2.6m) ($2.7m).

Hills will deliver an underlying profit after tax of approximately $0.5 million (preliminary, unaudited) for FY2019, however the statutory loss after tax for FY2019 is expected to be approximately $8.8 million (preliminary, unaudited).

DARWIN PROMISES NOT TO DEPLOY LIVE FACE RECOGNITION IN $A10 MILLION SMART CITY SOLUTION n DARWIN City Council has promised it will not use live face recognition in its safe city public surveillance system after 138 new CCTV cameras, public Wi-Fi, lighting and smart sensors were installed around the CBD as part of the ‘Switching On Darwin’ project.

Josh Sattler, the council’s general manager for innovation and growth, said the analytics-enabled cameras would be used for things such as vehicle counting, but not facial recognition.

“Yes, they have [facial recognition] capability but it’s not something

we’re using … we don’t see a situation where we will require that,” he said. “In saying that, from requests coming through from a state or federal agency (as part of criminal investigations), we’ll need to comply with that request.”

Sattler acknowledged

there may be community concerns about the technology and said the council would hold more public information sessions in the future.

“I admit we still have got a lot of work to do but, in saying that, I see the benefit from the community to be onboard and to take the journey with us, because we are doing it for the community,” he said. “We’re not doing it just because it’s a political agenda-driven thing to do; we are doing it to deliver better services.”

Earlier this month, Darwin City Council announced it had hired a consultant to carry out a privacy impact assessment on all the new technology, with the investigation likely be completed in the next 6 months.

NT information commissioner Peter Shoyer said recently council was operating legally, and the

privacy of Darwin residents would be protected.

“I think there are the legal protections in place there,” Shoyer said. “It’s important that everyone – whether it’s council or members of the public – to take an interest in this area, to be aware, and to keep asking questions.”

The Federal Government contributed $A5 million to the $10 million Switching on Darwin project under its Smart Cities and Suburbs grant programme.

I ADMIT WE STILL HAVE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO BUT, IN SAYING THAT, I SEE THE BENEFIT FROM THE COMMUNITY TO BE ONBOARD AND TO TAKE THE JOURNEY WITH US, BECAUSE WE ARE DOING IT FOR THE COMMUNITY.

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NEWS SEPTEMBER 2019

MAIN HALL AT SECURITY & GOVERNMENT EXPO NOW SOLD OUT n ALL space in the main hall for Security & Government Expo 2019 has now sold out, with 27 companies on board for the November 14 event, and just 4 foyer spaces remaining.

Sponsored by ASIS ACT, Inner Range and SEN, SAGE 2019 exhibitors include Milestone Systems, Honeywell, Gallagher, Inner Range, SCSI, Sektor, Saab, Ezi Security Systems, Gunnebo, BM Doors, Secure Edge, HID, FSH, AMS Australia, Moog, Sensing Products, Dataline Visual Link, Panasonic, Ness, Perimeter Systems

Australia, Bosch Security, EVVA/EKKA Cyberlock, Nirovision, Chase Security, SRA Solutions, Rhinoco, Geutebruck and Armor Australia.

This year’s event includes ASIS ACT’s free seminar programme, as well as a keynote speaker inside the exhibition hall, to be announced shortly.

There will also be a series of technical seminars organised by SEN allowing end users, integrators and consultants to get across key functionalities of the latest analytics solutions

from Nirovision, Briefcam, Bosch, Avigilon, Mobotix and AnyVision.

SAGE is a pop-up expo with an intense operational focus that brings the latest security solutions from 35 leading manufacturers and distributors to Canberra and the ACT on November 14.

This year’s ASIS ACT Dinner will be back at the Press Club, an excellent venue a few doors down from the Realm Hotel.

Exhibitors interested in booking remaining foyer space should call Monique on +61 2 9280 4425.

PERTH INTEGRATOR DTI SECURES WORLD’S LONGEST ROBOT n Perth-based integrator DTI has installed remote video surveillance monitoring systems on Rio Tinto’s AutoHaul locomotives to ensure safe movement of the driverless trains.

DTI’s scope of works included the supply of systems to enable remote monitoring of over 40 level crossings on the rail network. DTI was one of 5 partners on the project, which included Hitachi Rail STS. The 2.4km-long AutoHaul trains are monitored and

controlled from Rio Tinto’s Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Perth and deliver iron ore from 16 mines to ports in Dampier and Cape Lambert across a 1700km rail network. Since commissioning last year AutoHaul trains have travelled more 4.5 million kilometres.

Around 200 locomotives carrying AutoHaul software are fitted with on-board cameras while all public rail crossings on the network have also been fitted with upgraded CCTV systems

monitored at the ROC. The trains are managed by a modular signalling system developed by Ansaldo STS. Rio Tinto Iron Ore managing director Ivan Vella said the project had attracted worldwide interest and cemented Western Australia as a heavy-haul rail leader.

“However, the success of AutoHaul would not have been possible without the expertise, collaboration and dedication of teams within Rio Tinto and our numerous partners,” Vella said.

SAN DIEGO POLICE LEVERAGING 3200 STREETLAMP CAMERA SYSTEM

n A STREETLAMP camera system designed to measure traffic flow is now being leveraged by San Diego police to fight violent crime across the city. Installed in 2016 and first used by police in 2018, the system has now been used in 140 separate police investigations with footage from the cameras requested around 20 times each month. And the city plans to expand what it calls the “world’s largest smart city platform” by adding 1000 more streetlamp cameras by the summer of 2020.

As of now, about 100 investigative officers in the sex crimes, robbery, traffic, internal affairs and homicide units have direct access to the video footage. The department’s internal policy dictates that video should only be reviewed in connection

with violent crimes and that officers outside of those units can only gain access if approved by a “designated authority,” according to Dan Diego’s Union-Tribune. Footage is deleted every 5 days if not downloaded by officers for investigations.

“We’ve had a lot of success stories recently, a couple of convictions where people have actually seen the video through a defence attorney and they immediately took a guilty plea rather than go to trial,” Lt. Jeffrey Jordon, who oversees the programme for the department, said recently.

The footage has also helped exonerate suspects, leading police to drop murder charges after video showed that a suspect had acted in self-defence against an attacker.

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Here’s why you need cameras with built-in machine learning capabilities www.boschsecurity.com.au

Smarter video systems go beyond security.

That's why Bosch have taken the next step in video security with cameras that incorporate built-in machine learning capabilities. With Bosch Camera Trainer, the more a video security camera can know and learn, the more accurately and application-specifically it can perform.

Camera Trainer enables you to tailor built-in Video Analytics to detect the things that matter most to you. The camera retains information on new user-defined objects and situations, or any subsequent changes. It then refers to these new learnings when processing scenes and can be combined with pre-determined alarm rules and object filters for even more accuracy and flexibility.

Imagine the benefits of translating all of this insightful information into instant alerts and business intelligence with simple dashboards. Now you can make data visualisation work for you.

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NEWS SEPTEMBER 2019

ALARM.COM ANNUAL SALES CLIMB TOWARDS $US HALF BILLION n ALARM.com reports total revenue for Q2 increased 16.4 per cent to $US121.7 million and said the company expects annual revenue in the range of $460.2 million to $465.7 million. The company’s growth underpins the veracity of its cloud-based business model.

SaaS and license revenue increased 16 per cent to $82.3 million, compared

to $71 million. SaaS and license revenue including Connect software license revenue grew to $11 million, compared to $10.2 million.

The company said its SaaS and license revenue renewal rate was 94 per cent.

Hardware and other revenue in the second quarter was $39.3 million, up 17.3 per cent. The increase in hardware revenue was primarily due to an increase in sales of video cameras, as the company continues to see increasing adoption of video by both new and existing subscribers.

“For the first 6 months of the year, the number of subscribers electing a video service plan is up about 40 per cent from the first half of 2018,” Alarm.com president

and CEO Steve Trundle said.

“Adoption of our video analytics service, which we initially released at the end of last year, continues to grow as well. The improved user experience and quality of service enabled by video analytics is driving increased overall demand for video.”

During the second quarter the company expanded its integration with leading security panel makers to enable authorized dealers to deliver Alarm.com’s services to a broader range of residential and commercial customers.

The new panels include flagship products with touch-screen capabilities from Nortek, DSC, Interlogix and Qolsys.

ZENIEN WINS FREMANTLE CCTV UPGRADE, MAINTENANCE CONTRACT n PERTH CCTV, automation and IT integrator Zenien has won a contract with City of Fremantle for CCTV installation, upgrade and maintenance of its Genetec Security Center-based safe city CCTV solution.

As part of this contract, City of Fremantle will expand its safe city solution from 36 to 61 cameras through a $A928,000 grant from the federal government’s Safer Communities programme.

City of Fremantle, which is one of only 3 councils in WA to undertake live monitoring of its safe city solution, has also been considering the use of

ANPR for license plate recognition.

In June last year Zenien was successful in a bid to assist City of Fremantle with an upgrade to its safe city video management system and the latest contract for a tender released last December and announced this August 2, extends the partnership to cover the installation of new cameras.

City of Freemantle’s CCTV solution is built around Genetec VMS and Axis IP PTZ, dome and bullet cameras, as well as smart city devices, and Zenien has multiple Geneteccertified staff capable of

supporting it.

“The City of Fremantle has a growing system of actively monitored CCTV cameras and related security devices spread out through the Fremantle CBD,” said a Zenien spokesperson. “Zenien is extremely excited about assisting the City in gaining the most from its system.”

Meanwhile, Senior Sergeant Brad Warburton said last year the City of Fremantle’s real-time monitoring of CCTV was a valuable tool for local police.

“Having extra eyes on the streets means we can be alerted to situations much earlier and we can respond much quicker,” Sgt Warburton said.

“The CCTV within the CBD has proven to be a strong deterrent against people who are tempted to break into a shop or commit a crime. In those cases where a crime is committed the CCTV can be invaluable to our investigations and when it comes to prosecuting someone in court the vision is important evidence.”

SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK AUTHORITY PREPARES CCTV TENDER

n SYDNEY Olympic Park Authority has registered a future tender for ICT and CCTV maintenance of its extensive Homebush site. SOPA’s CCTV system comprises around 170 CCTV cameras in fixed and PTZ form factors linked to the 24-hour SOPAC control room for viewing and storage via a fibre optic cable network across 430 hectares of parklands and 7 sporting

venues, including Stadium Australia.

SOPA’s CCTV system, as well as the systems installed at a number of sports venues around the site, are used to monitor events and traffic at multiple locations. SOPA cameras are stored for 60 days, while video feeds from sporting venues are retained for 10 days. The ICT/CCTV tender is slated for release on 31-12-20.

GALLAGHER WINS SECURITY TODAY’S PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD n GALLAGHER’S Security Health Check solution, a free auditing tool designed to help Gallagher customers identify and understand potential vulnerabilities within their security system, has won in the cyber defense category of the Security Today New Product of the Year awards.

“There really is no other product like Security Health Check in the market” said Steve Bell, chief technology officer at Gallagher. “Cyber security is a huge issue for the world right now.

“As a technology developer, we feel a responsibility to create solutions with the highest level of cyber protection available. We are committed to ensuring

our customers are wellinformed and supported in their efforts to mitigate risks.”

The Security Today New Product of the Year 2019 awards honour the outstanding product development achievements of security equipment manufacturers whose products are particularly noteworthy in their contribution to improving security.

Nearly 100 entries were received in the 11th successful year of the independently judged contest. Winners were honoured in a range of categories, and awards will be presented at the Global Security Exchange (GSX) in Chicago this month.

Steve Bell

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DATIONS ABLED TO CURITY HE N AND NING ANCE

NEWS SEPTEMBER 2019

GENETEC SECURITY CENTER DELIVERS DYNAMIC VIRTUAL PERIMETERS TO AIRPORTS n BLIGHTER Surveillance Systems, a British designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning (e-scan) radars and surveillance solutions, has partnered with Genetec to integrate its range of Blighter ground surveillance radars with Genetec’s unified Security Center platform.

Blighter’s passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radars, featuring frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) micro Doppler fast scan capability, perform well in cluttered airport environments, detecting small and slow-moving targets with minimal false alarms. The radars deliver round the clock, all-weather surveillance capability with detection of crawling intruders or vehicles at extreme ranges

of up to 25km.

The Blighter B400 series radar can detect and track a walking person at 11km, a crawler at 4.6km or a large moving vehicle at 25 km and then cue a camera system to follow and identify targets. The Blighter radar can be mounted high up on existing airport infrastructure, minimising installation costs and maximising surveillance, as the radar can see over obstacles including aircraft and vehicles.

This integration enables airports to fold in the wide area surveillance, capability provided

by Blighter’s range of radars, supercharging situational awareness in their existing command and control (C2) systems to deliver round the clock surveillance in all weather and light conditions.

The collaboration will also enable the Blighter radar and target tracking data to be shared across Genetec’s other decision management and support systems, as well as with its collaborative digital management solution, Genetec Clearance.

“We are seeing a growing number of airports that

NARRABRI SHIRE COUNCIL MOVES AHEAD WITH $A205K CCTV UPGRADE n NARRABRI is breaking ground on its new $A205,500 CBD CCTV upgrade and seeks the services of a suitably qualified and experienced civil works contractor for installation of CCTV camera poles in the centre of 4 roundabouts located along Maitland Street.

Narrabri Shire Council Mayor Cathy Redding said recently that CCTV means shoppers and businesses have some extra peace of mind.

“Safety of our community and our retail stores is paramount,” Mayor Redding said. “Narrrabri is quite a safe community, but we want to keep it that way.”

The new HD cameras, which will be part of a solution monitored by police, will deter vandals and other antisocial activities, and will operate 24 hours a day along Maitland Street, at the corner of Tibbereena and Doyle streets, and near the

Narrabri skate park.

CBD CCTV cameras have long been sought

by Narrabri Chamber of Commerce and businesses, and the system has been funded by the NSW government and Narrabri Shire Council. In the past a lack of streetlighting had stalled plans for the system as there was too little light under shop awnings but improved camera performance has resolved these issues.

“Retail owners have been advocating for an increase in security to improve visibility of the shopping precinct and strengthen safety for shoppers and local businesses – so this is a great outcome for the Narrabri community,” Member for Barwon Kevin Humphries.

The tender for camera poles closed on August 20, 2019.

want to add primary radar capability to their existing security and CCTV systems, so we are pleased to be partnering with Blighter Surveillance Systems to integrate their radars and tracker within Security Center,” said David Lenot, director transportation – EMEA, Genetec.

“This integration will make it easier for our customers to introduce Blighter’s maintenance free solidstate micro Doppler radars and tracker into airports, providing improved situational awareness but without adding to the complexity of installed systems.”

80 PER CENT OF ADT INSTALLS ARE NOW SMART HOME SYSTEMS n ADT reports that 80 per cent of new installs are smart home systems and 43 per cent of its residential clients now use its Command and Control or ADT Pulse systems. Sales of the new Amazon Alexa Guard are also growing.

This shift in the nature of ADT’s huge U.S. business shines a pathway on the future of alarms-based business elsewhere in the world, including Australia, where smart home solutions are now increasingly popular. ADT reported $US1.28 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 13 per cent – RMR was $351 million, up $13 million on the previous quarter.

“Summarizing our second quarter performance, we’re pleased with our overall progress and driving strong revenue growth, balancing our core operating metrics and delivering healthy levels of adjusted EBITDA and free

cash flow while continuing to position and invest in our business for the future,” said James DeVries, president and CEO. DeVries said he was pleased with the performance of the Command and Control smart home system.

“This is a positive outcome,” he said. “We expect to continue to improve even further given the robust adoption rates today.”

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NEWS SEPTEMBER 2019

KWINANA $A700 MILLION WASTETO-ENERGY PROJECT SEEKS CCTV, INTRUSION DETECTION, ACCESS CONTROL n MACQUARIE Capital & Acciona Group JV Project are seeking CCTV, intrusion detection and access control solutions for the $A700 million Kwinana Waste-to-Energy Project in Western Australia.

Acconia’s engineering, procuring & construction (EPC) contract is to deliver an Australian first-of-itskind project in the Kwinana Industrial Area able to process up to 400,000 tonnes a year of household waste. Using best practice technologies and processes, the facility will export an estimated 36MW of

electricity back to the grid – enough to power around 50,000 homes.

This tender, which closes on April 14, 2020, is for engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of an integrated security solution and does not including temporary CCTV or security systems. The technical specifications for the system conform with Australian and other international standards and codes in relation to the minimum quality requirements for materials used in the project.

CHUBB WINS $A6 MILLION IPSWICH SAFE CITY CONTRACT n CHUBB Fire & Security has just been awarded a $A6 million contract to upgrade Ipswich City Council’s Safe City CCTV solution. Mid-August 2018 Ipswich City Council sought to engage a suitably qualified and experienced organisation for the purchase, installation, replacement and maintenance of infrastructure and system components for electronic security services to

Council’s Safe City branch.

Services, including but not limited to cameras, network management, access control, alarm systems, electric fences, electric gates and alarm monitoring services.

Ipswich Safe City is one of Australia’s pioneering public surveillance solutions and incorporates more than 300 cameras managed by Genetec Security Center VMS. The system has recently

been enhanced in Brassall, Booval and Goodna with the installation of additional CCTV cameras as part of a staged expansion that includes 5 new utility poles, 8 new CCTV cameras and the upgrade and maintenance of existing CCTV infrastructure.

ACCESS CONTROL MANUFACTURER ICT TO EXPAND PRODUCTION

FERMAX AUSTRALIA EXPANDS WITH NEW OFFICE IN CANBERRA

n AUCKLAND-based ICT has completed its head office extension and the additional 1490m2 of space – almost double the

n FERMAX Australia has further expanded its footprint to open an office in Canberra to better service its customers within the ACT region.

original footprint – will be shared by the warehousing, manufacturing, R&D, and administration teams.

“There’s also a fabulous

new cafeteria for the staff to enjoy, an inviting outdoor seating area, a selection of indoor plants, and a new table tennis setup allowing us to expand health and wellness in the office,” said ICT’s Richard Hawker.

“During the building process, staff numbers continued to grow, and it’s safe to say that we’ll be filling the new space fairly quickly.”

ICT has done a lot of growing over the past few years and continues to expand its product range and market reach.

Stephen Reid

“Stephen Reid, our new ACT manager, has come from an installation, consultantcy and project management background, and brings with him a wealth of knowledge in government and defense industries,” said Fermax’s BDM, Joshua Kacen.

“If you want to get in touch, call Stephen on 61 2 6190 1555 to setup a meeting or live demonstration of our product range or email Stephen at stephen@ fermaxaus.com.au”

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● Special report

Security 2019

BEST NEW PRODUCTS AT SECURITY 2019 Walking around Security 2019 I found myself torn between acknowledging the electronic security industry still includes a lot of hardware and recognising the increasing role software and comms paths play in achieving operational outcomes.

ETTING a sense of product and technology at Security 2019 was more difficult than in previous years – there was less in the way of radical new releases and more evolution. I felt there was an increased drive towards economy at the show – I don’t mean cheap product but economy through facilitating more efficient operations and smarter product design.

This was pushing everything from hardware functionality, to communications, to software management solutions.

ASIAL’S Best New Product & People’s Choice

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BY J O H N A D A M S

ASIAL’S BEST NEW PRODUCT & PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD WINNER WAS LOCKIT SYSTEMS’ KEYHOUND.

Award Winner was Lockit Systems’ Keyhound, with Comvision’s Visiotech Body Cam and the Permaconn PM54 comms module taking out joint runner-up awards and Nirovision’s facial recognition solution scoring the People’s Choice Award. These accolades neatly highlighted the current nature of the market, underlining the importance of hardware and comms, the value being placed on software management of IP and more traditional technologies, and the user market’s appetite for operational analytics like face recognition.

Speaking of face recognition – there’s a technology whose time has come, but come to what exactly, remains to be seen. Face recognition teamed with public surveillance is at once desired mightily by end users and law enforcement professionals and viewed nervously by some members of the public. Regardless, the technology has improved dramatically, and the potential uses are considerable,

including fast searches, face matches and handsfree high security access control.

We’ve talked about cloud after each big security show for years and this was an area that showed continuing polish in 2019. One of our favourite solutions of the show was cloud-based and the recent news Alarm.com’s revenues will push up towards $US500 million in 2019 was another signpost. What’s clear is that cloud is coming. What’s less clear is what the profitable business models are going to be. Alarm.com occupies a foundational niche and the solutions of highly respected global manufacturers like DSC, Qolsys and Interlogix feed into it. How other traditional players might successfully plug into cloud remains to be seen.

I also felt a shift within networking – and I mean internet and direct links when I say networking.

These changes are coming despite the fact Australia has woeful cable internet performance – we are in 62nd place globally, with an average download

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● Special report

Security 2019 BUSINESSES SMALL AND LARGE ARE PILING INTO CLOUD AND IP-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR GOOD REASONS – ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY.

speed that sounds suspiciously high on paper 35Mbps. The world average is close to 60Mbps and the best performer, Singapore, averages 200Mbps.

When it comes to mobile, things are better – our average speed is 59Mbps, not far behind top-placed Norway, which averages 68Mbps.

The networking changes are coming in the way businesses small and large are managing their IT requirements, with a sudden tip towards cloud and outsourced network provision. Government departments and major organisations are leading the way, but many SMEs are signing up for NBN and at the same time ditching analogue phone systems and multifarious cloud storage providers and locking into Microsoft 365 for everything they do.

You can see this in the revenues of Office 365 which exceeded $US10 billion in 2019 – around one third of Microsoft’s total earnings.

Businesses small and large are piling into cloud and IP-based solutions for good reasons – economy and efficiency. The cloud model reduces the number of costly touches in service delivery, as well as eliminating expensive hardware. Seen in a cold light, there’s zero chance electronic security solutions are not going to have a cloud moment of their own.

And what’s interesting about cloud and software services is a tendency towards centralisation, towards monolithic organisations that become infrastructure defaults for entire markets.

This leads indirectly to something else that was noticeable at Security 2019 – partnerships.

A solution we admired last year – the NoahFace biometric access control solution – showed on the Genetec stand, where it is part of the wider Genetec ecosystem. Genetec has a history of developing

solid software solutions in-house that deliver operational benefits to verticals. But the company’s partnerships with access control manufacturers and face recognition software developers form a partnership case in point.

Looking at the market in global sense, the trend to partnerships highlights the importance of integration, underlines the importance of staying up with the demands of an increasingly well-educated end user market and outlines the market’s response to user demand for a seamless future. On multiple stands at the show, partnerships were on display, in most cases in the form of end-to-end integrated solutions where partnerships expressed themselves as integrations between products and systems.

In a real sense, physical security information management has become the conceptual substrate for the product stacks of partners and the more you think about this the more sense it makes. End users chasing efficiency, economy and functionality are looking for systems that deliver single interface situational awareness.

Manufacturers and developers who must meet these demands without going open source and breaking business models are responding with symbiotic alliances.

A long-term question is how such alliances will play out and whether collective solutions may fold into over-arching network services as the underlying efficiency trend chews away at the market. SEN sometimes gets accused of chasing shadows with speculations like these, but the

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● Special report

Security 2019

impact of fast-changing networks isn’t just visible in the P&L reports of companies like Microsoft and Alarm.com, it’s all around us and argues strongly for a future in which not only networks but electronic security solutions will be managed in entirely new ways.

I had conversations at the show during which old-timers said nothing in the industry had changed – perhaps on the surface this seemed right.

Electronic security solutions comprise hardware – lots of hardware – and I think they always will.

Sensing, detection, local comms, locking and access control functionality, automated physical site defence and CCTV will always depend on edge devices.

I don’t think the cheapening of these devices – ubiquitisation if you like – contributes to end users’ operational causes. Cheap sensors and cameras just aren’t as good as better designed solutions and there’s always room for improvement. What this meant was that walking around Security 2019 there was plenty of the latest versions of familiar gear to be seen. But when you scratched around it was possible expose underlying changes.

WALKING THE FLOOR Things that stuck out for me at Security 2019 included face recognition, video intercoms, automation in layers, considerable investment is CCTV cameras designed for quite specific applications; cloud back-ends, including hardware built to run on cloud back-ends, thermal cameras

VAN

both low end and high end, and biometric readers.

You can see the hunger for situational awareness, the intensity of its delivery – that applies to apps as well as management solutions. Automation is another part of increasing efficiency and it is being directed at installers and integrators, as well as end users. Networking was another focus.

I expected to see the camera as a sensor at Security 2019 and there it was. Again, I think this imperative demands the retention of camera quality. You’re not going to get much out of muddy, blurry image streams that can’t be depended on to inform operators. There are affordable cameras of quality – we were impressed with the Bosch 8000i recently – so don’t imagine quality footage will cost the earth. Security 2019 showed a lot of dedicated cameras – multi-heads, dedicated bullets, thermal and plenty more. Low light performance and H.265 compression were highlights, and there were plenty of big PTZs on show, along with fewer drones.

Many cameras incorporated analytics, including face recognition technology. The same technology was to be seen in access control solutions, video intercoms, NVRs, management solutions – it’s really gone mainstream in a way that can’t fail but have an influence on the future of many solutions that require iron clad identity guarantees. I looked at AnyVision and Avigilon at the show, as well as NoahFace with Genetec and Imagus on the Milestone stand. Panasonic FacePRO was another important release at Security 2019. We will bounce off face recognition again later but a key thing this year is that the best algorithms are able to recognise faces in lower resolutions and at surprisingly acute angles. This is breakthrough performance in my opinion – we’ve never seen it before.

One of the neat things about face recognition is that capable solutions are becoming affordable – even ubiquitous – in cameras and NVRs, and that’s going to drive take up across many applications.

More broadly, the hunger for situational awareness is being catered for by server-based and edgebased analytics reporting on things like speed of movement, direction of travel, line crossing – some systems come with rules, others have rules that can be set. The way analytics empowers searches has to be seen to be believed – security managers and operators love it because it saves them so much time.

Axis showed considerable depth in video surveillance – the company was displaying partnerships and diversification in its product range and the 7th Gen ARTPEC chip was probably the highlight. On the Axis stand I saw the P3719PLE multi-directional outdoor 4 channel camera with quad HD resolution per channel, capable of covering a 360-degree field of vision, with a frame rate of 30 fps.

I also got a look at the AXIS Q1700-LE LPR camera, which I’d seen in the control room at EastLink in

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Melbourne. Axis says this camera can capture clear, high-resolution images at high speeds – and yes, it can. Another neat solution is the AXIS A8207-VE, an advanced door station combining image and audio technologies as well as a media adapter for connecting any speaker to an IP network and the AXIS C8210, which allows analogue speakers to operate as part of a connected network. Axis also showed what looked like an eyeball camera.

There was also a lot to be seen in terms of access control with new solutions on the Hills stand from Tecom and enhancements on established gear from makers like Inner Range and Gallagher. I also got a look at some functions of Genetec Synergis IX I’d not seen before, as well as the latest Pacom Systems’ solutions.

Alarm systems were out in force, too. Everything now has automation capability, a suite of sensors and outputs and app-based management. I was interested in the new Crow Runner 8/16 security and automation panel as well as Hikvision’s expanded sensor range for the Axiom home automation panel.

The new devices included radar sensors, keypads and indoor sirens. Will Hikvision have the same impact on the alarms and home automation that it had on CCTV? Maybe, but not yet.

On the Eagle Eye Networks stand I got a good look at the Brivo cloud-based access control solution with intrusion detection and CCTV integration.

Brivo’s Onair rotates around a mobile platform for setup and management of the system, as well as replacement of cards and door readers with a mobile phone. Employees download the Brivo Onair Pass app, which allows them to press a button to unlock any door they’re allowed to access. The app communicates to a database (stored in the cloud), which sends an encrypted signal to the door controller, which releases the door. Use of smart devices allows high security 2-factor authentication to be employed globally via the app.

As well as acting as an access credential, the cloud-based interface lets authorised users access their system from a web browser or a smart device running the Brivo Onair Pass app. Onair Pass is pretty neat and lets users manage their access control in real time from their phone. Users can also use the app to schedule access, manage permissions remotely in real time, monitor events, create groups and customize security reports This system scales, too, and can handle 1000 doors, unlimited users and offers unlimited event history, with CCTV footage retained for up to 12 months.

Salto had a busy stand and I took a look at Salto Keys as a service (KS) - cloud-based access control management with no software installation or wiring. This was one of my show favourites in 2019, a signpost solution that really plays to the existing strengths of the Salto system’s edge design. Salto’s wireless keyways use credentials to collect data instead of cables and using smartphones to take this concept global is a complete no-brainer now they’ve done it.

The way KS works is that a smartphone and wireless BLE Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) lock pair, and the lock is opened via BLE – including at a distance. There’s no need for an active internet connection and the smart device with its 2-factor authentication including a biometric, is more secure than an access control card.

Is this what access control might look like in the future? Scalable APIs that allow building and tweaking of an enterprise access control solution from scratch? The end of mechanical keyways? The ability to grant access to groups or individuals for locks or within schedules, the ability to view access events and revoke access on the go? In some cases, yes, it will be.

I also liked Salto’s beautifully designed Danalock residential smart locks, which replace traditional keys with an electronic system. Salto also showed its SVN Flex which works with XS4 2.0 systems using BLUEnet wireless management solution, which lets Salto locks update user’s cards when presented to the electronic lock. SVN-Flex increases the number of updating points in a Salto system so data gets around the hybrid online/offline network much faster.

Hills’ showed its new Network Access Controller which connects to software without the need for other panel hardware. On-board storage allows the Network Access Controller to locally store up to 250,000 users and there are more than 10,000 flexible access groups and user-configurable override times on each door.

Another strong release on the Hills’ stand was ChallengerPlus, a 32-door access control solution that’s managed using the open architecture TecomC4 management software and is designed to work with mobile credentials and to mesh with

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● Special report

Security 2019

cloud. As well as driving 32 standard doors direct from the control panel, ChallengerPlus can handle 2 standard lifts up to 10 floors and does integration to the UltraSync Cloud. This integration to UltraSync creates a secure external comms path to central stations or control rooms via the on-board Ethernet port at no additional communication equipment or cost.

The integration of ChallengerPlus and UltraSync means users can employ the UltraSync+ mobile app, which allows simple and convenient interrogation of ChallengerPlus, receipt of push notifications, configuration of user’s information and more.

Using the app, operators can fully configure a panel from any location and send critical instructions to multiple recipients via push notifications in the event of a lockdown or emergency event.

The system supports Network Access Controller, has a dual Wiegand interface and a 4G communications module and there’s UltraSync support for provisioned and non-provisioned mode panels along with cloud-based firmware and software updating.

New input types allow twin trip detection and the siren mode can be toggled as a horn speaker or a 12V DC output, while the console warning can be restricted to individual RAS’ that use entry/ exit timers. There’s remote reset commands from software, user menu to change PIN, improved events and reasons for area secure and access denied, automatic IP address assignment using DHCP and stay mode via app.

Reliance XRpro also caught my eye. It has onboard IP communication, an optional 4G/WiFi router module, is NBN-ready and offers a monitored path via UltraSync. It’s also Z-Wave compatible, allowing home automation via Z-Wave compatible devices including lights, locks and thermostats, supports camera integration and neat, too, it’s backwards compatible with existing Reliance equipment. The UltraSync+ app, means users can remotely arm and disarm their security system, view live-streaming surveillance videos via IP and lock and unlock Z-Wave powered door locks.

Gallagher’s Security Health Check means uses can run automated checks via Gallagher Command Centre and see system vulnerabilities, assesses the severity of threat they pose, and act

on recommendations to mitigate risks and ensure correct system configuration. It also provides a mechanism to compare against earlier audit results to ensure organisations can track improvement over time and better plan system upgrades.

Functionalities like this make the tasks of integrators, end users and security network managers easier by protecting core site functionalities.

CSM had some interesting new gear including TVT’s face recognition by camera and by NVR. As we’ve pointed out before, TVT’s goal is making CCTV affordable and its face recognition solutions come at very little premium. Features include side face recognition, detecting 10 faces simultaneously, 3-4 faces per second and database hosting up to 10,000 faces. Accuracy rates are significantly increased with ultra-starlight and white light illumination technology. There’s an app that allows you to add faces, search by image or name.

As well as capable NVRs, CSM also showed off TVT’s 2MP StarLight network cameras, vandal domes, turrets, bullets with fixed or motorised longrange lens and white LEDs. CSD had a big stand and was displaying a huge range of product and partnerships. I checked out the Inovonics MD10 Man Down and personal attack wireless transmitter, and the Paradox HD series allin-one motion detector and ethernet/Wi-Fi camera, the integration of Inception and Milestone, which allows you to open any door at any time and simple installation via web browser. I also took at look at the Aetek EPoT long range PoE extenders that expand transmission distance up to 1200m with a data rate of 100Mbps and a 9.7W PoE budget at the transmitter end. Indoor and outdoor options are available, and the outdoor version is protected by an IP67 weatherproof and IK10 vandal-resistant casing as well as a built in PoE surge protection of 6KV. For serious integrators, the Aetek gear is the business – I was impressed with the build quality.

Southern Cross Security showed the Bunda Robot at the show. It’s fair to say that security robots haven’t taken off in Australia. This probably comes down to suppliers hitting the right price point because notionally, such solutions have desirable capabilities. Bunda has 360-degree CCTV coverage, face recognition, smoke detection and the ability to build patrol maps using LIDAR laser radar. There’s an integrated emergency call button, audio/lighting alerts and voice alerts. Size is 1370 x 750mm, so the unit has a presence as it bustles around at speeds of up to 14kmph, controlled and monitored remotely via browser workstation interface or an app for smart devices.

On the FLIR stand I saw Saros DH-390 Dome, which we liked last year. The DH-390 combines multiple perimeter detection and monitoring technologies into a single unit with Lepton thermal sensors and a 1080p optical CCTV camera supported by IR and visible LED illuminators. The unit has onboard analytics, 2-way audio and digital I/Os. The 2 Lepton thermal sensors have sensitivities greater than

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● Special report

Security 2019

50mK, resolutions of 320 x 120 pixels, and 3.5mm lenses giving a field of view of 57 degrees each and minimum stitched fields of view of 90 degrees. FLIR also showed the latest versions of United VMS and the FLIR TruWITNESS platform, as well as PTZ and panoramic security cameras. FLIR has a focus on smart cities, which makes sense, given its strength in thermal and analytics.

Panasonic’s FacePRO can handle processing of 20 video streams and supports a server database of up to 10 million faces and a watch list database of 30,000 faces. The solution features advanced age and gender reporting, among others. FacePro uses algorithms jointly developed with the National University of Singapore and the company says performance is improved up to 500x, with a rejection rate reduced to 20 per cent when the wrong person acceptance rate is set to 0.01 with the IJB-A face image dataset. The algorithm combines deep learning and machine learning to suppress errors and enables recognition in situations where the face is angled (up to 45 degrees to the left or right, or 30 degrees up or down), partially hidden with sunglasses, or changed by aging.

Something else we saw high up on the CSD stand was Hikvision’s 4MP Darkfighter X PTZ, the DS2DF9C435IH-DLW. Darkfighter X 4MP is bigger than the previous camera – it’s now 36x optical. This latest version features 1/1.9-inch sensors and delivers double the data of the old version, which was an excellent camera in its own right. The spec claims full colour at 0.0005 lux, which is pitch darkness. With a Darkfighter X I’m prepared to say this performance is probably below 1 lux, given the amount of effort the engineers put into rebuilding low light images. The camera has 250x IR with smart tracking, is IP67-rated, has 120dB WDR, H.265 compression and fast focus.

There’s also deep learning analytics onboard.

Hikvision showed a bunch of new gear, including a deep learning-powered thermal turret camera and its range of thermal cameras, featuring resolutions of 160 x 120 17µm, a built-in GPU (that’s pretty cool), up to 42m range for detection of people, and a temperature measurement range of -20 to 150C with ±8 degrees of accuracy as well as a NETD of <40mk at 25C. Thermal

is great tech and we’re sure it’s going to continue pushing into the wider market as prices become more competitive.

Something else that was interesting at the show was crowd favourite, Nirovision’s Mobile First face recognition solution, which scored best in the mobile apps category in the SIA’s New Product Showcase at ISC West this year. Mobile First is a deep learning algorithm that can do face recognition and object detection and allows functions like person of interest, blacklists, VIPs, employees, fast searching and viewing of video streams via the cloud. The point of Nirovision Mobile First is to make video surveillance pointy in real time to enhance business operations.

CRK and Uniview launched the IPC8542ER5-DUG Panoramic camera at the show. This 4K, 180-degree wide angle of view camera features 120dB WDR and starlight features. The UNV IPC8542ER5-DUG is designed for monitoring large public spaces, parkland, car parks etc. An electronic tracking function can automatically track up to 5 targets which are triggered using rules configured by the user. It can also simultaneously monitor panoramic and detailed views of the same scene.

Sony Video Security showed its new EMX series, including indoor and outdoor cameras - the SNCEMX50 (Indoor), SNC-EMX50R (Indoor IR) and SNC-EMX52R (Outdoor IR) - which employ a 16:9, 3072 x 1728 5MP Exmor R CMOS sensor, strong WDR performance, IR and edge-based Essential Video Analytics (EVA), smart encoding, including a new H.265 codec (optimising bandwidth and storage), and the latest data security technology via the Trusted Platform Module.

There was a lot going on the Genetec stand but in my opinion the standout release from Genetec for years is Security Center 5.8. This management solution is the hub around which the company’s offerings and technology partnerships revolve and recent enhancements have taken things to another level. New dashboards make functionality easier to conceptualise and wield. There’s enhanced cyber security, including ratings of a network’s security levels with advice on how to resolve issues. There’s encryption in real time. Plan manager is powerful and intuitive and has those little bits of functionality that show deep study, as well as input from end users.

Plan manager has a mobile app and LPR and GPS functionalities are synthesised to allow enhanced situational awareness and faster response times.

Synergix IX has also been empowered with the addition of OEM hardware and this is all expressed in SC5.8.

Mobotix showed weatherproof thermal cameras with a dual-core processor which provides 3 video streams simultaneously and supports the H.264/ONVIF standard, making it easy to integrate them with third-party hardware and software.

The thermal sensors can measure temperatures ranging from -40°C to +550°C within ±0.2°C (50m

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K) of accuracy and can be calibrated against environmental interference.

Up to 20 different temperature triggers can be defined to detect potential sources of fire and heat.

Optionally, combining a thermal and an optical camera sensor enables a thermal overlay, localising so-called hot spots in the image to highlight potential hazards, automatically triggering alarm events and actions.

Tyco Visual Intelligence from Johnson Controls is a web-based graphical application and reporting solution built into the C•CURE 9000 SQL database which provides a deep level integration that can be utilized along with the systems current Business Intelligence Reporting Suite (BIRS), or as a standalone reporting solution. It’s designed for users looking to add ROI metrics and key performance indicator (KPI) measurements measurements to their CCTV solutions. There’s an extensive report dashboard that allows visitor management, secure entrances, and report metrics. There’s also a reporting solution suite with a detailed dashboard for monitoring areas such as compliance, risk reduction, and efficiency.

HID’s iCLASS SE RB25F fingerprint reader gives biometric fingerprint matching in under a second using multispectral imaging technology that captures images from both the surface and subsurface of the skin to handle challenging conditions.

The reader’s IP67 and anti-vandal IK09 ratings mean it can be installed anywhere and it’s fieldconfigurable over a network, making things easier still. There’s built-in optical tamper protection, support for Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) and HID Seos technology for multi-layered authentication between the reader and credentials.

Hanwha’s PNM-9000VQ was new at the show. It’ a 4x 2MP/5MP multi-sensor camera with triple codec H.265/H.264/MJPEG and WiseStream II technology, 150dB WDR at 2MP or 120dB at 5MP, defocus detection, built in analytics, 4x SD cards, hallway view, HLC, fog detection, DIS(Gyro Sensor), PoE+, IP66/IK10, and a -40 to 55C operating range. Another great camera release was Bosch’s FLEXIDOME IP starlight 8000i, which comes in 1080p, 6MP or 4K versions with 60ips rates for fast moving scenes, H.265 compression and a design optimised for simplicity of installation and operation. This judgement has the benefit of a recent street test we conducted of the 8000i. It’s a good camera. Bosch also showed the new MIC 7000i PTZ solution, which we’re looking forward to testing soon.

Milestone XProtect 2019 R1 video management software adds a 2-way audio to the mobile client so users can speak to people on camera, directly from their mobile devices. One-way audio allows users to listen to audio captured by the microphone connected to the camera directly from their mobile phones using the Milestone Mobile application.

The 2019 R1 version of XProtect takes the system’s resistance against cybersecurity threats a step forward by encrypting all communication between

the recording server and other servers and clients connected to it. XProtect is also more tightly integrated to analytics software, like Imagus. We got a look at the latest version of the Imagus face recognition software performance at the show and were impressed with performance at challenging angles of view.

Other things we liked included VSP Cloud (powered by Milestone) and a bunch of new things from CAME Australia, including CloudNode, MyNetAlarm, and the pdkio wireless access control from ProDataKey. It’s a cloud access control platform built for mobile handling of installation, configuration and end-user management. The pdk. io also gives 2-factor authentication for enhanced security.

CONCLUSION Solutions we liked included Brivo OnAir Pass, Salto SK, AnyVision face recognition, the new Hikvision Darkfighter X PTZ with additional optical zoom, the new fully loaded Genetec Security Center 5.8, Bosch FLEXIDOME IP starlight 8000i, the expanding AMC alarm and automation ecosystem from LSC just gets better all the time, ProDataKey cloud access solution pdk.io, Uniview’s new multihead camera, Idemia’s MorphoWave readers never fail to impress, the Bosch MIC 7000i camera system and Tecom ChallengerPlus. Trying to nail down a favourite isn’t easy in 2019. At press time I’m leaning towards Genetec Security Center 5.8 and to recognising the people’s choice. I never got a close look at Nirovision so can’t make a comment on it but the market’s appetite for analytics, including face recognition, and its growing comfort with cloud-based solutions, might be the biggest things to come out of Security 2019 Exhibition. n

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● Special report

Installation

BY J O H N A D A M S

SOLDERING SKILLS Soldering is a skill every installer should develop. It’s a great way to connect wires, including wires of different sizes and types, in environments in which there is very little flexing and vibration. A particular advantage of soldered connections is that it creates no microfractures in wires being joined.

OLDERING is a procedure and there are simple principles you should follow. Wipe the bit end and the iron with a damp cloth.

During the process, use the damp cloth to keep the bit end tidy. For the best conduction you want to tin the working end of the bit. Get a small glob of solder and apply it to the flat bit end then wipe with the damp cloth so the bit is tinned. If you’re making a connection apply another small glob of solder to the iron and apply the tip to the point where both sides of the join are in contact with the iron.

Bear in mind that it’s the molten solder on the tip of the iron that lets heat flow quickly from the iron into both parts of the joint. If your iron has the right amount of solder on it and is positioned correctly, the 2 parts to be joined will reach the solder’s melting temperature in a couple of seconds. Let’s go back to where you where applying the end of the solder to the point where both parts of the joint and the soldering iron are all touching one another.

At this moment the solder will melt immediately and flow around all the parts that are at, or over, the melting temperature. After a few seconds of contact you need to remove the iron from the join. Make sure

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that no parts of the join move after the soldering iron is removed until the solder is completely hard. This can take quite a few seconds with large joint. If the join is disturbed during this cooling period, it will be weakened. In a properly made join, the solder will bond the components and/or connected wires - the solder forms a molecular bond with the surfaces of the joint – it’s a cleaner electrical path than a butt connector built using pressure.

Remember these points: l Avoid too much heat. The process should take only 2-3 seconds. l A dry join is a poorly soldered join. l The join should be smooth and shiny. l If the join is dull and crinkly, you moved it during the solder process. l If you are slow with the work it will have solder spikes. l At all times the shape of the wire should be visible through the solder. l Soldered joins should be easily removable. This means a minimum of wrapping. l Do not carry solder on the bit to the joint. The smoke you’ll see is evaporating flux, which should normally clean the joint. l Reflow soldering is tinning two pieces of wire separately and then reheating to join them together.

This technique can be useful in tight spaces. l Steady the components/wires by clamping them or taping them down and prop yourself firmly using one hand while holding the iron like a pen. l Use of a lighted magnifying glass to highlight the work makes soldering easier once you get used to the different perspective.

When you’re de-soldering a joint make sure you employ a capable solder sucker. The last thing you want is stray solder getting onto circuit boards or dribbling across terminations and connections underneath the spot you’re working. It’s possible to annihilate a board when de-soldering carelessly.

When choosing a solder sucker consider that you need a device you can operate with one hand – you’ll need the other hand to operate the iron.

What’s especially tough about de-soldering is that a loss of concentration at the wrong moment and you’ll miss the boat. As the surface of the solder starts to swim, get ready to clean up with that sucker.

Smart installers will position some sort of spill tray under the work area. You can use cardboard, or a small ceramic or timber bowl. We’ve seen techs using a damp cloth or some aluminium foil but make sure you’re not setting the system up for future corrosion or a damaging short.

Finally, it’s always easier to solder on a bench using brackets and a proper working surface during precommissioning, than in the field. n

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HUMAN Alarm Triggered

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HIKVISION AcuSense

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Hikvision Oceania Unit 14a, 2 Eden Park Dr, Macquarie Park NSW 2113 Tel: +61 2 8599 4233 Email:salesau@hikvision.com This is a conceptual advertisement. Please contact us for more details on applications.

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Distributed by R

https://csd.com.au/

www.nesscorporation.com

www.videosecurityproducts.com.au

https://www.hikvision.com/au-en/

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● Special report

Body cameras

BODY CAMERAS Body cameras are an increasingly important part of the electronic security framework and allow video streams and audio to be recorded locally or streamed directly to a control room for monitoring in real time. For security managers considering this technology, it’s vital to get across the most important aspects of camera performance – and system integration.

HOOSING body worn cameras requires a different approach when compared to selecting other CCTV cameras. You want a device that’s compact, light, unobstrusive yet purposeful looking, easy to attach to clothing or equipment – preferably on the body not the head - a lens with a wide but not too wide angle of view, a resolution that allows a reasonable depth of field without costing low light performance, long battery

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life, fast charging, ease of operation, something robust – it needs to be able to hit the ground and keep working. And it needs to be weatherproof.

Low light performance is important but so is resistance to motion blur – these 2 capabilities don’t go together all that well.IR might be useful or not, depending on propensity to induce flare in close faces – it might be better to train officers to address the public with their backs to the light. You want comms – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, SIM (4G), a removable storage card, easy connection to a workstation or laptop without a weird cable type. In some cases, a display screen might be useful, especially for managing functionality. The unit should be capable of getting easy firmware upgrades and it should have proper cyber security protocols – the same as your CCTV cameras. A watermark for recordings might prove useful, too.

Body worn cameras can be left on, or they can activate automatically, which is good. They might activate when a car door is opened, when a light is turned on, or by movement. Choice of resolutions will need discussion but 720p would work well – 1080p is probably more than required for the sort of close-up work body worn cameras do. Battery life – you want 48 hours minimum – 72 hours is better.

This means a security officer does not need to get the camera into a dock after every shift. With the

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BY J O H N A D A M S

reduction in the cost of storage cards, storage and frame rate are becoming less of an issue but you’ll still need to think about whether you use 128GB cards or something smaller and dock more often.

Ron Grinfeld of FLIR Systems says body-worn cameras were originally designed to address several applications within the law enforcement space, mainly around the need to capture and store visible and audio data throughout the shift.

“The ability to capture and record all incidents that occur during a shift allows body-worn cameras to be used as evidence,” Grinfeld says. “There are no special needs for VMS integration in these cases, given that offline storage and access to the stored data from body-worn cameras is typically handled via dedicated digital evidence management software, which is often bundled with cloud-based storage plans.

“However, new generations of smart body-worn cameras that are designed to address other use cases are becoming available. These new products are equipped with real-time streaming capabilities to address other concepts of operation. One primary example is video surveillance-driven physical security and public safety solutions,” Grinfeld explains. “These areas typically involve a network of security cameras, as well as other network-enabled edge devices, such as access control readers, dedicated sensors such as gunshot detectors, dedicated license plate recognition cameras and so on– all managed by a centralized VMS. “Given the partial coverage and birds-eye view of security cameras in outdoor environments, the changing threat landscape, and the effectiveness of real-time video and data streaming to central command and control locations during evolving incidents, there is new demand for body-worn devices. There is demand for devices that not only stream in real time, but also assimilate with the VMS network through a deep and seamless integration between the devices and the VMS. This allows the VMS to serve as the main management and streaming platform for these devices as with all the other deployed physical security assets.”

Grinfeld argues body-worn cameras have a significant role to play in security applications.

“If we think of the new generation of body-worn cameras as smart IoT devices (due to their ability to communicate in real time and become part of a network), we realize any operation that involves field personnel and central command requires or will require such technology at some point,” he explains. “In some cases, this is the reality today.

Any first responder entity would greatly benefit from such technology – especially ones that are involved in search and rescue and other public safety operations. For instance, we see an increasing demand in safe city projects that are part of a smart city grid. Furthermore, stadiums, private guards, and even delivery operations are other examples of

A DEVICE SUITABLE FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS MUST HAVE CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY, OTHERWISE, IT CAN ONLY BE USED WITHIN AREAS COVERED

BY NON-PUBLIC WI-FI.

current needs for smart body-worn cameras.”

According to Grinfeld, key performance parameters revolve around low light performance and image stablilisation.

“Due to the nature of body-worn cameras, image quality aspects are mainly around stabilization and low light performance,” he says. “Recent developments in security camera sensors have created compact and flexible sensor options for use in body-worn camera products. From a night performance standpoint, many body-worn camera products are at least as good as regular security cameras, including high-end models. Body-worn cameras typically capture short range imagery while utilizing lower resolution sensors; most are using 1080p sensors versus 4K, which is becoming the standard for security cameras.

“With regards to stabilization, higher-end bodyworn products are implemented with physical state sensors assisting in the stabilization process (gyrobased image stabilization). Utilizing this technology resolves details in the captured video, including biometric details (for facial recognition), license plate reading and other elements in the scene, regardless of the physical condition of the camera during the video capture (for example, whether the user is running or the camera is mounted in a vehicle driving over a bumpy road).”

A question for integrators and end users is the nature of a typical body-worn camera. According to Grinfeld, an ideal setup will include onboard recording for post-shift upload/offload, and realtime streaming in parallel (for situational awareness during the occurrence of the event), enabled via both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity (4G LTE).

“An outdoor device that is suitable for emergency situations by any field operator must have cellular connectivity,” he says. “Otherwise, it can only be used within areas that are covered by non-public Wi-Fi.” Grinfeld says a body worn camera can be used independently of a CCTV solution.

“Yes, with proper software/cloud standalone replacement enabling data management, it can be,” he says. “However, this has little benefit outside the law enforcement space, since the camera will not be able to stream live video to the operations or command centre and will not be able to interact and have its data associated with other CCTV devices based on time and location.”

Grinfeld is reluctant to say too much about the cyber security protocols for body worn cameras.

“Due to several constraints, including confidentiality, we are not able to list and specify each protocol that is being used for cyber security with body-worn cameras,” he explains. “Generally, bodyworn cameras need to support all the cybersecurity protocols that are required for security cameras– TLS based encryption, IEEE 802.1X, HTTPS etc.–, and additional layers. These protocols help to ensure

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● Special report

Body cameras

BODY CAMERAS ARE ALREADY BEING USED BY PRIVATE SECURITY ORGANISATIONS OUTSIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AROUND THE WORLD.

that the content is always signed and associated with the user wearing the camera at each point in time (full chain of custody) and that the device cannot be tampered by its wearer, or if it falls into the wrong hands (device-user-system authentication).”

Something else to consider is cost and that’s hard to pin down.

“Cost depends greatly on the functionality, realtime capabilities and whether the product enforces a cloud storage plan,” Grinfeld explains. “If there is a cloud storage plan, the unit cost will be lower, but additional long-term costs should be factored in - price range is wide. Simple products without realtime capabilities and mandatory cloud storage plan are a few hundred dollars. A true IoT solution device with communication peripherals, long operating battery and significant on-board storage may be a few thousands of dollars per device.”

According to Grinfeld, the functionalities and features end users and integrators should be looking out for when they select body worn cameras include: l The real-time capabilities and how they integrate with the video surveillance /CCTV network and ecosystem. l Can it act as an IoT device allowing units to interact with each other and with other CCTV assets on their network? l Is there an API available? l Ease of use, ergonomics. l Ease of unit deployment and assignment. l Can a device be ‘hot-swapped’ between users? lAre the concepts of operation/business logic profiles user programmable? Can a different profile be assigned for a different user with the same device? l Cybersecurity. l Image quality. l Battery and storage capacity. l Is the product limited to cloud storage? what are the long term and maintenance costs over a 3-year period?

Phil Viggiano of CRK says there are many functionalities and features end users and integrators should be looking out for when they select body worn cameras.

“I’d be thinking about heritage of supplier and asking questions such as – have they got a long, proven track record? Have they demonstrated innovation and investment in the future? Does the camera come with a sophisticated VMS?” he explains.

“You want the camera lens direction to be adjustable, but users need to be sure it’s pointing in the right direction, you want the camera to be easy to use, you want the battery to last long enough for your use case, for many applications you want the camera to look like a camera as this can enhance the overt and deterring nature of the body camera. The camera also needs to be easy to mount.”

According to Viggiano, it’s vital that body cameras can be integrated into a VMS where required.

“VMS is an essential part of utilising body camera technology from an evidential integrity and management point of view. The body camera is only the means to capture video footage,” Viggiano explains. “It is the video file itself which is the valuable commodity to the judicial system. As such, being able to securely manage, retain and share the footage with authorised stakeholders, while maintaining evidential integrity – in other words, being able to prove the footage has not been tampered with – is the highest priority.”

Viggiano says body cameras are now being seen in applications outside law enforcement.

“Body cameras are already being used by private security organisations outside of law enforcement around the world,” he says. “In the UK, which is leading the world in the adoption and usage of the technology, retail security guards have been operating with body cameras in malls for several years. They are experiencing the same benefits from the technology as law enforcement has; namely protecting officers by diffusing aggression and violence and by capturing an independent account of incidents if they escalate.

“Further to security: local government, debt collection, transportation and facilities management organisations are examples of other industries employing the technology outside of law enforcement.”

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● Special report

Body cameras SECURITY AND SAFETY OFFICERS TEND TO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH A BODYCAM ACTIVATED TO RECORD VIDEO...

Performance is a key element of body cameras – and the best body cameras make a good job of key performance parameters, including image quality, low light, backlight and frame rate.

“Reveal body cameras can record full HD 1080p and boast the industry’s best low light performance with 0.05 lux at 30fps,” he says. “The cameras typically have a 110-degree horizontal and 50-degree vertical wide-angle lens, which can be rotated on the articulated camera head a further 305 degrees horizontally and 173.5 degrees vertically.

Also important, they can live stream via Wi-Fi and record onboard for later download.

“The Reveal D5 has the ability to stream in real time from the camera through a Wi-Fi network or via a mobile device connected to a cellular network.

High quality video can now be seen live anywhere in the world, allowing real-time situational awareness and decision making. This ability has the potential to completely transform certain incident handling and outcomes, giving our customers a totally new tool to enhance their effectiveness.”

Something else that’s important is that body worn camera systems can be managed independently of CCTV solutions.

“Reveal provides DEMS 360 software, which is a digital evidence management solution for managing all kinds of digital evidence,” Viggiano explains. “This includes body camera video, audio files and images - DEMS 360 is capable of managing an organisation’s CCTV footage.”

Not surprisingly given their networkable nature, cyber security protocols are as important for body worn cameras as they are for static field cameras.

“In the case of Reveal body cameras, there’s AES256 encryption and when encryption is activated,

on-board playback requires a PIN (keystroke sequence) to view videos, which prevents unauthorised viewing,” Viggiano says. “Video files can only be accessed and viewed on authorised PCs with DEMS 360, which decrypts the files on upload.

“Trusted mode stops the camera from being recognised as a storage device on any PC, except on authorised computers that have DEMS 360.

This prevents unauthorised access to the files.

The camera keeps a log of how many videos were recorded and this is checked at the point of upload to ensure the number of videos uploaded match the number of videos recorded. A SHA256 hash value is created when videos are uploaded to DEMS 360 and these hash values ensure that any video exported from DEMS 360 is the original file and has not been tampered with.

“Access levels are important, too, and DEMS 360 provides a fully customisable user level access permissions matrix so administrators can define what different user levels are able to access and perform in DEMS 360. This protects unauthorised access to restricted files. DEMS 360 provides the ability to cloak files, which may be used when sensitive material has been uploaded. This bypasses normal access levels and can only be viewed by user levels as defined by the administrator.

“The DEMS 360 system also keeps a comprehensive audit log of every action and event performed to files in the system from the point at which it was uploaded and throughout its lifetime in DEMS 360. The audit log records the date/time of the action, the user who performed the action, the computer where the action was performed, and the description of the action itself.”

Meanwhile, Dylan Dong of Hikvision Australia, says streaming body worn cameras into a VMS using standard ONVIF Protocol S/G or RTSP is an increasingly common request from customers.

“We definitely see applications in the security industry,” says Dong. “In shopping malls and clubs – security and safety officers tend to feel more comfortable with a bodycam activated to record video, and people will generally behave themselves when they think their actions are being recorded.

The same applies to council rangers - wearing a safety vest and bodycam helps them issue tickets for illegal parking, illegal dumping and unleashed dog walkers without conflict.

According to Dong, the features integrators and end users should be looking for include compact design, light weight, long battery life, high shutter speed and docking station. n

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● Case study

Yarmouth Harbour

CENTRAL SOUTHERN SECURITY FIGHTS THEFT, FIRES

Installing field equipment on a pontoon.

After a spate of thefts and fires, Central Southern Security has installed a video surveillance system comprising 40 Dahua IP and thermal cameras at Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight. armouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight is a picturesque fishing, ferry and yachting port widely regarded as one of the jewels of England’s South Coast. The port includes a deep water harbour and a range of amenities, and lies at the South end of the Solent strait. The harbour consists of a large marina, docks for the Wightlink Ferry terminal, and pontoons and boat moorings upstream. With hundreds of yachts and commercial craft in the harbour, Yarmouth Harbour needed a capable surveillance solution and the previous system was outdated, with poor picture quality and cabling issues. After a series of the thefts and fires aboard boats, a new solution, which included thermal imaging capability for fire detection at long range, was specified.

“This proved an interesting project to work on, not least because parts of the installation had to be carried out by boat,” said Chris Snell, managing director of security installation firm, Central Southern Security.

The Dahua cameras are a mix of thermal bullets, IR bullets, Ultra PTZs, IR domes and fisheye cameras.

The thermal cameras are especially suited to wide area outdoor video surveillance and are ideal for the large, water-based environments at the harbour.

The cameras feature Vox uncooled thermal sensor technology and high thermal sensitivity at less than 40mK, enabling them to capture more image details and temperature fluctuations. With a built-in

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fire detection functionality, the cameras provide an extremely sensitive fire alarm system.

The IR bullet cameras feature highly efficient H.265 encoding technology, PoE and IR illumination at up to 50 metres, as well as a wide dynamic range, providing vivid images, even in the most intense contrast lighting conditions and delivering powerful day/night surveillance in a compact package.

At one of the moorings upriver, there is no power supply on isolated pontoons, so wind power and solar energy have been harnessed to operate the cameras. Images from these locations are transmitted wirelessly back to a control room at the main harbour office. When the control room is not staffed, Yarmouth Harbour can nominate individuals to receive alerts and images on their tablets and smartphones via the Dahua surveillance app.

As well as the harbour itself, the system also covers the adjacent Yarmouth pier, a Grade II listed structure said to be the longest wooden pier in the UK and recently refurbished. Automatic people-counting technology has been incorporated into the cameras at the pier’s entrance to monitor numbers on the pier as a health and safety measure.

“The new surveillance system has transformed our ability to monitor the harbour for the safety and security of our customers, staff and the visiting public,” said Dave Rice of Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners.

“The HD picture quality is superb, and you can pick out people’s faces, so there is no comparison with the previous cameras. The system has proved straightforward to use and we are delighted with its performance to date.” n

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A ground breaking alarm panel now comes with a ground breaking app (the new and improved)

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Direct integration with the Inception security controller

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● Special report

Cyber Security

MOBILE MALWARE As the electronic security industry increasingly drives its solutions using apps on smart devices, the threat posed by mobile malware becomes greater.

But how serious is the threat and what can integrators and end users do to ensure that threat is minimised?

AME as with other cyber security threats, the greatest risk with mobile malware comes from human error.

According to Raymond Frangie of consultant NDY, malicious software that explicitly targets the operating systems on mobile phones is a threat that is real and needs addressing.

“There are many types of mobile malware variants and different methods of distribution and infection,” says Frangie. “Many organisations depend on mobile phones to do business or they allow employees and visitors to use their own devices as part of a bring your own device (BYOD) policy. In all cases, protecting mobile devices from cyber threats is at least as critical as protecting wired networks.

“Mobile devices connect to many wireless environments - these could be either personal, guest, free or corporate wireless networks. Wi-Fi, in its own right, has numerous cyber risks and is inherently insecure. To help reduce these risks, deployment of mobile device management technologies that harden, lockdown, and secure mobile operating systems come into play. Mobile device management is an industry term for the administration of mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers and laptops and is a core component of enterprise mobility management (EMM). Further to MDM and EMM, redirection of traffic through cloud access security brokers (CASB) also assists in minimising risks of mobile device usage.”

Frangie argues that security teams need to look beyond threat perceptions and consider the scale of risk.

“We need to look at the bigger picture concerning IoT devices rather than wondering about the vulnerability of the latest IoT devices to cybersecurity attacks,” he explains. “The current industry expectation is that by 2035, there will be more than 1 trillion IoT devices connected to the

S

Internet. Given these numbers, ensuring the secure configuration of an organisation’s environment exists in its entirety is imperative.

“The cyber threat landscape (of mobile devices) is severe and is only getting worse. In 2016, insecure hijacked environments with IoT devices were able to perform terabit-scale attacks across sites and organisations. If nothing changes, IoT devices could potentially be the world’s newest weapons of mass destruction.”

Con Sgro of Gallagher agrees that numbers are the real threat when it comes to IoT devices.

“I think the greatest threat here is the large number of devices that are appearing in our computing environments,” he says. “Previously an IT department had a definable number of systems to check, update and monitor. Now with the

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BY J O H N A D A M S

IT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT, WONDERING WHEN WE’LL CREATE ROBUST STANDARDS AND PROTOCOLS TO SECURE THE IOT ECOSYSTEM.

proliferation of products that can and are joined to the infrastructure, just the simple effort of making sure that the latest updates are done to all the products may take a team in itself.

“Of course, there are ways to limit devices on a system, to stop or limit BYOD’s or to use the same group of products. Another consideration with mobile devices is that many of these products have moved from a personal use case to the commercial arena - they weren’t made to be used in commercial environments and they feature limited security programming functionalities.

“One good way of ensuring systems are kept up to date is the full use of software maintenance agreements that manufacturers supply,” says Sgro. “In this way some of the risk is migrated. It’s

also important to ensure that all IoT devices are field upgradable, and that they use strong device authentication and encryption, like our HBUS protocol.”

Meanwhile, Matt Nordlund of Clavister says the vulnerability of IoT devices to cyber security attacks is a looming threat.

“One big global attack and we’ll realise how essential it is and how we’ve been proliferating devices without considering the consequences,” Nordlund says. “Consider that we’re talking about 2065 billion sensors and devices in the next few years — devices that control nuclear plants, airplanes, selfdriving cars and medical devices. It keeps me up at night, wondering when we’ll create robust standards and protocols to secure the IoT ecosystem.”

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● Special report

Cyber Security

CAN SOMEONE REPLACE YOUR END DEVICE AND USE IT AS A MEANS OF ENTRY INTO YOUR NETWORK WITHOUT YOU DETECTING IT’S GONE?

According to consultant Shane Norton, before security managers start worrying about mobile malware, they need to look at staff who act as mobile malware mules.

“I’ve seen a picture of electronic cigarettes being plugged into a USB port of a SIL rated safety control system within a secure control centre to get a recharge,” Norton says. “Other examples are third parties bringing their USBs and accessing equipment. Strangely enough, these USBs are previously infected, and the system immediately starts alarming on the detection of newly introduced viruses.

“Certainly, the application of smart devices without thinking about the consequences is worrying. People have smart devices at home they can control via their mobile phones for convenience and they think: wouldn’t it be great if I could do this at work to make my life easier?

However, many of these IOT devices and apps have been built to be low cost and low security.

“Connecting your system directly to the internet and opening the ports is scary. Look around your office and look at all the smart monitors with built in microphones and cameras. From the seat I’m sitting at, I can count at least 20 and if I raise my head a bit more it’s a sea of them. So how do you secure them? Personally, I’d look to put them in their own Virtual Private Network (VPN) which can only be accessed via an appropriately configured firewall which can only be interfaced via an encrypted and authenticated device… but oh dear, there goes the usability!”

Norton says that a good idea would be to follow the example of the banking industry or even Netflix. If anyone new accesses a smart device, users get a message and can monitor what is happening.

How vulnerable are the latest IoT devices to cyber security attacks – how serious is the threat?

“That’s an interesting question which is fast moving,” Norton says. “So, let’s break it down a bit and look at the full picture.

4) How are end points uniquely identified?

5) With the explosion of IOT and the requirement to support large addressing ranges then there is pressure to support IPv6. It is surprising how many of the old IPv4 exploits get repeated in IPv6.

6) As IOT is in its infancy the number of updates for remote IOT systems can be large.

“So many systems are non-hardened from a security point of view. Lots of the systems are unencrypted so are easily sniffed, as are the contents of the messages. Can someone replace your end device and use it as a means of entry into your network without you detecting it’s gone? Have you hardened your network and applications to take in IPv6? How are you managing updates and ensuring this update avalanche does not allow malware to enter? Given large IOT networks, how do you look for network changes and how do you partition this network into segments so that contagion of one particular area does not spread?

How do you defend against an internal Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS)?

“These are some of the questions which need to be considered and answered,” Norton says. “The idea of allowing uncontrolled growth and uninformed structures would not seem sensible. Your network should be engineered from the start and you can reap your hard work with lower maintenance, lower cyber incidents, and quick response times when things go wrong, which they certainly will.” n

1) There are many competing standards and the environment is rapidly changing.

2) How much encryption is being used to lock down vulnerable transmission media?

3) How hardened are the operating systems?

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Once considered a “specialty” camera, panoramic cameras offer cost efficiencies that make them suitable for situational awareness in mid to large scale surveillance applications.

With 4K 180° multi-sensor and fisheye panorama options, the Dahua IP Panoramic Technology 4K panoramic camera series provides a highly-detailed surveillance overview with less hardware, saving you money.

For the Wider World IP 4K Panoramic Technology

180°

H.265+ ICR D/N

Panoramic

DH-IPC-PFW8802-A180

Vandal-proof

IP67

- 40°C

Dahua Technology Australia Pty Ltd

Unit 8,39 Herbert Street,Artarmon,NSW 2065 Suite 7,Level 1,425 Docklands Drive,VIC 3008 sales.oc@dahuatech.com

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Proudly brought to you by

● Regulars

Monitoring

Your Monitoring Specialists

1300 130 515

www.bensecurity.com.au

Communication Options We are in a state of flux when it comes to alarm communication options. Which direction installers take their customers is going to depend on a number of factors, including local service availability, security levels and the bandwidth levels required by an application to support functionalities like video monitoring and price point.

ECURITY installers will need to make a choice over the next couple of years about which communications technology they are going to go with into the future.

For many applications, mobile comms might be ideal, but the growth of video surveillance in smart home applications and the problem of wireless contention in metropolitan areas, argues a case for wired infrastructure.

According to Inner Range’s Jason Hartley, a mix of technologies will deliver the most reliable communications overall for alarm monitoring.

“Relying solely on a hardwired IP connection will deliver stable communications most of the time but in the event of a power outage or network provider outage, the end user is at risk of experiencing prolonged outage with no backup,” Hartley says. “On the other hand, if your system has a single path cellular 4G connection, it could experience small frequent outages if the cellular data network becomes congested by other users. Having both hardwired and cellular - hardwired IP plus 4G backup - gives your

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system the best of both worlds.

“Something else to consider is that cloud computing is offering capabilities that end users find convenient and useful, such as video verification and monitoring companies should be incorporating this technology into their offering and increasing the value proposition of their monitoring service to the end user. In my opinion it is very important that the infrastructure is supported locally, especially during an outage, as local support increases the service provider’s response to the issue.

“Installers should first and foremost consider the quality and reliability of the monitoring technology they are installing.

If the product/service they install is not of a high enough standard and the end user experiences problems, this introduces risk to both people and property. Plus, there’s the added risk that the end user will lose faith in the monitoring industry and begin to look for alternatives. The installer should also carefully consider the service provider’s experience and longevity, if the installer installs hundreds or thousands of systems it is important that the provider

I BELIEVE WE ARE IN THE GOLDEN AGE FOR TRADITIONAL ALARM REPORTING, THE AVAILABILITY OF CLOUD PLATFORMS LIKE AZURE AND AWS, PLUS THE COST EFFECTIVENESS OF CELLULAR DATA MEAN IT HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER TO INSTALL ALARM MONITORING SYSTEMS.

of the service is committed to providing an ongoing service and is not at risk of becoming insolvent or leaving the market.”

According to Hartley, the shift to 4G in mobile is well underway but there is legacy hardware in the field.

“We no longer sell any 3G products but a large percentage of existing mobile devices in service are 3G,” he explains. “In our opinion, cellular 4G plus hardwired IP offers the most dependable and secure performance for end users. I believe we are in the golden age for traditional alarm reporting – the availability of cloud platforms like Azure and AWS, with the cost-effectiveness of cellular data mean

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Proudly brought to you by

Your Monitoring Specialists

1300 130 515

www.bensecurity.com.au

it has never been easier to install alarm monitoring systems.

“The systems are more reliable than ever, and polled systems mean the monitoring centre is also monitoring the uptime of the systems themselves, as well as responding to communications issues sooner, when compared with monitoring over PSTN lines,” Hartley says. “The communications are a lot more secure when multiple encrypted paths are connected to the system.”

When it comes to challenges in the future, Hartley argues they will revolve more around meeting growing customer expectations than anything else.

“Due to the acceleration of technologies, the long-term success of installation and monitoring companies will depend on their ability to meet the increase in customer expectations through the incorporation of new technologies into their offerings,” he says.

“It’s a very exciting time to be involved in a technology business. I believe the alarm monitoring business of the future will be more like a customer service company rather that pure security monitoring, I believe there are big opportunities for monitoring businesses that give people peace of mind through customer services and embracing new technologies like

video verification and automation.

“When it comes to automation, monitoring companies looking to make their business more efficient are starting to automate some of the more labourintensive tasks. For example, late to close monitoring, where it’s possible to automate the notification message to the end user, followed by an automated user response, which is arguably a form of managed selfmonitoring.”

According to Glenn Smith of Suretek, the security industry is migrating the majority of monitoring services to mobile communication networks, predominantly utilising Telstra and Optus networks, while a smaller but still a significant number of services are utilising communications paths via the NBN. Smith says that installers and end users seeking a redundant monitoring pathway have some thinking to do.

“The selection of a redundant data path needs to take into account the endto-end design and implementation of the network,” Smith explains. “There needs to be redundancy at every level – the communicator needs to be capable of communicating on multiple redundant communications technologies, to and from the customer’s premises and the network itself needs to have redundant data paths. Network delivery to the monitoring centre must also have redundant data paths.

“In terms of commercially available networks for use by the electronic security industry, the Suretek Data Network meets all these criteria, and it is fully integrated with the CAMS software. So by choosing a monitoring centre that is using the CAMS system and the Suretek Data Network, security companies are assured of having the most secure and redundant monitoring solution.

Does Smith believe the combination of video verification and a remote backend accelerate the shift to cloud, or can this service be offered by monitoring providers?

“Video monitoring, including video verification is a function of monitoring centre operations, whether it is fully integrated, as described for CAMS, or operating as a standalone system,” he says.

“The choice of cloud or local storage is now

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● Regulars

Monitoring

a hot topic, as there are major vendors providing cloud storage solutions, together with a range of functionality which is of significant use to the monitoring centre.

Also, the issue of hardware and software obsolescence with local storage solutions is overcome by choosing a cloud hosting system.”

How important is it that installers and end users ensure that cloud service integrated into monitoring comms paths/ services are locally supported by data centres, in your opinion?

“The selection of any system or service, that sits in the data communications path, is critical to the end-to-end reliability, availability and integrity of the service,” Smith says. “To just put a service or part of a service, into cloud hosting, without further consideration is not likely to achieve the required outcome.

“The key issues for installers choosing monitoring solutions are quality of the products and services and the reliability and availability of the monitoring communications networks.

These items are usually foremost in mind with Installers as they make decisions on suppliers of products and services.”

When it comes to the swing from 3G to 4G, Smith says Suretek has already implemented LTE in its latest Multicom communicator.

“LTE is the ‘long term evolution’ standard for wireless broadband and will allow LTE compatible communicators to remain operational as the carriers migrate from 3G to 4G and 5G,” Smith explains.

“Suretek is also supplying communicators that operate on the Category M1 (Cat M1) Telstra network, and similarly, the Cat M1 network, which is specifically designed for

small data devices, will remain operational across the carrier upgrades from 3G to 4G and 5G, as it is an independent communications channel.

“Having said this, the number of 3G devices in use today is significant. For Suretek, we have been implementing alternative communications standards for some time, but other manufacturers have been late to implement newer technologies that have more technological longevity.”

In your opinion, what alarm monitoring technology/ies offer the most dependable and secure performance for end users?

“There is no doubt that the security industry is migrating the majority of monitoring services to the mobile communications networks predominately on Telstra and Optus (a small portion on NBN) and these technologies are mature and are reliable,” Smith says. “The availability of these communications paths, however, is not guaranteed, and for the security industry applications a redundant path for security communications is essential for all critical applications.

“The Redundant Data Path can be implemented by using Dual SIM communicators, in the case of systems that purely operate over the Mobile Data communications networks, or alternatively, a Redundant Data Path can be implemented using a combination of the Mobile Data communications networks and the NBN. The key issue is polling configurations and polling rates, which must be operationally end-to-end and set at the applicable polling rate to comply with the required level of service contracted with the customer, in essence

Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of Australian Standard 2201.5.”

According to Smith, there are a number of technological challenges facing the alarm monitoring industry today.

“The key technology issue is the planned changes by the carriers, who are committed to the 3G, 4G and 5G upgrades, to provide higher data throughput rates for video transmission, and other mobile phone applications that require large amounts of data to be transmitted,” he says. “For the electronic security industry, which has already gone through a number of previous upgrades (analogue to 2G and 3G), this is a significant issue.”

“What will the alarm monitoring business will look like in the future? It’s a reasonably mature business model, alarm monitoring - the major change for the monitoring centres is the proliferation of video monitoring and the range of cameras, systems, suppliers and operational characteristics, in particular, the quality of the video analytics.

“For the hapless monitoring centre operator, who may be largely dependent on the provision of bureau monitoring services, being bombarded with video footage to review, assess and action is turning in some cases to their worst nightmare,” Smith says. “Suretek has addressed this through close integration with the CAMS monitoring automation system, firstly with iView, which integrates video into CAMS, providing the operator with the one view of the customer’s systems.

“The next level of innovation was RemoteGUARD, which has advanced integration with the CAMS system, and has a narrow range of high-quality video systems integrated, such as Mobotix, Avigilon and Vivotek and Bosch. These systems have advanced analytics, minimising the impact on the operation of the monitoring centre with reduced incidence of false alarms and the associated actions. For high reliability and security, RemoteGUARD is delivered to the Monitoring Centres via theSuretek Data Network.”

Can self-monitoring and professional monitoring co-exist?

“It will and does,” Smith says. “However, in most cases customers are relying on professional monitoring services for all critical security monitoring. The hit and miss of self-monitoring is not a viable option when recommending or providing professional security services.” n

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â&#x2014;? Product review

Panasonic

PANASONIC WV-S1550L BULLET CAMERA

Panasonicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WV-S1550L bullet camera combines strong resolution with a mid-range optical zoom, making it a flexible solution on the street. The solid resolution makes digital zoom useful, too, while H.265 compression keeps bitrates to a minimum.

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BY J O H N A D A M S

ANASONIC’S WV-S1550L bullet camera is a robust IP66/IK10/NEMA 4X-rated camera with H.265 compression, 120dB WDR, selflearning region of interest, a 1/2.8 type CMOS image sensor with 2560 x 1440-pixel (5.1MP) resolution, a 2.99 mm F1.3 lens (3.1x zoom) delivering 34–106 degrees horizontal degrees of view and encrypted streaming to FIPS 140-2 Level 1 standards. The camera features iA (intelligent auto), colour night vision (0.0044 to 0.07 lx) and 0 lux with the IR activated, H.265 smart coding (and H.264), auto shutter speed control for moving vehicles, region of interest, BLC and HLC settings and easy to navigate camera settings via Panasonic’s EasyIP setup and viewing software.

This camera is relatively compact at 377mm long, 133mm wide and 133mm high and weighs 1.6kg without the adaptor box. In the hand the feel is good – the body is diecast aluminium and polycarbonate in Panasonic silver, fixings are coated stainless and there’s a clear poly resin front panel protecting the front element of the lens, which looks to be coated in Magnesium Fluoride targeting the 550nm centre of the visible spectrum. Operating temperature is -30 to 60C. There’s a collection of flying leads at the rear, which include RJ-45 for PoE and data.

There’s backlight compensation, 8 levels of contrast, adjustable IR, to a maximum of 40m, 8 privacy zones, Auto VIQS, integration microphone and audio compression options including G.726 and G.711, network options are extensive, the camera supports 14 simultaneous users, SDXC/SDHC/SD card support, iOS and Android terminals, email notification, alarm inputs and outputs, maximum current draw of around 10A and 100 per cent resistance to condensation.

P

Faces at 10m.

Wider view

DRIVING THE WV-S1550L We are testing using SEN’s Optiplex 9020 server running as a dedicated Gigabit network with nothing connected but the server, a Netgear GS108P and a single uplink cable to the internet via a Meraki switch/ firewall. A strength of this camera is the functional side. It has good focal range for a street application and using the optical zoom I can wind in and out of scenes quickly and easily. The re-focus is reasonably quick, too, and I use it after the camera has gone from night into day mode in the morning.

We start out inside and I immediately see that the camera does a nice job of colour rendition and handles backlight well, too. There’s about 8-9 per cent barrel distortion and I hop into settings and dial this out completely – nice. There’s a bit of smokiness in the image when things get bright through the glass backdoor – it’s certainly over exposure, as the camera is too far from the door to show veiling flare. A touch of chromatic aberration is evident along the window ledge.

First impressions with the WV-1550L Bullet out the front are interesting. This camera manages the variable light in the scene by exposing for what’s closest to the camera in our application – that means

Static face at 7.5mm

And the plate at 40kmph.

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● Product review

Panasonic

No plate, good DoF.

Faces close to court admissable.

the shutter speed drops to match the shaded side of the street, while image processing manages to keep things together in the brighter areas. I notice some trailing behind fast-moving objects in darker areas of the scene, but I don’t see any sign of the over exposure I saw inside the office.

It’s a windy day and there’s loads of tree movement with bamboo leaves 2 doors up showing partly as blur. I wonder whether it’s a product of camera settings or minimum shutter speed, which is default at 1/30sec. I try 1/100th of a second but I can’t dial it out. The quirk is that this doesn’t seem to apply to faster moving plates in the brighter parts of the scene – even when the camera is severely stressed by backlight. Getting pedestrian trails in shadow and fast-moving plates in the sun from the same scene is not what I was expecting. Something to note is that I have prioritised moving targets in camera settings and this function clearly works.

Contrast is relatively low with colours slightly muted yet there’s discernment within tones, there’s good balance between light and dark areas of the scene with my chosen settings and there are no signs of over exposure throughout the test. There are some longitudinal chromatic aberrations around high contrast areas – I saw them inside the office, too - but they are not widespread. Because of the nature of this camera and the nature of my scene, I opt for

a slightly longer focal length after a day with the camera – it’s around 7.5mm.

Resolution is strong and the 2560 x 1440-pixel (5.1MP) resolution gives me strong digital zooming at the wide end or the long – you roll the mouse wheel to zoom digitally and click to either side and up and down to pan and tilt. Thanks to the higher resolution, digital zoom gives more detail than usual. This translates into good depth of field. At this focal length, I’m getting strong performance all the way across to the far side of Albion Street, where I find I can see clothing colours, gender, the presence of pets.

Live face recognition is good – during the day I have it from about 30 metres all the way to the bottom of the frame. There is a hint of softness at times in the image stream and I work hard to make it go away, wondering if it’s tone mapping around moving objects or shutter speed, compression or economies of processing.

Regardless, the camera persists in delivering sharp faces and moving plates in the middle of the scene in reasonable light, though I lose plates around 4pm in the afternoon.

As the test progresses into the second day and I play with settings over and over, seeking the sweet spot. I end up opting for internal light control mode settings for my application, not external. The colour rendition and the light balance are better. A day or so later while playing with the camera again I find best performance when it comes to light balance seems to be out of direct sunlight with the scene still relatively bright.

Next morning at about 11am, I notice that the larger area of sunlight over the road is being exposed for while the near side of the street is in shadow. The light is sufficiently strong at around 70,000 lux so reflections from the buildings opposite are generating very mild internal reflections between the front panel of the housing and the front element of the lens. Next, I start working the zoom and find I have those plates, as well as faces at a good distance. As the sun disappears behind the towers, the shutter speed drops, and I get some blurring of pedestrian faces.

Night performance suggests the higher resolution of the sensor is having an impact – I’m not getting plates (I never do), and I’m not getting clear faces, either. Situational awareness is good but there are trails behind moving objects, which I work hard to eliminate but never quite can. I should point out that even at night these trails are cleaned up very quickly. There’s a little noise in the image stream – it’s amplification swim that pushes through as light levels fall. Depth of field stays strong, and I can see static plates with no difficulty. The camera handles blooming very well.

IR range is really strong – the specification says it’s 40 metres but it’s much more than that and it increases the contrast in the scene dramatically. With IR off, I still don’t get plates at night and I also notice that changing ambient light has an impact. When neighbouring motion floodlights activate and push

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up the ambient levels on the street, which can drop down to around 4 lux in places, the look of the image changes. I find that night performance is better at the slightly longer focal length I adopted on the second day of testing – around 7.5mm. At this focal length I have pleasing depth of field – I’m certainly not going to miss anything in my field of view or depth of field, and I have all the static plates in the scene.

While I’m sitting at the office one night, I notice that as cars pass, they are pushing a slight bow wave of artefacts before them. This doesn’t seem to be motion blur but local (spatially varying) tone mapping. This would cause algorithmic changes in local pixels according to what was going on around them – a rapidly approaching car, for instance. Any local tone mapping algorithm will tend to show some halo, in part because local algorithms are so much more complex than global ones, and this would be especially likely around fast moving objects.

Next morning, I get onto the camera early and with intense backlight of 70,000 lux provoking a diamond shaped aperture star from the internal elements, I lose faces approaching the camera. With the appearance of cloud, the backlight eases and I get faces back. There’s no doubt this street scene is nasty, and I have the camera angle a touch higher than I sometimes do in order to get a good look down the street with the zoom activated. The time of year is also having an impact – the sun is lower in the sky.

Good work internally.

CONCLUSION Panasonic’s WV-S1550L is a robust and nicely proportioned bullet camera that rewards nondefault settings with faces and plates at longer focal lengths all the way out to 30 metres or more. In my opinion, the image stream is stronger when scenes don’t have intense light variations. This camera has very strong IR performance and thanks to its high resolution, there’s good depth of field day and night.

I tend to think the smaller photo sites of the high resolution 1/2.8-inch CMOS sensor have an impact on night performance in this application, thanks to some amplification noise and haloing, but the trade-off is much more detail during the day. Your application will decide which performance vectors matter most to you. n

Night with no IR. No plate.

FEATURES OF THE PANASONIC WV-S1550L INCLUDE: l

5MP images up to 30 fps

l

iA (intelligent Auto)

l

Super Dynamic 120dB

l

Color night vision (0.0044 to 0.07 lx)

l

H.265 Smart Coding

l

40m Integrated IR

l

IK10, IP67, NEMA-4X

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● Regulars

Products

Editor’s choice

What’s new in the industry.

TVT DELIVERS THE FUTURE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

ECOSTRUXURE SECURITY EXPERT WEB CONTROL SOLUTION SP-C-WEB

l CSM presents TVT’s simple and effective standalone solution comprising ‘Face Detection by IP Camera plus Facial Recognition’

by NVR technology, making surveillance easy to deploy and lowering cost. Performance features include side face recognition, detecting 10 faces simultaneously, 3-4 faces per second and a database hosting up to 10,000 faces. Additional features including VIP customer greetings, block list warning, face attendance, free statistics, etc. The accuracy rate is significantly increased with ultra-starlight and white light illumination technology. A powerful mobile app allows you to add new faces, search by image or name.

The NVR GUI is simple, user-friendly and highly effective. Real time alarms, face database management, face information and statistics make this technology a great choice for all applications.

A complete range of face capture 2MP TVT StarLight cameras is available in vandal domes, turrets, and bullets with fixed or motorised long-range lens, with white LED and a complete suite of face recognition NVRs available in 8, 16 and 32-channel models, all with PoE ports and fitted with 4TB Seagate SkyHawk HDDs.

l SCHNEIDER Electric’s Security Expert Web System Controller is an all-in-one, browser-based access control and intrusion detection system that solves security challenges in small buildings. Configure, control and manage access control and intrusion detection from anywhere with the swipe of a finger. The system replaces the complications and constraints of software with intuitive browser-based technology.

Features include 32 doors and 32 alarm zones, 10,000 Users and 50,000 events, global agency listings and certifications, cybersecure and NIST-certified data encryption protects people, assets and property, no IT overhead, no software to manage and all in a compact, elegant easily installed form factor.

Distributor: Schneider Electric Contact: se.com/au/securityexpert

Distributor: CSM Contact: 1300 663 904

X2 4 WIRE INTERCOM l THE latest addition to the X2 product line up is the NEW X2

video 4 wire intercom system which incorporates a slim bodied, robust, IP-rated door station with a stylish, sleek, high resolution touch screen room station. It delivers high resolution and performance at good price.

When fully expanded, this 4-wire system can have up to 2 door stations and 4 room stations, as well as 2 CCTV inputs. To access some great additional features like; message recording, recording of audio and video, playback of audio and video, recording of snap shots when door button is pressed, and play music all you need to do is insert an SD card into the room station.

Distributor: CSD Contact: 1300 319 499

KOCOM 7-INCH COLOUR HANDSFREE IP VIDEO INTERCOMS FROM BGW TECHNOLOGIES l KOCOM’S IP video intercom systems will soon be available on the Australian market through BGW Technologies.

Features include a 7-inch colour digital LCD monitor, call and communication with visitor, instant notifications to your smartphone (iOS and Android, powered by Kocom Smarthome), through Wi-Fi or Ethernet anywhere in the world, video and audio monitoring of the door camera and operating condition display with icons (OSD) and door open.

KCV-S701IP supports for Ethernet 10/100 BASE-T, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and 4-wires connection with KC-S81M door camera, premium round edge design (197mm wide, 176mm height, 23mm depth). Equipped with the electrostatic touch glass instead of pressure type, it has better usability with the fast and soft touch.

Meanwhile, the KC-S81M door camera is a premium rounded design with dimensions of 70mm wide, 125mm high and 21mm deep, as well as a metal body. The unit has an angle of view of 100 degrees.

Distributor: BGW Technologies Contact: +61 2 9674 4255

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NEW WISENET WAVE VMS FROM EOS l EOS Australia in association with Hanwha Techwin is launching

the all-new Wisenet WAVE, which is designed to provide a simple, reliable, lightweight and scalable VMS ideal for all applications.

WAVE VMS supports Wisenet’s edge based advanced analytics, such as intelligent video analytics and sound classification. An intuitive user interface makes it effortless for operators to set up a display of live and recorded images on a single screen or video wall. WAVE’s Smart Motion Search feature allows user to examine archived video streams from connected IP cameras that had motion detection enabled.

WAVE can be installed within minutes and does not require a system with high specifications. To ensure reliability, multi-server redundant fail-over is built-in and requires no additional licenses.

WAVE supports all major operating systems including Windows and Ubuntu for server application; Windows, Ubuntu and Mac OS for the client application; Mobile app is available on iOS and Android devices.

Distributor: EOS Australia Pty Ltd Contact: +61 2 9749 5888

MOBOTIX RELEASES CYBER SECURITY PATCH FOR ALL CAMERAS BACK TO 2004 l MOBOTIX is releasing a Cactus Patch which guarantees users of MOBOTIX cameras from the M10 series launched back in 2004, up to the current models Mobotix’ best possible protection against cyberattacks.

“Cactus Patch allows us to protect the longevity of our products and ensures that the older systems that are still in use continue to be cyber-safe,” said Thomas Dieregsweiler, head of product management.

“We are constantly working on identifying possible security gaps and closing them immediately to keep it that way – we anticipate the latest technological developments and analyse how they could affect the cyber security of our products and solutions. If we see a potential threat, we will release an appropriate security update.”

Cactus Patch backs up the company’s solid cyber security credentials. Mobotix cameras have excellent cyber security features and to date, no Mobotix camera has ever been hacked.

The Cactus Patch is available to all customers free and is easy to install.

Distributor: Mobotix Contact: +61 2 8507 2000

LILIN AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES NEW ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

NEPTUNE EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN MUSHROOM

l NEW from LILIN Australia is the LILIN access control system in 3 different configurations, which can be integrated with IP cameras, fire alarms and intrusion sensors. Standalone and standalone with PoE mode options are targeted primarily at small commercial and select residential applications, while mixed mode is recommended for enterprise-level deployments with Wiegand readers and integrates with LILIN’s Navigator series recording solutions.

The browser-based access management software provides a gateway to unified access control, enabling administrators to manage all of their security devices on a single interface. For example, the software’s multi-level mapping feature lets users monitor up to 3 live cameras at each intrusion area, while logging the event in real time. If an alarm event occurs, the administrator is sent an E-mail notification and the software brings up live video on the screen for viewing.

LILIN access control software enables logged events to be fully searchable for later analysis, a process that is made easier by the software’s ability to display individual logs with a snapshot of the person involved and employee information, if available, along with recorded surveillance video.

l LSC is distributing Neptune’s self-resetting Emergency Lockdown red mushroom button, which is ANSI rated and features NO/NC/C contact options. Contact rating is 5A/125-250V AC, button diameter is 35 mm, overall dimensions are 115mm long x 70mm wide x 50mm deep and weight is 200 grams, outputs are 1NO + 1NC, output contacts are NO/NC/COM, mechanical lifespan is tested to 100,000 cycles and the base panel is 1.7 mm thick 304 stainless steel. Operating temp is -20 to 55C and there’s an optional NEASMB metal back box.

Distributor: LSC Contact: 1300 646 269

Distributor: LILIN Australia Contact: +61 2 9646 4878

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Products

Editor’s choice FERMVISION 6020 2-WIRE VIDEO INTERCOM & KEYPAD KIT l FERMAX 2-Wire video intercom and keypad kit offers a 7-inch

LCD touch screen monitor very similar to an iPad for ease of use.

Other features include integrated picture memory functionality within each monitor, ability to install a greater number of monitors within a single premise, built-in access control keypad with multiple code capacity and day and night ring volume settings, with 12 selectable ring tones. Door release is via the internal power supply (12V, 250mA) or external power supply, which is great for upgrading old intercom systems, as it can run over your existing cabling.

The 2-Wire 6020 Kit includes an IP54 stainless steel surface keypad front door station (FVI-6016KP), a 7-inch colour LCD touch screen monitor with integrated picture memory (FVI-6013), a combined power supply and central unit (FVI-6017PC6), while additional door stations and monitors can be added to the system if required. The FVI-6020 kit can be upgraded to IP app support.

What’s new in the industry.

HIKVISION 2ND GEN INTERCOM RANGE l SECOND generation Hikvision intercoms have arrived at CSD, incorporating a new modular, customisable, sleek and modern design. The door stations allow installers to create an entry door panel consisting of any of the following options - camera, electronic tenant directory, digital keypad, nametag, RFID reader and display modules. This design provides flexibility to suit any type of building from residential to large apartment complexes that are new or existing.

A variety of modern, stylish, touch screen room stations complement this range and either 7-inch or 10-inch variants in PoE. This system integrates with other Hikvision CCTV solutions and Inner Range access control systems in order to provide a comprehensive building management solution.

Distributor: CSD Contact: 1300 319 499

Distrbutor: Fermax Contact: +61 2 9700 1700

NEW 4K CAMERAS FROM PANASONIC l PANASONIC’S new 4K bullet (WV-S1570L) and 4K dome (WV-

S2570L) cameras, distributed locally by BGW Technologies, are designed for use in fast changing surveillance environments.

The 2 new 4K cameras capture high resolution images, perfect for capturing evidence, with the large image sensor realizing wide area surveillance with high quality images. Intelligent Auto (iA) monitors scene dynamics and motion to adjust key camera settings automatically in real-time reducing distortion such as motion blur on moving objects, with auto shutter speed control for moving objects.

With both the dome and bullet adopting H.265 Smart Coding technology, bandwidth efficiency is intelligently increased for longer recording and less storage. Out of the box, the camera supports full data encryption streaming and is compliant to FIPS 140-2 Level 1 standards to keep your video secured.

Distributor: Panasonic Security Contact: 132 600

ICT PROTEGEGX VERSION 4.3.264 RELEASED l ICT has released ProtegeGX version 4.3.264, an update which includes a range of new features and enhancements including a user interface refresh.

“The first thing you’ll notice after the update, is the new interface,” said ICT’s Richard Hawker. “Built using Google’s Material Design language and concepts, it combines the principles of good design with technology to provide a cleaner, simpler, modern user interface, that is easier to navigate, and more user-friendly. With a customizable colour scheme, you also have the ability to switch between light and dark themes based on personal preference.

“System Navigator provides an easy-to-use tree-view of the system allowing you to move around without using the traditional menu structure. In addition to easy navigation, the System Navigator provides quick reference to the connection between records, including which doors are assigned to an access level, which inputs or trouble inputs are linked to an area and which users are assigned to an access level.”

ProtegeGX Version 4.3.264 also features communications enhanced to include Transport Layer Security version 1.2 (TLS 1.2).

Distributor: Integrated Control Technology Contact: 1800 428 111

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AETEK EXPOE SWITCHES l AETEK’S range of EXPoE switches are equipped with a DIP

switch which provides the EX ‘Extensive’ operation mode. This is an indoor unmanaged range designed for IP surveillance applications. Besides the standard 802.3af/at PoE functions, the EX mode can deliver extreme distances of camera images and maximum power of up to 250m via specific EX ports for long reach PoE IP cameras. This range also features an extra 20 per cent range of input voltage tolerance, lightning surge protection of AC power and PoE surge protection to prevent the damage that can be caused by outside unstable AC power, lightning surges and power spikes. Altogether, these unique features reduce the costs to replace the damaged fault unit.

Distributor: CSD Contact: 1300 319 499

NEW SHEPHERD SECURITY PANEL FROM CROW l SHEPHERD is Crow’s next generation of security and safety panels, offering the highest standards of reliability in data transmission via its multiple encrypted communication paths and advanced cloud services suite. Features include a smart and wide portfolio of security, safety and home comfort devices with an extended lifetime. There’s SOTA software update over-the-air for easy remote configuration, wireless equipment upgrade and testing, and FOTA firmware over-the-air for devices.

Other features include advanced diagnostic tools for optimal installation and configuration, artificial intelligence with detection and recognition, while Crow Cloud and Smart Shepherd apps and CMS/ARC management software support offer big data turned into smart data. Shepherd is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for IoT voice activation.

Distributor: Consolidated Security Merchants Contact: 1300663904

2-WAY WIRELESS OUTDOOR CURTAIN PIR DETECTOR FROM DSC

SALTO XS4 2.0 PANEL READER WITH DESFIRE/ MIFARE PROX FROM LSC

l BGW Technologies has launched the new DSC Power-G Wireless Advanced Outdoor Curtain PIR, the DSCPG4902, which is compatible with DSC PowerSeries NEO and DSC iotega and will be in stock in September 2019.

The new Power-G Wireless Advanced Outdoor Curtain PIR creates a narrow protective shield across windows, balconies, doors, driveways and other entranceways, for targeted outdoor detection with minimal false alarms.

Small in size, the sensor is big on performance being weatherproof (IP55) and pet-immune, with anti-masking capabilities, it delivers accurate, reliable detection in severe temperatures (-35C to 65C) and demanding outdoor environments. The sensor leverages Power-G wireless technology, which combines spread-spectrum frequencyhopping wireless communication technology with 2-way 128-bit AES encryption, to provide high-level protection and extended battery life.

l SALTO XS4 Panel Reader is a door entry system that works in conjunction with SALTO XS4 2.0 Controllers.

These panel readers are designed to be integrated behind elevator panels, door intercoms, electric switches, turnstiles or gates. Users can present a valid SALTO credential – including RFID cards and JustIN Mobile app-enabled smart devices – to gain entry.

These models need a window, which is necessary for reader antenna operation. SALTO peripheral products like the XS4 Panel reader are designed for access points where online connectivity is needed, or where interaction with other systems or electric powered devices is required. Maximum distance between the door controller and the wall reader is 400 m using a twisted pair cable. There’s acoustic and optical signalling, dual colour green/ red to indicate access authorisation and the reader is housed in a 1-piece, weatherproof secure electronics potted enclosure.

Distributor: BGW Technologies Contact:+61 2 9674 4255

Distributor: LSC Contact: 1300 646 269

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Help desk

Our panel of experts answers your questions.

There’s another issue to think about with RF, too. When battery powered devices are used in very cold climates (Australian and NZ highlands), battery performance will be impaired. Vulnerable sites are warehouses and other large or remote facilities that are not heated during the night. Reduced battery strength can result in frequency drift, hampering the sensor’s ability to pick up polling signals and instructions from the panel. Be sure to use the recommended battery type and check the manufacturer’s minimum temperature figures before installation.

Q: We are having issues with wireless links on a commercial application. What’s odd is that there don’t seem to be any powerful sources of interference we can find. The site has many structures – several major ones are metal. Is it possible there is some shielding or reflection creating interference or nulls around the site?

A: I think you’re onto something here. Installations of wireless equipment can be effected by null points resulting from the reflection of RF signals. What’s happening is that the receiver gets a direct signal and a reflected out-of-phase signal at the same time. If this happens the receiver may cancel both signals.

Null points can be caused by metal objects located between transmitter and receiver. Other factors that may influence RF performance will be RF rich environments or jamming of the receiver by a powerful external source of RF. The sort of source we’re talking about would be a radio station’s antenna array or a repeater tower. Something else to consider is using directional links for challenging point-to-point connections. You may need to be creative with installation to get line of sight but the added reliability will be worth the effort.

Q: Would you agree the negative public discourse around face recognition might impact on the application of analytics as a whole?

A: Possibly. Obviously, there are many useful analytics that are not face recognition. From the point of view of public surveillance, this technology does have the capacity to be used for ill as well as for good but it’s not as capable of uniform recognition as many believe.

In countries like Australia, CCTV is not particularly prevalent and most camera views in public surveillance applications are wide angle for situational awareness

with loads of pixel spread - getting 88 pixels across a person’s face in a typical street scene is far more difficult and expensive than you’d think - it typically requires dedicated cameras at choke points.

Something else to bear in mind is that Australia’s public surveillance applications are tied up with privacy protocols that are available to the public - police can only access footage as part of current investigations and recordings are written over after 30 days. Regardless, widespread use of this technology should be the subject of ongoing public debate.

Q: Would you agree that today’s low-end cameras have the same performance as the high-end cameras of a few years ago?

A: In some cases, maybe. In other cases, maybe not. There are plenty of shortcuts being taken with IP cameras in order to retain margin which ultimately impact on performance. In fact, some modern low-end cameras seem to have gone back in time with their performance. It’s hard to know if this comes down to lack of investment or a deliberate choice to

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cut corners, or to the vagaries of OEM camera engines. In any case, you need to test cameras on your site. It won’t take long to get a sense of what works best.

Q: What’s the best way to handle cable runs that exceed 100 metres on very large or complex sites?

A: The best way to handle long cable runs is to include junction boxes large enough to incorporate amplification. Make sure the field housings you install include tamper switches. As well as making the system more robust and secure, junction boxes will make routine maintenance and troubleshooting easier.

Q: What do you think of 18V tools over 12V – is there any justification to switch?

A: I’m going to assume we are talking about Li-ion tools here. There’s no doubt that good 18V tools are now approaching the capability of mains powered tools and we are seeing techs preferring 18V cordless gear over everything else. It’s not surprising that as battery technology has improved the need to use corded tools is falling away. Obviously, there are some tools that have monster wattages you can only drive from mains.

Do you need to trade up? It depends on the work you do and whether you are finding the 12V gear is not working as well as you need it to. Modern Li-ion 12V tools are much better than the NiMi powered tools of the past. They can work harder for much longer and they charge much faster. Obviously, 18V has more power and torque than 12V, which is great if you need it. An 18V tool handles loads and stresses that a 12V will not. The decision is not either/or. For some techs, having 12V and 18V options will make perfect sense.

Other considerations include weight – if you do a lot of work over your head the difference in weight might be the deciding factor. There’s also a size difference between 18V and 12V – the 12V tools are smaller, which is great for getting into tight spaces. And 12V Li-ion will charge faster than 18V – in some cases a lot faster. Some of the 18V gear we have seen is packing 6A or even 9A batteries,

ARE YOU ALWAYS GOING AT 1000 MILES AN HOUR, OR ARE YOU ONLY USING 20 PER CENT OF THE AVAILABLE POWER IN ORDER TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE WORK?

which is great for grunt and longevity but it’s going to test your deltoids. It’s also going to add more weight to every step you take from van to job.

Another factor is going to be cost. As soon as you start comparing prices you can see 18V costs about 30 per cent more. That’s worth paying if you need the extra performance. Finally, consider speed of a tool’s operation. How fast do you need it to be for precision security work? Sure, 18V will work like mad, but it’s not that often you want to throw yourself at a task with no finesse. External metal, brick and Besser maybe, but rarely with timber or plaster. It’s worth borrowing an 18V tool and using it to assess your work style. Are you always going at 1000 miles an hour, or are you only using 20 per cent of the available power in order to keep control of the work?

easy to do as it is to say. You can achieve this by installing the sensors adjacent to routes through an area rather than head on. Such an installation will also minimise an intruder’s ability to approach a sensor through a dead zone created by the sensor’s lens configuration. It’s far easier to creep up head on than it is to sneak across detection zones.n

Q: When installing PIR sensors what’s the best way to choose angles of detection?

A: Before installing PIR sensors take a good look at the plan of their detection zones – you’ll get the earliest activation when these zones are broken at right angles. That means positioning the sensor to cover paths through an area at right angles – this will not always be as

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SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE 413

SPECIAL REPORT:

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l Darwin Face Recognition In $A10 Million Smart City Solution l Hills to Streamline Distribution, Exit Comms, Focus On Health l Installerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide: Soldering Skills l Special Report: Integrating Body-Worn Cameras l Central Southern Security Fights Theft, Fires l Mobile Malware, Threats & Responses l Alarm Monitoring: Communications Options l Product Review: Panasonic WV-S1550L Bullet

Integrating Body-Worn Cameras

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Date: November 14, 2019 Venue: The Realm Hotel, Canberra Contact: Monique +61 2 9280 4425 SAGE 2019 is the perfect opportunity for government and commercial end users, as well as integrators, installers and consultants, to see the latest security products and technologies in the nation's capital city in a relaxed and informal environment.

SecTech Roadshow 2020

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Dates: May 2020 Venues: 5 city Australian tour Contact: Monique Keatinge +61 2 9280 4425 SecTech Roadshow in its 6th year takes leading electronic security manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers on a national tour.

Security Essen Date: September 22-25, 2020 Venue: Messe Essen, Messeplatz 1, Essen, Germany Contact: +49 (0)201 72 44-524 Security Essen 2018 draws 950 exhibitors from 43 countries to show their security and safety innovations to 36,000 visitors from 125 nations at Messe Essen, Germany.

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