September 2014 Issue 358
1080p
hd
The contenders
l Video management systems l Biometrics: New beginning? l Inner Range Sifer reader l Evergreen’s $A4m Nadi contract l Review: Vivotek WDR PRO l Wireless mesh networks l Axis discreet F Series
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editorial EDITORIAL
s ec u ri ty e l e ct ro n i c s & netwo r ks s e pte mb e r 201 4 issue 358
S EC U RI TY E L E CT RO N I C S & NE TWO R KS
Our technological hydra SALES MACHINE
E
NOVEMBER 2 01 3 ISSU E 3 49 By John Adams By John Adams
Remember, Google Nest sells a cloud-integrated smoke lectronic security has always been an industry sensor for $200. This shows customers will pay a The technical dormancy resulting from margin e live in a competitive world. No sooner has that combines multifarious premium not for base function but for sexy technology. cutting edge technology been developed crash is most obvious when viewing ‘modern’ technologies in thrilling ways. than it’s shoe-horned into a matchbox of alarm systems whose last upgrade was undertaken Our solutions touch on sensing a toe in the water, perfect example. In a short inspace the 1970s, technology that wild are decade when Fairchild white plastic, its price shorn to the bone. The chipset technologies, local and remote with all the serious development of time they’ve gone from blind Optoelectronics’ 5-cent LEDs blasted alarm panel of today’s cutting edge video surveillance camera is communications, optics, displays, ahead. solid boards reporting NO or to technological keypads heights previously only the chipset of tomorrow’s retail or state domestic cloud storage solutions, thermal alarm events DTMFseen tones, onto Star Trek.There seem to be 2 paths by solution, leased to an end user NC at no visible cost,inlike sensing, networking pathways, which find niches intelligent controllers integrating In my view, the salesmanufacturers culture that underpins margin some giveaway 4-zone alarm panel. identification technologies, software in the electronic security market. access control, multiple sensing seems to have given way to a different method of And when I say tomorrow, I mean it literally. Right analytics, power supplies, software Onethat’s is to make that are that technologies, supporting video business basedproducts on relationships now the humblest $200 fixed mini domes and winning management solutions, firmware very cheap andPart the other to verification and allowing authorised too often a one-way street. of theisproblem is around powered by are development and a hundred compact cameras are rumblingusers make products that are very smart. to manage domestic sub intense competition, but an inability to win jobs based the most powerful HD processing engines. Can it go on splintered specialities in between. Google Nestperformance sells a systems via smart on presentationRemember, of the benefits of system this remotely month, we’re In some ways nothing has indefinitely? I think not. And in news cloud-integrated smoke sensor applications. This development IP-based access is a key factor. changed - security technologyseeing the advent of simple, unitised forpoor $200.sales Thisskills, showsorcustomers extends into the monitoringThe space, impact of no sales skills, current IP video continues groping for some control, designed to integrate with will pay a premium not for base with expectations in a state of total flows through the industry, from bottom to top. solutions without any of the usual fussing about. modular approximation of machine function but for sexy technology. upheaval. Integrators and installers selling on price, exist on This development points to commoditisation intelligence – for the tireless watcher The key to this making discussion In the field, detectors virtually no hardware margin, their profit across all market segments. Alarms, access control, combine on the walls. In the past though, though, is Distributors that the pace ofthe change dual technology or triplefrom the installation itself. sell product solutions, technologies moved towards video their surveillance, software management and the melding of technology inless. technology, or even mesh sensing, ranges of more manufacturers, servicing each the lot. ultimate capabilities independently. the alarms market is nothing more and can incorporate 720p HD the lower end the only part of the market that’s Manufacturers scrimp on component quality and But things are starting to changeIsand than reflection of what we are take fixed cameras supported start dressing up lessaas more. Firmware tweaks price conscious? No fear. It’s slash andlens burn at the top we’re seeing far more integration seeing across the entire spectrum by integrated LED lighting. Some the place of decent lenses. A mindset grows in which end, too. And talking about the issue recently I got to than in the past. Making matters wondering whether the malaiseofthat of security electronics. There’s To a get this power is referred –quantity, smart not quality is the primary motivator. has long afflicted Even within niches, multiple worse, in the alarms segment will infect major process of technological integration phones and tablets do the real systems, as well. volumes, manufacturers go direct, or start searching technological breakthroughs taking place the likes which the grunt-work when it comes remote Australia just What is that sickness? It’s a systemic fortonew verticals, cannibalising theirofexisting sales collapse of sales are crashing through industrycustomers, has never seen. management of securityand solutions. now there seems isolating existing who lose brand ability, with all the attendant ailments. simultaneously in a swirl Every aspect of our technology the fact thealarms concept of an alarm be aalliances. selection loyalty and purchase solely on price. In the domestic and smallBut commercial ofto industry And is developing closer to just its greatest system has extended to mobile Making matters worse, in Australia now there per cent of their time process by market where techs spend 90 smart over-archingdriven these changes potential and far from being devices is indicative of the project covered in spiderwebs and pigeon poo, you can seems to be a selection process driven bylocked project managers are local and remote in proprietary towers it’s being lateralabout changes in the or electrical managers contractors who win tenders in taking board place management or electrical understand a reluctance to prance integrated the engine of from alarms industry. andacross then carve margin to enterprise using lowball quotes solutions driven by who rooms up-selling fawning customers contractors a revolutionary social substrate. There are also projections of whiff of Dunhill Apres their contractor’s hip pockets. the demands and using solutions with no more than thefuture win tenders relatescommoditisation to changes in development to consider. It’s keyWhether But the elementthis driving Rasage and the flash of a Rolex. contributions of manufacturing processes is thethat hard to imagine that the relatively lowball quotes is lack of sales ability. A failure to teachorstaff But when it comes to bigger systems, an inability interconnected, emergent property of the hive mind low quality cameras in today’s and then carve to sell based on features is harder to rationalise and particular skill of the sales animal, built on an intense symbiotic a lateralisation of technological alarm sensors won’t give way to industry as a whole, and justified belief in the capability of solutions, margin from communities of their much more dangerous for theindustry fed by the Internet standardThe cameras with with conception combined an industry self respect that demands to the equation. contractor’s manufacturers and hip especially when time is addedwide is hard to say.toButelectronic somethingsecurity is angle or hemispheric lenses.apply - true buyers value logical progression of a collapse in margin over time users. pockets. different in security electronics, My opinion is that this suggests is the inability to invest in research and development technology. ]]] Alarm panels are the everywhere, all at once. zzz these first combinations of security that’s so vital to future sales.
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Brisbane Monday 4th May 2015 Sydney Wednesday 6th May 2015 Melbourne Monday 11th May 2015 Adelaide Wednesday 13th May 2015 Perth Monday 18th May 2015 Enquiries please contact Monique Keatinge +612 9280 4425
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system. Up to 15 readers can be installed on each RS-485 cable branch. 42: Duomo di Monreale Cathedra
sept 14
44: Evergreen Wins $A4m Nadi Contract
22: Video management systems Video management systems are the interface between the raw data of camera inputs and storage bins, and security management teams. The latest generation of VMS solutions is notable for its functional power and operational simplicity. And the best is yet to come. 36: Thumbs up? After years spent prevaricating over biometrics while copping around $A1.5 billion in credit card fraud losses, Australia’s big banks are moving towards the technology in a move that may have implications for access control solutions and mobile management apps. 38: Inner Range Sifer reader New Sifer reader by Inner Range (Integriti Encrypted Reader) is an RS-485 reader that can support any access control
Integrator Decibel has installed a Dahua megapixel video surveillance solution supplied by distributor Videotrend at Duomo di Monreale Cathedra in Sicily.
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Integrator Evergreen will install a $A4 million integrated IP-based solution at Nadi International Airport in Fiji. The solution will incorporate AD cameras, a CEM access control system and a Wormald fire system, all supported by Tyco’s Victor management system. 54: Vivotek WDR PRO I saw acres of new products at Security 2014 and one of the standouts was Vivotek’s new WDR PRO camera range, which includes bullet, box and dome cameras in 1.3MP and 3MP variations. In this review we look at the IP8355EH outdoor bullet camera. 58: 1080p HD - The contenders We asked a group of manufacturers about their leading 1080p cameras, what their
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regulars features are and how they are better than the cameras of the opposition.
12: news Latest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world.
70: Soul of discretion New Axis F Series is a highly flexible, modular network camera series that incorporates extremely discreet HDTV 1080p cameras with wide dynamic range.
51: monitoring Alarm installers need to sit down and map out a game plan to ensure their clients’ alarm solutions and their own businesses are prepared to handle the changes the market faces over the next 24 months.
72: Wireless networks Given the expense of trenching and the challenges of accessing budget for network links, LAN builders on big sites would do well to seriously consider wireless mesh as an alternative to glass.
76: editor’s choice What’s new from our manufacturers. 80: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.
September 2014 Issue 358
1080P
HD
THE CONTENDERS
PP 100001158
l Video management systems l Biometrics: New beginning? l Inner Range Sifer reader l Evergreen’s $A4m Nadi contract l Review: Vivotek WDR PRO l Wireless mesh networks l Axis discreet F Series
Publisher Bridge Publishing Aust. Pty Ltd ABN 11 083 704 858 PO Box 237 Darlinghurst NSW 1300 tel 61 2 9280 4425 fax 61 2 9280 4428 email info@bridge publishing.com.au
Editor John Adams Advertising Manager Monique Keatinge Customer Service Annette Mathews tel 61 2 9280 4425 annette@bridge publishing.com.au Design Tania Simanowsky e: taniasdesign@ optusnet.com.au
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Dallmeier 120ips HD cameras coming p.12 Hills Announces $A24 Million Profit for 2014 p.14 Telstra Pays $A291 Million for Video Streamer p.16 QSS Nails National Distribution of BPT Intercoms p.18 Bosch Closes Perth, Brisbane Branches p.20
news in brief s e pt e mb e r 2 0 1 4
c o mpi l e d b y j o hn adams
MCG Security System up for Tender
■
MELBOURNE’S MCG Trust has published a request for proposal for upgrade and support of electronic security systems and infrastructure services for the iconic 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the greatest sports arenas in the world. The MCG is managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club which is responsible for managing and operating the MCG security systems. This takes into account dayto-day monitoring, system changes and maintenance (where required) of the MCG security equipment and systems. This extends from the VMS to encompass all the supporting hardware and infrastructure that make up and define the security system. “The MCG has a complex electronic surveillance and access control system to protect its assets,” explains the MCC proposal. “This is hosted by a Genetec Security Centre system of integrated electronic surveillance and access control.
LRI FIRE & SECURITY INSTALL CCTV AT PORT OF TOWNSVILLE n INTEGRATOR LRI has helped complete a major upgrade to the security of the Port of Townsville, which included the installation of numerous PTZ IP Dome cameras. The security cameras are part of a complex network, which also involved training multiple port security personnel on the operation of the system. The PTZ cameras allow port
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staff to manage vessels entering and exiting the Port of Townsville despite vast distances thanks to their powerful zoom lenses. As well as being installed at multiple locations around the site, a camera has been installed on top of Cement Australia’s silo located in the Port of Townsville. One of the tallest structures in the area in provides a clear view of the approaches and the harbour.
“It is paramount that the contractor has proven expertise, administration and an in-depth knowledge in Genetec Security Centre system and has a working or partner relationship with Genetec or Genetec’s Australian distributor. “The ability to be able to assist with system design and engineering, logic control and programming of the Genetec video management system (VMS) is also expected.” According to the request, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is Australia’s most attended sports and entertainment stadium, accommodating major events such as international cricket, Australian rules football, soccer, rugby and concerts, as well as hosting a large number of major functions in the surrounding purposebuilt facilities. The RFP close on September 12, 2014.
Juan Sanchez LRI Fire & Security installing a camera at Port of Townsville
Hills Hunting Sales and Customer Service Staff
Hills is set to boost its sales and customer service teams, putting out a call to attract the country’s most passionate and talented sales and customer service professionals. Over the past 20 months, Hills has undergone a massive transformation from a diversified holdings company to become an integrated technology company offering solutions in security, surveillance, healthcare and communications, and mobility. Hills COO Brad Newton said improving the customer experience is a the company’s number one priority in the year ahead. “Our results were released last week and showed the overall building technologies segment of the business, of which security is a key part, had revenue growth of 16.6 per cent,” Mr Newton said. “We have every intention of continuing this momentum starting with our commitment to exceed customer expectations 100 per cent of the time. “As part of this commitment, we will be boosting our sales and customer service teams with people who are talented and passionate, and want to work for an organisation dedicated to delivering best-in-breed security solutions.” Hills has over 700 team members operating across 26 branches throughout the region. The company is also making a substantial investment in frontline facilities, with a capital investment of over $7 million to rapidly transform its network of branches into convenient one stop shops with better trade counters and improved training facilities.
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news september 2014
Townsville’s Upgraded CCTV Network Now Live n TOWNSVILLE’S upgraded public surveillance system has now been live for about one month. The system was completed as part of Townsville Council’s Safe Community Security Strategy. Council has upgraded the city’s main network of 109 CCTV cameras including 31 high-definition cameras. Cameras now cover key areas including the CBD, The Strand, Jezzine Barracks, Riverway, Black Weir and Thuringowa
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Library. The surveillance-based strategy has moved away from using security guards to improving the live monitoring of CCTV cameras and building a closer relationship with police to respond to incidents as they happen. The new strategy will cost $A2 million but according to council, there will be significant savings. Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill told the Townsville Bulletin when contracts were awarded for the
TE0071_185x125_SEN Recruitment ad_half_Horizontal.indd 1
work that the strategy would allow for a smooth transition to the new measures once existing security contracts finished. “Council’s new strategy will bring in a much higher level of security for the Townsville community,” she said. “Instead of sporadic security patrols spread thinly across the city at great expense, the city will have eyes watching over major public areas around the clock to assist the police. “Only the police have the powers of arrest, but CCTV coverage and surveillance provided by councils has an important role in public safety.” Meanwhile, Healthy and Safe City Committee chairman Cr Gary Eddiehausen told the Townsville Bulletin that the new strategy was in line with other cities and
Ted Pretty
followed a 5-month review of the council’s existing security coverage. “Townsville’s strategy has cherry-picked from other cities and is considered a far more effective way of managing security than what we currently do,” Cr Eddiehausen said. Cr Eddiehausen said the new system allowed the council to log incidents in real time and provide vision to police as quickly as possible. “Council will review the strategy every 3 months to see how the new arrangements are working and make whatever adjustments are needed,” he said. As part of the strategy, contracts were awarded to MSS Security for 24-hour CCTV monitoring at the Garbutt depot. Ardent Security won a tender for alarm monitoring and maintenance at council facilities.
Dallmeier 120ips HD cameras coming
ACCORDING to C.R.Kennedy’s Phil Viggiano, Dallmeier will release 120ips HD cameras by the end of October 2014. It’s a big move for Dallmeier, which is one of the quiet achievers of the IP camera market. The company has a long history in IP video and makes some fine products, including the Dallmeier DF4920HD DN IR. According to Viggiano, the new 5200 series Dallmeier cameras will be launched in the next 2 months. “These Dallmeier 5200 cameras feature new low light sensors that deliver sensitivity down to 0.05 lux and frame rates of up to 120 frames per second – more details will be coming soon.”
26/08/14 9:27 AM
Security control at your fingertips Solution 2000 & 3000
Built around the concepts of lifestyle, connectivity and expandability, Bosch introduce the Solution 2000 & 3000 alarm panels. Offering 4+4 and 8+8 zones respectively, Solution 2000 & 3000 give you everything you love about the Solution Ultima with the added bonus of IP & GPRS communication options and 4 on-board outputs, with an optional output expander to add 8 more relays. With LCD Icon, Alphanumeric LCD keypads and a range of touchscreen options, controlling your security system has never been simpler, especially with the Bosch smartphone app available for IOS & AndroidOS. These panels are even NBN ready with integrated CSV-IP communications*. Add remote programming via USB/PSTN/IP using A-Link Plus software and the option of wireless expansion using Radion (for Solution 3000 only), and you have an extremely agile security system that can cater for residential and small to medium commercial applications. All at an extremely competitive price! With future expansion options in coming months incorporating video integration and home automation, Bosch is excited to present the Solution 2000 & 3000. For more details visit: www.boschsecurity.com.au or contact your nearest Bosch Security Systems distributor. * some functions mentioned require additional modules.
Bosch National Order Desk: 1300 1 BOSCH (26724) Security Master License No: 409 400 739 Email: stsales@au.bosch.com
Smartphone app for IOS & AndroidOS
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news
ONVIF to clamp down on false compliance claims
september 2014
Hills Announces $A24 Million Profit for 2014
Ted Pretty
n HILLS Limited has reported a statutory net profit after tax attributable to shareholders of $A24.8M for the year ended 30 June 2014 and MD Ted Pretty said the company was seeking larger acquisitions in the security space. In line with market consensus, the company’s FY14 underlying NPAT1 was $27.3M. According to Hills, this result was achieved in very challenging market conditions across the building and construction sector with improvements in revenue from the Group’s continuing Hills Technologies Segment. Hills net cash at 30 June 2104 was $8.5M, with total debt facilities in place of $202.7M. The
company has capacity for further acquisitions in line with its strategic and financial objectives. Hills is in discussions with its bankers regarding the refinancing of its entire debt facility on better commercial terms and securing a new facility which will provide ample capacity for further acquisitions. Asset sales and acquisitions during FY14 included Hills completing the sale of Orrcon and Fielders to BlueScope; the sale of UHS Systems to UTC; and Opticomm to Hills joint venture partner. Acquisitions by the Group during the financial year included: Merlon (nurse call); HTR (patient entertainment), Questek (nurse call), Open Platform
Yankees show their metal n YANKEE Stadium is adding metal detectors at some of the venue’s entrances as part of Major League Baseball’s efforts to standardize security at all stadiums. All entrances at Yankee Stadium will have metal detectors by 2015. According to reports, fans will be asked to remove cell phones and all large metal objects from their pockets before walking through the metal detectors. The detectors will support current bag
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checks. Fans who choose not to go through a walkthrough metal detector will have the option of being manually checked with a hand-held detector. It’s a move likely to be replicated at other major sports venues globally, most of which currently rely on cursory bag checks. The challenges for security managers of such venues include ensuring fluidity of vast foot traffic flow into and out of venues before and after games.
Systems (security), Intek (security) and APG (audio products). Ted Pretty said the FY14 underlying result was in line with guidance provided to the market recently and further reflects success in delivering on Hills new strategy. “Our restructure of Hills by exiting businesses non-core to its future and closing unprofitable businesses is now largely complete. We continue to drive new initiatives and programs to improve group operations.” Pretty said. “Hills is now firmly focused on businesses which can deliver higher returns. We are concentrating on opportunities as an integrated solutions provider in the technology
and communications market segments, with a particular but not exclusive focus on security and health care technologies.” Pretty noted the Reserve Bank’s recent observation that notwithstanding a pick-up in growth around the turn of 2014, GDP growth was expected to be below trend over the next year or so, rising gradually thereafter. “While the continuing subdued commercial construction sector does impact building-related technologies, Hills remains very well positioned for the year ahead,” he said. “We have entered FY15 with a very strong balance sheet, reduced structural and operating complexity and a lower operating risk profile. We have ample capacity for further acquisitions that are accretive to our core and or offer medium to long term growth opportunities. “Hills current guidance is for an underlying FY15 NPAT attributable to owners of $22-24M (before further acquisitions) reflecting expectations of underlying growth in continuing technologies business,” Pretty said. “Hills also intends to seek larger acquisitions in the security and healthcare technology sectors.”
Per Björkdahl
ONVIF will clamp down on false claims of ONVIF compliance, reserving the right to take action against companies using apparent compliance with its standards as a marketing tool for non-compliant hardware. Given the challenges of policing compliance, ONVIF says it will rely on the support of Observer members to alert the company to incidents of non-compliance. As well as the threat of ‘action’ against non-compliers, the organisation will also undertake a process of educating the market about what requirements have to be met before products can be advertised as ONVIFconformant. “As ONVIF profiles have increased in deployment and acceptance globally, we have seen a few issues with claims of conformance or misuse of our trademarks,” said Per Björkdahl, chairman of the ONVIF Steering Committee. “In many cases, we are seeing that the invalid claims are the result of a lack of understanding about the processes, and this is why we are working hard to communicate better with our members about what is required of them,” said Björkdahl. “Another area we need to educate the market about is regarding the use of rebranded OEM products. ONVIF certifications on OEM products are not transferable, and so members who OEM a product which already has a claim of conformance must re-test and submit new documentation to show valid conformance.” Earlier this year, ONVIF created the new Observer membership, which allows consultants, systems integrators and members of the media to validate claims of conformance with an ONVIF profile. As a result, Björkdahl said they’ve seen an increase in reports of issues with particular products.
Security.
At the Center of Your Business. Genetec Security Center is the leading enterprise-class security platform deployed by some of the world’s most demanding organizations, governments and cities. From video surveillance and license plate recognition to access control and intrusion detection, Security Center unifies the security systems that are critical to your operations, so you can see the big picture and make better security decisions – both today, and tomorrow. Start Here. At your Security Center. Learn more with our partner at opsystems.com.au +61 3 9646 9004 sales@opsystems.com.au
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Š 2014 Genetec. All rights reserved. Genetec, and the Genetec logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Genetec. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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Innovative Solutions
news september 2014
Ted Pretty
Hills Lan 1 and Sophos Sign Distribution Agreement nHILLS business Lan 1 has entered into a new distribution partnership with Sophos, which will expand Sophos’ market coverage across Australia and ensure a broader range of resellers have access to its entire IT security suite. Under the terms of the agreement, Hills will market, sell and support Sophos’s entire portfolio of network, server and endpoint security solutions, including the latest version of Sophos Cloud, which was launched in Australia earlier this year for small and mid-
market organisations seeking a simpler approach to IT security. According to Hills, the company is strengthening its security focus, including IP security, IP storage, IP networking and IP cameras/CCTV, ensuring the company is well positioned to provide the reach and support for Sophos that its partners need to drive further success. “We have built a strong reputation with our security practice in Australia and we are very excited to be working with Sophos to provide its
best-in-class products to our channel partners.” said Daniel Lee, Hills head of CCTV, surveillance and IT. “The introduction of Sophos’ portfolio of solutions in mobile device management, endpoint security and cloud is highly complementary to our current offering and closely aligned with our IP security strategy. “We have a strong national presence and are well equipped to provide the Sophos security portfolio to our partners and customers to help them grow profitability and capitalise on the market’s
need for innovative IT security solutions and services.” The announcement reiterates Sophos’ commitment to the Australian reseller channel, providing partners with even greater access to Sophos products, as well as additional access to technical expertise and increased support. “We are very excited to announce our distribution partnership with Hills, and believe this further reinforces Sophos’ commitment to our Australian partner community and ‘channel-first’ approach to the market,” said Mike Valentine, senior vice president, worldwide sales, Sophos. The new distribution agreement with Hills enhances Sophos’s current valued distributor network and partnerships in Australia. The complete Sophos product portfolio will be available through Hills business Lan 1 across Australia effectively immediately. “Our industry leading network, endpoint and server protection security portfolio will greatly enhance Hills offerings, providing a comprehensive suite of innovative IT security solutions and services for its channel partners.” said Karen Delaney, channel director, Sophos ANZ.
MSS Wins Australian Department of Defence Access Control Contract n MSS Security says it has signed a contract with the Department of Defence for the provision of Access Control services to Defence bases throughout Sydney, Northern NSW and all of Queensland. “It is an honour to be chosen as Defence’s sole provider of access control services in these regions” said Mike McKinnon, MSS Security’s managing director, “and we are particularly pleased that
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as a prime contractor directly to Defence, we are in a much better position to deliver value for money services. MSS Security is the longest serving provider of security services to Defence facilities and we are proud to be continuing this relationship.” The official base services contract signing ceremony was held on Wednesday 6 August at Defence Plaza Melbourne with Defence
representatives Steve Grzeskowiak, deputy secretary defence support and reform group, and Mark Jenkin, head of defence support operations in attendance. MSS Security representatives included MD Mike McKinnon, Don Burnett, finance director, Greig Francis, GM client services and Geoff Alcock, GM NSW. The contract, including extension periods, is for 10 years.
Steve Grzeskowiak
Telstra Pays $a291 Million for Video Streamer, Ooyala Chris David Dellenty Thodey
AUSSIE telco giant Telstra has increased its stake in Silicon Valley video streaming outfit Ooyala, taking a 98 per cent majority with a $A291 million spend. Telstra already owned a 23 per cent share of the company, stumping $A65.86 million over the last 2 years. Ooyala provides video streaming solutions and analytics for global broadcasters, pay-TV operators and online media sites including Telstra, ESPN, Univision, Telegraph Media Group, Dell, Sephora, Foxtel, NBC Universal, Comedy Central, News Corp, Yahoo! Japan and The Washington Post. What the acquisition makes clear is that Telstra sees its future in broad brushstrokes. This acquisition also fattens the company’s potential bundle, enhancing the leverage of an RMR model that will include alarm monitoring and cloudbased CCTV solutions. And while there may be some cross-fertilisation of ideas and technology with the video surveillance market, the clearest message the acquisition sends is that Telstra plans to be a major player in the future of internet TV. Telstra CEO David Thodey said the investment in Ooyala would help build the Silicon Valley-based company into a world leading personalised video platform company by providing ongoing investments and business relationships. “Ooyala is one of the industry’s fastestgrowing personalised video platform companies...Our investment allows Ooyala to take their solution to the next level and thereby further accelerate growth,” Thodey said.
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news september 2014
QSS Nails National Distribution of BPT Intercoms
Don Tummillo
Rob Rosa
n SFERE has appointed Q Security Systems as national distributor of BPT intercom products, which include IP and hybrid solutions for domestic, high-rise residential and commercial buildings. It’s a big win for QSS, rounding out the company’s offerings with one of the intercom segment’s best-known brands. And QSS COO Rob Rosa says his company intends to take BPT intercoms aggressively to market. “BPT offers one of the most advanced and yet easiest to install intercom
solutions with a level of flexibility and scalability you’d expect from a market leader,” Rosa said. “We believe BPT’s IP and hybrid solutions give us yet another edge against competitors, especially where flexible building infrastructure is required.” “This new relationship with BPT Asia Pacific is part of our continuing drive into lateral markets and it empowers installers with flexible new solutions that complement our existing technologies. “Our national QSS sales team has just gone through an intensive sales
and technical training course over the past several weeks carried out by the SFERE Group team and is keen to get started,” Rosa said. Meanwhile, SFERE’s Don Tummillo said the distribution agreement with QSS was carefully planned to obtain major brand exposure via QSS’ big national branch network across Australia, a footprint which offered excellent stock availability and local technical support. “This partnership comes at a key moment in the development of intercom
Home Automation Market Growing at 24.5 per cent n ACCORDING to researcher TMR, the home automation market was worth $US3.6 billion in 2012, with continued strong growth projected through 2019. The global home automation market is projected to grow at a rate of 24.5 per cent CAGR through 2019, according to Transparency Market Research. North America is the largest market for home automation systems and is
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expected to remain so with the United States growing as the single largest market during the forecast period, 2013-2019. During 2012, U.S.’s revenue share was reported at 40.7per cent. Other countries such as Germany, China, India and Australia are considered as high potential markets by many industry players. Titled “Home Automation Market: Industry, Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast,” the report
analyzes the marketplace on a global level. It provides cross sectional analysis of the market for home automation systems based on parameters such as geography, system type, applications and networking technology. Among the major companies included in the report: Crestron Electronics; Control4; Honeywell; Johnson Controls; Siemens; Nortek; Schneider Electric; iControl Networks; 2GIG; and Vantage Controls.
technology,” Tummillo explained. “Intercom solutions are transitioning to IP-based structured applications. It’s a shift that offers many opportunities for BPT products to assist integrators with ease of installation and many flexible user features, such as intercom connectivity via smartphone apps.” Rosa is pleased with the deal and said he’s been itching for weeks to get the good news out to the company’s customers. “BPT is right up there with the market leaders when it comes to audio video door phone systems,” Rosa said. “BPT solutions range from domestic systems, all the way through to high rise multi-tenant multi-block residential and commercial buildings.” “It’s a very exciting time for Q Security Systems with new people and products and this latest addition to our product offering in BPT Intercoms.”
BPT offers one of the most advanced and yet easiest to install intercom solutions with a level of flexibility and scalability you’d expect from a market leader
Ted Pretty Ian Fuller Steps Across to QSS as Vic Branch Manager Ian Fuller
IAN Fuller has joined QSS as Victorian Branch Manager after 11 years at Pacific Communications, the last 4 as IP product manager specialising in DVTel. Fuller has more than 18 years experience in the electronic security industry. He joined Pacific Communications 2003 as the Rail project manager completing the rollout of CCTV on rolling stock. At the completion of that project he became branch operations manager responsible for the daily running of the sales branch as well as managing CCTV rollouts for national customers such as Coles and Target. In 2006 Fuller became Victorian project operations manager successfully winning the Metro Trains CCTV System, which over time has become the largest DVTEL system in Australia. This included project management, design, commissioning and technical support. “I look forward to the next step in my career as the Victorian branch manager at Q Security Systems,” Fuller said.
news september 2014
Ted Pretty
Bosch Closes Perth, Brisbane Branches – Expands Strategic Distribution n BOSCH Security Systems has closed its branches in Perth and Brisbane while expanding its strategic national distribution. With the recent closure of its Perth and Brisbane sales counter operations, Bosch Security Systems says its customers may be forgiven for thinking that it is consolidating operations in Australia. However, the facts are vastly different, explains Chris Dellenty, general manager of Bosch Security Systems. “We decided last year to change our go-to-market
model and focus our resources on 3 main areas: our major customers, our project business and strategic distribution partners,” Dellenty explains. “In the case of distribution partners, the aim was simple; expand our geographical coverage and increase the number of vendors a customer can purchase Bosch Security products from. With a greater network of branches, distribution partners are in a better position to meet the needs of these everyday trade buyers.”
Chris Dellenty
With this in mind, Bosch has closed their sales counters in Perth and Brisbane, appointed multiple distributors in their place, and retained business development managers in each city for the purpose of servicing key business segments. Major customers now benefit from 3rd party warehouse operations in Perth and Brisbane to fill urgent same-day order requirements. Office space has been secured in Subiaco, Perth for the purpose of business meetings and product demonstrations, and in Brisbane, the top floor of the former Bosch office has been retained for the same purpose. Business development managers in both regions remain to assist distribution partners and nurture relationships with major customers, consultants and specifiers. Bosch says its commitment to its core customers is also demonstrated through the introduction of the Bosch Security Certified Partner (BSCP) Accelerator Program, which commenced at the start of July. “The new SCP Accelerator Program is an industryleading loyalty program that provides a number of impressive benefits to our major customers”, said Dellenty.
Commonwealth Games 2018, security electronics for hire n The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation has tendered for a request for information for the hire of electronic security and control equipment. The RFI closes on September 15, 2014. The Request for Information invites interested suppliers in relation to hire of key security items
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including ICT security equipment as well as CCTV cameras, cabling, screens and recorders. The Commonwealth Games Corporation is also looking for X-ray machines, archway magnetometers, hand held wands, digital radios and bag searching tongs for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Sky uses HVEC (H.265) for 4K “It is one cornerstone of our new strategy and we are very excited to be offering it now to our direct customers. Our account managers are currently busy with the rollout and the response has been extremely positive.” Bosch says its customers will also benefit from an increased focus on product-specified project business. With the support of the business development managers and the integrated projects team, key customers, consultants and specifiers can draw on the pool of Bosch technical experience and the latest security and communication technologies, to help win projects and see them through to completion. According to Dellenty, far from consolidating, Bosch is on a clear path to growth and is already experiencing positive effects from these strategies. He says that with a continued focus on key customers and partners, and the ability to service everyday trade customers through high-quality distributor networks, the goal is to be the company of choice for high-quality products, customer service and support in the security industry. “After all, our growth and success ultimately comes from satisfied customers”, said Dellenty.
Chris Dellenty
BROADCASTER Sky has achieved a world first by transmitting a Bundesliga soccer game live in 4K definition – the current digital cinema standard. With its 3840 x 2160 resolution, 4K provides 4 times as many pixels as today’s Full HD TV resolution. Normalising HEVC TV will have a flow-on effect to video surveillance applications. Higher resolution inevitably creates more than 4 times the data volumes of standard HD, so the broadcaster used the new HEVC video compression standard to transmit the huge amount of data. HEVC, short for High Efficiency Video Coding, was developed by major electronics manufacturers together with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI. This type of real-time encoding throws up numerous challenges. While the previous standard, H.264, divides the image to be transmitted into blocks of 16 x 16 pixels, HEVC subdivides using variable block sizes. The encoder must decide which block sizes make the most sense on an image-by-image basis. The key advantage of HEVC is that it requires only half the bitrate of its predecessor H.264 to provide the same picture quality, allowing it to transmit twice as much data on the same channel. The video compression technique was used for the game between FC Bayern Munich and SV Werder Bremen held in the Allianz Arena on April 26, 2014. The live coding of the 4K camera images from the stadium enabled the successful application of the technique developed by the HHI researchers together with their colleagues at Rohde & Schwarz. “For the first time, we were able to encode 4K recordings live,” said Benjamin Bross, who heads up the HEVC project at the HHI.
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Video management systems Video management systems are the interface between the raw data of camera inputs and storage bins, and security management teams. The latest generation of VMS solutions is notable for its functional power and operational simplicity. And the best is yet to come.
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By John Ada m s
G
LOBALLY, the VMS market is worth between $US700m-1b with Milestone and Genetec sharing the largest slice of the market, followed by ONSSI, Verint and Nice Systems. There are a number of other developers including Geutebruck, Axxon, DVTel, IndigoVision and Avigilon whose VMS solutions have long histories and excellent reputations. In all there are about 70 VMS manufacturers offering a swathe of solutions at multiple price points. Over the past 12-18 months something that has been increasingly clear when working with video management systems is their enhanced capabilities in lock-step with increasing levels of operational intuition. I’m seeing excellent features like mapping, video analytics and layers of integration, which combine with increasingly simple operation. Something else I’ve noticed in the near past is a combination of the firmware-based functionality of IP cameras melded with video management solutions. This allows deep control of camera parameters from workstations. While some of this functionality is set and forget, there are other aspects of camera performance that should be tweaked by capable operators depending on local conditions, including time of the day, time of the year and changing threat levels. Another tidal trend is towards open systems. There were a handful of open systems pioneers that rejected the development of proprietary management solutions. For these companies, open platform was a niche. Their VMS would work with any camera, any encoder, with any ancillary hardware. Today, many hardware manufacturers build VMS solutions that are hardware agnostic but those companies whose entire businesses are dedicated to the ongoing development of open VMS still lead the field in my opinion, with perhaps 5-6 exceptional open platform solutions from hardware manufacturers in the running. In this feature we’re going to talk to manufacturers about some of the benchmark video management solutions that are available today, taking a look at a handful of their key strengths. We’ll talk about
Freedom VMS system size can range from 1 to thousands of cameras and the solution offers alarm integration support, as well as eMaps with operation for both live monitoring and play back. Andrew Del Biondo
things like maximum possible inputs, support for multiple camera technologies (analogue, HD-SDI, IP, HD-CVI, etc), as well as integration of access events, automation capability, analytics including license plate recognition, mapping and potential for user and integrator development.
Who’s got what? Kobi Ben-Shabat of Hills OPS has been distributing and supporting Genetec VMS solutions for many years. Ben-Shabat says Genetec Security Center is the company’s flagship solution. “Genetec Security Center merges 3 main security applications, including video surveillance, access control, and license plate recognition, in a single intuitive solution,” he explains. “The platform can also incorporate third party security and business systems for a completely unified management solution. “What sets this system apart is that Security Center is Genetec’s unified security platform that seamlessly blends IP security surveillance systems into a single intuitive interface to simplify your operations.” According to Ben-Shabat, end users should seek VMS solutions that are feature-rich, offer enterprise capabilities yet are extremely easy to use. Meanwhile, for installers what’s important is a VMS that is easy to install, reliable and that end users find easy to use.
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“Genetec ticks all these boxes,” Ben-Shabat says. Something that end users need to take into account with VMS is up-front or annual per-input license fees and what sort of benefits accrue from them. Each solution is different in this regard. Some systems come with no ongoing fees but may receive little ongoing development and support. Users need to look for a solution that will be constantly improved and enhanced, as well as being supported 24-hours. To this end, price should not be the only consideration. “With Genetec Security Center, the only on-going fee is the SMA (software maintenance agreement) which is not compulsory,” explains Ben-Shabat. “But an SMA will entitle you to upgrade to the latest and greatest version at no charge. It entitles you to direct support from Genetec and ensures your software is kept up to date as new cameras are introduced to the market.” One of the biggest trends in VMS today is intelligent video analytics. IVA is a technology we’ve been hearing about for decades. In the past it has always been constrained by challenges of integration, lack of processing speed and patchy performance. In 2014, things have changed. IVA is ubiquitous and key features including LPR are being specified into tenders. According to Ben-Shabat, IVA is a key trend at the moment in terms of the ongoing development of the Genetec solution. “Yes, absolutely,” he says. “Genetec is integrated to a wide range of leading analytic companies. This is a growing trend as analytics helps minimise man hours and makes alarm management more efficient.” Over at Camvex, Andrew Del Biondo says that Freedom VMS is an Australian-manufactured
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CCTV software solution that supports 6 currently available CCTV technologies including analogue, 960H, IP, HD-SDI, HD-CVI and HD-TVI across multiple brands. “Freedom VMS system size can range from 1 to thousands of cameras and the solution offers alarm integration support, as well as eMaps with operation for both live monitoring and playback,” Del Biondo explains. “What sets Freedom VMS apart from the opposition in my opinion is price, simplicity, support for multiple CCTV technologies and eMap playback. There are no recurrent costs for Freedom VMS, which is an important issue for our customers. Software upgrades are available free from our website and users have the option to enter into a support agreement with our resellers if required.” Del Biondo doesn’t see analytics as a key trend in Freedom VMS’ development at this time. Instead he argues end users should be looking for value for money and intuitive operation of core functions. Key features installers need to focus on include value for money, simple system setup and good technical support. Another of the pioneers of open platform VMS design is Milestone Systems. Milestone XProtect 2014 VMS is delivered with 3 customizable client interfaces including XProtect Smart Client, XProtect Web Client and Milestone Mobile with video push capability (using smartphone cameras) to push video to XProtect or vice versa, which Milestone says is ideal for roaming security staff and first responders. The company’s Milestone XProtect 2014 video management software suite supports unlimited numbers of cameras, encoders and
Security Center is Genetec’s unified security platform that seamlessly blends IP security surveillance systems into a single intuitive interface to simplify your operations. Kobi Ben-Shabat
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DVRs - more than 3,600 models from more than 130 manufacturers, according to Christian Bohn, Milestone’s VP marketing & strategic alliances. “The Milestone Integration Platform Software Development Kit (MIP SDK) enables integration with unlimited third-party systems and devices such as access control, video analytics, biometrics, Point-of-Sale, ERP, RFID, HVAC, laser scanners, GPS locators, gunshot detection and more. “XProtect VMS features include automatic configuration wizards, customizable rules engine, centralised and local management, Milestone Federated Architecture, and Milestone Interconnect and active directory support with flexible/tiered user rights management,” Bohn explains. “XProtect Smart Wall has multi-layer interactive maps, alarm manager, motion detection and privacy masking, smart search and Milestone Sequence Explorer, 2-way audio, scalable multiserver solution, edge storage and video metadata support, encrypted video storage, bookmarking, storyboarding, evidence lock, multiple video export formats, while Milestone Customer Dashboard allows online system monitoring for optimal operations and reporting.” According to Bohn, Milestone XProtect VMS is reliable and proven in thousands of customer installations worldwide and has been listed as a global leader by IHS Inc. market research repeatedly since 2006. “Our open platform technology and business model mean that Milestone customers can choose from the widest options in hardware, integrations and partners to fit any budget – and to upgrade their solution over time, leveraging the original
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XProtect VMS features include automatic configuration wizards, customizable rules engine, centralized and local management, Milestone Federated Architecture and Milestone Interconnect and active directory support with flexible/tiered user rights management. Christian Bohn
investment as needs change and new innovations come out.” says Bohn. “The Milestone SDK is a big differentiator, including training, and certifications of Milestone Solution Partner offerings, including documented test results with best practice guidelines. “In terms of license fees, Milestone has a one-time license fee for perpetual use with the opportunity to buy different software upgrade plans and technical support.” Bohn certainly sees video analytics as a key trend at the moment. “Video analytics is seeing more uptake these days with prices and availability having improved,” he explains. “Analytics helps to filter the most important data from the video, saving on bandwidth and storage, cutting search times, and enabling easier investigations. Milestone Systems lists many types of video analytics integrations with XProtect VMS in the online Solution Finder – more than 30 different video analytics solutions.” Bohn has a clear idea of what end users should be looking for in a VMS solution. “A full product suite to give the most options in pricing and functionality covering all needs, big or small, simple or complex,” he says. “End users want reliability, flexibility, scalability and freedom of choice to grow and expand with integrations over the
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long run. You also want a fully documented SDK for doing the integrations and a comprehensive training program for partners that ensures ongoing expertise.” Installers should be looking for different things, according to Bohn. “Partners need solid support from software vendors, both in sales leads and activities like webinars, events and road shows, marketing and PR that keeps the brand and solutions visible in the market,” Bohn says. “They also need good sales collateral, training and follow-up technical support for implementation, maintenance and upgrades. Regular upgrades like ongoing device pack releases and new software features also mean
What makes DVTEL Latitude VMS better than the opposition is that DVTEL is a complete solution from the camera lens to the human eye – it’s the most open complete solution on the market today. Ian Fuller
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continual business opportunities for partners.” At Q Security Systems the chosen VMS is DVTEL Latitude NVMS, which according to QSS Victorian branch manager, Ian Fuller, is a scalable solution from a few cameras to hundreds or thousands of cameras. “Latitude is an open platform that supports all leading camera vendors, is ONVIF Profile S compliant, and offers the most comprehensive SDK for any type of integration,” says Fuller. “DVTEL has extensive experience in integrating with access control systems, video analytics, GIS systems, license plate recognition programs and perimeter systems by employing an extensive range of communication protocols to connect to other systems (TCP/IP, XML, Restful API, text files and more). “What makes DVTEL Latitude VMS better than the opposition is that DVTEL is a complete solution from the camera lens to the human eye – it’s the most open complete solution on the market today,” Fuller says. “As well as being a leading VMS, DVTEL has focused on creating a modern NVR for the smaller size systems, but still built of the core of the Latitude Enterprise system – Meridian and Horizon. DVTEL has a customer-focused attitude to service with VMS and NVR offerings providing a complete solution for major sites that also need a solution for smaller satellite sites.” From Fuller’s perspective, there is a trend towards analytics. “We see an increasing trend in project specifications for video analytics,” he says. “And with DVTEL we are able to offer multiple video analytics solutions; ioimage edge based analytics, DVTEL SVA server based analytics and now we have seen the introduction of DVTEL thermal cameras. “DVTEL also integrates to 3rd party video analytic systems. DVTEL sees a trend towards video analytics with HD image quality and is about to release modern Quasar HD Cameras with ioimage built-in.” Like others, Fuller maintains that end users need a system that’s powerful and dependable. “Users will want a system that is a proven
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G-SIM is an enterprise grade, highly flexible and scalable platform that supports all major manufactures of IP cameras – literally thousands of IP cameras are supported along with all major compression technologies. Anthony Brooks
platform, reliable and scalable,” Fuller says. “Having an open system that does not lock them in to one camera vendor is also important. Users also need a system that is future-proof - the system has to meet the needs of the customer today, but will grow as their needs change without having to replace the initial investment. “At the same time, installers need a system that is easy to install and robust,” says Fuller. “They want to deliver a professional solution on time and on budget. Aside from the Latitude VMS, DVTEL in the last few years has placed focus on providing a modern NVR solution that is quick and easy to install without compromising on the quality of the system. This has seen the emergence of DVTEL’s Horizon and Meridian NVR systems.” Importantly, there are no license fees for using the system but DVTEL does have an optional annual Software Service Agreement (SSA) that provides major software upgrades as well as prioritized support service. At Geutebruck, Anthony Brooks says the
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Geutebruck G-SIM – (Geutebruck Security Information Management) is the company’s video management solution. “G-SIM is an enterprise grade, highly flexible and scalable platform supporting all major manufacturers of IP cameras – literally thousands of IP cameras are supported, along with all major compression technologies,” Brooks says. “This includes our own Geutebruck H.264CCTV (which provides absolutely fluid, jolt-free reverse play, making it ideal for live monitoring environments). Further, we provide extremely granular resolutions that range from just 160 pixels right up to the latest 4K cameras. “There’s no limit to the number of channels supported, providing Geutebruck customers with unlimited scalability. And our extensive hardware options include hybrid recorders, Geutebruck servers, COTS servers and optional Geutebruck software only – including fully virtualised environments. Geutebruck provides a very simple and cost effective migration path from analogue to digital.” According to Brooks, Geutebruck has a mature and comprehensive SDK that is provided at no charge to partners. “Currently we have over 80 HLI’s supported with a strong focus on locally (Aust and NZ) manufactured and supported security systems,” he says. “Access control systems, car parking systems, cash counting systems, ANPR, RFID, bar code systems and POS systems are included. Our own development team provides customers and developers with support, from planning to implementation and testing.” Brooks argues that technology “is entering into an extremely interesting era of machine
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intelligence where we look at and monitor for expected behaviours and raise the flag when anomalies occur”. “Arguably, video analytics has a history steeped in disappointment and over-promise,” Brooks says. “As such, Geutebruck is very selective in the partners we work with and the development we do – much is internal and from the ground up. “Our extensive range of analytics includes the latest G-Tect – an advanced outdoor analytic which learns the scene and allows intelligent filters to be applied. G-Tect is a Geutebruck developed analytic and not a 3rd party integrated product. This provides us with a great deal of flexibility and control to ensure it is fit for purpose and tailored as necessary to fit individual customer needs. “As an industry, CCTV people are great at creating mountains of data and arguably a lot of it is noise,” Brooks points out. “The beauty in such effective analytics is it really helps to reduce the noise and bring meaning to video. AVI is an incredible and often underutilised resource for any organisation.” According to Brooks, what makes the G-SIM VMS better than the solutions of the opposition is that Geutebruck brings to its clients decades of experience with hundreds of thousands of successful video security systems in use. “We have a mature technology that combines a perfect combination of in-house software and hardware components with carefully selected third-party products providing optimal functionality, a high level of reliability and the best quality possible,” he says. Brooks argues that the key attributes of G-SIM that place it over other VMS systems include ease of use for operators, extremely low-latency and superior database management making the system faster. There’s also an extensive and flexible feature set available out-of-the-box and open platform architecture with an excellent cross-section of Geutebruck or COTS hardware, or software-only options. “There’s great local Australian/New Zealand support and responsiveness to clients’ needs,” Brooks says. “Our friendly support team has a real understanding of the Geutebruck platform – we
We often hear the words scalability, ease of use, powerful recording architecture, redundancy, global mapping, integration and the rest. Digifort has it all. Tooma Chong
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are not sold via a distributor. We genuinely love what we do.” What should end users look for in a VMS? “In a relatively short period of time we have seen the rise and rise of full-IP solutions and gone are the analogue days,” says Brooks. “But the selection of a VMS platform is not like sourcing a VHS recorder. And while IP delivers many advantages, options and lots of promise, the world of IP surveillance also comes with new risks such as the issues of longevity of investment (via backwards compatibility), interoperability of devices and future proofing. These are issues that were less of a concern in an analogue environment. “Users should look for ease of use – training staff is expensive and time consuming. The Geutebruck Viewing GUI is intuitive, simple and powerful – the one GUI manages all video - Live, Review and Exported video – the one simple platform for all occasions. “Reliability – reliability, reliability and reliability. Geutebruck builds redundancy and reliability into everything we do so as to maximise uptime. Our central monitoring platform, G-Health, provides clients with an extremely powerful and proactive monitoring tool with user-defined tolerances that alert the service provider and/or customer should anything go astray.” When it comes to performance, Brooks says that speed is the key. “Whether a user is searching for historic video or monitoring live video, speed is key. Geutebruck offers clients one of the lowest latencies when controlling cameras (a must when driving PTZ cameras) and our video retrieval is lightning fast. “Users also want open platforms that provide choice and flexibility – be it hardware platforms, integrations of 3rd party systems and the ability to utilise existing infrastructure within an organisation. “Also vital is commitment and support – everyone looks good when blue-sky sailing,” Brooks says. “However, the ability to deliver technical excellence day in, day out requires commitment and the ability to resolve problems when they arise. Geutebruck provides 24/7 component level support locally – 365 days a year. Finally, users need backwards compatibility. You need to make sure the investment of today will work tomorrow as the rate of change is extraordinary.” What about installers – what’s important for them? “Installers and manufacturers share many common requirements,” Brooks says. “Front and centre is the ability to deliver effective solutions; meeting/exceeding business outcomes, while delivering a measurable RIO. This fosters customer loyalty and retention and is far cheaper
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Your lobby is your first line of defence and your visitor’s first impression. With increased threats, the traditional method of using a log book and generic visitor tags leaves you vulnerable. Information written in the logbook can be illegible or false, resulting in an inaccurate record of your visitors and no warning that your visitors aren’t who they say they are. Competitors, hackers and suppliers can also read your logbook and gain confidential information about your business. The LobbyWorks visitor management system offers a better alternative to meet these challenges. With LobbyWorks™, visitors are identified, potential threats are flagged, expected visitors are pre-authorized, badges are issued, sponsors are notified, and visitors are tracked while on the premises.
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vms
End users should look for an easy-to-use and intuitive front-end GUI, reliability and they should focus on total cost of ownership. Tooma Chong
than customer acquisition. “An important differential between Geutebruck and many other VMS solutions is our path to market. We are not a box-mover sold via a traditional distributor network. Rather we deal directly with our system integrators. This allows us to deliver a higher level of technical support and customisation.” Brooks says installer/partners seek similar outcomes as end-users – with just one addition to the list and this is profitability. “The bottom-line can be significantly affected by reducing the labour costs associated with an installation, commissioning and training,” he explains. “We deliver ease of install, including wizards and templates to help configure systems, high reliability, great local after-sales support is in the Geutebruck DNA, no SMA (there are no ongoing costs for the latest software with Geutebrück) and flexibility – our platform is extremely customisable. At EOS Australia, the VMS is Digifort, a robust and capable solution that is affordable upfront yet comes with no ongoing costs in any form at all. There are 4 versions of Digifort, the first being Explorer, which offers only the essential features and a maximum of 16 channels, making it ideal for small office/home office applications wanting very low cost. Digifort Standard version supplies the ideal features for the local and remote surveillance of up to 32 cameras per server and is ideal for small and mid-sized installations. Digifort Professional supplies the ideal features for the local and remote surveillance of up to 64 cameras per server, making it perfect for small, middle and large-sized installations, guaranteeing a robust installation, with high reliability and excellent performance at a compatible cost. Finally there’s Digifort Enterprise, which comprises all of the features available in the Digifort System, offering
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total management of unlimited cameras and alarm devices, and ideal for any company wanting total control of its security project, guaranteeing high performance, reliability and scalability. “Digifort has been integrated with more 164 brands and more than 3200 models of ONVIF cameras,” says Chong. “It’s also integrated with Samsung DVRs, DVR capture board cards, HD-SDI, HD-SDI Capture board cards, Vauban access control, Tyco C-CURE 9000, Centaur license plate recognition and there’s Carmen-driven video analytics. “We often hear the words scalability, ease of use, powerful recording architecture, redundancy, global mapping, integration and the rest,” Chong says. “Digifort has it all, and it does it all very well without over-promising. “And coming up is our new soon-to-be-released Digifort 7.0 which will have the world’s first Digifort mobile and insight, with one of the most powerful book marking features available.” What should end users and installers seek in a VMS? “In my opinion, end users should look for an easyto-use and intuitive front-end GUI, reliability and they should focus on total cost of ownership,” Chong says. “When it comes to installers, they need a solution that’s easy to configure at the commissioning stage as well as during upgrades. They also need simple licensing, reliability and a solution that’s easy to maintain and service.” According to Chong, EOS is definitely seeing a trend towards video analytics in its applications. “IVA brings another dimension to our CCTV solution which we never had before,” he says. “And it’s getting more reliable and more affordable.” zzz
Compliance. Security. Safety. Manage your risk with Integriti Integriti is a security management platform delivering world class solutions with the flexibility to meet the demands of the modern business environment. As an Access Control and Intruder Detection system, Integriti’s scope is unequivocally enterprise class. Add to this a suite of modules to enforce your OH&S policies, define qualification based access protocols, manage event escalations, emergency response plans, real-time user locations and harmoniously integrate with a host of leading business, CCTV and perimeter systems. The Integriti Security Management System takes consolidated management of all your security systems and policies to a new level and puts your everyday management tools directly on your desktop.
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1300 319 499 Product Specialists
CSD
Inner Range
Ash Ramanayake M. 0428 538 330 ash.r@centralsd.com.au
Rusty Blake M. 0439 326 757 russell.blake@innerrange.com
www.centralsd.com.au
n ews re p o rt
biometrics
Thumbs up? After years spent prevaricating over biometrics while copping around $A1.5 billion in credit card fraud losses, Australia’s big banks are moving towards the technology in a move that may have implications for access control solutions and mobile management apps.
F
IRST out of the blocks is St George Bank, which last month announced it would be adding fingerprint login to its mobile banking service. St George calls its fingerprint authentication solution TouchID and it will be available for iPhone 5S this month once iOS8 hits the market. Android users can expect TouchID services before the end of the year. At the same time, ANZ is planning analytics technology that will allow customers to be identified by their voice print and NAB is considering similar technology. Use of voice authentication technology by banks could lead to its use in access control applications at some point in the future. The attraction of voice recognition is that it does not have the negative overtones of fingerprint recognition, or the invasive characteristics retina scanning is perceived to have. Given consumer negativity towards biometrics is a key aspect of their failure to gain widespread acceptance globally, a push by the banks towards biometrics would be a significant step towards normalisation of use. And it’s not just physical access control solutions that would be effected. Perhaps more important still is the need to secure smart apps that allow mobile access to security management systems in domestic and commercial applications. In the future, remote authentication could be entrusted to a smart device by a security system. To get around customer fears over storage of sensitive biometric templates, St George is going to employ Apple’s app interface to provide a handshake between the St George mobile app and the fingerprint ID on the smart phone. “It’s difficult to respond when a disrupter has entered the market - you have
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to be at the forefront,” St George CEO George Frazis said, pointing out that St George had been one of the first banks to introduce Internet banking, mobile banking apps and to offer a Google Glass banking app. Meanwhile, ANZ Australia CEO Phil Chronican, said while the company had looked at a number of options with biometrics, voice authentication was the technology it was most likely to use. Chronican told a seminar recently that there was still resistance to some biometrics such as retina scans and fingerprints, but he said that customers had proved willing to use their voices to verify their identities to the bank. There’s more to voice recognition than security, however. Jayne Opperman, ANZ general manager technology, retail, commercial and wealth said the banks were also interested in additional biometric applications, for example analysing the tone of voice of a customer to determine how a customer was feeling, and automatically route and assign a priority to that call. Meanwhile Deloitte’s Centre for Financial Services has found: “Biometrics is another mobile device capability that financial services companies could leverage to make customer interactions easier and more secure. “Some of the current devices in the market, such as the iPhone 5STM and Samsung Galaxy S5TM, already have fingerprint scanners, for instance. And, what’s more, there is increasing evidence that financial services companies are using voice biometrics for authentication,” said Deloittes. “This appears to be just the beginning. In the next few years, more advanced biometric solutions in the form of palm, iris, and facial-recognition features that are embedded in mobile devices are likely to emerge. From the consumer’s perspective, these features carry substantial value. “According to our survey, nearly two-thirds of smartphone users said they would find it valuable to use biometric identification (fingerprint, voice scan, or retinal scan) on mobile devices for ATM transactions and payments,” said Deloittes. A key finding of the Deloitte’s survey was that comfort level with biometric security and encryption decreases as the amount of the transaction increases. “For instance, the proportion of consumers who are comfortable with this technology drops from 26 percent for a transaction size of $1,000 to only 11 percent for a transaction worth $10,000,” says Deloittes. “This finding illustrates that biometric solutions may be more successful for smaller transactions. As consumers gain experience with biometrics, they might then be more willing to use them for larger payments.” And with this familiarity, they may be more willing to use biometrics as a high security access control authentication technology as well. zzz
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p ro d u ct rev i ew
sifer reader
Inner Range O SIFER reader The SIFER card reader is a new smart card reader designed and manufactured by Inner Range. It is a multi-drop RS-485 based reader that employs 128-bit AES encryption from the card through to the door module. SIFER readers utilise the Mifare DESfire EV1 card format.
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NE of the access control solutions that caught my eye at Security 2014 in Melbourne was Inner Range’s new SIFER RS-485 reader. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen SIFER – I got a look at the prototype a couple of months before the exhibition. It’s an important step from Inner Range, in my opinion, positioning the company as a true Tier 1 access control solutions manufacturer. SIFER is a multi-drop RS-485 reader that supports Inner Range’s own DESfire EV1. SIFER readers and cards deliver AES encryption right through to the access module - far better security than Wiegand readers. SIFER readers have a superset of OSDP protocol in the driver’s seat, are IP64-rated and 16 readers can connect in series to the dedicated RS-485 reader port on an Integriti
by john adam s
Intelligent LAN Access Module giving read-in and read-out. In addition, up to 4 SIFER readers may be connected to the Integriti Simple LAN Access Module (SLAM). Before we take a look at the hardware, let’s have a squiz at the underlying specifications, starting with RS-485. First up, bear in mind that RS-485 is a medium that defines the electrical characteristics of drivers and receivers in balanced digital multipoint systems – in this case those multipoint nodes are controllers and readers in access control solutions. It’s worth pointing out some of the strengths of RS-485. For a start, it can be implemented using only 2 wires thanks to the fact its drivers must be actively signalled to transmit. Less wiring means RS-485 solutions cost less, are faster and easier to install and weigh less when installed. Something to take into account too,
RS-485 is no newcomer but a proven performer from automation to aeronautics. It’s the core of industrial manufacturing and process control solutions, including Modbus and Profibus. RS-485 has some more strong points worth pointing out to the uninitiated. While it’s multi-drop, it’s inexpensive and gives strong throughputs over 35Mbit/s at 10m or 100Kbit/s at 1200m. That monster cable run potential is courtesy of the technology’s differential twistedpair configuration. And because the signal is differential, it’s resistant to electromagnetic interference from switches, motors, welders and the rest. That makes installation easier and solutions more reliable over time. SIFER’s RS-485 multi-drop connectivity allows up to 15 readers per drop. And RS-485 also means bi-directional comms are AES-encrypted and authenticated between card and reader and reader and controller - no more unsecured Wiegand on the public side of doors. Nice! And SIFER’s RS-485 also means the readers can be mapped to any door on a controller, making installation and system design simpler. Other SIFER strong points include auto plug-and-play addressing by serial number on installation with Integriti Systems. That OSDP is important because RS-485 is about the physical electrical configuration of wires and nodes – it has no bearing on comms protocols. SIFER readers are also compatible with other access control solutions and installers use manual addressing when used with 3rd party systems. When used with Integriti systems, up to 16 SIFERs can be connected to an Integriti Intelligent Access Controller (IAC) or an Intelligent LAN Access Module (ILAM). Meanwhile, up to 4 SIFER readers can be connected to the Integriti Standard LAN Access Module (SLAM). “That’s our new SIFER reader – Open Supervised Device Protocol,” says Inner Range’s Vin Lopes, when I first set my eyes on SIFER in the company’s engineering department at Knoxfield. “It’s an RS-485 reader, not a Wiegand reader and it’s DESFire, so it’s got all the good stuff. With SIFER you get read-in and read-out
With Sifer you get readin and read-out on all our modules and you can program all the Sifer readers in a system from our software instead of doing them individually.
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p ro d u ct rev i ew
We now have multi-drop reader configurations and peer-to-peer communications, so we have all the boxes ticked when it comes to those high-end specifications in tenders. on all our modules and you can program all the SIFER readers in a system from our software instead of doing them individually. Installers can also create a template and push it globally to all readers in a system – just so much easier. “You see that little streak of light emblem,” points Lopes. “It’s colour-programmable – you can program it to show status of an area behind the door, or to show door open, or tamper, or anything else you like. With SIFER, installers have much greater ability to program readers to do what they want them to do.” When I pick up the reader it has a good feel in the hand. It’s potted for weatherproofing to IP-64 and compact at 94(L) x 40(W) x 16(D)mm. The plastic body is classic access reader-dark grey with soft edges, a lightly-textured fascia and that pair of integrated programmable multicolour LEDs that can be assigned flexibly, one long and one small. There are also integrated beepers and an optical tamper alert and SIFER is competitively-priced. At Security 2014 a few months after my initial encounter with SIFER, Mark Edwards, CSD NSW/ ACT state manager, told me the new reader was a big deal for Inner Range and for CSD.
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sifer reader
“It’s definitely an important release that’s right up in Tier 1 for configuration,” Edwards says. “We now have multi-drop reader configurations and peer-to-peer communications, so we have all the boxes ticked when it comes to those high-end specifications in tenders. “Great too, SIFER can go onto anyone’s OSDP bus – it’s not proprietary to Inner Range and that makes it very flexible. SIFER’s multi-drop reader configuration works as a daisy-chain with RS485 in and out of each of the readers controlling individual outputs on door controllers. This means less cable is required and there’s less time required to install it.” SIFER readers are available with site specific encryption keys and price is $A90-100, which is comparable with other readers in this class. SIFER starts shipping in the next month. zzz
Features of SIFER reader include: l Compact footprint 94(L) x 40(W) x 16(D)mm l RS-485 Multi-drop Connectivity l OSDP Compatible l MIFARE DESfire EV1 global standard for air interface and cryptographic methods l Encrypted (AES) and authenticated bidirectional comms between card and reader and controller l Auto plug and play Integriti, manual with 3rd party systems l Rated to IP64 with ingress protection to IP65.
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cas e st u dy
Duomo di Monreale Cathedra
Duomo di Monreale Cathedra Integrator Decibel has installed a Dahua megapixel video surveillance solution supplied by distributor Videotrend at Duomo di Monreale Cathedra in Sicily.
A
CCORDING to UNESCO, Italy has more heritage sites than any nation on the planet. It’s quite possible to turn a corner and find a Magna Graecia temple that’s thousands of years old. But it’s the early Christian and Byzantine architecture, dating back around 1000 years, that’s especially magnificent. The island of Sicily off the south coast of Italy has many historic monuments, including the magnificent Duomo di Monreale Cathedra. Famed for its glorious golden mosaics, Duomo di Monreale Cathedra was built in the 12th century as part of a grand royal complex. Its exterior and interior decorations; including its bricks, mosaics, and bronze doors; perfectly fuse Byzantine, Arab and Norman styles. Clearly, it’s of great importance that such an historic treasure be discreetly protected with advanced technology, and in this case a Dahua megapixel CCTV solution was selected and the system installed by integrator Decibel, with support from Videotrend s.r.l, Dahua’s local distributor.
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According to Dahua, while thinking about the solution scheme, the top priority was to protect the historical fabric of the structure. IP technology allowed minimal cabling and was less invasive, ensuring the delicate and subtle decor and surroundings of the cathedral were protected. Due to the dim lighting, low light performance of selected cameras had to be extremely good. To this end, 8 Dahua 1.3MP IR dome cameras were installed, and video streams processed through a PoE switch to a 16-channel network video recorder NVR with a total throughput of 32 Mb/s at 200fps, where images are stored in HD quality 720p. When it came to the exterior, Decibel installed Dahua’s 1.3MP discreet mini IR-bullet camera, which offers low light performance of zero lux, thanks to that IR component. The entire system is running on Dahua PSS, a central management system that allows viewing of images locally and remotely via ADSL/3G connections. For remote access, the system is cascaded to authorised users in the Monreale Archdiocese, and the data is able to be transmitted to other authorised public as well as private organizations for better promoting Sicilian culture and tourism. “It means a lot for us to be involved in this project as Duomo di Monreale Cathedra is not only a landmark, but a spiritual symbol in Sicily,” said Pasquale Totaro, president of Videotrend S.r.l. “Given its historical value, we took it very cautiously about the plan and installation, and now the cathedra is secured with modern technology without any hideous damage, and the feedback is quite good.” Dahua is also pleased with the results. “It’s great to know that our products can bring benefits to this fantastic architecture, thanks to our distributor, Videotrend, and the local installer, Decibel,” said Elmer Zhang, sales director of Dahua Technology, Europe. “We are very happy that our brand has had such a positive acceptance in Italy,” says Zhang. “Together with Videotrend we have already installed solutions at the F1 sportspark and Pescara harbor, and now the beautiful Duomo di Monreale Cathedra.” zzz
Given its historical value, we took it very cautiously about the plan and installation, and now the cathedra is secured with modern technology.
Panasonic Security Systems available from:
n ews re p o rt
nadi international airp ort
Evergreen Wins $A4m Nadi Contract F Integrator Evergreen will install a $A4 million integrated IP-based security solution at Nadi International Airport in Fiji. The solution includes AD cameras, a CEM access control system and a Wormald fire system, all supported by Tyco’s Victor management system. 44 se&n
IJIAN integrator Evergreen Fire & Security Fiji has won another key airport contract in the Pacific Islands. The company has already installed integrated CEM and American Dynamics’ access control, CCTV and Wormald fire solutions for airports in Samoa and Tonga and the latest win, announced late August, is the largest yet. Nadi International Airport is located on the comparatively dry, western side of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. Although it’s nearly 200km from the capital Suva, it’s Fiji’s main airport. Nadi International
by john adam s
We are really looking forward to the challenge of a project this size, as well as working with Tyco Fire and Security. This will be a unique system for the South Pacific islands and Fiji. International Airport was no exception. First put out in 2005, the tender process picked up speed in 2010, when the International Civil Aviation Organization began supporting the process. “Now we’ve won that tender, we are really looking forward to the challenge of a project this size, as well as working with Tyco Fire and Security,” Jamieson says. “This will be a unique system for the South Pacific islands and Fiji. “We start work on the project in September 2014 and the cyclone season kicks off in November and runs until May 2015, so that might be a challenge for Evergreen’s installation team of 15 techs.” The system being installed at Nadi International Airport combines CCTV, access control and fire. When it comes to specifics, the CCTV system will include more than 230 American Dynamics cameras, including 16 Illustra 625 PTZs, 12 Illustra 825 fisheye cameras and a mix of Illustra 600 camera variations to suit the challenges of particular locations. Handling the recording side will be 4 VE 4.5 recorders with 12Tb storage each. The CCTV system is to be integrated with CEM Systems’ access control system via Tyco’s Victor management solution. The CEM solution will include more than 120 reader-controllers comprising 62 s610e Ethernet reader-controllers, 32 exit readers and 16 s610F fingerprint readers, which will be used for time and attendance. Importantly, CEM’s access control solution Airport handles around 2.5 million domestic and international passengers each year and over the past 40 years it has become a tourism hub in its own right, with many resorts on the coast near the airport, as well as among the nearby Mamanuca Islands and on Denarau Island. Nadi International Airport is also the operational base for Fiji Airways, the head office for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Fiji Islands (CAAFI) and the Maintenance & Administration Centre for Air Pacific. Given its importance to tourism, as well as to air services in the South Pacific, it was vital Nadi International Airport install the best possible electronic security solution. According to Mike Jamieson, manager security Western Fiji at Evergreen Fire & Security Fiji, the tender process has for a number of reasons been a long one. All airport tenders are viscous in nature, thanks to a multiplicity of stakeholders. Fiji’s Nadi
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incorporates visitor management, vehicle management, ID and badging software, checkin desk enabling, air bridge control and ground power control. This flexibility allows the system to be enhanced and expanded as Nadi International Airport grows. Along with CCTV and access control, Evergreen will also install a Wormald fire alarm and sprinkler system throughout the airport. “We will install the new CEM and AD solutions in parallel with the existing systems and then cutover once we’ve completed all our commissioning and testing work,’ says Jamieson. “The basic same process will apply to the Wormald fire panels, though there is currently a mix of fire panels at Nadi airport that we’ll have to contend with.” According to Jamieson, Evergreen has gone with CEM and AD because the systems are builtfor-purpose, capable and reliable, and have a great reputation. He says the ongoing support of Tyco is important, too. “We chose the CEM and AD because these solutions are the best we have ever installed,” he says. “Our clients have been very happy with CEM and AD, too, which is obviously important. From an access control perspective, CEM is specifically designed for airports, so it’s much easier to configure.” As part of the contract, Evergreen has won a 5-year maintenance contract and Tyco will supply parts and service support through the term of that contract. Meanwhile, Tyco’s Scott Whitehead says his company got involved with the project around August 2010, when the ICAO issued a tender for CCTV and access control. “Thanks to Mike Jamieson, we were able to build solid relationships with key staff at the airport, and
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nadi international airp ort
Just like any airport, Nadi International is really a mini city and it has myriad requirements that demand flexibility in design and functionality.
Mike Jamieson
Scott Whitehead
we worked with Mike to demonstrate the system to all stakeholders as required,” Whitehead explains. “On the back of the other projects we did with Evergreen Fiji, Mike preferred to use the CEM/ AD combination – he has great confidence in the product. It really was a mutual feeling from our perspective. With the reputation Evergreen has in Fiji, we were confident of eventually winning the project,” he says. According to Whitehead, the key for Tyco has been to listen to airport stakeholders and understand the requirements and issues they have. “Just like any airport, Nadi International Airport is a mini city and it has myriad requirements that demand flexibility in design and functionality,” he explains. “Because our solution is full-IP across CCTV and access control systems, Nadi International Airport will have huge flexibility as it grows. “We’re obviously very pleased to win this contract. From our perspective, what led to success was that we were able to design a system to meet a price point, to meet the requirements the airport has right now, while offering a solution that’s entirely future proof,” Whitehead says. zzz
cas e st u dy
leeds city college
Top of the class Mobotix is being installed at Leeds City College to secure access to critical data centres and communication rooms across multiple sites.
L
EEDS City College was formed by merging Leeds College of Technology, Leeds Thomas Danby and Park Lane College Leeds & Keighley in 2009. In 2011, Joseph Priestley College also merged into the expanded new college. Its rapid growth gives Leeds City College a roll of 40,000 students and 1500 staff, making it one of Leeds’ largest employers. Behind the scenes of the merger, 4 ICT infrastructures combined for the delivery of services while benefiting from the natural economies of scale created by the larger entity. Following a tendering process, Leeds City College selected Express Data to lead a project to help design and build an integrated data network. The new network would be built around a highly resilient fibre core to ensure that the loss of any one critical data centre or network link would allow for an active failover and continuation of ICT services. A key consideration was the physical security of critical data and networking elements spread across Leeds at 15 college sites. “We run approximately 300 application servers and 770 network switches in support of more than 40,000 students and 1500 staff and have committed to a 98 per cent uptime,” says Dave Newsham, service delivery manager for Leeds City College, “We are very proud to have consistently achieved this benchmark and making sure that critical network elements are properly maintained and secured with fully audited access is an essential requirement.” Although the legacy colleges had previous
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We run approximately 300 application servers and 770 network switches in support of more than 40,000 students and 1,500 staff and have committed to a 98 per cent uptime.
installations of CCTV, these were predominantly focused on monitoring building access, common areas and car parking. The notion of CCTV monitoring for ICT assets was supported in only an ad-hoc fashion by a few of them. Following due diligence and after seeking advice from Express Data, a solution based on a Mobotix CCTV solution benefiting from distributed technology and built-in local storage was created to fulfil the technical implementation criteria while reducing the need for an expensive CCTV central control room or network upgrade. “The majority of the locations are darkrooms or places with almost no footfall,” explains Newsham. “This means that most of the cameras show black screens or static images and as such, there’s no requirement to transmit high resolution video over the network all the time. However, if somebody enters these areas we need to be able to see exactly who it is and what they are doing. “To meet this requirement, we have set up alerts to only send video back to our MxControlCenter software when there is a scene change, such as a door opening or person entering a data centre or comms room.” Newsham and his team also benefited from the built-in temperature sensors in each Mobotix camera. “Although we have environmental monitoring at the larger sites, Mobotix now provides us with a solution for smaller comms rooms as a backup to the other sensors,” he says. Express Data has installed 20 Mobotix cameras across college sites including a number of Q24 and Q25 hemispheric models that cover entire rooms in high definition quality. “The use of hemispheric cameras providing a 360-degree viewpoint means we can monitor larger areas that would normally require several cameras with just a single Mobotix unit. This approach makes the deployment easier while reducing cost and complexity,” says Newsham. “Our plan is to use Mobotix across the entire critical ICT infrastructure and the reliability and performance of the implementation has been faultless since the first unit went in,” he says. “We are now looking at some of the bells and whistles such as out of hours alerting and integrating monitoring into our new NOC (Network Operations Centre) and the Mobotix technology is certainly up to the task.”zzz
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National 1300 319 499 Tullamarine,Enquiries: Victoria Mulgrave, Victoria 20 Mallet Road TULLAMARINE 3043 vic@centralsd.com.au
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Marleston – SA Balcatta - WA Loganholme – QLD (08) 8468 8400 (08) 6465 1500 South Australia 0800 www.centralsd.com.au Alexandria, NSW Queensland Western Australia
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Game plan Alarm installers need to sit down and map out a game plan to ensure their clients’ alarm solutions and their own businesses are prepared to handle the changes the market faces over the next 24 months.
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BY JOHN ADAM S
I
t’s going to be a weird couple of years for the Australian alarm monitoring market. It’s not as if we had no idea this was coming but having everything going on at once is going to be a challenge. It’s goodbye to 2G, goodbye to PSTN, goodbye to rebates, hello to new technologies and powerful new competitors. It’s also an opportunity at multiple levels. From the point of view of manufacturers, there’s an opportunity to up-sell installer customers and their end users to newer and more flexible solutions. Even if installation businesses decide to stick with existing alarm panels, and you’d assume many will, there’s still going to be a hardware component in the form of an additional communicator required to handle 3G and IP. For installers, the opportunities are more nuanced. It’s likely many installers will simply bolt on new communicators and leave things at that. But other installers are going to use the opportunity afforded by the impending winding up of the PSTN network and the closure of the 2G GPRS wireless network to up-sell customers. Fact is, this is a golden opportunity for upselling. When you consider that after an alarm installation there are very few opportunities for a positive touch with customers, it seems installers should at the very least float the idea of a panel upgrade. Superior alarm systems might have a video verification or an automation component, with some functionality being managed over an IP network by the users while alarm events are monitored by a control room. The best of the latest generation of alarm panels is very capable. When you compare the user experience of a quality touch screen and a good management app with the LCD displays of yore, there’s plenty of glamour to sell. Functionality is improved to. There are many more alarm sensor types than there used to be and there’s the added benefit of controlling air conditioning, lighting and watering systems. Video verification is a big one but I’m still not sure we’re exactly where we need to be with that yet. Adventurous users are already starting to think about 4K so dishing up QCIF
Other installers are going to use the opportunity afforded by the impending winding up of the PSTN network and the closure of the 2G GPRS wireless network to up-sell customers. quality video verification that is not court – admissible is unlikely to pry open their wallets. There are a number of nice alarm and automation panels on the market right now, including DSC NEO, Tuxedo and Vista from Honeywell, Ness with its extremely capable 2GIG controllers and Bosch with the Solution 2000 and 3000. There’s a risk with not up-selling customers to these better alarm systems. That risk is miring end users so deep in yester-tech than when they upgrade, they’ll upgrade right out of hardware altogether. That’s because there’s an opportunity we’ve not seen being pushed just yet – the alarm system as a service. Exactly how such a solution might be delivered is uncertain but the heart of the matter is obviously going to bulletproof comms. Radiating out from this comms device could be a universal standard of security devices reporting on an industry standard encrypted wireless protocol. Such a protocol is going to be something way more secure than typical panel wireless comms of 433MHz or 866MHz. And it’s also going to be something with a bandwidth capable of supporting say, 720p at 15ips. We really need proper bandwidth if we’re going to do video verification properly. The alternative to providing customers this capability is going to be sitting on the sidelines watching someone else, like a telco, offer these services to customers they already support in other ways. Something installers are going to have to juggle on a regional basis is the old fibre-tothe-door NBN and the new fibre to the node NBN which was rolled out for the first time
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at Umina on the Central Coast last month. FTTN is the broadband model supported by the current Federal Government and it’s claimed it will be faster and cheaper to install. We’ve grumped about the FTTN in SEN in the past, arguing the 1Gbps FTTD to the door network was going to be an industry game changer. But it appears FTTN is at least far superior to current network performance. At SEN we pay for 24Mbps ADSL 2Plus, but thanks to general traffic contention caused by the oversubscription of my provider, the test I just ran gave me an 8Mbps line speed with a miserable 972Kbps download at 2pm on a Thursday afternoon. Comparatively, ZDNet is reporting that that Umina business owner Martin McInnes was able to achieve a speed of 98Mbps download, and 33Mbps upload over a copper line of 190 metres from the nearest node to his premises, with Telstra being the retail service provider. NBN Co clarified to ZDNet that these average results were taken over a period of one week using VDSL and vectoring, which makes them pretty bloody good. Those sorts of capacities, if they prove consistent, are going to allow installers to offer end users plenty more in the way of goodies – particularly video. But it’s going to be a process. There won’t be a blanket roll-out, it’ll be piecemeal. That’s not advantageous because it encourages procrastination. More immediately, getting
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alarm panels to talk to whichever flavour of the NBN impacts on your turf is going to be something installers will need to stay on top of. And another thing installers will be reckoning with over the next couple of years is that ultimately they and their monitoring centres are going to find themselves competing with the owner of the infrastructure their solutions depend on. How comfortable installers are going to be with this relationship moving forward we’re yet to see. What is certain is that Telstra is an aggressive business that now owns an entire vertical. Telstra will be real
We really need proper bandwidth if we’re going to do video verification properly. The alternative to providing customers this capability is going to be sitting on the sidelines watching someone else, like a telco, offer these services.
competitor, not just at the bottom of the market but at the project level as well. I’ve not heard what sort of alarm solution TelstraSNP plans to deploy but given the economies of scale, it’s likely to be something very good for not very much money. Informed but unconfirmed reports suggest Telstra is licensing 600 of its technicians as security installers. Apparently the company has also been looking at quality CCTV hardware. As well as sharp pricing of core services and strong product offers, we’ll definitely see bundling of comms and IT services, including security, from Telstra in the future. There will also be some impact from the DIY market. At present products like DropCam aren’t very serious from the point of view of real security capability. But they’re likely to attract some homeowners who might otherwise have installed an alarm panel. At the very least techs need to understand what the weaknesses of these solutions are so they can point them out to potential customers. For installers planning ahead, you’re going to need to think about differentiating your products and services. You’re going to need to be allied with the best possible hardware manufacturers and the best and most flexible monitoring platforms. The alarm industry has been a bit of a stick in the mud for some time now. For installation businesses and monitoring companies to survive, they’re going to need to show some fancy footwork. zzz
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Vivotek WDR PRO I SAW acres of new products at Security 2014 and one of the standouts was Vivotek’s new WDR PRO camera range, which includes bullet, box and dome cameras in 1.3MP and 3MP variations. In this review we look at the IP8355EH outdoor bullet camera.
Inside the WDR chamber
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HAT struck me about the new Vivotek WDR PRO when I first saw images was that the camera was very strong in backlight, as well as being very strong with absolutely no light whatever. This particular combination of characteristics is unusual. Engineers typically give up some low light performance to enhance backlight performance and vice versa. I stumbled on the Vivotek WDR PRO cameras almost by accident. Venturing onto the stand, Ray Lee, Vivotek’s regional manager, demurred when I asked if much was new with Vivotek in 2014. Then he led me over to a new camera with the highest WDR rating in the world. Yeah, that’s right. Vivotek’s WDR Pro II has a monstrous 140dB of signal-to-noise ratio, the highest number in the industry right now. The
by john adam s
next best – Sony, Panasonic, Hikvision and Samsung – are just under 140dB and they’ll tell me if I’m wrong. Bear in mind that anything over 100dB of WDR is a capable camera, it’s just that over the past couple of years new WDR enhancement systems are being developed at a rapid pace. Important to recognise here, WDR is a function not just of a chipset and supporting processors, but of firmware within the camera. That makes it hard to measure. One thing is sure, you know good WDR when you see it. The transitions from inside to outside are seamless and clean, the colours remain consistent and there’s no evidence of flare or blooming of the sort you see with low end domestic cloud monitoring solutions. With poor quality camera engines, every window or open door looks like it’s revealing the second coming. That’s fine if you only want an internal view but if you need to see through glass, or to see faces framed in open doorways during the day, then you need solid WDR. Now we have a general idea of WDR, let’s take a squiz at Vivotek’s test chambers. There are 2, with one testing backlight performance and the other testing low light performance. It’s instructive that when Lee showed me the 2 demonstrations my instinctive reaction was that I was looking at 2 completely different cameras. Low light warriors and WDR wonders rarely live in the same housing. “Our WDR Pro camera not only has great low light, it has really good WDR as well – it’s got to be one of the best performing cameras on the market right now,” Lee tells me. “When you look at the images you can see that even with really strong backlight, you can still see the faces in the test chamber.” Having looked at the monitor and seen the excellent performance, I’m peering into the WDR test chamber to check out the nature of the challenge the cameras are facing. It’s strong backlight – it’s blazing – I have trouble with the naked eye getting an initial look thanks to the glare and my last-gen Panasonic Lumix, which is a 2011 model, doesn’t really do
Low light chamber lit with Lumix red eye LED
WDR off
“Our WDR Pro camera not only has great low light, it has really good WDR as well – it’s got to be one of the best performing cameras on the market right now,” WDR on
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There are 3 WDR Pro camera types - bullet, dome and box. There are 1.3MP 720p versions and 3MP 1080p versions and depending on which resolution you go for, all 3 body types use the same camera board. the image justice, picking up some flare of its own. You can see the difference between the shots I took of the external monitors displaying the real image streams and the shots I took with my own camera approximating the view of the cameras in the test chamber. It’s nice, I tell Lee – it’s great work, considering the amount of flare from that naked bulb down there. “Yes – it’s very strong,” Lee says. “This is our second generation – it has 4x exposure – superior than the last version, which was 2x.” Now Lee takes me around to have a look at the low light performance of the camera – there’s another test chamber – this one is dark as a platypus burrow. I literally can’t see anything inside the chamber. Once I let my eyes adjust and I can kind of see something lighter coloured but I can’t make out what it is. Again, the performance of the camera is excellent. The WDR Pro is unassisted but it’s making the most whatever light is getting in through the weeny viewing aperture. It’s at this point I ask Lee which camera we are looking at. My brain doesn’t make a connection between WDR and low light in a single camera. “It’s the same camera,” Lee laughs. “There are 3 WDR Pro camera types - bullet, dome and box. There are 1.3MP 720p versions and 3MP 1080p versions and depending on which resolution you go for, all 3 types use the same camera board. Bear in mind, the lower resolution 720p has better performance in low light – fewer, larger pixels pick up more light.”
Features and specifications The camera we are viewing here is Vivotek’s 30ips, 1.3MP (720p) WDR Pro II IP67-rated IP8355EH network bullet camera with 30M Smart IR, 3DNR and Vivotek’s Smart Focus System. It’s part of a range that includes 4 new network camera models, including 2 professional outdoor domes, FD8355EHV and FD8365EHV, and 2 professional outdoor bullets, this IP8355EH we are looking at and the IP8365EH. The key thing with WDR Pro technology is
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that it enables a camera to capture both the dark and bright parts of an image with 2 or 3 shutters, enabling 2 or 3 frames to be combined to generate a highly realistic image representative of the original scene, while WDR Pro II improves on this, allowing the camera to provide an increased level of visibility with the capture and combination of 4 separate frames. WDR Pro II provides extreme visibility in extremely dark and light environments with its 4-shutter capture method. Combined with 3D Noise Reduction Technology, which enables the IP8355EH to capture video under low-light conditions and reduce bandwidth from sensor noise, users can identify an increased level of image detail in extremely bright as well as dark environments. Additionally, as a professional day/night camera, IP8355EH features Smart IR technology which prevents overexposure and provides noise reduction to adjust IR lighting intensity instantaneously based on the changes of light in the ambient environment. Also strong, the IP8355EH comes with a P-iris lens, which controls the iris with its built-in stepper motor. By using software controls, the lens maintains the iris opening at an optimal level at all times, resulting in superior sharpness and depth of field as well as better image quality. For installers, properly adjusting the focus of a megapixel network camera can be difficult due to the level of image detail. The IP8355EH has Vivotek’s Smart Focus System to make installation and adjustment easier by using remote focus and zoom adjustment. This camera has an IP67-rated housing designed to protect the camera body from being immersed in the water to a depth of 1 metre. A wide temperature range further enhances the IP8355EH’s performance and reliability in extremely cold and hot weather. zzz
Features of Vivotek IP8355EH include: l 1.3-Megapixel CMOS sensor l 30 fps @ 1280x1024 l Motorized P-iris lens l Removable IR-cut filter day/night function l Built-in IR illuminators, effective up to 30m l Smart IR technology to avoid overexposure l 3D noise reduction for low-light conditions l WDR Pro II (140dB) to provide extreme visibility l Smart focus system for remote and precise focus adjustment l 2-way audio l Weather-proof IP67-rated housing.
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1080p HD: The contenders We asked a group of manufacturers about their leading 1080p cameras, what their features are and how they are better than the cameras of the opposition.
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By John Ada m s
M
ODERN manufacturing techniques make pinning down the contenders for best-ofthe-best in 1080p cameras a convoluted task. Camera engines comprising CMOS/MOS sensors and associated processors are installed in multiple camera bodies across entire ranges these days. The challenge from an end user’s point of view is that certain key capabilities like low light performance become moot when the lens is surrounded by a dozen Cree LEDs with a range of 100 metres and minimum scene illumination of 0 lux. Even so, it’s possible to assess the broad specifications of camera ranges so as to get a sense of where differences lie. Sony’s Mark Franklin says the Sony IPELA ENGINE PRO W Series cameras consisting of 4 rapid dome IP cameras is the company’s flagship range. The SNC-WR630 and SNC-WR600 are rated for indoor use with full HD and HD resolution. The SNC-WR632 and SNC-WR602 unitized models are IP66 rated for outdoor use with full HD and HD resolution. “These cameras feature Sony’s latest CMOS Exmor image sensors for superior low light performance, coupled with the IPELA ENGINE bandwidth management system,” Franklin says. “At Sony, under no circumstances do we compromise resolution or image performance in changing light conditions. “Sony’s IPELA ENGINE PRO W Series cameras feature the industry’s leading optical zoom (x30) at FHD, which makes it possible to capture high resolution video at wider ranges and further distances. And all Generation 6 W Series cameras are available with 60 frames per second in FHD, which is double the number of frames offered by conventional HD IP cameras. “60 frames per second provides smoother, more detailed video that is easier to analyze frame-byframe,” Franklin explains. “Combined with 130dB
I think the key areas Bosch excels are low light sensitivity, our CBIT Technology – which uses iDNR and iAE to reduce bandwidth in low light and harsh lighting conditions – and our Adaptive Bitrate, which is a mixture of VBR and CBR. Steve Malesevic
of wide dynamic range, the cameras produce trueto-life colour and detail, providing exceptional images in all lighting conditions. These cameras are quick on the draw, too. According to Franklin, the W Series pan, tilt and zoom capabilities feature continuous 360-degree pan movement at a speed of 700-degrees-persecond to enable camera operators to quickly pan to areas of interest in a single, seamless motion. “Sony’s image stabilization technology with gyroscope sensors detects and corrects camera shake, which often results from weather or other factors such as planes or cars,” says Franklin. “Additionally, Sony’s defogging mode increases image visibility in poor weather conditions such as rain, fog or smog.” Meanwhile, Sony’s Steve Charles has no doubt which areas Sony’s Generation 6 W Series dominate the opposition. “Our W Series cameras are the most advanced rapid dome cameras in the security industry, with all 4 featuring the highest-rated optical zoom, fastest pan speed, highest frame rate and widest dynamic range of any full HD camera on the market,” Charles says. “The W Series cameras are the first full HD cameras to feature 130dB of wide dynamic range, which delivers clear picture quality even in strong backlit environments. The W Series IP cameras have all the capabilities found in Sony’s IPELA ENGINE technology platform, along with new features such as gyroscopic image stabilization and image defogging.” According to EOS Australia’s Tooma Chong, the
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company’s leading 1080p camera is Samsung’s Wisenet III range, which is available in non-IR or with IR, motorized varifocal lens, manual varifocal lens, and fixed lens with wide angle. You get options of full body, internal dome, vandal dome, vandal IR dome, vandal flat dome, bullet IR, and the world’s first 1080P 32x Optical Zoom PTZ with housing or without housing. Core specification of Wisenet III are definitely solid. The cameras have 60fps@ 2MP 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution but despite the solid specs, low bandwidth utilization means you only use 2.5Mbps at 30FPS in Full HD. Wisenet III has the latest SSNR 3 noise reduction technology (2D + 3D DNR), SSLE (Samsung Super Light Enhancer) giving 0.1 Lux without IR and there’s a very strong WDR number of 120dB at 30fps. These cameras have built-in 3~8.5mm (2.8x) motorized varifocal lenses, multi-crop streaming, Face/Motion/Audio/Virtual line/Tampering/Enter & Exit Video Analytics, UPnP (Auto Port Forwarding), and a signal to noise ratio of 50dB – which means no discernable noise at all. There’s also Simple Focus, Defog and DIS support functions. According to Chong, the key areas where Wisenet III is superior to competitors are SSLE – which is Samsung’s trade mark, exceptional low light performance, bandwidth saving, smart analytics built-in, with all of these functions available in all camera configurations Meanwhile, Dahua’s Jane Yin says Dahua’s 1080p flagship is the DH-IPC-HDW4200C IR dome. This unit feature’s a 1/2.8-inch 2MP progressive scan Exmor CMOS, offers H.264 and MJPEG dualstream encoding, and has a maximum of 25/30fps @ 1080P (1920×1080) resolution.
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There’s DWDR, Day/Night(ICR), 3DNR, AWB, AGC, BLC; multiple network monitoring, including web viewer, CMS(DSS/PSS) and DMSS; a 3.6mm fixed lens (6mm, 8mm lenses are optional), and an IR range of 30m. There’s a signal to noise ratio of greater than 50dB and you get IP66, IK10 ratings for weather and vandal-proofing. “The areas where the DH-IPC-HDW4200C is superior to the opposition include competitive price, metal case, IK10 rating against vandalism and inbuilt microphone,” says Yin. Some distributors have a harder time than others identifying their top lines – that’s the case with QSS, which has a number of excellent solutions in its stable. “Which camera is best? That’s a tough one to answer,” says QSS’ Rob Rosa. “The QVS Alumia Net provides great quality in both low light and normal light applications and is very cost effective and also available in minidome, full body and PTZ (internal and external) models. “But if I am going to talk about brand names then I would say that the Bosch FlexiDome 5000 range of 1080p cameras is hard to beat. The picture quality in low light situations is without a doubt one of the best I have seen and day shots are totally crisp and clean. The overall feature set of the Bosch range of
This 3S Vision 1080p vandal resistant PTZ is quick, with high speed presets at 450deg/second, and the internals boast the latest Sony WDR sensor with 20x optical zoom. Peter Jeffree
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cameras is market leader material.” In terms of specification, the Bosch 5000 Flexidome range comes in 1080p (1920 X 1080) and can go as high as 5MP (2592 X 1944) indoor/ outdoor with or without IR leds. There’s PoE and varifocal from 3-10mm with AES in fixed 1/30[1/25] to 1/15000. Dynamic range on the NIN and NII 500225 is 75db while the NIN50051 is 65db. In 1080p mode the sensitivity is 0.24lux (colour) 0.05 Lux (mono) and 0.0 Lux (IR model). These Bosch Flexidomes also come with the option of a built-in microphone. “Talking Bosch, these cameras are renowned for the low light performance and quality build,” says Rosa. “The Intelligent Dynamic Noise Reduction feature actively analyses the contents of a scene and then reduces the noise artefacts accordingly. This continues to allow the camera to deliver sharp clear pictures day and night. There’s the ability to do edge recording via an internal MicroSD card or utilise the cloud-based facilities based on time or alarm-event, with postings to up to 4 accounts. At Hills Pacom, Kieron McDonough says the flagship 1080p range is Panasonic. “Our flagship Panasonic 1080p range is the new fantastic Series 6 range,” McDonough says. “The range includes outdoor vandal, indoor and indoor vandal domes, and there is also a soonto-be-released full-body 1080p camera. The very popular WV-SW598 covers the 1080p PTZ dome.” When it comes to the specs, the frame rate for the new Panasonic Series 6 cameras is 60ips, which is double that of previous Panasonic cameras. “60ips is great where you need to capture a sleight of hand at a casino card table,” McDonough says. “There’s also clever Panasonic technology including the multi-process noise reduction feature which ensures camera noise is reduced to low levels. “Low light is down to 0.04 lx (Color), 0.01 lx
At Sony, under no circumstances do we compromise resolution or image performance in changing light conditions. Mark Franklin
(B/W) at F1.3 for the 1080p dome cameras (without IR). Bandwidth requirement is also improved compared to earlier models. Full HD bandwidth at 30ips can be as low as 3Mbs – it’s 4Mbs at 60ips at Panasonic’s Super Fine quality.” Another towering strength of Panasonic is dynamic range. “Super Dynamic range has now doubled to 133db,” says McDonough. “This means you can now get a lot of detail in both the dark and bright parts of an image in high contrast scenes. Plus there is a host of other new features including HLC highlight compensation. Fog compensation, Lens distortion compensation, dual SD card slots the ability to add apps, plus many more.” According to McDonough, the 2-3 areas where
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Panasonic trumps the opposition include the 2 pivotal areas of low light and WDR. “Low light performance in now incredible, colour reproduction and the doubling of the Super Dynamic range are a quantum leap forward; it’s really noticeable when compared to previous cameras and other brands,” he says. “In one independent test I saw recently against other brands, Panasonic was head and shoulders above the other cameras.” At Hikvision, Michael Bates, Oceania sales director, says Hikvision’s Smart IPC 4 Line range is the company’s flagship 1080p camera range. The range comes in full body, indoor IR dome, outdoor IR dome (IP66, IK10), outdoor IR bullet (IP66), outdoor IR array bullet (IP66, up to 100m IR range) and outdoor vandal-proof IR array bullet (IP66, IK10, up to 150m IR range). Each of these option’s housing configurations comes in 1.3MP, 1.4MP, 2MP and 3MP models, with the 2MP delivering 1080p at 25fps with an average bandwidth of 3.5MB. The range also includes a 60fps model at 720p. The low light number for the 1080p 2MP models in the range is 0.027 lux@F1.4. “Hikvision’s R&D team has developed enhanced H.264 that is typically 30 per cent more efficient than our competitors’ compression protocols,” says Bates. “Combined with our Smart Edge features, this efficiency allows Hikvision to produce outstanding images while utilising less bandwidth. “Hikvision’s 120dB WDR is one of the highest in the industry and delivers outstanding performance in harsh lighting conditions. Taking these capabilities into account, Hikvision’s Smart IPC 4-Line range represents the best value for money of any top line camera on the market today.”
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Defogging off
At Sylo, GM Peter Jeffree says the flagship is the company’s vandal resistant, PTZ speed dome from 3S Vision. This PTZ offers superior performance at 1080p, is high speed, breathable as well as being IP67 and IK10 vandal resistant. “This 3S Vision 1080p vandal resistant PTZ is quick, with high speed pre-sets at 450deg/second, and the internals boast the latest Sony WDR sensor with 20x optical zoom,” says Jeffree. “IP67 and IK10 ratings coupled with its unique breathable skin, ensure the unit remains vandal and weather resistant in the most extreme environments. “This 3S unit includes all the standard features you’d expect in a camera of this quality and performance, such as dual H.264/MJPEG streams at 30fps, digital I/O, a Micro SD card slot, 2-way audio and analytics. According to Jeffree, the 3S Vision camera is superior to the opposition in terms of its performance in extreme heat and cold (-40C to 55C), as well as wet conditions thanks to its IP67 waterproof rating. 3S Vision also offers great IK10 vandal resistance and high speed presets at 450 degrees per second. From the point of view of Hills Lan 1’s Basil Delimitros, IP CCTV business manager, Axis Q1615 full body camera with 1080P, WDR-Forensic Capture and Lightfinder is the company’s flagship 1080p camera. According to Delimitros, the camera offers HDTV 1080p at 60fps, Axis’ WDR Forensic Capture to
Seeing is believing with Canon - this model has unrivalled picture clarity, colour accuracy and faster focusing speeds than any other model in its class. Ben Crosariol
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optimize video for forensic purposes by enabling an extremely high level of detail to be visible in both dark and bright areas of a scene. “Axis Q1615 with WDR Forensic Capture applies advanced algorithms to optimize image quality and includes the ability to seamlessly transition between WDR and Lightfinder mode,” Delimitros explains. “The unique Lightfinder technology makes the camera extremely sensitive to low light, effectively allowing it to see in dark conditions. Wide Dynamic Range Forensic Capture allows homogeneous images, without too dark or too bright parts. “There’s also Electronic Image Stabilisation and shock detection for smooth video, WDR of up to 120dB depending on scene, auto-rotation and barrel-distortion correction.” Delimitros says that if he had to pick a couple of class leading characteristics of the Q1615, the key descriptor would be versatility. “Rather than looking at the image quality when under the best case scenario, we look at its performance level when put to the test under challenging conditions such as harsh lighting and high contrast scenery being compensated for by Forensic Capture which is the latest evolution of our WDR technology,” he explains. “The camera also excels in poorly lit locations thanks to our Light-Finder feature. There’s adaptability, too, because the Q1615 is capable of switching between Forensic Capture and LightFinder modes based on ever shifting lighting conditions from day to night.” According to Delimitros, the Q1615 is also clever enough to know when it’s being tampered with through the built-in shock sensor hardware, is able to cope with environmental conditions such as strong winds through Electronic Image Stabilization and offers an interchangeable CS mount lens. At Canon Specialised Imaging, Ben Crosariol, product & new business development manager says Canon’s flagship model is the VB-H41, which is available in black or silver.
Defogging on
“Our Canon VB-H41 is a full HD PTZ with a 20x optical wide angle Canon zoom lens,” Crosariol says. “Seeing is believing with Canon - this model has unrivalled picture clarity, colour accuracy and faster focusing speeds than any other model in its class. In the VB-H series we also have an IP66-rated VE fixed dome an indoor dome and a full body, all with ultra-wide angle Canon lenses.” Under the bonnet, the Canon VB-H41 has dual processors; one for imaging (D!GIC DV III) and one for fast networking (D!GIC NET II); allowing this model to do 30fps at 1920 X 1080. Canon’s VB-H41 is also capable of multi-streaming and has an impressive minimum scene illumination of 0.01 lux in colour and 0.001 in black and white, which Crosariol puts down to Canon’s expertise in superior optics. “If I had to pinpoint 2-3 key areas were I believe Canon’s VB-H41 is superior to the opposition, I’d say image quality, focusing speed and colour accuracy,” Crosariol says. Bosch’s Steve Malesevic reckons the company’s IP 7000 cameras are the Bosch flagship, and one of the market leaders in 1080p HD. “We have many top-line 1080p cameras that cover configurations including FlexiDome IP 7000 dynamic VR as a dome, Dinion IP 7000 dynamic HD as a full body camera, AutoDome IP 7000 HD as a PTZ and MIC IP 7000 HD as a rugged PTZ - and each of these come in a variety of permutations,” Malesevic says. When it comes to specifications, the FlexiDome IP 7000 dynamic VR has a frame rate of 30 ips,
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an S/N ratio of >50dB, and a minimum scene illumination of 0.25 lx in colour and 0.08 lux in monochrome. Typical bandwidth is 1600 kbps. The Dinion IP 7000 dynamic HD has the same general specifications. Meanhile, AutoDome IP 7000 HD has a frame rate of 30 ips, an S/N ratio of >50dB, and a minimum scene illumination of 0.041 lx in colour and 0.00129 lux in monochrome. Bandwidth demand is 2500Kbps in standard scenes or 4500Kbps in busy scenes. Bosch’s rugged MIC IP 7000 HDR has the same excellent specifications as the AutoDome IP 7000. “When it comes to our range, I think the key areas Bosch excels are low light sensitivity, our CBIT Technology – which uses iDNR and iAE to reduce bandwidth in low light and harsh lighting conditions – and our Adaptive Bitrate, which is a mixture of VBR and CBR.” At C.R. Kennedy, Phil Viggiano, sales manager surveillance products, says Dallmeier’s current 1080p cameras fall into 2 families, 3MP with fully motorised lenses and 5MP with CS-mount for
Hikvision’s R&D team has developed enhanced H.264 that is typically 30 per cent more efficient than our competitors’ compression protocols. Michael Bates
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versatile lens choice. “Dallmeier’s 4820 series domes and full body cameras are shipped with either 3-9mm or 10-23mm lenses,” Viggiano explains. “These integrated lenses feature P-IRIS functionally, motorised zoom and automatic back focus. They stream at 25fps 1080P and 15 Fps at 3MP resolution and have light sensitivity of 0.5lux at F1.2, 50IRE. “Meanwhile, the 4920 series domes and full body cameras are shipped without lenses,” he says. “This allows us to take advantage of the latest lens technology, for example the ultra-wide THEIA 1.8-3mm lens. This ultra-wide fully corrected image was previously impossible to obtain in a compact dome camera design. “Dallmeier 4920 series domes stream at 25fps at 1080P, 15fps at 3MP, and 10fs at 5MP resolution Light sensitivity of 0.3lux at F1.0, 50IRE.” Viggiano says the new 5200 series Dallmeier cameras will be launched in the next 2 months. “Dallmeier’s new 5200 series 1080p cameras feature new low light sensors that deliver sensitivity down to 0.05 lux and frame rates up to 120 frames per second – more details will be coming soon.” Along with its Dallmeier range, C.R. Kennedy also carries the latest range of LG dome cameras which are motorised. “The LG range of 1080p HD cameras features, PTZ and focus for the easiest installation and setup process ever,” says Viggiano. “These cameras stream up to 50fps at 2MP, and deliver up to 108dB of wide dynamic range with low light sensitivity down to 0.05 lux at f1.2 IRE50.” Vivotek’s Stacey Lien, department manager, International Sales Department at Vivotek says the company’s flagship 1080p camera is the network speed dome camera, the SD8364E. Vivotek’s SD8364E is a 1080p Full HD speed dome network camera. It contains several new features, such as a 30x zoom lens, image defog and electronic image stabilization (EIS) technology.
“The SD8364E is designed with a 360-degree continuous pan and 220-degree extended tilt range, which effectively alleviates dead angles,” Lien explains. “In addition, the upgraded 30x optical zoom lens enables the SD8364E to capture images in even greater detail at higher quality. This renders the SD8364E especially ideal for monitoring wide open indoor and outdoor spaces, where high-level reliability and precision under challenging surveillance conditions are always required.” Thanks to WDR Pro technology, Lien says the SD8364E is capable of coping with challenging lighting conditions and generating image quality close to the capabilities of the human eye. “The IP66- and NEMA 4X-rated housing protects the camera body against rain, dust and corrosion across a wide temperature range between -40°C and 55°C,” she explains. “This feature ensures operation under extreme weather conditions and hazardous environments. “And our newly-added image defog feature enables the SD8364E to capture clear images under foggy conditions, exponentially enhancing operational performance. The incorporation of EIS technology further enables the SD8364E to mitigate the effect of camera vibration due to wind and ensure a stable image. Together, the
newly-added features of the SD8364E guarantee the retrieval of high-quality images in the harshest outdoor environments.” What are the SD8364E’s stand-out characteristics, according to Lien? Strengths include that powerful 30x zoom lens and the 360-degree continuous pan and 220-degree tilt.
videosecurityproducts.com.au
A Universe of Solutions
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Areas we are superior to the opposition include the ability to resolve over 850 TVL, very low latency compared to others and very low bandwidth compared to others. Sean Borg
According to Mobotix’ Frank Olson, the company’s flagship 1080p camera range includes the models M15D VarioFlex, S15D FlexMount and D15 Dual Dome. Olson points out that these cameras operate up to 3MP output, or 2048 x 1536 (QXGA), which is 1MP higher than 1080P. The cameras have a frame rate of 10fps at 1080p. Low light performance with colour sensor is 0.25 lux at 1/60 s, 0.013 lux at 1 s; with black and white sensor it’s 0.05 lux at 1/60 s and 0.0025 lux at 1s using MxLEO Lowlight Exposure Optimisation.
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Bandwidth for a complex scene (i.e.) every pixel changing is approximately 8MBit/s. “Key areas where Mobotix is superior include MxActivity Sensor reducing false alarms and Lowlight Exposure Optimisation (MxLeo),” says Olson. “We also have Dual Sensor Streaming for instance, Colour/B&W, Colour/Thermal and Dual Colour, Dual B&W & Dual Thermal. Other strengths of our cameras include a ruggedised housing to IP66 (water ingress) & EN50155 (bump and vibration) capability and 6MP images on Dual
high resolution cameras is the 2MP D/N Pendant Dome, H.264 (1080p), which has a 2MP progressive scan CMOS sensor and is available with 3-9 mm F1.2 or 9-22 mm F1.6 P-Iris lenses with remote focus and zoom, and delivers 30 images per second at full resolution. Avigilon’s 2MP D/N Dome runs on the company’s new H3 platform which offers greater resolution support, improved low light performance with wide dynamic range support and enhanced HDSM features. There’s a versatile 3-axis adjustment for simple mounting in any configuration and ONVIF compliance, which allows for integration with Avigilon Control Centre and other leading video management systems. Other features include motion detection, IP66rating for weather resistance and IK10 for vandalresistance. There’s a pendant mount and an integrated heater. You get 69dB true dynamic range, H.264 and Motion JPEG compression, ONVIF compliant API, multiple video streams, automatic removable IR cut filter for IR sensitivity at night, power over Ethernet, 24 VAC or 12 VDC power input, audio input and output analogue video output, and an external I/O. Minimum Illumination 0.2 lux (F1.2) in colour mode is 0.02 lux (F1.2) in monochrome mode, 0.4 lux (F1.6) in color mode and 0.04 lux (F1.6) in monochrome mode. Angle of view is 35–98 degrees and 15–35 degrees. Image compression method is H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10/AVC), Motion JPEG. Resolution scales down to 768 x 432 and there’s motion detection with selectable sensitivity and threshold and 4 privacy zones. zzz Dome (2 x 2048 x 1536, QXGA). Over at IndigoVision, Sean Borg says the company’s flagship is the IndigoVision Ultra 2K range, which is available in domes and PTZ versions. “Our Ultra 2K range offers our smart core technology which offers guaranteed frame rate, ultra low latency, highly efficient compression, AAC hi-fidelity audio, built-in analytics, superior diagnostics and multi client connections,” says Borg. “The camera offers not only full frame rate, but those frames are guaranteed not to drop. It has a signal-to-noise ratio of >39db with a WDR of 100db. There’s low light capability of 0.03lux, 50IRE at 1/30s shutter, which is a shoot-out beater,” Borg says. “Our Ultra 2K camera is also uniquely achieving >850TVL of full frame resolution claiming the 1080P top spot in image quality. I’d say the areas we are superior to the opposition include the ability to resolve over 850 TVL, very low latency compared to others and very low bandwidth compared to others.” A strong contender from Avigilon’s big stable of
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ebutton
Safety first COFFS Harbour engineer Ian Kinny has enhanced personal safety for Australians by developing the eButton, a world-first in utilising low energy Bluetooth technology to initiate a smart phone help app.
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BUTTON is a small and easy to operate device linked to an app on the user’s smart phone. One click on the eButton sends a request for help via SMS to the user’s selected help contacts. The SMS gives the location of the user with updates sent if the user moves. While Ian Kinny of AppAce, a Coffs Harbour smart phone app design company, created eButton as a peace of mind button which would serve families, the device has serious capabilities for security business and businesses in general.
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It allows low cost and ubiquitous support for businesses that need to look after their employees, including late night workers or those working in remote regions or dangerous locations. The idea for eButton evolved when engineer Ian Kinny’s elderly neighbour underwent heart surgery and his family were concerned about him. Knowing his neighbour enjoyed his independence, Kinney began thinking of a device that he could use that wasn’t the traditionally cumbersome paging system. Kinny realised a device that was discreet and mobile would be beneficial to any independent person in a variety of situations, not just the elderly. The goal is that eButton be accessible for everyone with smart phones, not just Android users. Unlike other devices in the market, the eButton is specifically designed for the user to discreetly request assistance in times of need with just one click. There is no need to handle the phone and unlike other systems, the eButton does not rely on voice communications. The eButton benefits users in many situations, from the dangerous and threatening, through to the day-to-day escapism of long business meetings or awkward dates. “You might be threatened, or it might be impractical or embarrassing to take your phone out of your bag, unlock it, and scroll through several screens to either call, SMS or initiate an app to request assistance,” Kinny said. “People needing the eButton could include an elderly person living independently, a person walking to their car or using public transport, backpackers, or a teenager at a party needing to be collected by their parents but not wanting to initiate a call for risk of being ridiculed.” The SMS instructs the help contact that a person
need assistance and includes information on a location (including a link to Google Maps). If a person changes location, updated information is sent in follow-up texts. You can change the default eRA SMS to suit your potential situation. It is recommended to include a safe word. The text asks the contact to call you immediately and if you either don’t say the safe word or don’t answer, the contact is prompted to initiate assistance, such as alerting an emergency service. You can also change the eRA SMS to apply to individual help contacts. The eButton travels with you and works wherever your phone has coverage. Any Android phone that can receive an SMS can receive the eRA SMS, however some phones may be unable to use the Google Map link. Weighing just 12g and sized at 30 x 60x 11.5mm, the eButton is easy to handle and use. It can be worn discreetly and operates up to 20m from the corresponding Android smart phone. The eButton is compatible with Android Bluetooth
eButton allows low cost and ubiquitous support for businesses that need to look after their employees, including late night workers or those working in remote regions or dangerous locations. Ian Kinny
Smart Ready phones running Android 4.3 or later. “There was a void in the market for a portable and personalised safety alert device that could connect a user directly to their company on to family rather than a third-party operator,” Kinny said. The eButton costs $29.95, with the corresponding eButtonApp priced at $1.99. Current postage within Australia for the eButton is $7.20. There are no ongoing charges. zzz
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Soul of discretion New Axis F Series is a highly flexible, modular network camera series that incorporates discreet HDTV 1080p cameras with wide dynamic range.
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XIS Communications modular F Series is a camera that offers customers discreet surveillance solutions that provide high image detail, as well as flexibility in choosing the units that are ideal for an installation. “The series is based on a divided network camera concept, where the camera is split into a lens and image sensor unit, and a main unit,” explains Wai King Wong, country manager, South Pacific. “This concept was first introduced in the Axis P12 Series. When we developed the F Series, we took into account the feedback we received
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from P12 to provide customers with even better solutions. This new Axis F Series enables great flexibility and discreetness with superb video performance, even in high-contrast lighting conditions.” The divided network camera concept allows a small sensor unit to be installed discreetly in tight places and the bigger main unit to be placed elsewhere and away from public view. Axis F Series consists of units that are all sold separately. The series includes Axis F41 main unit and 4 compatible Axis F sensor units with different form factors and lens types for different field of views.
By John Ada m s
“Axis F Series enables great flexibility and discreetness with superb video performance, even in highcontrast lighting conditions.
The Axis F41 main unit houses the processor, network, power, SD card slot and other connections, and can connect to one Axis F sensor unit. Each sensor unit, which consists of a lens and image sensor, comes with the choice of a 3-m or 12-m (10-ft. or 39-ft.) pre-mounted cable for connecting to the main unit. “The small sensor units give users the flexibility to easily and discreetly install them, even in very tight spaces,” says Frännlid. “They can be flushmounted in walls, ceilings, doorways, elevators and behind sheet metal with only the small lens surface visible — in the case of the pinhole unit, just a tiny hole for the lens. “Certain Axis F sensor units can also withstand tough conditions such as vibrations, shocks and temperature fluctuations, which makes them ideal for use inside and outside of emergency vehicles. The modular concept also gives customers the flexibility to purchase the sensor unit that is ideal for their application.” Axis F41 main unit supports Axis’ WDR – Forensic Capture, which enables details from both bright and dark areas of a scene to be visible. According to Axis, this is ideal for scenarios such as at entrances or in front of ATMs where the subject may be dark against a bright background, or in night time situations where the camera must handle low-light environments together with bright lights from vehicles, street lamps, signage and stores The camera offers 1080p video at 60 frames per second PAL, ideal for capturing fast-moving objects and generating smoother video. It has 2-way audio and input/output ports to external devices for enhanced alarm management. There’s an RS232 port for integration of external data to the video, a full-sized SD card slot for local storage and power over Ethernet, as well as the option of connecting to an external power supply. You also get intelligent video capabilities such as
video motion detection, active tampering alarm and downloadable applications through the Axis Camera Application Platform. The 4 compatible Axis F sensor units (with 2 different cable lengths to choose from) are the IP66-rated Axis F1005-E Sensor Unit with a fixed lens and 113-degree horizontal field of view. Meanwhile, Axis F1015 Sensor Unit has a varifocal lens for a 53-degree to 108-degree horizontal field of view and the Axis F1025 Sensor Unit with a pinhole lens has an 89-degree horizontal field of view. The IP66-rated F1035-E Sensor Unit with a fisheye lens for a 194-degree horizontal field of view. Axis F41 Main Unit offers Axis Camera Companion video management software and is supported by Axis Camera Station and the industry’s largest base of video management software through the Axis Application Development Partner Program. Axis F41 also includes support for Axis Video Hosting System and ONVIF for easy camera system integration. Available in July are Axis F41 Main Unit and Axis F1005-E and Axis F1015 Sensor Units. zzz
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n etwo rk i n g wireless networks
Wireless networks Given the expense of trenching and the challenges of accessing budget for network links, LAN builders on big sites would do well to seriously consider wireless mesh as an alternative to glass.
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N
OW that IP cameras are becoming more widely accepted, cameras are increasingly being pushed out to the boundaries of large facilities to fulfill the roles of both monitoring and detection technology. It’s a development that comes with some challenges. For a start there’s not always power way out of the edges of big sites. The other major issue is a lack of networking infrastructure. One of the most beautiful things about deploying CCTV solutions across an existing LAN is that they can take advantage of an installed cable plant. The problem on big sites is that this cable plant is likely to be confined to the main buildings and the wireless links used to connect routers in remote buildings to the site LAN are likely to offer skimpy bandwidth and doubtful range. The answer for most security managers and integration teams is to go for a wireless solution. Wireless offers the benefit of useful bandwidth and moderate link costs given there’s no trenching or pole-mounting of cables or fibres. Having said this, every installer who has ever gone wireless knows reliability may not reach the levels delivered by a cable plant. New construction, the movement of heavy transport, the movement of trees and weather conditions - all these can impact on a wireless link’s ability to communicate with a receiver. The answer is wireless - not run of the mill RF links but full mesh technology in which every node is connected to each of the other nodes in the network allowing multiple paths to node zero. In simplest terms, if a node in a full mesh network is unable to function, all other nodes are still functional and if a node loses its ability to transmit to a central receiver, other nodes in the network can transmit signals on its behalf. What this means is that every transmitter is also a repeater. Mesh means there’s no routing through a central location and that means no central point of failure. Mesh is a distributed wireless LAN that offers selfhealing and can manage itself using local software and processing power, with setup configurations accessible for remote management. While mesh means self-management within the confines of a network it’s self management that offers the benefit of hands-on management from a central point. The remote management is handled by a systems administrator employing SNMP to configure as well as monitor functions, hardware, network, node and subnet performance. Managing and configuring a mesh network can be made easier if the administrator employs discovery protocols like SSDP – the Simple Service Discovery Protocol. You can use SSDP for discovery routing or there are proprietary protocols for things like link discovery and border discovery. Importantly, while each node is self-managed, it is part of an organized network that can be managed and configured as a single entity from a central point. Using SNMP, a systems administrator can set
The answer is wireless - not run of the mill RF links but full mesh technology in which every node is connected to each of the other nodes in the network allowing multiple paths to node zero. and monitor individual elements, nodes, domains or an entire network. Discovery protocols simplify the task by seeking out and locating individual nodes for display on management screens. The node incorporates network processors, switches and system software (NOS). Nodes communicate in a mesh topology by activating their self discovery capabilities and working out whether they’re going to function as access points for wireless or as backbone devices for traffic arriving from other nodes. In the case of CCTV mesh networks, they’ll take on dual roles. Nodes hunt up neighbours using basic parsimonious discovery protocols that are kept skinny to avoid clogging up precious operating bandwidth. Once a mesh network’s nodes have found each other they’ll spend some time thinking about things like signal strength between them, error rates, latency issues and throughput capabilities. This is all stuff techs once had to worry about but modern mesh nodes deal with connection fundamentals by themselves. Having established the basics, nodes will then pick a path they agree suits them both and not only this, they’ll continue to monitor their connection and they’ll change the arrangement between them if another set-up gives better performance. Discovery and path selection decisions take place behind the scenes and system designers build their parsimonious protocols to take up no more than a couple of per cent of bandwidth. Because there’s a complete list of neighbouring nodes and constant reappraisal of comms paths, should nodes drop off the network through failure or because they’re undergoing maintenance, traffic just plugs on without a break. That’s what a selfhealing wireless solution is all about – the sort of failover capability that makes mesh so much more reliable than line of sight hub-spoke solutions. Given the importance of line of sight in RF networking, full mesh takes advantage of the fact that multiple nodes on a site rarely share the path to a central location. You might not install full mesh every time you need wireless – a star or bus topology might serve you better – but for tough sites nothing’s better. You still need to scout up link blocks – which
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If there’s a downside to full mesh topology over pointto-point it’s cost but that cost is still lower than going underground and full mesh is wonderfully reliable.
grows up is, that solutions that offer pre-installed software employing typical 802.11 wireless services – b/g for example – are easy to install. The nodes will ‘find’ the central location and contact nearby nodes without any input from the installer. This means mesh wireless can be extremely inexpensive to install – especially if node housings and antennas can be installed on existing structures. Another positive issue of mesh technology is that power demands, while they’re distributed, are quite low. This means mesh lends itself to nodes that are supported by solar power – not necessarily the most economical way to power remote electronics until you consider the enormous cost of trenching 240V AC over sites with perimeters that measure kilometres.
Choosing mesh protocols
may be buildings, trees, temporary pavilions or industrial equipment – but the task will be easier and reliability will be assured. If there’s a downside to full mesh topology over point-to-point it’s cost but that cost is still lower than going underground and full mesh is wonderfully reliable. But mesh nodes have to be individually powered and multiple transmitter/repeaters must be installed in order to provide the multiple links across a wireless network that guarantee reliability. Having said this, mesh technology is maturing fast and 802.11 component costs are still falling. Another benefit as mesh networking technology
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Wireless LAN mesh networks can be any of 802.11a/b/g, or they can employ protocols like UltraWideband or 802.15.4 Zigbee. The current common wireless comms standards for mesh networks include: l 802.11: Applies to wireless LANs and provides 1 or 2 Mbps transmission in the 2.4 GHz band using either frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS). l 802.11a: An extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANs and provides up to 54 Mbps in the 5GHz band. 802.11a uses an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing encoding scheme rather than FHSS or DSSS. l 802.11b (also referred to as 802.11 High Rate or Wi-Fi): An extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANS and provides 11 Mbps transmission (with a fallback to 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz
band. 802.11b uses only DSSS. 802.11b was a 1999 ratification to the original 802.11 standard, allowing wireless functionality comparable to Ethernet. l 802.11g: Applies to wireless LANs and provides 54Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. It’s worth noting that you’ll often read about 802.11b/g in relation to a product. Essentially the 2 are similar, with b offering 11Mbps and g giving 54Mbps and being backwards compatible with legacy WiFi installations. Importantly though, 802.11g systems also benefit from the COFDM encoding scheme which makes their resistance to interference significantly better. While each of these bands has strengths and weaknesses, for electronic security applications 802.11a is likely to be a serious consideration. That’s because with 802.11a networks performance is the key – just at it is with security solutions – particularly CCTV links. A high-performance WLAN really demands 802.11a. You’d use 802.11a for your mesh network if: l There’s a need for much higher performance. By far the top driver for choosing 802.11a is the need to support higher end applications involving video, voice, and the transmission of large images and files. For these applications, 802.11b probably won’t be able to keep up. l Significant RF interference is present within the 2.4 GHz band. The growing use of 2.4 GHz wireless phones and Bluetooth devices could crowd the radio spectrum within your facility and significantly decrease the performance of 802.11b wireless LANs. The use of 802.11a operating in the 5 GHz band will avoid this interference. l End users are densely populated. Places such as computer labs, airports, and convention centers need to support lots of end users in a common area competing for the same access point, with each user sharing the total throughput. The use of 802.11a will handle a higher concentration of end users by offering greater total throughput. It’s generally thought that 802.11a applications will be driven by corporate customers whose applications depend on greater bandwidth. Closely linked to 802.11a take-up are multi-band solutions that are able to support 802.11a/b/g at the same time. Multi-band is popular because its flexibility justifies the added cost of hardware and installation – this extra cost can be as much as 30 per cent. The issue with multi-band is future proofing the network infrastructure. Installing a mesh infrastructure with broader capability is always going to be significantly less expensive than tearing out a legacy system that’s been superseded by changes in technology a few years after deployment. For security managers in particular, future
proofing their mesh network segments is vital. Something that’s particularly important is that wireless spectrum is limited and this means that multi-band solutions will inevitably offer users a greater spread of options over a longer period of time than a single band option might. An aspect of particular interest on large sites is the fact mesh networks support mobile nodes so effectively. It doesn’t matter if you’re deploying mobile cameras at a large sports stadium, at an industrial facility or across public spaces, the ability to shift mobile nodes and associated cameras around is a bonus. Thanks to the many-to-many nature of wireless mesh, a topology in which every node is constantly refiguring the nature of its neighbouring connections, mobile CCTV cameras can be shuffled around at will – whether it’s for special events or in response to seasonal variations in crowd numbers or threats. Typical mesh applications for video surveillance can easily combine static and ad hoc elements, the later of which can roam the network as required and disappear when they’re no longer needed.
Issues to consider There are some issues you need to take into account with wireless mesh networking. Among the limitations of the technology are the fact that radio is a shared medium and when a signal is being sent, the other nodes in the network need to remain silent. Hardwired solutions can jabber away incessantly in both directions but mesh with multiple nodes is multi-hop. Simply put, with each node comes an extra hop and with each hop comes global bandwidth degradation – it’s going to fall away to ½, ¼ and 1 8 as each node is added from a single radio setup. Once 4 nodes are built into the network network performance is down to 1 16 th of original global bandwidth for the 4th node. It’s not such a problem with simple wireless data networks but video is bandwidth hungry and that means the bigger the mesh the harder you need to think about optimum system designs. Another challenge for mesh networks is the issue of contention generated by use of the CSMA protocol. Use of this protocol may vary depending on the sort of solution you apply but if video is being transmitted in conjunction with CSMA protocol then CSMA contention windows will cause latency and jitter likely to drive system operators nuts. The answer is use of multi-channel mesh networks that increase bandwidth potential. For small networks, your solution could incorporate a mesh of 3 backhaul nodes and 3 radios each with its own independent array of high gain antennas. These radios can employ different channels to increase bandwidth potential. zzz
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editor’s choice
What’s new in the industry
Honeywell’s Pro-Watch 4.2 wireless access control l PRO-Watch security management system allows integrators to cost effectively accommodate virtually any access control need through expanded support for wireless locksets and biometric readers. Pro-Watch 4.2 is now compatible with multiple biometric reader options, along with added support for several brands and types of wireless locks – including options from Allegion (AD-400 Series), Assa Abloy (Aperio Line), and Salto (Sallis and SVN) – that enable the system to protect previously hard-to-reach doors and locations. By supporting biometric readers, Pro-Watch 4.2 can provide additional security in higherrisk areas where multi-factor authentication is required. Along with the wireless locksets, the biometric options help create a cost-effective, less-complex access control system that is easier for new users to learn. Contact: Honeywell Security Group Call: 1300 234 234
Bosch extends AUTODOME IP 7000 HD family l BOSCH Security Systems has brought its proven starlight and dynamic range technology to the AUTODOME IP 7000 HD family of high-speed pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) domes. Key features include built-in Intelligent Video Analysis (IVA) to help focus on relevant situations by alerting you when needed, Intelligent Tracking (iTracking) which automatically tracks moving objects by intelligently distinguishing between single and multiple reference points for uninterrupted tracking, and intelligent Dynamic Noise Reduction (iDNR) that leads to bandwidth only being used when needed, resulting in up to 50 percent reduction in storage cost and network strain without compromising video quality. Distributor: Bosch Security Systems Contact: 1300 1 BOSCH (26724)
Sony, with a bullet l SONY’S SNC-EB632R is a weatherresistant, easy-to-install bullet-type fixed network camera. Sony’s Exmor CMOS sensor captures crisp Full HD image streams, while excellent sensitivity delivers clear, low-noise images in challenging low light conditions. IPELA ENGINE EX platform boosts image quality while video analytics is based on user-defined rules. ViewDR expands dynamic range to assist with identifying human faces and other objects in high-contrast and strongly backlit scenes. Visibility Enhancer (VE) dynamically finetunes image brightness and colours on a pixel-by-pixel basis, while XDNR (eXcellent Dynamic Noise Reduction) dramatically reduces noise, minimising motion blur. There’s built-in IR and Advanced IR technology to capture near and faraway objects without overexposure in the dark. An image stabiliser keeps images stable for crisper footage. The SNC-EB632R can operate in extreme temperatures from -30°C to +50°C and is IP66 rated against water and dust. A mounting arm simplifies installation with flexible 2-axis adjustment of viewing angle and there’s a built-in sunshade. Distributor: Sony Australia Contact: +61 2 9887 6666
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new pr o d u ct s h owcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase /
editor’s choice
What’s new in the industry
Kantech releases Intevo with exacqVision VMS software l DESIGNED to unify access control, IP video and intrusion for small to mediumsized businesses, Intevo seamlessly integrates the Kantech EntraPass software with exacqVision VMS software into a single solution. Intevo also includes support for DSC PowerSeries and MAXSYS alarm panel integration, giving users plug-and-play capability. The exacqVision software features SpeedSearch, where video frames automatically populate on the screen upon conducting a search and advance as the timeline cursor is moved. Users can also begin an investigation while video is still downloading, providing faster access to the necessary evidence, particularly for low bandwidth connections. Intevo is optimized for the use of American Dynamics Illustra Series HD cameras — supporting up to 32 IP cameras per system. Using the exacqVision software, Intevo supports over 2,000 models of the industry’s leading IP camera including fisheye/ panoramic models with client-side de-warping. Distributor: QSS Contact: +61 3 9646 9016
IndigoVision Ultra 2K camera l INDIGOVISION Ultra 2K delivers rich, Full HD video and image clarity. Even in low light, you can easily identify people or objects with powerful digital zoom and incredible image detail. Ultra 2K range offers IndigoVision’s smart core technology which offers features such as guaranteed frame rate, ultra low latency, highly efficient compression, AAC hi-fidelity audio, built-in analytics, superior diagnostics and multi client connections. Ultra2K offers not only full frame rate, but those frames are guaranteed not to drop. It has a signal-to-noise ratio of >39db with a WDR of 100db. There’s low light capability of 0.03lux, 50IRE at 1/30s shutter. Ultra 2K camera achieves >850TVL of full frame resolution claiming the 1080P top spot in image quality. Distributor: Indigovision – Integrated Products Contact: 1300 055 164
Vivotek SD8364E IP speed dome l VIVOTEK has announced the launch of the next-generation 1080p Full HD speed dome network camera, SD8364E. The SD8364E is designed with 360-degree continuous pan and 220-degree extended-tilt range, which effectively alleviates dead angles. In addition, the upgraded 30x optical zoom lens enables the SD8364E to capture images in even greater detail. Featuring WDR Pro technology, SD8364E is capable of coping with challenging lighting conditions and generating image quality close to the capabilities of the human eye. This state-of-the-art speed dome camera is protected with an IP66rated and NEMA 4X-rated housing ensuring fluent operation under extreme weather conditions. Image-defog feature enables the SD8364E to capture clear images under foggy conditions, exponentially enhancing operational performance. The incorporation of EIS technology further enables the SD8364E to mitigate the effect of camera vibration due to wind and ensure a stable image. Distributor: Vivotek Distributors Contact: +886-2-8245-5282
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duct showcase / n ew p ro d u ct s h owcas e / new pr o d u ct showcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase /
Omega HC-CVI cameras 500m over coax
Hikvision 4-line Outdoor Dome l HIKVISION has released the DS2CD4332FWD-IZ outdoor dome camera. As one of Hikvision’s 4-line series, this camera is part of the smart evolution of new IP cameras. With a slew of smart features, such as intrusion detection, region of interest (ROI) and the triple streaming all designed to optimise bandwidth and storage; as well as a host of image processing technologies such as 120dB WDR, defog and electronic image stabilisation; Hikvision’s 4-line series is now a serious competitor in the enterprise market. Distributor: Central Security Distribution Contact: Contact: 1300 319 499
l CAMVEX is distributing Omega’s OM-HC-HDW2100M and OM-HC-HDW2200M HD-CVI cameras, with IR, IP66-rating against weather, vandal resistance and a range of 500 metres over coaxial cable. Image sensor resolution options are 1.3MP (1280x960) and 2MP (1920x1080) and frame rate is 1280x720 @ 25fps, 1280x720 @ 50fps, 1920 x 1080 @ 25fps and 1280x720 @ 50fps. The image sensor options are a 1/3-inch 1.3MP CMOS sensor and a 1/3-inch 2MP CMOS sensor. Min Illumination is 0.1 LUX/F1.2 (AGC on), 0 LUX (IR on) 0.05LUX / F1.2 (AGC on) and 0 LUX (IR on). An electronic shutter offers 4/25s~1/45,000s 1/3s~1/100,000s. There’s backlight compensation AGC/BLC/HLC, noise reduction of level 3D-DNR/2D, configuration over coax, day/night functionality, M12 Lens Mount, and a 3.6mm lens. IR range is 20 metres, with smart IR function detecting faces closer to the lens. Transmission Distance is up to 500M using RB59/U 75-3 coaxial cable or up to 300M using RB59/U 75-3 coaxial cable. Distributor: Camvex Contact: +61 2 9543 4844
Honeywell upgrades Tuxedo Touch l HONEYWELL’S Tuxedo Touch is a 7-inch, high-resolution graphic touchscreen that integrates security with home and business control. Additional features now include voice commands, video viewing and recording, email alerts and control for Z-Wave enabled thermostats, lights, locks and blinds. Tuxedo Touch software can be updated manually through an SD card or remotely without having to schedule a costly onsite service call. A built-in web server allows end-users to control all aspects of their Tuxedo Touch controller on premises through smartphones, tablets, Internet TVs and other web-enabled devices. Contact: Honeywell Security Group Call: 1300 234 234
se&n 79
re g u lars help desk
helpdesk
Our panel of experts answers your questions.
Q: A real gripe I have is going through the usual tests for voltage and resistance across the panel inputs and outputs, the power supply and zoneside board components and still being unable to find the problem. Something a lot of people at service desks talk about is IC or microcontroller failure. Is there some way to test an IC safely? Also, is it possible for ICs to have weak operation that might be influenced by a local environment that can’t be replicated at the service desk? Q: In the course of planning a remote video surveillance system in regional Australia one of the designers is talking about a satellite-based microwave transmission system instead of using a dedicated VPN across the Internet. The site uses this for certain other comms. Is this microwave technique possible? Would it offer superior performance to these other methods? Better bandwidth? A: Interesting. There are 2 different microwave links – terrestrial and satellite – with the land-based stuff designed to carry data streams between 2 points line-of-sight. Satellite equipment works by passing data streams to a satellite from which point it’s passed on to a landbased antenna. An advantage of this technology is that it can shift image streams between 2 locations on the earth’s surface that are far apart. There are downsides to a dedicated satellite uplink – the greatest being cost. Another weakness of satellite microwave links is the fact video won’t be available in real time unless it’s being recorded at the source. Very important is the fact that you don’t have to rent broadcast space and can quite happily use a satellitebased VPN Internet service to handle a CCTV link from a remote site. It would cost up to $A2000 to set up and around $A100 per month for the service after that.
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A: With older or simpler boards you might be able to solder an IC but make sure you use low heat and minimal solder or you’ll change the entire nature of the device you’re working on. As a modern installer you can open up an alarm panel or an access controller and get lost in the Lilliputian world of surface mount. Most of the connections are too small for the test probes of a VOM or DMM. Part of the problem is not just surface mount design, it’s the fact the latest integrated circuits cram millions of interconnected transistors and resistors into spaces less than 1cm square. Taking this into account you can pretty well forget about what goes on inside the microprocessor itself – that part really is black magic. Stay away. When an IC fails,
replacement is the only option. We don’t really believe in ‘weak’ ICs – they either work properly or not. As for IC failure only under local conditions again we say no. The trouble is far more likely to be some other problem you couldn’t easily find on site using your basic test kit while wrestling with a spiderweb of unidentified cabling. If you insist on playing with ICs, before you start testing, carefully consider the fact that a typical IC is going to have 14 or 16 pins as a minimum so unless there’s an IC socket, you may have to de-solder some or all of these connections and re-solder them later. Void warranty? If you work on the board yourself, that’s certain. Doing anything sensible with typical workbench soldering gear is impossible on a machine-built SMD board anyway – the solder tip will dwarf most board components and your ability to maintain control over runaway tin will need to be divinely miraculous if you are to avoid creating a world record in shorts. If after reading this you decide you still want to test microprocessors, first test the supply voltages and the inputs to the IC. You can bet that if these input voltages are fine and the output voltages aren’t to spec, then the IC is bad. Loading can be an issue here so pay attention. It’s possible for a problem late in the circuit to impact on the output reading of an IC and the way around this
is to break the connection between the output pin and the circuit. Sounds easy on paper but with SMD technology you get solder links the width of hair so you can bet the process of “breaking the circuit” is going to be either tough or just plain silly. A flawed IC is sometimes going to create problems at an input pin (or all the input pins – yikes!) and again the answer is to break the IC’s connection(s) to the circuit so you can check with this circuit opened whether the reading returns to spec. If after breaking the circuit the reading is correct then the IC is bad and by this time so is your manufacturer’s warranty. Q: We’ve been having some trouble with a particular brand of low cost IP cameras. What’s been hard is trying to work out whether we are getting a clean digital signal out of the camera or whether the Cat 5e LAN is at fault. Is there an easy way to see whether the camera is delivering a quality digital signal? Q: It depends how far you want to go with this. One of the best ways to establish whether or not a digital circuit is misbehaving is to simply monitor its digital output and check that the shape is a clean, square-looking waveform that does not display large amounts of ringing or noise. Check that the tops and bottoms of the wave are flat or close to flat and look for sides that are steep and straight. If the camera is delivering poor rise and fall times, digital circuits will be confused and image streams will start to drop in quality. Much easier though, plug a quality IP camera into the local cable and patch panel and see if image quality improves. If both images are poor, you could replace that Cat-5 cable and/or rebuild the RJ-45 connector. There could be damage inside the cable sheath, especially if the cable has been exposed to foot traffic – even under carpet. You could eliminate the possibility of poor camera signal using an oscilloscope. Once you’ve established the camera signal is clean, you can move on to the LAN and its components. Bear in mind that every digital circuit employs a square (or rectangular) wave, not the curvy analogue wave you see on a ‘scope. When it comes to the network, you could
If the camera is delivering poor rise and fall times, digital circuits will be confused and image streams will start to drop in quality also use Fluke Networks’ LinkSprinter which does a 1-button network test in 9 seconds – these handy devices cost about $A200 – well worth the investment if it allows you to unequivocally establish the nature of a fault. Q: We’re looking to install electronic security to protect a bond store that holds large volumes of high value electronics for retail. Our warehouse has thick external walls, we’ve fenced the back of the property around the warehouse and moved the bond store away from the external walls. There are also anti-ram barriers behind the roller door. Is it possible to use structural vibration sensors that will report attacks against the building to our gate house after hours? We have cameras and illumination but have found these are not absolutely dependable when it comes to detecting intrusion. Our doors already have heavy-duty reed switches – it’s the external walls we are worried about.
A: When it comes to structural sensors, much depends on the physical structure of your warehouse. If the building is prefab concrete slabs or brick, it should work fine. Any structural attack sensor needs to be permanently fixed to a structural concrete or masonry wall. Any metal or metal clad structure that can vibrate through the movement of heavy transport, or expand in the sun is not going to make a great base for structural attack sensors. It’s vital to take into account that each sensor’s coverage will be directly related to the density and the stiffness of the base to which it is fixed. Something to note is that you should never attach structural sensors to a structure that might vibrate or shift when exposed to regular activities that occur on the site including the movement or operation of plants or machines, or the vibration of plumbing, etc. The only way to get this right is conduct a field test. Much vibration on a site is going to be undetectable by hearing or feel. Even if a surface seems ideal for the application of structural sensors, you still need to make sure that the structure will actually transmit vibration – it may not. A vibration that occurs as an intruder attempts to get through an external wall may need to travel through that wall and down its surface before getting to a sensor. Remember that things like flex joints and mortar joints are going to attenuate the vibration significantly. In terms of wall-mounted installation, sensors should be placed at intervals of about 6m about 1.5m above the floor level (it is possible to install vibration sensors on floors). It’s also possible, especially if there’s a problem with transmission of vibration from their source to the sensor, to install a steel channel along a wall, with regular fixings (every 1.5m). The structural attack sensors are mounted inside the steel channel. zzz
se&n 81
events
september 2014 – july 2015
September 2014 Issue 358
Security in Government Conference 2014 1080P
HD
THE CONTENDERS
PP 100001158
l Video management systems l Biometrics: New beginning? l Inner Range Sifer reader l Evergreen’s $A4m Nadi contract l Review: Vivotek WDR PRO l Wireless mesh networks l Axis discreet F Series
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Date: September, 1-3 Venue: National Convention Centre, Canberra Contact: 61 2 6141 2987 The SIG Conference targets senior executives responsible for managing security in agencies; officers from all levels of government who contribute to the development of security capability and response; security practitioners from the public and private sectors who contribute to the provision of services to government and critical infrastructure providers
Security Essen Date: 23 - 26, September2014 Venue: Messe Essen Fair Site, Germany Contact: +49-201-72440 Security Essen is the world's most important trade fair for security and fire prevention. The world market for security is booming – it is presenting itself with all its facets in Essen. From fire prevention and cyber security and CCTV to the protection of outdoor areas: experts, decision-makers and buyers from this industry will be meeting in Essen.
Security China
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Date: 28 - 31 October, 2014 Venue: New China International Exhibition Center, China Contact: Tel: 86 010-51920615 Fax: 86 010-51920049 Security China in Beijing is located in the biggest security distribution and procurement center in China and provides a major platform for exhibitors to meet government level buyers and senior management.
SecTech Roadshow Date & locations: Brisbane, Monday 4th May, 2015 Sydney, Wednesday 6th May, 2015 Melbourne, Monday 11th May, 2015 Adelaide, Wednesday 13th May, 2015 Perth, Monday 18th May 2015, Contact: Monique Keatinge on +61 2 9280 4425 SecTech Roadshow is a dynamic new event that will put the latest security products into the hands of installers and end users in the capital cities of 5 Australian states over 2 weeks. SecTech is an exciting new concept – a pop-up roadshow with one stand per exhibitor – no one company dominates the floor. At SecTech, new products do the talking.
Security Exhibition & Conference
= DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.
Date: July 15-17, 2015 Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Contact: Kylie McRorie on 03 9261 4504 or www.securityexpo. com.au for more information. Australasia’s premier security industry event, the Security Exhibition & Conference, will return to Melbourne in July 2015. In 2014 more than 4500 security professionals attended, there was a record number of individual registrations and 170 brands exhibited on the show floor.
Intelligent Touch Terminal VoIP Intercom
IP Reader & Controller
emerald Can your security system do this? emerald™ is a multi functional intelligent access terminal that is revolutionising the security industry. With its sleek design and state of the art custom LCD touch screen, emerald is a powerful card reader and controller in one, featuring fully integrated Voice over IP (VoIP) intercom and a range of Remote Applications that provide a whole new multifaceted access control experience. emerald uniquely opens
emerald™ – The industry’s most multifunctional intelligent access terminal.
For more information: Call: (61) 419 241 076 Email: tycosp-apac@tycoint.com or visit us at www.tycosecurityproducts.com © 2014 Tyco Security Products and its Respective Companies. All Rights Reserved.
Remote Applications
NEW IP CAMERAS Ranging 1.3MP to 5MP
NVR Box IP Camera 8Ch NVR with 4 PoE Ports
16Ch NVR with 8 PoE Ports www.mainline.com.au VIC 221 Nepean Hwy Gardenvale Ph: 03 9596 6688
WA Unit 8 / 14 Halley Rd Balcatta, 6021 Ph: 08 9344 2555
QLD 54 Caswell St East Brisbane, 4101 Ph: 07 3891 2222 www.facebook.com/MainlineWA