Security Electronics & Networks Magazine

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers November 2012 Issue 338

cat 6 hurricane

l CSD’s exacqVision Pro v5 VMS l Darwin’s evolving CCTV mesh l Dallmeier’s smart new SMAVIA l Integrators embracing IP, slowly l Netflix Mobile Access from HID l The Interview: Mark Cunnington l Avigilon has some hot new looks l Forcefield expands its vision l Raytec’s bright new LED gear

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Positive territory

I

It’s my opinion that this culture of developmental shortcuts is leading to lost opportunities that will be revisited in the fullness of time when the focus of users returns to performance.

T’S been such a groanfully flat couple of years in the local electronic security industry it comes as rather a surprise to read Memoori’s recently released report The Physical Security Business in 2012. The report finds plenty of positives in our current situation, with an accent on superfast product development and a vast underlying demand.

Some of the coat hangers on which Memoori is hanging its positivity pitch look a little bent to me – well – perhaps not bent but certainly green. VSAAS and MVAAS are, to my mind, future tech and too dependent on infrastructure that doesn’t yet exist to be relied on to really drive meaningful growth in the short term. They are future revenue streams for someone but it’s uncertain which someone just yet.

Meanwhile, PSIM is an area of real growth but budget constraints have pushed its application to the upper levels. Advanced tech companies and educational institutions are most likely to embrace PSIM in the short term. The report also plays up China’s role in future growth. That nation has only about one 6th the security penetration of the U.S. so there’s organic growth aplenty. Whether or not this growth will accrue to local Chinese manufacturers or global makers is another question.

To me it’s probably the numbers that are most interesting. Here in Australia, most manufacturers and distributors I speak with have a mildly negative short term view of the market but the global numbers tell a more positive story.

According to Memoori, total electronic security production was valued at $US20.57 billion in 2012 - 49 per cent being video surveillance, 27.5 per cent being alarm systems and 23.5 per cent being access control. And there’s been growth. Solid growth in the U.S. (6 per cent) and Western Europe (7 per cent) and stellar growth in Asia, which has increased its share of all electronic security solutions to 35 per cent.

Another key driver of global growth has

november 201 2 issu e 3 3 8

By John Adams

been video surveillance, which punched out nearly 12 per cent aggregate growth over the period. And there’s no doubt in my mind that there is more growth in video surveillance.

There are large numbers of legacy analogue systems, early IP solutions and even preHD IP solutions, that would benefit from extensive upgrades. The speed of product development is increasing the churn in the video surveillance market, too.

Memoori suggests a compound growth rate of just 5 per cent over the next 5 years but to me this sounds too low for too long. The pace of product development, the advantages of new technologies, the maturity of new technologies and the potential for integration are all so compelling it’s hard not to see a J-curve in our mid-term future.

One thing I also see is that the current market has lead to a trend towards ‘paring’ in product development. Many products are being developed to offer less and to cost less to manufacture. They’re the same product wearing a cheap coat.

It’s my opinion that this culture of developmental shortcuts is leading to lost opportunities that will be revisited in the fullness of time when the focus of users returns to performance. Why? For the longest time, the electronic security industry has fed on technological developments that offer end users and integrators more, not less. More power, more performance, more flexibility, more reliability.

Such developments include the McCulloch loop, Hughes’ introduction of prox readers, the still impressive Vidicon cameras, the power of AD’s towering matrix switches, the subtle flexibility of modern management solutions and the staggering image quality of the latest high end megapixel cameras.

There’s no doubt whatever that the best products of the future will be superior solutions, solutions whose capabilities are lauded by an industry that has for 4 decades consistently and necessarily venerated reliability, quality and raw performance over stagnation in exchange for low cost. zzz

se&n 03

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34: SMAVIA smarties

18: exacqVision Pro v5

nov 12

Dallmeier’s SMAVIA (Smart Video Appliance) recording software can be preloaded onto Dallmeier hardware running on a Linux OS, or supplied for installation on third party servers or PCs (Windows OS). SMAVIA uses H.264, MPEG-4 and MJPEG compressions to support video streams of up to 8MP.

exacqVision Pro v5 VMS, compatible with more than 1000 IP and analogue cameras types, is defined by its open architecture and multiplatform capability. The system is simple to configure and operate and allows real-time and recorded video to be viewed, managed and configured from any location on an enterprise network.

40: Integrators and IP

24: Darwin’s mesh evolves

44: Netflix Mobile Access

The Northern Territory Government and the Australian Government spent $US8.612 million to establish a public CCTV system to equip NT Police to monitor and reduce anti-social behaviour on the streets of Darwin. The system has now been expanded to include additional suburbs.

28: Q ship DSC’s Alexor from QVS is a compact wireless alarm panel with lashings of grunt. There are 32 wireless zones, 16 wireless keys, wireless quick enrol, template programming, alternate communications via GSM/GPRS and IP and a 500-event buffer.

Over the past couple of months I’ve spoken to a number of senior people in the electronic security industry and asked them about the uptake of IP. Their answers are illuminating, with a focus on importing expertise, training and more co-operation with IT teams.

76

Online movie service Netflix has replaced low-frequency keyfobs and tags with mobile phones for physical access control in a pilot program using HID Global’s iCLASS SE platform with multiCLASS SE readers and iCLASS Seos digital keys.

54: Terms of trade In the face of the toughest trading conditions in a generation CSD has opened new branches and doubled staffing levels. John Adams speaks with CSD’s managing director Mark Cunnington about the growth of the business, the company’s new product lines and plans for the future.

18

44 60

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60: Solder on Soldering connections, terminations and joining cables is not a black art but it does take practise informed by careful adherence to procedures and an understanding of the thermochemical processes involved.

10: news

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

64: monitoring

66: Avigilon’s hot new looks

Taking alarm systems onto networks poses some challenges relating to support hardware and firmware and installers and monitoring stations need to pay attention to the detail to ensure reliable and secure services.

I caught up with Avigilon’s Sean Borg to chat about the fast-growing company’s new cameras and the latest incarnation of Avigilon Control Centre 5.0, which has been very accurately described as animation for video walls.

76: editor’s choice What’s new from our manufacturers.

70: Cat 6 hurricane If you need wideband IP Video LANs think about Cat 6A cable. With Cat 6A you’ll get 10GB bandwidth, that’s enough shoulder room to support the needs of HD or megapixel cameras for many years into the future.

80: helpdesk Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

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// news / Move and growth for C.R. Kennedy

Mark Pratley

l AUSTRALIA’S largest distributor of surveillance, photographic, surveying, medical and digital audio equipment has moved to extensive new premises in Melbourne. C.R. Kennedy represents some of the world’s leading manufacturers of CCTV / Surveillance equipment including Dallmeier electronic, Pentax lenses, LG Security and others.

The new facilities enable the surveillance division to showcase state-of-the-art equipment under operating conditions, with a control room featuring live feeds and the ability to compare and demonstrate various systems and combinations.

Along with this new head office, the company has offices in all major Australian capital cities

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers November 2012 Issue 338

CAT 6 HURRICANE

l CSD’s exacqVision Pro v5 VMS l Darwin’s evolving CCTV mesh l Dallmeier’s smart new SMAVIA l Integrators embracing IP, slowly l Netflix Mobile Access from HID l The Interview: Mark Cunnington l Avigilon has some hot new looks l Forcefield expands its vision l Raytec’s bright new LED gear

Publisher Bridge Publishing Aust. Pty Ltd ABN 11 083 704 858 PO Box 237 Darlinghurst NSW 1300

plus Auckland, New Zealand.

The new 2.6 hectare Melbourne facilities were officially opened

by Mr. Jürgen Dold, CEO of Leica Geosystems Switzerland, and president of the Hexagon Group.

Over 200 people attended the opening from various industry segments, including the banking and legal fraternities, government, press, and various industry partners.

Customers and suppliers from the Medical, CCTV, Survey and Photographic divisions were also in attendance, many from Asia and Europe.

The new head office represents the beginning of a new era for the 78 year old company and its state-of-the-art facilities will be replicated in the other CR Kennedy offices throughout Australia and New Zealand.

tel 61 2 9280 4425 fax 61 2 9280 4428 email info@bridgepublishing. com.au Editor John Adams Contributor Roger Pearce Advertising Manager Monique Keatinge Customer Service Annette Mathews Tel: 61 2 9280 4425 annette@ bridgepublishing.com.au Design Tania Simanowsky e: taniasdesign@ optusnet.com.au

Subscriptions 11 issues per annum One year (11 issues) Australia 12 months $A104.50 (incl GST) 24 months $A188.00 (incl GST) Overseas 12 months $A155.00 (incl GST) 24 months $A270.00 (incl GST)

WEBSITE www.securityelectronicsandnetworks.com.au

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form in whole or part without prior written permission of Bridge Publishing.

10 se&n

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// news /

industry develop ments // b u si n ess p rof i l

SNP wins major NRMA contract Tom Roche

l SNP Security has won a new contract with NRMA Insurance to monitor more than 10,000 lines. SNP Security went through a tendering process against a number of security companies in order to successfully secure the

new contract.

The new business win follows NRMA Insurance’s decision to outsource its in-house monitoring centre which controls NRMA Home Insurance monitored lines. Tom Roche, managing director at SNP Security says that outsourcing business security needs is becoming more commonplace.

“We are seeing an increased number of companies searching for effective security solutions and ways to outsource elements of their overall security needs,” Roche said.

“The benefits can be vast and offer a company improved efficiency and lower costs which is a priority in today’s market.”

Roche explains that when companies are deciding on security outsourcing, it is important to carefully consider the section of security that can be feasibly outsourced.

60 per cent of retailers plan move to IP l RESEARCH commissioned

by Axis Communications and carried out by the Centre for Retail Research found that of the 261 responses from UK retailers encompassing over 20,300 stores, 85 per cent of them directly attributed the reduction in internal and external shrinkage to the use of CCTV monitoring.

Over a third of those saw reductions in losses of between 11 per cent and 50 per cent.

The findings of the survey, which had over 700 responses across Northern Europe, were presented yesterday at the Retail Fraud on the Road conference in Leicester.

“Once again, the report shows that many UK retailers are keen to maximise their investment and get as much as they can from a surveillance system, so that it can be used as more than just a loss prevention tool,” said Professor Joshua Bamfield, director at Centre for Retail Research (CRR).

12 se&n

“Although analogue CCTV still dominates in this sector, the rise of HD image quality and increased use of analytics is beginning to highlight this technology’s limitations, and retailers are continuing to appreciate the additional benefits that an IPbased system can deliver.”

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// news /

i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // industry develop ments // busin ess p rof i l es //

Billion pixel camera due next year l A COMPANY spun out of a Duke University laboratory is looking to commercialize camera technology that takes pictures in great detail - digital images with more than a billion pixels - across a wide field of view.

The cameras are still in the prototype development stage. But by next year, the team hope to be able to have the manufacturing process developed to be able to make cameras at a regular rate for a variety of commercial uses. They see their cameras as potentially attractive for security, events or online publishing applications.

The Durham-based company Aqueti is looking to commercialize work done through a research project at Duke University funded with $US25 million from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Through the project, they’ve built 2 prototype cameras that are each about the size of 2 microwave ovens stacked on top of each other.

“The camera can take images with a billion pixels, or 1 gigapixel, and there’s a

1.5-gigapixel camera, said David Brady, a professor of electrical engineering at Duke University. Brady is the principal of the research project and a founder of Aqueti.

He said the team was now also working on a 5-gigapixel camera.

The cameras were constructed through a collaboration by researchers and engineers.

Duke University was the lead institution.

Others were involved from businesses and institutions including the University of California, San Diego, RPC Photonics, Distant Focus Corp., the University of Arizona, and Raytheon Corp.

In their camera design, micro-cameras are grouped behind a spherical lens. In one of the cameras they constructed, there is an array of 98 micro-cameras behind the lens.

The optics of the camera make up only about 3 per cent of its size, said Scott McCain, president of Aqueti.

According to McCain, the team is not just at a research stage anymore - they’re ready to build cameras. There’s a goal of building

20 to 100 cameras next year, and the team wants to make sure it they can hit price and performance targets demanded by customers.

“We’re really trying to push the cost of the cameras down,” McCain said.

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14 se&n Magazine: Security

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// news /

i nd u stry d eve lo pme nts // business p rofiles // industry develop ments // busin ess p rof i l es //

Honeywell expands 4G to VISTA panels l HONEYWELL has expanded 4G alarm communications to its popular VISTA platform, which the company says will maximize equipment longevity and performance for dealers. The company’s first 4G VISTA panels, the GSMX4G and the GSMV4G, were launched on October 22.

Like the LYNX Touch 5100, a self-contained 4G system that made its debut in March at ISC West, the new products are based on the HSPA+ network.

Gordon Hope, general manager of AlarmNet at Honeywell, said the decision to standardize Honeywell’s systems on HSPA+ has been validated by the positive feedback on LYNX in the field.

“Our choice to do it was twofold: One is our belief about longevity, and the second is the balanced issue of performance,” Hope told SSN. “HSPA+ is 3 times faster than 3G alternatives, and therefore for services like [Honeywell’s] Total Connect, it just makes for a zippier interface.

“The problem most people have is that

they’re reading LTE ads from Verizon, and LTE is not the only 4G technology out there,” Hope said. “HSPA+ is by far more deployed and has better coverage, which is vital to our industry.”

According to Hope, any time there is change, there is opportunity. “We “We think this is an excellent opportunity for our dealers to increase penetration in their own customer base and expand it, and offer more RMR with value services like Total Connect.”

As with LYNX, Hope said Honeywell will phase out 2G versions of VISTA as it ramps up production on the 4G side. He said the cost of the HSPA+ units would be $US10 to $15 more at the “street level” for dealers, but added that the capabilities were worth significantly more.”

Honeywell’s decision to drop 2G moving forward underscores the opinions of some local commentators who have been suggesting the 2G network in Australia is underinvested and does not have a long term future.

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exacq

exacqVision Pro v5 exacqVision Pro v5 VMS, compatible with more than 1000 IP and analogue cameras types, is defined by its open architecture and multiplatform capability.

The system is simple to configure and operate and allows real-time and recorded video to be viewed, managed and configured from any location on an enterprise network.

I

CHECKED out the Exacq Technologies exacqVision Pro v5 with Ilya Malkin down at CSD’s Alexandria office. Driving through an exacqVision client installed on Malkin’s laptop over a mobile network, we viewed a local system comprising a megapixel camera installed downstairs on a screen in the boardroom, which gave us a pretty good feel for the operational nature of this VMS. Before we launch into the product, it’s worth bearing in mind that Exacq Technologies is an American company that was founded back in 2002 that specializes in open architecture NVR solutions allowing both remote and centralized monitoring.

CSD has been distributing exacqVision for about 12 months and having spent some time getting to know the system, it looks to me like they’re onto a winner.

As a network video pioneer, Exacq Technologies 18 se&n

has a good handle on the demands of high resolution video solutions. The company’s systems are supplied either preconfigured on NVRs or as NVR software. Operationally, each server is expandable up to 64 IP cameras (it’s 24 IP cameras on EL-Series appliances) and up to 128 IP cameras on Z-Series servers.

These servers are spread out across an enterprise and remote clients with a titchy 13MB footprint which pull them together onto single screens on authorised remote workstations as if they were in the next room. Integration is possible too, with leading access control systems, retail analytics, iSCSI storage, wireless networking and video analytics solutions supported.

As well as this ability to germinate a control room on any authorised workstation, to my mind the neatest aspect of Exacq’s technology is that it doesn’t

by john adam s

re-encode H.264 video streams as they arrive – it stores them just as they are. This pushes the work load to the edge and speeds up processing, allowing higher performance and less latency across the myriad connections of an enterprise network.

Something else I like is the way the system can display a single megapixel image as multiple regionof-interest scenes in tiles on one screen, recalling each group of scenes on playback as if they were live and all the while recording just a single megapixel stream. It sounds a bit complicated but it’s as simple as it is powerful.

According to Malkin, exacqVision has some other major advantages over the competition. For a start, it’s multiplatform and its server can run on Windows or Linux and clients can run on Windows, or Linux or Mac. “There’s also a web browser client that supports any browser including Java screen support so users can use mobile devices to go into the system and view cameras live, play them back and zoom in, do everything you want to do with megapixel cameras,” Malkin explains. “exacqVision also supports camera-based video analytics from a number of different vendors – and every analytic from the supported cameras can be utilised as a feature.

“It’s an open architecture VMS that supports nearly 1000 IP camera types as well as all ONVIF cameras. exacqVision also has high level integration into access control systems – including our new Integriti platform and Insight.

Viewing screen

It’s an open architecture VMS that supports nearly 1000 IP camera types as well as all ONVIF cameras. exacqVision also has high level integration into access control systems – including our new Integriti platform and Insight.

“Along with a list of cameras supported, there’s a list on the website of all the things exacqVision combined with access control can do, including stream video and create events. It’s a full high level interface that’s very nicely executed and developed by engineers from Inner Range using the exacqVision SDK.” As Malkin sets up the system, he explains the nature of exacqVision, including that intriguing characteristic of streamlining its operations by minimising the effort designated to decoding and then re-encoding video signals before storing them. “exacqVision is not resource hungry,” Malkin says. “Instead the whole idea of exacqVision is to utilise camera abilities and functionality as much as possible. Our competitors get H.264 video streams and then they re-encode them in their own

version of H.264 and that requires a huge amount of processing power. In comparison, exacqvision gets a video stream from a camera and stores it just as it is. If it’s H.264 and ONVIF-compliant it’s perfectly fine to store.

“Re-encoding certainly has its advantages with post-recording processing but if you are going to record 32 channels in real time on systems that utilise re-encoding you have to have an expensive server with dual-core Xeon processors and a motherboard with a huge amount of RAM. In an enterprise system there will need to be multiple high end servers.

“But with exacqVision we can run up to 64 IP cameras on one server with a single i7 processor running Win7,” Malkin explains. “The system also supports multi-monitor clients so more than one client can be running at a time on the same system.

And thanks to the efficiency of the system, the number of clients that can be connected is limited only by bandwidth.

“The system’s powerful capability in this area relates directly to its ability to manage video streams without decoding and re-encoding. exacqVision just grabs and stores them based on camera events and out across the enterprise network clients do the hard work of decompressing the H.264 and putting it onto monitors.”

Taking this edge capability to another level, the system supports edge recording for compatible cameras from manufacturers like Axis and ISD, allowing decentralising of system storage. With edge recording, exacqVision runs a mini server on the SD card of every camera, recording and analysing everything off that camera.

“Edge recording has its advantages,” Malkin says.

“Every camera is a mini system and does its own thing. And if one camera loses storage you only lose one camera’s storage.”

The powerful, easy-to-operate client user interface se&n 19

’

// news /

S H OW RE P O RT SECURITY 2 01 2 p ro d u ct rev i ew exacq industry developments // business profiles //

DVTel Quasar HD Another standout product at the show was with IR Videofied’s XTIP710, a hybrid alarm system with camera and stores them so they can be recalled A rack-mount unit video verification that now reports alarm events and played back in the same configuration they and status using GPRS and IP. We’ve like Videofied’s are displayed live. What this means is that in one products for a while now and think they offer you single megapixel stream I can get multiple different installers a great up-sell or panel replacement views from one camera but view them as if they are option. Using reliable spread spectrum wireless separate images – that means no zooming or panning devices, the company has a real track record of into regions of interest during investigations.” visible success.

Malkin shows me how setup of these region-ofmassive Texas school district recently due to the number of employees that tend to Sending alarm events along with video ONE footage interest groups is achieved from a single megapixel upgraded its video surveillance system in an move from campus to campus in such a large is pretty much Rolls Royce performance and camera. school system. Russell says prior to the Video effort to keep up with advancements in Web Videofied has 450-odd arrests under its beltmanagement thanks stuff, really. go toadministrator the camera with Insightsimple implementation hisIVMS platforms. Austin Independent“It’s very to its ability to identify burglars. When you consider the cursor, a megapixel stream, 2, 3,user 4 times. spent grab a considerable amount of time1,with which we use to steer the system installs on School any District – the America’s 38th largest most alarm systems are blind and cannot assist maintenance.

“With this number of users a and school system – has replaced its existing Say I want to zoom to this particular area here, standard computer running Windows, Linux or Mac reliable Web client isand morethis economical than video management system with Video Insight operators by doing more than reporting multiple this particular area here, area here.

I zoom OS X. It connects to multiple exacqVision Hybrid (and uninstalling) thick VMS clients on software. Encompassing 230-square miles, adjacent alarm events, Videofied’s capabilities in on installing an areawas of plenty the scene intothe scene There more seerelevant at the show and in (analogue and IP cameras) and IP Camera Servers Austin ISD has 86,000 students, 11,000 each PC, which also overburdens our already stick out even more. window and I just click ‘apply’ to save the views. this and subsequent issues we’ll be reviewing many creating a virtually unlimited amount of cameras. employees, 124 campuses and more than 3,000 taxed VMS administrators,” he says.

LaterofThe on can change the separate ROIeditor’s views in for theIswitch stand-out solutions.

As forresulted the to Video Insight has in pick video surveillance cameras.

Malkin tells me he’s not fond of this ‘unlimited’ label same way.” anthe improved video management we SE&N’s Best Product at Securitysystem 2012 –for I chose the and very correctly points out that the governor“We of were unhappy with the platform that exactly Austinsolution ISDthe in many including: Little had invested in and we needed a more practicalToSnap illustrate point, Malkin goes through the fromrespects, Network Video Surveillance camera numbers is bandwidth. to no forPacific employees; increased video For solution – something that was easy to use,” says process of training setupby using the camera downstairs in its distributed Communications.

It’s a very familiar management screen we are camera image quality; more we’re efficientrunning storage; over Austin ISD Police Department Representative the showroom.

Bear in mind ability to automatically wrangle the power of looking at, I say, as we settle down behind the client Wayne Russell. “We needed something that faster system performance; variety in camera a mobile network for thiscameras test and performance existing challenging real to drive the system. There’s a camera tree with choice and of LDAP integration. The in 3,000-plus didn’t require an incredible amount of CPU thousands is typically 3G. I’m actually pleased we’re using a world environments, it has to be my for SE&N’s cameras labelled by type or location on the left, a police processor power that could also serve as a fully- camera system is monitored by the AISD pick wireless hotspot for theademo because Best in Show. dispatch 24-hours day, seven days itagives week,a real functioning Web client.” tool bar of screen and zoom options at the top and sense paying of anthere enterprise particular during peak times144 alarm Up with attention itsolution. is the Bosch Solution the rest of the space is taken up by a split screen. After an exhaustive bid process, Russell found to- camera feeds in the panel bus drop off and pick up the solution in Video Insight.

“Ok that’s the main GUI and I’ve created a like and access control with neat features When you get into search, searchable cameras “Video Insight was the only software solution areas, cafeterias during breakfast and lunch pre-built garage door control and a succession of are called up in the left hand directory and tabs that worked seamlessly with our existing time, playgrounds and in hallways during class readers and expanders. The Solution 144 is just underneath allow you to search by maps, groups, cameras and it offered a very dependable Web changes. Administrators monitor cameras at a bit A ofcomprehensive time looking at Videofied that a solution.

Thought fromtobeginning views, We’ve events spent or cameras. timeline each– school campus, but they through report incident client,” Russel says. alarm event footage.

Image streams are currently end, I think willhave resonate Bosch AISD policeitwho the solewith authority to installers A fully functional Web client application was tothe appears underneath the viewing tiles. With a single and white fortolow performance clip and to export very and important to Austin ISD, says Russell, looking givevideo. their customers more capability in clickblack you can pull a scene full light screen. optioned for low bandwidth but they’re still large domestic and small commercial applications.

InACCESS enterprise applications there’s ASSA single-screen, control solutions provider excellent for what are.of Greensteel Twin SIMs and an NBN-proof network comms real-time view of all they cameras in the enterprise ABLOY has purchased assets Now the iscommercial product development port built into a medium-sized alarm panel with Industries Ltd., word acan metalbe door system.

These sorted under by and connection, will maker. incorporate the latest advances in video frame 16 doors of biometric, prox and keypad access recording status, IP address, or firmware revision.

The Greensteel products willjust nowdouble-click be better marketedidentification compression giving even control?

Yes, please.

To manage a camera you for that particular group of views from a single camera and manufactured under Baron and Fleming ability day and night.

Special mentions go Malkin to the Axis 5544 for camera’s setup screen or right click any camera for downstairs in the showroom,” tells me. “That brands, ASSA ABLOY Executive Vice President far playback as I’m concerned all alarm systems awesomeness, theinside Axis 1604 WDR for liveThanasis or As instant via exacqReplay. one conceptual megapixel camera shows us the front Molokotos says. should work the way Videofied’s does and I can’t its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex PXB“Yes – it’s very easy to operate – not complicated at door, outside in the carpark and all these other areas “This acquisition will enhance our ability why alarm 100ATC whichFrom takesthe affordable security all and it’s out not anon-residential busymore GUI. It’s usermanufacturers friendly in the showroom. point of perimeter view of a user towork provide door opening and thehave not seized this customers,” combination of technologies to a newthis level, FSH one FEW3800 for being greenest, to our Canadian he says. usersolutions interface is on intuitive,” says Malkin.

“Something or integrator means 5MP camera facing a Established in 1932, Greensteel Industries for their own solutions.

Giving the and can C.R.cover Kennedy’s Dallmeiera dock Panomera, which worth pointing out is that the system hassame a verygreat building a main entrance, entrance, operates in Winnipeg, Canada. catch performance with the combination ofof GPRS themultiple furthestother and areas saw the mostest.and Finally, special digital PTZ functionality including regions a carlooked park, and for viewing It’s an interesting move from ASSA and onboard IPlateral connectivity in its latest XTIP710 the most improved product range honours are interest. recording.

ABLOY, which is a significant player in the solution iscreates just icing onofwhat was already a very

by Vivotek and Merit LiLin. Nice work,tofolks.

“ItAustralia actuallydomestic views same megapixel “Asshared a manager or operator this means if I want locking andthe commercial tempting Videofied cake. zzz access control markets.

3000-camera school system deploys web-based solution

Special mentions go to the Axis 5544 for conceptual awesomeness, the Axis 1604 WDR for its total obliteration of backlight, the Takex PXB-100ATC which takes affordable perimeter security to a new level...

assa abloy buys Greensteel industries

Something else that strong about the system also has full audit trail so users can check who has done what on the system, see who has logged in and logged out of cameras, who has configured camera views.

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p ro d u ct rev i ew

look at the activity that’s taken place over a 2-hour period in the car park, I don’t have to zoom in on the carpark – the camera view is recorded complete but is split into the area of interest views so I can view the areas of interest on playback as I view them live.”

The way the client works is that it links to multiple exacqVision servers to create scalable networks that expand pretty much endlessly. At the heart of the operation is a multi-monitor client display & video wall with the ability to drag and drop cameras and maps between monitors, which is awfully cool.

There’s easy to use multi-camera search, playback and export and there are also video, audio and POS export features.

There’s a graphical search display for cameras and recorded audio and a thumbnail search for instant visual assessment and video retrieval.

The strength of this capability is that it’s perfect for bandwidth-poor remote connections – and for mobile applications too, given the annoyance of modern contention rates in Australian networks, particularly at peak times. exacqVision mapping integrates seamlessly with video streams. To make this work you just add any number of maps from any image source, place cameras and alarms on the maps. Neat too, is the ability to build user-configurable triggers on maps for controlling access control systems. Once the map is setup you can then view interactive activity on map.

According to Malkin, exacqVision is an ideal system for one or 2 cameras or for huge enterprise systems. This is a big call but the nature of Exacq’s edge-leaning technology is so sleek that once you get your head around it you can see just how capable exacqVision can be.

“Enterprise features include managing all users from a single system location - absolutely everything can be managed from the one point,” Malkin says. “If there are 20 systems with 50 users, some users are allowed to see some camera views from one part of the system, while other users can only see other cameras.

“There’s also full integration into active directory which is required by all high end projects so as to allow system administrators to manage all linked systems. exacqVision also has multi-level mapping so if there is building of 8 storeys, every storey can be integrated into the main map and all the floors and wings of the building can be displayed.”

Another nice feature is an optional enterprise health manager server. The server runs a separate SQL database so it keeps monitoring the whole enterprise and running diagnostics about video loss of any camera, loss of server connection, HDD failure, across the whole enterprise, reporting system problems live. exacqVision is right on top of the functionality du jour and supports iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and Blackberry Playbook browsers. Recently, multi-streaming was added and these streams can be configured in different ways depending on the 22 se&n

exacq

Ilya Malkin

exacqVision also has multi-level mapping so if there is building of 8 storeys, every storey can be integrated into the main map and all the floors and wings of the building can be displayed.”

importance of the events. For instance, alarm events will be recorded at a higher frame rate, at higher resolution with less compression. That’s cool when you’re viewing scenes on a mobile device.

So - can the system be installed on off-the-shelf servers? I ask. What’s the process of building exacqVision solutions from an integrator’s point of view? And what about licensing – how does that work?

“We generally provide end-to-end solutions and we prefer to sell our server with our warranty that’s specified and dedicated to handling this sort of a role,” Malkin tells me.

“We have a number of different types of servers with licenses pre-installed. These include the exacqVision A-Series Hybrid and IP servers, enterprise-level Z-Series Hybrid and IP servers and the EL-S/EL-SR hybrid and the EL-Series IP embedded appliance servers.

“Our licensing is very simple – you pay license fees only for the number of cameras you want to connect and it’s not connected to a camera MAC address. If you want to upgrade a camera, you just replace the camera – you don’t have to pay another license.”

According to Malkin, from an integrator’s point of view, setup is made easy because the system searches and enrols cameras by itself.

“I can add a camera simply by choosing a manufacturer and selecting the relevant camera on the list. The system will then find the camera on the network and enrol it.”

For cameras not registered, there’s RTSP (real time streaming protocol) if you need it. And ultimate megapixel performance is offered thanks to support for Arecont’s monster 20MP cameras.

“Something else that’s strong about the system is a full audit trail so users can check who has done what on the system, see who has logged in and logged out of cameras, who has configured camera views, every single thing that has been done on the system can be monitored and checked,” Malkin says.

“And importantly, Exacq Technologies provides quarterly updates for exacqVision that include new features and the addition of newly compatible cameras.” zzz

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cas e st u dy darwin

Darwin’s mesh evolves

The Northern Territory Government and the Australian Government spent $US8.612 million to establish a public CCTV system to equip NT Police to monitor and reduce anti-social behaviour on the streets of Darwin. The system has now been expanded to include additional suburbs.

D

ARWIN’S street camera project required Security & Technology Services to integrate 47 existing CCTV cameras deployed at hotspots – mass passenger transport systems as well as bus interchanges – with 62 new IndigoVision PTZ cameras. These cameras are installed at popular congregation points at Casuarina, Palmerston and Darwin.

24 se&n

Due to the prohibitive cost of connecting all the cameras with fibre optic cable, STS needed a highly reliable wireless network to allow NT Police personnel to monitor the 109 cameras, control them remotely and record high-resolution vision of any incidents that are of a quality fit for use in a court for prosecution purposes.

Major challenges of transmitting high definition video streams from the cameras to 3 police stations – plus a fourth remote storage facility – were to avoid network congestion from the large volume of data traffic and to eliminate the risk caused by single points of failure.

The demanding Top End environment delivered difficulties including high year-round heat and humidity plus thousands of lightning strikes a day during the turbulent Wet Season. Another issue was vandalism.

STS selected Australian network specialist MIMP connecting solutions to design and deliver

PTZ and wireless link

The NT Police are very happy with the system. The CCTV system has proved to be very user-friendly. It also provides police with high quality images that they have been able to use to reduce antisocial behaviour and improve community safety. the highly redundant, high performance wireless network to integrate the Darwin Street Camera system. STS also deployed an optical fibre ring network to augment the system’s high-capacity wireless backhaul.

MIMP wireless solution

To meet the demanding Darwin climate and operational challenges, MIMP decided the wireless network needed to be self-healing, so it would keep working if part of the network went offline. MIMP searched internationally to identify the best selfhealing network architecture for the Darwin Street Camera project, which covers a total of 6 square kilometres.

MIMP selected network equipment from Strix Systems, a US-based global leader in wireless mesh networking. Strix Systems exclusive distributor, Wireless Tech (Australia) supported MIMP with pre sales engineering design support in the project.

The Strix Access/One Outdoor Wireless System is a modular, in-the-field upgradable system that delivers high throughput and low latency levels.

Strix technology provides high redundancy by using a multicast mesh structure with selfhealing capabilities to optimise performance and availability. Multicast mesh is a highly distributed network model where any device can accept and pass on a data packet, even if it’s not on the shortest path from sender to receiver. This rich connectivity maintains data delivery even when devices or even parts of the network became unavailable.

With 128-bit data encryption for security, the system also uses a multi-subnet architecture to route video data streams over diverse data paths via multiple subnetworks. This design effectively created three standalone mesh networks with a fibre backbone.

MIMP general manager Allan Aitchison said the multicast mesh structure gave the Darwin wireless

se&n 25

cas e st u dy darwin

Tidy pole-mount installation

network both resilience and redundancy. “To our knowledge, this is the first multicast mesh network in Australia,” he said.

“A multicast mesh network provides the richest connectivity and is very robust, because it self-heals if devices disappear off the network. By designing the network so each device accepts messages, even if the device is not on the shortest path from a camera to the police station, it routes data around any disrupted areas, so there’s no single point of failure. Further robustness is added by the use of multiple subnets, so the second and third subnets can continue operating even if one area goes down.”

Aitchison said the Strix equipment also handled the demanding Darwin environment including heat, humidity, lightning and vandalism. “Strix equipment is in the highest category for handling lightning strikes,” he said.

“Lightning is a huge issue in Darwin during the Wet, when there are as many as 3000 strikes a day, which all tend to hit the top of buildings. As well as lightning protection in the antenna and the equipment itself, Strix wireless units have a heat shield over the radio unit, which also protects them from vandalism.”

MIMP designed, configured and tested the network at its Adelaide head office before sending it to Darwin where it was installed by STS. MIMP technicians then commissioned the network, which went live in December 2009.

Business benefits

Installation of the CCTV system was funded under the Territory Government’s Anti-social Behaviour Initiative and the Australian Government’s Safer Suburbs Plan. As well as the MIMP-designed multicast mesh multi subnet network, STS chose an IP-based camera system from Scottish IP video security specialist IndigoVision.

The CCTV system is operated by a dedicated police monitoring team located in a real-time CCTV control room at the Joint Emergency Services 26 se&n

Communications Centre in Berrimah. As well as video data being recorded at this secure remote data storage facility, surveillance capabilities are available at police stations in Casuarina, Darwin and Palmerston.

Cameras are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each day, the 109 cameras deliver hundreds of gigabytes of new vision for storage at 2 locations, one of which is a central repository with 30 terabytes of data storage. Most video data is destroyed after 30 days, although some is retained as evidence for police investigations and prosecutions.

NT Police CCTV Project Administrator Shane Moten said the CCTV network had assisted police to more proactively manage and reduce anti-social behaviour on the streets of Darwin.

“Since the system has been live, we have generated hundreds of additional incidents that we might otherwise have missed,” Moten said.

“It has helped to solve problems that range from recovering stolen property, dealing with assaults and vandalism to identifying multiple persons on different occasions with concealed weapons, which enabled us to direct police to intercept these persons before incidents occurred.

“As the video operators become more experienced with identifying developing problems, they are able to proactively look for certain things at hotspots for

By designing the network so each device accepts messages, even if the device is not on the shortest path from a camera to the police station, it routes data around any disrupted areas, so there’s no single point of failure. anti-social behaviour and alert police to intervene before a situation becomes bigger.”

STS Managing Director Greg Ireland said the MIMP multicast mesh network had been a critical part of the CCTV system’s success.

“The NT Police are very happy with the system,” Ireland said. “The CCTV system has proved to be very user-friendly. It also provides police with high quality images that they have been able to use to reduce anti-social behaviour and improve community safety.

“We chose MIMP based on their previous experience and the fact that they’d delivered similar projects elsewhere. We had good feedback on the reputation of their company. While it’s fair to say you always have some teething problems, MIMP’s commitment to solving those problems has been very good.

“We also chose MIMP for a similar project in Alice Springs, which says a lot about what we think of them.” zzz

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p ro d u ct rev i ew

qvs

Q ship DSC’s Alexor from QVS is a compact wireless alarm panel with lashings of firepower.

There are 32 wireless zones, 16 wireless keys, wireless quick enrol, template programming, alternate communications via GSM/GPRS and IP and a 500-event buffer.

P

ROGRAMMING speed is the really big deal with Alexor because it enhances speed of installation. Alexor’s easy wireless enrolment combined with Template Programming offers the installer a super-quick setup and because DSC’s 2-Way Wireless Security Suite is completely wireless, installers have fewer holes to drill and fewer wires to pull. Typical installation time is around an hour with power and phone line readily available.

Alexor’s hidden firepower isn’t limited to ease of installation. It has a full complement of compatible two-way and one-way wireless accessories, detectors and keypads. There are also 29 programmable zone types, giving customers ample choice as to how they want their alarm system to function. Designed for optimal functions in many configurations, the wireless product suite takes far less time to install than traditional wired or hybrid systems.

Some features we especially like about Alexor include its ability to recognise and enrol legacy DSC wireless sensors, template programming and an onboard power management program. Such smart functionality is always going to be popular with techs.

There’s an integrated Voice Dialler that has been included which gives customers the option of self monitoring. Voice Dialler goes into alarm or needs to communicate another significant event, customers will be notified directly from the panel to their designated phone line. The dialler supports 16 languages, has a voice library of 50 words and includes 16 recordable messages and one site identity.

Voice Dialler also includes 6 voice dial numbers for multiple path communication of events, allows for programmable call directions for voice calls and remote access via the phone line to arm/disarm/ bypass the security system. Alexor will also allow the user to switch from listening to a voice dial call and take remote control of their panel.

A great strength of the Alexor panel is the onboard suite of communications options and Voice Dialler backs up what was already serious capability in this area.

DSC has designed a number of back-up

28 se&n

communicators specifically for Alexor. The TL265GS Internet and GSM/GPRS Dual-Path Alarm Communicator communicate via the IP or GSM/ GPRS channels and the GS2065 GSM/GPRS Wireless Alarm Communicator talks through the GSM/GPRS channel. Meanwhile, the new TL265 Intranet/ Internet Communicator communicates by way of the IP channel. All provide additional back-up (to the traditional phone line communication) alarm communication methods.

Another neat new feature of Alexor is that when it is used with either the GS2065 GSM/GPRS Communicator or the TL265GS GSM/GPRS and IP Dual-Path Communicator, the panel has the ability to notify of zone alarms, troubles, openings and closings to mobile phones via SMS. The modular design mirrors the layout of a standard alarm panel with motherboard and dialler/comms hidden safely out of sight. The control panel can now be placed in a safe, outof-the-way location, while the keypad gives the end user, as well as the installer, complete control over the system, with the same functionality and speed as a hardwired keypad. It’s also possible to disable the control panel’s onboard siren and utilize the wireless sirens to further protect the panel’s whereabouts. zzz

Features of the DSC Alexor alarm panel l3 2 wireless zones, 16 wireless keys (without using a zone slot) lW ireless quick enrol lT emplate programming l 1 6 user codes, 1 master code and 1 maintenance code lA ccount code error checking (patent pending) lA lternate communications via GSM/

GPRS and IP lV oice dialler lO nboard siren at 85dB l2 Input/Output terminals l2 00mA Aux Output l5 00 event buffer lW all and case tamper l2 4-hour battery backup.

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THINK DIFFERENT . THINK

acce s s co n t ro l

by roger p earce

Codes and Cards When selecting access control cards, be sure you think about codes. They’re probably the single most important element of an access credential choice and have a huge impact on system security.

P

robably the most important issue in selecting a supplier of proximity readers is the issue of codes. The cost of cards, replacement of cards and compatibility of cards between systems is likely to catch out many a player over time as end users look to change or upgrade their system or change supplier. To make some sense of this we need to go back to basics.

Proprietary access systems have the advantage of the codes being controlled by the manufacturer.

It is the reputation for the security and integrity of their system that gives makers the incentive to make sure no card they manufacture is ever duplicated. To achieve this they usually have two levels of code. l The building or client code which is exclusive to that client or building l The individual card ID number, usually a sequential number, which is only used once.

To make sure these codes are never duplicated, the manufacturer must keep records of what cards have been made for that building code and what the next sequential number to use will be when the next batch of cards is ordered. The manufacturer will have provided for enough building/client codes (by having more bits in the code) so that each building/client has their own code.

30 se&n

Some end users have become disenchanted with this arrangement because they are “locked in” to that manufacturer and can only purchase cards from the one source so In response to this some manufacturers are now offering a third level of code called customer code.

OEM manufacturers have helped to change this because their product is often supplied to a number of distributors, agents or system supplier/integrator/ builder. Here is where it gets interesting. When an end user buys a proprietary system they know they are “locked in” to that manufacturer. When they buy an OEM product they would think they’re not locked in. However, they may still be.

Customer codes

The OEM manufacturers have 2 groups of clients, the end users and the system builders. They have

To make sure these codes are never duplicated, the manufacturer must keep records of what cards have been made for that building code and what the next sequential number to use will be when the next batch of cards is ordered. to serve both however their repeat business is more likely to be with the system builders. Naturally the system builders would like to lock their clients in just as the proprietary manufacturers are able to do.

To do this they have a third level of code, Customer Code, which is exclusive to them. Any cards supplied on this basis can only be supplied by that system supplier. Yes, you guessed it – the end user is still “locked in”.

However, help is at hand. The big corporations have become aware of what is going on and have beaten the system integrators at their own game.

Because of their buying power they have been able to turn the tables on the system suppliers and go to the OEM manufacturers and get their own Customer Code assigned. This means they can supply the cards themselves or go to several system suppliers and specify that they supply the cards and readers on their customer code not the system supplier’s code. The price from the manufacturer to the system suppliers tendering for the work will be the same. This price will have been negotiated with the end user based on the volume of business from that corporation. This way the end user is locked into the card/reader manufacturer but can go to the market for a system. zzz

Coming soon.

www.interlogix.com.au/tecomisback

s p e ci al re p o rt

cctv

Video resolution will go higher ACCORDING to C.R. Kennedy’s Vlado Damjanovski, CCTV is not going to stay at HD levels but will push higher as advances in broadcast filter through to the video surveillance industry. And the big thing in the future, according to Damjanovski, is going to be interconnectivity and compatibility.

T

his is a key issue given the ubiquity of 720p and 1080i/p cameras. There’s no doubt manufacturers are going to need to find new ways to attract customers, not by endlessly dropping prices but by improving quality and compatibility. Improving compression, low light performance, wide dynamic range, and developing video analytics and more open SDKs are important elements, although the image quality is the key.

“I think we will see the quality of images evolve,” Damjanovski says. “It’s not going to be stuck on the HD 1080 (1920 x 1080) standard for long, although many users are still dwelling on standard definition.

Something called Ultra High Definition (UHD) has already been started by the broadcast television and production houses. They already started using so-called 4K cameras (4000 x 2000 pixels for an 8MP live stream). This is used for TV series and movie making. There is even an Australian broadcast company that introduced 4k sensor cameras in their line of products.

“The 4k trend is not the last development,” Damjanovski says. “Even higher resolution called Super Hi-Vision has been now experimented with.

The Super Hi-Vision technology, also referred to as 8k, uses a sensor with 8k x 4k pixels, making a 32MP live streaming possible.

“At this year’s London Olympics an 8K camera live stream and recording was made for the first time, as a joint experiment by BBC and NHK from Japan. Such video was streamed between London and Tokyo during the games. The transmission was done using a special compression via bundled internet broadband channels, at close to half a gigabit per second.

“So, an 8K live stream chip has been already developed, although as a prototype at this stage, using an extra high resolution fixed lens. Zoom was not used, since fixed lenses can be designed easier to achieve the super high resolution, but also, a comment I have read was that there were so many details in the captured images, that optical zooming was not necessary.

“The end result with such a Super Hi-Vision is a 32 se&n

I think we will see the quality of images evolve.

It’s not going to be stuck on HD 1080 (1920 x 1080) standard for long, although many users are still dwelling on standard definition.

total immersion in the display field of view, which apparently causes a feeling of actually being there, better than with the current 3D technology,” Damjanovski explains.

“I think it’s the 4K live stream cameras that will push the barriers in our industry, and will challenge manufacturers to do better and at lower cost. This same process was the case with the slow introduction of the 1080 HD standard. Initially, about 10 years ago, HD camcorders were prohibitively expensive, but today almost every smart phone can record in HD. I think if we can get affordable 4k (8MP at 25ips) sensors – that will be a great tool in CCTV. And there are already 4K monitors, which are 4 times the resolution of the existing HD panels.”

From Damjanovski’s point of view, the real key to the future is not going to be standardisation of performance parameters like resolution, because this will always evolve, but standardisation of digital interconnectivity and compatibility between technologies and brands.

“When I look around I can see a tendency towards simplifying things in terms of connectivity,” Damjanovski says. “Sure, every manufacturer wants their own edge but I think the future will and has to bring simpler interoperability with shared connectivity standards.

“There is already some work being done in this area by various standards such as IEC, BSi, ONVIF, so that connectivity and interoperability between various cameras, recorders and software eventually becomes as simple as was the case with analogue video. Encoding, PTZ protocols, aspect ratios – the trend is clearly towards connectivity and interoperability.” zzz

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SMAVI A

The beating heart of SMAVIA

SMAVIA smarties Dallmeier’s SMAVIA (Smart Video Appliance) recording software can be preloaded onto Dallmeier hardware running on Linux OS, or supplied for installation on third party servers or PCs (Windows OS). SMAVIA uses H.264, MPEG-4 and MJPEG compressions to support video streams of up to 8MP.

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W

ITH SMAVIA, Dallmeier has brought all its video recording solutions together as part of a single integrated technology.

There are hardware and software components of SMAVIA and how you use these really depends on your application.

Right up front I should point out that it’s possible to buy SMAVIA software only, which includes Recording Server Software and supports up to 24 image streams. This can be installed on your own Windows or Linux PCs or servers. Accessing and driving these networked recording components is handled by SMAVIA Viewing Client.

If you decide not to go with a software-only solution, there are 3 Linux-based hardware options which include the DLS-1600, the DMS-2400 and the IPS-2400, all of which come preloaded with SMAVIA software and can be accessed remotely using the SMAVIA Viewing Client. The DLS-1600 and DMS2400 come with twin HDD bays for a straight or RAID-1 configuration, while the rack-mount IPS2400 offers RAID-5 and RAID-6.

by john adam s

There’s another hardware unit here, too, Dallmeier’s Win-7 based SVS SMAVIA Viewing Station, which is rack mounted and allows recording of up to 24 HD video channels in real time. This unit is designed for use in retail or banking applications.

This unit comes with SMAVIA Viewing Client and PGuard advance incorporated.

I visited C. R. Kennedy to check out the new SMAVIA platform with Vlado Damjanovski. It’s always a pleasure talking with Damjanovski, whose knowledge of CCTV, even in these fast changing times, is profound. Also neat is that the C.R. Kennedy crew has a SMAVIA NVR replete with a clear Perspex cover in their demo room. This meant we were able to take a tour of the heart of the system, as well as getting a feel for the SMAVIA Viewing Client running the show.

According to Damjanovski, the key idea with SMAVIA was to update the existing licensing model and the existing Dallmeier Gen IV machines (Leonardo, Amadeus, DMX), giving them faster CPUs, while retaining the same proven casings and functionalities.

“The difference in the new system is primarily the licensing and a hardware performance upgrade of the CPU, GPU and the motherboard, which was made especially for Dallmeier,” Damjanovski says.

“This extra processing power means we can do the HD decoding and transcoding internally, in the machine. This is used by local display and Premote, a Dallmeier technology, designed to transcode the HD signals even through a 256k pipe for remote viewing, while the recording is still at the best possible quality.

To do this you need a more powerful CPU.” While Damjanovski explains all this I’m peering through the Perspex casing into the ribcage of the DMS 2400 NVR. It’s a tidy unit, well laid out, with a couple of fans supplying cool air to the hard disk drives inside the case and a hearty looking heat sink attached to the hardworking Dallmeier-designed fanless PSU. “This power supply is specifically designed for all Gen III and Gen IV Dallmeier DVRs and NVRs. It is a proven Dallmeier PSU design, with extra long lifetime, and does not require cooling fans. The hard drives are still cooled by fans sucking in filtered air – but the power supply has a substantial heat sink and does not require air-flow for cooling,” Damjanovski tells me as we poke around the hardware.

“This means there’s less to go wrong as well as extending the life of the unit. The NVR also has external and internal temperature sensors, which are very important in our opinion, especially in hot environment as Australia. The customer can remotely check the temperatures, fans revs, as well as read a log of the fluctuations in the past. As we all know, high temperature is enemy number one of hard drives.

“The model we are looking at here is the SMAVIA Preloaded DMS 2400,” Damjanovski says. “It has a Dallmeier-patented, removable BNC panel with

The SMAVIA DMS-2400 is a hybrid recorder and can support up to 24 channels. Any of the inputs could be analogue, HD or MP camera, or a combination.

Vlado Damjanovski

Removable BNC panel

analogue inputs at the back. This means the SMAVIA DMS-2400 is a hybrid recorder and can support up to 24 channels. Any of the inputs could be analogue, HD or MP camera, or a combination. The SMAVIA units can handle any kind of signal, so it is ideal for comanies transitioning from analogue to IP. “We always used PC with PView or SeMSy to connect to NVRs in order to view cameras and footage, but we found a lot of people wanted a small standalone NVR system, and they wanted to see high definition video live on playback at the machine itself, without using a PC with PView. Because of the improved performance of the CPU and GPU with the SMAVIA DMS-2400 we can actually do this and this is handled by the Linux OS through a DVI display output. Concpetually, the SMAVIA DMS-2400 replaces the Leonardo series machines and adds extra functionality and speed.

“There’s also a lower cost version called the SMAVIA DLS-1600 which replaces the Amadeus series and offers up to 16 channels in the same physical box. It’s a hybrid unit too, but the performance is not as powerful as the DMS-2400 which can do 25ips on all channels. The DLS is limited to 12.5ips per channel – which is plenty for a lot of people.”

The most technically advanced version is the IPS2400, which is a 3RU rack-mount unit and comes in with built-in RAID-5 or RAID-6, with up to 8 x 3.5-inch drives.

“The SMAVIA IPS-2400 is similar to the previous DMX-2400 machines, but without the BNCs and faster,” Damjanovski explains. “This is a Linux server with RAID functionality in one neat 3RU box, with

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dual, redundant power supply. The onboard 8 drives bring an effective storage capacity of up to 12~14TB (depending on the mode, RAID-5 or RAID-6) in the same Linux box.

“So, there are no BNCs on the IPS 2400 – it’s just for IP,” Damjanovski explains. “It’s a server, you plug it into a rack and then connect to it with a SMAVIA Viewing Client or SeMSy.” While the DLS-1600, DMS-2400 and IPS-2400 are the 3 physical hardware devices in the SMAVIA range, there’s also that SMAVIA Server Software.

“The 4th option is a software-based SMAVIA Server, and we offer it to satisfy some people’s desire (or tenders) to have a good Dallmeier recorder but on a “non-proprietary” hardware,” Damjanovski says.

“SMAVIA Server Software (SSS) means a customer can buy their own Windows PC and then load the SSS onto it. The Windows PC then behaves and looks like a Dallmeier Linux-running hardware NVR. Certainly, the stability and security of the Windows platform cannot be then guaranteed by Dallmeier, but at least the customer’s desire to run Dallmeier on their own PC can be fulfilled.”

“With this software version you can start from 2 channels and increase it up to 24 channel and you can add RAID if needed,” Damjanovski says. “It’s definitely cheaper than the Dallmeier hardware version, although the Dallmeier hardware has an excellent track record, long life expectancy, and we can service it locally, which we believe is a significant advantage.”

In terms of features, the SSS supports up to 24 video channels (SD-IP/HD-IP) and offers simultaneous real-time recording, real-time streaming, remote access, live display and playback. There is one access license for the SVC included (basic license) with the purchase, and the viewing client can even be installed on the same PC, if powerful enough.

The SSS also supports RTSP cameras and the configuration and recording of ONVIF compliant cameras.

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SMAVI A

With the SSS there’s also connection to Active Directory via the LDAP, motion detection and an integrated Smartfinder function for use with Dallmeier IP cameras. Configuration can be achieved remotely via a Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and evaluation is managed through the SMAVIA Viewing Client or Semsys via Ethernet (LAN/WAN). This solution also supports PremoteHD in real-time.

Importantly, the SVC is backwards compatible.

So, if a customer installs SMAVIA hardware, but also has the older Dallmeier recorders (Gen II, III and IV), using an SVC with their existing PView USB dongle, they can connect to the older hardware too.

Driving the system

We sit down to drive the DMS-2400 in the demo room, which is accessed by a mouse connected directly to the unit. Controlling camera views is very simple. When you move the mouse a control panel pops up at the bottom of the screen which operates on a system of buttons and tabs. It’s icon–based in part and very intuitive. In this application in the

Operation is very simple. Dallmeier has always favoured use of a mouse and that’s all that’s needed to control all the functionality of the system once you’ve logged in.

Damjanovski drives the system

C.R. Kennedy demo room we are looking at 4 high resolution HD IP images and couple of analogue camera views.

“Operation is very simple.” Damjanovski tells me.

“Dallmeier has always favoured use of a mouse and that’s all that’s needed to control all the functionality of the system once you’ve logged in.”

When we switch to camera viewing I can see the functionality – there’s playback, frame-byframe back and forward, fast forward, fast rewind, beginning of recording, end of recording, search and digital zooming.

“And here are the 5 different types of searches. For instance, I can do a simple search based on time and date, then I can jump in increments of 1, 5, 10 and 30, seconds, minutes, hours, or days. Then, I can search by alarms or instances that started VMD, then extended search which is very efficient when there is an HLI (High Level Interface) – like for example with a bar code scanner, cash register, GPS or RFID. “Or a search can be made based on the data inserted from such devices, improving the efficiency of finding events without knowing the exact time and date. And obviously, the most useful and most often used search is the Smart Finder which allows you to define an area within a video frame and find any motion that happened within this area between 2 times.”

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p ro d u ct rev i ew

We play with the search functionality as Damjanovski explains its operation.

“Dallmeier always takes you to the last recorded moment in time and so you play in reverse. Or if you know details of what you are looking for, where you are up to in seconds, minutes or hours. Once you find what you are looking for, you double click for full screen display.”

The SVC can display image streams on 2 viewing screens. The maximum number of connections per viewing client is 32 but performance depends on bandwidth and PC performance.

I like the way the control module appears as you move the mouse then pops out of view after you’ve selected an action, I say.

“Yes, it’s a clean view,” Damjanovski agrees. “And everything you see in this management screen is replicated on the SMAVIA Viewing Client, it’s just a management took residing on a workstation out on the network somewhere.”

Important, too, is easy exporting. You simply plug in a USB, click on video sequence start, play the sequence, click finish, click export and select where to export the video to. The system copies SMAVIA Viewing Client to that location so the receiver can view the footage.

Now we move along the bench in the demo room and Damjanovski shows me the SMAVIA Viewing Client, which is running on a remote PC on the local network, but which would operate in a similar way across a WAN. This application allows access to multiple SMAVIA recording server via Ethernet (LAN/WAN) and can give live display and playback in full HDTV with a 16:9 format, or 4:3 if SD is viewed.

Its viewing display can be varied with different multi-splits from full-screen to 32 and there are the same extensive search features included here, too. Smartfinder, Sedor sabotage, Premote-HD, and EasyZoom functions are all supported with SMAVIA Viewing Client. There are also a number of camera PTZ protocol controls.

Licensing

Perhaps the most important difference with these new Dallmeier units is that the licensing system has changed.

“For users that know the standard Dallmeier viewing client software PView - the SMAVIA Viewing Client can be considered as if it is PView 8, and in fact it looks almost identical to PView 7 but without the USB dongle,” Damjanovski says.

“The SMAVIA Viewing Client (SVC) is available for free, and it resides inside the SMAVIA recorder as a Windows installable ‘exe’ file. When SVC connects to a single DVR/NVR - it uses the basic licence included in the SMAVIA recorders. If there are multiple users with SVC connecting to the same unit, the SMAVIA hardware has to get floating licences added, one for each extra operator. So, the licences are now inside the recording machines, rather than on the USB dongle that PView PC used until now.

“Best of all, it’s the machine that knows how many 38 se&n

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SMAVIA DMS 2400

The SVC can display image streams on 2 viewing screens. The maximum number of connections per viewing client is 32 but performance depends on bandwidth and PC performance.

licenses have been purchased and how many people can connect to the recorder – not the USB dongle. That’s the biggest change – there’s a release code that allows the addition of further operators – it’s very easy.”

“To view cameras, we connect by right mouse clicking and selecting the recorder we want. Then we drag and drop cameras for display – it’s that easy.

SVC is basically a little client for small to medium sized systems. You drive the system through the onscreen control icon.”

Damjanovski says that something else that’s of interest is the efficiency of the Dallmeier H.264.

“It’s probably better than that of any other H.264 I have seen. While Dallmeier HD provides perfect picture with only 4Mbs, some others may require 8, 9 or even 12 Mb/s. For instance, 4 Mb/s is the encoding speed of DVDs with MPEG-2 compressed movies in D1 resolution.

“Using the same speed of 4 Mb/s we can now “squeeze” the HD quality, although the HD pixel count is about 5 times compared to D1. Don’t forget – uncompressed 1080i HD signal is around 1.5 Gb/s, but we still have a very good video quality, despite compressing it nearly 400 times. We could choose better streaming compression like 6 Mb/s in Dallmeier’s H.264 encoders, but we say that’s 4 Mb/s produces good enough quality for most applications.”

“While we are talking about compression, something to bear in mind with H264 is that software decoding applications (or, viewing clients) that might have multiple HD streams decoding depend very much on the CPU and GPU processing power as well as the RAM. This is because the H264 decoding is very demanding computationally. With Dallmeier H264 we need a CPU core per HD stream for smooth decoding. This demand doesn’t affect the quality of the recording since encoding is made with hardware H264 encoders in the cameras. “Only the viewing experience with multiple HD streams might be affected if you don’t have powerful enough PC, or crippled Windows configuration. But, as a very efficient video compression, H.264 saves a lot of bandwidth in transmission and storage. This is the reason why Dallmeier uses H264 on all its camera range, in all resolution modes, from D1 to HD and up to 5 MP.” zzz

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s p e ci al re p o rt

integration

Integrators and IP

Over the past couple of months I’ve spoken to a number of senior people in the electronic security industry and asked them about the uptake of IP. Their answers are illuminating, with a focus on importing expertise training and more co-operation with IT teams.

S

OMETHING I’ve heard a lot of from manufacturers over the past couple of years is the slow uptake of IP solutions – not from all installers mind you – but from many. There are particular integrators which have embraced networking but for others it’s been a tougher transition.

When I asked Pierre Racz of Genetec if he saw integrators really taking on IP or if hybrid and analogue was proving to be a sticking point for techs he said that he saw both.

“We do see integrators picking up IP but what we also see is that some of the integrators actually understand that they should hire young interns who know about technology – video games and advanced networking – and combine them with the veterans who know about security issues and how to think about this in a systemic way,” Racz said.

“Not all the integrators are like that but these are the sort of integrators that we seek out and that we work with. We focus on partnering with a small number of quality integrators who make the system look easy to the end user.”

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Meanwhile, Eric Fullerton of Milestone said he saw plenty of inertia in the distribution layer and the integration layer to just be deliverers of boxes.

According to Fullerton, the answer is more training. ”I think the academic thirst to get into the IT stuff and deliver it is not great,” Fullerton says. “That’s one of the reasons we have our training programs here at Milestone. We have entry level, advanced and specialist training where we try to educate engineers to the level of our own engineers not only in our product but the whole infrastructure of IP video.

“We strongly believe that is what the industry needs and we want to be part of that. In order to serve the end user the integrators in the market need to lift their knowledge. That’s one of the big inhibitors of moving from analogue to digital.”

Fullerton says the Milestone training courses are well subscribed.

“Yes absolutely, over the past year we had a fantastic response and our local people here in Australia are training people every week. We have our advanced training happening more and more regularly. Training is what’s needed. If an installer can live in a world where their business is just about boxes being supplied they might survive but it’s not going to last for long.”

Over at Pelco, Jean Baptiste Hazard agrees that the market is heading towards IP. When I asked him if installers and integrators were totally on board with IP and if they were making the same investment in the IP future that manufacturers were, he quite rightly took a broad view while acknowledging some reluctance from installers.

“When I look at the era of transition to IP, it’s actually amazing,” Hazard told me. “The speed of transition is just crazy. In China the market is very analogue – 80 per cent analogue – and these figures are only a year or so old.”

“Yet when I look at the latest projects being installed in Beijing and Shanghai, more than 60 per cent of the projects are IP so the speed of transition there is astonishing. I’m talking about China but this

In order to serve the end user the integrators in the market need to lift their knowledge. That’s one of the big inhibitors of moving from analogue to digital.

s p e ci al re p o rt

There’s no doubt the profile of integrators is changing...

And it will continue to be increasingly important to have competence in IT, networking database administration. applies in Australia which is much more advanced in moving to IP - talking to customers, the transition is really there.

“There are people still using analogue who may be a little reluctant or are not convinced of the advantage of going to IP. But still, I see a lot of projects that are IP – that’s the trend. So there is reluctance to move towards the IP future but the trend shows the IP future is happening.”

At CSD, Mark Cunnington has the benefit of a distribution viewpoint in direct contact with installers and integrators and he sees things from the point of view of the value of solutions to his customers.

“There’s no doubt the profile of integrators is changing,” Cunnington says. “And it will continue to be increasingly important to have competence in IT, networking database administration. But I think customers are hungry for security and surveillance systems that work, not hungry for any particular technology.

“Certainly today, the security systems that can deliver the most value to customers tend to be very IT-centric, however, as an industry we need to be careful not to sell technology for technology’s sake, rather make sure we are selling appropriate solutions that deliver real value to customers.

“The transition to IP in the CCTV market over the last decade has certainly been slower than expected, and that’s partially because as an industry we became obsessed with IP as a technology, not IP as one option to deliver a solution to customers,” Cunnington says.

“Now the cost point of high quality IP cameras is dropping, the transition is certainly gaining pace, and customers are now getting dramatically enhanced performance improvements for a moderate price premium over traditional analogue systems.”

Vlado Damjanovski over at C.R. Kennedy explains that for 3 years he has been conducting training on the company’s IP products.

“I do half a day on hardware and half a day on the software. That way installers are reasonably familiar with what they need to do,” he says. “It’s easier for them and it’s easier for us because we don’t need to be on the phone for an hour explaining to techs how to connect an NVR – that’s

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one of the things we’ve been doing to facilitate the changeover to IP. “And yes, there are teething problems with understanding IP. You have installers suddenly thrown into IT environments without understanding anything and as you know there is so much to understand – switches, addresses, ports, configuration – it’s a challenge for all of us.”

Would you say installers are seizing IP? Are they working hard with IP or does it depend on the person and the focus of the installation company?

I ask.

“I think it depends on their approach,” Damjamovski says. “I do tell some customers who may be expert electrical installers or CCTV installers to get a young kid who has just studied IT and train them on CCTV and then make them part of the team. That way you get a really good balance – the IT knowledge rubs off on other technicians and vice versa.

“A lot of our customers have employed a person who understands IT – multicasting, unicasting, blocking ports, someone to explain it all. Obviously this can go both ways. Video streaming is not the same as browsing and emailing.

“If you are multi-casting 10 streams of video from a single camera then that’s a whole new thing, it’s different ball game altogether regarding the switch.

These are things typical IT staff are not familiar with.”

It’s a different ecosystem for everyone, isn’t it? I ask.

“Yes, though it’s also still the same in some ways.” agrees Damjanovski. “I don’t think IT can take over CCTV and the opposite is also true. IT will not take over CCTV. There’s too much background to CCTV that’s specific – and the same applies to IT – so there has to be cooperation.”

I very rarely see CCTV sharing a data network, in fact racking my brain I can’t think of a single system in recent times I’ve written up in SE&N that was not running on a subnet and accessed by a small number of authorised workstations. What are you seeing at your end? I ask.

“Most CCTV systems are dedicated. Systems that are shared need a lot more cooperation with the IT department,” Damjanovski explains. “VPNs and managing bandwidth, that’s a tough thing. And when anything goes wrong in a network, someone gets the blame.

“When it’s a dedicated CCTV network if there’s a problem you can just power down the firmware and restart but in a big shared IT network with hundreds of people depending on the system that’s not possible – you can’t just turn it on and off.

“IT is a new challenge but I think there are good outcomes. We’ve learned a lot and there’s been an increase in quality training and growing cooperation with IT people and that’s what we need more of.” zzz

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cas e st u dy netflix

Netflix N Mobile Access Online movie service Netflix has replaced low-frequency keyfobs and tags with mobile phones for physical access control in a pilot program using HID Global’s iCLASS SE platform with multiCLASS SE readers and iCLASS Seos digital keys.

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ETFLIX, the Internet movie provider founded in 1997, has more than 27 million streaming members and is a high tech pioneer. Netflix’s corporate culture focuses on achieving excellence, providing a high-performance environment that allows its employees the freedom to innovate.

This ‘Freedom and Responsibility-based’ culture stresses self-discipline and enables the company to stay nimble. Netflix’s global workforce is highly mobile and has recently experimented with multiple ways to use mobile devices as physical and logical access devices. One of these pilot deployments, mobile access, was implemented with HID Global. Netflix employees used smartphones enabled with digital keys to open doors by presenting their smartphone to access control readers, just like they do with their existing low-frequency proximity keyfobs and tags.

I love the idea of mutually authenticated readerbadges. It reduces the threat of badge skimming and replay attacks.

Unlike many companies, Netflix does not require its more than 1,000 employees at corporate headquarters to wear photo ID badges. Instead, the company has traditionally controlled building access using HID low-frequency ProxKey keyfobs, which offer proximity technology in a convenient, pocket size device.

Netflix’s employee on-boarding process is paperfree and done entirely online. A new employee’s computer is set up and all computer accounts preprovisioned before their first day of employment.

By enabling Netflix to grant new employees building access by sending digital keys over-the-air to the employee’s smartphone, the employee on-boarding process would be further streamlined.

Netflix also felt that having building access upon arrival at work on Day One would make the new employee feel welcome and immediately

productive. Additionally, Netflix is a big advocate of smartphones and other mobile platforms, as well as the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) mobility deployment model for its employees. An access control solution that combined improved security with the convenience of opening doors with a smartphone is very attractive.

Mobility is particularly important to Netflix. More than 800 different device types run the Netflix streaming video application, including TVs, Blu-Ray and DVD players, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, personal computers, tablets and mobile phones.

The company also encourages its employees to use these devices, and believes that mobile access control will be a valuable addition to the smartphones they bring to work each day.

To begin the process of socializing the use of a mobile phone for physical access control, Netflix offered employees the opportunity to use HID MicroProx Tags for entry. These small, coin-shaped disks can be affixed to the back of an employee’s current mobile phone. Employees present the tag on the back of the mobile phone to the reader in order to gain secure entry. By the time of the mobile access pilot, 56 percent of the respondents were using ProxKeys while the other 44 percent were using

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an AMAG system maintained by Howell Electric.

Netflix launched the pilot by providing its 16 employee participants with Samsung Galaxy S III handsets operating on the Verizon or AT&T network.

The phones were equipped with a microSD card and a range extender from Device Fidelity. The microSD cards support Near Field Communications (NFC) in card emulation mode, adding the capability to securely store and emulate user credentials.

As secure elements in SIM cards or embedded in mobile devices are not yet made available for communications with service providers, NFC card emulation is not possible at this stage. Therefore, the use of an NFC-enabled memory card, in the form of a microSD, is required for such necessary communications.

NFC is a short-range communications technology that enables users to hold their phones close to readers so they can “present” the identity information on the digital keys inside them, and open a door. Handset manufacturers sometimes refer the support of NFC in card emulation mode as ‘Secure NFC’ as opposed to ‘Open NFC.’ Open NFC supports open protocols with lower security and no secure element over peer-to-peer or read/ write. Open NFC is typically used for reading smart posters, business cards, or pairing devices.

These are the types of services currently available MicroProx Tags. Netflix was ready to take the next step with a pilot solution that would test the concept of a true mobile access experience on smartphones that also delivered improved user convenience and security.

Solution

Netflix’s mobile access pilot was focused on one of the company’s buildings that houses its data science and engineering facilities, finance, IT operations and legal teams. To implement the solution, Howell Electric of Santa Clara, California upgraded five existing MiniProx card readers on the exterior of the building and two existing ThinLine II card readers on interior doors, replacing them with multiCLASS SE readers.

HID Global’s multiCLASS SE readers are part of the company’s iCLASS SE platform, its new standard for highly adaptable, interoperable and secure access control solutions. The iCLASS SE platform enables customers to future-proof their access control infrastructures while simplifying how identities are created, used and managed across a broad continuum of application requirements, using smart cards, NFC-enabled mobile devices, or both.

The iCLASS SE platform also includes iCLASS Seos credentials, which feature a standards-based card edge and are portable for use on NFC-enabled smartphones. The multiCLASS SE readers used in the Netflix pilot were configured to read both HID proximity cards and smartphones carrying iCLASS Seos digital keys. The readers communicated with 46 se&n

Approximately 75 per cent said they would be willing to load the app onto their own personal smartphone, and about the same percentage said that other people who saw them using their smartphone to access the building asked questions or expressed an interest in it. for released NFC-enabled devices.

The secure element of the microSD card was provisioned with the Seos applet. Then, the HID Mobile Keys app, which provides the user interface and user access to the digital keys, was installed on the smartphone. HID Global’s Corporate 1000 Program iCLASS Elite credential format with its custom authentication key was then provisioned over-the air as digital keys to each of the individual smartphones used in the pilot. This digital key structure combined with Seos insures a high level of security.

Pilot participants highlighted improved security among the many benefits of using smartphones to open doors.

“I love the idea of mutually authenticated reader-badges,” said Bill Burns, director, Netflix IT Networking & Security. “It reduces the threat of badge skimming and replay attacks.”

Other participants cited improved security, as

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cas e st u dy netflix

well. “Technically, the physical security is better since it requires that a person know the phone can be used as a key, know the passcode to get into the phone, and know how to activate the key,” said Netflix desktop analyst David Tsai.

Netflix helpdesk support technician Lynn Chikasuye pointed out yet another security advantage: “People will rarely lend their phone out, which prevents unwanted use.”

A survey of pilot participants summarized other positive reactions to the deployment, including more than 80 per cent who felt that the application for unlocking a door was “intuitive,” and nearly 90 per cent described it as easy to use.

Approximately 75 per cent said they would be willing to load the app onto their own personal smartphone, and about the same percentage said that other people who saw them using their smartphone to access the building asked questions or expressed an interest in it.

Meanwhile, 87.5 per cent of respondents said they would want to use a smartphone to open all locked doors at Netflix and 81.3 per cent of respondents said that the fact that Netflix is testing and deploying mobile access makes it a more fun and exciting place to work.

Lessons from the pilot

The Netflix pilot also highlighted a number of opportunities to improve the mobile access control experience as the industry moves closer to deployment, including that there must be a robust market ecosystem of NFC-enabled handsets supporting card emulation so that users have a wide range of services and product choices: Mobile network operators and handset manufacturers must ensure the availability of a variety of handsets supporting iOS, Android, Windows 8 and RIM, functioning on all major networks.

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In order for mobile access to be readily used and accepted by end-users, NFC handsets must allow an option for the mobile keys app to be “always on” such that users can enter locked doors without the need to start the app.

An ‘always on’ access control experience must be available: In order for mobile access to be readily used and accepted by end-users, NFC handsets must allow an option for the mobile keys app to be “always on” such that users can enter locked doors without the need to start the app. This will require that secure elements in SIM cards or embedded in mobile devices be made available for communications directly with service providers over-the-air (OTA). Mobile network operators and handset manufacturers need to work together with HID Global to ensure that mobile access is as easy as using a keyfob, tag or card to enter. Similarly, users want the unlock application to include shortcuts like ‘hot keys,’ motion gestures or notification shortcuts in order to further improve the ‘always on’ experience; this will require a deeper level of human factors design than is typical of most applications today.

Furthermore, mobile access must not use too much battery, and should be available even when the battery is dead: Users overwhelmingly said that battery life is critical for day-to-day business functionality, and they also want assurances that the ‘door unlock’ functionality will be retained when the smartphone battery is dead. ‘Door unlock’ functionality has been tested and is possible to achieve even when the smartphone battery will not allow users to make calls or send/ receive texts or emails.

Mobile access must not interrupt other tasks, with 81 per cent of pilot participants needing to use their phone to gain access while simultaneously talking on the phone or web browsing, sending e-mail or text messages, or using other applications.

Therefore, the use of a smartphone for mobile access must not interrupt other things users are doing when they need to open a locked door. The availability of ‘always on’ functionality will help to address this.

The look and feel of mobile access apps are also important. Although a high percentage of users liked the look of the door unlock application and found it to be intuitive, others commented that graphics used should accurately represent how the smartphone is actually presented to the door reader. Some also commented that the mobile keys app icon needs to be small enough to fit on the ‘home screen’ to reduce the number of clicks to gain access while not taking up valuable screen real estate on the smartphone ‘home screen’.

HID Global says it will be working to apply these lessons from the Netflix pilot with industry partners. In the meantime, reaction to the mobile access control concept has been very positive among Netflix pilot participants.

As Alison Brown, the company’s facilities, operations and events manager, said, “Only having to carry one device for so many daily tasks is excellent.” zzz

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p ro d u ct rev i ew

raytec

LED light IR top and white light below

Pacific Communications held a nighttime demo at the Parramatta Ryde Golf Club recently to give a very interested audience of integrators and technicians the opportunity to see the latest high power, low current draw LED lighting solutions from Raytec.

W

HILE solutions from both RAYTEC and FLIR were cheek by jowl on the test jig overlooking the 368m first hole, we’re going to take a look at the Raytec white light and IR solutions this month and FLIR’s awesome thermal gear next month.

I’d not heard much about Raytec’s product range before this demo so it was an instructive night.

Raytec’s regional sales manager Amy Sladdin took us through the product range with a focus on the VARIO and RAYMAX product ranges.

These solutions include infrared for use with monochrome cameras in covert applications, and white light for use with colour or day/night cameras.

According to Sladdin, Raytec is the only company that’s dedicated to manufacturing lighting solutions for the CCTV industry and it’s all manufactured in the UK. Later on when I get my hands on some of the product I find it’s very nicely built indeed. Meanwhile, Sladdin who has a fine knowledge of her topic, outlines some applications before leading us on to product and then the demo itself.

“Camera manufacturers will say their cameras can deliver images in 0.001 lux of light and it’s true – there’s some colour but the rest of the image will be

50 se&n

The i8 pushes way past 200m

by joh n adam s

Camera manufacturers will say their cameras can deliver images in 0.001 lux of light and it’s true – there’s some colour but the rest of the image will be quite dark. quite dark,” she explains, as we view a brief Power Point of the Raytec range.

“But if we compare this sort of performance to a Raytec white light supported image, it’s completely different. With the white light you can make out all the detail, the foreground, the grassed area and the entrance into the building, and you can recognise intruders. We use 6500k white light and this gives crystal clear images.”

Next, we look at a prison in the UK which trialled Raytec LED lights in place of its existing low pressure sodium luminaries. The before and after shots we run through show how yellow the sodium lighting is but I’m not prepared for the lack of detail with sodium, including a complete loss of depth of field.

Sodium lighting works ok with monochrome in that it offers good contrast but it fails to show colour and edits out huge amounts of detail from deeper scenes. In comparison, the RAYLUX LED lights that replaced the sodium give accurate colour and we can see the depth of field clearly. It’s an impressive demonstration of the capabilities of the Raytec product.

“There were huge cost savings as well,” Sladdin says. “The sodium lights were placed every 5m, while the LED lights only needed to be every 10m.

This meant less hardware, less cabling and less installation cost.

“And in terms of general power consumption, the

p ro d u ct rev i ew

raytec

“In a standard 10-degree pack you also get a 35-degree and a 60-degree diffuser, so in one unit you can achieve 3 different angles, which covers the majority of applications. If you need wider, we have an 80-degree pack and a 120-degree pack.”

Performance test

Lou Mavrelis at the test jig

LEDs have real advantages, offering much lower power consumption and a far longer life. All the Raytec products are guaranteed for 5 years and are expected to last for 10 years, making them especially good in difficult to reach applications.”

A couple of other features that make the VARIO range compelling for installers include remote control, which makes installation and future adjustment easier. There’s also a traffic light-style visual indicator which communicates with techs in different ways depending on the programming mode the unit is in. These also help to make set up easier and show problems that need further investigation.

“Tonight, we’re going to demonstrate VARIO i8, as well as the RAYMAX infrared, which is our range of covert illuminators,” Sladdin tells us. “VARIO i8 is mains power 240V AC and IP66-rated.

“We also have RAYLUX adaptive illumination white light solutions to show you – these units have a hinged spine that allows the angle of the beam to be adjusted. When panels are flat there’s a narrow angle of illumination but because each panel is individually lensed so you can have 10, 30, 50 or 120-degree angles.”

According to Sladdin, if you adjust the angles further apart you can increase the horizontal throw of light with RAYMAX. So, if you have a 30-degree unit you can increase the beam angle to 60 degrees, giving techs a lot of flexibility on site when trying to match the beam angle to the field of view of the camera.

“VARIO is our new range of low voltage illuminators and the majority of the test tonight will use VARIO,” she explains. “The VARIO product family is available in both IR and white light and with the largest panel size in infrared you can achieve up to 220m, which is excellent performance.”

The key features of VARIO are interchangeable lensing, which makes these solutions very adaptable in the field.

“Each unit has fixed 10-degree lensing standard – but just inside the lens cover they’ll have the option to insert holographic diffuser material which scatters the light into the beam pattern required,” Sladdin says.

52 se&n

Something that’s interesting to me is the performance of the Panasonic SP504, an analogue camera which is doing very well with the white light. Perhaps the key thing with SP504 is that it highlights the ability of Raytec’s solutions to reinvent legacy analogue installations.

Conducting the tests with support from his hardworking team is Lou Mavrelis, product development manager, Pacific Communications.

Given the number of cameras and light sources that needed to be installed on a single jig, the crew did a good job in challenging circumstances.

First we look at the VARIO i8 IR with a 60-degree lens looking down the very long first green. One of the cameras viewing this scene is a Panasonic WVSP509 with its 5-50mm lens at maximum zoom.

There are 50m markers all the way to 200m and the 48-watt VARIO i8, which has a 220m range, is seeing well past the 200m point.

As we look deep down the fairway, at perhaps 150m, 2 bear-suited intruders appear from the trees and start capering around. At this distance there’s not face recognition, but it’s clear there are intruders and that they are nominally human.

All their actions are perfectly visible, including a cartwheel, a number of rugby tackles and more.

The Panasonic SP509 does extremely well, as you’d expect. Unless something has been released I’ve not heard about the SP509 is the best HD day/ night camera on the market right now. We can see leaves on trees and even a moth flying into the light beam at that distance.

Next we look at the wide angle 60-degree VARIO w8 white light – it’s another 48-watt light and works very well. The 60-degree field of view is ideal for this luminary, with its working range of 150m. We’re definitely getting colour performance starting in the foreground and stretching deep into the scene.

Something that’s interesting to me is the performance of the Panasonic SP504, an analogue camera which is doing very well with the white light. Perhaps the key thing with this SP504 is that it highlights the ability of Raytec’s solutions to reinvent legacy analogue installations. I also think the ability of the VARIO w8 to clean up a noisy night time scene would save its value in HDD space in no time at all.

Later on we check out the RAYMAX 200 adaptive illuminators that are set up outside. These work a treat, too. Adjusting the illuminators is simple and the slightest tweak changes the beam spread completely, giving a much wider field of view. The RM 200 is impressive. With a range of 300m and a current draw of only 80-watts, it’s reaching nearly all the way to the water barrier at the end of the first hole, and covering the entire fairway, to my eye.

I left the Raytec demo thinking I’d seen a technology that really has the capacity to empower new and existing surveillance solutions. zzz

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t h e i n t e rv i ew

Ma r k C u nni ngto n with John Adams

Terms of trade

In the face of the toughest trading conditions in a generation CSD has opened new branches and doubled staffing levels.

John Adams speaks with CSD’s managing director Mark Cunnington about the growth of the business, the company’s new product lines and plans for the future.

Q: Mark, when CSD launched in August 2008 were you certain of success? I know you had a keystone product in your pocket with Inner Range, but were there any doubts whatever in your mind back then?

A: I think all business owners start a business with a healthy degree of optimism, so we were quietly confident of success. None of us, however, could

54 se&n

have predicted that the GFC would hit just 1 month after we opened, so it certainly made for some challenging days during our first few months of operations. Ironically, I think this baptism of fire has been a real strength for our business as we have managed to survive and thrive in very difficult trading conditions.

Q: What’s been the high point so far?

This has been a tough 5 years, no question – but there must have been some warm moments as part owner of the business with Doug Fraser and Vin Lopes.

A: Doug and Vin have a vast amount of technical and business experience and I have learnt an enormous amount from them. Business is very passionate

and personal with these guys, every customer is a real person, not just a figure on a spreadsheet, and I think that’s a critical perspective that they have instilled in me.

The whole journey has been tough but personally, very enjoyable. I am not really sure about high points. It’s a work in progress for me and there is a massive amount opportunity for us in the future, so I am not really spending any time focussing on our past victories, rather I’m very optimistically looking to the future.

Q: To a certain extent CSD is built on the distributorship of those great Inner Range products but there’s more to the business than that, isn’t there? You’re also doing good things with ACTi, HID, FSH, Mobotix, Kenwei, UBiQUiTi and Paradox. Where are you having the best success in terms of your product spread? Are there plans to take on new products?

A: Our business started at 100 per cent Inner Range, and now Inner Range accounts for approximately 45 per cent of the business. We have a healthy diversity across access alarms and CCTV. CCTV is our big area of expansion in the coming years and our plans includes additional staff, and some new brands.

Q: How’s it going with Exacq Technologies IP CCTV VMS – exacqVision Pro? How are your installers taking to it?

A: Exacq Technologies is real undiscovered gem in the Australian market. Exacq has a real emphasis on simplicity for both end users and installers. It doesn’t try to have every bell and whistle, but it focuses on making the standard features (recording and retrieving megapixel video) really simple to use. It’s very cost effective and reliable and has some great reference sites, including Apple Computers globally. The installers who try it cannot believe how simple it is to use.

Q: Is the CSD business growing? I recall you opened with 5 branches and 25 staff – there are now 7 branches.

How many staff do you have? Are there plans for more branches? Which are the best performing states?

A: CSD currently has about 55 staff and is

Integriti is the result of 20 years of market feedback from Inner Range customers and installers.

Inner Range tried to keep the elements of the Concept product that made it successful, evolving it utilising installer and customer feedback to take advantage of the latest embedded and software technologies.

still delivering double-digit growth. We do not have immediate plans for new branches, but we are hiring a dedicated team of CCTV sales staff. We have 3 positions open now and this is a part of our broader strategy to rapidly grow our CCTV business over the next 3 years.

Q: I have to ask about that Integriti product – how’s the market taking to Integriti? Are things going to plan there?

A: Integriti is selling well, however, more importantly the product is performing incredibly reliably which is a real credit to the Inner Range engineers. The initial installations have focussed on large multisite access installations such as

the University of Western Sydney and others. We have an incredibly exciting release roadmap planned over the next 18 months and we expect to see excellent growth in both the enterprise segment and Inner Range’s traditional commercial segments.

Q: How important was input from CSD customers to the development of the Integriti product? There’s a short conduit from installers to Inner Range’s engineers thanks to the close relationship between CSD and Inner Range, isn’t there?

A: Integriti is the result of 20 years of market feedback from Inner Range customers and installers. Inner Range tried to keep the elements of the Concept product that made it successful, evolving it utilising installer and customer feedback to take advantage of the latest embedded and software technologies.

Installer feedback is particularly important during beta testing and even during this initial release phase, as the architecture has been designed to be able to rapidly add features and respond to market feedback in real time.

Q: The alarms business – how’s it looking in domestic and small commercial? Is there a swing from hardwired devices to wireless? Are installers still putting in mostly dialler for alarm reporting or is there a swing to wireless reporting paths?

Do you have plans in place for the NBN and the closure of the PSTN network?

A: It’s no secret that the domestic alarm market has been tough over the last few years. Our Paradox range is an awesome product and growing at around 20 per cent per year, but that is effectively taking market share off other manufacturers in a flat market. Wireless is growing, and as the price point continues to drop, it’s getting harder and harder to justify installing a wired system.

Our wireless reporting product, Multipath IP is growing well and as the cost of data reduces, the spread of wireless monitoring will continue to increase. Independent of the NBN, there is massive shift towards IP telephony, and this causes problems for traditional PSTN dialler products. Clearly wireless IP-based solutions (rather than Ethernet)

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Ma r k C u nni ngto n with John Adams

are now the de facto norm for alarm monitoring.

Q: What are the key trends in the access control business as you see it, Mark? Is there a push to higher security credentials, to device-based credentials, to biometrics? Do you see growing levels of integration, multisite solutions? Or are things changing only slowly?

A: The pace of technological change in access control has not been as great as in CCTV. However, in the last few years there have been a few emerging trends that are starting to shake up this segment. Wireless access control (such as Aperio and Salto which CSD supplies), has the potential to increase the size of the electronic access control market, as these solutions can materially reduce the installed cost per door.

At the moment we are seeing a growth in hybrid installations which feature a mixture of both wired and wireless access control points. NFC (Near Field Communication) has the potential to radically shake up the credential (card and fob) market. One possible scenario (by no means inevitable) is that the current generation of credentials are completely replaced by NFC-enabled smart phones. HID which CSD distributes has a really impressive offering in this space and CSD is already selling NFCenabled readers.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing installers need to undertake to guarantee the longevity of their businesses in the years ahead? What’s the key for them?

A: Most successful businesses are built on relationships and I think despite all the changes in the technological landscape, this old maxim will remain true. Other issues for installers to consider would be to focus on customer value not technology; Building technical capabilities as well as project management and contract management capabilities; I also think there is a real opportunity to improve the sales and marketing approach.

As an industry, our use of contemporary business-to-business marketing techniques is relatively immature (my own company included), so I think we all have opportunities in making more use of internet/email/ social media, etc.

Q: Do you have a sense of any change in what end users want from their

56 se&n

At the moment we are seeing a growth in hybrid installations which feature a mixture of both wired and wireless access control points.

NFC (Near Field Communication) has the potential to radically shake up the credential (card and fob) market.

One possible scenario (by no means inevitable) is that the current generation of credentials are completely replaced

by NFC-enabled smart phones. electronic security solutions? What’s important right now for them?

A: This varies greatly with different customer segments. Some customers don’t really want to think about their security system, they simply want it to work and not intrude in their operations.

Other customers see security as a tool to stop shrinkage and thus improve profits.

Some customers use surveillance as an occupational health and safety tool and while others can use it as a central part of their operations. Stating the obvious, the key is to match the offering to the customer’s needs.

Q: Price. There’s downward pressure here and that pinches margins and makes it harder for distributors to maintain the staffing levels that allow them to offer those high levels of service. Is there an answer here?

Does local support of quality product trump unsupported no-name brands same as ever it has?

A: The wholesale security industry is somewhat unique in that there is an expectation for unlimited free technical support on any product sold. While we strive to be market leader in this area, and I would suggest CSD’s technical support spend as a percentage of revenue is probably higher than any other distributor in the market, it is sometimes impossible to meet customer expectations. Some integrators shop around for the lowest price and that’s perfectly acceptable, however, I think the mature integrators understand that they must consider the total offering of product quality, price, and support when evaluating purchase decisions.

Q: What do you see as the key challenges of the next 5 years for CSD as a distribution business?

A: Firstly, enhancing our product range, particularly in CCTV, to ensure we have leading offering in all segments.

Secondly, improving our sales and support levels in an industry where margins are getting squeezed. Obviously this requires significant efficiency improvements in the backend of the business. And thirdly, retaining a passionate and personal culture as the business grows.

Q: Do you have a message to the market from CSD? What can customers expect from CSD over the next few years? What are your medium term plans for the business?

A: My message to the market would be that CSD is a good business and we have huge opportunities for improving even more. I am confident the market will see continuing improvements in our product offering and service levels. I believe now, after only 4 short years of trading, we are one of the top 2 suppliers of access control and security and our plan is to go one better. zzz

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cas e st u dy

andria catherderal

Omniscience IP Andria Cathedral has been equipped with 32 Sony video cameras, fixed and Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) models, both High Definition (HD) and full HD. Thanks to special infra-red LEDs, the cameras achieve night vision even in pitch darkness.

Milestone and Sony have used video surveillance to offer all worshippers in Andria Cathedral a complete view of services, as well as protecting famous relics, including the Holy Thorn, which is alleged to have adorned Christ’s thorny crown at Calvary.

M

ILESTONE Systems’ open platform IP video management software (VMS) is being used with Sony network cameras by the Andria Cathedral in Italy for security surveillance and to display religious services to congregations sitting in the chapel and side naves to the central church.

The Cathedral of Andria in the Puglia Region of Southern Italy, is an artistic and historic treasure.

Dating from the 12th century, the cathedral contains a famed precious relic, “The Holy Thorn”, believed to be from the Crown of Thorns forced onto the head of Christ before his crucifixion. It also holds the tombs of 2 wives of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, Yolanda of Brienne and Elizabeth of England, as well as a 13th century icon of the Madonna and a 15th century bust of Francesco II del Balzo, Duke of Andria, attributed to the sculptor Francesco Laurana.

Given the importance of the building and its historical treasures, church authorities commissioned a special technologically advanced surveillance system for the main goal of monitoring the premises during night conditions. Side benefits were quickly found for faithful visitors of the services.

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The Andria Cathedral has been equipped with 32 Sony video cameras, fixed and Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) models, both High Definition (HD) and full HD. Thanks to special infra-red LEDs, the cameras achieve night vision even in pitch darkness.

The video from all of the cameras is archived in Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS) and viewed live through the XProtect Smart Client interface. In addition to serving as daytime and night-time security video, the system allows church-goers in the lateral naves to see the religious functions held in the presbytery and side chapel, displaying the live images of the services to the adjacent areas.

The images are relayed to six 40-inch screens attached to the central columns of the cathedral, which can also be video-projected in a large adjoining chapel. The system can furthermore be used to show DVDs, audio/video guides, cultural and tourist presentations - a benefit that is much appreciated by visitors.

“Operating in sites of major historic and cultural significance is especially satisfying, all the more so in cases like this where the religious dimension is deeply important,” explains Alfredo Donadei, senior channel account manager, video security, Sony Europe.

“The solution has been designed and installed in the cathedral by Tecnoimpianti Pizzolorusso, with whom we have a long-standing collaboration.

The system stores all the video surveillance data in a special server, managed by Milestone XProtect Professional software. For even greater security and data management, the server has been equipped with 4 hard drives of various capacities, configured in RAID. “The church authorities are extremely satisfied, not only with the security performance of the system, but also with the extraordinary quality of the images transmitted,” say both Gianluca and Francesco Pizzolorusso, owners of Tecnoimpianti Pizzolorusso Srl. . zzz

T e ch ta l k a rec o nt

Solder on Soldering connections, terminations and joining cables is not a black art but it does take practise informed by careful adherence to procedures and an understanding of the thermochemical processes involved.

S

OLDERING is a procedure and there are simple principles you should follow to get the job done right. Before you start up, wipe the bit end and the iron with a damp cloth. During the process, use the damp cloth to keep the bit end tidy. For the best conduction you want to tin the working end of the bit.

Get small glob of solder and apply it to the flat bit-end then wipe with the damp cloth so the bit is tinned. If you’re making a connection apply another small glob of solder to the iron and apply the tip to the point where both sides of the joint are in contact with the iron.

Bear in mind that it’s the molten solder on the tip of the iron that lets heat flow quickly from the iron into both parts of the joint. If your iron has the right amount of solder on it and is positioned correctly the two parts to be joined will reach the solder’s melting temperature in a couple of seconds.

Let’s go back to where you were applying the end of the solder to the point where both parts of the joint and the soldering iron are all touching one another. At this point the solder will melt immediately and flow around all the parts that are at, or over, the melting point temperature.

After a few seconds of contact you need to remove the iron from the joint. Make sure that no parts of the joint move after the soldering iron is removed until the solder is completely hard. This can take quite a few seconds with large joints. If the joint is disturbed during this cooling period it will be weakened. Remember these points: l Avoid too much heat. The process should take only 2-3 seconds l A dry joint is a poorly soldered one l The joint should be smooth and shiny l If the joint is dull and crinkly, you moved it during the solder process l If you are slow with the work it will have solder spikes l At all times the shape of the wire should be visible through the solder l Soldered joints should be easily removable This means a minimum of lead wrapping l Do not carry solder on the bit to the joint 60 se&n

While a low power iron will still reach the same temperature given time, the fact is a high powered soldering iron is capable of building a joint faster and the faster you build soldered joints, the better those joints will be.

l The smoke you’ll see is evaporating flux, which should normally clean the joint l Reflow soldering is tinning two pieces of wire separately and then reheating to join them together. This technique can be useful in tight spaces l Steady the components/wires by clamping them or taping them down and prop yourself firmly using one hand while holding the iron like a pen l Use of a lighted magnifying glass to highlight the work makes soldering easier once you get used to the different perspective.

In a properly made joint, the solder will bond the components and/or connected wires forming a molecular bond with the surfaces of the joint to conduct electrons with a minimum of resistance/ attenuation.

When choosing soldering irons think about power. You can buy irons with wattages ranging from 15W to over 100W. Installers out there might be thinking that there’s no real need to have more power than 15-20W but that’s not always correct.

While a low power iron will still reach the same temperature given time, the fact is a high powered soldering iron is capable of building a joint faster and the faster you build soldered joints, the better those joints will be. The times you’ll really appreciate the extra horsepower of a 50-100W unit are when you’re building connections.

Those low cost 15-20W irons are fine when you’re finicking around tidying up zone terminations or earth points. But connections are different. They demand more metal be heated and that means more power is needed if build speed is to be maintained. Finally when choosing solders and fluxes, go for 60 per cent tin, 40 per cent lead alloy solder with a core of non-corrosive flux to clean off oxide deposits and keep air at bay. zzz

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1

Proudly brought to you by

BY JOHN ADAMS Your Monitoring Specialists

1300 130 515

www.bensecurity.com.au

wide area

alarm networks Taking alarm systems onto networks poses some challenges relating to support hardware and firmware and installers and monitoring stations need to pay attention to the detail to ensure reliable and secure services.

I

NTERNET-based alarm communications can be extremely fast and generally very reliable but there are issues installers and monitoring stations must take into account. Most issues can be resolved with 3DES encryption of alarm signals and implementation of a wireless backup. But when you’re introducing network components into the alarm system itself, installation companies and monitoring stations need to make it clear in their contracts who carries responsibility for customers’ connections to the Internet.

In most cases, that task lies with the customer, and installers need to remind customers the monitoring service being provided to them will use the Internet as the means of communication of alarm signals from their premises to the central station. It is advisable to identify this fact in writing to your customer right up front.

It will reduce your liability exposure should something go wrong and signals are not received.

Additionally, the delivery of public Internet service to a customer’s premises is the responsibility of their Internet provider. Users should be encouraged to select an Internet service provider that provides adequate standby power and 24-hour support service. Where Internet service provider requires that

a customer’s connection be verified, authenticated or “logged on,” it will be their responsibility to provide the necessary software and/or equipment to accomplish this requirement.

This clause will clearly identify that the oversight of the Internet service is not the alarm dealer’s responsibility. Should the Internet connection be required to be logged on, the customer is responsible for

In most cases, that task lies with the customer, and installers need to remind customers the monitoring service being provided to them will use the Internet as the means of communication of alarm signals from their premises to the central station.

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1

Proudly brought to you by

Your Monitoring Specialists

1300 130 515

www.bensecurity.com.au

The alarm system provides its own power during power outs but it will be the end users’ responsibility to provide standby electrical power to their ADSL, cable modem and any other devices such as routers, hubs or switches that may affect the Internet communications with a recommended standby duration of 24 hours, but in all cases not less than 15 minutes.

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this function.

While the installation company will supply and install an Internet signal transmitter (IST) connected to your security alarm system control unit, it will be the customer’s responsibility to provide, within 5 feet of their security alarm control unit, a suitable RJ-45 Ethernet connection into which the installer will plug the IST. The key point made here is that the customer has the responsibility to provide the network connection for the IST.

What about network UPS?

The alarm system provides its own power during power outs but it will be the end users’ responsibility to provide standby electrical power to their ADSL, cable modem and any other devices such as routers, hubs or switches that may affect the Internet communications with a recommended standby duration of 24 hours, but in all cases not less than 15 minutes. Your customer’s attention needs to be drawn to the fact that alarm communications will fail if the power for your modem, routers, hubs, switches, etc. is interrupted.

Providing standby power for Internet alarm communications is going to be a real problem for most installers. If you consider that all network devices — including modems, routers and switches between the signal transmitter and the Internet — are usually powered by 240V AC, you can understand the problems that will arise when you try to provide 8, 12 or 24 hours of standby power. Standby power must be the customer’s responsibility.

Customers must be advised that a failure in the communication facilities may occur for any number of reasons including, but not limited, to: A) Intentional cutting or severing of communication cables entering your premises; B) Loss of commercial electrical power and a subsequent failure or depletion of standby power; C) A failure of your modem, hub, router, switch or other equipment

in the Internet path within your premises; D) A failure of the IST; E) A failure or malfunction of an Internet service provider or its facilities; F) Any other failure beyond the control of the monitoring station or installer.

The perils of network failure

You also need a clause to inform the customer that when your central station is alerted of a failure in the communication facilities, the event will be assigned a low-ish priority and you or your designate will be notified as soon as is reasonably possible.

Certainly there may be some objection to the intent of this clause.

Before you decide to throw it out, consider what will happen in your central station when there is a major failure of the Internet for 10 minutes or more and 10,000 Internet monitoring accounts all report a loss of communications. Many monitoring automation systems could not handle this many signals within a very short time.

You also need to ensure the customer is aware that upon receiving notification of a failure in the communication facilities, it will be their responsibility to verify that the public Internet service to their premises is functioning correctly.

Once they have determined that their public Internet connection is working properly, it will be their responsibility to telephone the central station and determine if alarm communications have been restored.

When the Internet does fail, the installer/monitoring provider will likely be powerless when it comes to getting it restored. The alarm dealer and/or the central station probably doesn’t know who is the customer’s ISP. Even if they did, the ISP will most likely not work with anyone other than their customer of record, no more than a central station would reveal its client’s security codes to the ISP without the customer’s permission. zzz

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p ro d u ct u p date

avigilon

Avigilon’s hot new looks

I caught up with Avigilon’s Sean Borg to chat about the fast-growing company’s new cameras and the latest incarnation of Avigilon Control Centre 5.0, which has been very accurately described as animation for video walls.

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by john adam s

T

HE first thing we check out is Avigilon’s new Control Center, which is distinguished by crash-proof enterprise server management groupings, a collaborative mode allowing more than one user to manipulate video in real time.

But the most nifty thing about ACC 5.0 is the fact it creates an interactive management environment.

How is the system interactive? Quite simply, it’s now able to respond to voice commands and gesture control and as Avigilon’s Sean Borg tells me, this capability is very sexy. It’s Minority Report watching the operator driving this system in the on-screen demo.

She stands in front of the screen and speaks to activate voice control and uses gestures to get things moving on the monitors. In no time she’s moving camera views and zooming in and out using voice commands including: Record video, select view, start tracking, freeze gestures, go to camera, stop, zoom in, live video and minimise.

Even day, date and time can be used as voice commands.

It’s unusual watching someone stand in front of a monitor speaking to a system and having it instantly respond. Camera views can also be moved with sweeping gesture of the hands. It’s something you have to see to appreciate. It works and it looks awesome.

In practise, this sort of intuitive interface means not having to walk to a desk to drive a system and would be perfect in larger control rooms or in emergency control centres where everybody is on their feet and there’s no room for workstations. All you need to control the system is a monitor. End of story.

Along with ACC 5.0, Avigilon has also been working hard on its camera range over the past couple of years. So much so the Avigilon PRO series of cameras with large megapixel scientific CCDs are dwarfed by a host of quality lower resolution cameras. Avigilon now offers cameras at every level, from 720p HD (1.3MP) all the way to 29MP. “We’re famous for our 16MP camera and our 29MP but we also have 1 and 2MP H.264 cameras (720p and 1080p HD) and our H.264 range goes all the way to 5MP,” Borg tells me as he runs me through the range.

“We also have a new range of ONVIF cameras, the H3 range. A lot of people only know us for the big MP PRO cameras but we have very well priced H.264 cameras in 720 and 1080p.

“We also have 180-degree cameras and 360-degree cameras and HD LPR cameras and we have released our H.264 HD PTZs. Our fixed-body H.264 cameras come with built-in zoom lenses, which is nice.”

Of course, there’s the JPEG2000 Pro range everyone loves so much – Pro models include 8MP, 11MP, 16MP and 29MP cameras. Sure enough, as part of my demo, we look at a 16MP camera view

Sean Borg with the world’s largest CCD

The nice thing about these cameras is the ability to get information that would have been lost. If this was a PTZ zoomed into the piazza over there, we would have lost everything else, including the accident itself... in real time. It’s a public square of significant depth with a couple of tram lines running through it. The full scene length must be 400m and the width is similar. This is a large scene of a substantial public space.

“As you can see from this 16MP image, the camera can cover the area of 95 analogue cameras,” Borg explains. “The frame rate is 3ips on the 16MP (it’s 2ips on the 29MP) and this is a camera you would use on a big overall scene to supply context and the ability to zoom deep into a scene. Let’s look at how usable the 16 and 29MP cameras are.”

We look at the footage. It’s a recording of an accident between 2 trams. It’s a complex scene, large, with hundreds of people in it and plenty going on.

“The nice thing about these cameras is the ability to get information that would have been lost. If this was a PTZ zoomed into the piazza over there, we would have lost everything else, including the accident itself,” Borg says.

We watch as a tram pulls into the station and stops and a moment later, another tram collides with it from behind, bashing the first tram forward so it strikes a young woman crossing the tracks

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and she falls to the ground as other pedestrians hurry to assist her.

But at Borg explains, there’s plenty going on in this scene that you might miss using any other type of camera that would need to be zoomed in on the point of impact to view the accident.

As we watch, injured passengers stumble from the front tram, some streaming blood. You can see deep in the scene a group of pedestrians who narrowly avoided being crushed between the colliding trams huddled between the tracks in fright.

You can also see pedestrians responding to the incident, people recovering from impacts sustained in both trams, people holding their heads, their necks, some crouching on the ground.

These people are identifiable. As we rewind the event and view it again we notice a man whose leg is nearly caught between the first tram and the platform during the collision – he only just manages to avoid serious injury.

“You might get these images by chance if 720 or 1080p cameras were pointing in the right direction and zoomed in perfectly at a given depth of field,” Borg explains. “But if they were looking in this particular direction and zoomed to a given depth of field they’d be missing out on everything else.

“A camera like this one can see all that detail across the entire scene and you can see deep into the scene. A hundred metres past the trams we can see things with clarity. It’s this power that makes these cameras absolutely perfect for street surveillance applications.”

Personally, I’ve always loved the power of large megapixel cameras so I’m already a convert to Borg’s message about these Avigilon cameras.

When you look at such detailed images and consider the enormity of the coverage from just one camera point, it’s very compelling. A 16MP camera is about $6000 while 95 VGA cameras would be say, $30,000 and that’s before installation, trenching for cabling or wireless links. A scene like this really does highlight the capabilities of these big megapixel cameras.

A camera like this one can see all that detail across the entire scene and you can see deep into the scene. A hundred metres past the trams we can see things with clarity. It’s this power that makes these cameras absolutely perfect for street surveillance applications.

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avigilon

I’m guesstimating the scene with my eyes, but we really are getting corner to corner coverage of a very large area. Furthermore, in public surveillance applications like this, 3ips with JPEG2000 is more than acceptable, given the other benefits of these cameras.

We look at another scene – a long queue of cabs – using the 16MP Avig camera it’s possible to look at license plates of every cab in the queue, which is probably 100m long.

“Another great application for megapixel is service stations,” says Borg. “You need 3 HD cameras, one for each bay, while a single 5MP Avigilon camera will cover the same space. It will get license plates, and the faces of drivers on every bay.”

Borg doesn’t believe the market is going to remain locked at 1080p and bound to H.264 compression forever.

“The problem with 1080p is that it uses H.264 which after 5MP becomes grossly inefficient,” he explains. “So designers and manufacturers will have to go JPEG2000 to provide the sort of MP performance that end users love.

“Everyone who sees these megapixel images is impressed. In the future, many more cameras will offer this performance. The cost of these cameras is getting lower and lower and everyone wants them. I see no reason why development in resolution and compression should come to an end.” zzz

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n etwo rk i n g

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by john adam s

Cat 6 hurricane If you need wideband IP Video LANs think about Cat 6A cable. With Cat 6A you’ll get 10GB bandwidth, that’s enough shoulder room to support the needs of HD or megapixel cameras for many years into the future.

C

AT 6A is a copper cabling solution that can be shielded or unshielded and delivers 10GB Ethernet across a LAN in links of up to 100 metres. An important element of the 568-B.2-10 standard for Cat 6A is its 500 MHz frequency and the fact it incorporates a performance parameter to defy Alien Crosstalk (ANEXT). ANEXT is chitchat between cables that run alongside each other, and between connections and hardware that reside together.

The challenge this poses network builders is that while active equipment is able to cancel noise when the source is known – say a nearby motor room or electrical plant – ANEXT by its nature is alien – no one knows where it is coming from.

If ANEXT is a problem, installers need to adopt practices like loose-laying of cables in trays – and yes this is a lot harder than it sounds in a jampacked cable plant. Alternatively, you can choose shielded twisted pair cable to isolate wire pairs from neighbouring cables and connectors.

Installers who are managing fine with existing Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling need not stress themselves too much about Cat 6A because the primary difference is the huge increase in bandwidth. You score 10 times more bandwidth to be precise.

But before you go for this level of performance bear in mind a 1GB pipe can carry 50 compressed megapixel cameras chewing 20Mb per second – too much for any standard server or monitoring workstation to process in real time.

The way of the future

Let’s get a couple of things straight right from the start – these 10GB LANs are massive. We’re talking backbone bandwidth here and you’ll only need this amount of shoulder room on a LAN if you’re funneling large numbers of megapixel cameras in high resolution, or you’re routing a couple of hundred IP cameras that are operating in high bandwidths at HD or megapixel resolutions.

So why use 6A at all? It’s really about tomorrow.

Some Cat 6A subnets may include dedicated backbones, servers and nodes enough to stretch the boundaries of Gigabit Ethernet, but the real reason security integrators would opt for Cat 6A is to future proof their subnets against the day megapixel upgrades might be made possible by enhancements in workstation processor speeds and increased big MP frame rates. It sounds farfetched now, but soberly considered this is not such a silly idea at all.

Fact is, a well installed copper cable plant in a stable environment will last more than 10 years and could last 20 years or more. Given barely a shot had been fired in the IP video revolution back in 1999, let alone way back in 1994, it makes sense to keep an open mind when it comes to major infrastructure investments like network cable.

What will the video surveillance market be like in 2019 or in 2024? Who can really say? The only sure thing is that in some applications megapixel IP video will be guzzling bandwidth.

The trouble for end users and integrators is going to be working out when such investments

STP means your beautiful 6A cable subnet can never be ruined by chatter in an adjacent cable, causing attenuation, reduced bandwidth and lower signal quality. se&n 71

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are worth making. It goes almost without saying that economies of scale are likely to be the big drivers and that means we’ll most likely see Cat 6A in larger sites – casinos, universities, sports grounds – places big camera numbers and the veracity of wide angle megapixel solutions combine with short network hauls.

Cost and installation issues

We know Cat 6A is more expensive – but how much more? At today’s prices it’s around 35 per cent more costly than 1GB Cat 5e cable but the costs of the cable plant can’t be confined to purchase of the rolls. That’s because Cat 6A is broader in the girth than its 5e cousin and this means cable trays, cable baskets, trunking, cable ducts, risers and all the rest are going to need to be larger to accommodate it.

Typically, 6A cable takes up twice the space of 5e and its turning circle can be up to 30mm and demand bend-trunking up to 70mm deep. These challenges mean using 6A for a significant number of links will cause infrastructure problems on an existing site. Greenfield installations will make use of 6A far easier, as long as the needs of the cable are taken into account when the plant is being mapped out.

Something else that will need to be considered with 6A is that it’s shielded and needs a building earth of high quality. Some buildings are probably making do with only plumbed grounds and have no dedicated earth electrode. In a networked environment, other techs may have earthed devices and cable plants to an enclosure, metal conduits or cable troughs that may represent weak earths or not truly be earthed at all. Be sure your network has its feet on the ground.

The only additional step with STP CAT 6A is binding the shielded patch panel to the rack and you’d deploy 6AWG to the comms busbar. Given grounds can be had at a workstation, a router, patch panel and in the data centre there’s plenty of flexibility there – as mentioned earlier – just be sure your grounds are actually grounded.

The real reason security integrators would opt for Cat 6A is to future proof their subnets against the day megapixel upgrades might be made possible by enhancements in workstation processor speeds and increased big MP frame rates.

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There are both shielded STP and unshielded 6A cables and both types meet 568.B requirements.

Your decision on shielded or unshielded is going to come down to things like interference in the environment, particularly ANEXT. There will also be RFI and EMI. We’d recommend STP for IP Video – especially if you’re unsure what developments may take place on the site in the future.

Important to bear in mind from an installation point of view is that many of the things that were an issue in the old days with shielded cable aren’t a worry any longer. You do need to separate the shield from the cable but there’s no separate bonding of shields. Nor will you have to run around the cable route searching for ANEXT because your STP cables will be immune and that applies to future changes on the site, too.

STP means your beautiful 6A cable subnet can never be ruined by chatter in an adjacent cable, causing attenuation, reduced bandwidth and lower signal quality. If you find other techs and electricians have failed in the basics, take remedial action. Cross power cables at right angles, keep your UTP cables away from sources of interference and label your cable runs at useful intervals without giving away their electronic security identity. zzz

p ro d u ct rev i ew

forcefield

Forcefield

vision

Forcefield by Interlogix is a security management solution that provides control and management of the Interlogix Challenger security system. New developments allow video management through integration with up to 99 GE DVRs.

A

BLE to be deployed as part of a new security installation, or integrated into existing single or multisite Challenger installations, Forcefield offers functionality previously only available to the most advanced enterprise systems.

Forcefield functionality includes the most sophisticated alarm monitoring and access control available, with powerful integration to Duress, Intercom and Paging systems. Features such as Photo ID, advanced reporting, real time graphics, door monitoring and guard tours are just some of the powerful security functionality available on the system.

And now the latest version of Forcefield 6.4 allows operators to configure video devices, respond to alarms, manage cardholders, view and export video footage through a single interface. The updates allow operators to fully configure GE DVRs with Forcefield (recording quality, frame rates motion detection, etc.)

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A great feature is Multi-view, which allows operators to dynamically assign camera arrays to monitors on event, to stream in high or low bandwidth on up to 8 monitors per workstation.

There’s also now 3rd-party IP camera support, the ability to link full IP H.264 megapixel video, advanced video retrieval, retrieval footage from alarm events and the ability to export footage for authorities from within Forcefield GUI. According to Interlogix’ Chris Cunnington, the addition of video surveillance capability through integration with TruVision DVRs gives end users an even more capable solution.

“We don’t really want people to have separate DVR management software so we’ve added things into the Forcefield software that mean you can actually configure your DVRs through Forcefield now,” Cunnington explains. “You can go in and set up motion detection, grids and that kind of thing, camera frame rates.

by john adam s

“The other thing you can do is use your alarm screen to view footage because footage is now tagged into alarms. What we also have now is the ability to export footage through the access control software. That’s not a common thing at all. We can go in and select start and finish times to export, bring video out, save to location, put it on a CD and review it – it’s very rare to have this level of functionality with an access control system’s video surveillance capability.”

Cunnington praises the system’s Multi-view functionality, which he tells me is a sort of virtual matrix switcher.

“Multi-views have layouts that you can define,” he says. “You tell the system which monitor the video needs to go to, high or low quality video, it’s dual bandwidth, which saves bandwidth and processing power, and I can go through into each view and allocate cameras into presets of each view – I can actually sequence cameras.

“These views can all dynamically change based on operator login, hot keys, and other parameters - that’s another unusual feature for a system like this and its standard. Forcefield now has a video functionality and what this means is that for most applications you don’t need a separate system to run your video. Most the functionality you need as a security manager is available in the one setup so there’s only one system to manage.”

As part of the upgrade, Interlogix has upgraded the Forcefield hardware. The latest version has USB streaming, double the RAM, a more powerful CPU and fewer moving parts for even greater reliability.

Importantly, adding video to Forcefield is just a license upgrade. You load the license and it takes a few seconds to set Forcefield up to handle integration with GE DVRs. Part of the reason it’s so easy to link a DVR with 16 cameras to a Forcefield solution is because Forcefield is really just a pipe for events – the thin client software on the client workstation is what connects to the DVR for streaming and it retrieves the video footage. Just think of Forcefield as the path for the tagged events and the quick retrieval of search while the thin client does the rest as far as streaming is concerned.

Operationally, the way the integration works is that Forcefield tags images in DVR memory so they can be linked to any event generated by the system such as an access or alarm event from the Challenger panel. The actual video streaming is done to the client, not to the Forcefield – the Forcefield only sends a text tag to the DVR of an event that you preset as an automatic action when a given event occurs.

If somebody attempts to access a door to which they don’t have access, then video of that event is text-tagged by the Forcefield. This allows fast searching, fast retrieval of the footage of an event and you can also search via text on the DVR. Forcefield’s video functionality is delivered through an operator viewing platform that allows users to search for video of tagged access control events.

If somebody attempts to access a door to which they don’t have access, then video of that event is text-tagged by the Forcefield. This allows fast searching, fast retrieval of the footage of an event and you can also search via text on the DVR. And this doesn’t just enhance the access event – it enhances the video. When you have to search through footage usually it’s via time and date – especially if an event happened long ago. You have to sit through a lot of footage to hunt that event down.

Now with Forcefield, if an alarm occurs, that alarm is what you use to search for video footage on the DVR. You can just pick up an alarm event using the footage button and it will take you to 5-mins pre and 5-mins post recording, depending what is set on the DVR, of that event - you’re not searching at all.

From a management point of view, operators are essentially working on the alarm history screen of the Forcefield GUI. The Forcefield GUI has a video menu through which you access video management capability – you can also go in directly through a map and just click on a camera and get into recorded events that way. Essentially, the Forcefield system with video activated becomes a pseudo control room on a single workstation.

And if you’ve got a quad-head video card on your PC you can connect the Forcefield and have 4 screens up – one with the access control events displayed and 3 spot monitors with virtual matrixes – 16 cameras per monitor. Cameras can be coming in from one DVR or from multiple DVRs – you can mix and match sites and cameras when you’re programming the system – it’s very flexible.

While Forcefield can be integrated to 99 DVRs seamlessly, on-screen you don’t look at the DVRs separately - you look at the cameras and/or the sites. The system is built around a logical naming convention so it’s easy for an operator to use.

Driving a Forcefield-based video surveillance solution is simple, too. For a start, the system supports multiple monitors – one can show a matrix – and you can select multiviews – or have up to 16 cameras – up to 8 monitors per workstation.

And depending on the DVR – there can be multiple people on playback and live monitoring – this depends on the DVR hardware. Users can have the event view running on the screen and because programmed recordings to the DVR are tagged with a text tag event number, a text file comes up on the screen after an alarm event.

When an event occurs you drill down through the text to the video and view it in D1. Alternatively, you can get to the video through a map or an alarm screen. You click on the flashing alarm point on the map, click on the alarm and look at the footage.zzz

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s p e ci al re p o rt

new pr o d u ct s h owcase / new p roduct showcase / new p roduct showcase / n ew p rod u

editor’s choice

What’s new in the industry

MIC Series 612 PTZ hots up BOSCH Security Systems announces firmware version 1.1 for the MIC Series 612 Thermal Cameras, which adds a thermal temperature change alarm. Available on the standard resolution MIC Series 612 thermal cameras, the new feature will trigger an alarm if the temperature of an object within the view of the camera is outside a defined threshold. It helps to improve safety and process monitoring by automating alarm and video verification of critical systems for oil and gas extraction and production sites, power generation facilities, and other critical infrastructure applications.

Customers can set multiple high and low temperature spot meter inputs and wire outputs to an external alarm or audio device, programmable logic controller, or to a PC-based monitoring and control system to alert operators to abnormal conditions. This integration ensures personnel are instantly notified of potential safety concerns or equipment malfunctions and allows them to quickly verify problems and identify locations via video.

The MIC Series 612 is a ruggedized, dual optical/thermal pan-tilt-zoom camera. It combines a high quality 36x zoom optical day/night camera module and an un-cooled, long wavelength thermal imager side-by-side within the housing. This allows customers to simultaneously view high quality color or monochrome images and capture video of heat producing objects, or to switch between the two modes at the touch of a button.

The IK10-rated vandal- and corrosion-resistant design includes an IP 68/NEMA 6P certified aluminium casing with a long-life silicone wiper to provide uncompromised performance in the most challenging surveillance conditions. n Distributor: Bosch Security Systems n Contact: 1300 1 BOSCH (26724)

New 60ips IPELA Engine EX Sony cameras THERE are 6 new cameras from Sony’s Professional Services division offering a frame fate of 60fps and advances in dynamic range.

The new IPELA Engine EX cameras were unveiled in Essen last month and utilise the company’s IPELA Engine EX system – Sony’s integrated signal processing system for high picture quality, combining signal processing and video analytics.

The new frame rate is double the previous generation of Sony cameras and the low light sensitivity has also been improved by more than two times. The cameras also feature improved dynamic range enhancing technology to provide significantly improved detail when showing brightly backlit figures.

Magazine Detektor International awarded the IPELA Engine its best product award saying that it is “the outstanding highlight of video surveillance products in 2012.”

The cameras available in the range include fixed-angle SNC-VB600 and SNC-VB630 Box cameras, SNC-VM600 and SNC-VM630 Mini Dome cameras, SNC-VM601 and SNC-VM631 Vandal-Proof Indoor Mini Domes. Sony is also releasing three new afforable IP cameras, the SNC-VB600B box camera, SNC-VM600B Mini Dome and SNC-VM601B available later this year.

These cameras will offer 30fps streaming, but with the same wide dynamic range and low light capabilities as their bigger brothers. n Distributor: Sony Australia n Contact: +61 2 9887 6666

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Kenwei 10inch intercom monitor CSD has released the newest 10-inch Video Room Station from Kenwei. This beautifully crafted piece of hardware combines a sleek and professional looking design with 10-inch full colour LCD screen. Also included are many of the great features such as touch sensitive icons for controlling the system.

Compatible with both the Apartment System and the Residential System the SA20C provides the end user with a great interface for monitoring multiple Video door stations and up to 4 video CCTV cameras. n Distributor: Central Security Distribution n Contact: 1300 319 499

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IndigoVision’s super scalable solution

Geutebruck’s G-Tect/VMX makes motion detection easy GEUTEBRUCK’S G-Tect/VMX is a new video motion detection solution for professional use which is both extremely quick to set up and exceptionally reliable. It not only detects movement but differentiates between potentially relevant moving objects and background changes. G-Tect/VMX continuously analyses and evaluates all picture contents, and regularly adjusts its ‘understanding’ of the background.

Thanks to the latest smart algorithms which continually adapt to the current image contents, G-Tect/VMX offers unprecedented accuracy at suppressing unwanted alarms caused by systematically occurring environmental effects such as moving foliage, rain, snow or headlights. It recognizes these image changes resulting from weather as systematically occurring background changes and tolerates them.

Setting up a sterile zone where any intruder triggers an alarm is a simple mouse-clicking operation. Configuring direction-dependent detection for a zone is quick and easy, too. You can then copy settings across to other alarm zones and cameras with similar site conditions, for example to set up a series of cameras to monitor a fence. Finally there is a single intuitive global sensitivity control to optimize all the settings. This minimalist design approach to system settings slashes the time required for system installation and makes it predictable.

G-Tect/VMX is designed for seamless integration in the Geutebruck system world and comes with licence-free activation of Geutebruck’s classic VMD detector, to enable dual sensor operation and the best possible protection of critical areas.

THE latest release of IndigoVision’s Security Management Solution, SMS4 release 6, delivers superior scalability and even more power to the people – especially to customers with multiple sites and large numbers of cameras.

The solution now has more flexible administrative capability while still retaining its operational ease of use. Wherever they happen to be, administrators can configure the IndigoVision solution locally, writing to the database simultaneously.

Sophisticated configuration options maximise access as well as ensuring central management.

For organisations that span multi-site locations, each site may need to configure locally to reflect local priorities, while overall system control is retained at a central location. The new version of SMS4 builds on the immense scalability of the IndigoVision solution to create more management control, enabling local administrators to log on to specific areas to make changes relating to their site while still seeing everything across the entire system. Users really can scale their system as never before.

Local configuration within SMS4 is not only fast and simple, but also provides great system-wide versatility that has a direct organisational benefit, enabling administrators to work on the system concurrently and at any number of locations.

The new SMS4 solution provides improved support for functions such as importing detailed maps in multiple formats, and there are further enhancements to alarm and bookmark functionality to improve flexibility for alarm verification and escalation. The solution also continues IndigoVision’s ongoing and ever-expanding support for third-party cameras providing a truly open system. Due to its unique distributed architecture, any system component can be added at any point on the IP network, including NVRs and video workstations. The flexibility of SMS4 means that it is installed globally for projects in airports, ports, rail, traffic, cities, banking, mining, retail, casinos, police, prisons and government. n Distributor: Integrated Products n Contact: 1300 055 164

n Distributor: Geutebruck Australia n Contact: +61 2 8969 6302

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editor’s choice

What’s new in the industry

Bosch adds to Advantage Line

Axis does 360

WITH 3 new HD IP cameras and an addition to the digital video recorder DVR 600 Series, Bosch is once again expanding its popular Advantage Line. Specifically designed for small to mid-sized applications, this product line was first introduced in mid-2011 with a number of analogue and IP CCTV solutions.

The first of the three new cameras announced is the NDC274-P, a ready-to-use complete network video system inside a robust and compact microdome. It features HD 1080p for sharp images, while H.264 compression technology reduces bandwidth for simultaneous multiple streams. As with all the IP products supplied by Bosch, the NDC-274-P is compatible with the ONVIF standard for open interoperability, and its MicroSDXC slot supports up to 2 terabytes of storage inside the camera.

Finally, 2 infrared IP cameras complement the range. With their removable IR cut filters, they are suitable for day and night use.

Both the NTC-265-PI bullet camera and the NDN-265-PIO dome camera are housed in robust IP66-rated bodies, making them water and dust-proof for use in demanding environments.

Each provides 720p resolution in HD format, while the built-in LED illuminator allows quality night-time monitoring with a 25-m (82-ft) viewing distance in the NTC265-PI and a 15-m (50-ft) viewing distance with the NDN-265PIO. The DVR 670 is the latest addition to the Digital Video Recorder 600 Series, a complete video management solution for up to 16 cameras in a single compact unit. It offers real-time recording in 4CIF resolution simultaneously on all channels, as well as a number of remote management options. These include the centralized configuration, viewing, playback and control from anywhere via LAN, WAN or the Internet.

Furthermore, the new DVR Viewer mobile app from Bosch enables live viewing on an iPhone, iPad or iPod. Bosch ensures that all its Advantage Line products conform to the same high quality and reliability standards as the rest of the company’s portfolio – guaranteed by a 3-year warranty.

Installation, set-up and operations are easily performed, plus minimal servicing and intuitive menu-driven interfaces keep costs and time to a minimum.

AXIS Communications has released a range of 360-degree fixed mini dome cameras with a 5 megapixel sensor that enables detailed, high-quality 360-degree or 180-degree panoramic views of wide areas. The competitively priced indoor AXIS M3007-PV and AXIS M3007-P network cameras provide retail stores, hotels, schools and offices with cost-effective solutions to getting wide overviews that help users detect activities and track the flow of people.

“Axis’ new 360-degree fixed cameras give price-sensitive market segments the option of using just one camera to get the big picture, with great details, at an affordable price,” says Wai King Wong, country manager South Pacific, Axis Communications.

“The cameras also have substantial capacity for intelligent video applications and support a range of video management software including the complimentary AXIS Camera Companion.”

The cameras, which are the latest additions to the AXIS M30 Series, can be mounted on ceilings for 360-degree overviews or on walls for 180-degree panoramic views. Both AXIS M3007-PV and AXIS M3007-P support several viewing modes, including 360-degree overview in 5-megapixel resolution, as well as horizontal panoramic views and quad views that have been dewarped for easy viewing. The quad view mode is suitable, for instance, when the camera is positioned at an intersection of corridors. The cameras also provide view area modes that allow users to digitally pan, tilt and zoom in on areas of interest. Multiple streams in H.264 and Motion JPEG can be sent simultaneously.

AXIS M3007-PV—as with the recently announced AXIS M3006-V and the launched AXIS M3004-V and AXIS M3005-V cameras in the series—is a vandal and dustresistant fixed dome camera. AXIS M3007-P, which has a different outer shell with no cover over its lens, is an extremely discreet camera that can be mistaken for a smoke detector.

n Distributor: Bosch Security Systems n Contact: 1300 1 BOSCH (26724)

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n Distributor: Axis Communications n Contact: +61 3 9982 1111

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New Quasar discovered FULL HD PTZ at a low bit rate means big savings on storage costs, according to Pacific Communications, which has just released its new range of DVTel Quasar PTZ dome cameras.

The Quasar 3200 and 4200 Series Smart PTZ Cameras are H.264, Wide Dynamic Range, Day/Night PTZ cameras. DVTel’s Scene Adaptive Algorithms provide the highest image quality for the lowest bandwidth and storage requirements.

Features include 720p or 1080p, H.264, 18x or 20x optical zoom, dual streaming for unicast or multicast modes, 256 presets, bi-directional audio, 240VAC, PoE+ and privacy zone masking. n Distributor: Pacific Communications n Contact: +61 3 9676 0222

Hikvision ONVIF cameras integrate with Avigilon ACC HIKVISION’S ONVIF-conformant IP cameras now have the ability to seamlessly integrate with Avigilon’s awardwinning Control Center Software. This integration now provides customers with the freedom to better choose the specific combination of products to best fits their needs.

Hikvision ONVIF-conformant IP camera models – bullet cameras, dome cameras, and box cameras feature high resolution, wide dynamic range, low light capability, ease of installation and use an open-standard offering users greater flexibility in selecting components.

With Avigilon Control Center software, users can now remotely monitor and control most of the key features of their Hikvision IP cameras; such as PTZ, two-way audio, alarm inputs, outputs, etc. Advantages of the software include multi-megapixel and high dynamic imaging, HD recording and playback timeline, data protection and storage management. n Distributor: Security Merchants n Contact: 1800 635 122

Paradox TM50 – an interactive touch screen The TM50 Touch integrates security and home control capabilities to help you manage the complexities of modern living –all from a 5-inch touch screen.

From which alarm was triggered in which room, to the real-time status of every area and zone in your installation, to any possible activity in your system, a touch of a fingertip can also allow control of your lights, garage door, appliances, and more.

Finally, security meets control with TM50 Touch. Homeowners can experience peace of mind and business owners can feel confident that with TM50 Touch’s ability to integrate diverse systems. n Distributor: Central Security Distribution n Contact 1300 319 499

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re g u lars help desk

helpdesk

Our panel of experts answers your questions.

if installed prior. After this time there are penalties that apply whether a break-in has taken place or not.

My feeling is that the best option is a strobe at the front of the building, an internal siren to discourage the intruder and some form of video verification that injects urgency into the entire proceeding from monitoring station through to patrol response. Every alarm system should have video verification, in my opinion.

Q: How do glass break sensors work? Are they a viable alternative to volumetric intrusion detection?

Q: Would you ever install sirens in commercial or domestic alarm installations? Or do you think these devices have no place in a modern alarm system?

A: This depends on application.

Sirens were first installed to attract the attention of beat police or passers-by but given police will not attend an alarm event as a rule, this value no longer applies. Instead sirens may have value in attracting immediate attention from staff or homeowners and might scare off an intruder.

In commercial applications there may be some use in an audible siren, depending on the size of the site and the location of the siren. The same could apply in domestic applications where a siren might alert neighbours who would react to an actual breakin attempt by calling police.

Something to consider is noise pollution which is handled by the Environmental Protection Authority.

The EPA decrees when noises are permissible and when they are illegal.

The rules apply to lawnmowers, leaf blowers, stereos and building alarms.

In NSW, alarm sirens are allowed to sound for 5 minutes if the system was installed after 1997 and 10 minutes

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A: The basis of the operation of glass break sensors is the piezoelectric effect, which generates an electrical signal the size of which is based on the force which vibrates the interlocking crystals of a glass break device’s sensor. This sensor is generally made of hundreds of crystals of barium titanate with one face of the sensor exposed in the direction of most likely intrusion.

A glass break sensor has a frequency analyser incorporating a counter and an accumulator that ignores all signals it is programmed to consider normal but tallies up the frequencies indicative of an attack over a given sampling period in its accumulator and if these signals exceed a given threshold, generates an alarm event.

These units are reliable and low cost and can differentiate between ordinary noises and the sound of glass breaking with great subtlety. As to whether they can replace volumetrics we’d say not, unless the space

you are protecting can only be entered by breaking a pane of glass facing the sensor.

In typical commercial applications, use glass breaks in conjunction with volumetrics and reeds to give early warning of intrusion attempts.

Q: We’re considering a fibre optic perimeter detection system installed on a chain link perimeter fence. Is such a system more secure than the AIRS solutions that have been mentioned in Security Elecronics & Networks in the past couple of issues? What are the strengths of fibre optic perimeter detection? Are there downsides to this technology?

A: With fibre optic perimeter detection light is pulsed through a glass fibre while a receiver at the far end of the cable measures the magnitude and wavelength of the signal, along with gathering data embedded into the signal. If the cable is cut, or pulled on or vibrated, the wavelength will alter in consistent ways, allowing an alarm to be generated.

The strength of fibre optic perimeter sensing is that it’s invisible, highly resistant to weather, cannot be cut without detection and has low current draw. Fibre optic perimeter detection is highly reliable and highly secure and has a virtually unlimited range.

Disadvantages include the fact installations are expensive, can be stepped over and the fence can be climbed or dug under. Depending on the nature of the system, fibre optics can demand a physical connection all the way

Fibre optic perimeter detection is highly reliable and highly secure and has a virtually unlimited range.

Q: We want to connect a number of sensors installed in a granny flat, including 3 PIRS and 2 smoke sensors, with the alarm panel in a house on the same property. We’ve had wireless suggestions but have found the technology to be unreliable and batteryhungry in the past. What method would you use for trenching or stringing cable from the flat to the house?

to the monitoring point, though this could be circumvented with wireless reporting from the field.

Q: We’re having terrible trouble with a wireless installation that seems to be ignoring alarm events even though the panel reports it has good contact with the sensor. What sorts of things should we be looking for here? At the moment we have hardwired the problem areas – this has posed some problems of its own on such a big site. If you’re wondering, the answer’s yes. It’s a steel framed building.

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

may cancel both signals. Null points can be caused by metal objects located between transmitter and receiver. Other factors that may influence RF performance will be RF rich environments or jamming of the receiver by a powerful external source of RF. The sort of source we’re talking about would be a radio station’s antenna array or a repeater tower.

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

And pay attention to polling rates. The higher the rate, the more secure the link, the shorter the battery life.

A: When you’re running cable outside there’s no better protection than going deep as realistically possible and burying your cable in robust plastic conduit that’s carefully sealed against moisture. Trench to at least .03m in a domestic environment and mark the location of the conduit.

It’s good practice to ensure that under no circumstances should your buried conduit have any underground joins in it.

If you must have an underground join, be especially careful to ensure the seals are watertight. There’s no surer way to get into trouble than to bury a zone loop in clay in a trench filled with water.

If there is a join, a clever idea is to incorporate a screw capped inspection point into the lowest point of the conduit.

This will allow you to establish the presence of leaks quickly and without damaging the system’s infrastructure. Be sure to seal both ends of the conduit as well as any inspection cap.

If it’s a very long cable run there may be issues of voltage loss. Given that most security cable has a resistance of 16.4 ohms per 100m across a 2-wire circuit, and a PIR taking 20mA will have a voltage drop of 0.33V per 100m, you’ve got plenty of room play with in domestic situations. On big installs you’d run into trouble if there were 3 PIRs on a 7-wire cable, with the combined voltage drop likely to impact on the performance of the sensors. zzz

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events

november 2012 – april 2013

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers August 2012 Issue 335

SECURITY 2012:

SHOW REPORT

IFSEC India

l Bosch Solution 144 alarm, access l Takex’ new PXB-100ATC photo beam l Kraut installs Vivotek for Sunbus l Video Security Products’ EasyIP l Gigapixel surveillance solutions? l Interview: Pierre Racz, Genetec SEM812_1cover.indd 1

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Date: November 1-3, 2012 Location: India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, India Contact: +91-11-2376-5553 IFSEC India is the largest security exhibition in India, bringing together all of the key decision-makers from the security industry. Over the past 5 years, IFSEC India has repeatedly proven its status as country’s premier security exhibition.

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MEFSEC 2012 Date: December 1 - 4, 2012 Location: Cairo International Convention Center, Cairo, Egypt Contact: +202-2735-5837 The mission of MEFSEC is to facilitate knowledge transfer and business opportunity in key sectors of the firefighting, safety and security market. The region is in high demand for new technologies, innovations and developments in all aspects of advanced fire detections, fires suppression, automatic fire extinguishing, security, CCTV, and safety.

Expoprotection 2012 Date: December 4 - 7, 2012 Location: Paris Porte de Versailles, Paris, France Contact: +33-4756-5045 Expoprotection, the risk prevention and management show, is entering a new era. It is adopting a new strategy driven by 3 main objectives: Strenghtening the audience; expanding the range of exhibits and encouraging contacts.

Intersec 2013 Date: January 15-17, 2013 Location: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE Contact: Tel: 4-389-4500 / Fax: 4-358-5511 With around 1,000 international exhibitors expected, the 15th edition of Intersec is set to build on its reputation as the most significant trading platform and networking event for security and safety professionals in the Middle East.

= DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.

Secutech Taipei, Taiwan Date: April 24-26, 2013 Location: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taiwan Contact: http://www.secutech.com/13/en/ SecuTech Expo offers an organized presence and underlines dynamic fields of the Asian security industry. The show represents not only the Asian manufacturer powerbase, but its multinational participation makes it a true international exhibition in Asia.

DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY.

Security Managers ◆ Integrators ◆ IT Managers ◆ Installers August 2012 Issue 335

WEBSITE

SECURITY 2012:

SHOW REPORT

l Bosch Solution 144 alarm, access l Takex’ new PXB-100ATC photo beam l Kraut installs Vivotek for Sunbus l Video Security Products’ EasyIP l Gigapixel surveillance solutions? l Interview: Pierre Racz, Genetec SEM812_1cover.indd 1

MAGAZINE

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ENEWSLETTER

Advertising enquiries call Monique Keatinge on 02 9280 4425 or email info@bridgepublishing.com.au

MultiCAM • 1.3 Megapixel resolution • Inbuilt PIR (Email’s still images) • Micro SD card slot • PoE (Power over Ethernet) • Remote Keyfob • USB Wi-Fi link • Built-in mic & speaker

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