Category Archives: CCTV

IFSEC PTZ dome cameras

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PTZ dome cameras at IFSEC  2011

PTZ….as the acronym stands, Pan Tilt and Zoom

PTZ dome cameras at IFSEC

Years ago it was confined to huge behemoth camera housings, with large cameras and even larger optical zoom lenses……mounted on gigantic P&T units that rumbled and groaned at snails pace to get to their intended targets……..try tracking a WALKING man with one of those and you’ll know what I mean

And presets? Nope, only the REALLY expensive units offered those, upping the speeds slightly to enable something close to reasonable movement speed

Washers and wipers helped clear away the residue of a typical British day (please substitute ‘British’ for any rainy region!!! Except sunny ones of course!)

And night time use? IR lamps hung from the sides like huge ears, glowing faint red, or, if you invested more, completely invisible with 930nM+ bulbs

And bulbs……no warranty, could blow in 3mins, 3hrs or 3 years – no way of knowing until the time you needed them……and then the cost to replace…..

Roll forward to the 90’s…..great companies like Pelco, VCL, Ultrak, Vicon etc switch their attention to Dome based PTZs……quick, discreet, covert, presets…… Operators loved their ease of control, day/night capabilities offered great pictures day or night, rapid response to alarms to give near instant access to alarm presets

Dome drawbacks? No IR….where would you fit them?…..no wipers……no washers…..and by design, their covert appearance conspired against them in a deterrent requirement

Early 2000’s saw the introduction of the new age of PTZs….the ruggedised ‘bad boy’s of PTZ…..Bosch (formerly the great pioneers, Forward Vision) release the MIC range of units……unfairly, catching the imagination by it’s use on the Big Brother TV show….but hey, advertising nonetheless…….. Strong, quick, offering IR, wiper, washer etc etc….

Followed by Ganz with its AllView…..and others

High ticket value but specialist…….

Now, companies like Bosch, Ganz and the likes of UK Manufacturers 360 Vision Technology, are producing more and more innovative PTZ units that somehow complement domes, yet give the deterrent reassurance back to PTZ units…. 360 recently introducing a completely innovative and patented Dual White Light And IR unit to give colour images at night……discreet it is not, effective it most certainly is!

And rapid deployment companies are embracing these ruggedised units in their quest for the ultimate ‘tough’ unit to, well, rapidly deploy!

Go take a look at IFSEC 2011 and see the amount of overt, loud and proud ruggedised PTZ units are on display

And the future? Well my sources at one manufacturer suggests that HD and Megapixel will replace the ageing analogue camera units, offering HD quality that far exceeds even the highest resolution offered by today’s camera blocks…..

At the end of the day, it is indeed horses for courses…….but PTZ units are here to stay….and really, can a single static megapixel REALLY replace a PTZ with all it’s moving, zooming talent.

Fuel depot security measures……….stop stealing MY Diesel!!

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Fuel, especially diesel has become a major target for thieves recently. Ok its always been valuable but the gains are currently outweighing the risks for thieves at this moment in time and there is no shortage of people who are very happy to buy it and turn a blind eye as to where it has come from.

cctv fuel depot

Fuel depots always pose an issue for security installers, this is because intrinsically safe cameras and sensors are often needed to ensure that no sparks can be created in the vicinity of of stored fuel. Obvious really, but very costly. However fuel theft has risen disproportionately recently and security installers  are starting to see business pick up as a result.

An area of particular growth is  is remote CCTV monitoring that is using analytics rather than sensors to generate alarms to the central monitoring station. This option helps reduce the price of an installation because the cameras can be installed in a “safe” position away from the area that will demand intrinsically safe equipment and generate alarms without the need for sensors in the direct proximity of the fuel.

All of a sudden we have a reliable, safe , cheaper option that can directly compete against security guards and serve as a useful management tool at the same time.

One of the biggest problems with fuel theft is that the criminal has no regard for the mess he leaves behind .With plastic tanks it has been known for the perpetrator to simply make a hole in the tank, drain what he can cart away and leave the rest to leak away into the ground. This leaves behind an almighty mess and an environmental disaster not to mention the inconvenience to the company involved and their customers. Metal storage tanks offer little added protection to the determined thief and these two are sometimes damaged beyond repair in order to get the fuel out. There is also an extreme risk he can start a fire and the destruction that goes with this .

cctv analytics

So prevention is better than cure and fuel companies, hauliers and many other businesses that choose to store fuel on their sites are now looking for  a credible solution.So If you are looking to protect and secure you fuel depot then analytics and CCTV is a very affordable and attractive option….certainly better than finding your fuel has been drained away …half left on the floor and no money left to run run your fleet…Don’t wait till it is too late!!

The power of Google….or not?

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Seems like I have created a bit of an Internet storm….. Quite a few Google searches for ‘who is cctvinsider’… I’m almost flattered

But….who I am, how old I am, male or femal, it’s irrelevant…

cctv insider

I simpy someone who knows and understands our industry and has done so for a long time

My recent post regarding IFSEC was not a rant at IFSEC directly, more a rant at what IFSEC has become

These are tough economic times and whilst I completely believe in free trade, I also believe in looking out for our own….

China is an enormous economy…… I simply do not believe in detrimenting good honest small to medium UK companies for Chinese imports that may or may not be available in 12 months time.

The ASIAN section of IFSEC has grown massively over recent years, and I realise that IFSEC needs exhibitors to finance the show, but at this rate, with more western exhibitors pulling out, then this could end being a show of far eastern manufacturers……

If I am wrong, please respond…..but I bet I’m not the only one who thinks it

Oh, and keep searching for me…….

NSI guardians of high standards or a burden on the security industry?

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NSI or is it Nacoss, but for many years this organization has been the enforcer of regulation and standards within the security industry. Many companies aspire to be NSI Gold approved and the kudos that goes with it is worth all the effort and costs involved. We ask however, is this starting to change?

NSI gold approved security company

Over the last two years within the security industry we have seen a seismic shift away from quality in favour of cost savings. This has meant that the smaller installers and have a go electricians,who had previously been shut out by strict regulation are suddenly finding they are winning jobs and making good profit. Sometimes, but not always, they are able to get away with poorly installed security installations and walk away with the money, much to the ongoing disgust of the larger installers out there. How is this possible though? Why are the big boys losing out? The answer is simple. It’s the overbearing overheads that NSI compliance demands that is dragging the larger company’s margins to breaking point. Add to this the end users lack of concern and disregard to regulation in favour of lower costs and we can see that some of the larger organizations out there are looking at being an NSI gold installer as becoming commercially unviable.

 

When NACOSS first hit the scene before becoming NSI, the improvement in false alarms from badly installed intruder alarms was astonishing. Regulation worked and insurance companies embraced the fact and so did the police. To be fair intruder alarms are not really much of an issue here. The problems for the big boys lie elsewhere.

 

Regulation then started to force its way into other areas of security installations. The NSI started to eye the CCTV industry and those who installed access control. Although not insurance driven, Nacoss decided that these disciplines should also be rigorously regulated. The problem is lots of larger security companies installed all 3, Intruder alarms, access control and CCTV. The NSI insisted any company who issued certificates on intruder alarms must also issue them on CCTV and access control. At £30 odd quid a go this adds cost straight away. In addition corrective response times and maintenance performance targets were also included. This means staffing levels must be increased as a 4 hour response became mandatory on all security systems. Now a smaller company cannot possibly compete in the servicing side of things but when a new job is out there to be won many company MD’s did not care too much about aftercare. Just the bottom line of the cost of the installation matters. With many businesses now self insured against theft and malicious damage there are no insurance companies telling the end user they must install their security systems to NSI standards. Therefore you can see why the smaller guys are winning jobs.

handcuffs on business

So does this mean that the ADT’s and Chubb’s of this world may look to move away from the NSI? We don’t know but  IP CCTV is also changing the way that the NSI will need to operate. At the moment they are not moving fast enough. Even so how can the NSI impose regulation on a security installer but not an IT integrator? The commercial advantage to the integrator would be huge. Admittedly the installation may not be as good or reliable but when the FD of the purchasing company looks at 3 quotes, seemingly identical , he is not going to question the issue of an NSI certificate or the relevant standards at that point. This means the CCTV installer is out of pocket. To us it seems despite all the CCTV installers hard work on his quotes, if things don’t change he will be going out of business fast!!! .

 

So is the NSI in danger of being dropped by the security industry? Will they all inevitably abandon the NSI ? Unless a more sensible and fairer system can be worked out then we think the answer could well be yes!

 

 

Security Products – stick to what you know or go with change?

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Ok, those that read this blog regularly will know I am an Apple Fanboy

iPhone cctv

if it is white or aluminium, I’m going to buy it

Recently, I purchased an Android phone – purely for home/private use and because it was CHEAP – much cheaper than the iPhone that I treasure for Professional/Work use

But with CHEAP comes compromise………sure, it is a great phone, does everything that the iPhone does, but just differently……..everything just takes a little longer whilst I work out how to do it on a different OS/Platform

And the quality ? well, it’s good, but I have been spoilt with the almost space age quality of Apple – it’s almost like the strive to get the best quality components into their products…….and charge accordingly…….and people still buy

So, I got to thinking how similar that is in our industry……..

There are still a lot of people using DVRs from the likes of Dedicated Micros – a hugely successful company that has made great products for many years.

DM is not without it’s critics, but say what you will, their kit is well made, feature rich and, well, er, expensive……….

So many mid range DVRs now compete with DM on cost, performance, reliability etc that it is a surprise why DM has not seen their market diminish……..yet, just like Apple, rather than make their current product cheaper, they make their next product BETTER, and very often MORE expensive!

It’s like BMW…….top of the range models often have LESS comforts and yet cost MORE !!!

Pelco for many years has sold on quality and reliability, rather than join the discount brigade and slash costs on their PTZ Dome products – in keeping their prices at the right point it has allowed them to introduce IP alternatives at the price point they need and want……

So, the question is this………do you stick with what you know and trust (and appreciate) or do you try something different?

Sometimes, it’s just about what does the job the best………. remember the old saying, the sweetness of price is forgotten long after the bitterness of quality!