Category Archives: CCTV

Risco SynopSYS. CCTV integration software

Posted on by

Risco.

Risco group have released SynopSYS a new security interface that can integrate together all security and building management requirements.

It has been designed to simplify and integrate all the following disciplines

Access control

Video monitoring

Building security

Fire detection

Building automation systems.

This can all be done using one single interface and can be used across multiple sites helping reduce costs, increasing security and reducing employment needs. Detailed  site mapping is the key to simplifying all processes using  WAN or LAN to monitor and administer and control security requirements across a company network.

In summary.

Synopsys is a general user software interface that allows the operator to control multiple security disciplines over a TCP/IP network. This network can be LAN or WAN promoting local or remote management. The solution promotes site specific graphical images, & bespoke automation commands. In addition to core security products including net-workable intruder, access, & DVR,  SynopSYS can cater for other third party drivers including Honeywell intruder, Milestone XProtect, Lenel OnGuard, Siemens SiPass, & currently software is being designed and written to include the Paxton & DM Net View.

BACKNET.

Risco also have included the BACNET protocol, therefore subject to a configuration file, can also communicate with any BACNET enabled device.

Innovation.

SynopSYS is another good innovation from the Risco group who pride themselves on producing advanced solutions for integrated security.

CCTV Digital Recording – do you really need 31 days?

Posted on by

Many years ago, the options for CCTV recording were limited

Time lapse VCR, coupled with a Video Multiplexer, meant in essence 1 picture per second per camera maximum…..you couldn’t have different settings for different cameras, it was a global setting……everything backed up to your commonly available VHS tape.

The VCR manufacturers recommended replacing the VHS tapes every 10 uses – but more often than not, calls to a site to fix faulty VCRs led engineers to observe 31 VHS tapes that probably had never been changed since the installation was completed.

But, 31 tapes was convenient……rows of shelves with ‘week 1 Monday’ etc marked neatly on the spine of vertically positioned VHS tapes…..keen operators would add the daily cycle of removing yesterdays tape and replacing with today’s to their early morning to-do list……along with the panic if they were going to be late and the tape would run out leaving the system non-functional until the tape swap – ‘Mike, I’m late, swap the tape in the Video Recorder before Stan finds out’!!!!

Along came clever manufacturers such as Dedicated Micros and Tecton, who introduced amazing digital recorders that meant the daily routine was no longer required…….PC Hard Drives replaced the fragile VHS tapes……high quality images replaced the fuzzy images on used Tapes…..31 days recording at 1 picture per second per camera was now possible in glorious digital !!

Things have changed enormously since those first DVR days…..

DVRs now can have individual settings per camera, meaning important cameras, I.e. Cash office in retail, can benefit from more pictures per second….. Settings can also be time scheduled, allowing cameras to record continuously in one time zone and then motion only record out of hours – thus stretching record durations even further….

Add in the ability to set different qualities of picture resolution and the systems of today are truly flexible by comparison

But why are we still an industry hell bent on 31 days recording ?? Are we really stuck in the 31 day tape shelf mentality?

Too many tenders are released that stipulate ‘minimum 31 days recording’

But ask yourself this, back in the day, when were you asked to review ‘Week 2 Tuesday’ tape for vandalism to the front door?? Because, 9 times out of 10′ it wouldn’t be ignored for 31 days that the front door had been vandalised – more likely the next day at the most before Janice in Accounts let’s you know she couldn’t get in!!

Don’t get me wrong, there are applications that simply must have long term archives – banking and retail have policies that require transactions are accessible for long periods after they occur…..but in the main, most CCTV installations are designed to offer visual verification for ‘now’ or ‘nearly now’ incidents…..

With Hard Drives getting cheaper, the only real problem facing DVR manufacturers is the physical size available to hold HDDs inside…..most DVRs allowing 4 or 6Tb of internal storage without the need for external additional storage……

But, cameras are getting higher resolution…..megapixel IP Cameras, PIXCs, HD cameras, call them what you want but higher file sizes are what they offer……

Surely it would be better to record at the highest resolution and fastest picture update than to record for durations that simply aren’t needed? Reduce the duration to a week, maybe 2 if there are holidays, and see the recorded footage in the quality the manufacturers want you to see it in.

Don’t worry, the door will still get vandalised, Janice from Accounts will still let you know, but now it will be in glorious, high resolution, near real time quality!!

Let us know what you think – but get off the 31 day train !!!

Honeywell CCTV ACUIX

Posted on by

Honeywell Dome camera.

The Honeywell ACUIX ES ptz dome range is a combination of camera solutions that features integrated cctv high res cameras and has been designed to fit into just about every application. With 540 TVL resolution and auto iris lenses, the internal colour cameras are available with either fixed or a zoom lens. Both these cameras are highly cost competitive and are designed to make installation simple.

External CCTV camera.

Externally, Honeywell offer two solutions , either the wide dynamic (WDR) or the true day night (TDN) models, each fitted with a zoom lens that is selectable from 18x 26x or 36x zoom. This means very large areas indeed can be covered by each CCTV camera.

CCTV benefits.

Other benefits include excellent reliability, coaxial telemetry for retrofit scenarios, remote firmware upgrades and privacy zones to name a few. The CCTV dome camera has been designed for European wide sales and offers menus in 8 different languages, the inclusion of Spanish opening up potential in other areas of the world.

CCTV dome cameras.

The marketplace these CCTV dome cameras are aimed at, includes retail, banking, schools and colleges but to be fair the ACUIX ES will fit into just about any kind of application. Cable management brackets mean every job looks neat and tidy and with Honeywell you have a reputable company with good servicing and customer support to fall back on.

External CCTV security systems

Posted on by

External CCTV security systems.

Protecting goods you have to store outside is becoming an extremely important issue now. Anyone who has left items unattended for a period of time will know that before long someone will either steal or vandalize them.

CCTV cameras

External security systems have been around for a while, a combination of sensors, cameras and audible alarms do help to deter many intruders but what is the best combination and who is likely to need it.

Well anyone who is in the following industries could benefit.

Wholesalers

Builders merchants

Skip hire

Hospitals

Garden centres

Marinas

Hauliers

Schools

Plant hire

Car dealers

Farmers

Coach operators

Van hire and car hire

Caravan sales

Construction sites

Mines

Scrap metal dealers

Aggregates

And so the list goes on.

IP camera.

With the new IP camera technology that is now available many of the above industries will need to consider how they approach security and what will be the next move to ensure that they will always have security cover. We recommend that anyone who is considering a new install or an upgrade looks very hard at at new dome cameras that incorporate IR technology for night vision and IP codecs built into the head to enable them to be integrated into an NVR.

Fixed beams.

Fixed beams offer an excellent perimeter security protection solution especially if they can be deployed into a sterile area and have good line of site, in addition external PIR sensors give coverage in areas that fixed beams cannot be used.

Gates and barriers.

Gates and barriers also help reduce unauthorized movement on a site and this combined with ANPR (number plate recognition) give good control over who comes and goes.

Integrated CCTV.

Here at integrated CCTV we have plenty of information on many leading products that will offer an external security solution to many businesses out there. We can also offer online advice to anyone who is thinking of using new IP camera technology. We look forward to hearing from you.

CCTV kit

Posted on by

CCTV kit.

Is there an argument that as an end user it is better to buy a CCTV kit from a wholesaler and then install the system either by yourself or get an electrician to carry out the work? Well it would save on costs there is no doubt about that. But CCTV kits available on the Internet tend to be imported from the Far East and tend to be of a lower spec than a CCTV installer would use.

Home CCTV.

For home CCTV it is defiantly a market that is growing, the average domestic customer is simply looking to install a CCTV system to enable them to see who is there without leaving the safety of the home. To this end the CCTV systems that are available in Kit form will suffice. Commercial users though often have CCTV cameras installed for more reasons than just observation purposes and this is where good recording and quality cameras will make a difference.

CCTV kits

Most companies have little or no resources to just have someone watching CCTV images, so inevitably all the information that the CCTV system gathers will need to be reviewed from a recording. This is where the main difference between CCTV kits and a professionally installed CCTV system will tell.

CCTV system.

A CCTV System in kit form will have little or no flexibility on the number of frames per second it can handle or the image quality unlike a more expensive DVR solution. Lets be honest though some high end spec DVRs can cost upwards of £6000 they will have many features and some of these would be over the top for many small or domestic installations.

Buy CCTV.

At the end of the day when buying CCTV kits you really need to think hard about why you really want it, to observe or to actually produce usable images after an event has occurred. Review what is out there and take advice. It could save you spending hard earned cash on something that at the end of the day turns out to be a white elephant.