Category Archives: Integration

Biometrics, things are not as bad as they seem!

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Are biometric readers the future?

This is a question that has recently been raised in the security community. After all biometrics have been around for a long time now and their impact in the market has been very limited indeed in integrated systems.

To many things to too many people.

For those who have looked closely at the subject the reason for this lack of  market penetration is simple, manufacturers are trying to do too much with the biometric reader. By trying to appeal to everyone and install too much functionality into each device the units have become cumbersome , over engineered and very expensive, literally pricing themselves out of the market.

Why has this happened with biometric readers?

The main reason is speed. To open the door quickly most readers incorporate a card reader or a key- code that must be entered first before the finger is presented, this is so that when the database makes a search for the fingerprint, it already knows where it is looking because the card or code will point the database to where it has to match the fingerprint. Fingerprints are complicated, if you had no card or key-code, a search of the whole database to match the exact print would leave someone standing outside the door for several seconds, hardly ideal.

Ergonomics

So we have slow expensive readers that quite frankly are unreliable and require two elements for them to work, its no wonder that something that has such promise has fallen so far into obscurity. Add to that the fact that many readers just don’t look the part and you even have the architects refusing to specify them in new build situations.

Externally quite frankly they have failed to perform in hostile conditions such as rain or snow and are badly effected by dust and grime.

So where do we go from here to sell the biometric reader?

The answer as far as we see it is integrated access control. The biometric reader needs to provide a more secure solution than the humble fob or card. It will need to look  good, be small and easy to fit to doors in place of existing card readers, be 100% read reliable and most importantly integrate directly into an existing access control system.

Does such a product exist?

We are sure it does but have yet to track it down. The ability for 100% read reliability is pretty much there and by decoding finger prints from an image into simple 1’s and o’s means that this information can be integrated into existing access control systems in the same way that a card or fob is read.  Get the cost to around £800-£950 installed and you have an extremely competitive product with all the benefits that Biometrics have always promised.

Summary

Partnership’s between some of the big suppliers of integrated security in the form of access control and the manufacturers who produce the biometric readers are inevitable. If a producer of the biometric reader can  overcome all of the problems we have highlighted above, incorporate a sleek and ip65 rated design and secure a partnership deal with an access control manufacturer, then the future of the biometric reader is very promising indeed.


Things to look out for in the coming weeks on this site

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Saving money on security guards

We look at a case study for a site that was spending over 70 thousand pounds a year on security guards. We discuss how this can be cut to a fraction of that cost by using  Analytics.

FLIR thermal imaging cameras.

We look into the new thermal imaging camera released by FLIR that is light and very cost efficeint  something we all thought would be impossible for a thermal imaging camera.

ANPR cameras. 

 How they work? and where they are being used today.We highlight some good and some bad points about them.

Biometrics.

We ask whether this technology is ever going to become as big within the security market place as it promised to be when it was first launched.

Adpro and IP.

Can Adpro ever get back to where they were in the CCTV transmission market place. It was not so long ago they were the only choice when transmitting CCTV images.

CCTV distributors.

We discuss whether CCTV distributors need to look at a different route to market now that IP cameras are so popular.

Emizon IP.

We talk about Emizon and what it means for IP intruder alarm monitoring.

Raytec.

This revolutionary new lighting technology has turned a few heads but will it replace all the old halogen lighting systems out there?

NSI.

Does the security industry need this regulator and how will IP camera systems impact  on this inspectorate?

IP CCTV

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IP CCTV.

It’s the buzz word currently in the CCTV industry. Everyone is talking about it but why?

It’s getting cheaper.

Yes the main thing is it is becoming affordable now and can certainly be considered for most applications involving integrated security.

Integrated CCTV.

Again a new buzz word. This is because most systems installed within the next 2-5 years will effectively be a mixture of analogue and IP cameras the reason behind this is because most customers out there will want to upgrade to IP but still have to include their legacy equipment wherever practical to give them a cost effective security solution.

What is better IP or analogue?

That actually does not matter . The move is slowly but surely moving to IP camera solutions because everything else out their is using IP and needs Internet connectivity to function in today’s market place.

Conclusion.

So we wont stop the march towards IP cameras and integrated CCTV systems very soon all security including access control and intruder alarms will cease to function using the old traditional ways. The future is here today!

10 reasons to use an integrated CCTV system

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1. By integrating old analogue cameras and new IP cameras together with a digital recording solutions, you can start to progress towards a full IP security solution but still maintain existing legacy equipment on your site.

2. You can access your cameras from local PCs on your LAN

3. You can access your cameras from a remote location via the Internet.

4. You can record digital images and benefit from all the flexibility that provides.

5. You can have cameras added to the system in places that have previously been impossible using traditional analogue CCTV.

6. You do not need to provide mains power at the camera position, as you can use power over Ethernet instead.

7. IP  cameras can be adjusted through the network , such things as focus and iris settings can be changed without having to get to the camera.

8. IP cameras  often prove cheaper to install because install times are cut because we are able to use the existing network.

9. IP CCTV is future proofed so when the existing analogue cameras that have been integrated together with your new IP cameras begin to fail, they can be replaced with the IP version.

10. As time goes on IP cameras will become cheaper than analogue making on going growth and maintenance more cost efficient.

What is an integrated security system?

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Integration

An integrated system is generally one that will link together two or more different types of security on your site. These will generally be:

  • CCTV
  • REMOTE MONITORING
  • ACCESS CONTROL
  • INTRUDER ALARM
  • GATES AND BARRIERS
  • INTERCOM ENTRY SYSTEMS
  • NUMBERPLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS ..ANPR
  • FIRE ALARMS
  • TIME AND ATTENDANCE
  • PAYROLL

Benefits

Obviously once integrated, all the above systems together can give your organisation huge benefits. The information at your finger tips can help with many issues ranging from increased security, cost savings through staff streamlining and health and safety.

Many large organisations have compatible systems in many different locations linked together on networks across the world.

The scale of these systems is highly flexible however and they are designed so no job is either too big or too small.