External security perimeter protection IFSEC 2010.

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External security solutions.

What solutions will we see at IFSEC this year with regard to external security protection? Integrated CCTV have lots of experience in both the advantages and the pitfalls of the different detection solutions. Below we list some of the options and when and where they should be used.

Perimeter protection.

External security  has been around now for many years now. Originally of course there was CCTV. At the time a fantastic deterrent. However as the criminal fraternity have become used to cameras and less fearful of the consequences of  CCTV evidence, the industry has had to concentrate on more effective ways of keeping criminals away from vulnerable sites.

Fixed beams or PIR sensors?

Both have their place, Pirs can of course be vulnerable to environmental problems such as flapping plastic , sunlight issues and wildlife. They can however be used in any position on the site and for blanket coverage are the best way to protect most external stock. Fixed beams are more reliable and stable but they rely on line of site between the transmitter and receiver and on many sites this just is not possible. Even where it is it tends to mean that the customer looses storage space and this rarely fits into line with his operational needs. Fixed beams are also overtly obvious and can be over-come on rare occasions because of this.

CCTV Analytics.

So are analytics the answer? This is a means where by using advanced video motion algorithms in conjunction with static CCTV cameras, security systems are able to generate an alarm condition . Human intrusion onto a premises can be detected with relative certainty. The drawbacks of this are generally related to lighting issues and of course the quality of the camera that has been installed. Most important is  the view we can get from that camera often we need lots of cameras if the premises is large or has lots of nooks and crannies, we then have the issue that too many cameras and the costs rise, too few and we leave vulnerable areas on the site. In addition if we have dynamic stock movements this means scenes can change and the  alarm point becomes irrelevant.

Flir thermal imaging cameras.

Thermal imaging cameras are definitely a brilliant way of confirming an intrusion. They can even detect heat behind walls or in sheds. they are the best way to be  100%  sure that there is human activity within a restricted area. The only real drawback is the cost but Flir the main player in the marketplace have some convincing arguments as why they should be used more and more for commercial security applications. Definitely worth looking into.

Deterrent.

Of course it is all very well detecting an intruder but what is the best way to encourage them to leave site and leave property untouched? Some use lighting or a verbal warning and activate local alarm sounders. This works very well at moving criminals on, no one wants to be caught, so drawing attention to an intrusion though noise is highly effective. Other methods include a central station response to a fixed beam activation , that is we send the signal through like we would on an intruder alarm alerting the central station that the perimeter has been breached.

Off site response.

CCTV monitoring by remote central stations is the main way that most businesses choose to protect their external stock. Once an on site alarm is generated this sent together with the CCTV image to the central station. The image is presented to an operator and if a person is seen a key-holder is called and mobilized to site , In addition the central station can tannoy the site and warn the intruder that they are being watched.

Monitored CCTV broadband connection.

In the past the CCTV images were always sent by PSTN or ISDN phone lines. Now with these being phased out under the BT21CN upgrades most companies now rely on broadband to transmit these images. This is where without serious thought remote monitoring can become unstuck. What if the broadband line goes down? Well Emizon21 IP have the solution to that problem .They are one of the few who can monitor broadband lines properly for failure and transmit an alert via a secondary signalling path to the central station to warn them of  any problems with the line.

IFSEC 2010

So external security has come a long way in the last 20 years and we look forward to what IFSEC 2010 has to offer us this year. We think IP cameras able to generate alarms with on board recording and switched relay contacts to activate sounders will be playing a part but can they replace traditional methods. We will have to wait and see.

ZX55-IP Perimeter security solution

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ZX55 Infrared Imager.

The Bosch ZX55 Infrared Imager is a camera specifically designed for perimeter protection. It is ideal where the end user has long fence-lines that would require perhaps 3 or 4 standard CCTV cameras to take in the same coverage and critical information.

Powerful camera lens.

The ZX55 is fitted as standard with a powerful 9-90 mm lens and uses Black Diamond infrared technology for illumination. Bosch claim that with the correct field of view, identification can be achieved at up to 100m however usable images can be achieved at up to 300m making this camera a very high performance unit.

Analytics

If you require alarm event notification there is the ZX55-IP it has all the features we have listed above but in addition has on board analytics . Together with the Black diamond illumination, night-time pictures are excellent. The IR technology  helps eliminate hot-spot foregrounds as well as underexposed backgrounds. Black diamond technology also is effective at reducing image noise, this means better compression increasing storage and reducing costs.

All weather construction.

The camera is designed to perform in all weathers as you would expect and has a rugged design to suit all needs.It has been designed to survive a 250km/h wind loading.

Conclusion

Although the camera is not cheap you would not expect this with all the technology and the specification. It wins on performance and reduces costs because this one IP camera solution can be deployed in place of 3-4 standard cameras fitted with IR technology and sensor detection . Visit  Bosch IFSEC IP cameras for more information on both the ZX55 and the ZX55-IP camera solution.

Mayflex.

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Mayflex

Within our industry we need reliable distributors. Mayflex is one of these companies that specialises in providing a broad range of IP security solutions for installers. Mayflex is dedicated to providing a broad range of IP cameras together with CCTV software, lighting and storage solutions.

Any budget.

Mayflex have produced a security product guide that gives in depth detail into all the products they can supply and the benefits of each of these integrated security solutions. They aim to cater for any budget.

Mayflex.com

The website is extensive. They have a competitive pricing structure together with a dedicated projects team to help with quotations and delivery. Orders will be taken on line up until 8pm.

Products.

Mayflex  sell products produced by many manufacturers including:

ACTi.

Bosch.

GE Security.

Milestone.

Mobotix.

Panasonic.

Raytec.

And many others.

The web site is well worth a visit to introduce yourself to all their product ranges. Most of the above manufacturers will be exhibiting at IFSEC 2010.

FAQ about Redcare

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Redcare Classic.

Redcare Classic was the first really secure form of monitoring introduced into the intruder alarm market. It worked by continuously monitoring the copper pair of wires that connected the alarm panel to the central monitoring station. A series of chirps could be heard on the line under certain conditions but in general it worked over the top of the speech so was inaudible to the phone users. Redcare claim it could not be defeated and to be fair we at Integrated CCTV have never heard of a situation where it has.

Redcare GSM.

Redcare GSM was the next generation of signalling product and  was developed in order to give police a confirmed alarm in order to comply with DD243 that came into effect earlier this decade. It allowed the secondary path to still tell the central station exactly what was happening even if the line was cut. This mean that you could have a com fail followed by a code 3 burglary signal and you could be certain a break in was occurring. The Police of course were very pleased with this solution and again we do not know of any circumstance where it has been defeated.

Competition.

In recent years Redcare has finally come under pressure from other products. It has enjoyed many years where it dominated the intruder alarm signalling market place but broadband has started to change all this. Being a BT product it has always needed a BT line to allow it to work but now Broadband means that some sites don’t even have a BT line on site.

Solution.

Redcare Secure is the latest product that BT have launched and this is aimed at sites that have installed broadband and are considering competitor products such as Emizon (integrated into the Castle Caretec Euro 1 as standard), DualCOM or Chiron. It is cheaper than previous Redcare products and promises to help Redcare recapture some ground lost over the last two or three years.

Conclusion.

Despite claims to the contrary Redcare is very much still a favorite of the Intruder alarm industry and the major insurance companies still make reference to Redcare being the primary product that should be installed in order to meet their requirements. Redcare have a major conference in Birmingham during IFSEC week to show off new products. It will be interesting though to see who comes out on top under the new challenging conditions created by the changes within the communication market place.


Paxton Access Control solutions

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Why use Paxton Access control?

Paxton are one of the leading suppliers of Access control solutions in Europe today. They have targeted small to medium sized business and have come up with some excellent products that suit the needs of their target audience.

What can access control do for your business?

The best way to manage access control solutions within a business is to control and perform the administration through a central PC. This means networking the readers in order to establish movement throughout the premises. The result is that information entered into the PC is sent to each door controller and uploaded to the readers .

What are the benefits of this?

Readers can be programmed to only accept individuals tokens at certain times in certain doors. It allows event reporting so that the administrator knows who has been where in the building and when? Other benefits include control of other buildings on site through a LAN connection or off site through a WAN or broadband connection.

CCTV integration.

CCTV can also be integrated along with other products such as biometric readers and fire alarm systems. Roll call and Muster points give added benefits to the end user.

Proactive.

Access control is a proactive security solution. It stops crime before it can happen by limiting access through a building and controlling movement. Sales are predicted to grow steadily over the next few years and biometrics especially will make the access control systems out there more secure and give plenty of opportunities to upgrade existing installations.  IFSEC will be exhibiting plenty of access control solutions this year but Paxton will be one to keep your eye out for.