Standalone NVR is on the rise

Editor / Provider: Tevin Wang. a&s Asia | Updated: 4/21/2014 | Article type: Hot Topics

Many brands are offering standalone NVRs, preparing to send first timers to IP solutions. These bundled packages not only offer clear images, but also are affordable and hassle-free solutions.

Dahua Technology
Ice Wu, Storage Product Director
Despite analog systems still take a large portion in Southeast Asia's security market, the IP migration pace is fast and furious with 2- 300% growth per year. Currently the analog-IP ratio is 7:3. Singapore and Korea have comparably better economies, IT infrastructure, plus their prevailing of 3G/4G networks; for them, the ratio is nearly 50/50.

Dahua's standalone NVRs are going great in various market segment ranging from top to entry-level. For instance, due to increased security awareness and city surveillance projects, highly reliable series like NVR6000DR, NVR724-256DR are wining projects after another for their supporting channels, large storage space, scalability, and intelligent video analytics.

Our project-based NVRs such as NVR7064-RH, are designed for banking, airport, train stations, and power stations for their HD video storage. Fisheye cameras are also a booster for NVR selling as DVRs do not support these 360-degree cameras. In this case, retails & malls are showing great potentials. Home surveillance market are also promising as bundled NVR package are easy to install even for an everyday family lacking IT knowledge. Compared with analog systems, network cameras offer clearer videos and remote monitoring capability.

It is clear that the whole security industry is migrating to HD. The path to HD varies though: one is via analog signals; another via digital ones. For analog upgrades, Dahua's HD-CVI solutions have advantages in costs, easy to install, plus no need to rewiring. A simple replacement with HD-CVI cameras can achieve HD.

IP solutions are more suitable for new projects, and customers have continuous demands for scalability. These segments tend to have IP-friendly environment, which saves a lot in wiring. PoE and WiFi NVRs, on the other hand, are more favorable to families for its plug & play setups.

Dahua's advantages include:
Total solution provider: Our complete product lines ranging from cameras, NVRs, VMS, and apps for smartphone viewing.
* One-stop solution offering high-, mid-, and entry-level solutions
* Future-proof and third-party supportive
* World-famous branding with reliable quality and fast service
* Exclusive codes offer clear Images

EverFocus Electronics
Benjamin Lee, Regional Sales Manager
Singapore has been well-positioned to achieve significant IP growth in Southeast Asia for its economics and IT infrastructure, followed by Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Singapore's mid- to high-end segments have steady requirements. Its IP-friendly infrastructure and strong demands for network cameras attribute to continuous requirements for NVRs. Transportation projects, commercial buildings, and hotels are major verticals adopt NVRs.

Our NVRs are largely deployed in commercial buildings in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Vietnamese government projects prefer NVR solutions as well. Our mobile NVRs in Thailand are largely adopted as well. Compared with other Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia has been slow to pick up IP migration and NVR pace. Major verticals in Indonesia deploying NVRs are retails. Myanmar is showing great potentials in manufacturing and retail segments. Our targeted verticals in Southeast Asia are retails, commercial buildings, and SMBs, which usually are small projects and require fewer cameras.

Despite small systems, they usually request IP networking for remote monitoring and management. Standalone NVRs not only make IP solutions easier for smaller installers and operators, but also economical in costs. Standalone NVRs are often designed for 32 channels and under and require no additional IT training, making them affordable and easy to use.

Our long-term analog system users are showing great interest in IP and EverFocus has always looked highly on these established customers. We have been putting a lot of efforts for customer relationship maintenance by offering solutions catering to their needs. As for new customers who already have IT knowledge, it is always much for easier to promoting them IP-based solutions than those without IT know-how. Seeing this issue, EverFocus just launched plug & play standalone NVRs (ENVR8304D, ENVR8304E) targeting analog users who crave for one-stop IP migration. We believe that features like plug & play, easy to set up, and intuitive GUI are best weapons to win market share.

We will continue satisfying customer needs by fast offering the most suitable solutions with high interoperability. We will work more closely with local SIs this year by offering more solution-based packages with easy setups and scalability.Software is another area that we will add extra R&D efforts. Prompt urbanization in Southeast Asian cities brings out more mass transit system projects. There are going to be huge demands for mobile NVRs. Our reliable and innovative solutions definitely provide added values to customers.

Hikvision digital technology
Eric Shen, Product Marketing Manager
The network infrastructure in these Southeast Asian countries is very different, so does the IT knowledge of local system integrators. As such, the developments of embedded NVR in these areas have big difference. For example, Singapore is with good network infrastructure, and the local SIs are also proficient about network projects, this in result accelerates the development of embedded NVR in this country. Whilst in other Southeast Asian countries, due to the unmatured network environment, the NVR adoption will be a little bit delayed.

Actually, there is no specific vertical for NVR application. With IP adoption becoming widely accepted by users, embedded NVRs will also get applied in various verticals, such as financial institutions, city surveillance, transportation and retails, etc.

Embedded NVR is mainly adopted in newly established projects. Since for already existing analog applications, usually users are reluctant to transit from traditional CCTV system to IP system since IP surveillance needs more IT knowledge and higher cost associated with installation and maintenance, as well as higher requirement for network system. However, with IP security continues to boom, the requirement for HD surveillance improving, the IP products price is also getting much favorable than before as more and more manufacturers join in the competition in this area. Accordingly, NVR connection to IP cameras becomes much simpler, this allows convenient plug & play installation. Eventually, embedded NVR will be the main stream especially in new projects.

We promote the simplicity the combined NVR+IPC solution brings. As well, to note that embedded NVR will take the place of PC-based NVR in terms of ease of use, system stability and decoding capability; of note, plug and play NVR would play a more practical role to make easy installation and configuration.

Hikvision is always dedicated to the innovation of embedded NVR. As of now, we have developed NVR product supporting up-to 256-ch IP camera inputs and 24 HDD, with total throughput of 960Mbps (640Mbps for input / 320Mbps for output), specially designed for large-scale and high-end applications. This is the first in the security industry to compete against conventional NVRs.As mentioned before, we also address on the ease-of-use of products — the freedom, and comfort without hassles of cablings, configurations and complicated settings.

Coupling NVR with IP cameras is another method for promotion. Recently, we've put Hikvision Smart IPC in connection with our Netra-platform NVR to deliver a total Smart Solution, with front end camera delivering images of Smart Detection (instruction detection, face detection, line-crossing and much more), and backend NVR doing Smart search according to different period of time or locations, providing you with total control over the system.

NVR products will have increasing market share in SMB application, since the price of embedded NVRs is getting lower compared with PC-based NVR(with VMS software); in high-end applications, embedded NVR will also play a key role since it can well meet the requirement of system stability, compatibility and expansibility.

PC-based NVR still has its own stage, especially in large-scale projects; thus, it places great potential for embedded NVR to participate in this area. Embedded NVRs have overcome their perceived shortcomings in terms of storage capacity and types of storage medium through use of devices including IP-SAN and eSATA, etc. Furthermore, embedded NVRs can support interfaces for other surveillance devices which can be conveniently integrated with alarm systems and access control systems as well as PTZ remote control systems. This is very practical in large-scale applications. The benefits an embedded NVR offers over PC-based NVR — reliability, stability, complex decoding, low power consumption, ease of use and more — will eventually allow custmers to maximize the value of what they already own.

AirLive IVS Face Detection surveillance system for casinos

Editor / Provider: Sponsored by AirLive | Updated: 4/17/2014 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Casino surveillance system requires the ability to respond rapidly to incidents at low levels of lighting, which is one of the most technical-demanding requirements for surveillance systems with diverse operational requirements.

Gaming video surveillance needs to focus on the activities at the gaming tables and slot machines in order to settle disputes, prevent and detect cheating and also to protect the casino and players from dishonest employees. Evidential-level image quality is crucial for bringing the criminal to court successfully.

Casino surveillance systems from AirLive's IVS Face Detection embedded in MD-3025-IVS and BU-3026-IVS (Intelligent Video Surveillance) provide accurate video analytics that can be used to detect faces of people in the monitored area. This function automatically detects and captures a person's face and store in the storage. AirLive's analytics surveillance systems are able to set up the system alerts, take a snap shoot or record a short video when a face is detected in the frame of the image.

Besides Face Detection, AirLive IVS IP Camera has other 5 built-in IVS analytics including 5 powerful intelligence functions – Face Recognition, Object Counting, Trip Zone, E-Fence, i–Motion — for various applications in public places such as airports, stadiums, border crossings, offices, shopping mall, and buildings.

TOP10 most popular security products for March 2014

Editor / Provider: Michelle Chu | Updated: 4/17/2014 | Article type: Hot Topics

asmag.com would like to introduce the TOP10 popular products for March 2014 in this report.

Have a quick look here: Besides two products from Hikvision and Dahua respectively, the other most-clicked products in March were coming from Axis, AirLive, Antaira, Biwave, Honeywell, and VIVOTEK.

As most of the products make their debut in the TOP10 in March, interestingly, two seats were taken by Hikvision's IP cameras, DS-2CD2412F-I (W) and DS-2CD2432F-I (W) as previous winners in the last three months and one by Biwave VDL4000 10M/100M Ethernet Transmission as a winner of the TOP10 in December 2013 and January 2014.

According to this ranking list, IR cameras, 3-megapixels resolution, and multifunctional management system that could assist end users to operate more efficiently are still leading the trend.

1. Hikvision DS-2CD2412F-I (W) 1.3MP IR Cube Network Camera

The first place of the TOP10 for March goes to Hikvision DS-2CD2412F-I (W) 1.3MP IR Cube Network Camera, with a leading 600-click from all around the world. This has been the third month in a row since this camera was first honored in December 2013. Worth noting here is that since its first appearance in the TOP10 for December, this IR cube camera has experience soaring click-through rate from the viewers worldwide. DS-2CD2412F-I (W) comes with passive infrared sensor (PIS) and is capable of detecting objects within a range of 10-meter; meanwhile, this IR Cube camera is able to sustain a weather of -30 °C ~ 60 °C (-22 °F ~ 140 °F).

2. AirLive BU-3025v2 3-MegaPixel Outdoor 25 meter IR IPCAM

Right after, as a new comer in March, AirLive BU-3025v2 : 3-MegaPixel Outdoor 25 meter IR IPCAM wins the 2nd place with 422 clicks, receiving the highest click-through rate from Asia in this rank. BU-3025v2 provides high image quality of 2048*1536p at 20fps; otherwise, the end users can choose to keep a real-time recording at 1080p. This 3MP IR camera is equipped with auto-changeable IR filter and wide-range infrared LEDs coverage for a distance up to 25m.

3. Antaira LNP-0802-24 8-Port Industrial PoE+ UnManaged Ethernet Switch

As another new comer on list of TOP10 for March, Antaira LNP-0802-24 8-Port Industrial PoE+ UnManaged Ethernet Switch takes the 3rd place with 362 clicks from all around the world. This switch is specifically designed with Network Storm Protection and built-in relay warning function that will send out an alert to operators when power failure or port breaks occur. This American company was formerly known as Aaxeon Technology, and renamed as Antaira Technology earlier in 2013.

4. Honeywell HUS-NVR-7200A-E 256-Channel NVR

Closely right behind as No.4 is Honeywell HUS-NVR-7200A-E 256-Channel NVR, embedded with standalone server with 16 hard disk bays (up to4TB storage), capable of continuous 24/7 video recording, and supporting 256 channels of real-time recording. Furthermore, this recorder allows end users to search by date, time, alarm event, and channel number. This multifunctional NVR is ideal for applying in verticals such as banks, governments, transportation, city surveillance, and commercial industries.

5. Axis SketchUp 3D CAD software

The 5th place goes to Axis SketchUp 3D CAD software with 337 clicks. As another new face in this list, this management platform got both American and Asian viewers' high attention. As applying Axis cameras, the software, SketchUp, is well-integrated with Google maps providing users a clear view over any outdoor surveillance areas. This software enables end users to easily adjust the field of view through PTZ cameras in order to set up the best surveillance coverage and fits into the building layout.

6. VIVOTEK FD8355EHV 1.3MP WDR Dome Network Camera

With 332 clicks coming evenly from all around the areas, VIVOTEK FD8355EHV takes the 6th place in the TOP10 for March, featuring its improved wide dynamic range technology, WDR Pro II, provides end users with better visibility in extremely dark and light environments with 4 shutter capture methods. Furthermore, with 3D noise reduction technology, this dome camera can capture clear and polished picture even under poor light source, allowing users to easily identify details in the video.

7. Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-I (W) 3MP IR Cube Network Camera
Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-I (W) had to settle for a tie with DAHUA-IPC- HFW5300C/5302C in the TOP10 for March, as they equally gained a total of 280-click, both ranked as No.7.

Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-I (W) is definitely not a stranger to the TOP10 ranking. Since it first appeared last year, this IR Cube network camera has been one of the hot products on the TOP10 throughout the past three months keeping a steady click-through rate. As a total of 280, it got the most clicks from European countries – 60% of the viewers are from Europe.

7. DAHUA-IPC-HFW5300C/5302C

DAHUA-IPC-HFW5300C/5302C as a new comer on TOP10, featuring its multiple network monitoring, including web viewer, content management system (CMS), and DMSS. This IR-Bullet camera can keep 20fps at a recording quality of 3megapixel; and 30fps at 1080P. Interestingly, European take up the majority of the viewers as well.

9. DAHUA IPC-HFW5200C HD Network Water-proof Bullet Camera

The 9th of the TOP10 for March is DAHUA IPC-HFW5200C HD Network Water-proof Bullet Camera, and it is the second product from Dahua that makes into this ranking in the TOP 10 for March. This water-proof bullet camera, highlighted its Eco-Savvy feature, drew 264 clicks – around 75% came from Asian and American areas.

10. Biwave VDL4000 10M/100M Ethernet Transmission for IP Network Camera Connection

Coming to the 10th place is a previous winner in the TOP10 rankings in December 2013 and January 2014 – Biwave VDL4000 10M/100M Ethernet Transmission, which is designed for long distance IP camera transmission. After its absence from the TOP10 in February 2014, this Ethernet transmission took back the seat in March gaining 251 clicks, taking up mostly by European and American viewers by 42% and 32%.

 * Please note that the above statistics are not based on the sum of clicks but the accumulation of IP addresses.

For last month's TOP10 products, click here.

Survey exposes surveillance myths created by CSI crime dramas

Editor / Provider: Axis | Updated: 4/15/2014 | Article type: Security 50

Canadians are hooked on crime dramas, and some shows are so convincing that our perception of what forensic technology can do has been skewed – especially when it comes to video surveillance.

"There have been impressive strides in facial recognition analytics, but it is not as prevalent as TV producers would have you believe. The technology works best in controlled conditions”

According to a survey by Leger for Axis Communications, the global brand in network video surveillance, 68% of Canadians said they watch crime dramas like CSI, Criminal Minds, Castle and Law and Order. Of those surveyed, most believe image enhancement techniques and intelligent software are readily available to help law enforcement easily identify suspects. Yet nearly 75% of surveillance cameras sold worldwide today remain analog (IHS Research), which is why security video often shown on the evening news is grainy and of poor quality, making identification difficult.

Key findings of the survey include:
* 71% of Canadians think recorded surveillance footage can be enhanced in a lab using software.
* Most Canadians have very little idea how long surveillance video is generally stored, with 27% admitting they have no   idea and 26% believing video is stored indefinitely.
* Three-quarters of Canadians believe facial recognition software can easily pick individual faces out of a crowd for identification, with crime drama fans even more likely to believe this.

“When TV crime technicians produce an accurate photo of a suspect from the reflection off someone's sunglasses, it makes for good entertainment but it's not realistic,” said Bob Moore, country manager, Canada, Axis Communications. “IP camera innovations have improved image quality and image usability exponentially, but if police are dealing with low-resolution video common in the real world today, there is nothing that can be done to enhance the image.”

The surveillance industry is currently undergoing a shift from analog CCTV to IP video, with IP cameras expected to begin out-shipping their analog predecessors in 2017. This is because IP video offers much improved functionality closer to the technology shown on TV, including HDTV-quality video, ease-of-use, speed of forensic search, intelligent analytics and low-light recording in color.

Myth: Surveillance video quality can be enhanced in a lab using software.
Reality: “What you see is what you get,” said Moore. “If you don't start out with high resolution video, enlarging it will result in a bigger, blurrier, more pixelated image. Video clarity cannot be fixed after the fact. As a rule of thumb, an image must supply 80 pixels from ear to ear to ID a face.”

Myth: Surveillance video is stored indefinitely.
Reality: “In Canada, there are no legal guidelines regarding how long surveillance video is stored, but as a general rule 31 days is the average most video is stored before being overwritten. After all, it is data,” said Moore. “In practical terms, it's really an issue of storage and how much an organization has available to keep. Video that is pulled to be used as evidence in a case, however, could be kept indefinitely.”

Myth: Facial recognition software can pick someone out of a crowd.
Reality: “There have been impressive strides in facial recognition analytics, but it is not as prevalent as TV producers would have you believe. The technology works best in controlled conditions,” said Moore. “Some buildings employ facial recognition software to automatically open doors for authorized people, but the person must look directly into the camera and, most importantly, their faces must be stored on a database for comparison. This is much different than picking a random face out of a moving crowd.”

Myth: Most surveillance is monitored in real time.
Reality: “The opposite is actually true,” said Moore. “99% of security video is deleted without ever being seen. Of the video that is seen, only one percent of that is viewed live. Most security video is not monitored live by a person because of the expense involved. Thankfully innovations in IP video are moving video surveillance from a forensics-only tool to a proactive one.” “Today's IP cameras offer more flexibility and advantages than older analog models and hopefully provide real Canadian crime fighters with the images they need to do their jobs,” said Moore. “While it was good to see that 47% of Canadians do not believe crime dramas provide an accurate depiction of how security equipment is used, one-third still believe these myths to be true. With IP video, we're vastly ahead of the quality and ability of outdated analog CCTV, but haven't yet caught up to Hollywood.”

Axis network cameras stand guard over remote power plants

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 3/18/2014 | Article type: Infrastructure

Mission
GDF Suez is the world's largest independent electricity producer, generating more non-nuclear electricity than any other provider. GDF Suez Canada operates two large 10-megawatt solar facilities and 13 wind-turbine sites, each producing 10 to 99 megawatts of power. These sites are all in remote locations, so managing and securing them would be expensive and labor intensive were it not for modern networked security cameras.

Solution
GDF Suez Canada partnered with systems integrator Freedom Lock and Security to install and manage AXIS P3364-LVE Fixed Dome Network Cameras and AXIS P5534-E and Q6034-E PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) Dome Network Cameras at its wind and solar sites. The cameras record still images of the equipment for maintenance and management, and the PTZ units are set to “patrol” specified areas. In-camera analytics detect motion and trigger alerts, and the system is connected over fibre to central GDF

Suez facilities, where the data is stored on two terabyte video servers running Luxriot VMS. GDF Suez staff can view the feeds on computers, tablets or smartphones.

Result
The cameras have produced significant reductions in both vandalism and theft. Power plants use a great deal of copper wiring, and this makes them high-value targets for thieves. The cost of shutting down to replace lost wiring climbs quickly. GDF Suez found that preventing even one theft more than pays the hardware and operation costs of networked surveillance cameras.

Security challenges
The solar and wind power-generation facilities operated by global power company GDF Suez are vast installations set in remote areas of Ontario. The seven wind power sites are located on working farm land and each has six turbines scattered across unfenced land. GDF's two 80-acre solar sites are fenced but, with approximately 42,000 solar panels at each site, they are still vulnerable to determined vandals.

Value of deterrence
Vandals are drawn to power facilities, according to Augusto Di Maria, Director of Project Management at GDF Suez Canada. “At one site, on an annual basis, we would get a pickup truck driven down one of the roads and lit on fire. We always had to go in and clean up the mess. You also get people with golf clubs and a bunch of balls who come out to see what damage they can do to solar panels. The panels are surprisingly strong, but if you hit them just right you can do damage.”

To secure its sites, GDF partnered with Freedom Lock and Security to install a total of 40 Axis network cameras at its wind and solar plants. The all-IP cameras are a mix of AXIS P3364-LVE Fixed Dome Network Cameras, and AXIS P5534-E and AXIS Q-6034-E PTZ Dome Network Cameras.

“Since we've had the cameras, the vandalism issue is gone. The cameras are a deterrent, because when you are out to cause mischief, you look around to see if there are security measures. If you see cameras, you leave.” While the presence of Axis cameras alone has kept vandals at bay, the intelligent network video has allowed GDF to take security to the next level

Image usability matters
When an incident does occur, image quality is paramount, as Di Maria learned at a previous job. “We had people steal a lot of copper and copper connectors, and the video system captured them doing it. But the quality was horrible: we couldn't read a license plate or see a face, or even tell what color the car was. If we had better cameras, we could have figured out who did it.”

Di Maria wanted a better system at GDF Suez, and Gord van der Grinten of Freedom Lock and Security recommended Axis. “As an integrator, Axis is a win-win. If you put in second-rate equipment it will inevitably fail, and that is bad for the client and bad for my business.” The cameras use existing fibre connections at the power plants to link to video servers at GDF Suez' offices. The cameras are all made by Axis, and the VMS is from Luxriot.

The PTZ cameras pan through a preset surveillance area. If onboard analytics detect motion, the cameras lock in on that area. “The cameras record 24/7 at a lower resolution, transmitting the images to the GDF servers, but anytime they sense motion, they immediately begin recording in high-definition and trigger an alert to GDF Suez,” van der Grinten said. “The analytics have proven to be very effective in this environment.” In many areas, ambient light is strong enough to provide adequate illumination even at night, but when that is not the case, the sites employ the cameras' Lightfinder technology.

The cameras also take regular snapshots of the far-flung equipment to monitor issues such as snow loads on solar panels. These images are used daily by maintenance staff. “We have them rotating at intervals to take snapshots of solar panels and email those to maintenance personnel. We are looking for factors such as snow loads, and we chose the cameras based on their ability to take still photos and send them off,” van der Grinten said. Di Maria added that “part of our role is to ensure we know when the panels are covered in snow, and that is much easier to do if they can refer to these photos.”

Worthwhile investment
The return on investment has been immediate. “Copper theft is a huge problem, and not so much because of the actual value of the copper but because of the delays caused by theft,” Di Maria said. “We have to isolate a station—turn everything off, and lose that revenue—and then send someone in to replace the copper, fix the fence, etc. It's costly and it's a huge nuisance. If I can prevent one theft of copper, then I've paid for the cameras 10 times over — easily.”

Milestone appoints new Director of Corporate Marketing and Director of Sales Distribution

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 3/14/2014 | Article type: Security 50

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS), has hired Inger Holm Vinther as Director of Corporate Marketing and Kitty Van Der Sluis as Director of Sales Distribution in EMEA.

Christian Bohn, VP Alliances and Corporate Marketing, says: “Inger's experience from marketing positions at large Danish technology corporations with worldwide presence makes her a perfect fit for Milestone. Most recently she was head of Corporate Marketing at the global IT concern 3Shape, a 3D software and scanner company. In this position, Inger was supporting their rapid growth in 100 countries by building up a successful marketing department,” states Christian Bohn, Milestone Systems.

Prior to 3Shape, Inger held Marketing Manager positions in GnNetcom, Excitor and the ad agency Kunde & Co.

“With the continuing trend for open platform IP video technology uptake, there will be many exciting product launches from Milestone to handle the demand. It is my job to make sure that Corporate Marketing is geared to support this development. With responsibility for the Milestone brand and product brands, one of our most important tasks is to be even better at presenting them in new and interesting ways,” states Inger Holm Vinther, Director of Corporate Marketing, Milestone Systems. “I am also intrigued by the atmosphere and culture at Milestone. I like the entrepreneurial atmosphere, and I feel that technology is far more interesting and challenging to sell than shampoo or shoes - it requires experience and skill to communicate about the products in a way that makes it easy for everyone to understand.”

Milestone focus on relationships with distribution partners
Milestone Systems has been evolving its partner initiatives over the years, including more resources being allocated to enhance collaborations with distributors. To help lead these activities in Europe, the Mideast and Africa, Kitty Van Der Sluis is the new Director of Sales Distribution in EMEA.

“With a clearly tiered business model, Milestone sells all of our software through distribution partners - which makes them a very strategic relationship chain to foster. We aim to listen, support and grow together for mutual success. I am looking forward to continue strengthening the relationships with our partners, making use of my previous experience from the IT and security business. I am familiar with many of the challenges our distribution partners face in driving growth, and Milestone has the right components to address these,” says Kitty Van Der Sluis, Director of Sales Distribution, Milestone Systems.

Thomas Lausten, VP of Sales in EMEA, also highlights the importance of collaboration with both security and IT distributors: “Milestone actively interacts with our distributors, who play a key role in our go-to-market strategy. Kitty has gained valuable experience in supporting and improving sales and distribution channels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in her previous positions at the international corporations Anixter and Tyco. Moreover, Kitty has comprehensive knowledge about the IP video surveillance business from an earlier position at Genetec.”

ASSA ABLOYGroup Brands launch new FRP door opening solution

Editor / Provider: ASSA ABLOY | Updated: 3/13/2014 | Article type: Security 50

ASSA ABLOY Group Brands Ceco Door, CURRIES, and Fleming announces the addition of Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester (FRP) doors along with exterior aluminum frames to their comprehensive line of door opening solutions.

This new door and frame system is ideal for exterior openings in high abuse areas such as school buildings. A durable exterior embossed finish with aluminum alloy perimeter extrusions and foamed energy efficient core equate to a lightweight door that provides extended life to the opening. The exterior three- sided frame is manufactured with hardened aluminum alloy, also adding to the robust structure of the FRP opening. The FRP door and frame system offers numerous color options for its outer pebble embossed face, as well as complementary color options for the exterior frame.

As with any built environment, thermal performance is of utmost importance, and the FRP door system attributes to these building necessities. The water- based thermal foam in place core bonds the door components together, creating an opening with superior thermal insulation and enhanced structural integrity.

The FRP door and frame system from Ceco Door, CURRIES, and Fleming is an appealing solution for the facilities professional seeking a durable, low maintenance, and sustainable exterior opening.

Morpho IAD: The power behind the iris

Editor / Provider: Morpho(Safran) | Updated: 3/12/2014 | Article type: Security 50

Although less well known, Iris recognition is a biometric technique as effective as fingerprints. The launch of the IAD (Iris At a Distance) solution, which can identify a person at a range of more than one meter in less than a second, gives Morpho a great start in this market.

A fully developed biometric
Morpho has been working on iris recognition for a number of years, and has contributed to creating the 2 iris databases: those used by the Abu Dhabi Police and the Aadhaar project in India. The 2 most recent NIST evaluations awarded number one ranking to the Morpho iris identification algorithm. This expertise has encouraged Morpho to develop its IAD solution. The product was launched in October 2013 at the Gitex tradeshow in Dubai.

Technological prowess
Previously, 2 types of sensor shared the market. ‘Twin' or proximity sensors that must be within 60 cm of the person scanned, and cameras that operate at a minimum distance of 2 meters. Morpho's IAD scans both irises and the face at a distance of between 0.8 and 1.2 meters in barely 1 second, compared with the 4-7 seconds required by the most powerful solutions prior to its launch. The IAD system has dedicated cameras for facial image acquisition. The aim of this arrangement is to record a real-time image of a person and his/her position in space. These data allow the iris image acquisition system to calculate the ideal moment to capture the image, enabling the entire operation to be completed within a second. As an upscale scanning system, IAD is intended primarily for very high traffic areas. It is very simple and convenient to use, because the only thing the user needs to do is to look at the sensor screen for a second. The addition of facial recognition, for which very large databases already exist, is an additional benefit.

Excellent sales prospects
Designed primarily for the border control market, IAD could easily be integrated into an e-gate or installed in a security checkpoint desk. The system could also be deployed in airports to limit access to particular zones by passenger profile (final destination or transfer). Lastly, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals are interested in this solution to simplify access control procedures for staff working in gloves and masks.

“IAD is designed to detect two types of fraud: the use of a contact lens to copy the iris pattern of another person, and the use of a product to dilate the pupil of the iris, making identification impossible.” Laurent Lambert, product manager, Morpho.

“Many of the Gulf States already have an iris biometrics database, which is the essential precondition for using the IAD solution to maximum advantage. This exceptionally precise technology is highly thought of here.” Georges Moukarzel, Business Development Director middle east at Morpho

Tips for surveillance storage selection by WD

Editor / Provider: Western Digital(WD) | Updated: 3/12/2014 | Article type: Tech Corner

In the recent past security and surveillance were topics that were mainly discussed by those in the industry, and by decision makers in large- and medium-sized businesses. Flash forward to present day and the audience has increased dramatically - these very same topics are fast attracting the attention of end consumers and small business owners, as concerns about addressing security come to a boil.

Owing to the growing appetite for surveillance systems in homes and small businesses, surveillance vendors have unleashed a plethora of DIY (Do It Yourselves) surveillance systems. These kits can be had with or without storage and beyond the physical installation in the premises, they are virtually plug and play. Before an end consumer or small business owner makes the investment in a surveillance system however, he/she should do his/her due diligence in terms of research, so he/she can make an informed purchase.

One major component of every surveillance system is, of course, the cameras. Buyers should opt for kits that offer nothing less than a High Definition (HD) camera that can capture images at a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels or even a Full High Definition (FHD) camera that can capture images at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. High resolution image capture is important as it becomes easier to spot what users are looking for when reviewing the surveillance footage – the last thing users want is for a perpetrator's face (as an example) to be a mess of indistinguishable pixels. And, whether HD or FHD, the cameras should also be able to capture images at a rate of no less than 30 frames per second (FPS). This, again, will help when it comes to reviewing crucial footage.

An equally key component of surveillance systems is the storage being used – in fact this component is what can really make or break the effectiveness of the entire system. If a system is being purchased without storage, the buyer should avoid the temptation to go out and purchase the cheapest hard drive he can find. In most cases this will be some sort of desktop drive that is not designed for 24/7 use, won't be able to capture HD or FHD video from multiple cameras without dropping frames and isn't designed to consume less power and thus generate less heat. This last point is a major concern in terms of reliability, as excessive heat can drastically reduce the life of a hard drive and can also adversely affect read and write operations when the drive is being used in the surveillance system.

A buyer should, ideally, look for hard drives that offer surveillance-relevant optimizations such as AllFrame technology, which not only improves playback performance but works with ATA streaming to reduce errors and frame loss. The drives should also be designed for 24/7 usage and offer features such as IntelliPower, which enables a drive to consume less power and thus generate less heat. This is ideal when a drive is going to be installed in a passively cooled storage enclosure, whether on its own or in-conjunction with several other hard drives.

Considering the high importance of storage in surveillance systems, vendors such as WD have introduced dedicated table-top surveillance drives that boast the aforementioned technology optimizations. The recently introduced WD Purpledrive family has been compatibility tested with hundreds of surveillance systems and offer up to 4TB of capacity on a single drive. Purple drives are uniquely designed for mainstream surveillance systems and offer the perfect blend of performance, reliability and cost - the drives are recommended for use in systems with between 1-to-8 drive bays and where between 1 to as many as 32 HD cameras are used.

Besides selecting the right type of drive, one also has to consider the amount of storage that is needed. Just how much storage is needed varies depending on the specifications of the cameras and then length of time users intend to keep your video surveillance data. The amount of time businesses maintain surveillance data varies drastically but the norm is gradually shifting from as little as 7 days to 30 days. (Certain organizations are legally required to retain data for even longer periods of time.) A general rule of thumb is the longer you are able to retain data, the better it is.

Top 10 most popular security products for February 2014

Editor / Provider: asmag Editorial Department | Updated: 3/11/2014 | Article type: Hot Topics

asmag presents the top 10 most popular products for February 2014, with Hikvision dominated the chart with 3 times appearance, leaving readers a strong impression. Moreover, a big shake up also hit the chart – with 8 product newcomers entering, including suppliers such as VIVOTEK, Superior Electronics, Honeywell, LILIN, Tyco, Hikvision and Panasonic.

Interestingly, a string of 4 different dome cameras took over the chart by storm – showing a booming demand for dome cameras from the security industry. Other products, namely: bean sensor, control panel, lens and smart door lock all surfaced on this popularity chart.

Following are the individual introductions and analysis of the top 10 products:

Once again, Hikvision DS-2CD2412F-I (W) 1.3MP IR Cube Network Camera topped the chart with dominating 533 clicks – its second time in a row be named “the most popular product of the month”, indicating a growing curve of support from the home-oriented market. DS-2CD2412F-I (W) is embedded with a passive infrared motion detection senor, allowing the camera to detect individuals when they are within 8-meter range of unit and also automatically triggers an alarm response.

Moreover, this product is also equipped with a built-in microphone/speaker, designed to safeguard homes, offices, stores and other small and medium-sized enterprises.

Market newcomer VIVOTEK FD8371EV outdoor 3MP dome graced the runner up position with solid 356 views. Featuring 30 fps at 3-megapixel, FD8371EV is a professional day/night camera embedded with Smart IR technology to avoid overexposure from IR LEDs. Smart IR technology allows cameras to adjust the IR lighting intensity instantaneously based on the distance of the object from cameras.

Another newcomer ENFORCER 50ft Reflective Photoelectric Beam Sensor also left a memorable impression with its 347 clicks; therefore, ranked as third place on the chart. Made especially for the Smart-home and small business markets, this standalone system includes a sensor, reflector, adapter as well as chime unit, and has received some positive feedback from the internet realm, mainly for its easy-setup and easy-to-use features.

American supplier Honeywell's VISTA-250BP Control Panel secured number 4th, , it generated 296 views in February. This product is an 8 partition, 250 zone UL commercial burglary control panel, designed to meet various requirements of today's commercial installations while simplifying end-user operation.

Additionally, this product is embedded with a cutting edge feature: Panel Linking, it allows multiple partitions, panels – even buildings – to be armed, disarmed and have status checked all from one location.

Another new face entered the chart with 289 clicks –LD2122E4/E6 1080P HD Mini Dome IP Camera from LILIN. This mini dome has been featured in asmag.com ‘HD Mini Dome' special feature and is equipped with Full HD 2 megapixel CMOS image sensor, 3D noise reduction and 2D WDR function.

The fact that Tyco American Dynamics 5MP Illustra Fisheye Camera graced 6th in this popularity chart with 240 views indicates a latent demand for panoramic cameras in the market. This product provides 180-degree and 360-degree panoramic views of wide areas as well as single or multiple fixed views – suitable for forensic investigations. In order to introduce more panoramic cameras, asmag.com will be presenting our readers with a panoramic camera special feature in March.

Placed at number 7 is the duplicated version of the chart topper from Hikvision; Hikvision DS-2CD2432F-I (W) 3MP IR Cube Network Camera is not unfamiliar to this popularity chart; it has been named number 4 last month and with solid support coming from Europe and a total 217 clicks, this is its third time in a row to appear on the chart.

Yet another fresh new face, Panasonic WV-SFV631L vandal-resistant 1080P dome came in 8th with 208 views. Introduced at the ASIS conference in last September as one of the first additions to Panasonic's new high-performance 6 Series i-PRO cameras, this camera has gained strong momentum and popularity from America and Asia.

Chinese supplier Hikvision's HV3816D-8MPIR MEGAPIXEL VARI-FOCAL LENS plays a major component of delivering high-resolution images in ultra-low conditions and therefore has been ranked 9th. With focal range from 3.8 to 16mm, this lens allows camera models to operate at given focal distances to best suit a particular field of view. This item has been clicked by 200 viewers with roughly half of the views coming from America.

With its minimalistic and simplistic design aesthetic, Samsung SHS-P718 Push Pull Smart Door Lock is enjoying its third time appearance on the chart. This product is specially designed for the Smart Home users. Simply just push and pull, combined with User Access Code, RF Card Key Tag, Mechanical Override Key ,Finger Print and many other ways to unlock, these great features have produced 198 views around the world.

* Please note that the above statistics are not based on the sum of clicks but the accumulation of IP addresses.

For last month's Top 10 products, click here.