Tag: Emizon

External security perimeter protection IFSEC 2010.

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.

FAQ about Redcare

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.


Digicoms fail under BT 21st Century Network upgrade.

Industry release warning.

Central stations have released more information about Digicom failures that are now known not just to be BT 21CN related but also associated with other NGNs (next generation networks) that other communication companies are supplying.

Examples of problems or failures.

1) Broadband installations

2) Star services

3) Lease cost routing

4) Changes from one supplier of communications to another.

Line providers change T & C’s.

The problem is starting to be considered serious enough by some communication companies that they have decided to to actually change their terms and conditions  to absolve themselves of responsibility if digicom signals fail to get carried across their network.

Upgrade now.

Central stations are now speaking to all intruder alarm companies advising them to speak to their customers and get their systems upgraded to 21CN compatible communication products these are as follows.

1) Redcare secure range.

2) Emizon.

3) CSL DualCom.

4) WebWay

5) Chiron

6) Risco.

Most of the above products are well established and proven solutions to current problem. More importantly they mostly offer duel path signalling and this is obviously much more secure and acceptable to insurance companies.

Prices.

Although monitoring prices are generally slightly more expensive than the  original Digicom would have been. The situation has forced the cost of dual path signalling down significantly and this means great opportunities for new sales, something that should not go unnoticed by security companies.

IP CCTV. Who is to blame when it fails?

Who takes the wrap when the network goes down?

It seems a fairly simple question. A break -in has occurred, there is a very large loss and someone needs to pay up. Well of course it must be the installer who is to blame? Perhaps in the old days of analogue CCTV systems it generally was and often quite easy to prove that this was the case.

Integrated IP solutions means things are different now.

IP security solutions mean that by the very nature of the product there are lots of different technologies integrated into one holistic solution. We now have an installers cameras going onto to a customers network , linked to a router (sometimes wireless) connected to an unmonitored broadband connection. Then we send the data through countless different routes in the Internet cloud, to be finally viewed by a third party monitoring station. Lots to go awry i would suggest and no real way of finding out who is to blame when things go wrong.

Emizon IP monitoring.

The very first thing that installers should insist upon is that the broadband line is properly monitored and Emizon offers that solution. It gives the peace of mind to the installer and the customer that should the broadband line fail for any reason the key holders will be called . In addition it gives the installer the ability following an incident to check that the line was intact at the time.

Third party remote connection.

It is also crucial that the installer has the ability to remotely connect to the customers site at all times. Most DVR’s and VMS software gives a comprehensive log of how the customers network is responding and will also record if any cameras have failed and for what reason .

Logs at the central station.

Finally a central station should be used that offers both the customer and the installer complete transparency when it comes to viewing events stored at the monitoring centre. The best RVRC’s offer this service through a web browser and this can never be underestimated as a service when a dispute arises.

In summary.

With analytics becoming more popular in generating alarms and cameras becoming more powerful in the images they can provide, remote monitoring of  IP camera systems will be increasing. Failure however in picking up incidents will never go away but the best installers will ensure that with extensive testing during the commissioning process and service engineers who always fully test systems during routine maintenance will suffer far fewer incidents and far fewer cases of litigation against them.

Advice on choosing a CCTV installer

My advice to end users is choose your installer with care IT integrators may seem an attractive solution but there is no substitute for a professional CCTV installer.


Castle Care-Tec New Panel Release

Euro 46

Castle Care-Tech will be launching its new Euro 46 intruder alarm panel on April 1st 2010.

The panel

The new Euro 46 intruder panel seems to be targeting the mid- size intruder market and is suitable for either a grade 2 or 3 installation. Quite simply this panel has to be described as an entry level 8 zone panel and a base locked product. With the use of  Zems the zoning  can be increased to a maximum of 46 zones in total. It does boast simplicity, no MSX cards to add in and it is quite simply what you see is what you get.

No IP Integration

In a world that sees IP integration as the way forward, the Euro 46 does not seem to incorporate this feature. Communication is through the traditional Output method of a ribbon cable that enables it to be integrated to Redcare GSM , Dual-com Emizon  etc. You are also able to achieve downloading and remote servicing through a modem that can easily interface into the panel.

Benefits

Benefits include 6 areas rather than levels and this offers greater flexibility the Euro 46 also has the standard integrated access control built in. Interestingly Castle have decided to move away from ID with this panel and only offer EOL or double pole sensor termination. Various wiring  options mean upgrades are easy and together with the eol/dp sensor wiring perhaps this will bring some welcome stability to systems installed in harsh environments.

Setting

Card, tag or pin setting together with the ability to accommodate 6 keypads and 40 programmable outputs and up to 75 users add some excellent features and Castle claim that this is one of their easiest panels to programme however in fairness they have never been difficult .These features just adds to the suitability of the  the market they seem to be targeting with this panel.

Conclusion

In conclusion the Euro 46 promises to be a stable , flexible panel that should fit into most situations . It would appear that this panel could well help Castle to continue to capture new installers and end users into their fold, lets hope this is the reward for their efforts.