Sen aug2014

August 2014 Issue 357

TelsTra hangs up on

l ADT installs CEM at Auckland Airportl Milestone: Search 1000x fasterl BENS’ Mod2 BlueHub IP comms modulel Sony doubles CMOS performancel New Solution 2000, 3000 from Boschl Mobotix MxActivity Sensor l Access control as a servicel Honeywell’s new V-Plex bus

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se&n 03

LATE last month, the Little Rock Police Department in Arkansas publically acknowledged

that its $US620,000 53-camera surveillance system is choked to a recording rate of just 10 frames per second because of insufficient bandwidth.

Next-door neighbour, the North Little Rock Police Department, is having the same trouble, with its networked solution recording networked cameras at around 15 frames per second. These numbers compare to the NTSC (U.S.) TV standard of 30 frames per second.

The LRPD told its local TV station KATV that the problem stemmed from the fact local network providers could not deliver the bandwidth necessary to support its WAN-based cameras. At the same time they’ve gone public with the problems they’re having, both the LRPD and NLRPD point out that their CCTV systems have reduced crime in both cities, as well as helping detectives solve multiple cases.

Integrators and security managers will not be surprised to hear that part of the reason for the failings of these 2 systems is cost. Spokespeople for each city hall say it’s too expensive to pay for the necessary bandwidth, pointing out they’re spending thousands on bandwidth as it is.

Feeble WANs leech AWAy the poWer oF hD

s e c u r i t y e l e c t r o n i c s & n e t w o r k s a u g u s t 2 0 1 4 i s s u e 3 5 7

editorial

What’s clear from my observations is that if you want a high quality CCTV solution you must

have everyone on board – most of all you need funding for the network side

06 se&n

We live in a competitive world. No sooner has cutting edge technology been developed than it’s shoe-horned into a matchbox of

white plastic, its price shorn to the bone. The chipset of today’s cutting edge video surveillance camera is the chipset of tomorrow’s retail or domestic cloud solution, leased to an end user at no visible cost, like some giveaway 4-zone alarm panel.

And when I say tomorrow, I mean it literally. Right now the humblest $200 fixed mini domes and compact cameras are rumbling around powered by the most powerful HD processing engines. Can it go on indefinitely? I think not. And in news this month, we’re seeing the advent of simple, unitised IP-based access control, designed to integrate with current IP video solutions without any of the usual fussing about.

This development points to commoditisation across all market segments. Alarms, access control, video surveillance, software management solutions, the lot.

Is the lower end the only part of the market that’s price conscious? No fear. It’s slash and burn at the top end, too. And talking about the issue recently I got to wondering whether the malaise that has long afflicted the alarms segment will infect major systems, as well. What is that sickness? It’s a systemic collapse of sales ability, with all the attendant ailments.

In the domestic and small commercial alarms market where techs spend 90 per cent of their time covered in spiderwebs and pigeon poo, you can understand a reluctance to prance about in board rooms up-selling fawning customers to enterprise solutions with no more than the whiff of Dunhill Apres Rasage and the flash of a Rolex.

But when it comes to bigger systems, an inability to sell based on features is harder to rationalise and much more dangerous for the industry as a whole, especially when time is added to the equation. The logical progression of a collapse in margin over time is the inability to invest in research and development that’s so vital to future sales.

The technical dormancy resulting from margin crash is most obvious when viewing ‘modern’ alarm systems whose last upgrade was undertaken in the 1970s, that wild decade when Fairchild Optoelectronics’ 5-cent LEDs blasted alarm panel keypads to technological heights previously only seen on Star Trek.

In my view, the sales culture that underpins margin seems to have given way to a different method of winning business that’s based on relationships that are too often a one-way street. Part of the problem is intense competition, but an inability to win jobs based on presentation of the benefits of system performance is a key factor.

The impact of poor sales skills, or no sales skills, flows through the industry, from bottom to top. Integrators and installers selling on price, exist on virtually no hardware margin, making their profit from the installation itself. Distributors sell the product ranges of more manufacturers, servicing each less. Manufacturers scrimp on component quality and start dressing up less as more. Firmware tweaks take the place of decent lenses. A mindset grows in which quantity, not quality is the primary motivator. To get volumes, manufacturers go direct, or start searching for new verticals, cannibalising their existing sales and isolating existing customers, who lose brand loyalty and purchase solely on price.

Making matters worse, in Australia just now there seems to be a selection process driven by project managers or electrical contractors who win tenders using lowball quotes and then carve margin from their contractor’s hip pockets.

But the key element driving commoditisation is lack of sales ability. A failure to teach staff that particular skill of the sales animal, built on an intense and justified belief in the capability of solutions, combined with an industry self respect that demands buyers apply true value to electronic security technology.

SALES MACHINE By John Adams

S E C U R I T Y E L E C T R O N I C S & N E T W O R K S N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3 I S S U E 3 4 9

EDITORIAL

Making matters worse, in

Australia just now there seems to be a selection

process driven by project managers

or electrical contractors who

win tenders using lowball quotes and then carve

margin from their contractor’s hip

pockets.

Detect, Identify and Alert Mass Notification and Wide Area Alert Systems Perimeter Detection and Surveillance Security System Integration and Management www.ictechnologies.com.au

Get the right message, to the right people, at the right time with Auriga - IP Based Mass Notification and Wide Area Alert

SE Editorial:Layout 1 28/10/13 9:30 AM Page 1

While these particular problems are being faced by public surveillance systems in the U.S. they mirror issues we see here in Australia – not just in WAN-based but in LAN-based solutions as well. The fact is, networks are an integral component of most new CCTV solutions and most networks are failing us.

Whether it’s too little money for adequate storage to meet the gold standard of 30 days retention, too little money for adequate network bandwidth; or non-existent bandwidth where it’s needed in the case of public surveillance solutions; the failure of networks undermines the argument for use of our best video surveillance cameras.

What’s clear from my observations is that if you want a high quality CCTV solution you must have everyone on board – most of all you need funding for the network side. The best example of a high quality CCTV system I’ve seen in recent years is Bankstown Sports Club, installed by ARA Security, but sanctioned and carried through thanks to the commitment of the club itself.

When it comes to WAN-based systems, especially public surveillance solutions, things are sometimes far worse. Running my mind across the public surveillance

systems we’ve covered over the last couple of years it’s very clear that unless councils get a shoulder up from friendly utilities prepared to offer dark fibre in existing trenches, the best comms solution in public is a wireless mesh.

The Hills Pacom Fluidmesh solution integrated by Smith & Co Security for Wellington Council in Western NSW springs to mind as an example of a large wireless mesh offering high quality at an exceptional price. Certainly in these public surveillance applications, there’s a duty to ensure adequate performance. It’s worth recalling that last year the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal as part of a privacy case found Shoalhaven Council had failed to ensure “CCTV information…collected (was) relevant to purpose…(was) accurate…and (was) complete.” Essentially, ADT argued the overall system was not doing its job properly.

Nowra’s was a legacy CCTV solution that had been installed for many years. In 2014, there’s no excuse to install an IP video surveillance solution that fails to fulfil core functions, especially if that failure is caused by a refusal to comprehend that any CCTV system is only as capable as its network’s narrowest point. zzz

By John Adams

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dialler-based alarm panels into a networked environment.

42: Sony doubleS CMoS perforManCeSony engineers have created curved CMOS sensors, which according to Kazuichiro Itonaga, device manager with Sony’s R&D Platform in Atsugi-shi, Japan, mean 50-100 per cent greater sensitivity in low light and simpler lenses.

44: new SolutionS froM boSChBosch Security Systems has released its new Solution 2000 and 3000 alarm panels which are designed to expand and handle evolving automation and comms modules in the future.

38: free to airNow Telstra has openly announced its intention to sunset the 2G/GPRS wireless network, Security Communication Solutions International’s MD, Dale Acott, argues end users should be getting free upgrades to 3G.

54: Mobotix getS aCtivatedMobotix’ MxActivity Sensor scored SEN’s Best Product CCTV at Security 2014 in Melbourne. Given the prevalence of analytics at the show this is not surprising but it wasn’t only MxActivity sensor functions that grabbed my attention.

62: are you being Served?Self-managed access control as a service could change the way access control systems are handled, to the significant benefit of end users, thanks to Kantech’s managed access control solution.

aug 14

72

44

18: airSide StoryADT Security is installing a CEM Systems’ Linux-based AC2000 AE IP-based access control solution managed by AC2000 management software in a virtual environment at Auckland Airport in New Zealand. The system comprises 1000 doors and more than 14,000 cardholders.

30: Melbourne ShuffleComputer scientists at Brown University have developed an algorithm to sweep away digital footprints in the cloud. It’s a complicated series of dance-like moves they call the Melbourne Shuffle.

32: SearCh 1000x faSterMilestone Systems is in a 3-year project with the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation that has helped it develop a new metadata framework that improves the speed of searching and analysis with Milestone XProtect 2014 by up to 1000 times.

34: benS bluehub ipBENS BlueHub from Mod2 is a plug and play communications module that carries most

18

+ regulars12: newsLatest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world.

48: monitoringTelstra will close down its 2G network before the end of 2016 – that’s around 500 business days - and will reconfigure its 900MHz 2G spectrum for 4G technology once the network’s existing customers are migrated onto 3G and 4G.

76: editor’s choiceWhat’s new from our manufacturers.

80: helpdeskOur team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

70

66: Buena VistaHoneywell’s new V-Plex bus is a 2-wire cable designed to support Vista alarm panels that scoops up zone inputs and distributes zone outputs across any site where it’s installed.

70: exterior design

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is built around 9 principles. These principles can be used by security managers to better control and protect their own and adjoining sites. Understanding the nature of space will also help system designers recognize and defend vulnerable locations.

72: hard tackInstallers, integrators and end users should have a sense of hard drive projected mean time to failure and be able to broadly assess failure-free operating periods.


PP 100001158

TELSTRA HANGS UP ON


2G

Publisher Bridge Publishing Aust. Pty LtdABN 11 083 704 858PO Box 237 DarlinghurstNSW 1300tel 61 2 9280 4425fax 61 2 9280 4428email info@bridge publishing.com.au

Editor John Adams

Advertising Manager Monique Keatinge

Customer Service Annette Mathews tel 61 2 9280 4425 annette@bridge publishing.com.au

Design Tania Simanowsky e: taniasdesign@ optusnet.com.au

Subscriptions11 issues per annumOne year (11 issues)

Australia12 months $A104.50 (incl GST)24 months $A188.00 (incl GST)

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WEBSITEwww.securityelectronics andnetworks.com.auNo part of this publication may be reproduced in any form in whole or part without prior written permission of Bridge Publishing.

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news in brief

Security Exhibition to Melbourne in 2015 p.14ADT opens new Grade A1 monitoring centre p.14

Axis Sales Up 22 Per Cent Q2 To SEK 1355M p.16 Australian Federal Police Look to Biometrics p.16

AU G U S T 2 0 1 4 C o M P i L E D By j o h n A D A M S

■ Allied Telesis has appointed Australia’s BGW Technologies as its latest distribution partner.

“BGW Technologies has been on our radar for the last 12 months and we have received extremely positive feedback from a number of partners and manufacturers about their business,” said Shayne Taylor, country manager, Allied Telesis International.“BGW Technologies understands the importance of correct network designs in complex integrated systems.” BGWT is pleased to be distributing and supporting Allied Telesis solutions.

“Allied Telesis is a great fit for BGW Technologies,” said Joshua Simmons, general manager NSW/ACT/SA/WA BGW Technologies. “Not only are its products well respected in our industry, they also understand the complexities of today’s security technologies. “Apart from a complete and scalable product offering, their pre and post sales/technical support is absolutely first class. As our business expands, it is important that we partner with the best companies from around the globe to ensure we can supply the best solutions available to our customers.”

bGw TechnoloGies DisTribuTinG AllieD Telesis

Hills and Uplogix sign ExclUsivE distribUtion agrEEmEnt

HILLS has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Uplogix to expand the distribution of its remote network management platform to Australia and the Asia Pacific region. Hills said its exclusive distribution agreement with Uplogix would strengthen the company’s growing satellite communications and mobility practice. “Uplogix is the first local management platform that manages the IT network without using the network, eliminating all dependence upon it,” Hills chief technology officer, Leica Ison, said.“Uplogix is effectively a ‘technician in a box’ and perfect for large companies or government agencies with networks that cover multiple sites, especially remote locations. With Uplogix there’s no need to have a technician at every site - routine administration, maintenance and recovery tasks are completely automated and occur regardless of network availability.”“This solution is proven to significantly lower operational costs and call-out fees as well as reducing network downtime.” Australia and the Asia Pacific region have many remote networking applications where the benefit from Uplogix solutions could be significant. Hills’ business STEP Electronics is already deploying Uplogix solutions in markets as diverse as telecommunications, health, transport and banking across Australia, PNG and Malaysia, and expects much more interest as a result of this strengthened partnership. “We’re excited to work with Hills to bring Uplogix to Australia and the Asia Pacific region,” Uplogix SVP sales and business development, Lisa Frankovitch, said

Leica Ison

Josh Simmons

TelsTra closing down 2g neTwork■ TELSTRA will close down its 2G network before the end of 2016 – that’s around 500 business days - and will reconfigure its 900MHz 2G spectrum for 4G technology once the network’s existing customers are migrated onto 3G and 4G.The move will impact on Australia’s estimated 30-50,000 2G/GPRS-enabled alarm panels. All will need to be transitioned across to 3G or 4G LTE. Some

monitoring providers have many thousands of 2G SIM cards in their networks and will need to work fast to ensure continuity of service. In a blog post titled ‘It’s time to say goodbye old friend’, Telstra’s group managing director of networks Mike Wright said the 2G GSM network had been in place for more than 20 years and had been surpassed by newer technologies. Full report on page 50.

Only our high-defi nition surveillance solutions give you the full story. Avigilon’s end-to-end solutions allow you to quickly and accurately identify facial detail in crowded areas to minimize service disruptions and maintain a safe environment for passengers. Learn more about keeping your transit system safe and secure at avigilon.com/public-transit

National Enquiries: 1300 319 499

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Marleston – SA(08) 8468 8400

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Tullamarine, Victoria Mulgrave, Victoria Northmead, NSW Alexandria, NSW Queensland South Australia Western Australia20 Mallet Road Unit 6, 35 Dunlop Rd Unit 6, 185 Briens Road Unit 23, 56-58 O’Riordan St Unit 9, 17 Cairns Street 21 Grove Avenue Unit 1, 1 Natalie WayTULLAMARINE 3043 MULGRAVE 3170 NORTHMEAD 2152 ALEXANDRIA 2015 LOGANHOLME 4129 MARLESTON 5033 BALCATTA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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14 se&n

Ted Pretty

news au g u s t 2 0 1 4

n ADT Security has officially unveiled its new Grade A1 Security Response Centre following a million dollar-plus redevelopment. Located at ADT Security’s national headquarters at Rydalmere in Sydney, the new Security Response Centre enhances protection for thousands of ADT Security’s residential and commercial customers

nationwide. Substantially larger than the company’s former Grade A1 monitoring centre on this site and boasting state-of-the-art monitoring infrastructure and IT systems, the new Security Response Centre has the capacity to accommodate an increased number of operators. This enables ADT Security to provide its residential and

commercial customers with a high level of service and significantly expand its customer base. “ASIAL (Australian Security Industry Association Limited), the peak body for the security industry, has determined that our new Security Response Centre meets the stringent requirements for Grade A1 certification,” said Andy Ellis, president, installation and services,

n AUSTRALASIA’S premier security industry event, the Security Exhibition & Conference, will return to Melbourne next year, global exhibitions company Diversified Communications

announced last month.Following the outstanding success of the recent 2014 event – with record attendances, a sold-out floor plan months before the event and almost 170 brands exhibiting – Exhibition Manager

Kylie McRorie said the event would be hosted at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 15-17, 2015. “Exhibitor feedback from the 2014 event was overwhelmingly positive, and the industry is keen to build on the momentum of that success,” Ms McRorie said.“Security Exhibition & Conference 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of this show – its longevity is a testament to its unrivalled success – so we’ve listened to the industry, and we’ll be back in Melbourne for what will be our best ever show.”Security 2014 was hailed

as the most successful in the event’s 29 year history, despite this year being the first time in more than a decade that the event had been held in Melbourne. More than 4,500 security professionals attended, with some travelling from as far as the United Kingdom. There was also a record number of individual registrations and close to 170 brands exhibiting on the show floor.To secure your stand at Security 2015 visit www.securityexpo.com.au or contact Kylie McRorie at Diversified Communications on 03 9261 4504 for more information.

Security exhibition back to Melbourne in 2015

Bosch DistriButing Milestone systeMs in AustrAliA

BUILDING on the strategic global partnership aimed at complete integration of Bosch IP video devices with the Milestone XProtect IP Video Management Software (VMS), Bosch Security Systems will now become a distributor of the Milestone software in Australia.“The relationship between Bosch Security Systems and Milestone Systems has been ongoing for years. Both companies have put in dedicated and targeted efforts to elevate the mutual technical and commercial engagement to new levels“, says Chris Dellenty, general manager – Australasia, Bosch Security Systems.“Milestone software has supported Bosch Security Systems cameras for a long time, with significantly stepped-up engagement between our companies over the past year. Bosch has launched such exciting new products as video analytics and now access control – which are seamlessly integrated with our XProtect VMS,” says Angelo Salvatore, country manager ANZ at Milestone Systems. “The strength of our continuing global relationship with Bosch makes its distribution of the Milestone portfolio in Australia a natural move, and it will benefit the channel partners whose customers gain more choices in expanded offerings.“This is a significant tightening of an already close and long-standing relationship. As part of their strategic partnership, Bosch and Milestone have intensified their joint marketing efforts, demonstrating the integrated solutions at the recent Security 2014 trade show in Melbourne.

Chris Dellenty

aDt openS new GraDe a1 MonitorinG centre

Tyco Fire and Security.“With the opening of this centre, ADT Security has set new benchmarks for monitoring system integrity, alarm response times and the integrity of the Response Centre itself. Even in the event of significant power failure, natural disaster or targeted attack, the construction of the centre and the robust systems in place will ensure continued operation without disruption. In short, this is one of the largest, most secure and technically capable monitoring centres in the country.”According to Ellis, another important benefit of the new Security Response Centre is improved customer service. Monitoring operators are now shown real time information such as calls in queue. He says this has also enabled it to improve staff productivity and significantly reduce response times. “Overall, this is a safer, more pleasant environment for our hard working monitoring operators. It will help to increase our already high level of staff tenure and further improve the service levels we provide our customers,” Ellis said.

CLIENTGENETEC

TITLEPUB GE1441

PUBLICATIONSE&N MAGAZINE

PUBLICATION DATEJULY 2014

EDITION—

FORMATPDF HI-RES

DIMENSIONS210mm X 297mm

LINEATION300 DPI

INKSCMYK

DELIVERYEMAIL

CONTACTPIERRE [email protected]

Video Surveillance | Access Control | Automatic Number Plate Recognition

© 2014 Genetec. All rights reserved. Genetec, and the Genetec logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Genetec. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. genetec.com Innovative Solutions

Security.At the Center of Your Business.Genetec Security Center is the leading enterprise-class security platform deployed by some of the world’s most demanding organizations, governments and cities.

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16 se&n

AustrAliAn FederAl Police look to Biometrics

Axis sAles uP 22 Per cent Q2 to sek 1355m

We have continued to maintain a high rate of product releases, and We continue to see positive trends for our solutions targeting smaller installations

news au g u s t 2 0 1 4

n AFP’S Crim Trac division is on the hunt for a new biometric ID solution that can recognise fingerprints, faces, palm prints, speech, scars and marks, and tattoos, according to the Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan.“Potential new capabilities will be subject to a rigorous scrutiny in the search to upgrade Australia’s existing fingerprint identification services,” Mr Keenan said.Currently, the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) was the only national capability that provided Police Agencies with access to fingerprint data, he said.“The search for a replacement system has been designed to ensure Australia is at the cutting edge of identification practices, particularly the speed at which we can

match latent finger and palm prints found at crime scenes,” said Mr Keenan.“During the search, Crim Trac will look at how Australia can integrate and converge existing models and processes as it develops requirements for the new capability. Consideration will also be given to expanding the type of data collected to allow police to match evidence to both suspects and crimes.”

videosecurityproducts.com.au

A Universe of Solutions

n AXIS Communications second quarter sales increased by 22 per cent to SEK 1355 M (1,114). Operating profit increased to SEK 188 M (127), which corresponds to an operating margin of 13.8 percent.“During the period, inventory levels increased at a number of distributors, particularly in the US,” said Axis president, Ray Mauritsson. “The EMEA region displayed a good performance with large variations between countries and continued turbulence in parts of Eastern Europe. Southern Asia recovered somewhat after a weak first quarter while Northern Asia showed stable growth. “During the second quarter, we welcomed 76 new employees to the company and Axis now has 1784 employees. The recruitment

Ray Mauritsson

rate within R&D and the sales organization is in line with current sales development.“We have continued to maintain a high rate of product releases, and we continue to see positive trends for our solutions targeting smaller installations.” The solid Q2 result comes after net sales increased by 19 per cent during Q1 to SEK 2,484 M (2,096).

To contact us, call (07) 3841 8882 or email [email protected]

sylo.com.au

IP Surveillance SolutionsSurround View

18 se&n

c a s e s t u d y a u c k l a n d a i r p o r t

Hills TouchNav

ADT Security is installing a CEM Systems’ Linux-based AC2000 AE IP-based access control solution managed by AC2000 management software in a virtual environment at Auckland Airport in New Zealand. The system comprises 1000 doors and more than 14,000 cardholders.

THERE’S no way to overstate the multi-layered complexity of airport electronic security applications. These are rarely Greenfield sites.

New systems are shaped and constrained by existing infrastructure and by the nature of systems that came before them. Airports are built concentrically over years, like the rings of a tree. Under their shiny glass and steel skins lie core services cemented into place decades before.

Airside story

There’s a necessary political side to major airport security solutions. September 11, 2001 changed airport security forever and showed us unequivocally that a serious security breach at one airport paralyses global flight. Given its vital national importance, multiple internal and external government, public and private organisations are tasked with governance and support of security operations at Auckland Airport. This complicates the process of security system design and implementation.

Overarching all these burdens is the fundamental challenge imposed by the physical nature of an airport. Across the 1500Ha site are hotels, car parks for 6500 vehicles, workshops, fuel storage facilities, administration buildings, huge airport terminals and all the rest. Remote cable runs here are measured in kilometres, significant buildings are numbered by the dozen, there are 1000 access readers and 14,000 cardholders.

Auckland Airport operates 24 hours, 365 days a year. It’s the second busiest airport in Australasia – only Sydney is busier – and it handles more than 14 million passengers annually (nearly 40,000 passengers each day). During the ongoing upgrade process there can be no loss of capacity, no breakdown of the access control procedures managing its employees and contractors.

These challenges and more are being faced by

se&n 19

“Then the airport made the decision near the end of the domestic roll-out to change the international terminal to IP as well.”

Inside the sudden calm of the admin building, I sit down with Andrew Catterall, project manager, Auckland Airport. Catterall is an English expat who’s lived in New Zealand for 20 years. Union Jack cufflinks suggest he’s not forgotten the old country but while he references bustling Heathrow as an exemplar of airport security excellence, Catterall well and truly owns Auckland Airport’s evolving security solution.

“We did a lot of research on what access control solution we wanted,” Catterall tells me. “One of the main things was that the new system had to be future-proof and highly utilised – we did not want

B y J o h n A d A m s

Auckland Airport project manager Andrew Catterall and the ADT integration team supporting his drive to haul this huge site’s access control infrastructure firmly into the digital age.

Planning the uPgradeA howling 25-knot Westerly sweeps spatters of rain across Manukau Harbour as I arrive at Auckland Airport with Tyco’s Scott Whitehead. As we negotiate the big car park I glance at the temperature gauge on the dash - it’s 4C degrees outside. Burrowing through the gale to Auckland Airport’s administration building, Whitehead, who has been in the thick of this application for 3 years, shouts the challenges of the site at me over his shoulder.

According to Whitehead, when Auckland Airport decided to replace its 15-year-old Honeywell access control solution, the plan was to retain the existing serial infrastructure. This may sound unusual but on a site of such magnitude there’s a sound financial case for holding onto existing copper. But as the contract began to unfold it became clear there were going to be issues with this approach. The entire project was put on hold while Airport chewed over its options and came to a decision. It would go full IP.

“The project has been boiling along for 2 years – domestic was the first to switch from serial to IP because of the relevant upgrades being carried out in the domestic terminal,” Whitehead explains.

We decided we would go IP, we would build a cloud-based system, we would

install the new system in parallel with the existing access control solution.

Andrew Catterall

20 se&n

The project has been boiling along for 2 years – domestic was the first to switch from serial to IP because of the relevant upgrades being carried

out in the domestic terminal


to be guinea pigs. We looked at a number of systems but CEM was the one that came to the top – it’s used in 120 airports worldwide and airside clients are comfortable with it.

“We approached the decision asking ‘what do the high risk airports use and why?’ We found CEM was deployed across almost all UK and many European airports, as well as key international air hubs like Heathrow, Hong Kong, Dubai,” Catterall says. “During the process I asked manufacturers ‘what can you do for an airport?’ We decided that the CEM Systems’ solution could do the most for us.

“We liked the fact CEM readers stored the database offline. With a traditional access control solution, if the serial cable is cut between system controller and door controllers and readers, then the system is dead.

“And we appreciated that software support was handled in Belfast,” he explains. “Most software problems are dealt with after working hours and the internet has made the world smaller. It’s better for a company to be dealing with you in their daytime when they have the full complement of programmers, rather than bringing in tired people after hours who aren’t thinking straight and may not be supported properly.”

The IP decIsIonAt this point in the project, Auckland Airport was still planning to install CEM readers onto the site’s

existing serial cable. But at a key juncture the entire project team had a moment of mutual realisation. The decision was made to put the project on hold and re-consider options. Next came a visit to CEM Systems in Belfast to talk to the manufacturer about system capabilities and future plans.

Unsurprisingly, Catterall tells me that the catalyst for this decision was something the project team had always been nervous about - the process of transition and how the nature of the existing cable infrastructure would impact upon it.

“The problem with this airport and many others is that the terminals are built around the shells of older buildings which have been added to and modified,” he says.

“Those old buildings had dictated the layout of the original serial access control LAN and its subsequent organic growth,” Catterall says. “What happens on a serial access control LAN is that you have a number of series drops supporting multiple doors, and technicians tag into the nearest series drop as they work.

“Over time, organic growth across the site led to doors being installed on the same serial drops that were on different floors and in different parts of the building. This meant during the transition when we took out a controller we would lose doors on random floors and have to manage that challenge across the entire site.”

According to Catterall, the issue led the project team to ask itself whether hanging onto the serial infrastructure was the right approach after all.

“Were we future proofing ourselves against expansion of Auckland Airport by retaining the serial cable?” he asks. “And during a visit to the Belfast factory we learned that the latest CEM Display Readers would only be available on IP”

“That made up our minds,” Catterall says. “We decided we would go IP, we would build a cloud-based system, we would install the new system in parallel with the existing access control solution and we would do all commissioning with the system live but not actually controlling the doors.”

Catterall says the project team applied this model as a test case to the Domestic Terminal Building (DTB), which comprises about 15 per cent of overall door numbers. That test was successful.

“As part of the procedure, we informed all interested parties, we did all the commissioning, everything was tested – all we were doing was moving over the wires that powered the

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22 se&n

electromagnetic locks which were working with the existing system,” he explains.

“What was beautiful was that when we cutover the DTB system we heard nothing from the airlines. This was a clear sign of success because the airlines were worried about the process. A failed access control system can stop an airport dead if it’s done wrong.

“Having completed the DTB as a test case we could see we had the right approach, that our processes worked, and we could go on and apply the same method to the much bigger International Terminal Building. The DTB also allowed us to see that our initial plan to retain the serial infrastructure was actually the wrong approach.

The 500-pound gorillaCatterall says a key issue with the old system that needed to be resolved before the new CEM solution was installed was the current database, which over many years had gained 4000 different access levels assigned to 14,000 authorised cardholders. These access levels had to be rationalised in communication with all stakeholders.

“The database had organically grown – people had added new levels just to make the old system work – it wasn’t anything anybody did wrong so much as technicians trying to keep the system operating in an organic environment over a period of 15 years,” Catterall explains.

“A big airport like Heathrow with close to 80,000 cardholders has 500 access levels but a typical airport should have 200 levels – that’s where we needed to be,” he says.

The first attempt to rationalise the database carved access levels down from 4000 to 1700 but that was still far too many.

“Our team, led by ADT’s Paddy Browne, did its best to strip the database further but thanks to the time constraints it became a bigger monster than they ever believed it would,” Catterall says. “Making things challenging, too, was that these 1700 access levels no longer had names – they were represented by a number and staff needed an index sheet to decode the numbers.”

The process of stripping back a live database from 1700 to 200 was ingenious, despite seeming counterintuitive. Rather than building another database on another server, re-registering every cardholder then dishing up new cards, the team built a new database inside the old one using a simplified group of new access levels.

“We decided that during the building of the new DTB system, the team would build a mini database attached to the old database,” Catterall explains. “The process was that 20 new access levels were assigned to the old database and instead of being assigned to one of 500 DTB access levels, new cardholders were grouped into one of the 20 new levels.

“More recently, the new database has been increased by another 180 access levels and we have started transferring existing cardholders from any of the various 1700 access levels in the existing database to one of the 200 access levels in the new database. At the end of the project the old access levels will be simply be carved off.

“The idea was that existing cardholders stayed in the old database but anybody new now went into the new smaller database. There was no struggle to find what level to assign new staff, all the new people just went into the simplified new database,” he says.

According to Catterall, the levels reflect the physical reality of the site. If a cardholder is given access to a door that allows them access to the airside of any other doors, then they are assigned access to all those doors from the inside.

“It sounds simple but in the past doors were assigned in a particular area to cardholders from a particular organisation despite the fact they all accessed the same areas. Once we applied logic to the database the access levels started tumbling in on themselves.”

SySTem and neTworkTo my mind, the network side of the Auckland Airport solution is the key to understanding the nature of the system. This is no typical access control application. Catterall tells me CEM had


We also asked CEM to give us escalation of alarms like landside/airside doors to a supervisor’s workstation if they were not

actioned by operators in a given time.

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24 se&n

The first call we got after switching over the DTB from

Honeywell to CEM was security ops telling us there was something wrong with the access control system because there were only 4

alarms in the alarm log.


never installed one of its IP-based systems in a virtual environment and I’ve certainly never seen or heard of one. As Catterall explains the nature of the system, I find it hard to conceive the topology without a schematic.

At its heart the CEM access system comprises clever S610e card reader/controllers that have RJ-45 and local power connections. Incorporated into each reader is the database authorised to access each local door, carrying smarts right to the very edge.

Managing remote readers are real time virtual controllers and an AC2000 main server (CDC) with integrated backup software. Hot standby (failover CDC) and RTC Ethernet controllers, both operate in a virtual environment. The servers talk between each other and incorporate failover and redundancy. Being in a virtual environment means any changes made to the system are automatically replicated to every virtual server.

Meanwhile, each of the real time controllers (RTCs) can support 256 network connected reader/controllers. These RTCs are the firmware-based servers controlling all the alarms, events and IP config. Traditionally, these RTCs would be set up on a hard server but the airport wanted them located in a VM cluster replicated in 4 different areas for disaster recovery.

Because there are no door controllers, power is centralised in hub rooms, with each 16Amp power supply carrying up to 5 local doors. These hub rooms also contain the network switches with assigned ports ushering the readers onto a dedicated VLAN.

CEM Systems’ AC2000 AE solution is an airport-specific access control system and features including check-in desk enabling, passenger mode and air-bridge monitoring. The solution at Auckland Airport uses AC2000 software modules including CEM’s AC2000 VIPPS (Visual Imaging and Pass Production System), which allows security personnel to produce passes and access rights for staff and visitors.

The Airport is also using AC2000 WEB Visitors which will enable system users to request and manage temporary cardholders (visitors) via a standard web browser. AC2000 T&A (Time and Attendance module) offers easy to read reports

of employee In and Out times. The Airport is employing AC2000 Failover.

The use of CEM portable card readers is central to the security upgrade at Auckland Airport. These readers enable on-site airport security staff to validate cards at remote sites or areas with no mains power supply and they can also be used as mobile devices for random checks in emergency evacuations. The readers offer the flexibility of setting up controlled access points instantly, without having to physically commission a fixed access controlled door.

As Catterall explains it, the big deal hidden under these specifications is that instead of having 2 physical servers and 6 physical RTC units, Auckland Airport has 2 virtual servers handling operations while 6 more virtual servers support real time data. All these virtual servers exist in multiple locations in the Airport’s cloud.

“In terms of topology, the system is located onsite in VM clusters in 2 separate locations, one primary server over there,” he points out the window into the distance, “And a secondary server over here in another building. System monitoring is located

se&n 25

in an operations facility over there and there’s an emergency operations centre located in yet another building.

“The important thing here is that there’s no dedicated system hardware – the controllers are living in an internal cloud,” Catterall says. “That was a new thing for CEM to approach – how to handle failover in a virtual environment.”

According to Catterall, CEM modified its 6.7 software for Auckland Airport.

“We were the first CEM customer that asked to put our servers in a virtual environment,” he explains. “We also asked CEM to give us escalation of alarms like landside/airside doors to a supervisor’s workstation if they were not actioned by operators in a given time.”

The insTallaTion After chatting with Catterall, Whitehead picks me up in the car and we drive round to the Tyco Project Office in the Domestic Terminal Building to meet engineer Paddy Browne and project manager, Roger Read. Browne and Read have had coal face involvement with the project since the start. As

Browne tells his side of the story I get a growing sense of the geological nature of the site, its cable trays, rack rooms, risers and power supplies laid down over years.

“For the installers, the decision to go with an IP solution was a relief,” says Browne. “With IP, each device is an IP address. It doesn’t matter where that device is, you can group it in the most convenient way. That was a huge advantage on a big site like this – much cleaner.”

Browne explains that because CEM Systems’ solutions are designed for airports – the team is not running innumerable scripts to try to make the system work in an airport – in fact the DTB CEM application is virtually default.

“In terms of system layout on the new system, data from reader controllers is ported onto the network to virtual servers and virtual RTCs,” he says. “There are many advantages to this topology. For instance, when you assign configured access levels to personnel or change an access level or any detail, the change propagates across the entire system automatically.

“That’s excellent from a technician’s point of view. If you fix something on one reader, it’s a system-wide fix. Also, with controller-based systems, if there’s a database problem, you lose all the doors attached to that controller. That can’t happen with this IP-based CEM system.”

Once the decision to go full IP was made, Auckland Airport’s IT department became much more involved in the installation process. According to Browne, IT provides all the network components and the VM cluster, while ADT designs and installs the Linux firmware.

“In the field we simply tell them how many switch ports we need and where,” Browne explains. “We don’t have separate racks or separate switches – we just tell them ports and locations and that’s it. The devices are on a VLAN and all the ports are locked down. Conceptually, they look after the motorway and we provide the cars,” he explains.

“On the installation side, our techs pull in cables from doors to patch panels in the hub rooms, test them and verify them. The airport IT guys then come along and connect them.”

“We power our door controller/readers from a central location in remote IT hubs which also house the network switches. At the emergency door release, we cut in to control lock power which is fed back to the old Honeywell system and we do a permanent connection and then we switch at the EDR.”

Driving The sysTemBrowne turns to his AC2000 alarm and event display (AED workstation) and we poke around CEM Systems’ AC2000 management software. We start with the personnel page of a cardholder. It’s similar to others – showing details like personal information, access levels and card design and print options.

Airport control room

26 se&n


Next, Browne opens the monitoring screen which shows what the operators are looking at live. The layout is simple, an aerial image is used as a site map and dominates the middle and right hand of the screen but there’s a stack of functionality built in around the edges. Under the map is the event log comprising alarm type, location and status. Click on an alarm and it comes up on the left of screen in detail showing the action taken.

“One of things to take into account looking at this screen is that the old Honeywell system could not distinguish between a valid event and an alarm so any time there is an event an alarm comes up on the Honeywell screen,” he explains.

“The first call we got after switching over the DTB from Honeywell to CEM was security ops telling us there was something wrong with the access control system because there were only 4 alarms in the alarm log.

“We had to explain they didn’t need to know if someone accesses a door – let the system manage authorised access, that’s what it’s designed to do. All you need to see are alarm events.”

While the CEM solution is now handling the DTB, the ITB is still managed by the Honeywell system. With 6 ADT techs working on the site, the plan is to cut the bulk of the ITB over around October. To this end, the team has installed CEM readers side-by-side with the existing system readers and the site is running double cards – the legacy Indala card and new DESfire CEM cards.

“The way we are doing the installation allows us to do all our commissioning – test all the time zones, all the functions on all the doors – everything except the locks,” Browne says. “Once Airport signs off on the new system and we are ready to go. All we do is switch the lock power.”

Watching Browne steering the system, I can see why CEM Systems has so many airports – the fundamental nature of this solution is so right for an application like this one – it’s operating at a whole different level.

Walking the siteNext we take a tour around the domestic terminal – it’s a huge facility even though the DTB is only 15 per cent of the overall size of the site. As we walk, Roger Read, project manager, ADT Security, tells me the project has been a learning curve for the team and the airport. Read says talking to stakeholders has been the biggest part of the project from his perspective.

“Within an airport there are so many organisations – no one person is absolutely responsible – you can’t lock people in a room and get them to bang their heads together till they work out issues – you have to bring them with you,” he says. “Implementing the system on a site like this would be challenging enough but all these other factors combine to make it more difficult.”

To illustrate Read’s point at one sliding entry Browne tells me that 4 different stakeholders told the team what the door functionality had to be based on different security demands.

“Something else that’s been interesting with the DTB for us is that they’ve been refurbishing this building as we’ve been installing the new system,” Read tells me as we thread our way through a bustle of travellers. “That means we’ve done the existing switchover, while at the same time installing new doors as the refurbishing process has gone along.”

We have a look at a CEM reader on an air bridge. Browne explains that the CEM system allows both individual access for cardholders or timed passenger mode access.

“The way it works is that after a set time – say it’s 10 minutes, the hold backs will release the doors and they will go back to being fully access controlled,” he says. “There’s an audible alert allowing airline staff to reset the counter if all passengers are not off the plane. In this mode the door will alarm after 5 seconds if it’s hooked into a hold back.”

The hub room (l)Old and new readers in the ITB.

Roger Read (l) with Paddy Browne

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28 se&n


Our next port of call is a hub room in a quiet part of the terminal. It’s a typical network room – bare walls, overhead cable trays, racks. In here are the controllers for the existing Honeywell system and this is where the patch panels and switches providing ports for the CEM system are located. The different footprints of the 2 systems are apparent. The 16Amp power supply with 4 onboard batteries supporting up to 5 doors is the largest housing on the CEM side – there are no controllers.

“When we are finished, on the wall of every hub room will be a laminated sheet with the door locations on it and inside this housing there will be a system schematic showing every reader and every location,” Browne says. “This means a new tech who comes along at 4am and does not know the site will have all the relevant documentation from any one of these controllers for the entire system – which door is fed off which power supply, in which hub location and which port the door is in.

“Techs can also access the network from these hub rooms and get access to information they need for trouble shooting – you can get on and ping a connection so as to verify if the problem is the network or the reader controller.”

Finally, we have a look at the control room – it’s a good-sized space as these things go, well laid out, with supervisors and management to the rear and

rows of workstations with many system screens. Browne points out the event window on the CEM workstation – it has just 2 alarms. I also see the escalation window on the supervisor’s desk.

ConClusionThis is a large site – it’s complex in physicality, as well as in operations. What’s going to challenge Auckland Airport even more over the next decade is enormous projected growth in passenger numbers – up 25 million by 2025. This growth will demand expansion of facilities, as well as expansion of the access control solution.

“The airport is evolving so there’s a lot of future work to do,” says Catterall. “One of the reasons we ultimately selected IP was that this airport changes constantly, particularly in the retail area with doors moving around, The fact doors can be plug-and-play – that was a selling point.

“ADT and CEM are already engaged on future work that follows current work. Work is happening in the baggage area in 2 phases, we are already modifying our system design to cope with that.”

It’s just a sprawling, rolling, evolving application on top of a challenging site that’s growing fast, I muse.

“Yeah, it is,” agrees Catterall. “And that’s the beauty of the solution we’ve implemented – we’re getting rid of the legacy problems and modernising and this decision is streamlining our ongoing upgrade and allowing us to think about things like the Park and Ride facility and IP CCTV integration, too.

“We are doing some blue sky work with CEM for the GPUs and we are going to re-program the GPUs so they operate in a time and attendance mode allowing us to automatically bill an airline for energy. Also we are putting something together using CEM Systems’ emerald readers .”

Listening to the story of Auckland Airport’s ongoing transition from traditional RS-485 to IP, it occurs to me the team is telling the story of the access control industry’s looming digital transition. Thinking about this, I come to the conclusion that the length of the process, the direct interaction with the integrator and manufacturer - these were key contributors to Auckland Airport’s benchmark access control solution.

Forced by circumstance to think hard about the future, Catterall, ADT and CEM thought deep, stretching CEM’s powerful product to another level - demanding not just an IP-compatible access control system but a real creature of the digital age, with smarts in remote reader/controllers and virtual real time controllers and virtual database servers buttoned up in multiple secure locations in the Airport’s private cloud. In the future, all serious access solutions will look this way. zzz

Techs can also access the network from these hub rooms and get access to

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Computer scientists at Brown University have developed an algorithm to sweep away digital footprints in the cloud. It’s a complicated series of dance-like moves they call the Melbourne Shuffle.

it secure. Most cloud service providers encrypt the data they store. Larger companies generally encrypt their own data before sending it to the cloud to protect it not only from hackers but also to keep cloud providers themselves from snooping around in it.

But while encryption renders data files unreadable, it can’t hide patterns of data access. Those patterns can be a serious security issue. For example, a service provider - or someone eavesdropping on that provider - might be able to figure out that after accessing files at certain locations on the cloud server, a company tends to come out with a negative earnings report the following week. Eavesdroppers may have no idea what’s in those particular files, but they know that it’s correlated to negative earnings.

That’s not the only potential security issue.“The pattern of accessing data could give away

some information about what kind of computation we’re performing or what kind of program we’re running on the data,” said Tamassia, chair of the Department of Computer Science.

Some programs have very particular ways in which they access data. By observing those patterns, someone might be able to deduce, for example, that a company seems to be running a program that processes bankruptcy proceedings.

The Melbourne Shuffle aims to hide those patterns by shuffling the location of data on cloud servers. Ohrimenko named it after a dance that originated in Australia, where she did her undergraduate work.

“The contribution of our paper is specifically a novel data shuffling method that is provably secure and computationally more efficient than previous methods,” Ohrimenko said.

It works by pulling small chunks of data down from the cloud and placing them in a user’s local memory. Once the data is out of view of the server’s prying eyes, it’s rearranged - shuffled like a deck of cards - and then sent back to the cloud server. By doing this over and over with new blocks of data, the entirety of the data on the cloud is eventually shuffled.

The result is that data accessed in one spot today, may be in a different spot tomorrow. So even when a user accesses the same data over and over, that access pattern looks to the server or an eavesdropper to be essentially random.

“What we do is we obfuscate the access pattern,” Tamassia said. “It becomes unfeasible for the cloud provider to figure out what the user is doing.”

The researchers envision deploying their shuffle algorithm through a software application or a hardware device that users keep at their location. It could also be deployed in the form of a tamper-proof chip controlled by the user and installed at the data center of the cloud provider. However it’s deployed, the approach has the promise of lowering the cost of strong data security in an increasingly cloudy computer world. zzz

Melbourne Shuffle

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MELBOURNE Shuffle sounds like the dance move, but it’s also a computer algorithm developed by researchers at Brown

University. The computing version of the Melbourne Shuffle aims to hide patterns that may emerge as users access data on cloud servers.

Patterns of access could provide important information about a dataset - information that users don’t necessarily want others to know - even if the data files themselves are encrypted.

“Encrypting data is an important security measure, however, privacy leaks can occur even when accessing encrypted data,” said Olga Ohrimenko, lead author of a paper describing the algorithm. “The objective of our work is to provide a higher level of privacy guarantees, beyond what encryption alone can achieve.”

Cloud computing is increasing in popularity as more individuals use services like Google Drive and more companies outsource their data to companies like Amazon Web Services. As the amount of data on the cloud grows, so do concerns about keeping

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Milestone Systems is in a 3-year project with the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation that has helped it develop a new metadata framework that improves the speed of searching and analysis with Milestone XProtect 2014 by up to 1000 times.

is leading the project and the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation has contributed with DKK 15 million.

The aim of the project is to interpret the recorded video material so the content can be described automatically. An example could be video surveillance in a retail store that automatically documents customer traffic. Retailers can then plan for when lines are too long or analyze statistics on the most visited areas in the store.

“We are very proud to see this project bearing fruit already,” says Hans Jorgen Skovgaard, VP of R&D at Milestone Systems. “We are still in phase one and expect to present to the market several new solutions for searching in metadata - the framework has already been released in XProtect 2014.

“During the next phases, we will do research on how the software can learn to distinguish between normal and abnormal activity in video images. This means video surveillance can proactively give an alert before an incident occurs, and further enable use as a business tool in more operational scenarios.

“For example, if there is an accident or an assault at a bus station, the police or security personnel can search for the exact area where the incident happened by linking GPS coordinates with the video recordings from the buses, and within a few seconds they will have the relevant recording of the offender or other people involved,” he says.

The new software capabilities have also made searching much faster in general, and for specific objects in the recorded video material. This could be, for example, a wanted blue car that was parked at a distance of 200 metres from the City Hall in a certain time period. Normally, it would take a long time to find the car because you have to search through all the video material from the area. But with the new solution coming out of this project, searching is done only in metadata, which is data about the recording, such as GPS position, orientation, number of cars, number of people, movement, temperature, etc, rather than in the entire video footage. This makes the search for events in the video up to 1000 times faster.

The metadata technology can also be used with mobile phones as moving security cameras where GPS coordinates and compass information can be stored with the video. Operators know precisely where the video was recorded. Used in this way, mobile phones can increase security and safety, and threatening behavior can easily be proven. The technology can also be used as evidence of pollution emissions, for resolving insurance claims, or many other applications yet to be explored.

“The possibilities are endless with the constant developments of our video software technology,” says Skovgaard. “We can see that there will be a flood of new solutions from our many partners, building further on the open platform video surveillance from Milestone.” zzz

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than just images on a screen. Milestone’s software manages video for security uses, but can also support and optimize activities in production, logistics, marketing, sales, healthcare, intelligent buildings, environmental control, and other analytical applications.

Thanks to the XProtect open platform architecture, other companies are integrating software applications with Milestone’s video management software to adapt it for particular operational needs in different business sectors.

Cutting-edge video surveillance solutions are also being developed as part of a big research project with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Aalborg University, Securitas and Nabto, which started in 2012 and runs for 3 years. Milestone

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Hills TouchNav

BENS BlueHub from Mod2 is a plug and play communications module that carries most dialler-based alarm panels into a networked environment.

BENS BluEHuB IP

p r o d u c t r e v i e w b l u e h u b i p b y j o h n a d a m s

BENS has released its new BlueHub, which is designed and manufactured by Ki-Ren Chua’s Mod2. The device turns any

ContactID dialler-based alarm panel into a network solution. Advanced versions also allow remote management of legacy alarm panels using smart device apps.

I got a demo of BlueHub at Security 2014 in Melbourne with BENS’ Dallas Whittaker. In form

it’s a compact solution with a simple double housing. The smaller module on the left of these images is an analogue-to-digital encoder, with ContactID coming in at the top. This module is bonded to the main comms unit, which incorporates power and a network port.

“We are looking at the basic version today – there’s a more advanced version that allows browser-based remote arming and disarming of the supported alarm system using a smart device or internet connected computer,” Whittaker tells me.

“This version is designed to allow alarm panels in areas which are being switched over to the NBN to continue to communicate with their monitoring station without interruption using the internet,” he explains.

“BlueHub is an Ethernet reporting device that will connect with most alarm panels that currently use Contact ID. Installers locate

BlueHub adjacent to an alarm panel, then connect BlueHub to power and a router. Next, they connect a phone cable from the dialler in the existing alarm panel to the phone port in

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36 se&n

the BlueHub module. It’s as easy as that – the upgrade is virtually plug and play.”

As well as being connected via Ethernet cable, the unit can also be linked to a network via Wi-Fi-enabled router. And the Wi-Fi router can in turn be connected to a 4G dongle (Optus,Telstra) allowing for failover of Ethernet to Wi-Fi (to DSL or 4G).

Loss of PSTN support for alarm panels is a key issue facing installers and end users in towns like Armidale, Kiama, Willunga, as well as parts of Melbourne and Tasmania, which were switched from POTS to NBN on May 23 this year. For these residences and thousands of others in the coming months, the only alternative to PSTN is wireless or internet.

“We are working on installing this on NBN estates right now,” says Whittaker. “POTS started to be turned off late May and it’s been going well, we have many installation companies

There are already routers coming out like this with a 4G card onboard - you just put your UPS on the router and you are sorted as far as communications failure on the physical comms path.

buying BlueHub units off us specifically for this reason.”

FEATURES OF BLUEHUBOther neat features of the product include cloud-based configuration and firmware upgrades, onboard video encryption and compatibility with BENS’ catchClip video verification solution. The fact BlueHub is CatchCLIP-enabled means it’s able to store video clips of intrusion events in an onboard SD card as well as forwarding them to the monitoring station.

This means if the internet goes down, images will be buffered onboard BlueHub so no video footage is lost, then sent to the control room when the network restores.

When it comes to installing BlueHub, the process is easier than you’d imagine. The dialler plugs into a standard 4-wire telephone port on the BlueHub and RJ-45 comes out another – there’s power going in. Once connected, the unit is registered with the monitoring station by the installer and away you go. Cost is $A135 for the base unit – there’s a catchClip only unit which is $105.

As the POTS network is de-commissioned, installers need to give their customers something like this, or wireless, don’t they? I ask, not expecting the answer Whittaker gives me.

“What we are thinking is that they’ll do both cabled internet and wireless but the wireless backup will be in the next generation of routers – that’s where we think redundancy will ultimately reside,” he explains. “There are already routers coming out with a 4G card onboard - you just put your UPS on the router and you are sorted as far as communications failure on the physical comms path.

“That means wireless backup is not needed in a product like BlueHub – in fact, there’s no need for anyone to develop integrated wireless backup, because network equipment manufacturers are integrating this capability into their routers. And these new 4G routers are dropping in price really fast.” zzz

p r o d u c t r e v i e w b l u e h u b i p

Features of BlueHub include:l Compatibility with most dialler alarm panelsl Remote arm and disarm of compatible panelsl Plug and play installation l Cloud-based configuration and firmware upgradel Compatible with catchClipl Onboard video bufferingl Onboard video encryption.

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38 se&n

JA: Telstra has announced it will shut down the 2G network before the end of 2016 – how many 2G/GPRS SIM cards are communicating on behalf of alarm panels in the Australian market, in your estimation?DA: I estimate there to be roughly 40,000 – 50,000 alarm panels communicating via GPRS. Add another 20,000 devices reporting via GSM Voice and SMS.

JA: What should end users with 2G reporting paths immediately do to ensure continuity of service – and what should they expect to pay for it?DA: End users should be asking their supplier to upgrade their alarm communicator to be 3G-compatible. SCSI believes this should be done free of charge and is offering this deal to its own customers. SCSI will also swap over any opposition GPRS alarm communicator free-of-charge with a DirectWireless 3G alarm communicator.

Now Telstra has openly announced its intention to sunset the 2G/GPRS wireless network, Security Communication Solutions International’s MD, Dale Acott, argues end users should be getting free upgrades to 3G.

Free to air

Dale Acott

A W A R D

TE0013_Xandem_SEN_FPC_Revised_July.indd 1 28/07/2014 4:01 pm

JA: SCSI has been talking about the 2G shutdown since 2011 - how far is SCSI along with transitioning its customers to 3G/4G LTE?DA: SCSI noticed a major reduction in network performance prior to 2011 and came to the conclusion that GPRS was no longer morally acceptable to sell as a secure reporting path, even though it was commercially available. It has taken a few years but around 85 per cent of DirectWireless communicators are 3G-enabled. That number will be 100 per cent by the end of 2014.

JA: What is required of other suppliers, generally speaking, when it comes to supporting customers through the process?DA: Suppliers have a duty of care to provide their customers with accurate, truthful information. It’s unbelievable the number of times I have heard installers say “But they told me GPRS and 3G was the same!” End users who have been sold a GPRS unit in the last 12 months have essentially been fooled, in my opinion, because we all knew the end of 2G was just around the corner. I would argue that

End users should be asking their supplier

to upgrade their alarm communicator to be 3G-compatible.

SCSI believes this should be done free of charge and is offering

this deal to its own customers.

t h e i n t e r v i e w J o h n A d A m s w i t h d A l e A c o t t

and network compatibility, giving the customer and the installer complete piece of mind.

JA: Ok, so Telstra has pulled the trigger on 2G and the Americans gave notice in 2012 with a 2016 deadline, so we can sense it’s a global shift. Optus is obviously going to be next?DA: Again I can’t talk for anyone but SCSI. But from an SCSI perspective, we believe there will be a similar announcement coming from Optus within the next 12 months.

JA: If you were an end user, what alarm communications option would you go for? Would you look at 3G, 4G LTE (if it were available in your area) or IP, or a mix of these?DA: At this point in time I would go with a mix of 3G and wired IP if it is available at the premises. There is no point connecting your home to wired IP solely for alarm communications as it would not be cost-effective and a dual sim 3G device backed by quality networks will provide an extremely high level of reliability.

The use of 4G for alarm signalling is still too costly and provides no real benefit at this stage - besides giving higher bandwidth for video applications. SCSI will be utilising 4G for upcoming video applications but has no plans to move to 4G for pure alarm signalling as this would result in unjustified cost increases to the end user without additional benefits.

JA: We’ve talked about the work required – what about the business opportunities – what can end users and installers look forward to with 3G or the new broadband 4G LTE wireless comms technology?DA: Video, Video, Video! There will be much more in the way of wireless video services as the bandwidth of the 3G/4G networks becomes more cost effective. SCSI is heavily focusing on video transmission, with a range of products and services to be released at the beginning of 2015. Exciting times in the Australian security industry!zzz

suppliers need to put end users’ interest at the forefront of their thinking.

JA: The 2G sunset means there’s going to be a lot of work for installers – what’s the technical process of transitioning? What hardware is needed, how much time?DA: I can’t speak for other systems but with DirectWireless, it’s usually a 30 minute changeover. The devices are as plug-and-play as you can get. Importantly, SCSI has guaranteed its range of 3G alarm communicators for 10 years. The warranty applies to both hardware

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42 se&n

Sony engineers have created curved CMOS sensors, which according to Kazuichiro Itonaga, device manager with Sony’s R&D Platform in Atsugi-shi, Japan, mean 50-100 per cent greater sensitivity in low light and simpler lenses.

The idea behind the curved CMOS is that it will remove many of the challenges faced by engineers trying to design out Petzval curvature of camera imaging systems. Petzval curvature is caused because lenses image a flat plane onto a flat CMOS sensor.

The issue is that there’s an attenuation of focal length light rays sensed by a CMOS imager if those light rays are off-axis – if they are reaching the imager from an oblique angle – and the greater the angle, the greater the attenuation.

Quality lens designers put a lot of work into resolving field curvature using lens systems with field flattening capabilities but this process increases lens complexity, cost and weight. The process of resolving field curvature also causes problems – primarily astigmatism.

According to Itonga, the curved chips can be paired with flatter, less complicated and less expensive lenses with larger apertures – that means more light reaches the sensors. It also means light rays get to the sensor in straighter lines, improving overall sensor performance.

Something cool is that the process of bending the CMOS sensors had a surprising beneficial effect on image quality. When you bend a silicon sensor you alter its band gap and this lowers the noise level caused by dark current — which is the current that moves through a pixel even when it is in complete darkness.

Itonaga said a special machine was used to bend the CMOS sensors, which were backed with a ceramic to stabilize them. Itonaga said that the bend in the chips achieved the same level of curvature found in the human eye.

Once the bending process was complete, the engineers integrated the curved image sensor with a lensing system. Reports from the Symposium said while the Sony team showed delegates images from the new camera, they didn’t show them alongside existing technology for comparison.

Sony is not the first to come up with curved image sensors. John Rogers from the University of Illinois reported a curved photodetector array in 2008. This sensor was created by bending an array of photodiode islands bridged by a compressible interconnect. Importantly, Sony looks closer to commercial release. As well as patenting a range of simple, flat lenses recently, the company’s researchers have made 100 full-size curved sensors.

“We are ready,” Itonaga said. zzz

sony doubles CMos perforManCe

t e c h n o l o g y s o n y

Curved chips can be paired

with flatter, less complicated

and less expensive

lenses with larger

apertures – that means more light reaches the sensors.

ACCORDING to Sony, a curved sensor mimics the retina of a human eye, which effectively allows for simpler lens design. It also realizes

significant image benefits by avoiding traditional problems encountered when attempting to record oblique light rays using pixel wells of finite depth on flat sensors.

Speaking at VLSI symposium in Hawaii, Sony device manager Kazuichiro Itonaga showed a curved full-frame sensor and a smaller, curved 11mm diagonal sensor (the equivalent of a 2/3-inch type).

Itonaga told the Symposium on VLSI Technology in Honolulu, that the curved systems were 1.4 times more sensitive at the centre of the sensor and twice as sensitive at the edge. This should mean the sensors offer improvements in low light performance between 50-100 per cent over current devices.

Itonga showed delegates 2 chips – one was 43 millimeters along the diagonal and is a full-size chip for digital cameras, including CCTV cameras. The other is smaller at 11mm diagonal, has smaller pixels and is designed for mobile phones.

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44 se&n

Hills TouchNav

Bosch Security Systems has released its new Solution 2000 and 3000 alarm panels which are designed to expand and handle evolving automation and comms modules in the future.

New SolutioN from BoSch

p r o d u c t r e v i e w b o s c h J o h n A d A m s w i t h J A m e s L A y t o n

THESE 2 new panels are important releases from Bosch and they show the company is well aware of the vagaries of the future

in the domestic and small commercial market. The key thing is to offer a panel that is affordable, yet flexible enough to take on a wide range of future technologies – particularly comms and automation.

According to Bosch, these new panels were built to meet concepts of lifestyle, connectivity and expandability. They also incorporate digital communications technologies such as SMS over IP, IP alarm reporting, and the Bosch Remote Security Control app.

There are additional expansion options being released in the next few months that will give installers and end users a greater sense of the nature of these systems but there’s plenty of potential. .

The controllers have a black poly shroud. Around the outside of the shroud are termination points. It’s hard to get lost when terminations are tagged and presented this way. There’s no fumbling around in dark places for untagged terminations. It’s very nice looking and was designed locally by Bosch’s James Layton. But while the panels have considerable local input, Bosch is in the process of standardising many aspects of its product range.

“The panels are customised for the Australian market,” Layton tells me. “But the accessories, including sensors and keypads, are worldwide. This gives us access to more research and development

46 se&n

in key areas, particularly automation.”These new accessories include Bosch’s new

RADION wireless family which comprises 15 different products, including motion detectors, window and other dry contacts, key fobs, and smoke detectors, surface and recessed mount door and window contacts, and a universal transmitter. This makes it suitable for new installations, as well as for use in existing installations, thanks to compatibility with existing DSRF wireless systems and legacy control panels from Bosch.

Bosch’s RADION family offers another special feature. By using up to 8 repeaters, remotely located detectors can be integrated in an alarm system, expanding system range up to 1350 metres. In addition to numerous mechanical design features to improve the ease and reliability of installation, all RADION peripherals can be automatically enrolled within the intrusion system.

According to Layton, the new 2000 and 3000 alarm panels replace Bosch’s existing Ultima range.

“For a start, the new panels double the number of zones we can offer,” Layton explains. “The old panel was an 8 zone, this new one is 8/16-zones, while the 4-zone panel is now 4/8-zones. In both cases the panels can be expanded by zone doubling or zone expanders. But more flexible

We over-engineered these products and this allows us to release them now with features like remote arm/disarm, remote programming and digital photo-frame function…while offering the

ability to expand in new ways.

zone expansion is only part of the story.“We over-engineered these products and

this allows us to offer features like remote arm/disarm, remote programming and digital photo-frame function, as well as all the alarm functions, while offering the ability to expand in new ways.

“Because there’s built-in camera and microphone capability in the touchscreens, we can introduce an intercom, and there are apps for video monitoring,” Layton says. “Later this year we will bring out an analogue video integration module or the panels, along with home automation which will include integration with ZigBee and Z-Wave products – that means door control, lighting control and management of air conditioning.”

According to Layton, Bosch is working to push the concept of end user choice with these panels.

“As well as the various intercom, video and automation capabilities users can select from IP/NBN alarm reporting without the cost of wireless communications,” Layton explains.

Noticing I’m checking out a wireless comms module, Layton tells me the module supports 2G/GPRS but the panel is optioned to handle 3G or 4G LTE comms with a module swap. This is good news, given Telstra’s announcement last month of 2G’s sunset before the end of 2016.

According to Layton, Bosch has recently rolled out a common BUS technology for all countries – the SDI2 BUS.

“The key advantage of the common SD12 bus is that Bosch is always developing new technologies and with a common architecture it’s a very simple exercise to realise the benefits of these developments in all markets,” he says.

“For example, in the United States, we have just released integration with Zigbee and Z-Wave home automation protocols. Now that this

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48 se&n

As well as the various intercom, video and

automation capabilities users can select from IP/

NBN alarm reporting without the cost of wireless

communications.

technology has been developed, we plan to bring it to Solution 2000/3000 in coming months.”

Bosch solution 2000 and 3000 featuresBosch’s Solution 2000 and 3000 intrusion panels have a variety of keypad options. There’s the LCD Icon keypad, an LCD Alphanumeric keypad which displays information in real text allowing users to quickly identify the cause of any alarm, and even to control multiple household areas simultaneously (such as separating the main house and an external garage or shed). Next are Touchscreen keypads which allow users to turn their intrusion panel into a lifestyle product with a variety of simple to use and aesthetically pleasing options and additional features.

While offering the same telephone line communication capabilities as existing intrusion panels, the Solution 2000 and 3000 also have available a range of communications extension modules that integrate directly with the panel and provide options such as mobile communications via the GSM and GPRS networks, along with IP reporting through the Internet.

The IP connection option makes the panel fully NBN-ready with the majority of monitoring centres in Australia and New Zealand able to handle the IP communications from the Solution 2000 and

3000. This offers the improved security of high-poll monitoring with no call costs.

remote appMeanwhile, Bosch Remote Security Control app gives users full control of intrusion panels through AndroidOS or IOS smartphone. Users can arm and disarm a system, trigger outputs to run external devices (such as roller doors, air conditioning units, or smart lighting systems), or simply check what time the kids left in the morning for school – all of these features and more are built in to the intuitive and quick Bosch RSC app.

Local wireless control of Solution 2000 is easy with wireless keyfobs that allow users to arm and disarm their system, control external outputs and trigger a panic alarm if unable to reach the panel’s keypad.

Taking wireless to the next level is Solution 3000, which includes the option to integrate with the Bosch RADION range of wireless transmitters.

With support for up to 4 keypads on both panels and the ability to be split into 2 separate partitions on the Solution 3000, you have the possibility that 1 security system that can act as 2. Both the house and garage/granny flat can be covered by the one system at one cost. Each partition can even report to a different monitoring centre. zzz

p r o d u c t r e v i e w b o s c h

Features of the Bosch 2000 and 3000 include:

l 8/16 Fully Programmable Zones l 41 Codes – 1 Installer, 20 User Codes, 20 RF Keyfobs l 16 Wireless Devices (on Solution 3000) l Partitionable into 2 separate areas on Solution

3000l STAY / AWAY Arming Options l Selectable Reports per User Code l Entry and Exit Warning l Automatic Arming l Remote Arming l Zone Lockout l 256-event History Memory l 5 Programmable Outputs l Dynamic Battery Test.

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Telstra will close down its 2G network before the end of 2016 – that’s around 500 business days - and reconfigure its 900MHz 2G spectrum for 4G technology once the network’s existing customers are migrated onto 3G and 4G.

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IN a blog post titled ‘It’s time to say goodbye old friend’, Telstra’s group managing director of networks Mike

Wright said the 2G GSM network had been in place for more than 20 years and been surpassed by newer technologies.

Telstra will spend the next 2 years moving its remaining 2G customers - including both wholesale and personal users - over to Telstra’s newer networks.

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Wright said Telstra had seen a steep decline in the number of customers on the 2G network since the telco launched its NextG network in 2006.

Traffic on the 2G network accounts for less than 1 per cent of total Telstra network traffic, and the telco had not sold a 2G phone for a number of years, Wright said.

“In the coming years we expect to see this dwindle further as we continue to invest in our 3G and 4G technology, so it’s time to call a sunset for this world changing network technology.”

Telstra has previously signalled an intention to repurpose the 2G spectrum for its 4G network. The telco used 1800MHz spectrum it had re-farmed from the 2G network for the first phase of its 4G network in late 2011, and has been testing out the combination of 1800MHz 4G and 900MHz spectrum from the 2G network for 4G technology.

A spokesperson said Telstra was considering several options, and a clearer position on the use of 900MHz for 4G would be possible once the Australian Communications and Media Authority released the outcome of its plan to reconfigure the 900MHz spectrum band.

“Telstra is already re-using a portion of our 900MHz spectrum holding for 4G services at selected sites and we are able to comfortably maintain the declining 2G call traffic at those sites on the remaining 900MHz bandwidth not used by 4G.”

It’s not been announced but Optus is certain to follow Telstra’s lead and issue a statement to that effect in coming months. This is a big deal for the alarm monitoring industry. Not only is Australia’s PSTN network in the midst of a process of switchover from PSTN copper to the national broadband network fibre, 2G/GPRS is done with it as well.

Installers and monitoring centres have around 2 years to switch all their customers across to 3G or 4G comms solution. Given there are an estimated 35,000-50,000 2G alarm communicators operating in Australia, techs need to be switching over about

wireless alarm reporting solution is 3G, it seems certain that 4G LTE is the long term goal of telcos. Running multiple infrastructure comes at a price. And there’s something else – 4G LTE is an IP network – not a call-channel solution like 3G. At some point we are going to have to own digital entirely. Further, 4G LTE offers barnstorming performance – it’s 300Gbps download for applicable devices with a potential upload of 150 Mbps.

Of course this potential is unlikely to be shaken out in the real world. There are inevitable issues relating to variable infrastructure standards, as well as contention. Regardless, recent reports suggest 4G LTE currently show Telstra 4G is 20.7 Mbps (down), 6.2 Mbps (up), 80ms ping; Yes Optus 4G is 18.3 Mbps (down), 8.3 Mbps (up), 84ms ping; while Vodafone AU is 33.9 Mpbs (down), 5.2 Mbps (up), with a 72ms ping.

Current wireless 3G performance, even in city centres, is slow, especially at times of peak use. It’s annoying using the internet on mobile wireless devices, let alone trying to view video in anything less than QCIF. This is fine for situational awareness but it tends to defeat the purpose of quality high resolution cameras.

How realistic is it for end users and installers to be thinking 4G right now? If you live in the big towns and want video verification, it’s worth talking about. Optus also has a presence in Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, the Gold Coast and the Central Coast. The balancing act is that 4G is going to be rolling out across the country for the next 2 years, precisely at the moment installers are looking for a wireless solution. The 2 processes are unlikely to match up adequately.

To my mind, installers need to look for supporting hardware and firmware that’s agnostic to wireless and that incorporates an RJ-45 port for network support of secondary or primary comms, depending on the threat level. At the very least, look for 3G wireless modules that can be popped out and replaced. Let’s make it easier on ourselves next time. zzz

80 per working day for the next 500 days.

In most cases, a remote communicator will need to be installed either alongside an existing alarm panel, or inside the box. PSTN comms will go in and RJ-45 and wireless will come out, making a perfectly good hybrid solution. But the physical process is a big ask. It means there’s going to be some scrambling at multiple levels to get centralised infrastructure, as well as local hardware, into place.

Of course, 2G/GPRS has a limited bandwidth and it’s not a stretch to say that the NBN and the re-purposing of the 900MHz spectrum will have a positive effect on monitoring services as the process unfolds. A key thing is going to be selecting the right technology to handle the demands of the future.

While the logical progression for

In the coming years we expect to

see this dwindle further as we

continue to invest in our 3G and

4G technology so it’s time to call a sunset

for this world changing network

technology.

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IR Patriot.indd 1 23/04/2014 12:08 pm

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Hills TouchNav

Mobotix’ MxActivity Sensor scored SEN’s Best Product CCTV Award at Security 2014 in Melbourne. Given the prevalence of analytics at the show this is not surprising but it wasn’t only MxActivity sensor functions that grabbed my attention.

Mobotix gets activated

p r o d u c t r e v i e w m o b o t i x b y j o h n a d a m s

IN fact, when I walked onto the Mobotix stand, the first thing the boys showed me was the M15-D, which I’d seen already at Mobotix’

conference earlier in the year. It was only later on when I started thinking about it, that I realised Mobotix was really onto something with its optical and thermal-powered MxActivity sensor.

We all know that storage and bandwidth are an issue with high quality video streams.

And we all know these 2 issues have a detrimental impact on systems in the real world. Hands up everyone who has installed a 1080p camera that records at 720p or less, and that although it pumps

out multiple video streams in 30ips (it’s 60ips when you’re talking the latest Sony,

Panasonic, Bosch and Hikvision cameras), is choked to just 6-15ips?

I’ve seen a number of applications over the last 18 months that are limited in this way. Given most CCTV systems drive on dedicated subnets, it’s not so much bandwidth that’s the issue here. Instead it comes down to the storage equation. Firstly, how much is a client prepared to spend on dedicated network storage for their CCTV system and secondly, how long do they want to retain footage on all channels? For most applications, it’s 30 days.

The result is the sum of an equation that has nothing to do with performance and everything to do with fiscal expedience. The material point of such an application is this. If a camera is not viewed live and not recorded at full resolution and frame rate, then there’s no point installing 1080p x 60ips.

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56 se&n

and vehicles – and when you do record, to use the full power of your hardware to give the best possible material to support a subsequent investigation.

Yes, I know. Plenty of cameras can be set up to record only on movement but they’re not perfect. Nor do they work 24-hours a day. And that’s where Mobotix MxActivity Sensor comes in. But before we go further, I should point out that it’s not possible to talk about MxActivity Sensor without talking about Mobotix’ M15-D dual head thermal and optical camera. It’s the combination of these 2 things that’s impressive.

Let’s start with the M15-D thermal camera. It’s a PoE, IP66-rated, IK10-rated poly housing with integrated sunshield. There’s a fixed thermographic camera as well as a removable 5MP colour sensor offering a high quality optical vision and combination is the key with MxActivity Sensor.

The fixed thermal imaging sensor is 336 x 253 pixels and jogs along at a frame rate of 9Hz, which is industry standard. According to Mobotix, the M15-D uses a high quality thermal sensor that can see surface temperature differences from -40C to 550C between -30 and 60C ambient and the sensor temperature resolution is a discerning 50 millikelvin which is 0.05 degrees C – twice as sensitive as many other thermal cameras.

If a camera is not viewed live and not recorded at

full resolution and frame rate, then there’s no point installing 1080p x 60ips

at all.

It would be a mistake to discount Mobotix’ optical camera. It’s new and improved with a superior sensor offering better performance in low light and back light. There’s also MxLEO Lowlight Exposure Optimization software which comes with firmware release 4.1.9 free of charge. The strength of MxLEO is that it allows you to block out disruptive factors day or night so you can cancel out headlights or torchlights with much less noise than you usually see. Mentioning MxLEO also allows me to point out how hard it is to clearly define single products in these integrated digital times. MxActivitySensor is great in part thanks to all this other stuff.

What happens when the M15-D is teamed up with MxLEO and MxActivitySensor software is that you get extremely reliable video analysis results of person/vehicle movements. The optical side is quality but the microbolometer is the thing that makes the difference because it’s so reliable. The thermal side of the camera simply always picks up heat and nothing more. It’s blind to optical noise from the environment - bushes, grass, street furniture, glare, shadow, whatever. The optical side is a huge bonus day and night but the reliability of MxActivity Sensor is not dependent on it.

MxActivity SenSorMxActivitySensor is a movement-controlled, software-based image analysis function for detecting movement of people and objects in a monitored area – you can choose full image or a section of an image – and you need to take care with this because sizing can impact on sensitivity depending on an event’s depth of field. Supporting this capability is the fact MxActivitySensor is easy to configure in ways that ensure minimal false alarms in applications with large amounts of external interference – moving rain on the camera lens, glare, trees or

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58 se&n

Day or night we will achieve reliable detection

at these sorts of big distances. We believe all day/night cameras will

have a thermal sensor as an intrusion trigger.

creeping shadows. During setup you configure settings via browser,

like image area and sensor sensitivity for image analysis events and then plug in the corresponding ‘acceptors’ of events. This might be recording or alarm notification via email or FTP, or playing of a recorded message at the camera, or an acoustic or visual alarm signal.

Important to bear in mind here, MxActivity Sensor is designed to handle people crossing an image or moving toward or away from the camera, even when there is a large amount of movement in a scene. From the point of view of setup, you simply highlight the area in which you want to detect movement, or the direction in which you want movement to be detected, and you locate the camera in the best way to pick up movement representing a threat.

MxActivitySensor is embedded into firmware versions 4.1.6 or higher, the minimum frame rate setting is 6ips and there’s no minimum resolution setting required. Sensitivity is selected between 0-99 (highest) and importantly, MxActivitySensor works with mono and dual cameras

MxActivity Sensor has a diagram box that indicates on the viewer the level of movement being registered as visible deflection level along the temporal X axis. Depending on the selected sensitivity setting, the diagram box shows the lowest threshold value or the highest setting. You use a lower threshold for small movements and

a higher threshold for more obvious movements across longer distances.

“The thing that makes our thermal camera so different from others is MxActivitySensor,” Graham Wheeler tells me. “Used with the M15-D it allows extreme reliability in complete darkness – you can see here that we can’t even see the person optically, but the thermal camera has detected them – look how small he is – he’s not visible in the monochrome image.”

We are looking at a long fenceline scene at this point and in the far distance – perhaps 170 metres – a human figure crosses at right angles just outside the fenceline of the property our camera is monitoring. Immediately they appear there’s a trigger alarm.

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60 se&n


at these sorts of big distances,” Wheeler tells me. “Our CEO Dr Hinkel is adamant that thermal is the way to go – we believe all day/night cameras will have a thermal sensor as an intrusion trigger. And when you think of the capability, the extreme range and the performance of the camera, the cost is very low. We are the most affordable dual sensor camera on the market and offer an 80,000-hour (9-year) warranty.”

This level of reliability is a game changer in more ways than one. It’s not just about detecting intrusion reliably – it’s about what reliable intrusion detection means for bandwidth and storage in every network surveillance solution.

We all agree that video cameras the world over, particularly after hours and on industrial, commercial and government sites without public traffic, are recording enormous quantities of nothing. They record static scenes just in case something happens.

Most people would also generally agree that thermographic cameras offer as close as

it is possible to get to 100 per cent accurate IVA 24-hours a day. Because you are no longer recording all the time, you can record instances of human or vehicle intrusion in real time and at the highest resolution possible.

The combination of the M15-D and MxActivity Sensor is a disrupting technology I don’t think many people comprehend yet. The nature of this disruption is best demonstrated by another scene Wheeler shows me. It’s another perimeter, this one has a walking/cycling path on the public side of a fence line and a row of bushy screening trees on the sterile side. It’s a challenging scene. The camera’s job is to detect humans in the field of view while ignoring trees, which is no easy task for any IVA solution.

Now Wheeler points to the 24-hour comparison. A camera linked to a normal IVA has detected 8181 separate events and recorded 9341MB of data. Conversely, the MxActivity Sensor and M15-D have recorded 138 events and just 157MB of data.

To put this into context, MxActivitySensor required 1.7 per cent of the storage demand of a standard VMD solution in this application. And the standard VMD is still miles better than a camera recording 1280 x 1024 (1MP) at 15 frames per second over a 24-hour period. Even using H.264 compression, the storage demand is a touch over 54GB per 24-hours. Now multiply 54GB by the number of cameras you have – 50, 100, 500 and multiply it by 30 days. This expensive equation is one of the reasons I keep seeing 1080p and 720p cameras recording in D1 at 12 frames per second. zzz

It’s not just about detecting intrusion reliably – it’s

about what reliable intrusion detection

means for bandwidth and storage in every network

surveillance solution.

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Morethan security

SecurityElectronicsMagazine_Honda_AUS.indd 1 25-07-2014 09:45:44

62 se&n

c a s e s t u d y k a n t e c h

Self-managed access control as a service could change the way access control systems are handled, to the significant benefit of end users, says Kantech.

Are you being served?

A FEW years back when customers began asking Integrator California Commercial Security (CCS) for to manage access control

systems, CCS and its existing manufacturer had to come up with creative solutions. Now 5 years later CSS found manufacturer Kantech could deliver a managed security platform that allowed customers to manage their own card access systems through an integrator-branded web-based portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the world.

“Managed access is one of the biggest security developments in years,” says Charles Baker, CEO, CCS. “It’s really a game changer in this business. Kantech’s managed access platform (distributed in Australia by QSS), is allowing us to offer our customers a product that they can manage on their own, without having to become an expert in security.”

Based in San Diego, California, CCS is a leading

se&n 63

Kantech’s managed access platform (distributed in Australia by QSS), is truly allowing us to offer our customers a product that they can manage

on their own, without having to become an expert in security.

be someone onsite who was not a security expert,” explains Baker. “This job was very often delegated to an office manager or an administrative assistant – 2 jobs with high turnover rates, which created ongoing continuity and training issues.”

So, CCS began offering its improvised managed access solution. Baker’s team would install a Kantech system at the customer’s location and then perform all the management of the system remotely. Customers would fax in any requests for modifications to the system and then CCS would perform them.

“This system was an improvement, but it could be cumbersome at times,” he says. “On one hand, it eliminated the need for the customer to download software updates or train new employees on the Kantech software, but on the other hand, customers had to fax in their requests for modifications to the system and then wait for them to be completed. If they sent us a fax during non-business hours, there was a lag time.”

So when Kantech introduced the new web-based managed security product in 2008, CCS was quick to adopt the new platform and introduce it to its customers. The web-based system quickly eliminated the need for having a computer on-site, installing or updating software, training employees on how to use the programs, and relying on CCS to manage the system for them.

As a result of this new offering, CCS was able to provide 2 distinct product choices to its customers. A fully managed solution remained available, wherein the trained CCS staff would continue to make system changes upon the receipt of verified fax and e-mail requests. A hosted solution provided an alternative to the fully managed product. The hosted solution leverages the innovative web-based interface and allows customers to retain more day-to-day and minute-by-minute control over their security systems, if that is what they prefer.

“The web portal marked the beginning of important additional managed security options,” Baker claims. “Now, customers can log on from anywhere in the world and manage their systems 24/7. And, they can do it themselves – it’s easy to use and they still do not have to be a security expert. It literally takes 10 minutes to train someone on the program.”

To illustrate his point, Baker describes a scenario that leaves a company vulnerable to theft. Say an

regional security integrator in Southern California. It provides card access, fire systems, CCTV and more for the military, building owners, HOAs and other commercial/industrial environments.

“Our main goal is to provide cutting-edge solutions that help our customers run their businesses better,” says Baker. “Kantech has helped us do that. Before, we were improvising a managed solution and now we can offer a truly managed solution.”

In the past, when a building owner had common areas and doors that needed restricted access, they would approach CSS and request a card access system. However, that traditional system would require an onsite computer, software, and training on how to use the system. The challenge customers often ran into was - who would manage this system?

“The person tasked with running the day-to-day operations of the card access system – for example, activating a card for a new employee – would often

64 se&n

and sends a copy to a secure site via FTP transfer – allowing companies to stop worrying about the expensive and disruptive problem of losing data if their servers go down.

Baker estimates that 99 per cent of his new customers select the hosted solution. They currently have more than 100 accounts active in the new system. He also adds that while some of Kantech’s competitors offer a web-based platform, they don’t offer the same level of quality or ease of use.

“The Kantech managed access platform is far more robust than competitor’s products,” says Baker. “It allows us to deliver a unique, personal, secure and easy-to-use product for our customers.

“Additionally, we are able to leverage our extensive installed base of Kantech KT300 and KT400 controllers. Our existing customers do not have to toss their old Kantech hardware out, but instead are able to upgrade to this new managed solution with very minimal costs. In fact, we are normally able to demonstrate that a managed solution offers them an immediate return on their investment. This is an exciting time for us.”

For CCS, the ultimate goal is to make their customers shine, and these products help them do so.

“In the past, if one of our property managers gets a call from the CEO of one of their biggest tenants at 3 p.m. on Sunday complaining that his access card isn’t working, they would have had to get in the car, drive to the building, and let the CEO in with a key,” explains Baker. “Now, they can log on via the web or a Smartphone, verify that the CEO was legitimate via the CCTV image, and remotely unlock that door for him. They just solved a problem in moments, not hours – and they look like a hero.

“We are excited about the future of managed access control,” says Baker. “I don’t see this trend slowing down at all. In fact, in a tough economy where our customers are searching for ways to reduce costs and streamline, a managed access system often fits the bill. We help our customers recognize the concrete cost benefits associated with outsourcing this portion of their security. It is really a win-win situation for CCS and our customers.” zzz

employee went out to dinner one evening after work and her purse with company ID inside was stolen. The thief could have full access to the company’s assets – creating a serious security risk. With the new web-based managed solution, the victim could report her ID stolen, and the building manager could immediately log onto the website and de-register that ID card.

Under the previous solution, the building manager would have to fax a form to CCS requesting the stolen ID badge be de-registered, and then wait until regular business hours when CCS could make the change – leaving the company building vulnerable to theft all night long. For Baker, this scenario hits home with many of his pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

“We’re warmly received in these industries,” Baker says. “They like having a security system that allows them to focus on science – not security. For obvious reasons, there is a real security concern when it comes to controlling access to these drug testing and manufacturing facilities. They also appreciate the fact that our servers are secure, offer RAID data protection, and the fact that their critical system data is backed up off-site each evening.”

Other industries that benefit from either managed or hosted security solutions include Homeowners Associations (HOAs), which typically use card access to manage entry to pools, gyms and neighborhood gates. Often times, there is no employee on site to manage these systems and with the new managed security solutions, that’s not a problem. CCS will just install the system and the HOA management company or the HOA Board members can manage the system themselves off-site.

In addition to being easier to use and easier to train someone on, another benefit of a portal managed access system is that it eliminates the need for companies to back-up their system information. CCS backs up their data every night

Customers can log on from anywhere in the world and

manage their systems 24/7...it’s easy to use and they still do not have to be a security

expert. It literally takes 10 minutes to train someone on

the program.

c a s e s t u d y k a n t e c h

66 se&n

n e w p r o d u c t v - p l e x b u s

Honeywell’s V-Plex bus is a polling loop designed to support Vista 120 and 250 alarm panels as well as Tuxedo, that scoops

up zone inputs and distributes zone outputs across any site where it’s installed.

Buena VistaV-Plex cable

Vista 250

se&n 67

b y j o h n a d a m s

Think how much labour can be saved, scissor lift hire,

you don’t need DGPs and when you get back to wiring the panel, it’s not 50 cables coming in from all over the

place, it’s one.

for sensing door position, the presence of smoke, humidity levels, motion, temperature levels, pump running, and other supervision systems. Conversely it offers relay outputs for connecting remotely controlled devices like lights, heating, air conditioning, motors, pumps, sirens, gates, doors, indicators, and other electric appliances.

According to Honeywell’s John Gellel, V-Plex is one of his favourite products just now and listening to him talk, it’s not hard to see why.

“I’m really excited about the potential of V-Plex,” Gellel tells me. “It’s a Honeywell protocol that works with our bigger Vista panels, the Vista 120 and Vista 250, as well as Tuxedo, that enables a single figure-8, 4-core, or Cat-5 security comms bus to support multiple devices. You simply attach your remote detection devices to the bus.

“If you buy devices from Honeywell, then each device has a 7-digit serial number that is linked to a given zone,” he explains. “All these devices are individually addressed up to a total of 250 zones on the panel and programming is at the keypad or via laptop. It’s very, very simple.

“However, if your reed switches, smoke detectors, glass breaks, PIRs, etc, are traditional sensors, you can buy a little SIM module that fits into a normal detector and has the V-Plex serial number on it. On one side the SIM module talks to a traditional sensor, on the other side it talks to the panel. This means you are not limited to just our devices.”

According to Gellel, it’s real world applications that show the power of V-Plex to greatest effect.

“We have a client who does a lot of retail distribution sheds with roller door, after roller door after roller door,” he explains. “In this case, one 4-core cable is installed as a single run around the site and it handles all the doors. The bus doesn’t need to be a loop. It can be terminated in the field and that means less conduit is needed, less time is required to run the cable and it’s easier to expand the system in the future.

“Think how much labour can be saved, less scissor lift hire, you don’t need DGPs and when you get back to wiring the panel, it’s not 50 cables coming in from all over the place, it’s one. Yet there’s no loss of functionality. Users can still see zone status and

ONE of the neat new things I saw at Security 2014 was Honeywell’s V-Plex bus, a patented polling loop in the form of a 2-wire cable

system that works with Vista 120, 250 and also integrates with Tuxedo. Bus solutions have always had great advantages and V-Plex is no exception.

Fundamentally, V-Plex bus is a 2-wire cable that is installed around a facility. Zone inputs and relay outputs are then ported into the bus. The control panel that you select determines the number of devices you can connect to the V-Plex bus.

The V-Plex bus control panels offer zone inputs

68 se&n

control relay outputs from the system keypad.” Something else that’s neat about V-Plex is that

you can also run 15 doors of access control using any Weigand readers. The way access control is bought into a system is via VistaKey, which supports up to 15 doors of seamless integration, and also allows arming and disarming of a Vista security system with an access card.

VistaKey connects to the V-Plex bus and tracks employee door entry and locks/unlocks doors on schedule, restricts access based on job function, time or location and records events to an event log. It’s a cool solution. There’s also a relay module that sits on the bus with an input and an output for driving remote doors.

“V-Plex runs on a figure-8 cable so you could run a 4 or 6-core and use the spare cables for your keypad – one pair for V-Plex, and one for a keypad,” Gellel explains. “Vista systems also support wireless devices, up to 250, depending on the panel. The wireless receiver goes onto the keypad bus with the V-Plex.”

When it comes to installing a bus to support an application that demands a star configuration thanks to the layout of a site, it’s possible to install multiple buses up to the maximum number of inputs of the panel. And if the number of required devices for the system exceeds control panel

VistaKey connects to the V-Plex bus and tracks

employee door entry and locks/unlocks doors on

schedule, restricts access based on job function, time

or location and records events to an event log. It’s a

cool solution.

n e w p r o d u c t v - p l e x b u s

capacity, you can link up to 8 control panels together. Panel Linking unifies the panels and allows you to control any panel from any system keypad.

For larger buildings, or buildings with more devices, installers can use Honeywell’s Vista 4297 modules to create an extended V-Plex bus. Although the maximum cable distance can’t exceed 4000m, the 4297 module increases the number of devices that you can connect and effectively increases the distance of each cable. zzz

Features of Honeywell V-Plex include:l Reduced costsl Reduced power consumptionl Fast, accurate identification and responsel Reduced time and labourl Reduced maintenance costs.

VistaKey module

70 se&n

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is built around 9 principles. These principles can be used by security managers to better control and protect their own and adjoining sites. Understanding the nature of space will also help system designers recognize and defend vulnerable locations.

to draw abnormal users into spaces controlled by normal users.

l At the same time, try to place safe activities in unsafe locations. This means getting the staff touch football teams to do their training on an oval alongside a mean street in which the majority of staff park their cars. The normal users will dominate the space, including the street, and will challenge the presence of abnormal users, who will move on.

l Bring unsafe activites into safe locations in order to provide the greatest measure of protection for them. Put school kids’ playing areas in front of the staff room windows with maximum surveillance. If female staff use a grassy area of the site for Tai Chi early in the mornings, make sure the area they use is under surveillance from early starters like security, warehouse or mail room staff. Vulnerable groups or activities should be close to lines of communication and immediate support. You can use your video surveillance system to support such activities.

l Redesignate the use of space to create natural barriers of protection. Do this by screening areas and activities that need protection from observation by abnormal users on the fringes of the site.

l Improve the scheduling of space by using open spaces that have other areas under surveillance for productive and effective activities. Build lunching areas in formally unused spaces and provide well-tended gardens - both will increase your spatial control.

l Finally, improve communication with remote areas and remote activities accommodating company activities. Link remote workshops by phone and ensure some of your more powerful cameras can be pointed in the direction of remote buildings in the event of an incident. Instruct security patrols to regularly call on remote sites and to keep an eye on remote activities. zzz

ExtErior dEsign

s e c u r i t y m a n a g e m e n t b y j o h n a d a m s

PROPERLY applied, CPTED allows effective security policy to govern space on a site using physical and electronic means. While you

normally think of space design as something that ends the minute an architect’s building plans are signed off, that’s only half the story. Even if the design you’re stuck with creates vulnerable areas, you can make them into strengths.

Imagine the darkest, most sinister alley between 2 buildings on the edge of a university site, a location normal users are sometimes afraid to go - reinforcing the area’s dangerous qualities. Your task is to own the space by any means possible. Locate a help point complete with video surveillance and welcoming lighting at either end.

Remember that the concept of CPTED is based on the psychological principle that environmental cues indicate to a normal user that a location is safe while at the same time telling an abnormal user it’s not safe for abnormal behaviour. A security manger familiar with CPTED should start to see the environment differently, recognizing safe or unsafe space immediately, and knowing why it’s safe or unsafe. There are 9 principles of CPTED including:l Provide clear border definitions for control of space. That means defining boundaries physically or symbolically with fences, shrubs or signs, so both normal and abnormal users recognize public to private space transitions. Inside a building, you can do the same thing using colour, light and furniture.

l Build and clearly mark transitional zones between public, semi-public, semi-private and private zones. This reduces the range of excuses for intrusion into private areas.

l Relocate gathering areas of normal users in order to place them in places with good surveillance with natural access control - a flight of stairs leading up to a grassy area. You can put such gathering places out of sight of areas frequented by abnormal users in order

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INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CONTROL SOLUTIONSAustlink Corporate Park, Unit 3, 4 Narabang WayBelrose NSW 2085 Australia 11.612.9485.0485 [email protected] | www.iscs.com.au

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When you are staking your reputation on a solution - choose the most powerful and intelligent access control systems in the world, choose the total security relationship with DSX.

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Installers, integrators and end users should have a sense of hard drive projected mean time to failure and be able to broadly assess failure-free operating periods.

Hard tack

MODERN hard disk failures are usually related to the head-disk interface and there are a range of issues that can impact on this.

First up there’s handling damage, then temporary interface disruption, media damage and thermo-mechanical stability of the read-write structures. Depending on application, environment and the

‘lifestyle’ of the drive, the causes may relate to the customer end. In this case, damage will be caused by mechanical shocks, extrinsic contamination and condensation.

If the cause of the problem relates to manufacture, the problem may not necessarily be one of design but could be induced during the manufacturing process itself. Such issues will include intrinsic contamination, servo errors, particulates, increases in lube thickness, localised weak or thin regions in the carbon overcoat or by head contacts with the disk. Given HDDs have integral logic boards, other issues might be solder joint fatigue or dendritic growth of solder that could lead to shorts.

For the security manager and the tech many of the whys and wherefores are going to be moot. Obviously you should push for the installation of more reliable constant duty HDDs but once they’re installed the key contribution you can make is

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b y j o h n a d a m s

In terms of price, Seagate is least expensive, followed by Western Digital and then Hitachi,

with not a great deal in it. Maybe $40-50 separates the most and least expensive 3TB

3.5-inch HDDs.

guarantee once you’re outside the typical 12-month warranty period and not all HDDs are created equal, according to recent data. This applies especially for HDDs used in constant duty applications.

When specifying and building a system you need to balance out the cost of higher quality HDDs with the cost of replacing drives at shorter intervals. Given the cost of maintenance, especially with smaller systems, the best economy of scale will almost always be with the higher quality, better performing solution, given the cost variation at purchase point may be less than $75 per drive.

From a maintenance procedure point of view, the key number to pay attention to is the failure-free operating period. The FFOP concept is the point in time after activation in a system that HDD mechanisms will begin to wear out. Once that FFOP is established you can think about maintenance management and performance screening checks that might prevent early failure. Such screens might simply be measuring average temperature HDDs are subject to, testing dust and moisture levels, taking in account vibration and either winding in the expected FFOP or remedying problems to ensure expected longevity targets are met.

From a technical point of view, HDDs have delicate or sensitive design elements or components that can be thought of as wear-out mechanisms. Different applications will challenge different wear-out mechanisms, whether these be the head-disk interface or PZT actuators. You need to be aware that manufacturers often base their assumptions of FFOP on tests that bring such components to failure and you should establish what the parameters of those tests was.

There’s no point relying on predictions of 6 years FFOP if the study is based on PZT actuator failure under conditions of zero vibration in an ambient temperature of 25 degrees C and your application calls for a mobile DVR in an environment with part time air conditioning, variable humidity and a diesel engine.

Different manufacturers have different rules when it comes to establishing reliability. They also set down different temperature tolerances and as a general rule don’t take into account variations like vibration or extreme temperatures. That means you need to consider these elements yourself. Experience will play a major part. Once you’ve been using HDDs in a given application for a couple

limited to maintenance based on understanding mean time to failure and mapping out a realistic failure-free operating period.

How long will your hard disk last and what sort of disk should you use given the importance of HDD performance in terms of your CCTV system’s overall reliability? One thing is certain. Hard disk reliability has come a long way in 15 years. When those early American Dynamics’ Intellex units hit the market in Australia in 1997, mean time between failure was up from the 100-150,000 hour average of 1993 to around 250,000. By 1999, MTTF was around 400,000 hours.

The 2014 numbers are claimed to stretch all the way from 100,000 to 1 million hours, between 11 and 110 years, depending on usage. There’s even talk of 1.2 million hours MTTF. Taking MTTF into account is important for security managers and maintenance technicians alike. But claimed MTTF is not a

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security operations to miss out when it comes to resources and infrastructure. Whether this means your designated node zero is an ill-constructed guard house with no air conditioning or the damp basement of a railway station or shopping centre, the results are the same.

You need to find out what’s required to maximise HDD lifespan and take what measures you can to improve reliability, even if that only means moving racks away from wall (if you have the real estate) to allow better air flow. Better yet, you might find a spot in a remote rack in your site’s computer room, though this will kick up thorny issues relating to physical security and access control.

Security managers, system designers and techs should favour HDDs built specifically for their sort of application. You want some tolerance for tough environments, integration of fly-by-wire technology, additional ventilation, as well as self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology built into your hardware and your security applications. SMART technology allows the drive to monitor its functionality against alert thresholds. Regular checking of SMART status can pay off if your application cannot afford failure but was cramped by lack of resources and lacks redundancy.

of years you’re going to get a feel for the sort of performance a particular product is likely to deliver.

A key issue for some video surveillance recording applications is the level of active operation and this may vary depending on the nature of the recording system you have installed. If constant duty is required there will be pressure on elements of the drive and greater need for adequate ventilation or cooling. At the same time, a drive that is used 80 per cent of the time as might be the case in a RAID 5 application where elements of the video stream are stored as strips of data across 5 locations on different drives, will suffer wear in other ways.

Drive spindles can cop a beating when the drive is momentarily powered down in the stop/start course of recording parts of events. Some drive manufacturers only project a 50,000 cycle limit for start/stop cycles and that may be a major problem if your application relies on start/stop cycles to get the job done. Consider that over a 5-7 year lifespan an HDD may only start and stop 25 times per day or there will be an impact on reliability in the long term. Consider eco-friendly drives with a pragmatic eye. These spin down when not in use and restart when needed and that effort puts miles onto the hardware.

Take-off and landing repetitions are a leading cause of failure though the problems vary based on design. Consider that when a hard drive is powered down, the springs or actuator coil (depending on the type of actuator) attached to the heads pull the head into the platter. This is called a landing. Every drive is designed to handle thousands of takeoffs and landings but since the head actually hits the platter, it’s best to have this happen on a section of platter where there is no data.

In a voice coil HDD design, the actuator coil springs the heads into a landing zone and lock position before the drive even stops spinning. The landing zone typically lies on the innermost cylinder or the outermost cylinder. This assures that the heads are not just let go of and left to drag along the platter until the platter stops, a problem common to the old stepper motor design. When powered on, the drive automatically unparks itself and the coil is overcome by the magnetic force.

Another area of potential weakness and failure is the logic board – a PCB located underneath the drive. This board controls the spindle and head actuator and also translates data to a form usable by the controller and the rest of the system. Sometimes, an apparent disk failure is actually a failure of this logic board. In such a case, you can replace the logic board and regain access to the data held on the drive by unplugging the board (and its attachment screws) and plugging a new board into the drive.

As we’ve mentioned before, there are many environments that are likely to challenge HDDs in electronic security applications. These can occur notwithstanding the propensity for

You need to be aware that

manufacturers often base their

assumptions of FFOP on

tests that bring particular

components to failure and

you should establish what

the parameters of those tests

was.

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What the data saysRecent data from cloud backup provider Backblaze suggests there are differences in MTTF between manufacturers. Backblaze has 27,000 consumer-grade HDDs (non constant duty) in its data centres and it says failure rates vary between 2-24 per cent annually, depending on product line and manufacturer. That’s a huge difference. According to BackBlaze’s Brian Beach, the company’s storage covers a range of drive models and capacities, with just under 40PB of Seagate storage, 36PB of Hitachi storage, and 2.6PB of Western Digital storage.

You’d think that most HDDs, like cars, would be very reliable from the start, with waning reliability as time goes by. But BackBlaze’s numbers say something else. According to the data, different models from the same maker have wildly different levels of reliability at various times of their lives. For instance, 1.5TB Seagate Barracudas around 2 years old had a 25.4 per cent annual failure rate. Yet the newest Seagate 4TB models, had a very good failure rate of 3.7 per cent a year.

Backblaze’s 1.5TB Seagate drives include 539 model ST31500341AS Barracuda 7200.11 drives, (Seagate says they have an annualized failure rate

of 0.34 percent and an MTBF of 0.7 million hours), and 1929 model ST31500541AS Barracuda LP drives (AFR of 0.32 percent and an MTBF of 0.75 million hours, according to Seagate).

It’s worth pointing out here, that Seagate’s numbers are predicated on a consumer grade of use with the HDDs driving for 2400 hours each year. That’s not how Backblaze uses them. According to Backblaze, its HDDs work in particularly rugged environments. Instead, the 7200.11 HDDs are powered up for 10,000 hours each year, while the LP models are humming away for 50,000 hours each year. That’s relevant information for constant duty CCTV applications, however.

There were 2 particular kinds of drives, Western Digital 3TB units and Seagate LP (low power) 2TB units, that suffered higher than average failure rates. However, Backblaze believes that this is primarily due to the level of vibration in its drive cages which pack 45 disks into a 4U case, combined with these drives being energy-efficient models that spin down when not in use, adding to overall workload.

Of all Backblaze’s HDDs, Western Digital’s drives behaved in the most predictable manner. They had an early drop in MTTF then levelled out. In fact, the Western Digital drives appeared to show a classic bathtub curve, with early failures followed by long-term reliability, but Seagate and Hitachi drives don’t behave in the same way. Generally, Western Digital drives showed an excellent cost to performance ratio with an annual failure rate of 2.5-3 per cent.

Meanwhile, Hitachi HDDs performed the best, with its 3-year-old 2TB units having an excellent annual failure rate of only 1.1 percent, while the latest 4TB drives from Hitachi showed an annual failure rate of 1.5. A failure rate of less than 2 per cent for HDDs over a 3-year period is exceptionally good. That means Hitachi drives are the most reliable drives you can buy and importantly, even after Hitachi GST was acquired by Western Digital for $US4.8 billion early 2012, product quality remained strong.

In terms of price, Seagate is least expensive, followed by Western Digital and then Hitachi, with not a great deal in it. Maybe $40-50 separates the most and least expensive 3TB 3.5-inch HDDs. Overall, WD looks good, though for special applications where failure is less tolerable, the extra dollars are worth finding for Hitachi, to ensure the greatest and most consistent reliability.

But best choice may depend on the model you choose. Looking at the data, when it comes to Seagate you should go for its 4TB units, which had a failure rate of only 3.7 per cent. At that level of reliability and with a price differential of around 25 per cent compared to Hitachi (and 15 per cent less than WD), Seagate’s 4TB drives start to make very good sense. zzz

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editor’s choice What’s neW in the industry

QSS releaSeS alumia DVr range

l Q security systems has released a new family of analogue/960h/hd-sdi hybrid dVrs (4ch, 8ch and 16ch) designed to be retro fitted into sites that are pre-cabled with 75 Ohm coaxial cable. there is also a complementary range of hd-sdi cameras.these new recorders will accept standard analogue cameras and record them in d1 resolution, as well as 700tVL cameras which will record at 960h, or hd-sdi (high definition – serial digital interface) cameras which will record in high definition (1080P). each input can independently view and record any camera in real time. note that full hd is restricted by distance. For instance, rG59B/u is good for 90m.

Distributor: QSS Contact: +61 3 9646 9016

HarDwireD-to-wireleSS ConVerterl hOneyWeLL’s 5800C2W hardwired-to-wireless converter enables retrofitting of existing 12-volt security systems by converting their wired sensors to honeywell’s 5800 series wireless technology. in addition, it can be used in new construction installations that have been fitted with hardwired systems. Converting existing wired zones to wireless saves on installation cost, time and materials, since there is no need to replace wired devices with individual transmitters. honeywell’s 5800C2W is simple to install and extremely flexible. it can power wired Pirs, and the included power supply is backed up with a standard, rechargeable battery. One button calibration automatically configures 5800C2W by learning what zones are in use.

Distributor: Honeywell Security Contact: 1300 234234

BoSCH DiStriButing DenSo 2-D laSer SenSor

l BOsCh security systems’ densO area sensor uses a 2-dimensional laser plane to build a virtual ‘image’ of a detection environment and is then capable of independently tracking up to 16 moving objects within its detection area, feeding this data to intrusion detection systems, or even directly taking control of iP PtZ cameras by way of the OnViF protocol.One of the most advanced features of the densO area sensor is its ability to directly control iP PtZ cameras. While similar detectors in the market rely on low-level contact closure to switch cameras to presets based on detection in a limited number of ‘zones’, the area sensor can provide direct telemetry control to a camera including automatically acquiring the next highest priority target after the currently tracked object leaves the scene.

Distributor: Bosch Security Systems Contact: +61 2 9672 1777

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Security center by Genetec

l GeneteC’s security Center is deployed in some of the world’s most demanding installations. security Centre seamlessly blends iP security surveillance systems within a single intuitive interface to simplify your operations. in addition to merging video surveillance, access control and LPr, security Center supports a large number of third party systems, including intrusion panels, asset and building management systems such as Poe and WiFi wireless door lock hardware, and video analytics.

Distributor: Hills OPS contact: 1800 685 487

XtraliS VeSDa VlQ

l Vesda VLQ detector is a cost-effective aspirated smoke detection (asd) solution from hills that’s suited to compact area applications of up to 100 square metres. VLQ detectors use laser-based air sampling technology to reliably detect smoke at the earliest, pre-combustion stage. Vesda VLQ adds significant value to the security services offering by providing an early warning alert of the fire risk, provides for the protection of server rooms, switch/computer rooms, substations, signalling rooms and machine rooms running critical processes. there are many installation advantages such as out-of-box operation, stand-alone functionality and simplified pipe network, as well as potential insurance premium reductions

Distributor: Hills PacOM and Hills DaS contact: 1800 685 487

neSS SMartliVinG

l ness Corporation’s smartLiving suite of security control panels range from 5 terminals (10 zones) to 100 terminals (200 zones) all with a powerful feature set and numerous innovations including terminals can be programmed as inputs or outputs. using a proprietary, high-speed i-Bus, smartLiving has full bus connectivity for flexibility, fast installation and reduced cabling. smartLiving bus devices can be remotely diagnosed and configured - and smartLiving 2-way wireless devices can be configured and controlled over-the-air. according to ness, the smart looks and easy to use graphical interface of the smartLiving keypads and touch screens complement the very clever smartphone app. Bookings are open for installer/integrator training courses running in all ness branches.

Distributor: ness corporation contact: +61 2 8825 9222, [email protected]

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Hikvision’s 1.3MP WDR coveRt iP caMeRa

l desiGned with flexibility in mind is hikvision’s ds-2Cd64 covert camera series. Comprised of a palm-sized main unit and thumb-sized lens, these cameras easily blend into a variety of environments where space may be an issue.Loaded with an abundance of powerful features such as 120dB Wdr and image processing functionalities like 3d dnr and BLC, the ds-2Cd64 is capable of capturing hd images under most lighting conditions.With different lens types available, this series provides both flexibility and ease of installation and is an excellent solution for discreet surveillance applications including atMs and upscale retail locations.

Distributor: central security Distribution contact: contact: 1300 319 499

avigilon’s 2MP HD MicRo DoMe

l With a small and discreet form factor, avigilon’s 2MP hd Micro dome camera ranks as one of the industry’s smallest high definition dome cameras and enables a cost-effective transition to hd video surveillance and all the advantages of the avigilon Control Centre. With 3 axis of rotation and unsurpassed image quality at 30 images per second (full resolution), the 2MP hd Micro dome camera delivers a versatile solution for monitoring activities in a variety of environments including indoor or outdoor building entrances and hallways and for applications in retail, hospitality, banking and commercial installations.

Distributor: central security Distribution contact: contact: 1300 319 499

aXis P3364-lve caMeRa l the aXis P3364-LVe is a 1-megapixel day and night fixed dome network camera that offers strong video performance even when the environment is completely dark. the built-in ir solution in aXis P3364-LVe automatically adapts the illumination angle with the zoom level, which simplifies installation. the camera’s weather-proof and vandal-resistant casing makes it ideal for harsh environments. Features include video in 1MP or hdtV 720p quality, multiple h.264 videos streams, easy installation including remote zoom and focus, built-in high-efficiency, long-life Led’s for ir illumination, outdoor-ready and vandal-resistant design.

Distributor: Hills lan1 and Hills oPs contact: 1800 685 487

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iPViSTA from EoS AuSTrAliA

l neW from eOs australia is iPVista, a spot monitoring solution for iP surveillance systems that’s nVr-free, decoder-free and VMs client-free.iPVista arrives fully-configured and is controlled with a wireless mouse. unlike conventional iP decoders, ipVista does not require a PC to access its functionality.all OnViF-compatible iP cameras can be displayed directly from the iP camera, eliminating any additional processing power from your VMs server. Live hd video can simply be displayed via hdMi input on a monitor or tV. single or multiple cameras can be permanently displayed or users can switch between pre-configured screen styles.thanks to its built-in wireless 802.11b/g/n module and a high-gain external antenna, all iPVista needs is a WiFi signal and it is ready to go. no bulky wires or network cables required.

Distributor: EoS Australia Contact: +61 2 9749 5888

HonEywEll VAm

l hOneyWeLL’s newly introduced Vista automation Module (VaM), allows security integrators to offer affordable home automation to customers who already own Vista security systems. the VaM can control up to 232 Z-Wave devices - including thermostats, locks and light fixtures - assists installers can more easily create connected homes with security technology at the core.the device supports up to 32 iP cameras, and a built-in web server allows homeowners to control the VaM and view live video using any web-supported device such as a smartphone or tablet while on the premises. additionally, consumers using the award-winning honeywell total Connect remote services can control the system remotely from anywhere with an internet connection.

Distributor: Honeywell Security Contact: 1300 234234

linkSPrinTEr from flukE nETworkS

l FLuKe networks Linksprinter provides technicians network troubleshooting in as little as 9 seconds. the tester features a 1-button, auto-test design allowing security installers to simply plug in the ethernet cable they’re working with to do a full health check.there are 5 tri-colored Leds (internet, Gateway, dhCP, Link, and Poe) on the Linksprinter that help installers troubleshoot various network issues. When you plug in ethernet switches, they send out a port advertisement – this is either called CdP (Cisco discovery Protocol) or LLdP (Link Layer discovery Protocol) – and in that information packet is a lot of info about the slot port that you’re plugged into, the VLan you’re on and the exact switch you’ve plugged into.Linksprinter 100 retails for $a199 provides users with network testing and automatic reporting to the cloud. Linksprinter 200 is $299 and features built-in Wi-Fi hotspot and diagnostics accessed

on mobile devices.

Distributor: fluke networks Australia Contact: +61 2 8850 3333

APPViSion PSim for SCHnEiDEr/PElCo

l appVision PsiM is now integrated to support several schneider and Pelco technologies including Pelco endura, Pelco cameras, Pelco d, Pelco KdB keyboard, schneider Modbus tCP and serial and schneider Bacnet controller.according to Olly d’souza of technologyCare, the value proposition is that a customer will get a single user interface and will not have to worry about legacy or new Pelco products for existing or new projects.“it’s a user interface that can integrate comfortably with other systems like tecom, Cardax, hikvison/truevison, axis, Mobotix, Milestone, Genetec, all bound together,” d’souza says.

Distributor: TechnologyCare Contact: +61 401 108 244

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helpdesk Our panel Of experts answers yOur questiOns.

r e g u l a r s h e l p d e s k

Q:We’ve experienced terrible corrosion in some of our brackets, with bolts dissolving. Some seem to corrode faster than others. Is there something we can do to reduce the problem?

a: COrrOsiOn is the deterioration of purified metals back to their oxide form. the deterioration is a result of reaction with oxygen, sodium chloride and moisture in the environment. Oxidation of metals is an electrochemical reaction in which a natural ‘battery’ is formed and the current that flows in this battery is part of an anodic process that sees metal disintegrate. the process can be accelerated when 2 metals with different nobilities are in contact with each other. During this process the metal with the least resistance to corrosion is always the one that corrodes first and it does so much faster than it would if corroding on its own. listed from lowest resistance to corrosion to the highest resistance are metals including magnesium, zinc, untreated iron or steel, lead and tin solders; copper, brass and bronze; stainless steel (all ss grades ranging from lowest to highest in quality). important to take into account is that the anodic relationship applies to electronic security installations where cheapo metals are used in screws and mountings in contact with other metal parts. as a result you need to ensure housings are properly prepared and painted or powder coated, with screws and bolts being marine grade stainless steel or galvanized steel. there are also

Q: Why do hard drives fail and what can we do to mitigate that failure?

a: temperature is the single most important factor in determining the working life of a disk drive. that means you need to look at ventilation, including performance of fans. in particular, watch out for dust build-up. the failure rate of hard disks increases by about 2 per cent for each degree Celsius above normal operating temperature. this relationship is not linear and at 5C over the standard operating temperature there is a 15 per cent higher failure rate. Good choice of disks and operating

conditions can reduce the expected failure rate of disks but failure can never be completely ruled out, so it is important that appropriate contingency should be made for that eventuality. How much this should worry you depends on how much you stand to lose. if the potential loss is great then it makes sense to incorporate a significant level of redundancy into the system.

Q: We’ve experienced difficulties working in a terrace house in Melbourne – the commercial end user had trouble in the past and wanted wired, not wireless. But going hard wired meant drilling into friable 130 year old plaster, which turned out to be a disaster aesthetically. All our careful holes doubled and tripled in size during the process of installation. After talking with the user, we ended up bonding the backing plates to some of the walls. Are there other options you could suggest?

a: installers working around old plaster walls should not underestimate the delicacy of the task. Before you get the masonry drill bit out and start chewing away at a wall, knock on the plaster with a knuckle. plaster that has broken keys and has pulled away from the lathes holding it in place will sound hollow. you don’t want to drill into these weaker areas or the plaster will start jumping off the wall.

coatings you can apply that will help parts resist corrosion. the idea is to properly prepare and maintain external metal fittings, painting or coating them to ensure any nicks or scratches in the paintwork are retouched. you also need to ensure there’s no way moisture can build up on and around the metal conduit or its fittings. this most often happens when the conduit is mounted firmly against wall and dust, dirt and plant matter build up in the wall side crack, retaining moisture that begins to break down the metal. in terms of ultimate choice we’d look at galvanised steel, stainless steel or copper conduits (galv steel and copper are cheapest) with galvanized or stainless steel fittings.

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helpdesk Our panel Of experts answers yOur questiOns.

Keep knocking. you’ll have found a firm place when you get a flat, higher sound. any time you’re unsure, just wander around the room tapping till you hear the hollow/firm variation – this will give you a reference for firm and hollow sounding plaster in that location. it’s often hard to tell if you’re going into bricks on the other side of the plaster or have hit timber lathing. if you run into a lathe you’ll need to be very careful. a good sign of timber is reaching a point where the masonry bit will go no further regardless of how firmly you push it. it goes without saying here that you should never be putting your whole body weight behind the drill - despite the fact we’ve all done it. any time you smack into a lathe behind plaster you’ll need to use a timber bit to get a bite. a real challenge when trying to achieve clean drilling in old plaster is ensuring the bit doesn’t start walking to the left thanks to torque forces when it hits hard bricks or a lathe. walking bits in old, dry plaster always mean tearing a much longer hole than you need. the last thing you want is a hole so big none of your plastic screw tappers will fit into it. we’ve seen holes in plaster walls behind pirs you could put two fingers into and that’s just not good enough. Be surgical about plaster drilling and you’ll be rewarded with much tidier installations and much happier customers. Our experience indicates that using smaller drill bits and smaller diameter screws usually

remains, then you’ll need to continue with your troubleshooting. attach a 2-pronged adaptor (no ground) to the monitor’s aC plug then plug the adaptor back into the same outlet - this removes the monitor from the electrical system’s ground. Don’t connect the grounding wire to the adaptor and remember to remove the 2-pronged adaptor as soon as your test is complete. removing ground poses a risk of serious injury. if when you plug the monitor’s plug back into the wall via the 2-pronged adaptor flagging is reduced, there’s a ground loop between your camera and the monitor. put in a passive or active ground loop corrector to solve your problem.

Q: Why don’t more installers include schematics as part of the commissioning process. We’ve been working on a legacy access control solution in a small shopping centre and it’s been an awful experience. There are actually 3 systems in the centre, supporting a range of tenants. Untangling the mess took us longer than expanding the system itself.

a: yeah, this is a problem everywhere. when you’re putting together small/medium alarm systems up to 16 zones it’s easy enough to keep track of zone designations on a card, or to figure the system by walking the site. But the bigger the system is and the older the system and the site are, the harder you’ll find it to keep track of zones and access cabling. with large systems like this one, incorporating hundreds of alarm points, and tens of dozens of doors you need to take a completely different approach. for a start, it’s vital that the project manager develops a columnar zone schedule form recording zone numbers, as well as device type, eOl location and zone response. part of the zone schedule should include a floor plan of the site with sensing devices included. a copy of this schedule should be kept by the security/facilities manager, another copy should be retained by the integration company for maintenance purposes but another copy should be either stuck inside the panel housing and/or located on the wall in a secure comms cupboard. zzz

provides the best results with plaster. Don’t be afraid to chuck out the short, fat screws supplied by a sensor manufacturer (ideal for plasterboard) and replace them with much thinner, longer types. as long as the screw heads stay inside the knockouts, a longer, thinner screw will do less damage to plaster than a short screw.

Q: We’ve installed a small analogue surveillance system recently and we’ve experienced tearing of images on one of the inputs. It seems we have got ourselves a ground loop. What would Help Desk advise in resolving this issue?

a: a single volt is enough to cause trouble on a coaxial lan - you’ll notice flagging or tearing on the monitors. you need to go the first point of connection at the DVr end of the run. Disconnect the coax and plug it directly into a monitor that’s sourcing power from the same outlet as the DVr was. if there’s no longer tearing in the picture you’ve got hardware or connection problems. if the tearing

Lathing under a plaster wall

Security in Government Conference 2014

Date: September, 1-3 Venue: National Convention Centre, CanberraContact: 61 2 6141 2987The SIG Conference targets senior executives responsible for managing security in agencies; officers from all levels of government who con-tribute to the development of security capabil-ity and response; security practitioners from the public and private sectors who contribute to the provision of services to government and critical infrastructure providers

Security Essen

Date: 23 - 26, September2014Venue: Messe Essen Fair Site, GermanyContact: +49-201-72440Security Essen is the world's most important trade fair for security and fire prevention. The world market for security is booming – it is pre-senting itself with all its facets in Essen. From fire prevention and cyber security and CCTV to the protection of outdoor areas: experts, deci-sion-makers and buyers from this industry will be meeting in Essen.

Security China

Date: 28 - 31 October, 2014Venue: New China International Exhibition Center, ChinaContact: Tel: 86 010-51920615 Fax: 86 010-51920049Security China in Beijing is located in the big-gest security distribution and procurement center in China and provides a major platform for exhibitors to meet government level buyers and senior management.

Security Exhibition & Conference

Date: July 15-17, 2015Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition CentreContact: Kylie McRorie on 03 9261 4504 or www.securityexpo.com.au for more information. Australasia’s premier security industry event, the Security Exhibition & Conference, will return to Melbourne in July 2015. In 2014 more than 4500 security professionals attended, there was a record number of individual registrations and 170 brands exhibited on the show floor.

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The annual SIG Conference and Exhibition, hosted by the Attorney-General’s Department, is the largest gathering of government and private sector protective security practitioners in one conference.

The theme for the SIG 2014 Conference program is Mitigating the trusted insider threat. The conference program will focus on:

• understandingandidentifyingtheriskfrom trusted insiders; and

• examiningcurrentandemergingpolicies, plans and business frameworksavailabletomitigatetherisk.

Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Attorney-General, will give the opening address at SIG 2014.

REGISTER NOW at www.ag.gov.au/sig For all other queries contact [email protected]

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8Ch NVR with 4 PoE Ports

16Ch NVR with 8 PoE Ports

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Sen aug2014

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