EDIT application jul15_000_PSI_mar15 26/06/2015 17:11 Page 5
APPLICATION
Connections Hello again, Communication failures; a long time ago when the only polled signalling was the PSTN path of a Redcare Classic, the police used to be dispatched to many a communication failure when the alarm was set. It became such an issue that a single path communication failures were not allowed to be actioned to the police unless an unconfirmed alarm had been received as well, which basically demoted the technology to that of a digital communicator, albeit one that the ARC knew the PSTN line had failed and informed the consumer / alarm company. Along came dual path signalling devices and European Standards, with signalling classified into 6 ATS grades determining when and in what timescales single path and dual path outages have to be reported to the ARC, depending on the grade of signalling. The preference for dual path signalling to date has been GPRS/GSM/3G and PSTN, or IP and GPRS/GSM/3G, but there are issues on the radio side of the signalling. More recently we have seen the likes of Vodafone and O2 upgrading networks to 4G causing major disruption to GPRS/GSM/3G connectivity and when added to the general day to day reliability of the IP/PSTN network it has on occasion buried ARC’s in communication failures. Different networks “slug” the delivery of single path failures to the ARC based on time, or whether the site is open or closed, but it’s all done within the permitted timescales of the ATS grades. However, there is not a common approach at network level to only delivering a confirmed communication failure to the ARC.
Command and control upgrade for Salford City Council
Salford City Council, which operates one of the largest public space surveillance systems in the UK, is to upgrade its central control room with Synectics’ Synergy 3 command and control platform. The upgrade is the latest phase in Salford’s use of CCTV, which in the last quarter of 2014 saw the team direct police to 220 incidents and make 64 arrests. Synergy 3, the latest evolution of Synectics’ technology, features new functionality including a customisable user interface, incident collaboration tools, and interactive mapping engine with Geospatial Information System (GIS) technology. Council staff monitor around 200 cameras across the city, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The upgrade to Synergy 3 will enable IP and analogue cameras from two separate systems, covering public and business areas, to be monitored and controlled in a single unified environment. The system will also enable the control room team to benefit from HD viewing on their display wall for the first time. Other factors that led to the decision to migrate to Synergy 3 were the improved mapping capabilities, to aid incident response, and the enhanced reporting capabilities. Deputy City Mayor, Councillor David Lancaster said: “Public safety is a top priority and investing in technology that is going to aid our highly skilled staff is important to prevent and detect crime. “CCTV is so important to public safety and security that system downtime is just not acceptable. Our Synectics solution has always been very reliable and our operators are very familiar with the system. That, coupled with the advantages of upgrading to Synergy 3, made it the right choice for us at this time.” Martyn Rowe, Head of Client Delivery, said: “For years Salford City Council’s use of CCTV has been seen as an industry benchmark for public space safety and security. We are proud to have been part of that journey and to now be working with the team there to help an already successful system evolve for the future.”
www.psimagazine.co.uk
Currently depending on how the PSTN path signals to the ARC, the radio outage is reported to the ARC via the IP/PSTN path as a single path failure. Now at this point of time the consumer has at best an equivalent of a basic communicator which is being polled rapidly for a given period, before being reported to the ARC as a polling failure when the PSTN/IP line has been cut. Depending on the grade of signalling that time could be as much as 25 hours later! Single path communication failures and the subsequent polling failures have now become a major issue for the security industry in general, consumers don’t want to know about radio failures because they can’t resolve the problem, neither can the installer. Many installers want single path failures on log only and only polling failures to be actioned, which is disastrous as a single path failure plus an unconfirmed alarm, is technically a confirmed alarm! It is my belief that the insurance world are unaware of what the installers are requesting of ARC’s or the level of communication failures that occur. Nor are they aware of the different working practices (all within the Standards) of the various network suppliers. The police service are being shielded from confirmed communication failures or a unconfirmed alarm plus single path failure (bell tamper + PSTN line cut) due to the working practices of the security industry who in turn are trying to filter out unwanted phone calls to consumers. Time for the industry and the network suppliers to get their house in order and work to a common goal.
Bye for now
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