Security Electronics & Networks by Security Electronics & Networks Magazine

JUNE 2021 ISSUE 432

MACHINE VISION

l News: Can Touch Biometrics Survive COVID-19? l News: Government Incentives For Tech Training l Technical Report: How Do Vibration Sensors Work?

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l The Interview: Scott Johnstone, Gallagher l Special Report: Access Control Authentication l Monitoring: Considerations of IP Alarms l Review: Panasonic i-PRO WV-X1551LN AI Bullet l New Products: Integriti V21 2-Factor Authentication

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editorial S E CU RI TY E L ECTR O NI C S & NETWO R KS J U NE 2021 ISSUE 4 32

By John Adams

MACHINE VISION OF THE FUTURE S video analytics continues unstoppable rise, it’s A its impossible not to wonder about multifarious machine vision technologies and what they might bring to lateral applications in sensing and surveillance. We should point out that machine vision traditionally refers to solutions that incorporate camera, frame grabber, and computer, with dedicated analysis software, that are used to monitor and manage industrial processes. Computer vision, meanwhile, describes algorithms that process an image on a computer or server. But as technology charges ahead, with algorithms getting lighter and processors more powerful, definitions like machine vision and computer vision become increasingly blurred by edge devices that combine both layers of functionality. CCTV solutions are at the bleeding edge of this crossover. In SEN this month, we look at what constitutes the best CCTV cameras, including whether higher resolutions mean more accurate video analytics. The answer to that question is an unqualified yes and an unqualified no. Better resolution means face recognition that’s more accurate in challenging environments, which might be flooded with movement, tortured by overexposure, and may only show partial faces or parts of relevant moving objects deep into a scene. It also means that analytics can be more discerning in relation to its ability to detect and report on static or moving objects. But average or low-resolution video streams also have their uses. If what you need is people counting, line crossing, detection of moving vehicles or people, then modest resolution works well. Given sensor photo sites can be larger, it’s likely that modest resolutions will offer superior 24-hour performance, especially with careful selection of focal lengths that are long enough

Something to consider when it comes to machine vision and sensing as a technology, is that it’s not limited to the optical vision of humans. to concentrate pixels where they are needed, and which have simple enough lens equations to maximise light reaching the sensor. Given the value of lower detail imagery, it’s worth considering that this value applies to other sensing technologies. Something to consider when it comes to machine vision, is that it’s not limited to the optical vision of humans (wavelengths between 390 and 770nm) typically associated with CCTV. Machine vision covers X-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared; this latter includes millimetre wave sensors, which are upper infrared, lower terahertz spectrum. These wavelengths have the potential to deliver critical information in many applications to the security teams of the future, automating processes, predicting events, even actioning automated responses in line with security procedures. Strengths of some of these nonoptical wavelengths include that they can be used by sensors to alert based on pattern matching, object recognition, or if shapes, numbers, logos, flags or symbols are detected in random or recurring ways. Sensors like this can also detect electrical signals, including wireless. Thermal sensing is technology with the potential to deliver considerable benefit to security operations as price/performance ratios come down. Presently, lower cost thermal is much lower resolution, and this has a negative impact on the levels of detail that can be drawn from scenes and evaluated by analytics. But, for simpler operations like people and vehicle counting out to 100 metres, low resolution thermal has plenty going for it. And thermal also has serious ability to detect fire events at long ranges in manned stations or when mounted

to towers in rugged terrain, where supported by solar power and wireless comms, it can automate bushfire management. Optical cameras also have a broad array of uses – think ANPR cameras, which detect license plates in transport, access control and identification applications. Bosch’s Aviotec IP Starlight fire detection camera represents another clever solution. This camera, which can standalone integrated with fire panels or be integrated in wider CCTV solutions, offers wide area detection of fire events using video analytics with the ability to analyse multiple events in parallel. The power of Aviotec is its ability to detect fires from TF1 to TF8 down to 2 lux. The same general capability applies to optical cameras empowered by analytics and more powerful integrated processors, to recognise the presence of knives or firearms, or to highlight the presence of every human, vehicle or bicycle in a scene. Importantly, the abilities of the latest vision systems include prediction. Some can construct a future sequence of events from events that have already occurred, delivering operational benefits like faster responses to unfolding emergencies in public surveillance or retail applications. Meanwhile, generative adversarial networks can be employed to enhance images. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of all this is clear signs of convergence between technologies that are mutually supporting but have never worked together in integrated devices or been applied as systems in typical applications thanks to complexity and expense. We are not there quite yet, but future generations of devices employing a range of sensing technologies and deliverin more functionality will take security operations to a new level. n se&n 03

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co O be mpa ver ex nie 30 hi b s itin wil g l

7TH A N N UA L

SECURITY AND GOVERNMENT EXPO SECURITY

& GOVERNMENT EXPO

W W W. S E C U R I T YA N D G O V E R N M E N T E X P O . C O M . A U

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THURSDAY 18TH NOVEMBER 2021

DON’T MISS IT! The Realm Hotel, Canberra Bringing the latest security products and technologies to government and commercial end users, installers and consultants in the nation’s capital.

See www.securityandgovernmentexpo.com.au for program and speaker details

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

INDUSTRY SPONSOR

L A N YA R D S P O N S O R

MEDIA SPONSOR

ACT Chapter

F O R F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N C O N TA C T M O N I Q U E K E AT I N G E O N 0 2 9 2 8 0 4 4 2 5

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18: BEST CCTV CAMERAS IN THE WORLD

8: CAN TOUCH BIOMETRICS SURVIVE COVID-19? Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit there have been questions over whether or not touch biometric solutions can survive or whether technology will swing towards touch-less fingerprint scanning and face recognition. 9: HILLS APPOINTS DAVID CLARKE NEW CEO Hills has announced the appointment of David Clarke as chief executive officer of the security and healthcare technology distribution business, effective immediately. 10 : AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES FOR TECHNICAL SECURITY TRAINING Technical security training incentives have been introduced by the Australian Government and are available now from nationally registered training organisation, Comtech Training.

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JUNE 21

In 2021, what’s the best CCTV camera in the world? Does it have a 1-inch sensor and excellent low light performance? Or are thermal and optical systems more important? Does the best camera have a skinny bitrate or is it empowered with powerful video analytics? Or does it combine all these desirable features across multiple views? 26: HOW DO VIBRATION SENSORS WORK? Vibration sensors are designed to detect low frequency energy or vibrations caused in the aftermath of heavy impacts that occur during forceful attacks on walls, ceilings, floors or other barriers. 28: SCOTT JOHNSTONE, GALLAGHER Gallagher’s national sales manager for Australia, Scott Johnstone, has worked with the company for 14 years, giving him considerable insight into the company’s technology, as well as the Australian access control market. 32: ACCESS CONTROL AUTHENTICATION Access control authentication technologies have been evolving for decades but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process, pushing users towards use of mobile authentication technologies and face recognition faster than ever before.

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38: PANASONIC I-PRO WV-X1551LN AI BULLET Panasonic’s i-PRO WV-X1551LN AI bullet camera is a polished new offering from the Japanese manufacturer, with great build quality, solid physical and optical specifications, and an evolved AI engine that’s designed to enhance security applications in the real world. 46: INTEGRITI V21 OFFERS 2-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

MACHINE VISION

l News: Can Touch Biometrics Survive COVID-19? l News: Government Incentives For Tech Training l Technical Report: How Do Vibration Sensors Work?

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

8: NEWS Latest business, product and technical news from Australia and around the world. 36: MONITORING Taking alarm systems onto networks poses some challenges relating to support hardware and firmware and installers and monitoring stations need to pay attention to the detail to ensure reliable and secure services. 44: EDITOR’S CHOICE

According to Inner Range, 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) can be the difference between keeping security and access control systems, accounting systems and HR information secure, or not.

JUNE 2021 ISSUE 432

regulars

What’s new from our electronic security manufacturers. 48: HELPDESK Our team of electronic security experts answers your tough technical questions.

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: tania@ taniasdesign.com.au

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NEWS IN BRIEF JUNE 2021

SECURCOM BOLSTERS PRESENCE IN SOUTH-EAST QUEENSLAND SECURITY integrator, Securcom, is opening a new branch facility at Eagle Farm in Brisbane to expand the capability of the business to service South East Queensland and beyond.

“Having started the business in 2000 with a keen desire to offer excellent service and project delivery to its clients and working out of its head office in Brendale, the business

has steadily added to its reach and locations in order to provide value to their clients,” Securcom’s Wade Anderson said. “Over the years, this has allowed growth and opportunities for local support and

HILLS APPOINTS DAVID CLARKE NEW CEO n HILLS has announced the appointment of David Clarke as chief executive officer of the security and healthcare technology distribution business, effective immediately. Clarke brings significant experience as a chief executive officer and chief financial officer of ASX-listed companies, with extensive knowledge across technology and healthcare, as well as distribution and technical field services. “I am delighted that David Clarke

we have appointed an executive of David’s calibre, with such a strong record in strategic, financial and operational leadership,” said Hills’ chair, Jennifer Hill-Ling. “David’s experience and business skills provide Hills with significant capability to deliver on the Health division’s growth strategy and return the distribution division to sustained profitability.” Clarke spent 7 years as a senior executive at ASX-listed health software

provider Corum Group Limited, including four as CEO and has held executive leadership roles at companies including Medtronic Australasia, Fisher & Paykel and the ASX-listed Nick Scali Limited. Drawing on experience in both distribution and health software technologies, Clarke said he was keen to explore new opportunities with Hills, in order to grow the business. “I’m excited to be taking on this leadership role at Hills,” he said. “I look forward to working with the board and the entire Hills team, supporting the success of our customers and suppliers, and generating growth that provides a sustainable return for our shareholders.” Clarke will work with the departing CEO, David Lenz, to ensure a seamless transition until Lenz’s retirement on 1 July 2021.

locations in Gladstone, Rockhampton, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra and now, Brisbane. “Our leadership team is constantly looking at ways to improve and add value to our business and the discussion around a Brisbane location has often come up. With us having 35 inhouse technicians between our Gold Coast and Brendale offices, utilising 760sqm of current warehouse and office space, the idea of a more central location made a lot of sense, particularly considering the ways this could benefit our current and future clients. The Eagle Farm location adds 330sqm, including warehouse space and offices.”

According to Anderson, the new space will provide a service hub for the Brisbane CBD allowing the company’s technical and service teams to rapidly respond to service requests and provide for preventative maintenance commitments in and around the CBD. “One of the more exciting additions with our new location will be the stateof-the-art experience centre,” Anderson said. “In a world of rapidly evolving technology, our experience centre will be the platform to have fully operational systems and integrations in place to demonstrate capabilities to our existing and new clients, as well as test the latest technology.”

FFT HAS BEEN AWARDED A CONTRACT TO MONITOR A NEW 3KM ANTI-CLIMB PERIMETER FENCE

n THE water reclamation facility needed to upgrade an existing perimeter intrusion detection solution to comply with strict new government security requirements for critical infrastructure protection. With the current legacy fence mounted security system generating numerous nuisance alarms, the upgraded solution needed to deliver superior performance and meet

strict site testing criteria. With intrusion simulations conducted on all fence zones during proof-ofconcept testing, FFT said its Secure Fence system successfully detected all intrusions and communicated event details to the integrated video management system which triggered the closest CCTV for intrusion verification that satisfied the customer’s strict requirements.

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Australian Government Incentives For Technical Security Training p.10 Alarm.Com Q1 Revenue Grows 14 Per Cent p.12 Gallagher Protecting Aurora Cannabis p.13 Eagle Eye Networks Announces Record Q1 Revenue, Expands p.14 DIY Security Installs Up 40 Per Cent Since 2018 p.16 Panasonic Partners With EEN p.17

COMPILED BY JOHN ADAMS

CAN TOUCH BIOMETRICS SURVIVE COVID-19? n SINCE the COVID-19 pandemic hit there have been questions over whether or not touch biometric solutions can survive, or whether technology will swing towards touch-less fingerprint scanning and face recognition. It’s a tricky call, especially given that many SMBs using standalone fingerprint scanners would find it difficult to

isolate staff from each other in other areas, such as door handles, shared bathrooms, kitchen taps, coffee machines and the rest of the shared surfaces in an office environment – including the innards of HVAC. In Australia, with continuing low incidence of COVID-19 in the community, going touchless seems extreme, even unrealistic. But in

other countries, including the U.K., the U.S, India, parts of Europe and South America, the seriousness of more recent outbreaks and the slow roll-out of vaccines, makes the notion of touchless far more important. Ultimately, it’s likely that the course of the pandemic will dictate trends. In ANZ, it seems likely that existing touch biometrics will survive,

albeit with more regular cleaning and adjacent hand sanitisers. SMBs and residential markets will likely continue to grow. New sales in large corporate and industrial applications are likely to be harder to come by in the future, and healthcare and aged care is going to be out. According to Steve Bell of Gallagher, while touch biometrics remain part of the access control landscape, there have been alternatives for some years. “Even prior to COVID-19, there was a growing desire among sites to move to contactless biometrics, however, we have seen COVID-19 accelerate this transition,” Bell said. At Chase Security Will Yeadon said while the technology is likely to survive, the COVID pandemic will influence end user choice moving forward. “No one really likes to touch a communal

biometric reader and they never really have,” he said. “Adding COVID to the environment will encourage end users to look at other types of biometric technology. Will touch biometrics survive? I think if COVID is eliminated, things will return to close to normal again.” Meanwhile Nirovision’s Eliana Bettio agrees there will be hesitancy towards touch biometrics. “They won’t survive unless a workplace is willing to invest the time and resources required to constantly clean surfaces,” she said. “People have grown more apprehensive about touching shared surfaces.”

IN ANZ, IT S EXISTING TO WILL SURVI REGULAR C HAND SANIT

IN ANZ, IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT EXISTING TOUCH BIOMETRICS WILL SURVIVE, ALBEIT WITH MORE REGULAR CLEANING AND ADJACENT HAND SANITISERS.

GALLAGHER’S PROXIMITY AND CONTACT TRACING REPORT WINS US GOVERNMENT AWARDS n GALLAGHER has again been recognized for its innovation, after securing a Platinum Award for Risk Analysis at the 2021 Security Today Govies Government Security Awards in the United States. The annual Govies Awards honor outstanding government security products across a variety of categories, with Gallagher’s revolutionary Proximity and Contact Tracing Report recognized as a standout tool to manage the health and safety risks faced by organizations. Developed in response to

the COVID-19 pandemic, Gallagher’s Proximity and Contact Tracing Report enables organizations to quickly and accurately identify where a specified cardholder has been on site through fast and effective contact tracing. Gallagher’s chief product officer, Meredith Palmer, said the award acknowledges Gallagher’s dedication to delivering innovative security solutions that make a real difference. “We’re thrilled to receive this award which recognizes Gallagher’s agile innovation and commitment to offering

world-class security solutions that support our customers,” Palmer said.

“Our Proximity and Contact Tracing Report continues to prove itself as a game-changer

for supporting our customers as they navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19.”

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NEWS JUNE 2021

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES FOR TECHNICAL SECURITY TRAINING n TECHNICAL security training incentives have been introduced by the Australian Government and are available now from nationally registered training organisation, Comtech Training. Government Employer Incentives – Technical Security Training is available for upskilling existing workers and technicians already employed, experienced and/or previously qualified. Also available to new entrants to the industry with limited experience / qualifications. Technicians must register as either an existing worker trainee or a new entrant trainee. Incentives include: • Up to $28,000 available to cover 50 per cent of a technician’s wages for 12 months, plus

• Up to $5,000 in cash incentives for training existing workers and new entrant technicians, plus • Up to $4,000 to train technicians over 21 years old, plus • Payroll tax subsidies and rebates, plus • State Government Funding for subsidised training fees, plus • Other State Government incentives such as travel allowances, car registration rebates, etc. Qualifications available include: ICT30519 – Certificate III in Telecommunications Technology • ACMA Cabling Registration • ACMA Cabling Endorsements (Structured, Optical Fibre, Coaxial Cabling) • CCTV & Alarm

Installations • Design & Construct an IP Network • Fault Finding on a Wireless Network.

TECHNICAL S IS AVAILABL EXISTING WO TECHNICIAN EMPLOYED, OR PREVIOU

ICT41219 – Certificate IV in Telecommunications Engineering Technology • Build & Maintain a Wireless Network • Build & Maintain an IP System • Repair & Fault Find a Network • Address customer and business requirements. Conditions of the incentives programme: • Must be employed fulltime OR part-time • Be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident • Be employed or become employed in a technical installation role • Attend formal training at Comtech Training and

complete all sections of the training to gain the full qualifications. For more information contact Cameron Dooner at cam@comtech.edu.au or on 0452 221 651 or visit http://www.comtech.edu. au for more information.

TECHNICAL SECURITY TRAINING IS AVAILABLE FOR UPSKILLING EXISTING WORKERS AND TECHNICIANS ALREADY EMPLOYED, EXPERIENCED AND/ OR PREVIOUSLY QUALIFIED.

New Panoramic Cameras

4K and 12MP models provide high resolution, 360° surveillance in a streamlined chassis with 20M IR, and are rated IP67/IK10 for external use. These models are Certified Immervision Enabled (RPL C9VVT) with software dewarping to compliment Enterprise solutions.

LILIN Australia sales@lilin.com.au Sydney (02) 9646 4878 Unit 25/4A Bachell Avenue, Lidcombe, NSW 2141

www.lilin.com.au Melbourne (03) 9540 9756

ABN 64 107 084 008 3 Avondale Street, Springvale, VIC, 3171

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Hills has a range of over 100 top brands with more than 70 years of delivering products and services you can rely on. That’s why we are the largest and most trusted Security and ICT Distributor in Australia. We will be at this year’s ASIAL Security Show. Visit us at Stand J6 to see what we can do for you.

210519 SEN Hills SecShow v2

Meet a few of our leading partners

For more information on these and other best-in-class solutions 1300 HILLS1 (445 571) or hills.com.au Follow us on

Hills Limited

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NEWS JUNE 2021

VIX VIZION WINS 80 PER CENT OF MARKET AFTER SA GOVERNMENT FR POLICY n VIX Vizion, developers of the Imagus Facial Recognition (FR) platform, have reported that more than 80 percent of licenced pubs and clubs in south Australia have adopted its technology. The growth comes after a decree by the South Australian Government

that all licensed pubs and clubs are to have a FR solution in place if they conduct gaming and gambling activities, in order to ensure easy and accurate detection of individuals who have placed themselves on the self-exclusion register. Vix Vizion’s Imagus

GENETEC ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH HONG KONG INTEGRATOR, ARMADA n GENETEC has signed a distribution agreement with Armada International, one of the largest physical security distributors in Hong Kong and Macau. Under the terms of the agreement, Armada will market, sell, and support Genetec Security Center, the company’s unified IP security platform that connects IP security systems within a single intuitive interface to simplify daily security operations. “The addition of Genetec offerings to the Armada portfolio of solutions makes them ideally positioned to address the growing demand for unified video and access control security systems. The additional resources provided by Armada combined with our own Hong Kong-based team will enable us to better service our network of system integrators in the region,” said Daniel Lee, managing director of

Genetec APAC. Samuel Lau, general manager at Armada said the team was “absolutely delighted to become a Genetec distributor in the Hong Kong and Macau region”. “Together with Genetec we can help our system integrators better service their customers, to allow them to achieve operational efficiency, business intelligence and meet their physical security requirement with a world-class IP-based unified security solution,” Lau said.

Daniel Lee, Genetec.

platform was initially one of 2 officially certified solutions available to licenced clubs, with that number growing to 8 over subsequent months. Of those 8 governmentapproved vendors, Vix Vizion’s Imagus platform has been most popular, cornering the market with

more than 80 per cent share. “Our platform has rated in the top 10 worldwide for accuracy, as stated in the recent NIST report, which is a global standard,” said Vix Vizion’s Fraser Larcombe. “Beyond that, we listened to what our early customers in South Australia were telling us, and redesigned the front end of our solution so that the interface was easier to use. “We also have mobile alerts so that managers can continue about their daily tasks while the software does its work, and won’t miss anything. For these reasons, we have captured the lion’s share of the market in South Australia and are now extending that into other states.” The recent NIST report positioned the Imagus platform as the highest-

ranked Australian solution, beating out worldwide competition from more than 180 other entrants. “The self-exclusion list is a great initiative, as it is an opt-in register of people who do not want to place themselves in a compromised position, so it is enhancing sociallyresponsible gaming,” said Jim Christis, COO, Vix Vizion. “FR technology helps clubs comply with the regulations, and provides an easy, largely automated means for recognising these individuals and preventing them from compromising themselves,” The same technology is being used in pubs and clubs across Australia, including Carina Leagues Club in Queensland and Churchill’s Sports Bar in Kensington, NSW.

ALARM.COM Q1 REVENUE GROWS 14 PER CENT n ALARM.COM has reported first-quarter net income of $US14.8 million, compared to $8.8 million for the prior year. Total quarterly revenue rose 13.5 per cent year-overyear to $172.5 million. First-quarter SaaS and license revenue increased 16.8 per cent year-overyear to $107.4 million. CFO Steve Valenzuela said the company experienced a SaaS and license revenue renewal rate of 95 per cent in the first quarter, which is above its historical range of 92 per cent to 94 per cent. He attributed the slightly higher rate to fewer people moving residences at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, “and we could see a return to the historic range in the next quarter or 2.” For the full year, SaaS and license revenue is expected to be $445.5 million to $446 million. Hardware and other revenue in the first quarter was $65.1 million, up 8.5 per cent year-on-year. Total

revenue is expected to be $680.5 million to $691 million, which includes anticipated hardware and other revenue in the range of $235 million to $245 million. President and CEO Steve Trundle said favourable conditions in the U.S and Canadian residential markets in late 2020 had carried into Q1, 2021. “This momentum was driven by new account creation and the growing adoption of advanced services such as video and video analytics,”

Trundle said. “Commercial sales opportunities in the large-scale enterprise segment also improved, but remained somewhat below pre-pandemic levels.”

THIS MOMENTUM WAS DRIVEN BY NEW ACCOUNT CREATION AND THE GROWING ADOPTION OF ADVANCED SERVICES SUCH AS VIDEO AND VIDEO ANALYTICS.

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HID GLOBAL INVESTS IN PARAVISION FACE RECOGNITION

n HID Global reports it has invested in Paravision, a developer of computer vision software used by security device manufacturers, solution providers, systems integrators and financial services firms to deliver frictionless access control. HID said the investment aligns with HID Global’s strategic direction to embed facial recognition into solutions for a seamless and highly secure user experience in a variety of identity verification and authentication applications, including

access control. “In partnership, HID and Paravision have already cooperated on projects and we look forward to further advancing our collaboration across a number of different markets and use cases,” said HID’s Björn Lidefelt. The strategic investment aims to accelerate the development of HID’s biometric solutions that leverage facial recognition algorithms Paravision has proven through successful deployments with highprofile customers. “We are excited to receive this financial investment

from HID Global and to embark on mutual growth opportunities,” says Doug Aley, CEO of Paravision. “We look forward to working together in pursuit of new business, channel, sales and market opportunities.” According to Aley, Paravision is the only American company to rank in the top 10 in over 50 accuracy benchmarks across the 1:1 and 1:N NIST Face Recognition Vendor Tests, including top 3 global performance on demanding at-scale requirements. In 2020 Paravision’s biometric facial recognition was been found to have the second-best accuracy for identifying people with masks among algorithms tested by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in a Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) with error rates below 3 per cent when the subject’s nose and mouth are covered.

STEVEN HAWLEY JOINS PELCO n STEVEN Hawley has joined the Pelco team in the role of sales manager – Vic/Tas. According to Pelco’s Craig Cobbin, this appointment is a key addition to the local Pelco team and further cements Motorola’s commitment to grow its video line of business. “After 13 years at Aritech and with 25 years’ experience in the security industry, Steve

will be a valuable asset to the team and brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role,” Cobbin said. “Steve is very excited by the opportunities that Pelco’s parent company Motorola Solutions provides, as they bolster the Pelco brand through new product innovation, an accelerated roadmap, and most importantly, by taking manufacturing back to the USA.”

Steven Hawley, Pelco.

GALLAGHER PROTECTING AURORA CANNABIS n A GALLAGHER access control and security solution integrated with Milestone XProtect is protecting the facilities of medical cannabis supplier, Aurora Cannabis. Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada, Aurora is a pioneer in global medical cannabis and its team is dedicated to helping

people improve their lives. Importantly, Canadian law requires cannabis suppliers meet specific security requirements. With the company’s previous security systems coming to end of life, Aurora had an opportunity to consolidate and standardize. The company brought on Mike Soberal as senior director of corporate

security. With over 30 years of experience in the security industry, Soberal took charge of searching for the ideal access control solution. The security team created a comprehensive document to vet competing systems. Included in this were several mandatory requirements, such as a simple user interface, alarm and video management integrations, and the ability to comply with presence management requirements across multiple facilities. Health Canada requires that cannabis companies produce reports of a Security Cleared Individual’s (SCI) presence aligned with video documentation. To comply with this regulation, Aurora needed a complete data synchronicity system that included cardholder, event,

and configuration data. In addition, the company required its solution to have the ability to configure reports in real time or by set schedules, available from all locations. Gallagher met all requirements listed in Soberal’s vetting document and he described the transition as “the smoothest installation and every one of the guards and managers put in front of Gallagher Command Centre were blown away.” From curb to core, Aurora standardized its security solution while meeting Health Canada regulations across multiple facilities. Presence management and alarm integration provide Aurora the ability to track SCI’s and visitors alike while alerting relevant individuals of system events.

Meanwhile, Gallagher’s Milestone XProtect integration backs presence management data with video authentication. The system also has an automated report generator with customized real-time and scheduled reports sent out through various methods. These solutions provide Aurora the ability to meet all security regulations required by Health Canada. “The customer service experience we received was awesome – you didn’t need to be at a specific level to solve a problem,” Soberal said. “There was a situation at an outdoor facility and Gallagher worked the problem through in 10 minutes – brilliant. Gallagher hit every mark and exceeded our expectations in ways we had no idea were possible.”

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NEWS JUNE 2021

ADT SECURITY AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES ESSENCE SMARTCARE SOLUTION FOR SENIORS n ESSENCE SmartCare has announced that ADT Security Australia has selected its Care@ Home Enhanced Telecare Services Platform. SmartCare is a unified telehealth and care platform enables monitoring at any level

and through any type of caring device. Essence SmartCare’s award-winning Care@ Home platform is an aging-in-place product suite, providing seamless health monitoring solutions that enable seniors to live independent

lives while providing their families with peace of mind. Leveraging a variety of advanced technologies, including deep AI capabilities, to ensure the safety of seniors, the platform comprises an integrated suite of services, including continuous monitoring of daily activities, advanced fall detection, and voiceactivated alerts to facilitate real-time communication with caregivers and emergency services providers. The rollout of Essence’s technologies will allow ADT Security Australia to offer breakthrough telecare services to seniors

using state-of-the-art technology and utilizing the LTE network. The announcement comes as the senior population is set to grow rapidly in Australia with the proportion of seniors who are over the age of 75 to grow from 33 per cent to 55 per cent in the next 30 years, and annual revenue for homebased care and services of around $A4.5 billion annually. “We are honored to be joining forces with ADT Security Australia, one of the largest security and safety solutions providers, to enable them to provide the best care and protection to

Australian seniors,” said Barak Katz of Essence SmartCare. “Our unified telehealth and care platform enables monitoring at any level and through any type of caring device for a wide range of health conditions, inside or outside the home, through one connected Care@Home smart platform.” Meanwhile, ADT Australia’s David Kirubi said Essence’s Care@ Home solution enables ADT’s mission of benefiting customers while ensuring peace of mind for their loved ones and carers.

EAGLE EYE NETWORKS ANNOUNCES RECORD Q1 REVENUE, EXPANDS n EAGLE Eye Networks, which leverages artificial intelligence on a cloud platform for security applications, has announced record Q1 2021 revenue growth and greater than 85 per cent year-over-year revenue growth in 2020. Fuelling growth globally are a new manufacturing facility near its Austin headquarters, and a near doubling of its team to meet the growing demand for cloud video surveillance. “We have passed the tipping point in the video surveillance industry’s adoption of cloud video, as businesses of all types and sizes have realized the advantages of a true cloud solution,” said Dean Drako, founder and CEO

of Eagle Eye Networks. “Resellers, business owners, and IT professionals understand Eagle Eye Networks smart cloud video surveillance, with appropriate privacy and cybersecurity protections, is making businesses more efficient and effective, and communities much safer.” In addition to record revenue and growth in 2020 and Q1 2021, the company announced funding from venture capital firm Accel in Q4 2020, spurring additional investment in people, products, and the technology Drako said were needed to transform the video surveillance industry.

SECTECH ROADSHOW DATABASE IS NOT FOR SALE n SECTECH Roadshow organiser, Monique Keatinge said a thirdparty unknown to the team was touting ‘the SecTech Roadshow database’ to manufacturers and distributors across the industry. According to Keatinge, the genuine SecTech Roadshow database is not, has never been, and will never be for sale, such transactions being a breach of privacy that’s illegal in Australia.

Keatinge said the SecTech Roadshow database has never been used for any purpose external to SecTech Roadshow or co-organiser SEN magazine, nor has it ever been provided to any third party. “Any pitches from third parties offering ‘the SecTech Roadshow database’ for sale should be immediately forwarded to monique@sen.news for the actioning of a legal response,” Keatinge said. “And speaking of SecTech,

we are very much looking forward to getting back on the road in 12 months’ time – it’s been far, far too long between nibbles and drinks.”

THE SECTECH ROADSHOW DATABASE IS NOT, HAS NEVER BEEN, AND WILL NEVER BE FOR SALE, SUCH TRANSACTIONS BEING A BREACH OF PRIVACY THAT’S ILLEGAL IN AUSTRALIA.

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NEWS JUNE 2021

CENTAMAN INSTALLS MORPHOWAVE, EASYGATE SPT AT 100 MOUNT STREET n CENTAMAN has installed IDEMIA MorphoWave biometric readers and EasyGate SPT entrance gates at 100 Mount St in North Sydney. The tallest building in North Sydney, 100 Mount Street is a premium

grade office tower completed in May 2019. The 35-storey office tower has panoramic views of Sydney Harbor, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour, and is occupied by some of Sydney’s bestknown companies.

This high traffic location required a convenient and secure way to ensure a controlled access for the 2000 people entering the building daily, while maintaining the aesthetics of the 8m lobby ceiling. To

efficiently control access to the building, the security contractor supplied top quality COMINFO EasyGate SPT entrance control gates equipped with IDEMIA’s MorphoWave Compact high-end biometric contactless devices. COMINFO is an experienced word leading manufacturer of turnstiles and speedgates and its EasyGate SPT models are equipped with the latest magnetic direct drive mechanisms, needing no gearbox, oil, or brushes. EasytGate SPT features advanced infrared optical sensors which ensure safe passage and detect tailgating and crossover, to ensure that only authorized people can pass through the gates. Meanwhile, MorphoWave Compact is the flagship

biometric device for physical access control from IDEMIA. The terminal performs a 3D scan and verification of 4 fingerprints in less than 1 second, in a quick and easy touchless wave gesture. These features make the product particularly well-suited for such high traffic locations with the capability to authenticate up to 50 people per minute thanks to advanced algorithms based on artifical intelligence. COMINFO carried out an aesthetical integration of MorphoWave Compact into EasyGate SPT, resulting into a powerful solution that brings the latest physical access control system using only a simple wave of a hand.

SECURITY AUSTRALIA MAGAZINES WANTED n BRIDGE, the publisher of SEN, is seeking back issues of Security Australia Magazine, which was printed in Australia from the early 1980s through to the early 2000s, after our back catalogue was water damaged during recent bad weather. SEN acquired Security Australia Magazine in 2000. Anyone with old copies of Security Australia Magazine, or who knows where they can be found, should contact

SEN’s editor John Adams at editor@sen.news or call us on 61 2 9280 4425 – Bridge will happily arrange for shipping at our expense. We’re especially interested in issues dating from 1984 through to 1998 and will pay ready money for the ASIAL Show issue from 93/94 with Larry Circosta on the cover. Even if you only have a few issues we’d love to get our hands on them. If any hoarders out there have a full set, let’s discuss terms.

DIY SECURITY INSTALLS UP 40 PER CENT SINCE 2018 n RESEARCHER Parks Associates said selfinstallation of newly acquired American security systems reached 55 per cent in Q2 2020, up from 40 per cent in 2018, an increase of nearly 40 per cent. The firm’s latest whitepaper, Home Security: A Redefined Market, finds the rise of interactive services and DIY installation are 2 key trends defining the home security market, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, lower prices, and new

smart home solutions. Australia’s home security trends are slightly behind but broadly aligned with trends in the United States. “The installation method for newly acquired security systems and smart home devices has trended towards self-installation for several years, and COVID-19 has hastened that transition,” says Amanda Kung, researcher, Parks Associates. “About one-third of security system owners and intenders report COVID-19

concerns caused them to avoid professional installers due to the discomfort of having a stranger in the home.” Approximately twothirds of security system owners, or about 20 million households, have an interactive security system, and consumers expect their security systems to provide basic interactivity that enables them to receive notifications and access and control the system remotely, according to Parks Associates.

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PANASONIC PARTNERS WITH EEN n PANASONIC System Solutions Oceania (PSSOC) has partnered with Eagle Eye Networks to become a distributor of the company’s retail supply chain solutions across Australia. Eagle Eye Networks is working with PSSOC – Panasonic’s business arm in Australia – to expand its reseller network and to bring its Eagle Eye Cloud Video Management System to the Australian market. At the same time, Panasonic is seeking expressions of interest from those interested in becoming a ‘VIaaS powered by Eagle Networks’ partner – interest can be registered via panasonic.business@ au.panasonic.com “We see a great opportunity to strengthen our rapidly growing retail and logistics supply chain across the Oceania market,” said Ken Francis, president of Eagle Eye Networks. “As we continue to establish our local presence, partnering with like-minded organisations such as Panasonic to deliver on our growth ambitions can accelerate getting our modern solution into the hands of businesses across the region. “Panasonic brings myriad experience and knowledge

in retail operations, local stakeholder liaison and innovative customer support. Their expertise is invaluable and will undoubtedly improve our capabilities in developing and deploying solutions, as well as providing ongoing support for customers in the longterm.” Eagle Eye Networks Cloud Video Management System allows customers in the retail and logistics industries to monitor activity and receive realtime alerts to devices such as smartphones. The intuitive technology grants complete control directly to the end user and supports Eagle Eye’s 3 guiding principles: security, reliability, and flexibility. Ultimately, the solution removes the need for physical infrastructure and optimises business performance with artificial intelligencepowered analytics. Meanwhile, David James of PSSOC said the partnership demonstrates the growth in appetite for cloud-based solutions among customers. “Businesses of all sizes are all looking for greater visual control and peace of mind in their security solutions,” James said. “It’s suggested that 85 per cent of security patrol callouts

are false alarms, which is becoming a focus area for customers to reduce costs. This partnership with Eagle Eye Networks allows an organisation’s security cameras and infrastructure to be transformed into powerful visual tools that provide insights into daily operations – for example, alerts when someone enters a restricted area, object counting of people and vehicle flow, loitering, when cameras are tampered with, or quick access to video to share with authorities if theft occurs. “Other key benefits of our Visual Intelligence as a Service (VIaaS) offer include customised AI analytics, open REST architecture, increased flexibility and autonomy for live visual alert

procedures, improved staff safety and access to real-time information for a range of system solutions. “The benefits of migrating to cloud-based platforms in today’s security market are endless – from lowering upfront capital expenditure, to reducing the reliance on physical infrastructure and removing the need to continuously repair and maintain hardware. All businesses should be looking to invest in this space. “This partnership with Eagle Eye Networks marks Panasonic’s continuing investment in the alarm monitoring market, building on our security portfolio with the Panasonic camera range. While we offer an easy to deploy, plug and play, camera brand and

operating system agnostic platform, we are also just as comfortable working with customers’ preferred brands and existing infrastructure. Aligning with Eagle Eye Networks allows Panasonic to deliver ‘visual intelligence’, by integrating a CCTV system in the cloud, onpremise, or a hybrid of both, with robust alarm monitoring procedures for an intelligent business solution.” Panasonic and Eagle Eye Networks will be showcasing the latest developments at the upcoming Security Exhibition and Conference, to demonstrate the benefits to retail supply chain customers. The event is being held at the International Convention Centre Sydney from 21-23 July 2021.

ADVANCED SECURITY AWARDS GALLAGHER SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR n NZ-BASED electronic security integrator Advanced Security presented Gallagher with a Supplier of the Year award at the Advanced Group Supplier Awards evening last week.

OUR TEAM LOVES USING THE GALLAGHER PRODUCT DAY-TO-DAY AND HARNESSING THE POWERFUL FEATURESET TO SOLVE OUR CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS.

One of New Zealand’s largest electronic security integrators, and part of the TPT Group, Advanced Security and access control and electronic security manufacturer Gallagher, have been working in partnership for many years. “We truly value the longstanding relationship with Gallagher,” said Hayden George of Advanced Security Group. “Our team loves using the Gallagher product day-to-day and harnessing the powerful feature-set to solve our

customers problems. Gallagher continues to raise the bar in its service delivery, innovation, and relationship management. This award speaks to the great work they do in supporting us to excel for our clients.” Gallagher’s Brad Small said he was extremely proud to accept the award on behalf of Gallagher. “Advanced is a crucial partner for our New Zealand business and this award shows us that all parts of Gallagher

are coming together to deliver true value to their business,” Small said. Around 150 people across Advanced Security’s nationwide team rated the company’s suppliers based on a range of services, including technical support, ordering processes, sales support, lead-generation, and product quality. Winners were announced last week at an awards evening in Auckland, New Zealand, where TPT acknowledged suppliers across their businesses.

Brad Small, Gallagher.

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● Special Report

CCTV

BEST CCTV CAMERAS IN THE WORLD In 2021, what’s the best CCTV camera in the world? Does it have a 1-inch sensor and excellent low light performance? Or are thermal and optical systems more important? Does the best camera have a skinny bitrate or is it empowered with powerful video analytics? Or does it combine all these desirable features across multiple views? RYING to establish which is the best CCTV camera in the world is a theoretical exercise, but there’s no point pretending that because the notion of ‘best’ is shaped by application there are not combinations of performance and functionality that make certain cameras significantly better performing than others when it comes to security operations. Removing form factor from the decision helps in some ways, as it allows consideration of the camera engine in isolation from quirks of lensing and housing windows. When you separate things out, it starts to become clearer that camera manufacturers juggle raw sensor performance against function and cost – the latter is almost always about retaining margin in a very competitive market by giving the installer and end users features that add no cost to manufacture – features like analytics.

When you’re testing CCTV cameras on a regular basis in the same application/s across 24-hour light cycles – applications that incorporate vehicles, pedestrians, low light and backlight – it’s clear almost immediately which cameras are optically best. Anyone with a DSLR will know that while the latest mobile phones are very good, they still can’t compete with a 1-inch chip and a high quality lens, especially in challenging situations and even more especially when you need to crop – a process that is essentially the application of digital zoom sensor size counts. But frustratingly, better CCTV cameras may not always be the most expensive and they may not be those with the best collection of functions, or even those with the simplest optical form factor (full body, fixed lens compared to varifocal dome with bubble) – as the excellent Bosch 8000i Flexidome clearly attests. And there are some cameras – I’m thinking about the Axis Q1798, or Hikvision’s Darkfighter X PTZ (and others), which feature advanced camera engines and big sensors with larger photosites that can deliver low light performance that’s beyond reasonable expectation. Bigger sensors can also support higher resolutions without struggling in low light. This performance offers multiple advantages – better live situational awareness, enhanced investigations with a much higher chance of conviction in the event of serious crimes, and much more discerning video analytics. Inevitably, the vagaries of application intrude into camera consideration. A camera which will be installed in an underground carpark that is artificially lit using movement detection activation, has different needs from a camera installed in an alley behind an apartment building with no streetlights. But there may be times of power loss when any camera in any application is thrown back onto its intrinsic optical capability as it attempts to identify a moving subject in moments of slowest shutter speed and maximum amplification. There are also application decisions that impact directly on performance. Think of a varifocal lens dome installed universally across a site that in a corridor application either spreads pixels in a way that reduces useful depth of field, or requires a zoom position that reduces aperture in a way that lowers light reaching the sensor, slowing shutter speed and increasing noise. In such an application, a 1080p fixed lens camera would be a superior choice. Then there’s the very wide-angle camera installed right on top of a narrow angle of view that wastes 90 per cent of its pixels on adjacent buildings, sky, paving

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BY J O H N A D A M S

and shrubberies, when a camera with a longer fixed lens installed further away from the target would be a better choice. There’s another point worth making here and it’s around camera type and brand. In almost every application SEN sees, 2-3 camera types of the same brand are selected, making something of a mockery of the value of ‘fully open VMS’, which in its current highly evolved form could cheerfully integrate dozens of camera brands in a single application. Think Vivotek multiheads, Hikvision PTZs, FLIR thermals along key perimeters and approaches, with Axis bullets and Bosch domes closer in. It’s inevitable in a relationship-based industry that applications will reflect technology partnerships, and this is a good thing – it’s just not always the best thing from the point of view of security operations. In the past SEN has argued that the perfect camera needn’t be the ‘best’ camera in terms of benchmark performance (low light with moving subjects) but will instead be the one that gets closest to the ideal

THE MOST IMPORTANT PARAMETER A CCTV CAMERA SHOULD HAVE IS LARGER PIXELS. WE NEED LARGER PIXELS, ESPECIALLY IN CCTV, BECAUSE MOST CRITICAL EVENTS DO HAPPEN IN LOWER LIGHT. operational performance desired by a security team and is easy to install, plays with the existing VMS in a sharing way, and that comes in closest to budget. That’s a generalised view and in this article, we’re also interested in the qualities and characteristics the best performing cameras should have. According to Vlado Damjanovski of VidiLabs the best CCTV camera from an operational perspective is yet to be released, but he says there are camera qualities that always guarantee better performance. “The most important parameter a CCTV camera should have is larger pixels,” Damjanovski says. “We need larger pixels, especially in CCTV, because most critical events do happen in lower light. Larger pixels

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● Special Report

CCTV THE CCTV INDUSTRY TOO OFTEN DOESN’T WANT TO PAY MONEY FOR GOOD QUALITY (LARGER) SENSORS, WHICH IS WHY IN CCTV WE USE SMALLER SENSORS WITH THEIR COMPROMISED SMALL PIXELS.

Vlado Damjanovski

means that a sensor of certain size - 1/3-inch with 4k resolution does not necessarily produce better video than HD resolution on the same sensor size. “In this example, the HD sensor would have 4x better low light capability, providing the rest of the electronics is identical in quality. Sadly, most CCTV sensor pixel sizes are around 2 microns, compared to cinematography of photography, where 4~6 microns is the norm. The difference in how much light can be harvested in the same conditions is about 10:1 against CCTV sensors.” When it comes to the resolution that gives the best image quality, balancing bitrate and angle of view, Damjanovski points out the complexity of the question. “We cover this area in detail in our seminars (cctvseminars.com) because image quality is a mix of many things, including focal length, optical resolution, pixel resolution, light levels, sensor’s S/N ratio and compression quality,” he explains. “One can say that the pixel density parameter incorporates some of the other parameters, so it is a good starting point, but it doesn’t cover all of the parameters – you can’t define loss of quality due to bad optics, or high noise or compression artefacts, for example. The angle of view is defined by what you want to cover with certain quality, which depends on the sensor size and pixel count. This can easily be calculated with our ViDiLabs calculator (vidilabs.com/theapp. html).” When it comes to high quality, a pertinent question is whether the video surveillance market is ready for 8MP 4K cameras yet, or whether networks, users and compression techniques have some evolving to do. “The market is certainly ready for 4K/UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) and camera manufacturers already produce affordable sensors with this resolution,” Damjanovski says. “Sadly though, the CCTV industry too often doesn’t want to pay money for good quality (larger) sensors, which is why in CCTV we use smaller

sensors with their compromised small pixels. Small sensors also use smaller and more affordable lenses which struggle to achieve the 4K resolution on smaller pixels where the required lines/mm is very limited. “Using H265 with 4k cameras certainly makes sense, as it saves a lot of bandwidth, but even the best compression can’t fix bad resolution. So, we are coming to the same point I raised earlier - larger pixels (with the same pixel count) will produce a better picture in terms of optical resolution, better performance in low light and with less visible noise.” When it comes to form factor, Damjanovski says although there are plenty of choices, for outright performance, he still prefers full body cameras (we agree with him). “A separate full body CCTV camera allows me to use any high-quality compatible lens I want,” he explains. “I don’t like fixed domes, although they are more practical and aesthetically, they do blend better with interiors. Ultimately, domes have issues with additional optical distortions due to dome bubbles, and they collect moths and insects at night if IR lights are turned on. “If I had no full camera body choice, I would select a bullet type, although I would look for a larger pixel model (HD instead of 4K). I don’t like fisheyes at all, although they appear practical to some – but I only see them as cost-cutting approximation of what CCTV should be. The typical multi-head cameras could be practical, but I prefer the multisensor 360-degree cameras, which provide a proper video stitching for continuous view, rather than 4-6 separate HD views. They also have the advantage of one cable installation. “Meanwhile, PTZs are useful for large open areas, and often provide intelligent touring or scanning, but the problem with PTZs is that if you really use them all the time, there’s mechanical wear and tear. Another camera type which I think offers an enhanced level of details and quality, but without moving parts, is the multi-sensor panoramic cameras for large areas, like Dallmeier and Logipix. In addition, with such complete scene coverage you can find un-noticed incidents after they happened.” Does the best CCTV camera have optical and thermal systems working together, in Damjanovski’s opinion? “A combination of visible and thermal sensor cameras is a very promising camera combination, but only if you know how and where to use them,” he says. “And I am not referring here only to human face temperature measurement thermal camera types.

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● Special Report

CCTV

THE CAMERA NEEDS TO BE EASY TO CONFIGURE AND IT MUST BE EASY TO UNDERTAKE ANY FINE-TUNING ADJUSTMENTS FOR SPECIFIC SCENES, FOR BOTH IMAGE QUALITY AND ANALYTICS. When intelligent analytics is used on thermal and optical sensors new and interesting markets can be opened up, not just in security. “Speaking of analytics, most of the common analytics we know today are included in some ‘smart’ cameras already. This includes people and vehicle counting, face detection, loitering, etc. What I consider the modern camera should have with analytics is an open platform for customers to upload their own analytics. I know some camera manufacturers already have models that allow for this, but I believe the time will come when this should be a standard, especially given that CCTV can go well beyond security applications.” How important is image quality when it comes to analytics and how can installers and integrators be sure they get the image quality they need? “Absolutely vital – this is one of my pet subjects when I teach CCTV,” Damjanovski says. “Modern analytics is clever, but all the neural network algorithms are derived from supervised learning based on available images from the internet. The confidence levels generated by such analytics are directly proportional to the image quality. As we continue developing new and more complex visual analysis algorithms we will require more and higher quality images, to achieve higher confidence levels.” How important is longevity when it comes to the best CCTV cameras? “If you are thinking of camera longevity as a piece of opto-electronics, certainly it is important, especially when installed in outdoor areas, where sun, dust, water, salt and humidity can affect the expected lifetime of a camera,” Damjanovski says. “This is why ingress protection is also an important parameter, but equally - preventative maintenance.” Matt Terrey of Panasonic argues that when it comes to assessing the best CCTV camera in the world from an operational perspective, performance is indivisible from application. “Outside of very highly specialised situations, complete performance for correctly applied day to day use cases is the most important aspect,” Terrey explains. “That includes image quality, reliability, bandwidth management and image performance, as the total cost of ownership versus the desired video outcome is frequently overlooked. This is often compounded by product comparisons and the processes surrounding them being focused too much on performance capabilities that, in reality, aren’t required in the vast majority of real-world CCTV applications.

“For example, the use of IR should always be the first choice for implementing into most, if not all, low light situations, unless it generates a direct risk to the activity in which it covers, such as special operation military applications and some freeway situations, where IR illumination may interfere with the ‘situation’. “Additionally, ease of use and configuration – the user experience – needs to be a bigger factor. The camera needs to be easy to configure and it must be easy to undertake any fine-tuning adjustments for specific scenes, for both image quality and analytics. This is where cookie cutter, plug and play cameras may seem attractive but where they ultimately limit true performance. “Also important to consider is the cost impact of having a 10Mb stream at X resolution for an application, where if installed and applied correctly, the requirement may only warrant a 2Mb stream at Y resolution. Overspecification is doing end users a disservice in bloating the cost of the storage and infrastructure associated with bandwidth that is up to 5x what would be required for any given application. “Then there’s the balance of that bandwidth to image performance output. If an image is pixelated or noisy, or does not render colour accurately at any bandwidth, the camera is again doing the end user a disservice. These are all highly important aspects that Panasonic i-PRO takes into consideration. “And still another factor often overlooked is camera reliability and the associated cost impacts that come with cameras which have high failure rates. Regardless as to whether a camera is freely replaced under warranty, the cost of the swap out (labour and equipment), along with the system downtime, does not justify the often meagre $25100 difference in raw camera cost.” When it comes to selecting a resolution that gives the best image quality, balancing bitrate and angle of view, Terrey says that every camera installation location should be approached based on its own merits under the fit-for-purpose methodology. “Just because you can have more resolution available, it doesn’t mean you should use it,” he explains. “Yes, the industry is moving to higher megapixels simply by default but in some cases, this comes with trade-offs that include negative impact on low light performance, frame rate stability, increased storage requirements and network bandwidth requirements, and remote viewing limitations. “In my opinion, the resolution for monitoring a single double door fire exit would ideally be 1080p max, while the 10m high top-down view of a logistics warehouse with backlight challenges, would require a 12MP 360 camera with WDR capabilities but this should be decided on an empirical basis,” Terrey says.

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“The reason Panasonic i-PRO has launched its online system design tool is to help customers by providing an interactive tool to help them understand in advance which cameras will provide what video output (quality vs ppm vs fov) when installed at a user prescribed height. This approach creates a known outcome, taking individual user preferences out of the equation and ultimately doing right by the end user.” When it comes to whether there is a best-balanced form factor, Terry agrees we’ll always have bullets, domes, wide-angles, fisheyes, multi-head camera systems, PTZs and the rest. “All current form factors have their place – there is no one size fits all across the myriad of verticals,” he explains. “What is apparent, and will continue to appeal to end users, is discretion in terms of size, colour and contemporary designs. Panasonic i-PRO is working towards meeting the desire for smaller format cameras with more capabilities delivering better operational outcomes, such as AI functionality.” When it comes to combining optical and thermal cameras, Terrey argues cost plays a significant part in their slow uptake. “In an ideal world this would be a great concept for many applications but unfortunately the cost impact and potential performance impact is likely to become prohibitive if the dual sensor concept

were to become commoditised in the same way the bottom end of the optics only product market has already become,” Terrey explains. “While it would be great to have both optical and thermal imaging covering a basic fire exit or similar, especially during a high-density smoke situation, the desire for a low-cost solution would drive the need for low performance capabilities, degrading the mid to high end dual imaging market, creating yet another race to the bottom in price and performance, in which the end user does not get true gains from having (dual technology cameras) in place.” According to Terrey, traditional video analytics are now becoming highly dated with the introduction of AI driven object recognition-based analytics. “Camera vendor-led and created video analytics will become either only supplementary to advanced analytics or simply a thing of the past,” he said. “Specialist companies building advanced object driven analytics that are both trained and customised for the end user application and applied to the edge to reduce server costs and loading, are the future, something that Panasonic i-PRO has recognised and is already embarking on with its latest AI camera range.” Image quality is key to all this. “What you put in is what you get out – if you start with a poor image, you risk poor results,

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● Special Report

CCTV

WHAT YOU PUT IN IS WHAT YOU GET OUT – IF YOU START WITH A POOR IMAGE, YOU RISK POOR RESULTS, REGARDLESS TO THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU ARE WORKING WITH. regardless of the resolution that you are working with,” Terrey explains. “The traditional server-based analytics that leverage an already lossy format of video compression, have to work harder with less information, less reliability of video availability to generate any form of accuracy. Processing analytics at the edge, like the i-PRO AI range of cameras, shifts the workload of the analytics to a dedicated all in one format, that provides better stability and leverages the cameras hardware for increased analytics performance. “Hardware longevity is exceptionally important, too, as is the total cost of ownership impact across the lifespan of a camera, which is often overlooked and generates a hidden cost not considered at the initial sales cycle,” he explains. “Panasonic i-PRO prides itself on having a sub 1 per cent failure rate globally, providing our customers with the peace of mind that their facilities will have as near to guaranteed covered at all times.” If Terrey was an installer required by a user to install a single form factor across a site, he says he’d tend to favour a quality dome. “Assuming the site includes both indoor and outdoor applications, the vari-focal outdoor vandal dome would be the ideal selection, providing ingress protection against both external weather conditions and internal anomalies like dust and bugs,” he says. “Providing varifocal over fixed, allows for the selection of the most, fit for purpose, installation locations to provide the correct individual outcomes for the use of the cameras.”

For Hikvision’s Ryan Shi, the best CCTV camera in the world from an operational perspective is a multisensor panoramic camera with extra optical PTZ capability. “This kind of camera offers the most flexible choice to cover a huge area, at the same time reduce the labour cost of installing multiple cameras and enable the user to check the very details of the scene with the help of the PTZ part,” Shi says. “Image quality is always very important – things like high resolution, low light performance, WDR – and AI functions are also becoming a key component for modern high level CCTV cameras.” According to Shi, the resolution that for general applications gives the best image quality, balancing bitrate and angle of view is 4MP resolution because it not only balances bitrate and FOV, but also cost and performance. And Shi argues that 8MP won’t be far behind as the technology continues to develop. When it comes to the best-balanced form factor for general applications, Shi says there will always be many kinds of camera forms for different applications. “Each form has its best application scenario, which might be irreplaceable by others, however, varifocal all-in-one bullets may be the most flexible/ balanced choice for the greatest number of different applications, including day/night, indoor/outdoor, far/ near, thanks to their extensive mounting adaptability with ceiling/wall/pendant mount, thanks to a built-in adjustable bracket. Having said that, the most popular form factor across Oceania for small applications or scenarios is the turret camera. “Optical and thermal 2-in-1 systems are developing and evolving – it would take some time to build more awareness among people in the industry. There are already some new cost-effective 2-in-1 products in the market, but the cost is also relatively higher than traditional optical cameras. Perhaps these cameras will become one of the best options in the future.” When it comes to video analytics that a modern CCTV camera require, Shi says the target classification of human and vehicles, including ANPR, people counting and heat mapping in retail applications, are some of the most popular analytics in a modern CCTV. “There are others being developed as more and more manufacturers invest in AI technology,” Shi says. “Obviously, image quality is the basis for video analytics, but installers don’t need to worry too much because cameras with analytics are often middlelevel or high-level ones, which have adequate image quality. However, installation requirements for analytics still need to be considered for best results.” Interestingly, while Shi highlights hardware longevity as key to camera performance, he believes cameras are being upgraded more regularly than they used to be. “While longevity is always important for users, rapid development of technology is attracting users to adopt new cameras before older ones become obsolete,” he says. n

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27/5/21 10:52 am

● Technical Report

Sensors

BY J O H N A D A M S

HOW DO VIBRATION SENSORS WORK? Vibration sensors are designed to detect low frequency energy or vibrations caused in the aftermath of heavy impacts that occur during forceful attacks on walls, ceilings, floors or other barriers.

ECAUSE of their nature, vibration sensor transducers need to be installed on robust structures – if they’re installed on lightweight walls, environmental vibrations will cause false alarms and may lead to these sensors being disconnected. Masonry walls are ideal sites for low frequency vibration sensor installations with the signal processor located nearby. The way these sensors operate is that when a hammer or other heavy object strikes a wall, there’s an initial high frequency vibration that rapidly attenuates to low frequencies, and these lower frequencies can travel long distances through walls where they can be detected by transducers. Should a signal exceed a set electrical threshold (or move a seismic mass), then an NC/NO contact will be activated, or a circuit will be opened by a shifting mass, which will be actioned as an alarm event by the device. A quality vibration sensor will have a signal processor, allowing vibration patterns to be assessed as to whether they meet alarm event criteria and thresholds. Old analogue processors worked by averaging ambient conditions to shift thresholds, though this can impact on sensitivity, especially when ambient vibrations cease. Digital signal processing adjusts thresholds continuously to maintain sensitivity. Manufacturers claim that DSP ‘knows’ that a disturbance is a knock on the door, or a trucking passing by, etc, but some developers argue DSP is not quite so discerning as that. Transducers may be piezoelectric, which convert mechanical energy into electrical signals in a way that’s commensurate with the mechanical energy they detect – the stronger the force, the larger the signal generated. It’s this signal that’s amplified and transmitted to a signal processor via a shielded cable to protect the circuit from external interference. When it comes to sensitivity, a typical piezoelectric vibration sensor will have an adjustable pulse count same as a PIR that’s used by the installer during installation to try to tune out projected environmental disturbances. It goes without saying that this tuning process is organic. Pulse counters

A QUALITY VIBRATION SENSOR WILL HAVE A SIGNAL PROCESSOR, ALLOWING VIBRATION PATTERNS TO BE ANALYZED ASSESS WHETHER THEY MEET ALARM EVENT CRITERIA AND THRESHOLDS.

work by counting pulses of a specific magnitude before they allow the electrical signal to pass through the circuit to activate an alarm condition. Meanwhile mechanical transducers have a seismic mass integrated into them, which makes an electrical connection between switch contacts when impacted upon by vibration. In a way, mechanical transducers are accelerometers – the seismic mass is a metal weight that responds to force applied to the transducer by accelerating out of its position. If the force of an impact on the barrier is sufficient to move the seismic mass far enough, then a contact the mass keeps closed is opened, generating an alarm event. Every time the mass is shifted from the contacts it causes an open circuit. Depending on the sensor’s seismic mass, size and spacing between electrical contacts, the overall system is able to differentiate between environmental impacts, and attempts at forced entry. Spring-loaded switches rely on the force of the spring to close the contacts while unrestricted switches rely on gravity and this difference impacts on installations. Spring-loaded switches can be mounted in any way required on walls, or ceilings, or floors. During installation, installers tweak an adjustment screw to tweak spring tension, which adjusts sensitivity. Comparatively, unrestricted seismic mass transducers need to be mounted vertically so gravity can return the mass to the electrical contact after it’s been disturbed. Typically, vibration transducers are installed 3-4 metres apart on a wall to be protected. They need to be very securely fastened to the surface, they’re protecting, and should be supported by tamper switches. The key issue with installing vibration sensors, is making sure they are not mounted on walls, which experience vibrations caused by machinery, traffic or plant equipment. Pulse count is important in applications where there will be an occasional impact caused by the closure of a heavy door, or bump of a heavy vehicle over a speed bump, etc. Something to bear in mind when thinking about using vibration sensors is that piezoelectric vibration sensors do allow greater flexibility in tweaking sensitivity and alarm event thresholds to ensure false alarms are kept to a minimum. The sensitivity of seismic mass devices is less exacting – these devices are best used on heavy barriers with low levels of environmental vibration. Finally, vibration sensors are often designated 24-hour sensors because they are not impacted on by foot traffic. n

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27/5/21 1:34 pm

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The Interview

Scott Johnstone, Gallagher Gallagher’s national sales manager for Australia, Scott Johnstone, has worked with the company for 14 years, giving him considerable insight into the company’s technology, as well as the Australian access control market. JA: What’s your sense of the Australian electronic security market at the moment, Scott? Would you say there’s growth and what are the primary drivers of new business? SJ: The Australian market is quite robust, and we continue to see year-on-year growth. There are several pressures driving new business and they range from the expansion we are seeing in both commercial and governmental spend, a high focus on utilisation and optimisation, and the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, which Gallagher invests so readily in mitigating.

SJ: Innovation, reputation, and trust are at the core of a great integrator and provider partnership. For an integrator, the need to offer client solutions that serve emerging threats and trends is critical to the ongoing success of their business. Going to market with a proven and reputable manufacturer that applies best practice and ethical conduct to everything they do, gives an edge in the pursuit of new clients and a safety net under the commitments made.

JA: In what ways has end user perception of access control changed since you joined Gallagher? Would you say more than ever that access control is integral – even indivisible – from integrated building management? SJ: Since joining Gallagher in 2006, I have seen a massive shift in the way consumers think about access control. Different to many other security technologies, access control is not invisible. By its very nature it either enables or impinges free movement, and the reasons for doing so have become far more complex. Access control has become a vital business tool, not only for security, but for safety, compliance, optimisation, operations, and cost control. The integration of sophisticated access control and building management offers business continuity and efficiency that simply cannot be overlooked.

JA: What impact has COVID-19 had on Gallagher’s end user customer base – what are your existing clients hungry for when they upgrade? And what are integrator partners showing interest it? SJ: The impact of COVID-19 has been immediately felt by global industries, and consequently we have seen a surge in different workplace practices as they adapt to a new environment. The typical office dynamic is being relegated to the past, and decentralisation is on the rise. Staff have greater flexibility of where, when, and how they work, while companies are grappling with managed but frictionless entry, dynamic attendance rates, hot desking, end of trip facilities, carpark management, and elastic environments. In response to this, our partners are keenly embracing new authentication technologies as well as solving wider business problems using our Command Centre software and the myriad of tools it contains to solve these very challenges.

JA: What do quality integrators want most from modern access control solutions and their providers?

JA: When it comes to face recognition and Gallagher’s partnership with Invixium, what’s the initial interest level

been like in Australia and what does the Gallagher team anticipate from face recognition authentication in the future. Will it be a core element, will it be the primary authentication technique in some applications? SJ: We are really pleased to be working with Invixium and have seen strong interest in the pairing of our solutions in Australia. It is hard to imagine a world where facial recognition won’t have a significant presence in our daily lives for years to come. Whether the power of facial recognition and the extra smarts it can offer stays on the wall or resides in the palm of your hand, it will be a fascinating story to watch unfold. JA: For security integrators, 2020 and now 2021, have been challenging times, yet inspiring, too. Some integrators seem to have been energised by the challenges of COVID in the way small owner-governed businesses often can be. How do you feel your channel partners have handled COVID-19 and what would you say the standout characteristics of the most successful integrators have been? SJ: Despite the challenges of COVID-19, our channel partners have continued to innovate and go above and beyond customer expectations. Our partner network is a purpose-built collection of industry leaders that align with our focus on trust, culture, and enduring partnerships. The benefit this alignment brought to market was made even more clear through the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Beyond that, the characteristics I would highlight is a cando attitude, a solution focus, and a highly proficient communication channel – all of which make the difference. JA: Something apparent is that the tempo of the evolution of security systems and their functionalities has increased over the last 2 years – do you agree, and have Gallagher’s online training courses reflected that heightened cadence - a hunger from integrators in Australia and overseas to be across the latest solutions on behalf of customers with rapidly evolving needs? SJ: The security industry is certainly moving at pace! Gallagher has taken well over 7000 registrations for online training in the past year, highlighting the speed at

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SCOT T JOHNSTONE WITH JOHN ADAMS

OUR INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IS CONTINUAL AND SUPREMELY IMPORTANT. SJ: Gallagher Care Plan is our new system and support package designed for customers to unlock further value and benefits from their relationship with Gallagher and our partners. At its core, Care Plan ensures customers are optimizing their Gallagher system configuration and maximizing the value of their software maintenance, through offering service and support across product, training, advisory services, and development. Care Plan also provides an extension to the current 5-year warranty – providing total warranty protection for up to 10 years. This extended warranty expresses our commitment to quality and dedication to delivering a robust solution for our customers. From a partner perspective, Care Plan enhances the relationship with customers and reinforces a closer connection and tighter focus on solving their business problems. Scott Johnstone

which we are developing and the thirst for knowledge to apply it. We have recreated our training offering to reach more people even faster. In the case of enduser training, over the past year we have launched 3 new online training courses - Operator, Administrator, and recently Advanced Administrator. Operator and Administrator courses have been made free for Care Plan customers, and Advanced Admin is also free from Tier 2. Our courses are all about empowering our users so they can understand and leverage the full functionality of the powerful solutions they already have. JA: How important are long-term channel partners for Gallagher’s customers – is their expertise and experience a kind of unheralded benefit of deploying Gallagher solutions that guarantees superior applications and enhanced support? SJ: Support doesn’t start and end with the technician standing in front of you, there is a tidal wave of support behind

every Gallagher-certified technician. It is incredibly important to us to take a considered approach when selecting a partnership. We have more than 100 Gallagher channel partners in Australia alone, and the overwhelming majority have been in place between 10 and 20 years, some even longer. These companies have been there through generations of product and software and have transitioned some of Australia’s most critical and secure sites through the Gallagher platform over decades. They understand how and why we do things and have long-held connections at all levels of our company. Our partners understand the benefits of these attributes and we understand it too. I cannot understate the value of our partnerships and the benefits that flow to our joint customers because of it. JA: Could you explain to readers what Gallagher’s Care Plan is and how it will benefit your customers and channel partners?

JA: How important are your channel partners when it comes to product development – not only from the point of view of enhancements that assist integrators, but as a conduit for the operational input of end users? SJ: Our partners have a very prominent voice in product development, and it is most often used in the context of delivering feedback from the end-user to enhance our offering in upcoming software versions. Our partners certainly help us identify needs and trends. Often these are the unseen aspects that help speed installation and configuration, or emerging opportunities they’ve uncovered that will ultimately benefit our customers too. JA: What’s the process of becoming a Gallagher channel partner – is it difficult and what are the benefits? SJ: Gallagher learned over 20 years ago when we brought native ethernet controllers and more powerful software to market, that not everyone in the industry understood the technology and the increasing importance of it. Additionally,

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● Regulars

The Interview

back then not everybody subscribed to the same guiding principles that we lived by. We knew that we couldn’t control every element of each implementation, but we could influence it, and that’s where the Gallagher Channel Partner concept came from. The value in becoming a Gallagher Certified Channel Partner has grown exponentially since that time, as the combination of best technology and best of breed integrators became a demand. Current and future customers know that the Gallagher platform is robust, and they take comfort in knowing that the partner they choose to work with has the appropriate licencing, training, and experience needed. The process of becoming a partner is simple, but hard to pass. It starts with a call, you follow up with sending some supporting information, we meet to see your business in action, we focus on how we can benefit each other and how you can materially benefit our customers, and if it all adds up, we do our due diligence and offer partnership. JA: Gallagher is constantly upgrading its solutions through development and integration with key technology partners – what are some of the latest developments and is there anything in the mid-term pipeline you can hint at? SJ: Our investment in research and development is continual and supremely important. We have some neat integrations happening that will positively impact many customers, and our product development has a roadmap that will evolve and expand the access management space yet again. It is an incredibly exciting time to be with

Gallagher and to be a part of the security industry as a whole. JA: What are the challenges of sales in the modern electronic security industry and what are the advantages of selling into a market that values trusted partnerships so highly? SJ: Trusted partnerships start internally where we have an average tenure of well over 10 years. The majority of our channel partners have been with us for over a decade and so too have thousands of customers who continue to choose Gallagher’s security platform for the protection of their people and assets. Trust starts and ends with culture, an example of this is Gallagher’s long held commitment to open standards in encryption and being appointed as an authorised CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) Numbering Authority (CNA). Security through obscurity is no security at all, and hiding inconvenient truths only multiplies that risk. If you’re going to hold trust in this industry, you need to be brave, use best practices, and have an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing. Only the right culture can deliver on those promises and Australia’s mature security market expects nothing less. The security industry itself is getting bigger and the problems it can solve are becoming more complex by the day. The benefits of convergence with other technologies exposes many ways to create more value and certainly challenges us and our partners to keep moving in pursuit of continual education and improvement. To this end, we stopped simply being experts in security and networks a long time ago,

we moved to understand the business objectives of our customer and how other technology works to advance them. Being a responsible part of a converged ecosystem allows us to solve problems the industry only dreamed of just years ago. JA: Gallagher is a highly successful business with an excellent reputation – what does the success of the business depend on, in your opinion? SJ: I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of that success and I know our teams around the world are too. Aside from the obvious benefit of being owned and entirely manufactured right here in our own corner of the world, there are 2 distinct areas that underpin our success – people and product. Firstly, at the people end, culture, trust, and long-term partnerships are at the heart of what we do. On the product end, our relentless pursuit of innovation, security, and quality, continues to position us as a leader in market. We have been successful in the past by nurturing both sides of this equation and there is not a person in our organisation unclear on how critical they are to our future success. By keeping these values at the forefront of everything we do, we are seeing, and will continue to see, Gallagher solutions being deployed to the largest, most secure, and extraordinary organisations around the world. JA: If you were joining the electronic security industry as a young person – integrator or supplier in 2021 - what areas would you focus on, given what you know now – where does the future of electronic security lie? SJ: I fell into residential and small commercial installs just after school in the mid 90’s. With no qualifications or experience I found an industry full of people that were ready to give me a shot and that still holds true for young people entering today. I would impress the importance of T-shaped skills and approach above all else. I’ve mentioned the convergence occurring in our industry and people with skills and knowledge outside their core will hold the keys to our industry as it grows. From a technical standpoint, a focus on understanding networks and the ‘security of security’ will add tremendous acceleration to any young person beginning their career in our exciting and ever-changing industry. n

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27/5/21 12:28 pm

● Special Report

Access Control

ACCESS CONTROL AUTHENTICATION Access control authentication technologies have been evolving for decades but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process, pushing users towards use of mobile authentication technologies and face recognition faster than ever before. CCESS control authentication technologies are a curious hybrid of the analogue and the digital, with keypads and carried credentials competing with biometric readers, biometric-powered smart devices and video analytics-driven face recognition technologies in an increasingly sophisticated access control market. The question for integrators and end users is which technology will prevail, given there are significant capital and operational expenses associated with each choice. Operational issues that must be considered include providing a low touch environment, minimising or eliminating the

expense of card library management, overcoming user worries about biometric technologies, and ensuring access control providers have relevant technology partnerships with developers. Over-arching these considerations will be questions of credential security, risks revolving around network exposure and the challenges of managing multi-authentication enterprise applications, in which cards and smart devices may rub shoulders with face recognition and fingerprint scanners. Given support from the underlying access control solution, such systems may offer stronger authentication in some locations and more affordable authentication in others. According to Gallagher’s Steve Bell, the most secure of all access authentication technologies is a public key-based authenticator. “This is considered the most secure authentication technology as it is less vulnerable to attacks, compared to symmetric key authenticators and biometric authenticators,” Bell explains. “MIFARE DESFire cards are an example of a symmetric key authenticator. An access control system incorporating MIFARE DESFire cards requires a shared secret key that must be available

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BY J O H N A D A M S

at each reader to be able to authenticate with the card applet, prior to reading the credential information from the card. “Examples of a public key authenticator include a smart card with a certificate (e.g., USA Government FIPS201-2 standard), or a simpler FIDO authenticator that is now built into all new IOS, Android, and Windows devices. The advantages of public key technology are that any security vulnerability that leaks a public key does not allow an attacker to impersonate that authenticator.” According to Bell, the USA National Institute of Standards (NIST) standard SP800-63B documents its view of the strengths and weaknesses of various authentication technology alternatives. “Symmetric authenticator systems rely on the shared secret key being kept secure at each reader,” Bell explains. “Should a reader become compromised, the keys need to be rolled or migrated across each card. Public key authenticators depend on the ‘relying party’. The device wanting to authenticate the credential must know the public key for the matching private key on the authenticator, and this is more technically complex for the device vendors to achieve, but is significantly more secure.” Bell argues that any access control authentication solution should also include the option for second factor authentication for greater certainty, such as a PIN number or biometric. “Interestingly, NIST does not consider a biometric authenticator alone to be sufficiently secure,” Bell says. “This is due to a biometric authenticator acting on probability that it is reading the correct person, in comparison to a cryptographic authenticator which can determine a person’s authentication.” Cost is a key element of choice when it comes to authentication technologies but these days it’s harder to establish which technology has the lowest total cost of ownership over the lifetime of a system. There are ongoing costs associated with using physical credentials. “Card-based authenticators such as MIFARE DESFire EV2 (or EV3) are the best of breed for the current generation of access cards,” argues Bell. “However, the total cost of ownership includes, enrolling a person into the system, including their name and select personal information, as well as photo capture, the physical card cost, encoding the credential onto the card, printing the photo and other information onto the card, as well as staffing costs for issuance of new, replacement, and temporary cards. These overheads all add up to a significant annual cost and for sites such as university campuses, there is a likely requirement to have one or more staff salaries to include in the total cost of ownership for managing physical cards. “An alternative that is growing in popularity on some larger sites is digital credentials included on a smartphone,” Bell says. “A good mobile credential technology and infrastructure, such as Gallagher Mobile Connect has been designed to minimise

THE QUESTION FOR INTEGRATORS AND END USERS IS WHICH TECHNOLOGY WILL PREVAIL, GIVEN THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL AND OPERATIONAL EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH CHOICES. the cost and effort in the management of access control credentials. “The total cost of ownership includes the enrolment cost, which is similar to a cardbased system, and the cost from the credential technology provider. Gallagher Mobile Connect uses a small annual per credential subscription that can be thought of as ‘Credentials as a Service’, similar to the now common Information Systems “software as a service” (SaaS) subscription.” According to Bell, the cost benefits of digital credential systems like Gallagher Mobile Connect is that, once the information has been entered, the system will deliver the credential invitation to the person and manage the loading of the credential on the phone, removing the need for onsite staff costs. In addition, the overhead of reception having to issue temporary cards to staff members who have left their card at home is almost non-existent as it is unusual for people to leave their phone at home. Furthermore, Gallagher Mobile Connect also includes a secure photo ID card within the mobile phone app. “Depending on the number of staff members within a site, the saving in cost could include one or more full time staff,” he explains. “These factors position mobile credentials as the lowest total cost of ownership for access control authentication use.” While keypads are considered to offer only modest security levels, Bell says they may have a place in multi-factor authentication. “Enterprise access control systems should have the capability for multi-factor authentication with

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● Special Report

Access Control

WITH BETTER KNOWLEDGE NOW OF HOW GERMS AND VIRUSES SPREAD FROM SHARED SURFACES, MANY BUSINESSES ARE REEVALUATING THEIR ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM FROM A HEALTH AND SAFETY PERSPECTIVE. after-hours access to a facility requiring at least 2 factors,” he says. “Where systems are using cards, 2-factor authentication will generally involve the entry of a PIN at the keypad. 2-factor authentication can be also accomplished with a reader biometric second factor, but these will generally be more expensive. “Gallagher designed its mobile phone credential to also include the option for secure 2-factor authentication, where during the transaction the reader will indicate whether a 1 or 2-factor authentication is required. The mobile credential second factor uses the biometric sensor or a PIN on the phone, providing sites with after hours and secure area authentication without a keypad, resulting in added cost-savings.” How has COVID-19 impacted on access control technologies, in Bell’s opinion? “The most obvious impact of COVID-19 is the desire for touchless readers, keypads, and biometric sensors,” he says. “Contactless fingerprint and facial recognition readers have grown in popularity for this very reason. Gallagher has a long-standing partnership with IDEMIA which manufactures a range of biometric readers. And in 2020, Gallagher integrated its Command Centre software with Invixium IXM TITAN, which offers temperature

screening, mask detection, and face recognition while wearing a mask, to support sites operating within the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic” In terms of outright security, it’s not always clear to users which authentication technology or combination of technologies offers highest security, but Bell argues the advantage lies with mobile devices for most applications. “For general enterprise use, a mobile device with public key-based authenticator and embedded with a biometric is very secure,” says Bell. “I believe this is suitable for all but the highest level of government use. At the same time, Gallagher’s experience in protecting government sites requiring the highest level of security is that wireless personal devices will not be accepted. Instead, the use of card technology with keypadPIN, fingerprint or IRIS is approved for use, but I expect face recognition will also become accepted in the future. “Overall, there is strong indication that mobile devices and wearables will gain a market share in the future. As technology advances, more services are being provided through our personal devices and many of us are happy to access private information, such as internet banking, via secure authentication on our phone or wearable.” Will Yeadon of Chase argues that access control is sufficiently diverse that different authentication technologies work better for different applications – there’s not a ‘best’ that suits all projects. “Having said that, biometric authentication is a very secure form of access control,” Yeadon says. “The most secure biometric would probably be retina scan, however, this is not a commercially viable option. Something to consider is that high security generally does not offer inherent ease of use. Rather, it’s a question of what’s the best product for your particular application and the answers will vary considerably across the market. Personally, I think any multiple authentication is better than any single authentication, no matter how good it may be.” According to Yeadon, COVID-19 has impacted on access control technologies in a number of ways. “COVID slowed the industry, with many employees working from home, and it also brought a wave of new ideas and technologies, mainly touch-free entrance using facial technology, and increased no-touch request to exit,” he says. Despite these changes, Yeadon feels the keypad still has a place in access control installations. “Being old school, yes I believe it still does, especially for a low-cost entrance under duress alert, and the ability to mandate keypad use via time zone, increasing the access level at different times of day or evening,” he says. “These qualities make keypads versatile, low cost, effective, but not for all projects.” When it comes to whether or not card-only readers still have a place in the access control mix,

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or whether mobile device authentication is a better option for a carried authentication device, Yeadon argues cards continue to have a role. “And I think using a phone for access is a good option and having an employee use their own phone for access has (economic) advantages, however, some employees may not want to use their phone for access without compensation,” he says. “Would it be unreasonable for staff to request a phone as part of their supplied uniform? Would the employer pay?” Face recognition – is this the no-touch access authentication killer app, in Yeadon’s opinion? “No, face recognition is cool and new, but so was iris, so was fingerprint and so was vein scanning and so on,” he explains. “Once enrolled, the biometric template will have to be updated every few years as the person ages out of the template threshold. I believe we are still in the honeymoon period regarding this re-enrolment with face recognition technology.” In Yeadon’s opinion we will see a continuation of the technological proliferation when it comes to authentication in a fast-evolving world. “I think so and I hope so,” he says. “When it comes to the latest developments, the use of mobile devices and geographical mapping for authentication is clever, especially with virtual meetings and the virtual world we are approaching. VR meetings and workplaces will be a new chapter to our lives with interesting security challenges when it comes to establishing who is in the meeting with you. Access control? Yes, Jim. But not as we know it.” Meanwhile Nirovision’s Eliana Bettio sees significant impact on access control technologies from the COVID-19 pandemic. “With better knowledge now of how germs and viruses spread from shared surfaces, many businesses are re-evaluating their access control system from a health and safety perspective,” she explains. “Old technologies, like fingerprint scanners and keypads, require regular cleaning, which is an increased time and cost burden to businesses. In addition, people have become more wary of touching anything, especially if communally used. For these reasons we’re seeing an increased demand for touchless solutions. “At the same time, contact tracing requirements have forced many businesses to acknowledge they don’t know the number or location of people on their premises in real time. Keeping manual registries is resource intensive, error prone and insecure; there’s an incentive for businesses to explore access control solutions using biometric credentials, as an avenue to automate the collection of attendance and access logs. An added benefit of automating identification, health and compliance checks is the ability to be alerted upon inconsistencies or problems. “Simplifying physical administration with digital processes is especially relevant in a post lockdown world, where face-to-face encounters to hand in

swipe cards or enrol/unenrol user credentials won’t always be possible. Being able to perform key actions remotely, such as managing your database, replicate access levels across systems and audit activity is highly sought after.” When it comes to choosing the most secure authentication combination, Bettio says that Nirovision believes any method of verification is greatly enhanced when facial recognition is added to the mix. “This is because facial recognition relies on the right person with the right access being present, whereas cards, mobile devices and pin codes can be easily shared,” she explains. “In addition, with facial recognition, a workplace has video evidence of who accessed a door and if there were tailgaters, as opposed to standalone time logs that don’t tell the full story.” And for Bettio, face recognition is the no-touch access authentication killer app. “We might be biased, but we believe so,” she says. “While card readers and mobile phones are touchless alternatives, there is still the hassle of card maintenance and distribution. Meanwhile mobile phones are prone to battery issues, user error, and can be shared, stolen or hacked. Compare this to your face which goes everywhere you go, is unique to you and can’t be shared. n

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Considerations of IP Alarms Taking alarm systems onto networks poses some challenges relating to support hardware and firmware and installers and monitoring stations need to pay attention to the detail to ensure reliable and secure services. NTERNET-based alarm communications can be I extremely fast and are generally very reliable but there are issues installers and monitoring stations must consider. Most issues can be resolved with 3DES encryption of alarm signals and implementation of a wireless backup. But when you’re introducing network components into the alarm system itself, installation companies and monitoring stations need to make it clear in their contracts who carries responsibility for customers’ connections to the Internet. In most cases, that task lies with the customer, and installers need to remind customers the monitoring service being provided to them will use the Internet as the means of communication of alarm signals from their premises to the central station. It is advisable to identify this fact in writing to your customer right up front. It will reduce your liability exposure should something go wrong, and alarm system signals are not received. Additionally, the delivery of public Internet service to a customer’s premises is the responsibility of their Internet provider. Users should be encouraged to select an Internet service provider that provides adequate standby power and 24-hour support service. Where Internet service provider requires that a customer’s connection be verified, authenticated or logged on, it will be their

responsibility to provide the necessary software and/or equipment to accomplish this requirement. This clause will clearly identify that the oversight of the Internet service is not the alarm dealer’s responsibility. Should the Internet connection be required to be logged on, the customer is responsible for this function. While the installation company will supply and install an Internet signal transmitter (IST) connected to your security alarm system control unit, it will be the customer’s responsibility to provide, within 5 feet of their security alarm control unit, a suitable RJ-45 Ethernet connection into which the installer will plug the IST. The key point made here is that the customer has the responsibility to provide the network connection for the IST. An alarm system has its own backup power during outs but it will be the end users’ responsibility to provide standby electrical power to their ADSL, cable modem and any other devices such as routers, hubs or switches that may affect the Internet communications with a recommended standby duration of 24 hours, but in all cases not less than 15 minutes. Your customer’s attention needs to be drawn to the fact that alarm communications will fail if the power for your modem, routers, hubs, switches, etc. is interrupted. Providing standby power for Internet

alarm communications is going to be a problem for most installers if users can’t be encouraged to purchase and install a basic UPS. If you consider that all network devices — including modems, routers and switches between the signal transmitter and the Internet — are usually powered by AC, you can understand the problems that will arise when you try to provide 8, 12 or 24 hours of standby power. Standby power must be the customer’s responsibility. Customers must be advised that a failure in the communication facilities may occur for any number of reasons including, but not limited, to: A) Intentional cutting or severing of communication cables entering your

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premises; B) Loss of commercial electrical power and a subsequent failure or depletion of standby power; C) A failure of your modem, hub, router, switch or other equipment in the Internet path within your premises; D) A failure of the IST; E) A failure or malfunction of an Internet service provider or its facilities; F) Any other failure beyond the control of the monitoring station or installer. You also need a clause to inform the customer that when your central station is alerted of a failure in the communication facilities, the event will be assigned a lowish priority and you or your designate will be notified as soon as is reasonably possible. There may be some objection

to this clause. Before you decide to throw it out, consider what will happen in your central station when there is a major failure of the Internet for 10 minutes or more and hundreds of customer alarms report a loss of communications. Most control rooms would battle to triage an event like this. You also need to ensure the customer is aware that upon receiving notification of a failure in the communication facilities, it will be their responsibility to verify that the public Internet service to their premises is functioning correctly. Once they have determined that their public Internet connection is working properly, it will be their responsibility to telephone

the central station and determine if alarm communications have been restored. When the Internet does fail, the installer/monitoring provider will likely be powerless when it comes to getting it restored. The alarm dealer and/or the central station probably doesn’t know who is the customer’s ISP. Even if they did, the ISP will most likely not work with anyone other than their customer of record. The complexities of internet communications support and responsibility underline the importance of ensuring wireless comms remains the primary reporting path for professionally monitored alarm systems. n

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● Product Review

Panasonic

PANASONIC I-PRO WVX1551LN AI BULLET Panasonic’s i-PRO WV-X1551LN AI bullet camera is a polished new offering from the Japanese manufacturer, with great build quality, solid physical and optical specifications, and an evolved AI engine that’s designed to enhance security applications in the real world.

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BY J O H N A D A M S

ANASONIC’S i-PRO WV-X1551LN AI bullet camera features 5MP resolution, a fast F1.3 varifocal lens with a range of 2.9– 9mm, minimum illumination of .07 lux colour .04 lux in monochrome and 0 lux with IR activated. There’s also adaptive black stretch, back light compensation (BLC), fog compensation, highlight compensation (HLC), digital noise reduction, auto backfocus, integrated IR, image stabilistion and loads more. But the heart of this camera is its AI capability, with 3 AI functions available, including the ability to detect suspicious changes in captured scenes. Depending on your settings, AI detects, identifies and determines movement, recognises the presence of human faces and captures them in the most visible state, locates moving objects, identifies where there’s no movement, and performs efficient data compression. Further, AI automatically adjusts image settings of the scene being analyzed, and optimizes video compression to conserve network bandwidth and server storage capacities. These new i-PRO X-series cameras are available in outdoor and indoor vandal-resistant domes, as well as bullet configurations. Shared features include H.265 compression and smart coding to increase bandwidth efficiency and reduce storage requirements; colour night vision for use in lowlight conditions; and Intelligent Auto (iA) with Super Dynamic functions for enhanced dynamic range in scenes with varying lighting conditions. All i-PRO X-series cameras are bundled with a Video Insight VMS camera license and come with a 5-year warranty. Panasonic’s Matt Terrey drops the i-PRO bullet camera off at SEN’s office for testing and points out the new white colour scheme, which is a departure from Panasonic’s traditional silver livery. He also gives me a quick tour around the camera’s AI functionality in the AI-VMD setup menu. Watching him work, it’s immediately clear that Panasonic’s AI is a deep dive, offering plenty of nuanced functionality for operators in larger sites or on the street.

AI gets people and vehicles.

Excellent colour rendition.

Subject running late in day.

PANASONIC I-PRO WV-X1551LN AI FEATURES Let’s take a look at the features of this camera before we get going on our test, looking at the physical specification first and the AI parameters after. This is an external day/night (ICR) bullet with a cast alloy housing that’s rated to IP66 against water and dust ingress and to IK10 and NEMA 4X against vandalism. The camera’s front panel has Panasonic’s ClearSight and Rainwash coatings, which push away water and the dust it’s often carrying to ensure a clear view. It’s got nice hand-feel and the new design is pleasing, too. The image sensor is a 1/2.8-inch CMOS that has a minimum scene illumination in colour

Busy scenes easliy managed.

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● Product Review

Colour at night.

Faces in sub-4 lux!

AI depth of detection.

Panasonic of 0.07 lux, 0.04 lux in black and white and 0 lux in monochrome with IR activated. Maximum resolution is 5MP at 30ips and the camera has a bunch of familiar features, including Super Dynamic WDR, adaptive black stretch, backlight compensation, fog compensation, highlight compensation, digital noise reduction, auto back focus, auto focus and focus assist. There’s image stabilization, corridor mode, 8 privacy zones, and iA Intelligent Auto functionalities. The camera’s fast F1.3 varifocal lens has a focal range of 2.9-9 mm (34 to 106-degree angles of view), which is perfect for applications on the street or for complex environments, especially when the camera is elevated. DORI numbers for wide end detection are 25ppm, for observe they are 62.4ppm, for recognise they are 125ppm and for identify, they are 250ppm. Assisting with setup, the camera mechanism pans through 180 degrees and tilts through 100 degrees. Compression includes H.265, H.264 and JPEG, with transmission in H.265/H.264, and other functions include constant bit rate, variable bit rate, adjustable frame rate, best effort and smart coding. There’s audio support via a built-in microphone, as well as an audio input and output, SD and SDXC memory card slots, external I/O terminals, an internal dehumidification device, operating temperature from -40 to 60C, power by 12V DC or PoE, the camera supports ONVIF S, G and T profiles and encryption of transmission is FIPS140-2 CAVP compliant. An SDK allows tweaks for custom applications. On the video analytics side There are 3 AI functions available through the camera: detecting suspicious changes in captured scenes, optimizing the image settings of the camera (based on captured scene analysis) for better image usability, and optimizing video compression through captured scenes to save bandwidth at a throughput that’s 50 per cent lower than existing cameras while maintaining image quality. Running the AI show are Panasonic’s AI-VMD, AI-Pryvacy Guard and Intelligent VMD (i-VMD). Something that’s cool about this camera is that AIVMD lets you click to select detection objects you want highlighted on-screen – vehicles, humans, bicycles, etc. Importantly in some applications, AI Privacy Guard can pixelate faces and/or human figures to protect personal identities, while at the same time alerting operators to a human presence. According to Panasonic, the camera is able to deliver accurate VMD performance because it has an integrated AI processor, allowing it to identify a person, a vehicle or a bike and to send alerts to operators on the basis of those types. Meanwhile, Panasonic’s AI-Video Motion Detection detects loitering, line-crossing and movement direction, while reducing false alarms caused by swaying trees and plants, shadows and

Faces with IR off.

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reflections, and rain. And the camera’s AI Intelligent Auto optimizes image quality settings, including shutter speed, auto exposure, gamma correction, and noise reduction in real time to support these selections, while AI Smart Coding optimizes video compression to minimize bandwidth and storage requirements.

TEST DRIVING THE I-PRO WV-X1551LN AI We’re testing the camera on SEN’s venerable Optiplex 9020 server. The camera is powered via a NetGear 108SP 8-port PoE switch and is alone on the network. The camera is running at 2560 x 1440 pixels, has a maximum bitrate setting of 14Mbps (though we never approach it), and we are at H.264 to save the browser from frame drop. I should point out we tend to favour H.264 quality in our tests. Finally, VBR is activated and everything else is default. My first feeling after hanging the camera out the front (and this is a compliment) is that the i-PRO renders like an Axis camera – the stream has that particular look about it – right down to the slightly more than usual barrel distortion and the latitudinal and longitudinal chromatic aberrations. Levels of detail are high, colour rendition is true and the camera deals with the bright parts of the scene 50+ metres from the lens extremely well. There’s no over exposure and no loss of detail in adjacent vehicles. It’s a winter afternoon in Sydney, so what remains of the sun is away to the North and there’s shade on both sides of the street. The shutter speed has eased a bit, so I’m not getting moving plates at

THE HEART OF THIS CAMERA IS ITS AI CAPABILITY, WITH 3 AI FUNCTIONS AVAILABLE, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO DETECT SUSPICIOUS CHANGES IN CAPTURED SCENES.

full wide. Depth of field is excellent thanks to that 5MP resolution, but the way variable light is being handled contributes to image quality, too. We often lose deeper detail in the afternoons thanks to over exposure but not with this i-PRO. I notice bitrate ranges from 5500-7000Mb in H.264, depending on movement across the scene. I’m running at ‘fine’, so bitrate could be reduced if required but there’s no pressure to do so. My first move is to hop into settings and dial out most all the barrel distortion – we go from maybe 12 per cent to around 4 per cent. I check the other settings and leave them as they are. Going back to live view I notice that while plates aren’t attainable at this focal length, I have court admissible faces from about 12-14 metres. I also notice the way the iVMD is handling AI designated targets in the scene. Cars and trucks are labelled vehicle, people are labelled people, with a red box around them and a green line showing direction of approach. Things need to be moving in the scene for a second before they are categorised by iVMD, though later on I hop back into settings and speed detection up of .2 of a second. If objects are

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● Product Review

Panasonic PANASONIC’S WV-X1551LN 5MP OUTDOOR BULLET IS WELL-MADE AND OFFERS SOLID OPTICAL PERFORMANCE ACROSS A RANGE OF CONDITIONS.

Detection depth is strong.

Here it is again.

No plate zoomed in afternoon.

But excellent faces.

static for a while, the box disappears, then the AI recaptures them once they move again. Detection range is surprisingly good – out to 70 metres at the widest lens settings today. Cool is that i-PRO is able to detect 2 people even when they are walking side by side at an acute angle. Something I’m really interested in with this i-PRO camera’s VMD is just how capable it’s going to be as light levels fall. Obviously, getting court admissible faces and plates is wonderful if you’re seeking prosecutions for criminal behaviour. But it you are only monitoring general behaviour – perhaps keeping an eye on movement around a university 24 hours a day - then AI that can detect movement in scenes the human eye struggles to unravel is going to be valuable – and it’s going to cost less than thermal, too. At 4.45pm, light is well and truly slipping away – it’s close to full dark by around 5.30pm in Sydney in winter. Colours have faded, there’s a little more blur around speeding vehicles but depth of field is still strong, and AI detection of humans and vehicles is as good as it was earlier in the day. At 4.54pm some one drives up the street in a white Audi A3 sedan with side skirts and a sunroof at about 80kmph (it’s a 40 zone). The camera shows blur, but there’s no question about the sort of car it is – nor what sort of bloke is driving it. As evening turns to full night, I notice that cars are less often identified but humans almost always are – later I see this comes down to my settings. Next day, I drive the camera in the presence of 65,000 lux of sunlight, which I zoom into using a focal length of around 6mm. This is a good focal length for the camera and for my street application, giving tons of detail, brilliant depth of field and retaining strong handling across a scene combining shadow and strong variable light. Something I notice at this focal length is those widespread chromatic aberrations ranging from 3-5 pixels deep in areas of highest contrast. In these conditions there’s rapid detection and recognition of objects moving in the scene. Throughout the day, I appreciate the colour rendition, the depth of field and the extra detail afforded by the longer focal length, which has tuned out most the static parts of the scene I was covering at full wide. At around 3.15pm a person comes running down the street and is tracked by iVMD, while the camera delivers court admissible face recognition. By 3.30pm on this second day of testing I notice that I am able to get slow moving license plates, as well as recognise faces behind

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windscreens at around 20 metres from the lens. Attracted by this, I zoom in further still – I’ve lost the pavement on my side of the street and am covering a section of road between 15-25 metres from the lens, with a shortened view of the pavement on the other side. With the aperture stopped down a little more I’m not able to enhance moving plates but faces at this focal length are exceptionally well rendered, with accurate skin tones and considerable detail of attire and carried items. Motorised bullets are good like that. At 4.32pm I’m surprised to find the camera’s AI is able to track pedestrians even when they are behind trees and branches at a distance of around 30 metres from the lens. By 5pm faces have been lost and I have motion blur and some tone mapping around moving objects – the latter more prevalent around the bonnets of fast-moving cars or people’s legs. Even so, I retain high levels of detail of vehicles and pedestrians, and the AI goes on putting objects into boxes as light falls completely away. Something I appreciate is that this detection and categorisation also affords a sense of context – it allows you to see how far people are away from each other. I switch to monochrome with IR activated next – operational IR range is at least 40 metres, with a nice spread. With IR activated, the shutter drops further still, and I lose detail of faster moving objects, like motorcycles, though people and slow-moving cars are still to considerable extent, identifiable. Something else that’s identifiable to the camera are people I can barely see. It’s fair to say the camera’s AI engine doesn’t always get a person instantly but as they move through the scene it will find them and in some cases, it tracks pedestrians from under the lens out to about 40 metres away in sub-4 lux, which I wasn’t expecting. It’s fine performance from the i-PRO. Finally, I go back to colour and notice more detail, including better face recognition. Under the lens – around 5-6 metres away – it’s near court admissible with subjects approaching the camera point. If the camera were to live in my application, colour is where settings would remain. Panasonic’s i-PRO isn’t only about camera performance. You hop into AI-VMD via the external software tab in the tree directory. Once you’re inside, you start out by selecting a detection area/ programme you want to monitor by delineating a colour, then click vehicle, human or bicycle icons to tell the AI engine what to look for in that area. There are 8 possible detection areas per camera view in each of 2 detection programmes. Next, you hop into Detailed Settings, where you can tweak motion sensitivity, as well as the sensitivity of objects being detected. In my application, the settings are slightly lower than standard for motion, about 80 per cent higher for humans and about 10 per cent lower than standard for vehicles, with bicycles around standard

settings on the slider. What’s interesting when you start playing with these settings, is that the i-PRO automatically adjusts camera settings in support, including things like Super Dynamic, white balance, DNR and auto contrast. Next, you can schedule settings – these include detection zones for periods of operation – my 2 zones are set for 7 days, 24 hours. Finally, there’s alarm settings – here you can select email notifications, FTP transmission, recording settings and alarm settings.

CONCLUSIONS Panasonic’s WV-X1551LN 5MP outdoor bullet is well-made and offers solid optical performance across a range of conditions. In lower light levels, the best performance is to be found in colour down to around 4 lux. The camera offers strong colour rendition, excellent depth of field and has a comparatively fast zoom and re-focus function. The big resolution delivers more detail than we are used to seeing and it comes with little discernible impact on low light performance. The camera’s overall performance is considerably enhanced by 3 very polished AI systems, which work together to deliver real operational benefits, using motion detection, object identification and optimisation of camera performance. Best of all, AI-VMD is at once capable and relatively simple to apply and its functionalities make Panasonic’s new i-PRO range worth careful consideration. n

WV-X1551LN 5MP OUTDOOR BULLET CAMERA FEATURES: l

5MP images up to 30fps

AI intelligent auto

Colour night vision (0.0044 to 0.07 lx)

AI smart coding

AI detection/recognition

Third-party application support

ClearSight coating.

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● Regulars

Products

Editor’s choice LILIN RELEASES COVERT PINHOLE CAMERAS l LILIN’s range of covert wired and wireless pinhole cameras

offers discreet surveillance, with the IPC0122 delivering 1080P HD surveillance and a 3.7mm pinhole lens available in standard and WiFi variants. There’s a 6-metre cable connecting the lens to the module that provides installers with a large degree of flexibility in determining the camera location and positioning. Also included in this range is the marine grade, stainless steel IPC0422E4- well suited to installation in harsher environments. Initially intended for yachts with their high protection rating, the sleek design of this model has made this model an optimal choice for high end residential installations. Features of the IPC0122P3 pinhole camera include: • Covert IP camera • Easy to install and flexible mounting option • Discreet and functional design • Power over Ethernet • Video surveillance for ATMs • HD resolution with 5MP CMOS sensor • For concealed applications • 1080p HD resolution.

What’s new in the industry.

JOHNSON CONTROLS UPDATES TYCO KANTECH ENTRAPASS SOFTWARE l JOHNSON Controls has released the newest version of the Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software. As part of ongoing efforts to improve cybersecurity, the following enhancements were added to the software: • EntraPass workstation reports are now stored in the Windows user’s document folder • Updated operator roles and password requirements • Microsoft certificate validation that the EntraPass application has not been tampered with. EntraPass version 8.30 features additional support for Tyco DSC PowerSeries intrusion alarm panels, including a fully functional virtual keypad, enhanced support for EntraPass web macOS functionality, cybersecurity updates and other optimizations for a more streamlined user experience. The additional support for the Tyco DSC PowerSeries alarm panel family includes a virtual keypad, with the same functions, navigations and emergency keys as the physical DSC intrusion alarm panels. Distributor: BGW Technologies Contact: +61 2 9674 4255

Distributor: LiLin Australia Contact: +61 2 9646 4878

PALGATE ACCESS CONTROL FROM FHD l PALGATE from FHD is a smart, cost-effective and reliable

solution for managing and controlling gates and doors, and anything switchable. Palgate provides secure full control system for access and gate control using GSM 3G and 4G cellular network and long-range RFID wireless control. According to FHD, it’s the safest and easiest way to control gates, electric doors, electric taps and lighting in venues, with a comprehensive web interface allows installers to control gates and devices and reduces the cost of maintaining multiple gates, boom gates, garage doors and intercom doors or anything switchable from one interface. You can test your devices online for reception, voltage, users, efficiency, as well as live information on all gate positions, including open/close, as well as creating different rules for different users including importing and exporting users via Excel list with easy scheduling. Distributor: FHD Contact: +61 3 9994 0340

NEW FLEXIDOME IP STARLIGHT 8000I X SERIES FROM CSD l BOSCH FLEXIDOME IP starlight 8000i X series cameras from CSD provide the perfect balance between high resolution and extreme low-light sensitivity with starlight X technology, ensuring highly detailed images even in the most challenging situations. HDR X technology enables the camera to capture video with different light levels and without motion artefacts on moving objects. Fast moving objects are easily captured with excellent details at high frame rates. Remote commission features, PRTZ, allowing remote pan tilt, roll and zoom as well as the Bosch Project Assistant app make installation quick and easy even in difficult locations. HDR X enables the cameras to optimize video capture in scenes with fast moving objects with a dynamic range up to 144dB, enhancing exposure while reducing motion-related artefacts and blur in the daytime. Meanwhile, the new starlight X technology helps to significantly improve image quality during the day and excels in near-dark scenes, ensuring colour images down to 0.0061 lux. Distributor: Central Security Distribution Contact: 1300 319 499

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BOSCH RELEASES NEW MULTI-HEAD FLEXIDOME MULTI 7000I CAMERAS l BOSCH has introduced the new FLEXIDOME multi 7000i

camera family offering IR and non-IR models that provide 12 or 20MP resolution to deliver highly detailed multi-directional overviews, which are then combined with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) to support predictive solutions in wide-area applications. Each image sensor, offering 3 or 5MP resolution, attaches a layer of metadata to video feeds to convert video data into actionable insights. It helps customers anticipate unforeseen events and prevent them from happening. The cameras offer maximum flexibility since every image sensor can be configured independently with up to 16 video analytics rules, enabling customers to decide what to focus on per scene. The image sensors have a multi-exposure high dynamic range of up to 120 dB, reducing shadows and balancing uneven exposure to distinguish objects and facial features of pedestrians easily. All these Bosch IR models have an integrated 360-degree infrared feature which enables image capture in pitch-dark conditions over a distance of up to 30m.

25X ZOOM BULLET FROM LILIN l LI-LIN has a released its new 25x, high end zoom bullet cameras, offering long distance vision with a robust cast alloy housing, offering IK10 vandal resistance and IP 67 weather proofing. This camera features 1080p, and 5MP resolution variants (Z2R8052EX25 and Z2R8022EX25), super low light performance, autofocus with zoom – the focal length is 5.3 to 130mm, and infrared range is up to 100m. Compression options include H.264 and H.265, there’s strong wide dynamic range, 2-way audio support for video analytics, and easy integration with third party video management systems. Other features include home automation integration and NDAA compliance. The camera has a PTZ zoom module, Sony and Ambarella chipsets, and is made by Lilin in Taiwan. Distributor: Li-Lin Contact: +61 2 9646 4878

Contact: Bosch Distributors

GALLAGHER RELEASES SMART NEW COMMAND CENTRE V8.50 l GALLAGHER’S latest version of Command Centre delivers

smart features, including mobile credential syncing between sites, cutting-edge integrations, and enhancements for increased site security and user efficiency. Intelligent advancements such as the cipher pad feature for Gallagher’s T20 and T21 readers ensures added layers of protection for high security sites requiring strengthened PIN safety. Cardholder PINs are protected from ‘shoulder-surfing’ by randomizing keypad numbers when a card is presented, with capability to adapt functions for visually impaired users. Mobile Connect credentials can now be synchronized between trusted sites, saving administration costs, and providing a frictionless cardholder experience. In addition, efficiency improvements with increased controller support allows more controllers in a single server environment, reducing the overhead of controller communication on the server and allowing greater resource to serve other areas. Customizable T20 and T21 reader messaging also provides better clarity for cardholders when entering or exiting a site. Distributor: Gallagher Contact: +61 2 9412 4477

EOS RELEASES WISENET 8K AI NVRS l NEW Wisenet AI NVRs from EOS Australia offer up to 8K resolution with precise and efficient monitoring through integration with AI cameras. The new UI/UX makes analytics configuration across all channels more efficient than ever before with 16 times the resolution of HD, 8K gives organisations the capacity to digitally zoom into large coverage areas without loss of detail. The new NVRs in the Wisenet X series are scalable to a total of 160TB of available SATA HDD recording capacity. Both units support a recording bandwidth of 400Mbps and include dual HDMI video outputs. The NVRs will be available in 64-channel which includes dual redundant power supplies to ensure continuity of recording for mission-critical applications and 32-channel configurations and support simultaneous playback of all channels on a local monitor. Both models support RAID 5 and RAID 6 configurations which provide redundancy for video storage data. NVRs can read AI metadata generated by the edge device from deep learning algorithms. New UI/ UX features greatly enhance convenience, allowing users to configure events and alarms of all channels or edit each channel. Distributor: EOS Australia Contact: +61 2 9749 5888

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● Regulars

Products

Editor’s choice TIANDY TC-A35555 DUAL PTZ MR l NAS Australia is distributing the Tiandy TCA35555M Ultra Series

with structural AI and a dual auto tracking PTZ with an integrated early warning deterrent. Features include a 5MP 2.8-12mm motorised bullet camera to maintain an overall view of the scene, a resolution of up to 3072 x 1728 @ 20fps, Super Starlight technology with minimum illumination in colour of 0.0008 Lux @F1.0 (PTZ-bullet), optical zoom of the PTZ bullet x4 and digital zoom x16, optical zoom of the speed dome being x6 and digital zoom being x16. Smart IR range is up to 100m, there’s support for blue and red warning lights, built in audio mic, dual speakers for enhanced sound deterrent, built in electronic compass and Tiandy AI NVR Series support for video structure analysis with vehicle metadata including type, colour and brand. Video analytics supports tripwire, double tripwire, perimeter, object abandon, object lost, loitering, running, heat map, video abnormal, crowd, audio abnormal, demographics (people counting), on duty detection, safety helmet detection, auto tracking, and face capture.

What’s new in the industry.

DAHUA UPGRADES WIZMIND WITH ENHANCED AI l Dahua Technology has upgraded its WizMind series, offering a comprehensive project-oriented product portfolio and flexible AI solutions for a wide range of industries. Upgraded WizMind series boasts enhanced AI algorithms with expanded functions including human/vehicle video metadata, face recognition, privacy protection, wide area security, illegal parking detection, parking space management, object monitoring, etc, empowering vertical markets with an enhanced AI experience. Adopting the latest AI chip and algorithms, the upgraded WizMind based on human applications integrates more advanced AI performance, including privacy protection 2.0, face recognition 2.0, human video metadata 2.0, wide area security 2.0, people counting, stereo analysis, etc. While providing early warning, precise target search, and other basic AI functions to achieve timely responses to incidents, it also supports intelligent analysis of customer flow, crowd density, target direction and other metadata to assist in business optimization and decision-making. Contact: Dahua Distributors

Distributor: NAS Australia Contact: +61 7 3015 8700

CSD INTRODUCES WISENET X PTZ PLUS l According to CSD, Wisenet X PTZ PLUS range is the next step

in PTZ camera performance with the Wisenet7 Chipset, Hanwha Techwin’s most powerful chipset to date. The PTZ PLUS design is compact and light with improved installation mechanism and cabling for easier installation and superior cable management and protection. Excellent image quality even in difficult conditions is achieved with adaptive IR up to 200 meters, Extreme WDR and image stabilisation. With AI based object tracking the Wisenet X PTZ can accurately auto track human, or vehicle objects without distractions in the scene. Available in 2MP with 40x optical zoom, 6MP with 25x optical zoom and 8MP 25x optical zoom.

AIPHONE INTRODUCES TOUCHLESS SENSOR FOR GESTURE-ACTIVATED CALLING l AIPHONE has developed a touchless sensor that allows visitors and staff to contact an internal intercom from a door station using hand gestures. Compatible with the Aiphone IX Series door stations for easy installation, the sensor operates by encouraging users to ‘wave hello’ to make a call, ensuring the process is touchless. The solution can also be used to communicate with employees who have lost their access control card or to facilitate contactless deliveries. The sensor’s detection zone helps avoid unwanted activations from external sources, such as wind or outdoor debris. Contact: Aiphone Distributors

Distributor: Central Security Distribution Contact: 1300 319 499

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ION RELEASES F11 RANGE OF UPS SOLUTIONS FOR SECURITY APPLICATIONS

180-DEGREE COLOUR SKYBELL TRIM PLUS FROM BGW TECHNOLOGIES

l AUSTRALIAN-owned ION has released its F11 range of UPS solutions designed for electronic security applications. The range includes the 650VA, 1200VA and 2200VA models. ION F11 is a general-purpose line interactive UPS that offers protection from power surges and failures and providing clean, reliable power delivery with a transfer time of 2-4 milliseconds. It’s compact and provides multiple power receptacles, USB communications port on the 650VA, 1200VA and 2200VA. Features include a 3-year advanced replacement warranty, LCD display, boost and buck automatic voltage regulation, which stabilises fluctuating power, easy battery replacement, USB connection for local interface and communications, free software for real time monitoring and safe shutdown of connected equipment, auto-charge even when UPS is off, auto-restart in AC power recovery, modem/phone line surge energy protection of 320 joules, and discharge, overcharge and overload protection. Across the range, nominal output voltage is 230V, output voltage distortion is less than 5 per cent at full load.

l AVAILABLE from BGW Technologies, SkyBell Trim Plus is a compact battery-powered vertical doorbell camera that’s managed via the Alarm.com app and offers cloud recording and a monster 180-degree x 120-degree angle of view. Skybell’s wide view is supported by 2.1 metres of IR and integrated motion detection to 4m. Other features include chime on/off, ondemand video and recorded clips, 2-way audio through built in speaker and microphone and multi-user capability. SkyBell is just 3.5cm wide so it can be installed on slim door frames. SkyBell is compatible with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz up to 150 Mbps and there’s an upload bandwidth of 2Mbps. The device uses existing doorbell wiring and power requirements are 8-30V AC, 10VA or 12VDC, 0.5 to 1.0A wired to an in-home mechanical chime – digital doorbell chime compatibility requires use SkyBell Digital. The unit is 12.2cm x 3.65cm x 2.86cm, has a weight of 57g, is weatherproof to IPX4, delivers 1080p video at up to 15 frames per second, offers colour video in 0.5 lux, has an omnidirectional microphone, and a UL94 case.

Distributor: BGW Technologies, Sektor, Multimedia Technologies, VSP

Distributor: BGW Technologies Contact: +61 2 9674 4255

ARITECH UPGRADES TECOMPLUS MOBILE APP

INTEGRITI V21 OFFERS 2-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

l Aritech has announced the immediate availability of the next version of the TecomPlus mobile app, featuring video integration and improved support for tablet devices. From this version moving forward, the username field is no longer required in the panel and notifications set up. After updating, TecomPlus will automatically modify your existing notification settings to use the user number instead, and no action should be required to ensure continuity of this service. TecomPlus mobile app gives you the flexibility to manage the suite of ‘Plus’ solutions in the Tecom portfolio. From anywhere in the world, at any time you can be notified to alarms, power and system failures and more. With a secure, encrypted cloud connection via UltraSync, this modern interface allows you to open doors, arm/disarm areas, isolate inputs or control lighting at the touch of a button. According to Aritech, setup is a breeze, with an improved connection between security panel and mobile device thanks to UltraSync.

l ACCORDING to Inner Range, 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) can be the difference between keeping security and access control systems, accounting systems and HR information secure, or not. Inner Range says businesses that use Integriti will be more secure than ever with the inclusion of 2FA in the latest Integriti Version 21 software release. 2FA is an additional layer of security used to make sure that only an authorised person has access to an online account. A username and password is required, followed by the additional step of utilising something you are or something you know. What you know is personal information such as a username, password or a secret question. What you are is biometrics, such as fingerprints, iris scan, voice print or facial recognition. The implementation of 2FA within Integriti ensures the high level of security offered by 2FA is accessible to all customers. The initial setup for company-wide use can be completed within a few minutes.

Distributor: Hills Contact: 1800 685 487

Distributor: Central Security Distribution Contact: 1300 319 499

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● Regulars

Help desk

Our panel of experts answers your questions.

different solutions over the years, but Metal Life Saver is the one that stands out.

Q: What product would SEN use to restore tools that have corroded? Some of these tools are just stained from moisture exposure, others have heavy patches of surface corrosion. Is there an affordable solution that’s better than most? A: You need something that works with tool steels, which are steels hardened with the addition of chromium, vanadium, tungsten and molybdenum in varying quantities and qualities. To restore quality tools that are suffering from tea staining, and light and heavy surface corrosion, we’d use Autosol Metal Life Saver, which removes rust, restores finish and adds a protective coating. The way we use it is to clean and dry the surfaces, then apply Metal Saver with a cloth, wait 15 minutes then remove the residue with a clean cloth soaked in water diluted with 25 per cent vinegar. For tea staining, a single clean will be enough, but for heavier corrosion you’ll need to undertake this process multiple times and you may need to use an abrasive pad or a wire brush. Importantly, you need to shake Metal Life Saver a lot to get the pickling agent thoroughly mixed before application. One of the nice things about Metal Life Saver when working on tough corrosion is that surfaces are visibly enhanced each time you repeat the process, which encourages you to keep trying. We’ve used a lot of

Q: Do microwave beams always have a symmetrical cigar-shaped patterns? Also, if a detection zone is right at the limit of the sensor’s range, will there be more chance of false alarms? A: Microwave detection zones are more or less symmetrical, though something to bear in mind when planning microwave sensor installations is that while theoretical detection patterns are symmetrical, in reality they will be distorted by ground, walls, buildings and other objects adjacent to the target area. Typically, microwave beams are as wide as they are high towards the centre, which is halfway between transmitter and receiver. The further transmitter and see and receiver are apart, the wider the pattern will be. We’d say that any security sensor operating at its limits could have more chance of false alarms but it’s likely these limits have been factored in by the manufacturer – microwave is a mature perimeter security technology. Importantly, a microwave detector will be modulated to enhance signal processing to improve sensitivity while reducing the possibility of false alarms. The receiver will demodulate a microwave signal from

the transmitter and, during this process, will tweak signal level in relation to the circuit threshold for an alarm using an auto gain control. A particular advantage is that microwave detectors with auto gain typically don’t require sensitivity adjustment in the field. We’d recommend you talk to experts in the field when planning a microwave application like this – there’s plenty to think about, including range, overlap and regulations. Q: How does power up the coax work? Is power really travelling up the coax or is there a power line bundled with the RG-59? Does it have an impact on the video signal? A: Power is travelling up the coax. A blocking capacitor is used in series with the video to handle the DC power component, while a filter capacitor is used to filter video out of the AC signal. Remember that with power up the coax, it’s always DC. Cables like this are specifically designed to function within their build parameters and that means the internal power signal won’t trouble the internal video on their shared path. The EMI danger will be external mains, plant rooms or electric motors. Q: In SEN’s opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the different door closer types used in access control systems – would

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you agree door closers are a vital component? A: Door closers are a key element of an access control solution – they’re as important as secure readers, secure communications, or any other component of the system, when it comes to ensuring a seal, given that without them, an entry cannot be secured. Most door closers are spring-loaded and incorporate a mechanism that creates tension powerful enough to close doors completely after they are opened, while not being so strong that opening doors is impossible for cardholders of less than average strength. The mechanism attached to the spring which assists door closing is called the arm and there are 2 main categories: concealed and surface-mount. Concealed closers are usually integrated into the door and designed for a flush appearance. Because of the nature of the closer installation, they’re challenging to install, adjust and service. Being built into the frame means door and frame must be perfectly balanced, and must remain balanced, which can be difficult to achieve. Replacing hardware with these types of closers, usually involves the manufacturer, and requires integrators to work within very close tolerances. Surface mounted door closers are more popular. There are 3 types; parallelmounted, top mounted and regular mounted. The most popular are top jamb and regular. The top jamb style is simply a regular arm installed upside down. Regular arm and top jamb door closers can tolerate wide tolerances in door play. They’re typically installed on the interior side, so as to reduce tampering weather damage, and to enhance appearance of the door.

Meanwhile, parallel surface mount door closers have an arm that slides parallel to the door, rather than perpendicular. These can be difficult to service because they too, require a very well-balanced door. These closers are ideal for applications when a jamb-mounted closer must be installed on the weather side or when flush mounting is desirable. They are considered to be more weather resistant, because they don’t have a protruding arm, meaning the mechanism can be shielded by the doorframe, or a roofline. Q: What’s your opinion on swinging and sliding gates in vehicle access control applications? What are the qualities and advantages and disadvantages of each, in SEN’s opinion? A: Swing gates may have one or 2 leaves, while sliding gates may run on tracks, or may be cantilever. Gates can be chain or rack-driven and both types work well in access control applications. Other options include bi-folds. Of these options, sliding gates are slowest, swing gates are faster and bi-folds are fastest of all. Sliding gates can take up less space as they have no swinging arc, but you need space into which they can return. We’d say there’s a wider range of swinging gates. We’d also say swing gates can be tougher than other options, all other things being equal. Meanwhile, mechanical components –

GATES CAN BE CHAIN OR RACK-DRIVEN AND BOTH TYPES WORK WELL IN ACCESS CONTROL APPLICATIONS. hydraulic or electromechanical – can be installed on the gate or buried. Hydraulic systems have a longer life and greater operating tolerance than electromechanical systems – depending on site activity, a constant duty system may be required. Considerations for the integrator or installer will be gate size and leaf weight in order to ensure support pillars and gate operators are adequate for the task. Opening speed and hourly traffic cycles are additional considerations – the busier the site, the faster operations should be. Faster operations also offer higher security, as gates are open for a shorter time. It’s worth thinking about back-up power and safety features are also vital. These include a manual release and anti-crush protection, as well as safety sensors that can be installed in the arc of a gate’s swing, or set up to monitor the gate’s track for objects in harm’s way. You also need to pay attention to relevant regulations and standards and finding a quality manufacturer able to customise a solution for your specific application is going to be a major advantage. n

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SEEKING PROFESSIONAL SECURITY TECHNICIANS?

events Secutech International Date: July 7-9, 2021 Location: Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan Contact: +886 2 8729 1017 Secutech Taiwan is the leading trade fair for fire, safety and securityelectronic. It is the largest fair of its kind and opens exhibiting companies access to the Taiwanese security market.

IFSEC International

Try SEN JobsMarket securityelectronicsandnetworks.com

Date: July 12-14, 2021 Location: Excel, London, UK Contact: +44 (0)20 7921 8166 IFSEC International is an annual trade fair and conference for the global security industry. Organised by Informa Markets, it is held at ExCeL London alongside FIREX International, Safety & Health Expo and Facilities Show.

ISC West Date: July 19-21, 2021 Location: Sands Expo, Las Vegas, U.S. Contact: +1 203 840 5602 Taking place July 19-21 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, ISC West looks forward to welcoming the security & public safety industry back to accelerate market recovery and re-define the roadmap ahead.

Security Exhibition & Conference & Integrate Date: 21-23 July, 2021 Location: ICC Sydney Contact: securityexpo@divcom.net.au Diversified Communications Australia is pleased to announce that the 35th edition of the Security Exhibition & Conference in 2021 will for the first time ever, be co-located with our sister show, Integrate Exhibition, Australia’s premier audio visual and integration exhibition.

S E C U R I T Y Security & Government & GOVERNMENT EXPO

Expo 2021

Date: 18 November, 2021 Location: Realm Hotel, Canberra Contact: +61 2 9280 4425 Held in partnership with ASIS ACT, SAGE and the ASIS seminars and ASIS dinner give government security managers and facilities managers, security installers, security integrators, and security consultants, the perfect opportunity to get a look at the latest security technologies at a relaxed one-day event in the nation’s capital.

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A R E E X H I B I T I N G AT

Lets support our local manufacturers and industry by attending ASIAL 2021 CSD & Inner Range will provide live demonstrations of the latest integrations to Integriti

+ Contactless access control + Visitor & Site Management + VMS developments + Video analytics as a sensor

Our supporting partners are

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Security Electronics & Networks

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