Our Networking Heart

AT Security 2010 there will be stacks of new gear from leading manufacturers and distributors who are getting momentum in their product spreads now the direction of new technology has broadly solidified. There are signs of growing maturity in all areas, from a wider range of megapixel cameras to more polished versions of all the respected VMS solutions.If there’s a single thread that connects the latest technology it’s that almost all of it reflects the electronic security industry’s profound and growing networking bias. Our industry has changed and we have changed with it. At Security 2010 you’ll see great new Dinion IP cameras from Bosch, along with Bosch’s new Access Professional management system. You’ll see an enhanced DVTel V6.1 with advanced alarm management, integration with common streaming servers and an iPad app from Pacom. Meantime, DAS is showing off Security Commander, a new Windows management platform for Challenger.Look out for HID’s excellent VertX IP access control solution – arguably the most polished IP-based access controller on the market, as well as Dallmeier’s new ultra compact VideoNetBox, Inner Range’s new 2-door access module and a new hybrid DVR from LG. Meanwhile, Altech is will show-off Vivotek’s new IP cameras, Axis will be displaying a brand new 5MP network camera and network dome, while Avigilon will show Control Center 4.6 NVMS and all its super megapixel gear.Also worth a look are products like the Geutebruck network Health Agent, Genetec’s Security Centre 4.0 and the ADPRO Mini from Alarmcorp. You’ll also see Unicom intercoms from DAS, Dallmeier’s DMX-1600 from C.R. Kennedy, new Schlage prox from Chase Security, Crow’s sweet OLED keypad, Kenwei intercoms from CSD and Inner Range’s great new Insight V5.As usual, Security Electronics & Networks Magazine has a couple of major local case studies in this month’s Show Issue, and just as typically, these application stories tell the story of an electronic security industry driving powerfully towards a networked future.This month we take a look at Independent Locksmiths & Security’s networked installation of Crow AcNet access control and Axis, Mobotix and Milestone video surveillance at Parramatta’s Arthur Philip High School. This is a great installation that reflects real credit on the young team at IL&S. In my opinion it’s this open-minded and dedicated generation of electronic security people that will carry our industry forward. And we also cover Burwood’s CitySafe Project, a networked DVTel solution installed by AIC Solutions that, thanks to its combination of technology and proactive partnership with local police, should be considered the benchmark public surveillance solution in Australia. Given the political uncertainty at press time, it’s a bendy branch to climb out along, but I think the announcement of a 1Gb/s top speed for Australia’s proposed NBN during August was great news for electronic and networked security industry. At present our end users and integrators are chained to local sites and forced to carry big band video streams over short, dedicated links in a way that makes applications expensive and starves us of the flexibility our technology is itching to deliver. What does a 1Gb/s NBN mean? It means WAN-based video surveillance applications. It means full integration of video and access control and alarm solutions at the enterprise level. It means video monitoring of remote sites – commercial and domestic. It means our smart young players will one day be able to offer cloud-based MPLS surveillance services. It confirms our networking heart.