ISC West is the biggest and most vibrant security technology expo on the planet and there was a bunch of new stuff on show in Las Vegas.
To my mind the best thing about exhibitions is that they point the way forward. You can perceive new trends, building trends and watch as technologies fade into obscurity just by walking around and checking out each stand.
Notable building developments at ISC West 2015 included 4K, mobile everything, plug and play simplicity with IP video, home automation and cloud – the latter is a big one. The alarm industry is about to undergo some significant change. New interpretations of compression were something else that was notable. A number of manufacturers are doing cool new things with compression.
Underlying this focus on compression is a corresponding push to higher resolution. In short, everyone does 1080p – it’s no longer a selling point and that means there’s pressure for greater performance. We saw a bunch of high resolution products. Avigilon had 7K, Sony, Hikvision, Panasonic, Bosch and other, had 4K. Dahua and Axis had 4K for the second year in a row. Resolution. There’s no doubt that when you are driving a camera, more resolution is better, all other things being equal.
There was also lots of networking stuff at ISC West, not just on the floor, but with networking companies like NetGear winning awards for very clever solutions. For some real IT companies have been on the fringes, never really looking like getting their heads completely around the electronic security function. That appears to be changing.
Analytics also looks to be growing in importance as everyone realises how much it adds to system capability, and saves on storage costs. The re-establishment of the proprietary format was another interesting impression. ONVIF is starting to look creaky. Or maybe people are simply more prepared to say this. However, ONVIF’s greatest and most important achievement may have been to create a culture of partnership between different manufacturers.
Gallagher mobile app
Gallagher showed its next generation central management platform Command Centre v7.30 and a new mobile application will be among the latest releases on display. Command Centre v7.30 boasts many new features that expand and build on the capabilities available in previous versions. Also on the Gallagher stand was the award T20 Card + PIN Terminal, Controller 6000 Starter Kits, and the GSA approved and FIPS 201-2 compliant, Gallagher PIV Solution.
One CCTV maker that really impressed was Panasonic, which showed showed off its recently acquired Video Insight VMS Software, as well a stack of new cameras. These included its True 4K cameras, which include an outdoor vandal dome (WV-SFV781L) and outdoor vandal fixed (WV-SPV781L) delivering True 4K resolution, True 4K optics and True 4K wide coverage. True 4K line-up features a highly responsive 12 megapixel 4K ULTRA HD sensor that produces a 12MP image at 15fps and a 4K2K image at 30fps for incredibly high resolution at standard frame rates. The enhanced resolution of True 4K can cover a four times wider view compared to a 1080p full HD camera and set a new standard for low-light performance, offering high-sensitivity in color at less than 0.3 lux and a built-in SmartIR-LED maintains performance in 0 lux environments.
Panasonic also showed ULTRA 360 Camera with advanced business intelligence capabilities such as heat mapping, people counting and moving object removal, the ULTRA 360 panoramic indoor (WV-SFN480) and outdoor IP66 rated weather and vandal-resistant (WV-SFV481) fixed dome cameras are built on Panasonic’s 12 MP 4K ULTRA HD engine.
The new 5 Series Fixed Dome Cameras have 133dB Enhanced Super Dynamic Range, 0.07 lux high-sensitivity for color images; and day/night functionality with a built-in removable infrared (IR) cut filter, while Panasonic’s new 5 Series dome and fixed network cameras provide Full HD 1080p resolution at up to 60fps.
The company also showed its 3 Series Indoor and Outdoor PTZ Cameras: The WV-SC387 indoor and WV-SW397A outdoor PTZ cameras, the WV-SF448 Privacy-Ready Camera, the WV-ASF900 FacePro Facial Search and Recognition System, a ruggedized multi-channel mobile transit surveillance video recorder solution.
Agent Video Intelligence (Agent Vi), showed BI Portal, a cloud-based video analytics service which allows aggregation, analysis and presentation of data acquired from surveillance systems at different locations through a single, web-based interface.
Avigilon’s 7K HD Pro camera simultaneously provides maximum scene coverage while minimizing bandwidth and storage consumption, redefining the industry standard for high-resolution imaging. Avigilon also announced the release of the 6K (24 MP) HD Pro camera.
Yale Real Living showed its Key Free NFC Deadbolt, which is powered by battery and includes a free digital keys app so you can use either a PIN or a digital key on an authorised phone. Digital keys can be transferred or cancelled quickly and securely.
Dahua Technology released an affordable Smart Lock, an electronic lock and key system for residential applications. The Smart Lock family incorporates 3 models, including the ASL6101, ASL8101 and ASL8112. All models of the family support both password and card to unlock while the ASL8112 supports finger print biometric authentication for higher security applications.
IC Realtime’s IC720 dual-sensor 24-megapixel Virtual PTZ camera and proprietary software app capture 360-degrees vertically and 360-degrees horizontally. That includes zoom and freeze options in an ultra-smooth fashion, free of blind spots or distortion. Monitoring is via iPad or iPhone.
New smart home products includes the Mios – VeraLite Smart Home Controller, which manages lights, cameras, thermostats, door locks alarm systems and more. VeraLite allows you to easily add intelligence to anything electronic in a home and control it. Meanwhile, the BeON Pro home protection system uses intelligent LED bulbs that learn and replicate lighting behaviors to create the illusion of home occupancy and provide safety lighting in emergency and power outage situations.
I really liked Linear’s e3 OneBox, a solution that provides a fully-integrated access and video solution. The e3 OneBox incorporates Linear’s award-winning, embedded browser-based access control platform with Digital Watchdog’s full-featured DW-VMAX digital video recording capability within one enclosure. Linear makes good stuff and it’s hard to imagine this solution won’t be a success.
Lutron showed Quantum Vue facility management software – a lateral application for facilities managers. It empowers managers to manage buildings from anywhere. They can monitor, control and optimize a Lutron control system from any tablet, PC or smartphone. Quantum can monitor building systems for certain events/triggers and raise awareness through visible changes in the Q-Admin software or through email messages.
Nortek Security & Control released GoControl Thermostat, which is a bridge between smart controllers and a home's heating and cooling system. The GoControl Thermostat provides intelligent, wireless remote management of all thermostatic functions. Nortek Security & Control's smart thermostat family will include Z-Wave and Wi-Fi connectivity options, enabling the company to address a range of retail, security, HVAC, custom installation and self-install opportunities.
Nortek Security & Control's GoControl Thermostat product family is engineered to work in unison with other Z-Wave wireless controllers and products as part of an integrated smart home. Other connected products within the GoControl ecosystem include Z-Wave hardwired and plug in light and appliance controls, LED bulbs, security panels, garage door controllers, sensors and more.
Alarm.com released a Mobile Sales App to help dealers more effectively demonstrate the capability and benefits of Smart Home services. It offers an immersive and engaging demo experience for in-person customer meetings and complements the existing breadth of marketing and sales collateral, website and lead generation support available to its dealers.
Bosch revealed its new Z-Wave Home Control Gateway, which allows integrators to connect the company’s G Series and B Series Control Panels from Bosch with Z-Wave wireless devices – including lighting controls, door locks, temperature sensors, IP cameras and more. Bosch also displayed a Zigbee-enabled wireless motion detector.
Icontrol Networks’ showed the Icontrol One, which combines a home automation platform with a business model designed to optimize the success of independent dealers. With the system, dealers can offer a branded, easy-to-use home automation, video and security experience with features such as HD video.
“We want to offer dealers an easy adjustment into home automation,” said Gregory Roberts, VP of Marketing.
Axis Communications showed, among plenty of other things, its new Q37 camera, which combines three 4K sensors inside a single dome to create a panoramic view of an area, Axis Communications also officially announced the launch of its Zipstream technology, which can lower bandwidth and storage requirements by as much as 50 percent.
Arecont Vision showed the SurroundVideo G5 panoramic multi-sensor camera. Sony unveiled its new 4K camera, model that will actually be hitting the market in the coming weeks at this week’s show. Sony’s 4K Security Camera Has 1.0 type Exmor R CMOS sensor for Advanced Imaging Capabilities. The new SNC-VM772R delivers 4K imaging capabilities with 0.1 lx sensitivity, bandwidth optimization and intelligent scene capture.
Digital Watchdog launched a multi-sensor panoramic camera at the show this week, the MEGApix PANO 8 MP and 48/32-megapixel cameras which are capable of delivering full frame HD video streams at up to 30 frames-per-second.
Meanwhile, Lenel Systems International has announced the newest version of its advanced, intuitive video management software, Prism 1.2, with performance enhancements and increased functionality that make it an ideal video monitoring system (VMS) for demanding video environments.
Was there anything game changing at ISC West? No, not specifically. But what there was suggested we are continuing down a path of mobilisation and integration that will surely open the business up to big fish. The market feels somehow more accessible, yet more fragmented than it ever has. Regardless of the technology, there was plenty of buzz at ISC West, suggesting the underlying risk-based fundamentals of the business have not altered one bit.
SIA award winners at ISC West
* Best New Product was the MorphoWAVE biometric access control portal from Safran Morpho
* The Judges’ Choice: IC720 360×360 Video Surveillance Camera by IC Realtime
* Access Control Devices & Peripherals Award went to OSMIUM Series OSDP Interface Module by Cypress Computer Systems/Cypress Integration Solutions
* Access Control Devices & Peripherals Wireless: HID Mobile Access by HID Global
* Access Control Software and Controllers: PremiSys Security Management Dashboard by IDenticard Access Control
* Convergence and Integrated Software and Solutions: Optigo Integrity by Optigo Networks
* Fire/Life Safety: VESDA-E VEA by Xtralis
* Green / Sustainable Solutions Products: SOLVEIL Surveillance System by MicroPower Technologies
* Hosted Solutions: HD Analytics Gateway by CheckVideo
* Intrusion Detection and Prevention Solutions: G Series Control Panel by Bosch Security Systems
* Intrusion Detection and Prevention Solutions Wireless: ZeroWire by Interlogix
* Locks/Safes/Hardware: KEES by KT&C
* Mobile Apps: MAXPRO Mobile App by Honeywell Security Products Americas
* Network Support Solutions: CLEER (Coax Leveraged Ethernet Extended Reach) Switch by Phybridge
* Outdoor Perimeter Protection: K5 Autonomous Data Machine by Knightscope
* Residential and Monitoring Solutions: ARLO by NETGEAR
* Tools and Hardware: Sidekick by EverFocus Electronics Corp.
* User Authentication, Identification, Credentialing and Management Zwipe Access by Zwipe
* Video Analytics: NICE Suspect Search by NICE Systems
* Video Surveillance Advanced Imaging Technologies: Axis’ Zipstream technology by Axis Communications
* Video Surveillance Cameras HD (Megapixel): HiveCAM by HauteSpot Networks Corporation
* Video Surveillance Cameras IP: Open Platform by Samsung Techwin
* Video Surveillance Data Storage: DDN – GS7K Appliance by DDN Storage
* Video Surveillance Hardware and Accessories: BASH All-Pro by Dotworkz Systems
* Video Surveillance Management Systems: NVR3 Video Management Solutions by Spectra Logic.♦
