INNER Range’s Infiniti Class 5 has won product of the year at Security 2016. It’s a worthy winner, though whether it’s more of an industry-wide game changer than the Inception control panel from the same stable is open to question.
The 1st Runner Up Award went to FSH Fire and Security hardware for its clever and globally relevant FSS1 – high security Door Monitoring Sensor, while the 2nd Runner Up Award went to Mobitix AG for M15 Thermal TR. Honourable mentions were awarded to Add-On APAC Innovative Solutions for IMID Access, Canon Specialised Imaging – for the VB-H761LVE camera and Digital Matters for the G52 SOLAR.
Infiniti Class 5 represents a very nice move from Inner Range, elevating a strong solution with an excellent reputation to a level where it’s certain to score serious consideration from penny-pinching government departments as well as commercial end users serious about hardening their security system comms.
From a technical standpoint, Inner Range’s AS 2201.1 Class 5 security system offers end-to-end encryption of alarm points and provides many features previously required by installations, which would otherwise require SCEC’s Type 1A approved products at a substantially lower cost.
Class 5 ELM (top) installed inside high security mirror optic PIR
Fundamentally, AS2201.1 Class 5 includes encrypted communications from sensor to controller, to keypad. Up until now, government organisations requiring encryption of all parts of security system communications needed to install costly SCEC Type 1/1A solutions.
The way Inner Range’s Class 5 works is that Inner Range ELM’s (End of Line Modules) are embedded into third party PIR’s, reed switches or other security related input devices. The ELM is wired into such an input device, handles tamper and alarm conditions, and connects via an encrypted RS-485 serial connection to a special Inner Range Class 5 Expander. Bus data and expander to the control module are encrypted to AES-128, as are comms from control module to keypad.
The decision on whether an AS2201.1 Class 5 system can be utilised on a particular higher security government site is made after the processes in the government’s Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) have been followed as they must be for each site. It's the PSPF that gives the option of a Class 5 or Type 1/1A solution for a Zone 3 Security Area. Meanwhile, commercial users seeking higher levels of security than the currently unencrypted zone loops typically installed are also able to have Class 5 installed.
Inner Range's Vin Lopes
Meanwhile, Inner Range’s Vin Lopes said he was pleased by the win.
“A lot of work went into this Class 5 project over many years and it’s very pleasing for the whole team involved to have their effort rewarded,” he said. ♦
