OUR future will be competitive, clever and fully integrated with security and consumer technology. As our hardware devices continue down the path towards commoditisation, we’re going to see a vertical synthesis of service provision from the top, down. Manufacturers and distributors are going to get involved in assisting installers and integrators with system design, pre-commissioning and engineering support.

The future is also going to have a new RMR-based business model and that business model is cloud. Security people shouldn’t shy away from the concept. Monitoring people were RMR long before IT was born and we’ve been dabbling in cloud since the first enterprise access control systems were developed in the 1980s. Today we need to understand how to build secure cloud services and how to apply cloud to our product ranges, our customer services and our bottom lines. We need to comprehend cloud’s possibilities and its weaknesses. 

I think this new business model was the key building trend at Security 2013. It was not just a single player flaunting hopeful vapourware in a dark corner of the second hall. There were quality manufacturers in a range of market segments offering what felt to me to be mature and considered solutions. Importantly, these offerings did not bite off more than they could chew. They were tight, low bandwidth and simplicity-focused. Most importantly, some were silly affordable.  

There are a couple more observations to make. We are in the IT industry now. Yes, I know you all knew it. I looked long and hard for analogue gear at Security 2013 before I found it and most of what I found with BNC ports was analogue-to-digital encoders. As part of this melding, IP’s influence is starting to turn up in all sorts of interesting places. 

IP is going to change the market more and more, thanks to its ability to provide highly accessible multi-functionality. There are opportunities and there are challenges. And there are also security risks. We’ve all poked around on the internet looking at bot-cracked IP security cameras. Making smart devices part of networks is only going to increase our challenges.

Something else I noticed was more wireless options – not just the 433MHz or 866MHz frequencies of typical alarm systems, but wireless mesh and microwave links for larger networked solutions. It’s nice to see wireless getting a look-in, given it’s always the least expensive way to move data around a challenging site. 

Someone thoughtful commented to me – it was either Independent’s Ryan McGovern or Daniel Lewkovitz from Calamity – that the stand out feature of the show was quality. This was correct. There was a lack of cheap imports on the floor. Instead we saw the last decade’s survivors – products that deliver installers and end users the best performance in the simplest way at the least cost. 

Honeywell was showing Tuxedo in a purpose built mini-house at the rear of the hall, with all the security and automation capabilities set up. Back on its stand there was more cool stuff including a couple of new LCD control screens for a huge intercom system. This system can support 9000 units per tower and features multiple messaging. 

Honeywell was also showing new Infinity, a 16 zone alarm panel with 16 wireless zones, it does plenty of automation. ProWatch now integrates with wireless locks and there’s web-browser interface, too. In access control ProWatch and WinPak are now coming out with PoE controllers. ProWatch has a single door unit supporting 2 readers and 30,000 cardholders. 

 

But it was the WinPak unit, NetAxs 123, that really caught my attention. It can be installed as a web-based access control solution that supports up to 3 doors. It also has an add-on pack called NetAxs Video. This is a little USB that plugs onto the board and install 4 cameras for use with video verification. 

NetAxs also has 4 alarm inputs and 2 outputs. I get a look at the management browser and it allows you to do monitoring of alarm events, it’s very simple and easy to use. You can also connect multiple panels together and add it into WinPak. It’s ideal for entry level. 

Videofied had its video verification gear on display. This stuff is the pioneer. It’s proven, it’s rugged and it works. The stand was busy much of the time. The veracity of the Videofied solution is borne out in the fact there are emulators. 

FSH was showing its Eco range. The Ecomag 5700, the V1260, the FE90MP ecostrike all of which cut lock power consumption by about 5x in access control solutions, FSH also has the RF15 standalone system that I rather like. It’s a simple and very affordable way to bring access control to a wider market. 

C.R. Kennedy was displaying the mid-sized Dallmeier Panomera product which I had not seen before and this is a very tidy morsel. I got a look at imagery, perhaps from Eden Park in Auckland, and the performance of this solution in the application is outstanding. 

I viewed this on the latest SymSy VMS – it’s a very polished management solution. C.R.Kennedy was also displaying a range of LG and Ganz cameras – the latter of which were very nice looking units. Dallmeier domes are very nice as well.  

Perimeter Systems Australia was showing MicroPoint, a cable perimeter detection systems that detects attempts to climb or cut a fence, while ignoring distributed fence disturbances caused by rain, wind or vehicle traffic. Power, system communications and alarm signals are all transmitted using the MicroPoint cable. The system can be divided into as many zones as you need, and the zones linked with cameras. I’d not seen this solution before and was impressed with it. 

Synology was at the show and its presence was telling. We know that Synology makes reliable network area storage solutions. What we did not know was that these can be optioned with the company’s CMS to create extremely affordable IP-based surveillance systems. The company was showing Axis cameras on its stand but the Synology team told me the system was compatible with all ONVIF cameras. 

Synology has a wide range, from standalone solutions all the way to rack-mount server arrays all of which support the company’s VMS. Yes, I know. This is a long expected, yet still impactful development. If individuals and business install CMS 6 software with an off-the-shelf server to create a dependable NVR, that changes everything.  

I got a demo of the product and while it’s not as powerful or as highly evolved as solutions from dedicated VMS manufacturers, it works well and would be fine for SMEs with general monitoring requirements who planned to drive a modest number of cameras. It’s also going to be very attractive to IT integrators or IT departments looking to find off-the-shelf solutions.

HID was showing Aperio, its excellent Fargo range of card printers, as well as all those HID readers, including the multi-application iClass Seos credentials – which are part of the iClass SE range. This use of authenticated smart devices as credentials is pioneering, in my opinion. HID went off-script going down this path but the company’s investment is going to pay off, nothing surer.

More and more, it seems to me that HID has cornered the future through the inevitable ubiquity of smart devices. We all carry smart phones and tablets and with the development of smart wristwatches and genuinely secure mutual authentication-based mobile credentials like Seos, I think it’s fair to say a watershed is being reached. 

HID also showed its Edge Evo and Vertx Evo IP-based access control solutions. The fact I saw these products on a number of other stands, including that of Open Platform Systems, was telling. HID’s IP-based access control solutions are gaining traction.  

Over at Mobotix the big new development was the fact the company has applied its removable P3 camera platform to its M-15 Series cameras. There are a number of benefits to this flexible solution. An M15 Dual View camera can have dual camera sensors, one optioned for day and one for night. Or one sensor could be hemispheric. Or it might be thermal. Capping all this off, the entire M15 range is tough as old boots, is IP65-rated and has analytics.

Thanks to the changes in design, something else you can now do with the M15 is replace camera sensors over time – retaining an existing housing and upgrading the core components to get improvements in performance. The unit I found myself spending most time staring at was Mobotix’s new M15 Thermal camera. This unit has a day camera in one sensor aperture and a thermal camera in the other. Performance of both is extremely good. 

Perth’s Security Distributors Australia was carrying Paxton access control, as well as the Dahua range of CCTV cameras. We’ve not reviewed Dahua cameras yet but we’ll be doing it soon. They are attractive and affordable solutions with solid specifications. SDA also has Texecomm panels, including the Premier Elite 640 control panel. This unit is expandable to 640 zones, has 64 areas and supports 500 user codes and a 5000 event log. Nice keypads, too. 

 

CSD really flexed some of its growing muscle at Security 2013. It was showing exacqVision, HikVision, Mobotix, Avigilon, Paradox, Inner Range, and a range ofIIS intercoms. Standouts were the Integriti panel, which is fully optioned with a wide range of expanders, new cameras and NVRs from HikVision. The combined ranges of these manufacturers is extensive. 

I especially liked the Paradox PDX-NV780, an external sensor that combines 4 separate dual pyro sensors with 12m curtain detection in 2 directions into a single robust (steel cased). This is a nice sensor. For less than $100 installers are getting 24m of perimeter detection that’s ideal for verandas or balconies. 

 

Axis focused on its Lightfinder technology as well as its ability to handle backlight. To demonstrate these capabilities the company had built a couple of ingenious display units that really showed a visitor how capable the company’s technology is. I checked out both displays and was impressed. 

Other treats on the Axis stand included a new thermal camera, a fixed dome with 15m of IR, the company’s new lipstick camera, there’s a huge dual sensor thermal camera. On the Axis stand Geutebruck was showing its new VMS – its typically beautiful Geutebruck, seamless, intuitive and functional. They also showed some storage solutions. 

D-Link now has a really full range of product. There are pendant domes, PTZs, fixed domes with IR, nice looking housings, it’s a complete range. There’s an 8-input PoE NVR with 6 HDD bays. It has motion detection and runs on iOS or Android management apps. Alongside was BENS, which was showing its new catchClip HD video verification solution. This is cloud-based and very nicely done. Meanwhile, Micromax was showing rugged mobile solutions for military and industry.

OPS was showing Genetec Stratocast, a cloud-based video surveillance solution it says will change the way video and managed in the future. The way the system works is that cameras hop onto networks at remote sites and image streams and event recordings are stored remotely and accessed over an extremely simple browser. The cost is around $200 a year per camera. Benefits include no upfront cost, no hardware maintenance and full data centre redundancy. 

I also loved Briefcam Video Synopsis on the OPS stand. I don’t know what they are putting into the water in Israel but it seems to generate legions of outstanding propeller heads. Simply put, Briefcam is a solution that lets you review hours of video recordings in seconds. 

The way it works is that all events and their times are displayed on screen virtually simultaneously. You click on an image to call up the relevant video. It’s simple and very clever. An entire day’s recording gets condensed into a couple of minutes. Briefcam integrates into Genetec or it stands alone – take your pick. 

This stand also shows an LPR camera and a range of cameras from Vivotek and Axis running on Genetec’s swish management solution. Genetec’s software is designed to integrate with access control solutions among other things and this stand also features HID’s VertX IP-based access control solution.

 

 

DAS was showing a solution called Zero Wire. Developed locally by Hills’ technical swami, Gabrielle Daher, this solution was both at the show, yet very hush-hush. It’s designed to simplify alarm installation in the extreme. There’s a beaut new keypad and very nice sensors, including PIRs, CO2 sensors, smokies and reeds. 

Something else this product has is the ability to manage existing alarm panels, through a module ominously labelled ‘Take Over’, which is very interesting. The full release of Zero Wire is coming up and it’s something for you installers to be aware of. I’d like to say more but I’ve already typed one sentence too much. 

DAS also had lovely new bticino intercoms, some excellent Optex sensors, as well as that Tecom Challenger 10 we wrote up a while ago. The amount of effort that goes into engineering a system like Challenger 10 transcends the brief labour of ex-gamers who make shiny new software-based products between skateboard rides. 

Sylo was right at the entrance to the show. This company has been around a long time, formerly trading as Avigilon Australia, until a recent restructure saw Canada-based Avigilon open its own local office. Sylo remains a full distributor and still carries all the brilliant Avigilon products we’ve come to love. 

Now there are a couple of new Sylo-branded solutions, too. There’s a teeny full-featured NVR the size of a packet of cheese slices, as well as a larger rack mount unit and a rugged MIL-spec solution with onboard UPS and acres of ports. Another product worth noting on the Sylo stand was more conceptual – a commitment to fiercely service its customers. 

Pacific Communications has Freespace optics from Lightpointe, DragonWave – high performance licensed packet microwave – there’s Fluidmesh Fluidity, which takes a large system’s wireless links mobile and is ideal for ferries, trains and buses. Also on the stand was the latest DVTel VMS, into which Snap has been integrated. 

 

Pacific Communications has an excellent range of optical and thermal surveillance cameras. They have Flir thermal, the EvoNet range of NVRs and cameras (EvoNet is a big new range I liked the look of), Pelco’s Sarix cameras, Arecont Vision cameras, DVTel Quasar cameras. There’s also the Panasonic range. The latest and most awesome of the Panasonic cameras is the WV-SW598 1080p PTZ with Rainwash. 

Kieron McDonough set up a wee test jig to demonstrate Rainwash and it works a treat. The difference between standard and Rainwash housings is striking. Other Panasonic cameras included a new internal 1080p internal PTZ, the WV-SC588. There’s also the very compact WV-SW158 1080p camera. 

This has a great image. I also enjoyed looking at the Panasonic hemispheric. These hemispherics are designed for situational awareness and used in this application they do a brilliant job. 

Pacific Communications was also showing Raytec’s IP-addressable LED lighting solution. I’d not seen this in the flesh and it’s a very clever bit of kit. Control is as complete as it can be through the browser interface. You even control light level using a slide button, or activate bright flashing to antagonise intruders and alert security personal to site breaches. It’s a reflection of the browser-device interface of the future. 

EQL Networks and Security had a switch board and a camera in a fish tank to show their ability to handle tough conditions. They also had a lot of comms stuff – including power and Ethernet over coaxial cable with EasyCoax. There are 3S cameras, units with integrated IR. They also have EQL branded video over fibre solutions. 

Infratherm was showing a range of thermal cameras, most notably the DRS Watchmaster IP Ultra, which I think is a great solution. Around the corner, Comnet was showing NetWave, fibre optic Ethernet, Copperline – this is high quality comms gear from an excellent manufacturer. LSC had HD-SDI solutions, cameras and recorders, ICT keypads, some Protégé gear. 

Anixter had a neat stand near the entry showing some of its big range, as well as a cool solution that assists installers building wiring looms. It’s essentially a little platform that keeps everything organised during the painstaking process – very clever stuff for serious techs. 

 

The Bosch stand was setup with a driving range that got plenty of use. The company was showing a bunch of nice gear. There were Solution alarm panels, I saw the new Bosch Video Management System (BVMS) Version 4.5.1, the new Starlight HD 720p60 camera in a range of options. There was also the excellent Solution 144 we met last year. 

While on the Bosch stand the key thing I heard about was the company’s work towards preparation for the NBN. The stand included an NBN comms cabinet, as well as Bosch’s IP module. Getting NBN right is clearly going to be important and Bosch is working hard to be completely across the transition, which bodes well for the company’s customers.  

Next-door, Electro-com was showing Salto locks as well as OBID RFID readers by FEIG Electronic, Brickcom cameras, robust 2N IP intercoms in glowing orange, Suprema biometric devices and Ti RFID transponders with a 2-metre read range.

Verint was focusing on its Nextiva PSIM solution – it was calling this ‘actional intelligence for your command, control and comms centre’. Nextiva PSIM gathers information from security, safety, and building management systems, and synthesises it so a user can view, correlate, analyze and take action. 

Nearby was Stentofon Communications. The company’s display was primarily Turbine intercoms. These units feature a universal design across 37 variants, are IP66 rated for dust and water and IK08 and IK10 for vibration and tamper. They incorporate a 10 watt class D amplifier and can deliver up to 110dB. There’s active noise cancellation circuitry, and a digital MEMs microphone that’s omnidirectional with configurable sensitivity and immune to electromagnetic radiation. 

Next, I visited Risco. The company was showing all its gear for the first time in Australia and its stand saw a lot of traffic. It’s a very complete range from Risco. There were the LightSys and Agility 3 panels. There were new wireless sensors, including a fully wireless version of the company’s flagship external sensor, WatchOUT. 

There was also a flock of new quad PIRs (grade 3 and grade 2), dual technology and pet immune sensors all in the same housing with a clever removable chassis. We know they do great Bus-based solutions but I also think Risco has the most complete wireless range on the market just now. Smoke, flood, CO2, wireless I/Os, reeds, vibration, glass break, internal sensors, serious internal sensors, serious external sensors and iWave camera PIRs. There was also a new wireless keypad. 

But there was a lot more. I also saw axesPlus, a cloud-based access control solution, ProSys, which can handle 128 zones and integrates with the SynopSys integrated security and building management platform. And there were other things on the stand that rushing time denied me a chance to look at. Risco is a clever company with a business model rooted in both hardware and next-gen cloud RMR. Nicely done. 

At the rear of Hall 2 H5Controls was showing cloud-based access control – software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions built on open source technology and providing real-time management, monitoring and control. H5Controls has developed web-based solutions to manage and monitor security, safety and energy systems over the net. The idea is that an entire building or facility can be controlled over the internet via any Internet-connected device. 

Also down in the back corner I also saw Hualin cameras, George Peng Industrial Systems with GSM door phone systems and surveillance cameras. Micron was showing broadband alarms, including the Meridian 32 with Android, Kratos was showing protective laminate on glass. Nearby was Shenzhen Quick Zoom Technology, which was display a large range of wireless cameras with integrated IR. These included bullet cameras as well as what appeared to be desk-top camera units for retail applications. 

Also new at the show was Ektrovision. This is a company I’ve never heard of but its product was well built and had great specifications at multiple levels. Ektrovision was showing a very nice group of cameras, including a nice big rugged metal dome the 3MP N2IQIR PTZ, 18x optical zoom, 80m IR range with a beam spread of 3.2 to 50 degrees. This camera is IP66-rated and it’s a big, heavy unit – very rugged. 

Ektrovision also had a range of other cameras – a box camera that was very simple and nice looking. There’s also the vandal-proof N5OU/ML 2.1MP fixed dome with 15m IR, then the IP66 N51U/ML fixed dome 2.1MP with day/night. There was also a capable metal pendant dome that was good-looking and finally the industrial-strength IP67-rated N71U/ML bullet camera with 2.1MP and 40m IR.   

Vivotek was showing a number of sweet new things, including a brand new 10MP full body camera, a new 720p HD retail camera solution called the CC8130. There was also the ND8401 NVR as well as some unreleased new cameras and peripherals including the 8371E bullet camera featuring 3.1MP, P-iris, 60ips, 30m IR and Smart Stream – the ability to drop resolution in parts of the scene with no movement. Vivotek will also soon release the smallest analogue to IP converter I’ve ever seen. 

Vivotek was showing a solution that combined the capabilities of the company’s 5MP hemispheric camera and a PTZ dome installed together and managed by its software. The solution gives a complete overview of a scene via the hemispheric while offer deep views through the PTZ. The management of this application was seamless and displayed on a virtual 4K monitor. 

 

I also spent time on the Salto stand and thought Salto Clay was really bloody good. It’s nice at multiple levels – conceptually, physically (the hardware and the interface), and as an actualisation of an infant business model. That business model is cloud. What starts my engine about cloud applications like Clay is that they really are at the cutting edge of IT, as well as electronic security technology. 

I’m going to do a full review of Clay in an upcoming edition so I won’t say too much about it other than pointing out that the system takes Salto’s proven wire-free access control solution and liberates all its functionality via the simplest browser and app interfaces, giving full control of access control systems from any web-connected device. This control is virtually instantaneous, despite the fact transmissions are routed via a secure data centre in Amsterdam. 

If Salto-philes are worried Clay means there’s blue cable and hard-to-configure network switches to contend with, be at peace. Salto’s boffins have developed a device that facilitates local wireless comms between itself and assigned locking devices, as well as GPRS comms between itself and the internet. 

What were my favourites at the show? At the get-go I have to confess to not seeing everything and a bias towards solutions that surprise me. Special mentions go to DAS’ locally-built Zero Wire, Panasonic’s WV-SW-598 Rainwash, Bosch’s Starlight HD, FSH for its EcoRange of locking solutions, Raytec for Vario IP, Inner Range for its epic Integriti solution, as well as Risco’s wireless WatchOUT (and its AxesPlus cloud access solution). 

I also rated the Paradox PDX-NV780 external 12m curtain PIR, the Mobotix M15 thermal camera, Pacific Communications’ Fluidmesh Fluidity, Honeywell’s NetAxs 123, Interlogix’s Tecom Challenger 10, BENS’ catchClip HD video verification system and the Vivotek Hemispheric/PTZ combination. I didn’t see Flir’s FC-Series S thermal camera at the show but if it was there it deserves a special mention. 

Salto Clay was the editor’s choice for best new product at Security 2013 Exhibition. It melds hardware and software in a simple and beautiful way. Runner up goes to Briefcam Video Synopsis for its awesome ability to make sense of the mind-bending volumes of data gushing from our galaxies of cameras.