ELECTRONIC security technology never stays still long. The space of 12 months inevitably sees the birthing of last year’s embryonic technologies, some of which are certain to change the nature of our industry’s future. At Security 2015 we’ll get to see some technologies whose day has finally come.
For a start we’re seeing the maturation of UHD as the next generation standard for video surveillance cameras. UHD is not perfect – not in low light – but the higher resolution of 4K is a glorious thing to behold and it has real operational value. When companies like Hikvision, Bosch, Panasonic, Sony’s with its new Generation 7 SNC-VM772R camera, Dahua, DVTel and Axis are all onboard with 4K UHD, then it’s time to sit up and pay attention. UHD is officially no longer future-tech and having tested a UHD camera recently, I can say there’s no doubt that in applications that suit 4K and with light levels of 15 lux or more, it simply rocks.
Arm-in-arm with 4K are changes to compression technology. Yes, H.265 (HVEC) is coming but it’s not quite mainstream yet. What does seem to be trending is clever new interpretations of H.264 that save on bandwidth while remaining compatible with the existing standard. Bosch transcoding was first and now we have Zipstream from Axis and Smart H.264+ from Hikvision just released.
Another area we are going to seeing sparks fly at Security 2015 is competition at the affordable end of the CCTV market. QSS has FLIR, CSD has Hikvision 2-line, Seadan has Dahua and now C.R. Kennedy has been appointed sole distributor for Uniview’s competitive range of IP cameras. There are also quality lower end offerings from Axis, Sony, Panasonic and a crowd of others. From the point of view of end users and installers, there’s now loads of choice from quality suppliers. The more competition and the more choice, the lower prices will go.
Security and home automation systems are now joined at the hip and you’ll see plenty of this at Security 2015. Honeywell will be showing Vista VAM with Z-Wave, while Ness will be displaying its new MEZZO home automation solutions. MEZZO is designed to be a control device for pretty much everything. It supports multiple comms paths and manages to looking amazing at the same time. Ness also has SmartLiving panels.
Also in the mix this year is CSD with Paradox Insight, a solution that combines HD video and audio with a motion detector and a self-monitoring app that lets you remotely monitor your home or office. Bosch too, has been ramping up its home automation offerings with the 2000 and 3000 alarm and automation panels and new devices. Hills’ ZeroWire is another security and home automation solution that deserves a good look. Then there’s Tyco’s DSC NEO and 2GIG Go!Control from QSS – both are great systems in their own right. And don’t forget Risco. There’s no doubt at all that at Security 2015 we will see that home automation and security have finally merged.
Other fun things to see at Security 2015 include C.R. Kennedy’s 149MP Panomera solution, Paxton Net2 plus IP access controller and devices, FLIR’s affordable optical and thermal camera solutions, Samsung Wisenet Lite, Sylo’s beautiful 14MP Logipix One camera, the Alarm.com app, Mobotix Moonlight camera, Ness’ surprisingly awesome NView HD-SDI solutions – high resolution with no latency – Bosch’s new 360-degree panoramic camera, Canon’s new camera range, Panasonic’s new camera range, Sony’s new camera range, Hikvision Darkfighter and Lightfighter from CSD, as well as the new Darkeye lens. But the most awesome product at Security 2015? That’s likely to be something we haven’t even heard of yet.
Register here for Security 2015! ♦
