Compro Network / IP Cameras

Urban populations are expanding rapidly around the globe, with an expected growth of 1.56 billion by 2040. As the number of people living and working in cities continues to grow, the ability to keep everyone safe is an increasing challenge. However, technology companies are developing products and solutions with these futuristic cities in mind, as the reality is closer than you may think. Solutions that can help to watch over public places and share data insights with city workers and officials are increasingly enabling smart cities to improve the experience and safety of the people who reside there. Rising scope of 5G, AI, IoT and the Cloud The main foundations that underpin smart cities are 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Cloud. Each is equally important, and together, these technologies enable city officials to gather and analyze more detailed insights than ever before. For public safety in particular, having IoT and cloud systems in place will be one of the biggest factors to improving the quality of life for citizens. Smart cities have come a long way in the last few decades, but to truly make a smart city safe, real-time situational awareness and cross-agency collaboration are key areas which must be developed as a priority. Innovative surveillance cameras with integrated IoT Public places need to be safe, whether that is an open park, shopping center, or the main roads through towns Public places need to be safe, whether that is an open park, shopping center, or the main roads through towns. From dangerous drivers to terrorist attacks, petty crime on the streets to high profile bank robberies, innovative surveillance cameras with integrated IoT and cloud technologies can go some way to helping respond quickly to, and in some cases even prevent, the most serious incidents. Many existing safety systems in cities rely on aging and in some places legacy technology, such as video surveillance cameras. Many of these also use on-premises systems rather than utilising the benefits of the cloud. Smart programming to deliver greater insights These issues, though not creating a major problem today, do make it more challenging for governments and councils to update their security. Changing every camera in a city is a huge undertaking, but in turn, doing so would enable all cameras to be connected to the cloud, and provide more detailed information which can be analyzed by smart programming to deliver greater insights. The physical technologies that are currently present in most urban areas lack the intelligent connectivity, interoperability and integration interfaces that smart cities need. Adopting digital technologies isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. Smart surveillance systems It enables teams to gather data from multiple sources throughout the city in real-time, and be alerted to incidents as soon as they occur. Increased connectivity and collaboration ensures that all teams that need to be aware of a situation are informed instantly. For example, a smart surveillance system can identify when a road accident has occurred. It can not only alert the nearest ambulance to attend the scene, but also the local police force to dispatch officers. An advanced system that can implement road diversions could also close roads around the incident immediately and divert traffic to other routes, keeping everyone moving and avoiding a build-up of vehicles. This is just one example: without digital systems, analyzing patterns of vehicle movements to address congestion issues could be compromised, as would the ability to build real-time crime maps and deploy data analytics which make predictive policing and more effective crowd management possible. Cloud-based technologies Cloud-based technologies provide the interoperability, scalability and automation Cloud-based technologies provide the interoperability, scalability and automation that is needed to overcome the limitations of traditional security systems. Using these, smart cities can develop a fully open systems architecture that delivers interoperation with both local and other remote open systems. The intelligence of cloud systems can not only continue to allow for greater insights as technology develops over time, but it can do so with minimal additional infrastructure investment. Smart surveillance in the real world Mexico City has a population of almost 9 million people, but if you include the whole metropolitan area, this number rises sharply to over 21 million in total, making it one of the largest cities on the planet. Seven years ago, the city first introduced its Safe City initiative, and ever since has been developing newer and smarter ways to keep its citizens safe. In particular, its cloud-based security initiative is making a huge impact. Over the past three years, Mexico City has installed 58,000 new video surveillance cameras throughout the city, in public spaces and on transport, all of which are connected to the City’s C5 (Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Citizen Contact) facility. Smart Cities operations The solution enables officers as well as the general public to upload videos via a mobile app to share information quickly, fixed, body-worn and vehicle cameras can also be integrated to provide exceptional insight into the city’s operations. The cloud-based platform can easily be upgraded to include the latest technology innovations such as license plate reading, behavioral analysis software, video analytics and facial recognition software, which will all continue to bring down crime rates and boost response times to incidents. The right cloud approach Making the shift to cloud-based systems enables smart cities to eliminate dependence on fiber-optic connectivity and take advantage of a variety of Internet and wireless connectivity options that can significantly reduce application and communication infrastructure costs. Smart cities need to be effective in years to come, not just in the present day, or else officials have missed one of the key aspects of a truly smart city. System designers must build technology foundations now that can be easily adapted in the future to support new infrastructure as it becomes available. Open system architecture An open system architecture will also be vital for smart cities to enhance their operations For example, this could include opting for a true cloud application that can support cloud-managed local devices and automate their management. An open system architecture will also be vital for smart cities to enhance their operations and deliver additional value-add services to citizens as greater capabilities become possible in the years to come. The advances today in cloud and IoT technologies are rapid, and city officials and authorities have more options now to develop their smart cities than ever before and crucially, to use these innovations to improve public safety. New safety features Though implementing these cloud-based systems now requires investment, as new safety features are designed, there will be lower costs and challenges associated with introducing these because the basic infrastructure will already exist. Whether that’s gunshot detection or enabling the sharing of video infrastructure and data across multiple agencies in real time, smart video surveillance on cloud-based systems can bring a wealth of the new opportunities.

Several major players vigorously employ biometric recognition technologies around the globe. Governments use biometrics to control immigration, security, and create national databases of biometric profiles. Being one of the most striking examples, the Indian Aadhaar includes face photos, iris, and fingerprints of about 1.2 billion people. Financial institutions, on their part, make use of biometrics to protect transactions by confirming a client's identity, as well as develop and provide services without clients visiting the office. Besides, biometric technology ensures security and optimizes passenger traffic at transport facilities and collects data about customers, and investigates theft and other incidents in retail stores. Widespread use of biometrics Business, which suddenly boosted the development of biometrics, is an active user of biometric technology Business, which suddenly boosted the development of biometrics, is another active user of biometric technology. Industries choose biometric systems, as these systems are impossible to trick in terms of security, access control, and data protection. Being in demand in business, these three tasks are also relevant for the industry. However, the use of biometrics at industrial sites is discussed unfairly seldom. Therefore, it is the face identification that is the most convenient there, as workers often use gloves, or their hands may be contaminated, and the palm pattern is distorted by heavy labor. All these features make it difficult to recognize people by fingerprints or veins and significantly reduce identification reliability. Therefore, industries seek facial recognition solutions. Thus, let us demonstrate the application of face recognition technology at different enterprises, regardless of the area. Facial recognition use in incident management Facial biometric products are known to automate and improve the efficiency of security services by enriching any VMS system. These systems provide an opportunity of instantly informing the operator about recognized or unrecognized people, and their list membership, as well as save all the detected images for further security incident investigation. Furthermore, some sophisticated facial biometric systems even provide an opportunity to build a map of the movements of specific people around a site. Besides, it is relevant not only for conducting investigations but also in countering the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Identifying and tracking COVID-19 positive cases Therefore, if an employee or visitor with a positive COVID-19 test enters a facility, the system will help to track his/her movement and identify his/her specific location. It will also help to take the necessary measures for spot sanitary processing. Thus, the introduction of biometric facial recognition at the industrial enterprise can improve and speed up the incidents’ response and investigations without spending hours watching the video archive. Access control system to secure physical assets The right access control system can help industries secure physical and informational assets The right access control system can help industries secure physical and informational assets, cut personnel costs, and keep employees safe. Facial recognition systems may enrich access control systems of any company by providing more security. As biometric characteristics, by which the system assesses the compliance of a person with the available profiles in the database, cannot be faked or passed. The human factor is also reduced to zero, due to the fact that while identity documents can be changed, the inspector can make a mistake or treat his/her task carelessly, be in collusion with an intruder, the biometric system simply compares a person in front of the camera with the biometric profiles database. Biometric facial identification software For example, RecFaces product Id-Gate, a specialized software product for reliable access control to the site, checks the access rights by using biometric facial identification alone or in conjunction with traditional IDs (electronic passes, access keys, etc.), which means that there is almost a zero probability of passing to the site by someone else's ID. The access control system’s functionality allows one to strictly account the number and time of all the facility’s visitors and also track their movement. When unauthorized access is attempted or a person from the stop list is detected, Id-Gate sends an automatic notification to the access control system and operator. Enhanced data and information security Even despite the division of access to different industrial enterprise areas, the security service needs to provide independent information system security. Employees with the same facility access rights may have different access rights to data. However, in that case, a personal password is not enough, as an employee may forget it, write it down and leave it as a reminder, tell a colleague to do something for him/her during the vacation, or just enter it at another person’s presence. Password-free biometric authentication systems make the procedure user-friendly and secure Password-free biometric authentication Password-free biometric authentication systems make the procedure user-friendly and secure. Such systems usually provide an option of two-step verification when successful password entry is additionally confirmed by biometric recognition. Hence, it is particularly relevant due to the current lockdown in many countries. To sum up, the application of biometric technologies solves several issues of the industry, such as: Optimizes and partially automates the work of the security service, as it provides reliable identification and verification of visitors/employees, reduces the amount of time spent on finding a person on video and making a map of his/her movements, without spending hours on watching video archive in case of investigation. Provides a high level of reliability and protection from unauthorized access to the enterprise and the information system. Provides a two-step verification of the user/visitor (including password and biometric data) and almost eliminates the risk of substitution of user data/ID.

For decades, the nature of global safety has been evolving. From physical security threats like large-scale terrorist attacks and lone actor stabbings to chemical threats such as the Salisbury poisonings and even microbiological threats such as COVID-19, new challenges are constantly arising and the threat landscape we operate in today is constantly changing. Compounding the complexity of the security issues is the complexity and nature of attacks. With the economic downturn, there is the traditional rise in theft, violence and other crimes. Compound this with unmanned businesses and work-at-home staff, and there is a perfect storm for a rise in security threats. Artificial intelligence (AI) and specifically the branch of AI known as machine learning (ML), was already causing widespread disruption in many industries, including the security industry. AI has been a driving force to replace labor-based business models with integrated data and actionable intelligence that is context-aware. It has become apparent that AI will play a big part in the ongoing fight against both pandemics such as COVID-19, as well as other threats that we may face in the future. With all of this in mind, 2021 is poised to be a big year for AI growth. While AI is going to continue to impact our lives in dozens of ways, from smart sensors to face mask compliance detection, the following reflects a few top trends and challenges that I have my eye on for 2021 as we close out this year. The rise of smart city investments One such example is the increasing development of smart cities and how AI can be leveraged to build safe communities. To date, we’ve seen an increase in the number of smart city programmes around the globe; cities that are beginning to deploy innovative technologies for the management and ease of life services. Compounding the complexity of the security issues is the complexity and nature of attacks Typical development of a city includes standard infrastructure - roads, schools, power, water, transportation. Now, internet, data and AI capabilities are part of the standard infrastructure requirements for all new developments. AI promises to deliver increased efficiencies with the infrastructure that will accommodate growing populations while reducing our impact on the environment, resources, and communities. Global cities now account for more than half of the world’s population, and the United Nations projects the number to balloon to 68% by mid-century. Owing to both demographic shifts and overall population growth, that means that around 2.5 billion people could be added to urban areas by the middle of the century, predicts the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). With an increase in population has come an increase in global spending on smart city initiatives to drive down the impact of growing urban concentration. Global spending on smart city initiatives is expected to total nearly $124 billion this year, an increase of 18.9% over 2019, according to IDC's Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide, while Singapore, Tokyo, London and New York as the big spenders - expected to spend more than $1 billion in 2020. Using AI-driven technology to create safer public and private spaces Today, security solutions driven by AI are being developed and can be covertly deployed across a range of physical environments to protect the population in a more efficient, and accurate manner. As we look ahead to the future of public safety, it’s clear that new AI technology can dramatically improve the effectiveness of today’s physical security space. One such deployment is the use of video object recognition/computer vision software that can be integrated into existing video monitoring security (VMS) systems. These enhanced VMS systems can be deployed both inside and outside of buildings to identify risks and flag threats, such weapons, aggressive behaviours, theft, and safety compliance. This helps to minimize the impact of a breach by an early alert to onsite security in real-time to the location and nature of the potential threat, allowing them to intervene before a loss occurs. These same AI-enabled video solutions can similarly be used to provide advanced business operations in retail, logistics, and manufacturing organizations. Multi-sensor security solutions Also, targeted magnetic and radar sensor technologies, concealed in everyday objects like planter boxes or inside walls, can now scan individuals and bags entering a building for concealed threat objects. Using AI/machine learning, these two sensor solutions combined can identify metal content on the body and bag and match the item to a catalog of threat items, such as guns, rifles, knives and bombs. Security solutions driven by AI are being developed and can be covertly deployed across a range of physical environments Without this advanced multi-sensor solution, it becomes nearly impossible to discover a weapon on a person's body before it appears in an assailant’s hands. This multi-sensor solution allows for touchless, unobtrusive access to a building, but allows for immediate notification to onsite security when a concealed threat is detected. The hidden technology thus empowers security staff to intercept threats before they evolve into a wider scale attack, while also maintaining the privacy and civil liberties of the public, unless, of course, they are carrying a concealed weapon or pose a physical threat. With the advent of sophisticated surveillance and technological innovation, a level of caution must be exerted. Despite the ongoing global debate, there remains little regulation about the use of AI technologies in today’s physical security space. One thing is certain; it must be deployed in the right place, at the right time, with the right privacy and civil liberty protection objectives. People don’t want to be protected by omnipresent, obstructive and overbearing security systems that infringe on their privacy and civil liberties. They want a proper balance between security and their current way of life, one that must be fused together. Technology and tracing COVID-19 Machine learning-based technologies are playing a substantial role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, the key purpose of surveillance systems has been to detect and deter threats, including the detection of visible and hidden weapons and abnormal behavior. While this, of course, remains a primary focus, today we are seeing how surveillance systems defend against new invisible threats, as well as rapidly automate the process of contact-tracing to capture and contain a virus before it spreads. Again, the ability to track and trace through parsing algorithms that can manage through enormous amounts of data provides a highly scalable and rapid response mechanism to control the spread of threats. AI has demonstrated potential for identifying those displaying symptoms of infectious diseases, without requiring physical human contact Although the threat may not be visible, it is just as destructive. By incorporating AI into existing technologies, government, healthcare and security professionals can monitor public spaces and environments through the combined use of digital and thermal video surveillance cameras and video management systems); just one of the solutions being explored. AI has demonstrated potential for identifying those displaying symptoms of infectious diseases, without requiring physical human contact. By Using AI-powered video analytic software, businesses can monitor face masks, social distancing and large gathering compliance and also detect elevated body temperature. Critically, technology must be capable of both identifying and tracking the virus but also be unobtrusive. An unobtrusive system that is adaptable enough to be deployed across a range of environments where the public gathers in enclosed spaces is necessary to be effective. Security in 2021 Technology has proven itself to be a valuable ally in times of crisis. For smart cities, the use of innovative AI/machine learning technologies will help optimize security solutions in areas that are brimming with potential. As we look ahead to the future of security in a world that is impacted by such a wide range of threats, from physical to chemical to microbiological, it’s clear that new technologies, specifically AI can dramatically improve the effectiveness of security systems and help us to better defend against a wide spectrum of threats. Technology has a huge role to play in making our communities safe in 2021 and beyond, but for security systems to be effective, they must not be oppressive or obstructive. This will ensure they have the full support of the public - the key to success.

COMPRO Technology Inc., a leading provider of innovative video surveillance solutions, recently announced that COMPRO IP cameras are now wider range IP camera compatibility with renowned Synology NAS system, to bring a high quality surveillance solution to the market. The combination of COMPRO IP cameras and Synology NAS system provides a perfect choice for users looking for a convenient mobile surveillance and video recording solution. Now COMPRO’s users are able to create an optimal surveillance solution, adding to the signature backup and network storage functions that Synology has been well-known for. COMPRO is a professional manufacturer of IP cameras and surveillance solutions, and offers a wide range of IP cameras that reflect COMPRO’s dedication to innovation, quality and continuous improvement. Synology NAS system provides a flexible and economic alternative to manage multiple IP cameras on a centralized web interface, introducing live view and video recording in both non-stop and motion-detection modes. This integration provides users of COMPRO IP cameras with an even wider range of options to create a professional video surveillance system. Since mobile device users have become the focus of the market, this integration provides an excellent surveillance solution combination that   allows users to fully take the advantage of mobile cloud computing while also being able to enjoy Synology NAS’s reliability with regards to storage and backup. Currently, there are 16 models of COMPRO IP cameras support Synology NAS system: TN series: TN50, TN50W, TN500, TN1500 IP series: IP50, IP55, IP60, IP70, IP530, IP540, IP550, IP570 NC series: NC1200, NC2200, NC3230, NC4230 To expand video recording of these camera series and offer more flexibility on IP solutions to users, COMPRO is glad to have the opportunity to work with Synology for system integration. There will also be more models to join this crew soon!

 Compro's IP60, IP70 and NC450 network cameras were installed at the day care centreCompro Technology, a leading manufacturer of a full range of IP surveillance and security products, has helped the Christian Life Church in California, U.S. successfully deploy more than a score of Compro network cameras to secure its newly opened day care centre and allow parents to check in on their children in the day care centre from anywhere and at anytime.For more than three quarters of a century, the Christian Life Church, located in Long Beach California, built lasting and meaningful relationships with local community. Plans were afoot to open a day care centre inside the church, and in September, children and families in this local community were about to see the plans materialise. With the opening date of the day care centre approaching, the church was in need of new surveillance cameras to secure the day care centre and, more importantly, to provide a means for the parents and families to access live camera video and see their children's activities in the day care centre via the Internet.After deliberation, the church decided to install Compro IP60 and IP70 network camera in the day care centre and put up a Compro NC450 outdoor bullet network camera to watch over the church's parking lot. Compro cameras were chosen mainly for their high-quality megapixel video streaming, friendly browser interface and cell phone monitoring capability. Additionally, the IP66-grade weather resistance, PoE, IR LEDs and IR-cut filter provided by NC450 are the reason why the church chose it for parking lot surveillance.Since the day care centre opened, the church staff and the parents have been satisfied with their new tool to check in on their children as they go about their daily tasks, all thanks to the smartConnect technology Compro introduced on its IP60 and IP70. The smartConnect technology enables remote camera viewing on a variety of Internet-connected devices, which includes PC, iPhone, Android Phone, tablet, PDA. The parents can also watch live camera feed right on their iPhone and Android phone using the exclusive Seedonk smartphone app.Once again, this Californian church has helped meet the needs of its members and brought positive effect to the local community.

 Compro's SmartConnect is the ideal for consumers who want a user-friendly camera for the home and the small/medium business 2011 marks the second year of Compro's attendance at the ISC West show. Today, we are giving you a preview of one of Compro's major themes at the ISC West 2011 - smartConnect technology, featured on Compro IP series network cameras. Why smartConnect?One of the key obstacles to the wide-spread adoption of IP-based surveillance camera system is the often complex and difficult-to-manage network routing issue. Over the years, home and SMB (small and medium businesses) users have been demanding an easy-to-use solution that requires no router configuration. The smartConnect technology is Compro's answer to consumers who want an IP camera that simply works out of the box. The technology adopts an intelligent networking engine powered by Seedonk to eliminate the complicated router configurations for good and provides consumers with simple plug-and-play camera setup. So whenever they buy a Compro IP camera with smartConnect, they can simply connect the cables, install the software, and immediately the camera kicks in and starts providing anytime, anywhere surveillance.  Technology Advantages Compro smartConnect technology is built on a versatile Seedonk platform, which comprises Seedonk IM client, Seedonk mobile client, and Seedonk web client, all of which help Compro IP cameras stand out from the pack. The Seedonk IM client works like an instant messenger and lets users use one master ID/password to log on to and manage multiple cameras, saving them the hassle of remembering every camera's IP address. The Seedonk web client works on all popular web browsers on the market. The Seedonk iPhone and Android app bring consumers a unique mobile monitoring experience at no additional cost. Furthermore, as the technology uses a cloud server to facilitate the connection and viewing of IP cameras, many cloud-based surveillance applications are in the realm of possibility. The technology's proprietary communication protocol and data encryption support also makes it highly secure and reliable. Practical Applications Compro IP cameras with smartConnect offer a sea of viable real-world applications. They can secure properties and communities, record and broadcast life's important moments, bridge the communication between people, and help companies attract more business. For instance, smartConnect can be transformed into a powerful car theft prevention tool. How? The ease to use of smartConnect cameras lets car owners effortlessly set up cameras and remotely monitor their garage 24/7. Parents can also use the technology to keep an eye on their teen drivers. When a teenager gets on the road, the onboard Compro IP camera, when equipped with 3G connectivity, can live feed the interior view of the vehicle to the parents' smartphone. And in case anything unexpected happens, the camera can capture high-quality video evidence later used to distinguish responsibility.SmartConnect can also be a convenient tool to share our joyful moments with loved ones. Got family members or friends who cannot be at your wedding? The technology allows you to set up a wireless camera with ease and broadcast the wedding on the Internet.  The cloud-based Compro DVR is based on the Seedonk platform and will bring great flexibility for home and SMB users With a simple mouse click, your relatives, friends, and Facebook buddies the world over can watch you walk down the aisle with that blissful look on your face.The technology can also no doubt be used to promote business for companies. For examples, a restaurant can easily set up cameras using smartConnect and let frequent diners check whether their favorite seat is still available. A beauty salon can use the technology to stream the video of fabulous hair stylist working magic on customers on its website. A parking lot owner can set up smartConnect cameras to let customers look for available spot in advance and then let them monitor their car on smartphones while they are shopping. Still, the technology has much untapped potential and countless new applications are waiting to be discovered. Future Cloud-based Service Since the technology utilizes a cloud server, there are numerous cloud-based, value-added surveillance applications in the future. Amid them, the cloud-based Seedonk DVR is currently in the making. The cloud-based DVR will offer motion-triggered recording, storage and retrieval of video recordings, multi-channel playback, etc. (with a service charge) The DVR will bring great flexibility and scalability for home and SMB users. Finally, given the impressive set of features, Compro smartConnect solution is something you won't want to miss at the 2011 ISC West.