Siqura Transmitters & Controllers

If you’re responsible for a medium or large-sized office, it’s more important than ever that you have access to a means of ensuring people’s safety, managing risks and fraud, and protecting property. Any security system that you employ must therefore meet the most demanding commercial requirements of today’s offices, and tomorrow’s. This means thinking beyond a basic intrusion system and specifying a comprehensive solution that integrates smart features like access control, video management and intelligent video analytics. Because only then will you have security you can trust, and detection you can depend on. Reliable Entry Management Access control systems have been developed that guarantee reliable entry management for indoors and outdoors Access control is becoming increasingly important for ensuring the security of office buildings, but as the modern workplace evolves you’re unlikely to find a one-size-fits-all solution. Today, it’s commonplace to control entry to individual rooms or restricted areas and cater to more flexible working hours that extend beyond 9 to 5, so a modern and reliable access control system that exceeds the limitations of standard mechanical locks is indispensable. Access control systems have been developed that guarantee reliable entry management for indoors and outdoors. They use state-of-the-art readers and controllers to restrict access to certain areas, ensuring only authorized individuals can get in. With video cameras located within close proximity you can then monitor and record any unauthorized access attempts. The system can also undertake a people-count to ensure only one person has entered using a single pass. Scalable Hardware Components As previously mentioned, there is no one-size-fits-all system, but thanks to the scalability of the hardware components, systems can adapt to changing security requirements. For example, you can install Bosch’s Access Professional Edition (APE) software for small to medium-sized offices, then switch to the more comprehensive Access Engine (ACE) of the Building Integration System (BIS) when your security requirements grow. And, because the hardware stays the same, any adaptations are simple. APE’s ‘permanent open’ functionality allows employees and guests to enter designated areas easily and conveniently The APE software administers up to 512 readers, 10,000 cardholders and 128 cameras, making it suitable for small to medium-sized buildings. With functions like badge enrollment, entrance control monitoring and alarm management with video verification it provides a high level of security and ensures only authorized employees and visitors are able to enter certain rooms and areas. Of course, there will always be situations when, for convenience, you need certain doors to be permanently open, such as events and open days. APE’s ‘permanent open’ functionality allows employees and guests to enter designated areas easily and conveniently. Growing Security Needs You switch to the Bosch Building Integration System (BIS), without having to switch hardware (it stays the same, remember?). This is a software solution that manages subsystems like access control, video surveillance, fire alarm, public address or intrusion systems, all on a single platform. It is designed for offices with multiple sites and for large companies with a global presence. Bosch Building Integration System (BIS) manages subsystems like access control, video surveillance, fire alarm, public address or intrusion systems, all on a single platform The BIS Access Engine (ACE) administers up to 10,000 readers and 80 concurrent workplace clients per server, and 200,000 cardholders per AMC. An additional benefit to security officers is the ability to oversee cardholders and authorizations through the central cardholder management functionality and monitor all access events and alarms from every connected site. For consistency, multi-site cardholder information and access authorizations can be created on a central server and replicated across all connected site servers, which means the cardholder information is always up to date and available in every location. Intrusion Alarm Systems Bosch B Series and G Series intrusion control panels can also send personal notifications via text or email Securing all perimeter doors is vital when protecting employees, visitors and intellectual property. Doors are opened and closed countless times during business hours, and when intentionally left open, your office is vulnerable to theft, and the safety of your employees is compromised. For this reason, intrusion control panels have been developed with advanced features to ensure all perimeter doors are properly closed, even when the system is not armed. If a door remains open for a period of time (you can specify anything from one second to 60 minutes), the system can be programmed to automatically take action. For example, it can activate an audible alert at the keypad to give employees time to close the door. Then, if it is still not closed, it will send a report to a monitoring center or a text directly to the office manager, and when integrated with video it can even send an image of the incident to a mobile device. Customized Intrusion Systems What about people who need to access your building outside of working hours, like cleaning crews? Your intruder system allows you to customize the way it operates with a press of a button or swipe of a card. This level of control enables you to disarm specific areas, bypass points and unlock doors for cleaning crews or after-hours staff, whilst keeping server rooms, stock rooms and executive offices safe and secure. Bosch B Series and G Series intrusion control panels can also send personal notifications via text or email. You can program the panel to send you opening, closing, and other event alerts, which means you don’t have to be on-site to keep track of movements in and around your facility. Video Management System A video management system will add a next level of security to your access control system Every office building has different video security requirements depending on the location, size and nature of the business. Some offices may only need basic functions such as recording and playback, whereas others may need full alarm functionalities and access to different sites. A video management system will add a next level of security to your access control system. For example, the video system can provide seamless management of digital video, audio and data across IP networks for small to large office buildings. It is fully integrated and can be scaled according to your specific requirements. The entry-level BVMS Viewer is suitable for small offices that need to access live and archived video from their recording solutions. With forensic search it enables you to access a huge recording database and scan quickly for a specific security event. For larger offices, embellished security functions for the BVMS Professional version can manage up to 2,000 cameras and offers full alarm and event management Full Alarm And Event Management For larger offices, embellished security functions for the BVMS Professional version can manage up to 2,000 cameras and offers full alarm and event management. It’s also resilient enough to remain operative should both Management and Recording Servers fail. Large multi-national companies often need access to video surveillance systems at numerous sites, which is why BVMS Professional allows you to access live and archived video from over 10,000 sites across multiple time zones from a single BVMS server. When integrated with the BVMS Enterprise version multiple BVMS Professional systems can be connected so every office in the network can be viewed from one security center, which provides the opportunity to monitor up to 200,000 cameras, regardless of their location. Essential Video Analytics Video analytics acts as the brain of your security system, using metadata to add sense and structure to any video footage you capture If your strategy is to significantly improve levels of security, video analytics is an essential part of the plan. It acts as the brain of your security system, using metadata to add sense and structure to any video footage you capture. In effect, each video camera in your network becomes smart to the degree that it can understand and interpret what it is seeing. You simply set certain alarm rules, such as when someone approaches a perimeter fence, and video analytics alerts security personnel the moment a rule is breached. Smart analytics have been developed in two formats. Essential Video Analytics is ideal for small and medium-sized commercial buildings and can be used for advanced intrusion detection, such as loitering alarms, and identifying a person or object entering a pre-defined field. It also enables you to instantly retrieve the right footage from hours of stored video, so you can deal with potential threats the moment they happen. Essential Video Analytics also goes beyond security to help you enforce health and safety regulations such as enforcing no parking zones, detecting blocked emergency exits or ensuring no one enters or leaves a building via an emergency exit; all measures that can increase the safety of employees and visitors inside the building. Intelligent Video Analytics Intelligent Video Analytics have the unique capability of analyzing video content over large distances Intelligent Video Analytics have the unique capability of analyzing video content over large distances, which makes it ideally suited to more expansive office grounds or securing a perimeter fence. It can also differentiate between genuine security events and known false triggers such as snow, rain, hail and moving tree branches that can make video data far more difficult to interpret. The final piece in your security jigsaw is an intelligent camera. The latest range of Bosch ’i’ cameras have the image quality, data security measures, and bitrate reduction of <80%. And, video analytics is standard. Be prepared for what can’t be predicted. Although no-one can fully predict what kind of security-related event is around the corner, experience and expertise will help make sure you’re always fully prepared.

The term “smart city” gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but as different technologies that strive to be defined in this way are adopted by different countries globally, the meaning of this phrase gets lost in translation. The simplest way to define a “smart city” is that it is an urban area that uses different types of data collecting sensors to manage assets and resources efficiently. One of the most obvious types of “data collecting sensor” is the video camera, whether that camera is part of a city’s existing CCTV infrastructure, a camera in a shopping mall or even a police car’s dash camera. The information gathered by video cameras can be used with two purposes in mind, firstly: making people’s lives more efficient, for example by managing traffic, and secondly (and arguably more importantly): making people’s lives safer. Live Streaming Video All The Time, Everywhere In the smart and safe city, traditional record-only video cameras are of limited use. Yes, they can be used to collect video which can be used for evidence after a crime has taken place, but there is no way that this technology could help divert cars away from an accident to avoid traffic building up, or prevent a crime from taking place in the first place. However, streaming live video from a camera that isn’t connected to an infrastructure via costly fiber optic cabling has proven challenging for security professionals, law enforcement and city planners alike. This is because it isn’t viable to transmit video reliably over cellular networks, in contrast to simply receiving it. Video Transmission Challenges Transmitting video normally results in freezing and buffering issues which can hinder efforts to fight crime and enable flow within a city, as these services require real-time, zero latency video without delays. Therefore, special technology is required that copes with poor and varying bandwidths to allow a real-time view of any scene where cameras are present to support immediate decision making and smart city processes. The information gatheredby video cameras can beused to make people’s lives more efficient, and to make people’s lives safer There are many approaches to transmitting video over cellular. We’ve developed a specialist codec (encoding and decoding algorithm) that can provide secure and reliable video over ultra-low bandwidths and can therefore cope when networks become constrained. Another technique, which is particularly useful if streaming video from police body worn cameras or dash cams that move around, is to create a local wireless “bubble” at the scene, using Wi-Fi or mesh radio systems to provide local high-bandwidth communications that can communicate with a central location via cellular or even satellite communications. Enhanced City Surveillance Live video streaming within the smart and safe city’s infrastructure means that video’s capabilities can go beyond simple evidence recording and evolve into a tool that allows operations teams to monitor and remediate against incidents as they are happening. This can be taken one step further with the deployment of facial recognition via live streaming video. Facial recognition technology can be added on to any video surveillance camera that is recording at a high enough quality to identify faces. The technology works by capturing video, streaming the live video back to a control center and matching faces against any watch lists that the control center owns. Importantly, the data of people who aren’t on watch lists is not stored by the technology. Identifying Known Criminals This technology can work to make the city safer in a number of ways. For example, facial recognition could spot a known drug dealer in a city center where they weren’t supposed to be, or facial recognition could identify if a group of known terror suspects were visiting the same location at the same time, and this would send an alert to the police. Facial recognition technology captures and streams live back to a controll center, matching faces against any watch lists that the control center owns In an ideal world where the police had an automated, electronic workflow, the police officer nearest to the location of the incident would be identified by GPS and would be told by the control room where to go and what to do. Most police forces aren’t quite at this technological level yet, and would probably rely on communicating via radio in order to send the nearest response team to the scene. As well as this, shopping malls could create a database from analog records of known shoplifters to identify criminals as soon as they entered the building. This would be even more effective if run co-operatively between all shopping malls and local businesses in an area, and would not only catch any known shoplifters acting suspiciously, but would act as a deterrent from shoplifting in the first place. Live Streaming For Law Enforcement As mentioned above, live streaming video from CCTV cameras can help the police fight crime more proactively rather than reactively. This can be enhanced even further if combined with live streaming video from police car dash cams and police body worn cameras. If video was streamed from all of these sources to a central HQ, such as a police operations center, the force would be able to have full situational awareness throughout an incident. This would mean that, if need be, officers could be advised on the best course of action, and additional police or other emergency services could be deployed instantly if needed. Incorporated with facial recognition, this would also mean that police could instantly identify if they were dealing with known criminals or terrorists. While they would still have to confirm the identity of the person with questioning or by checking their identification, this is still more streamlined than describing what a person looks like over a radio and then ops trying to manually identify if the person is on a watch list. The smart, safe city is possible today – for one, if live video streaming capabilities are deployed they can enable new levels of flow in the city. With the addition of facial recognition, cities will be safer than ever before and law enforcement and security teams will be able to proactively stop crime before it happens by deterring criminal activity from taking place at all.

The use of drones has increased dramatically in the last few years. Indeed, by 2021, the FAA says the number of small hobbyist drones in the U.S. will triple to about 3.55 million. With that growth, drone capabilities have increased while costs have decreased. For example, the DJI Phantom 4 can deliver a 2-pound payload to a target with 1.5m accuracy from 20 miles away for the less than $1000.00. This is an unprecedented capability accessible to anyone. This new technology has created an entirely new security risk for businesses and governments. Drone Security Risks Already, rogue groups such as ISIS have used low cost drones to carry explosives in targeted attacks. Using this same method, targeting high profile locations within our borders to create terror and panic is very possible. Security professionals and technologists are working furiously to address the gaps in drone defense. Currently, the most common technologies in use for drone detection are video, acoustic sensors, radio, and air surveillance radar. Each of these has advantages, but they also have flaws that make it difficult to detect drones in all conditions. Both optical and thermal cameras, as well as acoustic sensors, do not operate in severe weather such as fog and snow. And while radio and air surveillance radar cover a wide area of detection, they suffer from high installation costs and limiting technical challenges, such as being unable to detect low flying drones on autopilot. Compact Surveillance Radar (CSR) Compact Surveillance Radar (CSR) is a security technology addressing the problems with other types of detection. CSR, like traditional radar, has the benefit of being able to detect and track foreign objects in all weather conditions, but at a fraction of the size and cost. The compact size allows the radar to be mounted on existing structures or even trees, providing extensive perimeter defense almost anywhere that you can imagine. CSR can also filter out clutter such as birds by using an advanced algorithm reducing the number of false alarms. While the use of CSR and the other detection technologies are legal in the US and in most locations throughout the world, the response mechanisms are generally not. Current regulations in the US prohibit the use of jamming or GPS spoofing in all cases except for a few federal agencies Regulations Limiting Drones Current regulations in the US prohibit the use of jamming or GPS spoofing in all cases except for a few federal agencies. This makes it difficult to stop the damage that drones can cause. The FAA has put into place new regulations that limit some uses of drones. However, in most cases it is still illegal for even state or local governments to stop or interfere with drones other than to locate the operator and have them land the drone. In 2016 the first law to neutralize a drone in the United States was passed in Utah to respond to drones in wildfire areas because of their interference with airborne firefighting. This law may very well provide a model for other states dealing with drones in situations where people’s lives are being put at risk by drones. At the federal level, much effort is being put into evaluating the regulations and technology surrounding the misuse of drones. In the 2016 reauthorization bill for the FAA, Section 2135 included a pilot program for the investigation of methods to mitigate the threat of unmanned aircraft around airports and other critical infrastructure. There are many federal agencies that are evaluating the use of a variety of technologies to respond to this threat. Both optical and thermal cameras, as well as acoustic sensors, do not operate in severe weather such as fog and snow   Effective Countermeasure Technologies The most effective countermeasure for drones is jamming, currently off-limits to the private sector. This includes stadiums, convention centers, and other large gathering areas. A number of companies are developing new response technologies that do not require the use of jammers or hacking. Several companies have developed net guns that shoot a net at an approaching drone. These are only effective at less than 100m and frequently miss the target, especially when the drone is approaching at high speed. Several other companies have taken this method a step further, with drones that capture other drones. Once a radar detects a drone, another defense drone is launched and flies to the point of detection. Then, using video analytics it homes in on the drone and fires a net to disable the drone and take it to a safe location. While this drone capturing technique is still in its infancy, it shows a great deal of promise and will not be restricted in the same fashion as jamming. However, even this solution is difficult under current regulations, as all commercial drones in the US must be under direct control of a human operator within their line of sight. This effectively means that a drone operator is required to be on-site at all times to protect a facility, event, or persons. One thing is for certain, technology will continue to adapt and security companies will continue to invent new methods to protect their facilities and the people they are sworn to protect.

Milestone Systems, the number one global provider of open platform networked video management systems, has released Device Pack 10.1a for partners and customers using Milestone XProtect video solutions. The latest Device Pack offers new firmware support for partners Axis, FLIR Systems, Hanwha Techwin, Honeywell and MOBOTIX. New features include support for SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol), a feature that ensures that camera video streams are received via secure end-to-end encrypted transportation method only by authorized clients, for an increased number of Axis devices. Driver Command With Response Also, Device Pack 10.1a carries implemented support for ‘Driver Command with Response’ on all Axis drivers, as well as bugs-fixing of issues with connecting through HTTPS and appropriate handling of the speaker device of M1065-LW. Device Pack 10.1a has implemented support for thermal events for MOBOTIX M16 Series and new driver support for SonyGenXDevice Pack 10.1a has implemented support for thermal events for MOBOTIX M16 Series and new driver support for SonyGenX, including bug-fixing for failure on Edge retrieval for SNC-VB630 and Multicast Settings issues for Sony G7. The new Device Pack offers support for the ONVIF specification 18.06. This includes a number of major enhancements and minor clarifications for better interoperability among ONVIF conformant clients and devices. Support For The ONVIF Specification 18.06 With the release of Device Pack 10.0a in late 2018, Milestone Systems now supports new logic for Inputs/Outputs for Axis audio device driver. The device pack also has implemented support for variable bitrates for Bosch, support for additional analytic events for Vivotek, as well as for Siqura. The Device Pack 10.0a also supports ONVIF-based cameras for partners Mobotix and Arecont Vision, both of whom released their first ONVIF-based cameras in 2018.

TKH Security Solutions today announced the release of its new Siqura XSNet Ethernet switch line. The XSNet 3000 and XSNet 4000 series provides a complete offering of managed/unmanaged switches and media convertors. This series offers hardened units for operation under extreme conditions as well as a selection of powering options, including PoE. Additionally, the XSNet 3000 / 4000 line includes optional SFP (or mini GBIC) interfaces that enable these devices to transmit Ethernet/IP signals directly over fiber optic, Cat 5, or coax cabling.  Hardened solutions for extreme environments Transportation, traffic, and industrial applications entail some of the most inhospitable environments for electronic equipment. The hardened XSNet C4000 series offers a robust solution for reliable operation under harsh conditions. The switches are certified for traffic (NEMA TS-2) and railway (EN50121-4) applications. Due to their longstanding resilience and quality, the XSNet switches are used in mission critical situations the world over, including the Dubai traffic monitoring system. Managed switches for optimising video streaming This new line includes a whole range of managed switches: The XSNet 4000 units support a complete set of open standard networking features, such as redundant ring (STP/RSTP), multicast support (IGMP snooping), port authentication (802.1x), and the 802.1Q VLAN Trunking Protocol. Each managed switch is optimized for advanced networking environments, such as IP video surveillance. Connects directly to any network infrastructure The mini GBIC or SFP slots of the XSNet 3000 / 4000 series switches are compatible with the Siqura ECO-Plug and the XSNet SFP fiber optic plugs. These small form-factor pluggable transceivers (SFP) can be inserted directly into the XSNet network interface slot and allow for the transmission of Ethernet/IP signals over coax or fiber optic cabling. TKH Security Solutions is the only manufacturer in the industry to offer an integrated adaptor for Ethernet over coax. 

The Siqura BC620WDR provides superior low-light performance as well as wide dynamic range TKH Security Solutions announced that its recently released Siqura BC620WDR received the New Product Showcase Judges’ Choice Award from the Security Industry Association at the ISC West 2012 trade show. NPS selected the Siqura BC620WDR due to its unique approach to a security solution. This network camera facilitates system upgrades, such as those from analog to IP or the incorporation of video analytics, while at the same time reusing existing network infrastructures, thereby ensuring users can install an intelligent IP solution anywhere. “The Siqura BC620WDR from TKH Security Solutions is a great example of bringing innovation to the marketplace,” said SIA NPS Chair Jennifer Martin. The Siqura BC620WDR is an IP camera based on an advanced new platform that puts entire video analytics systems in stand-alone devices at the edge of the network. Since its image sensor uses an adjustable shutter speed for each pixel, the Siqura BC620WDR provides superior low-light performance as well as wide dynamic range (WDR). With a built-in SFP option, the BC620WDR can stream Ethernet signals directly over fiber optic, coax, or Cat 5 cabling. Transmitting over any medium Siqura is the only manufacturer in the industry to offer an integrated adaptor for Ethernet over coax. The BC620WDR includes interface options for streaming Ethernet signals directly over fiber optic, coax, or Cat 5 cables. This accommodates any streaming situation, from short segments to vast distances, while resourcefully taking advantage of the existing network infrastructure. In combination with a multistream encoding functionality (i.e., MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MJPEG, H.264), the BC620WDR innovatively meets the industry-wide demand to upgrade legacy systems. Full intelligence at the edge The BC620WDR is embedded with field-proven analytics algorithms for specific outdoor applications, including automatic incident detection and traffic data collection; perimeter detection algorithms are currently being integrated into the BC620WDR, with an expected release in the third quarter of 2012. For more information on video analytics, please see our Video Analytics white paper. Ideal imager for outdoor applications The BC620WDR contains the Seawolf DPS image sensor from Pixim and processes each pixel individually, thereby ensuring extremely clear images in outdoor applications. Whereas other WDR cameras use varying shutter speeds to average two or four complete frames, the BC620WDR adjusts the shutter speeds for individual pixels in a single frame. Therefore, the BC620WDR does not smear or bloom in difficult lighting situations, such as those posed by traffic applications, where car and street lights and sun reflections obstruct monitoring and analytics algorithms. Additionally, the BC620WDR’s true color reproduction makes it possible, for example, to differentiate and identify car colours at night when streetlights are the only form of illumination. Quality video guaranteed The BC620WDR includes the Siqura Camera Health Check, an application that guarantees the availability of quality video material. It continually assesses the well-being of the camera by monitoring the camera’s position and image quality. It conveys the status information via an intuitive dashboard-style user interface. When something is amiss, the application triggers an alarm to promptly alert operators. This, in turn, provides a proactive approach towards system maintenance, potentially reducing the unnecessary costs generally associated with scheduled upkeep. For more information on the Siqura Camera Health Check, please see our Safeguarding Your Surveillance System white paper.