Okay, so now you have cameras, monitors, cables hooked up, and a DVR in place. Now what? Now we configure the DVR to give you the most out of it. There are 1000’s of DVR manufacturers out there and most configuration menus are very similar, but only the verbiage or position may be different. There are 6 elements to programming a DVR and they are Camera Setup, Recording Setup, Schedule Set Up, Alarms Set Up, Network Setup and System Setup. Each one of those setup menus are important except maybe for the schedule which I will go over why I think it is not.
The Camera setup section allows the administrator to manipulate the frame rates, resolution, and image quality. Along with this the camera title can be changed to fit your needs e.g. “Front Door” or “Back Door”. Many DVR manufacturers will also give you the ability the change picture quality from here like Saturation, Brightness or Contrast. This section is pretty important for “Covert” cameras, because it enables you to enable or disable the camera to covert mode. Covert mode allows the camera to record in the background without displaying the picture from the camera. This is used for cameras like a Cash Room where you don’t want employees to know there is a camera.
Now, we move on to the Recording section. Here we have many options to adjust how we record the video. What resolution do you want to record at CIF, 2CIF, 4CIF etc.. This option can be set globally for all cameras or on an individual basis depending on the manufacturer. Here we also have options for stopping the recording after the HDD is full or having on circular recording which means First in First out (FIFO). Most of the times circular recording is the best way to go as you never have to worry about your recorder stopping to record. The other option here is an Auto Delete option. After a certain number of day designated by you the video recorded will automatically erase and the HDD will be fresh. I personally like the circular and that is usually the norm in most DVR configurations.
Scheduled recording to me is useless and manufacturers have to put it in their to support maybe a small percentage of the video surveillance population. The reason why I say it is useless is because most DVR’s have the capability of recording on Motion Detection or Alarms. If you have it on a schedule from 8am to 5pm Mon-Fri and something happens on Tuesday at 8pm you will not have that video. Whereas, if you have it on motion detection the DVR will only record the video when the camera sees motion. Obviously it makes sense to leave it on motion which is why I am not a big fan of the schedule.
I hinted a little about Alarms in the above paragraph. Alarms are exactly as what it says, it alarms when something happens. This requires the addition of some other peripherals like motion detectors or dry contacts for doors or windows. The action that the DVR will take if a contact or motion is tripped is dependent on the administrator. The DVR can send emails, sms, or notification to appropriate parties.
Network Setup allows the DVR to be connected to the internal network of a location or the Internet cloud. What this means is the ability to view from anywhere in the world. The setting that are usual in this screen would be IP address set up (Dynamic or Static), SMTP set up for email notification, DNS server address and what the ports they want to use for access into the system from the outside world. This capability of remote view gives the user a tremendous capability and most people usually get video surveillance just for this feature.
Finally System Setup, this is where you have the system name, date/time, and the ability to set up time server addresses. This section also gives you the ability to change passwords for the users of the system hardware or for remote viewing. You can also make any firmware upgrades from this screen to your hardware.
That in a nutshell covers all of the different programming menus involved in a DVR. As I mentioned most DVR manufacturers have similar menus and if a manufacturer has different types of DVR’s the menus are exactly the same across the board. If you learn one then you know them all. The concepts are the same so you have to just learn those and the rest is a piece of cake.
Hope you enjoyed this topic and I will see you on the next one!
Kal
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Compression Methods for Video Security
In the world of Video Security the biggest headaches for designers and administrators of the system is the ability to manage the data storage. Data storage is dependant on how big of a storage device you built into the recorder, Digital Video Recorder (DVR) or Network Video Recorder (NVR). There are many different ways to utilize the space you have available through the configuration which we will discuss in the next topic, but this topic is mainly going to concentrate on the how the compression of the video is done to not take up all the resources of the storage that is available.
Compression is basically to take the video and compress or “shrink” it down from its raw form to media such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). There are several different forms of compression used in the security industry and those are MJPEG, MPEG4, and H.264. These compression forms allow administrators to keep video for a given period of time without comprising its video integrity. As mentioned earlier there are other avenues for manipulating the configuration to give you more bang for your buck from the HDD, but this is the biggest player.
MJPEG stand for Motion Joint Picture Experts Group, which was originally developed for multimedia PC applications, has also been incorporated into the video security environment. It is an interlaced form which uses every frame as a picture and requires a lot more HDD storage as each image or frame captured can be very large. An example would be for a given period of 5 minutes of video the storage required for that 5 minute period could be anywhere from 150-200MB of video. Now, this is a very large chunk to take from the hard drive available for such a short period of time, but can provide explicit information if need to provide to the authorities. MJPEG is the only form of evidence admissible in the court of law in its raw form. The drawback to providing irrefutable evidence is the ability to have funding for such an enormous storage requirement if lets say you needed 30 days of recording. This is where our next compression method comes in MPEG-4.
MPEG-4 stands for Motion Picture Experts Group and was intended to serve the Audio Video World including broadcast television. We have all come across MPEG4 video whether it be watching TV, on YouTube, or recording home movies. This technology also is prevalent in the security arena by which it compresses the video to through audio and video coding. The concept behind MPEG4 is that not all the video or frames is actually recorded. It consists of I frames and P frames which have gaps in between to have a software program fill in the pieces of the previous and next frames with the apparent video on each of those before and after frames. This is an excellent way to conserve HDD space, but is not admissible in the courts in its raw form. The reason why it is not admissible in the courts is because if the missing gaps. When information is missing and was filled in by software there could have been manipulation of that video. The way to over come this is by having authenticating key sequences or watermarking the video through proprietary means by the manufacturer of the recorder which it was recorded on. This way there is a check and balance on the authentication of that video and would be played on specific player software to prove its authenticity.
The final compression method is H.264 which is just another name for MPEG4- Part 10 and takes the compression of video surveillance storing to another level. This method is still being reviewed, but has been released and many have started to adopt it into their recorders. The method is the same using the frames and filling the information, but the complex algorithms it uses makes storing the video for longer period of time on the same HDD size. The admissibility remains the same in the court of law and would need to follow the same standards as MPEG4 where as you would have to have a player to play the video. This will prove that it is authenticate video.
From a designing and storage perspective compression plays a huge role in the video surveillance field. It could mean the difference in having 2 days of video compared to 30 days. I am sure that there will be other methods to come in the near future and as they do I will be sure to keep you in the loop.
My next topic will be on How to configure a DVR!
See you soon.
Kal
Compression is basically to take the video and compress or “shrink” it down from its raw form to media such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). There are several different forms of compression used in the security industry and those are MJPEG, MPEG4, and H.264. These compression forms allow administrators to keep video for a given period of time without comprising its video integrity. As mentioned earlier there are other avenues for manipulating the configuration to give you more bang for your buck from the HDD, but this is the biggest player.
MJPEG stand for Motion Joint Picture Experts Group, which was originally developed for multimedia PC applications, has also been incorporated into the video security environment. It is an interlaced form which uses every frame as a picture and requires a lot more HDD storage as each image or frame captured can be very large. An example would be for a given period of 5 minutes of video the storage required for that 5 minute period could be anywhere from 150-200MB of video. Now, this is a very large chunk to take from the hard drive available for such a short period of time, but can provide explicit information if need to provide to the authorities. MJPEG is the only form of evidence admissible in the court of law in its raw form. The drawback to providing irrefutable evidence is the ability to have funding for such an enormous storage requirement if lets say you needed 30 days of recording. This is where our next compression method comes in MPEG-4.
MPEG-4 stands for Motion Picture Experts Group and was intended to serve the Audio Video World including broadcast television. We have all come across MPEG4 video whether it be watching TV, on YouTube, or recording home movies. This technology also is prevalent in the security arena by which it compresses the video to through audio and video coding. The concept behind MPEG4 is that not all the video or frames is actually recorded. It consists of I frames and P frames which have gaps in between to have a software program fill in the pieces of the previous and next frames with the apparent video on each of those before and after frames. This is an excellent way to conserve HDD space, but is not admissible in the courts in its raw form. The reason why it is not admissible in the courts is because if the missing gaps. When information is missing and was filled in by software there could have been manipulation of that video. The way to over come this is by having authenticating key sequences or watermarking the video through proprietary means by the manufacturer of the recorder which it was recorded on. This way there is a check and balance on the authentication of that video and would be played on specific player software to prove its authenticity.
The final compression method is H.264 which is just another name for MPEG4- Part 10 and takes the compression of video surveillance storing to another level. This method is still being reviewed, but has been released and many have started to adopt it into their recorders. The method is the same using the frames and filling the information, but the complex algorithms it uses makes storing the video for longer period of time on the same HDD size. The admissibility remains the same in the court of law and would need to follow the same standards as MPEG4 where as you would have to have a player to play the video. This will prove that it is authenticate video.
From a designing and storage perspective compression plays a huge role in the video surveillance field. It could mean the difference in having 2 days of video compared to 30 days. I am sure that there will be other methods to come in the near future and as they do I will be sure to keep you in the loop.
My next topic will be on How to configure a DVR!
See you soon.
Kal
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Analog CCTV Architecture & Design
The architecture and design of a Analog Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system is critical and most of the times is done wrong. This can be from lack of knowledge on the system integrators part in learning how to do this properly.
There are some very basic elements in the architecture of these systems are the components involved. We will go through the components for an analog system setup and detail the design.
The analog CCTV system is comprised of six different components that need to be pieced together. Those are Cameras, Lenses, Power Supplies, Cable Types, Recording Device, and Monitors.
Cameras can play an essential part of the architecture and if the wrong type of camera is selected it could mean changing them out which could cost you money. There are many different types of cameras Traditional Box cameras, Bullet, Dome, Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ), and Covert/Discreet. They have characteristics which include indoor or outdoor, vandal proof / resistant, and day/night. Choosing an indoor dome camera for an outdoor environment will mean disaster. There is also a Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) option within cameras which will allow for light compensation when a camera is placed in front of a glass window or doorway. The WDR function allows the compensation between the exterior and interior light to provide you a clear picture rather then just a silhouette of the individual walking in. So, choosing the appropriate camera is vital in all applications.
The lens of a camera will come into effect when you are trying to acquire and image of a certain area AKA field of view. This field of view is measured upon the cameras Charged Coupled Device (CCD) which is the cameras image sensor and can range from ¼” to ½” in the CCTV cameras. The range means the bigger you are in CCD the bigger the field of view in horizontal and vertical degrees. This coupled with the lens, which come in two different flavors Fixed and Vari-Focal will give you desired field of view. The fixed lens which is a little lower in price is beginning to see its end of life in the security cameras as more people are switching to eh flexibility offered in the vari-focal. The vari-focal offers the ability to manipulate (manually) the lens from wide angle to tele-focal. Some common fixed lens sizes are 2.6mm, 3mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 16mm and for the vari-focal are 2.8 – 10mm, 3 – 9mm, 4 – 8mm, and 5 – 50mm. What this allows the installer to do is widen the field of view or tighten it depending upon the end users request. This is much cheaper to do then actually moving the camera when a fixed lens is in the camera because it can be laborious.
Then comes the power supply which can mean all the difference if you don’t want to blow cameras while installing them. There are essentially two different types of requirements when it comes to power for surveillance cameras which are 12 VDC and 24 VAC. Some camera manufacturer will make a dual voltage camera with auto sensing so it can be 12VDC or 24VAC. The days of using the big bulky transformers are gone; the new trend is using a distributed power supply. This power supply can give you several different outputs from 4 to 32. This means you have all your power cables coming into one box, which provides power to all the cameras connected to the power supply. They also are now protected via a fuse or breaker in the case of a power surge which reduces the risk of damage to the camera. They are usually wall or rack mounted and can be very beneficial to a “clean” install.
There are several ways of cabling for CCTV the most common is the use of the Coaxial Cable which is zipped together with a power cable 2 conductor 18 gauge or known as 18/2. This cable is called a Siamese cable and zips apart for video and power on the camera end and on the recording end. The other way is to use a Category 5 (CAT5) or better using “baluns” or transceivers as they are known. With this method you can use a 4 pairs of the CAT5 cable for transmission of video up to 5000ft with the correct hardware on both the camera end and the head end. This method can also give you power over that same cable (not to be confused with Power over Ethernet (PoE) which we will speak about in later discussions. The final way of cabling is the use of Fiber Optic cable which can provide transmission for many miles and help protect against lightning and surges.
Recording is the most integral part of the system design and in the old days this was done by having a multiplexer or MUX receiving all the video feeds and then connecting a time-lapse vcr. The new technology is the use of Digital Video Recorders (DVR’s) which replace both the equipments with one that does more functions including the ability to remote view. The latter is also now being replaced with Network Video Recorders (NVR’s) which provide more scalability.
The final component is the monitor! Having the right monitor makes all the difference and monitor come in Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). CRT’s provide the best quality picture on CCTV systems, but are big and bulky. LCD’s are more space saving but if it is not a high resolution monitor then the images may not be as clear. Having a low resolution monitor with a high resolution camera defeats the purpose of a good quality video image. Choosing the right monitor can make or break your system.
In conclusion, as you can see there many different components that makes up CCTV architecture and can be very costly in the long run if it is not done correctly from the beginning. So, let’s make sure that if planning out a CCTV design to check back for further design help.
See you on the next topic!
Kal
There are some very basic elements in the architecture of these systems are the components involved. We will go through the components for an analog system setup and detail the design.
The analog CCTV system is comprised of six different components that need to be pieced together. Those are Cameras, Lenses, Power Supplies, Cable Types, Recording Device, and Monitors.
Cameras can play an essential part of the architecture and if the wrong type of camera is selected it could mean changing them out which could cost you money. There are many different types of cameras Traditional Box cameras, Bullet, Dome, Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ), and Covert/Discreet. They have characteristics which include indoor or outdoor, vandal proof / resistant, and day/night. Choosing an indoor dome camera for an outdoor environment will mean disaster. There is also a Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) option within cameras which will allow for light compensation when a camera is placed in front of a glass window or doorway. The WDR function allows the compensation between the exterior and interior light to provide you a clear picture rather then just a silhouette of the individual walking in. So, choosing the appropriate camera is vital in all applications.
The lens of a camera will come into effect when you are trying to acquire and image of a certain area AKA field of view. This field of view is measured upon the cameras Charged Coupled Device (CCD) which is the cameras image sensor and can range from ¼” to ½” in the CCTV cameras. The range means the bigger you are in CCD the bigger the field of view in horizontal and vertical degrees. This coupled with the lens, which come in two different flavors Fixed and Vari-Focal will give you desired field of view. The fixed lens which is a little lower in price is beginning to see its end of life in the security cameras as more people are switching to eh flexibility offered in the vari-focal. The vari-focal offers the ability to manipulate (manually) the lens from wide angle to tele-focal. Some common fixed lens sizes are 2.6mm, 3mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 16mm and for the vari-focal are 2.8 – 10mm, 3 – 9mm, 4 – 8mm, and 5 – 50mm. What this allows the installer to do is widen the field of view or tighten it depending upon the end users request. This is much cheaper to do then actually moving the camera when a fixed lens is in the camera because it can be laborious.
Then comes the power supply which can mean all the difference if you don’t want to blow cameras while installing them. There are essentially two different types of requirements when it comes to power for surveillance cameras which are 12 VDC and 24 VAC. Some camera manufacturer will make a dual voltage camera with auto sensing so it can be 12VDC or 24VAC. The days of using the big bulky transformers are gone; the new trend is using a distributed power supply. This power supply can give you several different outputs from 4 to 32. This means you have all your power cables coming into one box, which provides power to all the cameras connected to the power supply. They also are now protected via a fuse or breaker in the case of a power surge which reduces the risk of damage to the camera. They are usually wall or rack mounted and can be very beneficial to a “clean” install.
There are several ways of cabling for CCTV the most common is the use of the Coaxial Cable which is zipped together with a power cable 2 conductor 18 gauge or known as 18/2. This cable is called a Siamese cable and zips apart for video and power on the camera end and on the recording end. The other way is to use a Category 5 (CAT5) or better using “baluns” or transceivers as they are known. With this method you can use a 4 pairs of the CAT5 cable for transmission of video up to 5000ft with the correct hardware on both the camera end and the head end. This method can also give you power over that same cable (not to be confused with Power over Ethernet (PoE) which we will speak about in later discussions. The final way of cabling is the use of Fiber Optic cable which can provide transmission for many miles and help protect against lightning and surges.
Recording is the most integral part of the system design and in the old days this was done by having a multiplexer or MUX receiving all the video feeds and then connecting a time-lapse vcr. The new technology is the use of Digital Video Recorders (DVR’s) which replace both the equipments with one that does more functions including the ability to remote view. The latter is also now being replaced with Network Video Recorders (NVR’s) which provide more scalability.
The final component is the monitor! Having the right monitor makes all the difference and monitor come in Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). CRT’s provide the best quality picture on CCTV systems, but are big and bulky. LCD’s are more space saving but if it is not a high resolution monitor then the images may not be as clear. Having a low resolution monitor with a high resolution camera defeats the purpose of a good quality video image. Choosing the right monitor can make or break your system.
In conclusion, as you can see there many different components that makes up CCTV architecture and can be very costly in the long run if it is not done correctly from the beginning. So, let’s make sure that if planning out a CCTV design to check back for further design help.
See you on the next topic!
Kal
Megapixel Cameras
Megapixel (MP) technology has been around in our regular digital cameras whether they be SLR’s or point and shoot. They provide a more detailed image where one can zoom or crop the picture as they like. That technology is the same basis when it comes to Megapixel CCTV cameras which require the ability to identify has become more and more important. We have all seen the images on TV shows like Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) that when surveillance footage is used in a crime they are able to “blow” up the image and be able to identify someone from a distance of the cameras field of view. While that is not exactly the case, because TV has a tendency to be very elaborate to its viewers. The mega pixel technology does offer the capability of zooming in to identify within reason.
Let’s talk a little about resolution and how resolution is measured in the CCTV world. An image when taken by a camera has a cap on its resolution by the number of TV Lines (TVL) it is capable of delivering. In the analog world that is typically anywhere from 330TVL to 580TVL the latter being the highest resolution. This when measured against the recorders capability of saving that resolution is measured in the Common Intermediate Format (CIF) and CIF has a basic image size of 352 x 288. Below CIF there is QCIF (176 × 144) and SQCIF (128 × 96) as you can see the image size horizontal and vertical is much lower giving you a lower quality image. Above CIF there is 2CIF (704 x 288) and 4CIF (704 × 576) giving you a much bigger picture to provide capabilities of zooming into that field of view.
Megapixel technology also means that you will not be in the analog realm of cameras any longer. Megapixel technology for the security cameras is only available in IP cameras. Megapixel camera manufacturers go as high as 16 Megapixel. Most “cctv” manufacturers have adopted Megapixel into their lineup of products offered as they have to respond to public need. Many law enforcement/government entities are starting to employ Megapixel technology at places like border crossings, airports, rail/bus terminals and sports events. This is due to the overwhelming increase in terrorism threat. The ability to identify people is critical for preventing major catastrophes.
The different levels of resolution offered by Megapixel are 1.0MP (1280 x 720) (720P HD resolution), 2MP (1920 x 1080) (Full 1080p resolution), 3MP (2048 x 1536) and so all the way to 16MP (4872 x 3248) which is the highest available on the market today. As you can see by the image size delivered as you go higher and higher in the Megapixel size the image get bigger and bigger which allows you to get in close to get better detail from a cameras field of view.
Having Megapixel technology also eliminates the need for Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras which can optically zoom into to get a better closer look. The main reason for this is when a PTZ is honing in on a particular object its field of view is on that target and unless there are other cameras covering that area and if something happens that is no longer in viewable in the field of view. With just one Megapixel camera it is constantly maintaining its field of view and even if you have zoomed in the camera is covering the entire field of view which means you miss nothing.
The Megapixel IP Cameras are the newest most talked about products in the surveillance industry and will keep getting higher in resolution. Some of the downfalls in using such cameras is the cost, bandwidth and storage of such images produced. Cost is always an issue and being that law enforcement and government have the funds for such technology they are some of the only one using it along with some big named corporation who can afford it. The price as with any electronics will come down in the years to come, but for now they are very expensive. The bandwidth and storage these cameras take up is very significant so having the appropriate storage and network requirements has to be adapted when using such cameras.
I hope you have found the information contained on this topic useful, and look forward to your comments.
The next topic of discussion will be CCTV Architecture & Design!!
Kal
Let’s talk a little about resolution and how resolution is measured in the CCTV world. An image when taken by a camera has a cap on its resolution by the number of TV Lines (TVL) it is capable of delivering. In the analog world that is typically anywhere from 330TVL to 580TVL the latter being the highest resolution. This when measured against the recorders capability of saving that resolution is measured in the Common Intermediate Format (CIF) and CIF has a basic image size of 352 x 288. Below CIF there is QCIF (176 × 144) and SQCIF (128 × 96) as you can see the image size horizontal and vertical is much lower giving you a lower quality image. Above CIF there is 2CIF (704 x 288) and 4CIF (704 × 576) giving you a much bigger picture to provide capabilities of zooming into that field of view.
Megapixel technology also means that you will not be in the analog realm of cameras any longer. Megapixel technology for the security cameras is only available in IP cameras. Megapixel camera manufacturers go as high as 16 Megapixel. Most “cctv” manufacturers have adopted Megapixel into their lineup of products offered as they have to respond to public need. Many law enforcement/government entities are starting to employ Megapixel technology at places like border crossings, airports, rail/bus terminals and sports events. This is due to the overwhelming increase in terrorism threat. The ability to identify people is critical for preventing major catastrophes.
The different levels of resolution offered by Megapixel are 1.0MP (1280 x 720) (720P HD resolution), 2MP (1920 x 1080) (Full 1080p resolution), 3MP (2048 x 1536) and so all the way to 16MP (4872 x 3248) which is the highest available on the market today. As you can see by the image size delivered as you go higher and higher in the Megapixel size the image get bigger and bigger which allows you to get in close to get better detail from a cameras field of view.
Having Megapixel technology also eliminates the need for Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras which can optically zoom into to get a better closer look. The main reason for this is when a PTZ is honing in on a particular object its field of view is on that target and unless there are other cameras covering that area and if something happens that is no longer in viewable in the field of view. With just one Megapixel camera it is constantly maintaining its field of view and even if you have zoomed in the camera is covering the entire field of view which means you miss nothing.
The Megapixel IP Cameras are the newest most talked about products in the surveillance industry and will keep getting higher in resolution. Some of the downfalls in using such cameras is the cost, bandwidth and storage of such images produced. Cost is always an issue and being that law enforcement and government have the funds for such technology they are some of the only one using it along with some big named corporation who can afford it. The price as with any electronics will come down in the years to come, but for now they are very expensive. The bandwidth and storage these cameras take up is very significant so having the appropriate storage and network requirements has to be adapted when using such cameras.
I hope you have found the information contained on this topic useful, and look forward to your comments.
The next topic of discussion will be CCTV Architecture & Design!!
Kal
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Access Control and Biometrics
Access Control is the means of controlling access to areas subjected to specific individuals or groups. Typical access control systems incorporate the use of ID cards (proximity, magnetic, or biometric), which allow users to gain access to specific doors within the premises. That card has the potential of being used at multiple sites in any geographic region designated by the organization. When a card is presented at the reader the reader communicates with the access panel, which has many different functions. The ability to set time zones, user privileges, and access levels, this is all done through a software interface which communicates with the access panel.
There are many configurations on an access control system; the time zone function allows the administrator of the system to assign times for when and where a “user” has access. An example would be normal working schedule of Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm for normal users. The other time zone could be an after hours schedule which would be Monday through Friday from 5pm to 8am, and have one for Saturday and Sunday as well. This allows them to configure times when it is ok for users to gain access to certain set of doors during specific times.
User privileges are very important when administering the system. There are many fields to associate the person who holds that card. Some of those fields are Name, ID#, Job Function/Location, Pin # if any, Address, Phone, Email and many others. These fields enable administrators to identify individuals as they are trying to gain access to any area within the controlled access areas. They also allow for detailed reporting under the reporting section.
Access levels are a feature of the Access control system which allows the administrator to give or take away access to specific areas. The can be very simple or very complex depending on the nature of the system and how critical the application is. An example of access levels would be “Managers”, as part of this access level you have rights to enter and or exit certain doors which are designated by the administrator and not available to the “regular” employee.
These are the functions of the Access System through the software suite. However, there are many other components to the system which incorporate Biometrics. There are many different types of biometrics involved, some of those are fingerprint readers, hand geometry and retinal or iris scanners. These types of readers are usually placed into highly secure locations as they require an additional level of security.
Fingerprint readers are readers that have fingerprints enrolled onto the device where the reading will be done. They sometimes also have a pin pad to ensure double security. The user would put his/her finger on the reader and then if need be would enter there pin#. This along with the other technologies provides a means for tighter security. If a user simply has an ID card which they use to gain entry and that card is lost and not deactivated immediately the person who holds the card has access to the facility. In the case of biometrics the fingerprint can not be lost. From an administrative standpoint where time counts are questions for attendance, someone can not present another persons card just so they are not late for work. It has many benefits, but also has some drawbacks. In Harsh environments users fingerprint may get worn or dirty which could lead to false reads and deny access even with pin #. This leads us to Hand Geometry readers.
Hand Geometry readers are a little easier in harsh environments because it is not actually reading fingerprints. The reader will scan your hand and distance of all the fingers to the palm and provide a approval percentage. As you read your hand more and more the system begins to have a higher percentage of approval. This is a very reliable reading system for gaining access to a facility or room.
Retinal and Iris scanners provide the highest form of security and are usually used in the most tightly secure areas. Many Research and Development areas have these in place as the information they have “locked up” is very critical and not just anyone should have access.
Access control in whole has become a very common part of our lives, if you work, most likely you have an ID card to allow you access into your place of work. This allows employers not only to have accountability, but it also protects the employer and employees from unwanted visitors.
That’s it for this week; see you on the next blog.
Kal
There are many configurations on an access control system; the time zone function allows the administrator of the system to assign times for when and where a “user” has access. An example would be normal working schedule of Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm for normal users. The other time zone could be an after hours schedule which would be Monday through Friday from 5pm to 8am, and have one for Saturday and Sunday as well. This allows them to configure times when it is ok for users to gain access to certain set of doors during specific times.
User privileges are very important when administering the system. There are many fields to associate the person who holds that card. Some of those fields are Name, ID#, Job Function/Location, Pin # if any, Address, Phone, Email and many others. These fields enable administrators to identify individuals as they are trying to gain access to any area within the controlled access areas. They also allow for detailed reporting under the reporting section.
Access levels are a feature of the Access control system which allows the administrator to give or take away access to specific areas. The can be very simple or very complex depending on the nature of the system and how critical the application is. An example of access levels would be “Managers”, as part of this access level you have rights to enter and or exit certain doors which are designated by the administrator and not available to the “regular” employee.
These are the functions of the Access System through the software suite. However, there are many other components to the system which incorporate Biometrics. There are many different types of biometrics involved, some of those are fingerprint readers, hand geometry and retinal or iris scanners. These types of readers are usually placed into highly secure locations as they require an additional level of security.
Fingerprint readers are readers that have fingerprints enrolled onto the device where the reading will be done. They sometimes also have a pin pad to ensure double security. The user would put his/her finger on the reader and then if need be would enter there pin#. This along with the other technologies provides a means for tighter security. If a user simply has an ID card which they use to gain entry and that card is lost and not deactivated immediately the person who holds the card has access to the facility. In the case of biometrics the fingerprint can not be lost. From an administrative standpoint where time counts are questions for attendance, someone can not present another persons card just so they are not late for work. It has many benefits, but also has some drawbacks. In Harsh environments users fingerprint may get worn or dirty which could lead to false reads and deny access even with pin #. This leads us to Hand Geometry readers.
Hand Geometry readers are a little easier in harsh environments because it is not actually reading fingerprints. The reader will scan your hand and distance of all the fingers to the palm and provide a approval percentage. As you read your hand more and more the system begins to have a higher percentage of approval. This is a very reliable reading system for gaining access to a facility or room.
Retinal and Iris scanners provide the highest form of security and are usually used in the most tightly secure areas. Many Research and Development areas have these in place as the information they have “locked up” is very critical and not just anyone should have access.
Access control in whole has become a very common part of our lives, if you work, most likely you have an ID card to allow you access into your place of work. This allows employers not only to have accountability, but it also protects the employer and employees from unwanted visitors.
That’s it for this week; see you on the next blog.
Kal
Video Analytics
In the world of Video Surveillance and my last topic of Analog vs. IP, the trend or emergence of Video Analytics has been very prevalent. Video Analytics is the operation of servers and software which provide Object Motion. This is different from conventional methods of Pixel motion detection, which records activity on pixels. The pixels in a particular filed of view have to be changed in order to trigger a motion event which can provide multiple outputs. Some of those outputs can be either to record video, sound an alarm, or send an email. With Video Analytics the field of view concentrates on the object in the scene not the pixels.
There are many different facets of Analytics, some of them being Object left behind, Object Removed, Advanced Tracking, License Plate Recognition, Facial Recognition, and People Counting. Those are just a few of the main ones, with analytics the parameters can be defined for specific applications.
Object left behind and removed are used heavily by major public areas to target terrorism. We have all seen the news reports about a suspicious package left behind at an airport or train terminal. Well with the help of Video Analytics these are preventative methods for ensuring public safety quickly! What happens is when a package or bag is left unattended or removed in a cameras field of view, the “server” will send off an emergency alert for human intervention.
License plate recognition is the ability to capture license plates and store them in a database for retrieval later. This can help in capturing vehicles that are known offenders. Having this capability for most Transportation Departments, which cover Highways can effectively pick out offenders that make the Amber Alert which usually has to do with Child abduction cases.
The use of Advanced Tracking Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) through analytics can ensure that you don’t lose a “target” while surveilling them. The feature can have abilities such as selecting humans and vehicles which use advanced algorithms to track them through a PTZ cameras which can follow the individual or vehicles where it moves within the PTZ’s field of view and can also transfer to other PTZ’s on the system.
People counting is the ability to track the number of people going and coming out of a specific location or doorway. It actually enables an administration function for the user of the system to track how many people have entered or exited, or to restrict the amount of people for fire code purposes, which is an example from a safety standpoint. An example from an administration standpoint would be a retail outfit keeping an on the number people on line at checkout or the number patron in their establishment at any given time.
Facial recognition is very intricate system of analytics which utilizes biometrics and complex algorithms to identify or match people from a set database. Many major public areas such as stadiums and concert halls use this technology for the purpose of finding persons who are wanted for crimes and usually incorporate tapping into international databases such as INTERPOL.
So, as you can see the world of Video Surveillance is drastically taking a turn for the better with improved technology and what we in the industry call Artificial Intelligence. It is becoming the biggest growing trend for many organizations to have such a feature as well many governments.
The next topic of discussion will on Biometrics and how it is revolutionizing the way we incorporate into access control.
Kal
There are many different facets of Analytics, some of them being Object left behind, Object Removed, Advanced Tracking, License Plate Recognition, Facial Recognition, and People Counting. Those are just a few of the main ones, with analytics the parameters can be defined for specific applications.
Object left behind and removed are used heavily by major public areas to target terrorism. We have all seen the news reports about a suspicious package left behind at an airport or train terminal. Well with the help of Video Analytics these are preventative methods for ensuring public safety quickly! What happens is when a package or bag is left unattended or removed in a cameras field of view, the “server” will send off an emergency alert for human intervention.
License plate recognition is the ability to capture license plates and store them in a database for retrieval later. This can help in capturing vehicles that are known offenders. Having this capability for most Transportation Departments, which cover Highways can effectively pick out offenders that make the Amber Alert which usually has to do with Child abduction cases.
The use of Advanced Tracking Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) through analytics can ensure that you don’t lose a “target” while surveilling them. The feature can have abilities such as selecting humans and vehicles which use advanced algorithms to track them through a PTZ cameras which can follow the individual or vehicles where it moves within the PTZ’s field of view and can also transfer to other PTZ’s on the system.
People counting is the ability to track the number of people going and coming out of a specific location or doorway. It actually enables an administration function for the user of the system to track how many people have entered or exited, or to restrict the amount of people for fire code purposes, which is an example from a safety standpoint. An example from an administration standpoint would be a retail outfit keeping an on the number people on line at checkout or the number patron in their establishment at any given time.
Facial recognition is very intricate system of analytics which utilizes biometrics and complex algorithms to identify or match people from a set database. Many major public areas such as stadiums and concert halls use this technology for the purpose of finding persons who are wanted for crimes and usually incorporate tapping into international databases such as INTERPOL.
So, as you can see the world of Video Surveillance is drastically taking a turn for the better with improved technology and what we in the industry call Artificial Intelligence. It is becoming the biggest growing trend for many organizations to have such a feature as well many governments.
The next topic of discussion will on Biometrics and how it is revolutionizing the way we incorporate into access control.
Kal
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Surveillance --- Analog Video vs. IP Video
Video security systems as we know them from about 10-15 years ago consisted of cameras, lenses, power supplies for the cameras, multiplexers, time lapse VCR’s, and monitors. About the time that the VCR technology was becoming obsolete came the Digital Video Recorder (DVR), now this is not your TIVO or DVR from your cable company, but a new technology (same concept) which allowed you to store the feeds coming from surveillance cameras onto a hard drive which was in the DVR to be played back digitally, local or remote.
This technology took over very fast, and eliminated the need to have all that extra equipment and the biggest pain was the all those TAPES. The DVR got rid of the tapes which most people either forgot to change or hit the record button so that when an incident happened they did not have the evidence to prove it or prosecute. The DVR fixed a lot of issues plaguing video surveillance. The biggest hurdle that was fixed with the introduction of the DVR was the ability to view remotely through a high-speed connection anywhere in the world. This enabled the business owner who never takes a vacation because they always had to be onsite so employees would not run them into the ground by giving the store away. Now, they could be in Hawaii on the beach and check in on their employees to see what they are doing or how busy there location(s) are. Besides being a “security” device this was becoming more of an administrative tool for many businesses. Having this technology really improved the industry in a whole.
That is Analog video which by the way is still very prevalent in the industry still controlling about 80% of the market. The term “Analog” even though we are recording on VCR’s or digitally through DVR’s is still called analog. What we have now is the introduction of IP Video, the IP Stands for Internet Protocol. What that means is going over the “Network” to view and record images from cameras. The introduction of IP cameras is revolutionizing the security industry because not only is it easier for people to store or move data (video), but cabling the systems is far easier. The traditional analog system needed two wires a power wire which is typically a 2 conductor 18 gauge wire for power and a video wire which is a coaxial cable RG59U. They do have other variations of these cables for better distance, but the most commonly used are the ones we discussed. The IP camera only takes one cable and that cable is a CAT5 or better cable the CAT stands for Category. This along with the introduction of Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled running one low cost wire which gives you power and video.
Now, we have a set number of cameras going into a PoE switch which provide the power and network connectivity. The ability to have a server which is also on the network has these cameras attached to it through IP Address’s rather then physical cables. That in a nutshell is IP Video and how it works, but one of the downfalls and concerns is bandwidth utilization. Consumption of a networks bandwidth with video is substantial and many network managers fear cameras because of this, but there have been some fixes which are in place to alleviate their fears, such as creating a private security network with its own hardware, and splitting the video traffic onto a Virtual LAN (VLAN) which would not disrupt regular day to day traffic. This leads me into my final subject on IP vs. Analog is the switch of control from traditional security guys to the IT managers.
Traditional Analog video did not require much network knowledge and was fairly simple and the installer just had to plug in the cable and it was working. With the introduction of IP Video it’s a whole different ball game and more and more network/IT functions are needed. I am seeing more and more budgeting on public bids to have security rolled into the IT budget which is easier for everyone. This switch creates a more savvy environment when it comes designing and implementing a Video Surveillance system.
The security market when it comes to video surveillance is changing rapidly and the emergence of such video systems like IP video also enable a lot more functionality and in the coming posts you can look forward topics which include Video Analytics and Biometrics.
See you soon!
Kal
This technology took over very fast, and eliminated the need to have all that extra equipment and the biggest pain was the all those TAPES. The DVR got rid of the tapes which most people either forgot to change or hit the record button so that when an incident happened they did not have the evidence to prove it or prosecute. The DVR fixed a lot of issues plaguing video surveillance. The biggest hurdle that was fixed with the introduction of the DVR was the ability to view remotely through a high-speed connection anywhere in the world. This enabled the business owner who never takes a vacation because they always had to be onsite so employees would not run them into the ground by giving the store away. Now, they could be in Hawaii on the beach and check in on their employees to see what they are doing or how busy there location(s) are. Besides being a “security” device this was becoming more of an administrative tool for many businesses. Having this technology really improved the industry in a whole.
That is Analog video which by the way is still very prevalent in the industry still controlling about 80% of the market. The term “Analog” even though we are recording on VCR’s or digitally through DVR’s is still called analog. What we have now is the introduction of IP Video, the IP Stands for Internet Protocol. What that means is going over the “Network” to view and record images from cameras. The introduction of IP cameras is revolutionizing the security industry because not only is it easier for people to store or move data (video), but cabling the systems is far easier. The traditional analog system needed two wires a power wire which is typically a 2 conductor 18 gauge wire for power and a video wire which is a coaxial cable RG59U. They do have other variations of these cables for better distance, but the most commonly used are the ones we discussed. The IP camera only takes one cable and that cable is a CAT5 or better cable the CAT stands for Category. This along with the introduction of Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled running one low cost wire which gives you power and video.
Now, we have a set number of cameras going into a PoE switch which provide the power and network connectivity. The ability to have a server which is also on the network has these cameras attached to it through IP Address’s rather then physical cables. That in a nutshell is IP Video and how it works, but one of the downfalls and concerns is bandwidth utilization. Consumption of a networks bandwidth with video is substantial and many network managers fear cameras because of this, but there have been some fixes which are in place to alleviate their fears, such as creating a private security network with its own hardware, and splitting the video traffic onto a Virtual LAN (VLAN) which would not disrupt regular day to day traffic. This leads me into my final subject on IP vs. Analog is the switch of control from traditional security guys to the IT managers.
Traditional Analog video did not require much network knowledge and was fairly simple and the installer just had to plug in the cable and it was working. With the introduction of IP Video it’s a whole different ball game and more and more network/IT functions are needed. I am seeing more and more budgeting on public bids to have security rolled into the IT budget which is easier for everyone. This switch creates a more savvy environment when it comes designing and implementing a Video Surveillance system.
The security market when it comes to video surveillance is changing rapidly and the emergence of such video systems like IP video also enable a lot more functionality and in the coming posts you can look forward topics which include Video Analytics and Biometrics.
See you soon!
Kal
Introduction -
For my blog I chose to write about something that is very inherent to me. “Security” is my passion; I have been in the security industry for 10+ years now and have built up a wealth of information to share with others.
With this blog I hope to accomplish several things, some of those being the awareness of the security world as seen from my eyes, what are the new emerging technologies available in the market and what different product sets fit a users’ application.
I feel as though security is a very important part of our daily lives and for someone who’s not in it may not realize what an impact it has on our day to day life. Did you know that just being in public during any given day that you are captured on video surveillance anywhere from 70-80 times a day? Yes! That is absolutely true and that is not even a very high number considering many other countries like the
Given the circumstance of our current turmoil when it comes to terrorism foreign or domestic securing property and life has been of utmost importance and there has been a dramatic rise in the need for these technologies. The problem is not many people are aware of what’s out there and what the latest and greatest is. For someone who is in the industry I usually keep on top of it and through this blog will try to capture readership for those interested in learning more about SECURITY!!!
Next topic will be about the world of IP Video taking over the security market…
Kal
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