#Pelco
New trends in the security industry.
Video surveillance
One of the fastest growing areas of the security industry. The «digital revolution» has recently occurred, and everyone is talking about the new opportunities that IP video signal transmission provides. You might think that all systems have suddenly become digital. Or at least that all new systems are now installed exclusively with IP cameras. Advertising is full of various video storage servers that connect directly to a computer network anywhere.
In fact, for example, 90% of casinos, famous for their perfect video surveillance systems, are still equipped with analog systems. Of course, analog VCRs are no longer found in new installations, but network (over computer networks) video signal transmission is also not easy to find.
One of the reasons is the significantly greater complexity of the installation. Not only do you need to install the cameras, but you also need to lay the cables to them, not just any old way, but in compliance with the requirements of a Category 5 network. And then you also need to configure the network equipment. And how many video system installers know how to configure multicasting on an Ethernet switch, or configure QoS?
That is why both the lowest segment (for the sake of cheap installation) and the highest segment (for the sake of high quality of uncompressed video signal) do not use digital video transmission. The ability to view video signal via the Internet is actively advertised, although this is quite difficult in real life. Even if you have a great high-speed channel at both ends of the line, there is no guarantee that the end-to-end channel will also be high-speed and reliable. In addition, when connecting a security system to the Internet, protecting these systems from hacking «via the Internet» becomes a rather serious problem. At least, it is quite easy to organize blocking of broadcasting to the Internet using a DoS attack.
The second reason why many experts (as in our country) are hotly discussing new video surveillance products and ways of developing the industry is the notorious «video analytics» systems. It should be noted that not only in our country, but also abroad, people put whatever they want into this concept. Some unbridled advertising experts call ordinary motion detectors equipped with a function for determining the direction of movement as means of analyzing human behavior.
In fact, video analytics have really developed significantly. However, even facial recognition systems are of little use in real life. They work reliably as part of access control systems (more on that below), when a person is in ideal lighting conditions and voluntarily tries to make it easier for the system to recognize them. But when trying to apply them to searching for criminals in a crowd (who are not at all trying to make it easier for the system to recognize them), the effectiveness of facial recognition is still questionable.
Yes, pedestrian or vehicle flow control systems that detect deviations from the norm (including speeding, if, of course, speeding is a deviation and not the norm) work reliably. But for security purposes, for early detection of threats, only fairly old algorithms of discrimination by speed and direction of movement are still suitable.
Access control systems are also subject to the influence of IP fashion. Convergence of security and information systems is a favorite topic of half of the authors of articles. The most striking advertising is for controllers that directly connect to Ethernet, often wireless. Even simple apartment security alarm systems now communicate with the central point not just by phone, but via the Internet.
It should be noted that, as in the case of video surveillance, IP systems are used only in the middle segment. The cheap segment does without fashionable technologies. The upper segment of especially important objects prefers to lay separate wires rather than risk exposing the security system to a threat from an amateur hacker inside the organization.
Network-connectivity. This is the fashionable name for the ability to connect controllers to a computer via Ethernet, and not via RS-485, which was almost undividedly dominant five years ago.
In addition to «convergence with information technology» in the field of access control, biometric systems are actively advertised. However, they have not yet reached even half of the installations. The resistance is mainly psychological, because the cheapest (quite comparable in price to regular card readers) are fingerprint readers. And most people are still not thrilled about having their fingerprints taken. It kind of equates them with criminals.
One publication points out that trade unions actively play on fears of the unhygienic nature of the procedure (as if simply grabbing the door handle is more hygienic) and the loss of privacy. After all, trade unions don't care what to pick on, as long as they have a reason to negotiate new concessions from the employer.
The quality of fingerprint identification algorithms already undoubtedly exceeds the needs of most applications. The reliability of the sensors themselves is also at a high level. Even contact (capacitive and thermal) sensors are much more reliable than the widely used in Russia «touch memory» tablets. The convenience of taking a fingerprint is, of course, the highest for large optical sensors, the price and dimensions of which are relatively high (slightly more expensive than contactless readers). However, even the cheapest (and inconvenient) linear thermal sensors, if compared with the same «touch memory» tablets (which regularly make poor contact with oxidized sockets) are much more convenient. The habit of more or less smoothly and evenly moving your finger across the sensor is formed in a few attempts.
Of course, there are no NON-integrated systems now. All systems are integrated. This is not even emphasized in advertising. Any manufacturer of a video surveillance system can list a dozen ACSs with which their system can be easily integrated. And there are not a dozen or even a hundred ACSs on the market now. About hopes for solving this problem — below, in the section on standardization.
In the meantime, I will note that the most interesting type of integration, the methods and algorithmic solutions of which are actively advertised and discussed, is integration with related systems (life support management — ventilation, power supply). Especially the lower segment of customers (private houses and apartments) increasingly insistently demands «more benefits for the same money.» Installers actively use even the minimal means of relay integration available in simple security panels (in Russian — security control and receiving devices). It must be said that the functionality of such integration, as a rule, is not inferior to that implemented in large systems with the participation of an invited integrator company that has developed a special software product for connecting a powerful security and access control system with an equally powerful computerized central air conditioning system.
All areas of the security industry are now subject to the fashion for standards. If ten years ago only fire alarm systems were subject to standardization, licensing and the need to comply with many rules and requirements, now video surveillance, access control, and even the organization of the work of central monitoring stations are subject to standardization and regulation, sometimes by government agencies, but more often by self-regulating professional associations.
Of course, it is not a matter of fashion. The security industry has become accessible to the masses of consumers. While video surveillance was installed by military factories, secret laboratories and some super-rich individuals, customers had enough money to ensure high quality work, to carry out control on their own. However, recently security equipment has become accessible to mass consumers, and the protection of their rights has become an issue.
This issue is addressed by both the EN5013x series of European standards and numerous instructions and guidelines such as the «Rules for the installation and operation of video surveillance systems». In many countries, the process of optional licensing of enterprises by professional associations is developing.
However, from a technical point of view, the most interesting standards are completely different. SIA (the American Security Industry Association) is developing a series of standards for interfaces between different subsystems. What is remarkable is that these are truly open standards (you can also go to the SIA website and participate in their discussion), and they are not made up or far-fetched. To begin with, before starting to describe the interfaces, a mathematical model of the system is created: what types of objects are in the system, what are their properties and events, how they interact with each other, in what order. A model of a generalized system is created, for example, video surveillance. It is recorded in the UML format. And only then does the integration interface with the subsystem begin to be developed. Presumably, suitable for any video surveillance system.
This approach is not accidental. The association's first attempt to write a standard for the interface between access control systems and video surveillance systems was unsuccessful. Despite the participation of such well-known brands as Pelco and ADT in the development of the standard, it did not go beyond the draft stage. Now the work is undoubtedly more productive.
One of the most discussed topics is not technical at all. Although its roots are undoubtedly hidden in the development of security equipment. The rapid growth of the security industry, the availability of modern technology for the mass consumer — all this has led to a change in the business model in the industry. If 15-20 years ago the basis of the industry was relatively small high-tech companies, then starting from the end of the 90s, a mass absorption of companies producing security equipment by huge non-specialized corporations began. If earlier the main players were Burle, Pelco, American Dynamics, DSC, Ademco, Sensormatic, Kalatel, now, although some of these trademarks are still used, they actually belong to the largest giants — Bosch, GE, Honeywell, Tyco, Schneider. Small specialized companies remained only in new segments — biometric systems, video analysis systems, megapixel IP video cameras.
Well, this is the general situation. Proven serial mass products can and should be produced on a conveyor belt. And small companies with high intellectual potential should develop new products with new promising properties.
Based on materials from foreign Internet sites.