About Technology Archives

IP Camera Systems Are Getting Smarter

Posted on September 7, 2020September 8, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

IP Cameras are getting very intelligent. Should we be worried?

There is a transformation taking place in IP Camera Systems. One that could change the way we think about surveillance.

The latest IP cameras are getting very smart. Smart enough to recognize different objects, such as people, vehicles, and animals. Intelligent enough to reduce false alarms, increase awareness and response time, and even deliver information for demographics (Business Intelligence) purposes.

The addition of Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a much more effective and efficient IP camera system. This AI provides critical alarms and reduces the time it takes to review and find the vital video. This article reviews the new capability of IP surveillance cameras that include artificial intelligence.

I think that I shall never see
a computer made like me.

Automatic Contact Tracing and Other Technologies for the Campus

Posted on August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Technology for Schools

Our world has been turned upside down. What was true yesterday is no longer the same today. As Alice in Wonderland says, “How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another.” Can automated contact tracing and other unique technologies turn our world around?

The pandemic has created many challenges for schools. It has driven us to find new solutions. We hope that our scientists quickly find a vaccine and a cure for Covid-19. Our engineers have also worked hard to provide solutions that can help us until they do find a cure. This article describes the technologies that can be used to help us through the pandemic.

Automated Contact Tracing in a Pandemic

Posted on August 12, 2020August 24, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Digital Contact Tracing Systems

Contact tracing is an essential method for mitigating disease. It has been used for many years in fighting pandemics.

Pandemics have been around forever. They have caused many deaths, impacted the economies of nations, and have changed human history.

Today we are in the middle of the most recent pandemic, and it too has changed our lives. We struggle to maintain mitigation methods such as wearing masks, identifying people with the disease, and contact tracing to control the spread.

This article reviews how contact tracing and other mitigation efforts have been used to fight the pandemic. It examines the historical, social, political, and scientific aspects of mitigating illness.

What is a Visitor Management System?

Posted on July 27, 2020August 8, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Automated Visitor Management Systems

Remember when you used to be greeted by someone at the desk in the lobby. They would ask your name and who you wanted to see. Then you would sign in and enter other information into their logbook. Maybe you even got a visitor badge. Oh wait, many organizations still do this.

You may have also noticed that the world is changing. There are economic and health pressures that have motivated many organizations to use digital visitor management systems.

Today’s heightened interest in security and health has resulted in the need for better digital visitor authentication.

With the addition of access control panels and kiosks, you can even provide temperature monitoring and protective mask detection.

This article reviews how the latest visitor management system controls entry, provides a record of people entering the facility, and how the systems can integrate with other access control systems.

How Digital Contact Tracing Systems Work

Posted on July 12, 2020September 13, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

What is Contact Tracing?

According to the CDC, contact tracing is key to slowing the spread of COVID-19. It helps keep you, your family, and your community safe. In general, contact tracing involves identifying people who have a contagious disease (cases) and people who they encountered (contacts) and working with them to interrupt disease spread. This includes asking people with COVID-19 to isolate and their contacts to quarantine at home voluntarily.

This article reviews the best ways to provide contact tracing.

How to Wire Your Door Access Control System

Posted on June 28, 2020June 28, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Wiring the IP Reader-Controllers

The latest access control systems are much easier to install than the older systems. Of course, it’s only easy if you know exactly how to connect everything. The devil is in the details, and this article provides the wiring diagrams you need to make your access control system work.

As a review, the advantage of IP access control systems is that everything is located at the door. The following diagram shows an example of an IP access control system that uses a reader-controller.

Technology in a Turbulent World

Posted on June 16, 2020August 20, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Technology Review

So far, this year has been quite tumultuous. It is the year of the great pandemic and the year of social change. The turbulence of our time has created demands on technology. The use of face recognition provides touchless access control, and temperature scanning with face mask detection helps to limit the spread of disease.

The latest IP cameras include artificial intelligence and can detect people who are too close together. Automated contact tracking has been introduced to help reduce the spread of disease.

The article discusses some of the new technology that can help in these difficult times.

Touchless Door Entry Control

Posted on May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

The New Face of Face Recognition

The pandemic of 2020 has caused all of us to think differently. More than ever, we are concerned about the spread of disease. Some people believe that this concern will last well beyond today’s pandemic. Just like the changes that occurred after 9-11, the world will be different in the future.

One way to control the spread of disease is to reduce the amount of surface contact. Biometric systems that use fingerprints, palm recognition, or finger-vein are being replaced by face recognition. This has the advantage of providing contactless or touchless door entry control. This article reviews several new products that use face recognition to control door entry.

Thermal Body Temperature Screening Cameras

Posted on April 30, 2020April 30, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

The Pros and Cons of Thermal Cameras That Measure a Person’s Temperature

Thermal imaging cameras have been around for many years. They were first used in the 1940s and 1950s by the military. Long-range camera systems use thermal cameras to help with detection, recognition, and identification (DRI) of targets. They have also been used in previous pandemics.

Today, thermal imaging cameras have become popular because of the outbreak of COVID-19.

Some of the older thermal cameras have been repurposed to measure a person’s temperature from a distance. The latest systems are designed for measuring people’s body temperature and have been integrated with door access control.

This article reviews the various technologies and how they can help monitor people as they enter a secure area.

Requirements for Long-Range PTZ Cameras

Posted on April 23, 2020April 23, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Long-Range IP Camera Object Detection

If we want to detect an object that is miles away, is the magnification of the lens the most important, or is it the camera resolution? It turns out that many factors determine the effectiveness of a long-range camera.

The things that determine the performance of a long-range camera system include the magnification provided by the lens, motion of the object, camera resolution, atmospheric clarity, lighting, and contrast. All these variables are inter-related.

This article discusses all the factors that determine how successful you will be in detecting an object (target) that is very far away.