Is there anything nice we can say about 2020? Not much except maybe, I don’t think murder hornets killed anyone. It certainly was a challenging year, and we are all happy to say goodbye.
Technology in 2020
It was a year of the pandemic and of science finding vaccines in record-breaking time. It was a year where we worked at home and discovered we could do this anywhere in the world. It caused an upheaval in the real estate market as we moved out of big cities and corporations downsized. SpaceX changed how we went to space, and engineers developed face recognition panels that checked our temperature as we entered the building.
This article reviews some of the technology for the security and surveillance market introduced in 2020.
What’s the difference between a home surveillance camera and a commercial IP camera system used in schools, office buildings, and hospitals?
Cameras for Home and Office
Home IP Cameras cost between $20 and $100, while the professional IP cameras range from $150 to over $2,000. There is a difference. This article compares the capability you should expect from a home camera versus a commercial surveillance IP camera system.
Paging systems have changed over the years. Remember the old days when the principal would make announcements on that old PA system. You were lucky to hear anything that was said.
Paging Over IP
The principal had a microphone attached to a clunky amplifier. It had a large knob that adjusted the volume. All the speakers were wired to this central amplifier. Many of these old paging systems have reached end-of-life, and people are looking for replacements.
The world of paging systems has changed. Now, it’s all digital. This evolution has made paging systems much simpler to install and provide new functions that were not available in the older systems.
Installation Practices for Door Access Control Systems
There are several things to consider when selecting and installing a door access control system.
Access Control Practices
These safer practices increase the overall security of the system.
System security starts with the correct type of door-reader and secure wiring. It requires the right electric lock and an exit methodology for maglocks. It is also essential to select the right management software and additional security and safety features.
An access control system allows people with a credential to enter, but what happens when a visitor comes to the door? One easy way to handle the visitor is to add an IP intercom. An IP camera, and some additional software, can be added to provide a safe way to allow visitors to enter. This article describes how you can enhance your access control system.
Access Control, IP Cameras, and Intercoms Need Power Supplies
Designing a power supply is one of the first electrical engineering tasks I did in college. I remember those days. We learned many things, such as don’t drink a lot of beer before the lab class. Don’t put your finger in the electric socket. Always try to guess what’s on the test. And, stay away from courses about antennas because they were terrifying.
Power supplies are in computers, IP cameras, access control systems, IP paging, and intercoms. It is one of the most underrated components of a computer system. When you specify a computer, you think about the processor speed, the memory, storage, and display card. The power supply is never considered. Of course, if it fails, none of the other components will work. Sometimes it’s the most unsophisticated part of the system that is the most important. Does anyone remember the old joke about the argument between the various parts of the body*?
Power Supply Design
This article describes how a power supply works and some things you should consider when purchasing a power supply.
How to Integrate Temperature Scanning Biometrics with Access Control systems
Access control systems can be enhanced to increase safety by adding biometric (face and Palm) access credentials, temperature scanning, and mask detection. The biometric temperature scanning panels can be used by themselves or added to existing access control systems.
Integrating Access Control and Temperature Scanning
Why add biometric access control? Mostly because it provides better security. A card credential can be stolen, forgotten, or even copied. Even though my mother told me that I could lose my head if it weren’t attached to my shoulders, I’m sure that I will have my head (and face) when I get to work. The face recognition or palm readers provide a very secure way to provide identification. One other thing about biometrics is that you don’t have to purchase cards or keyfobs for all the people in your organization. A typical card credential can cost over $3/credential, so if you have 500 people in the organization, it can save you money.
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.
IP Cameras with AI
I think that I shall never see a computer made like me.
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.
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.
