The first intercoms were developed in the late 1800s. They used
speaking tubes to talk to other people in the building.
Business organizations were the first to use these
intercoms. The office manager could reach his secretary or other people in
various departments in the building.
The invention of the telephone in the early 1900s made it
easier to connect everyone. By the 1950s,
the telephone connected people all over the world. The intercoms used the same
technology as the phone system. In the 1970s, the analog intercoms made it easy for
the manager to talk to the accounting department or the manufacturing floor.
Digital IP intercoms that attach to the network were made available
in the 1990s. It made it much easier to install intercoms around schools,
offices, and hospitals. The latest
intercom systems use smartphone apps and
cloud servers to enable direct communication all over the world. This article provides the pros and cons of
different intercom systems.
2019 was a year of evolution rather than revolution. Security technology evolved and became more powerful and easier to use.
IP camera manufacturers focused on enhancing their products. Access control systems became more user-friendly, added mobile capability, and made it easier to integrate with IP camera systems. Paging systems added intercoms with better full-duplex sound. Portable emergency buttons became more popular and effective.
Here are the highlights of the new products available in 2019
The classic door access control systems have been around for many years. These access control systems include one or more central control panels that connect to all the door readers.
Usually, the door readers use a Wiegand connection for communication. The reader-to-controller cable includes the serial Wiegand wires, power, and electric lock control. It also can contain several door control signals such as Request to Exit and door contact sensors. These older systems don’t have the latest features provided by the new access control systems.
Your old controller can be replaced so you can get the latest features and functions available from the new access control system. The new systems connect to the network allowing them to be integrated with other security systems. They provide many new capabilities that will improve your safety and security.
The network cable transfers both data and power to the device, making installation very simple. The network cable includes up to eight wires. The data uses one set of wires, while the power uses another set of wires in the network cable.
This article describes how access control systems, IP Camera Systems, and IP paging systems utilize power over Ethernet (PoE)
The IP recording and management system is a crucial part of your IP camera system. If you select the wrong solution, you could find yourself without the critical video evidence you need when an incident occurs, or worse still, your security could be breached, and safety threatened because your surveillance system didn’t provide an alarm.
We compared several video recording solutions. The best video recording and management system depends on your objectives. There are two types of recording systems for IP camera systems to consider. Each one provides some unique capability.
Pan tilt zoom (PTZ) IP cameras connect to the network and provide the ability to view extensive areas. A PTZ camera can move back and forth (pan), up and down (tilt), and zoom in and out. When it is combined with intelligent video management software (VMS), it provides an effective surveillance system.
This article compares several PTZ cameras. We considered several characteristics, such as the zoom lens, camera resolution, low light sensitivity, pan, tilt ability, and nighttime viewing capability. This comparison should help you select the right PTZ camera. Remember that the most critical question is to determine if the PTZ camera meets your objectives.
Access control is anything that is used to prevent the wrong people from gaining access to your secure area. A door lock and key control access. If you have a dog in your yard, with a big sign that says, “Beware of Dog!” You have access control. Access control always includes a key to allow entry. The dog only lets in the people it knows, so that’s the key.
Door access control systems use various credentialsto unlock the door. Credentials can include physical cards that we carry, a PIN number we enter, or even the physical aspect of a person (biometrics such as fingerprint or facial recognition). This article compares the credentials that we carry. They are sometimes called keycards, prox cards, or smartcards.
What is the best IP paging system? There are several configurations and implementations that can be used depending on your requirements. In general, the PA over IP system is much easier to install than the older central paging amplifier systems.
Instead of running wires from a central amplifier location, the IP paging systems use the network infrastructure that’s already in place. There is a choice of PoE powered speakers that attach to your network or small network-attached amplifiers that drive multiple speakers.
This article compares two types of implementation: the powered IP speakers, and the IP amplifiers with multiple attached speakers.
