About Technology Archives

IP Camera Motion Stabilization

Posted on May 8, 2018March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

How IP Camera Image Stabilization Works

Have you ever tried to take a snapshot of something that’s far away? When you are using a long distance lens (higher focal point), you probably found it hard to keep the camera steady.

The higher the focal length of the lens, the more difficult it is to stabilize the image. This problem is especially significant with very long-range IP camera. When a surveillance camera is mounted on a swaying pole, or on a ship at sea, movement can affect the quality of the video. Image stabilization is used in IP cameras to reduce the effects of this motion.

This article describes the various mechanisms used to stabilize an IP surveillance camera.

How to Connect Audio to Networks and IP Cameras

Posted on April 5, 2018March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Did you ever want to yell at someone you see on your video surveillance display? Maybe you want to tell them to get away from your parking lot or to yell at an intruder that the police are coming. Perhaps you would like to talk to someone at your door? Then you could let the delivery man enter the back door at your office.

IP audio interface systems provide connections to speakers for paging or intercom devices. This article describes how audio can be added to your network or IP camera system.

Security Provided by Access Control Systems

Posted on March 19, 2018March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

What You Can Do to Improve Security

With all the gun-related tragedies at schools and other facilities, what can we do to increase our security? Securing your facility, school, sporting events, or concerts have become more complicated.

IP camera systems used to be enough to monitor the facility, but today we want to do a lot more. We want to prevent unauthorized access to our buildings, prevent people from bringing in weapons, and we want to provide campus-wide paging systems that keep everyone informed of any emergency.

Access control systems include more than just a door reader. They can include intercoms, cameras and even walk-through metal detectors. Each of these security systems adds another level of safety. The different components play unique roles in your overall security. This article reviews the various parts and when to use them. It provides guidance about what technology to use and an overview of how they work.

How Walk-Through Metal Detectors Work

Posted on March 9, 2018March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Anyone who has traveled by airplane has probably gone through a walk-through metal detector. These security devices have also been used in schools, sporting events, government offices, and concerts. They are part of a total security system that includes cameras, door access control, and emergency paging systems.

Metal detectors are effective and safe. Just like IP cameras and door access control, they add to your safety and security. Here’s how they work.

The Science Behind Metal Detectors

The metal detector utilizes the laws described by a Scottish physicist named James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879). He discovered that magnetism and electricity are related. An example of the relationship is a coil of copper wire wrapped around a metal nail. When current is applied to the coil, the metal nail becomes magnetized.

When an electric pulse is sent through a coil of wire, it creates a magnetic field. When the field hits a metal object, it reflects back and can be detected using another coil of wire. The size and timing of the detected pulse is used to define the size and position of the object.

Security Technology Review for 2017

Posted on January 21, 2018March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

In 2017 there were a number of technology advancements. Faster processors provided higher performance IP cameras that enhanced the security provided by IP camera systems.

Other technology introduced included, long-range PTZ cameras, new biometric door access control readers, and more advanced network attached paging and intercom systems.

Over last year, technology for IP security systems continued to add new features that made it easier to use and improve our safety. This article reviews some of the key technology introductions.

How to Protect IP Camera System from Cyber Attack

Posted on December 28, 2017March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Protecting Your IP Camera from Hacking

IP camera systems are supposed to protect us. That is their purpose. However, do we need to protect the camera system? It turns out that in this brave new world of cyber threats, even our cameras are vulnerable.

There are some things you can do to protect your IP camera system from cyber-attack. Some of them seem obvious, yet many of us have not implemented them. Your IT staff can implement many of these things, but we do have a simple solution that can be installed by almost anyone. Here is a list of things you should do to protect your IP camera system.

Biometric Door Control Misconceptions

Posted on December 6, 2017June 20, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Do You Believe Facial Recognition Readers Store Your Picture?

There are many misconceptions about science and technology. One of the misconceptions is that biometric IP door readers store a picture of your fingerprint or face. Another one is that the Earth is a flat disc that rests on top of four elephants, on top of a turtle*.

For clarity, biometric door readers do not store a picture of your fingerprint or face, and the Earth is not flat. This article describes the technology behind biometric door readers.

Long Range Camera Systems – Custom Vs. Off-the-Shelf

Posted on November 27, 2017December 26, 2025 by Bob Mesnik

Review of Long-Range Day-Night IP Camera Systems

If you want to detect an object many miles away, you will need a special long-range PTZ camera. While custom-made cameras are best for very long-range applications, the latest off-the-shelf cameras provide some of the same capability for less money. These long-range PTZ cameras are very cost-effective, and allow you to detect a person almost 4-miles away. They have built-in IR-illumination or an additional thermal imaging camera that allows you to see an object over ½ mile away. Prices range from less than $3,000 to about $25,000.

The basic difference between the off-the-shelf cameras and the custom made cameras is their performance. The custom long-range cameras take much longer to build because they use special components. The custom long-range cameras generally will provide much better operational distance, especially at night. Custom-made systems can view objects at night that are over 8 miles away. They include very long distance lenses, specialized laser illuminators, special thermal cameras, and very high-performance pan tilt mechanisms. Off-the-shelf long-range cameras cost less than $25,000, while custom cameras range in price from $50,000 to well over $150,000. Here is a summary of the systems available:

How to Ensure Video Chain of Evidence

Posted on October 25, 2017March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

How Write-Once Storage is Used to Protect Video Evidence From Your Ip Surveillance System

One of the objectives of a video security system is to help law enforcement prosecute miscreants. It is important that this digital evidence follow the rules for chain of evidence so it will be acceptable by the courts. It must be treated just like fingerprints, confiscated weapons, and other physical objects that need to be authenticated in court. Ensuring the immutability of digital information can be challenging because a knowledgeable person can modify the evidence if it is not secured. How can we assure that the information has not been edited, deleted, or modified in any way? This article reviews some of the methods for protecting the video chain of evidence.

Procedures Required

In all cases, defined methods of handling and storing the video data need to be followed. Once an incident occurs, the organization should follow a procedure that protects the video. The first step is to transfer the video evidence to secure storage that can’t be changed. This can be DVR-R disc or a protected hard drive. Once the video is transferred, it can be provided to law enforcement.

Protecting Your Computer from Malware

Posted on October 2, 2017March 31, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

How to Protect Your Computer from Ransomware and Other Malware

What if you didn’t have to worry about ransomware or any other viruses? Unfortunately, cybercrime has become a major problem for the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who is tasked with protecting the company’s computer systems, as well as the CEO who has to deal with the consequences of an attack. Large corporations such as Merck, Mondelez, Sony and DLA Piper have been infected by malware. Hospitals and organizations around the world have not been spared. It has become a global problem.

There are a number of virus protection programs that attempt to block malware from entering the system, but none of the solutions work all the time. A good solution is to be more careful with email, but it is hard to control everyone in the organization. An extreme solution is to take the computer off the Internet, but this prevents access to people who need the data.