Review of the methods for integrating IP Camera systems with IP door access or digital point of sale systems
By Bob Mesnik
C2P Convergence Concept
What’s next for Video Recording Systems? IP Camera manufacturers and third party companies such as OnSSI, Milestone, Axis, Exacq, and others have been providing software and NVR recording systems for many years. All these systems provide basic video recording functionality. How can the functionality and value of these recording systems be increased?
We reviewed a number of different systems and found that the next generation of video management systems (VMS) is already here.
Biometrics is a much safer way to control door access than carrying a card or remembering a pin number. It’s more secure because you are identifying a person rather than something the person is carrying. The door credential can be stolen, but your face can’t.
Biometric Door Access Concept
What can biometric readers do? How do you select the right fingerprint reader, facial recognition system, or multimodal biometric system? By the way, the latest Biometric IP reader-controllers combine a number of physiological characteristics and are more flexible and reliable than the older units. There are a lot of different choices, but what is best, what provides the best reliability and repeatability? This article examines the technology and provides guidelines for selecting the right biometric system.
Selecting the best video Intercom for your application.
By Bob Mesnik
The audio and video quality are important features when selecting IP video intercoms. You can select Video Intercoms that connect through IP cameras to Windows workstations, or others that communicate through cloud servers to smartphones.
The right type of intercom depends on your application. Intercoms, that connect to Video Management Software (VMS), integrate with your IP camera surveillance system. The other type of video intercoms connect through the cloud to a smartphone rather than a Windows computer.
Both systems integrate with IP door access control systems and allow you to grant access to visitors and anyone that doesn’t have a credential.
In a previous article, “How to Select the Best IP Intercom” we described the features and functions that should be considered when selecting audio IP intercoms. This article focuses on the intercoms that include video.
What are the features and functions to look for when selecting your IP intercom?
By Bob Mesnik
IP intercoms are simple in concept, but complex in practice. They are easy to install, but there are many options to consider. We have evaluated a number of different types of intercoms, and found that the more successful products are provided by those who understand the black art of audio, rather than science of networks.
IP intercoms are simple in concept, but complex in practice. They are easy to install, but there are many options to consider. We have evaluated a number of different types of intercoms, and found that the more successful products are provided by those who understand the black art of audio, rather than science of networks.
What are the most important features and functions for an IP intercom system?
Of course, the sound quality of all the intercoms is one of the most important aspects to consider. Reliable communication is another important capability. After all, controlling a door is one aspect of your overall security. Many of the other features and functions depend on the application. For example, some intercoms just include two-way audio, while others also include video. Some can control an electric lock or interface to an IP door access control system. You may need a system that allows you to communicate with a Windows computer, or one that communicates with your smart phone. Here are the features and functions you should consider when selecting your IP intercom system.
Resolution required for Recognition, Detection, Identification depends on the type of camera
By Bob Mesnik
There is some confusion in the industry about how much camera resolution is required to detect an object, recognize the type of object, or identify exactly what or who it is. The criteria are different between thermal and optical cameras. Resolution for thermal cameras and optical IP cameras are measured differently.
For example, when defining the performance of a thermal camera we use the Johnson Criteria of “detection”, “recognition” and “identification” (DRI).
On the other hand, IP camera resolution performance is usually defined by the number of pixels in the sensor, and we are usually interested in the ability to identify a person.
How much resolution do you need? This article compares how resolution is defined using thermal and optical technologies.
How to determine the resolution required for your IP camera system By Bob Mesnik
How much resolution do you need? It depends on what you need to see. Do you want to identify who stole your car, or just see that there’s a dog in your yard again.
It’s very important to first determine exactly what you want to see, because it will affect how much your IP camera system costs.
This article reviews the amount of resolution required to recognize objects such as people, vehicles, license plates, or even a small crack in a wall.
This article has been updated on 10/4/2018 to reflect the new PoE injectors available.
Many network-attached devices, such as IP cameras, VoIP phones, WiFi radios, and IP door readers use power over Ethernet (PoE). The single network cable transfers both data and power to the device making installation very simple. The data uses one set of wires, while the power uses another set of wires in the network cable.
CD Servers, RAID, Optical Disc or Cloud Storage? That is the question by Dennis Gallen
“What’s the difference between a jukebox and a CD/DVD Server?” That was the question we used to get. It was a time when CD-and DVD discs were a great way to archive data. Today the there are a number of different storage options available. We continue to get questions about the best way to store data. We are asked, “What is the difference between Cloud storage and optical disc storage? And, “What is the difference between tape and optical discs”?
Optical Archiving Libraries make it easy to protect your data. by Bob Mesnik
So you are being dragged kicking and screaming to archive your e-mails and data. What can you do that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Well, the new jukebox library systems with the latest 100 GB media are now an economical alternative to tape, and provide the best way to archive your data.
The library software makes the jukeboxes easy to use so you can archive your data quickly and automatically. Blu-ray media is now the same price per megabyte as the tape media, and provides archive quality that’s not available with tape.
So you are being dragged kicking and screaming to archive your e-mails and data. What can you do that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Well, the new jukebox library systems with the latest 100 GB media are now an economical alternative to tape, and provide the best way to archive your data.
The library software makes the jukeboxes easy to use so you can archive your data quickly and automatically. Blu-ray media is now the same price per megabyte as the tape media, and provides archive quality that’s not available with tape.
The technology for storing data continues to bring us ever-increasing capacity. First, there were CD-ROM discs, next the DVD-discs, which increased capacity and data transfer speed. Now we have blu-ray discs that provide 100 GB of storage. They are used in optical jukeboxes or libraries for archiving computer data
Blu-ray Discs (BD) was introduced by Sony in October 2000. Even though this new technology was developed for the consumer market, it also was capable of handling computer data. As a matter of fact, Blu-ray became the standard in both markets.