About Technology Archives

How to handle all the Information that needs to be Archived

Posted on February 29, 2016March 22, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Meeting the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

As I recall, the first optical discs became available in the fall of 1984. I was working for Sony at the time, and one of the engineers from Japan visited our office in New Jersey. “Bob”, he said, “Do you want to sell WORM in the US?” I looked at him kind of funny and said, “We don’t eat worms in this country”. “Oh no Bob-san, not worms, Write Once Read Many – W, O, R, M. This is optical disc”. This was my first introduction to optical storage. The technology has improved dramatically over the years and the market for the product has grown. Today optical disc systems are starting to replace tape libraries. The cost per megabyte is about the same, but optical storage is archival while tape is not.

There are many reasons to archive corporate and government information. For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 defines regulations for saving information. Here is a summary of some of the reasons for using optical jukeboxes to meet these requirements:

How Surge Protectors Work

Posted on February 28, 2016March 22, 2020 by Virginia Fair

Ligtning’s Thief, by Virginia Fair

Once upon a time a major university installed IP cameras throughout its campus in reaction to a wave of violence perpetrated against female students. All went well until a passing thunderstorm brought a lightning strike which just happened to hit an IP camera mounted on the parapet of a dorm. Of course the camera was destroyed, but have you ever heard the phrase “greased lightning”? It’s a very descriptive term for within seconds, the surge created by the lightning traveled through the IP camera system, and the network destroying both the server and the switch, creating havoc right down to the network cards in students’ laptops at the end of the cable runs.

Comparison of the Classic Analog Paging System to the PA over IP Systems

Posted on February 27, 2016March 22, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

This article compares central analog amplifiers to distributed digital network attached amplifiers.

The latest IP paging systems utilize the Ethernet network to distribute sound over your organization. This is quite different than the classic systems that used a large central amplifier with wires to all the speakers. How good is this new approach to paging?

The following article compares the traditional approach that utilizes one large amplifier to the latest PA over IP systems.

The classic method of providing a paging system was to connect many speakers to a central very large amplifier. The latest IP amplifier method is much more flexible. It connects a few speakers to many small network attached amplifiers that are distributed around the organization. You can attach several speakers to one small IP amplifier or attach one CAT5 ready IP speaker directly to the network. Here’s a comparison the two types of systems.

Seeing in the Dark

Posted on February 24, 2016June 20, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

Very low light optical cameras, IR illumination, and thermal cameras are options for seeing in the dark.

It was a dark night with just a small sliver of the moon shining through the trees. The mouse nosed its way through the underbrush using its nose to find small nuts and berries. Unknown to the mouse there was something watching from a tree limb high above. The owl was able to see the mouse clearly even though there was hardly any light. Poor mouse. He had no idea he was in trouble.

How does the owl see in the dark? This article describes the various ways that animals, and more importantly, video cameras can see in the dark. We discuss how cameras make use of the limited light available, IP cameras that use IR illumination and thermal cameras that use thermal imaging technologies.

What is the Best Price for Your IP Camera System?

Posted on February 23, 2016March 22, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

The other day I was walking down a street in Manhattan and I saw a guy selling watches. There was one watch that looked just like an expensive Rolex but it cost only $50. What a deal, I thought.

I think everyone tries to find the best deal. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget that old maxim, “you get what you pay for”. I know I do. How many times have we gotten burned by this?

I’m not sure how to tell if the watch is worth $50, but I can provide some guidance about what to consider when purchasing an IP camera.

IP Cameras range in price from under $50 to well over $1000. What is the difference? As you may guess it’s the functionality and quality. The low-cost cameras are usually sold to the home consumer market and are not designed for commercial security and surveillance applications. The more expensive camera lasts longer and allows you to see things clearer. So how does this relate to getting the best IP camera for your money?

Selecting the Right Speakers for Your IP Paging System

Posted on February 7, 2016June 21, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

One of the most important components in a paging system is the speakers. So before we define any paging system, we start by determining the amount of sound required at each location.

Once we know the type of sound required, we can select the right speaker. After we have defined the speakers, we can determine the right amplifier to use.

What’s the best speaker for you? Well it depends on a number of things.

For example, do you want to hear music or just voice paging? The type of speaker also depends on how large an area you want to cover with sound. The background noise and where you want to place the speaker is also important. It may be necessary to select a different speaker for each location. This article reviews how to select the right speaker for the job. We will review the sound output which is measured in decibels (dB), the sound quality (or frequency range), and the power required at the speaker.

How Digital Processing in the IP camera Improves Video Quality

Posted on February 3, 2016March 23, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

The latest IP cameras have much better video quality than the early analog CCTV cameras. Even though they both capture video, IP cameras do it dramatically better. The reason; they contain high performance digital processing computers. The computers provide reduced noise, improved wide dynamic range, reduced smearing, and enhanced low light performance.

This article reviews how these processors work and why they are important to the total IP camera system performance.

Comparison of Long Range IP Camera Systems

Posted on December 18, 2015December 24, 2025 by Bob Mesnik

Do you want to be able to read a license plate over a mile away? You can do it with the latest very long range PTZ IP camera systems. There are long range camera systems that are best for daytime operation and others that can be used day or night.

Be careful about low priced systems that claim long range capability. They don’t have the high quality zoom lenses or laser illuminators that are used in professional camera systems.

In our previous article How Far Can We See with the PTZ IP Camera, we reviewed the difference between detecting a person or vehicle, recognizing the type of object, or identifying who the person is. Each criteria requires a different amount of resolution on the target.

This article reviews the components that make up a long range camera system, and shows how total system performance determines the price.

How to Install an IP Door Access Control System

Posted on November 18, 2015March 23, 2020 by Bob Mesnik

IP Door Access Control Systems are easy to install and provide excellent flexibility, yet many people who are used to the older type systems have concerns about using them. This article tries to take the mystery out of network attached door access control systems, and describes how very easy they are to install and use.

You will find that all the signals that were on multiple wires, are now encoded on the single Ethernet network cable. They are just as secure as the older technology. Here’s how they work and how to install them.