Honeywell Technology Powers Surveillance At New Las Vegas Mega Resort

While I’m officially back in the office digging out from a deluge of ISC West news and information, I wanted to share some of what I learned in a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the security technology at the new ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas last week.

Part of MGM MIRAGE’s new CityCenter complex that opened in late 2009, ARIA boasts 4,000 hotel rooms, 10 bars and lounges, 145 table games and 1,940 server-based slot machines.

Along with other members of the media, I took a tour of the surveillance area of the casino before ISC West started on Tuesday. The surveillance portion of the complex only covers the gaming areas. The security side, which we didn’t get to tour, covers the rest of CityCenter.
 
But the gaming portion of the complex is a massive 150,000 square-foot area with 1,600 cameras working in the area. There are more than 2,700 cameras total throughout CityCenter.

Leading the tour was Ted Whiting, ARIA’s director of surveillance. Jason Oakley, president of North American Video, the project’s integrator, and Honeywell’s Scott Harkins also attended the event.

Whiting said he chose Honeywell over six other competing companies.

“We chose Honeywell because they could integrate with whatever we had,” Whiting said. “We didn’t want to hear ‘no.’ We just wanted everything to integrate.”

Recording on 75 servers, the system is controlled by Honeywell’s MAXPRO VMS and based on a distributed architecture. Video is kept for a little longer than the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s required seven day requirement.

“Because of the distributed network architecture, it doesn’t matter when we can’t bring something up,” Whiting said. “Even if the clients fail, the record path is solid and it’s all being recorded at the head end.”

Despite hearing about the constant march to IP, Whiting said the majority of surveillance’s cameras were still analog with encoders. But there are some HD cameras at “chokepoints” in the complex and throughout the casino. With HD PTZ cameras installed at the craps pit, the camera resolution is good enough to read the numbers on the dice.

Even though you might think of advanced technology being placed throughout modern casinos, Whiting had a different take. For example, he said, facial recognition technology doesn’t work and that his personnel do a better job of identification.

“You’d be amazed at how many casinos in this town are still running VCRs,” he said.

But ARIA is ready to go all IP when the time comes with all cabling less than 300 feet. Whiting also gave a nod to IP technology when he said that if the complex would have opened in 2011, it would have had all HD cameras.

In the casino surveillance arena in general, Whiting said the he expects the next major move will be to all-IP based camera systems, then video analytics will begin to take shape in the industry.

With a great ISC West in the books, keep looking to Network-Centric Security for the latest news and information about all things IP-based security. We’ll see everyone in our home base of Dallas at ASIS in October.

About the Author

Brent Dirks is senior editor for Security Today and Campus Security Today magazines.

Featured

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    7 Ways You Can Secure a High-Traffic Commercial Security Gate  

    Your commercial security gate is one of your most powerful tools to keep thieves off your property. Without a security gate, your commercial perimeter security plan is all for nothing. Read Now

  • Surveillance Cameras Provide Peace of Mind for New Florida Homeowners

    Managing a large estate is never easy. Tack on 2 acres of property and keeping track of the comings and goings of family and visitors becomes nearly impossible. Needless to say, the new owner of a $10 million spec home in Florida was eager for a simple way to monitor and manage his 15,000-square-foot residence, 2,800-square-foot clubhouse and expansive outdoor areas. Read Now

  • Survey: 72% of CISOs Are Concerned Generative AI Solutions Could Result In Security Breach

    Metomic recently released its “2024 CISO Survey: Insights from the Security Leaders Keeping Critical Business Data Safe.” Metomic surveyed more than 400 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from the U.S. and UK to gain deeper insights on the state of data security. The report includes survey findings on various cybersecurity issues, including security leaders’ top priorities and challenges, SaaS app usage across their organization, and biggest concerns with implementing generative AI solutions. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file. 3

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3