Building in Security

Building in Security

Innovative technology comes to the rescue in Orange County

A family-oriented municipality with a thriving business environment, the city of Cypress is home to 48,000 residents in North Orange County, Calif. In partnership with the community, Cypress strives to sustain and enhance a safe, attractive and quality environment for people to live, work and play. Among the public facilities that help support these initiatives are the Cypress Senior Citizens Center and Community Center.

The Cypress Senior Citizens Center is housed in a 17,600 square foot structure that offers special interest clubs, enrichment classes, meals, transportation and advocacy programs, serving as a welcoming and supportive hub for elderly residents.

Spanning more than 20,000 square feet, another grand structure is the Cypress Community Center. Available for public use, it houses kitchen facilities, classrooms, dance rooms, arts and crafts rooms, and an auditorium that supports youth, teen and adult programs. In addition, the facility serves as the administrative offices for the Cypress Recreation and Community Services department.

When seeking video surveillance solutions for both public buildings, city of Cypress Facility and Park Supervisor Larry Campos turned to Mario Benitez, an authorized Dahua dealer for Advanced Alarm in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.

“Their main concern was to secure the buildings’ perimeter and form a protection barrier to deter burglary and ensure the safety of the employees and visitors,” Benitez said. “For each project, I selected a combination of Dahua 4MP dome cameras and NVRs connected to a wireless router and access point.”

At the Cypress Senior Center, Benitez and his crew installed 4MP dome cameras at a 15-foot mounting height to protect the cameras from vandalism and to ensure the camera can capture faces. “Dahua cameras work great right out of the box. We get excellent imaging from the 4MP cameras with a crystal clear picture,” Benitez said.

On the inside of the Senior Center, Benitez was able to overcome structural obstacles to install the network infrastructure by maneuvering more than 2,000 feet of cabling and obscuring it through duct work, cat walks and soffits while avoiding kinks and bends to the preserve the building’s aesthetic.

Benitez confronted similar obstacles at the Community Center, where he encountered 10 by 18 inch concrete block walls through which he needed to run cabling.

“We faced a major dilemma routing wires because of the building structure and limited access between corridors, but were able to overcome it by using a rotary hammer to penetrate through the walls,” Benitez said. “The Advanced Alarm team was able to install the cameras under challenging structural situations and still maintain the design integrity of the buildings,” Campos said. “We had to take functionality and budget into consideration for this installation.”

At both facilities, Benitez installed Dahua 16-channel NVRs connected to a wireless router and access point to facilitate service and maintenance calls on a mobile phone through a secure private network.

“I like the step-by-step programming on the NVRs. Other recording devices typically have too many dropdown menus, so I prefer the simple format that is offered.” Benitez said. “It is user-friendly and an ideal way to archive video on local systems. I’m able to log into the NVR wirelessly and access the IP configurations. I can pull up each camera separately, which makes maintenance so much easier.”

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • 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.