When Barack Obama decided to change the location where he would accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States only a few weeks before the event, Lt. Ernie Martinez of the Denver Police Department wasn’t worried about changing his surveillance coverage accordingly.
Internet-enabled products and services are now gaining wider acceptance and delivering better results than before. Remote monitoring services are no exception.
- By Karina Sanchez
- Sep 02, 2008
Alarm.com, a provider of digital wireless and Web-enabled security technology for residential and small business customers, recently announced the AirFX Remote Toolkit -- a Web-based tool that lets security dealers program security system settings and troubleshoot many customer issues remotely, without the need for a truck roll.
Alarm.com and SafetyCare recently announced a strategic partnership to offer a cost-effective, home-based monitoring and emergency response solution that enables seniors and disabled individuals to live independently at home while staying “virtually connected” to loved ones, professional care providers, and emergency medical response staff who can provide assistance if needed.
On May 7, 2007, Julie Bender of Orlando, Fla., spent her morning at gunpoint. Awakened at approximately 4:45 a.m. by noises at her front door, she went to investigate and saw someone breaking through her front door with a sledge hammer. Running into her bedroom, she pressed the panic button on her Brink’s Home Security alarm keypad, and, phone in hand, locked herself in her bathroom while attempting to call 911.
Across the United States, many cities are successfully reducing false alarm dispatches. Each municipality is attributing success to a variety of reasons: alarm verification requirements, alarm system registration, false alarm fees, alarm user training and improved security equipment technology. Two common reasons cited for this success are the strong collaboration among law enforcement, the alarm industry and alarm users, and the expansion of verified response services by alarm companies.
- By Steve Walker
- Jul 14, 2008
Stanley Convergent Security Solutions recently announced the purchase of the retail branch business from National Guardian Security Services located in Norwalk, Conn.
In both life and business, it’s always the lessons of the past that help to guide the future.
- By Megan Weadock
- Jul 01, 2008
Building automation has revitalized public safety in Puerto Rico by employing a video surveillance system that improves communication throughout the police force and centralizes public housing issues.
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Jun 30, 2008
Traditionally, security alarm systems used fixed telephone lines to pass information from the security alarm panel to a central monitoring facility. Today, however, that communication is increasingly being delegated to a digital cellular link. ABI Research forecasts that the 2007 number of just fewer than 2.5 million wireless security alarm connections will increase to more than 7.5 million in 2013.
Marquette University may not have Robocop, but school public safety officials are convinced they’ve got the next best thing—a virtual surveillance system that could make a dent in campus crime. What campus today isn’t thinking about and implementing key security plans?
- By Larry R. Rickard
- May 21, 2008
Monitoring is the cornerstone of the residential security industry—whether a dealer is maintaining an account itself or selling the contract to a third party.
- By Jim German
- May 01, 2008
Over the past decade, the security industry has gone through significant changes, driven by the times we live in, technology and end users.
- By Frank Defina
- Apr 02, 2008
Many organizations now require that CCTV video images are recorded and archived continuously from all cameras for 90 days or more. In large systems, this can create a significant storage requirement. The issue is compounded by users wanting to store video at the highest quality and maximum frame rate, particularly in homeland security and law enforcement applications where CCTV footage is required for evidential purposes.
- By Barry Keepence
- Apr 02, 2008
With an explosive demand for security monitoring worldwide, cameras are appearing in every conceivable location. The challenge is how to support this rapidly growing infrastructure with affordable and flexible real-world solutions. The adoption of PoE offers new opportunities for the design of products directly powered over Ethernet lines, drastically reducing overall installation and maintenance costs.
- By Koen Geirnaert
- Apr 01, 2008
If you don’t think the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, continues to have strong repercussions throughout the world, then you haven’t traveled much in the last six years. Security is still the word du jour—perhaps even more so as time goes on. Transportation venues continue to protect themselves from terrorist threats.
- By Jeffrey Lynn
- Mar 18, 2008
Construction sites are fiercely regulated environments in the United Kingdom, under a program called the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. At these sites, CSCS accreditation is tied to employee biometric details. At many construction sites, only workers with a CSCS card can be employed. The Olympic venues in London fall into this group.
- By Jon Mooney
- Mar 18, 2008
Video management systems have evolved considerably since the analog tape-based VCRs that were prevalent nearly 10 years ago. Then, analog CCTV cameras with coaxial cable typically were connected to a multiplexer so multiple video images could be displayed on a video monitor simultaneously. These signals then were recorded for review and archiving.
- By Matt Barnette, Adam Shane
- Mar 18, 2008
Arteco has announced an enhanced “Pop-Up” feature to its remote software ARTECO-LOGIC. When activated, the feature only displays video streams from cameras where security violations are taking place in real-time.
In the hit movie “Ocean’s 11,” Daniel Ocean and his crew succeed in robbing $160 million from the Bellagio casino. Ocean’s crew carries out that task by using a wide range of swindling skills and top-notch technological capabilities, not the least of which involves breaking into the casino’s video surveillance system. In the movie, the crew’s computer wiz physically taps into the system from the casino’s own server room.
- By Lior Frenkel
- Mar 03, 2008