Question & Answers From the Product Manager's POV

A conversation with Neil Heller

• By Security Products Staff
• Nov 05, 2007

American Fibertek Inc.’s V’nes stands for Video Network Enterprise Solution. It is an integrated and standardized network transmission solution designed specifically for professional security applications with a specialized open path to truly integrate IP and analog systems operation.

V’nes offers a unique approach to IP security systems addressing major concerns such as environmental monitoring and protection of critical system components, bandwidth optimization and comprehensive management of video surveillance on a single hardware and software platform. It provides security professionals a cost-efficient and highly effective networking solution to achieve enterprise-level systems integration with versatility in both networking capabilities and the means by which it can be configured and implemented. We wanted to know more, so we sat down with Neil Heller, director of new business development at AFI.

Q. Network solutions are exploding in the security industry. What makes V’nes different?
A. There are several features that differentiate V’nes. First is the inclusion of our Scout Environmental Protection System, which monitors both components within a rack and the rack itself for temperature, airflow, humidity and power. Operation and set up is conducted without any client software or Active X component, making Scout compatible with most major operating systems and Web browsers, eliminating the need for any special interface to operate with security products that use Web browsers. Environmental sensing is combined with alarm inputs and auxiliary outputs with comprehensive logging, polling and e-mail alerts available

V’nes incorporates Scout’s capabilities in AFI’s Commander series—an IP communications center wrapped around a 10-port network switch. Commander features a layer-two switch, which employs eight 10/100 base T ports and two Ge ports that allow for drop and insert and cascading configurations. Unlike other network switches, Commander contains a unique feature called PortFlow,™ which monitors network traffic to specific resolution and refresh rates as set by the operator.

V’nes Pilot Series Management Software monitors Scout and Commander series products while providing video management for hundreds of IP cameras, streamers and DVRs. Pilot provides many features, such as data acquisition and parsing, report generation, client-to-client communications and alarm profiling, which are not found in other programs or available at extra cost.

The most unique feature of V’nes is its adherence to the principle of open path. Any component of the V’nes system can be used individually and incorporated into another manufacturer’s system. This includes the ability to adapt individual modules within the Pilot software.

Q. How do the capabilities within V’nes address existing analog systems?
A. Even with the rapid growth of IP video, many analog systems will be operating for years to come. V’nes enables users to integrate these systems with IP video. To accomplish this, V’nes includes the MaxiView series of video streamers, which convert analog video to IP video streamers. Here again we have addressed the issue of limited bandwidth by designing a streamer that can reconfigure itself to address changes in available bandwidth. Several different settings, such as resolution, images per second, group of pictures, bandwidth, selection of variable and constant bit rate, and even digital filtering to match bit rate, can be changed without breaking the video stream or having to stop and restart it. When combined with Pilot, settings can be scheduled to match available system bandwidth and maximize hard-drive recording space.

The MaxiView series also conforms to the open path design to allow interfacing with hundreds of other devices, allowing customers to expand existing analog systems without being restricted to any specific manufacturer’s IP equipment.

Q. What about integration into existing IT structures?
A. In conducting market surveys prior to V’nes development, we learned there was concern on the part of both IT and security directors, each of whom has specific individual needs. We addressed this issue in both the V’nes Scout and Commander series by providing different set-ups and operations for security and IT functions. Each group can set up and operate Scout and Commander without affecting the other. Within each IT and security director structure, there are several individual security levels.

Q. Are there any other additional features which make V’nes favored in the marketplace?
A. V’nes is all about providing customers with choices. As previously stated, V’nes is designed to deliver an open path that allows customers to interface with a complete system or specific components within a system. The versatility of how V’nes is configured is not only limited to hardware. In addition to offering Enterprise, Lite, Mobile and special versions for enhanced client operations and interfacing to Commander and Scout, all Pilot software is available alone or embedded on our Director series. Director is a unique hardware solution that combines all the features of servers and RAID configurable storage. In addition, Director provides three separate network connections. When configured with Pilot, the result is a system called video area network. This configuration segregates client viewing, acquisition and storage into three network paths, avoiding network bandwidth issues and system reliance on a single network connection.

Q. We all know IP systems are in a continual state of growth. How does V’nes deal with this?
A. Products such as V’nes Scout, Commander and Pilot are based on firmware and software. As new features are developed, both firmware and software can be easily downloaded from our Web site and applied to these products. AFI is committed to the development of products that will provide an upgrade path to our customers.