Author: apigroup

One note: The importance of fire and environmental monitoring cannot be overstated, such as for smoke, carbon monoxide, temperature changes and for water detection. This certainly could/should have been included in the previous article about the “core” of a system.

We hope you had a chance to read part I of this article published earlier in the week about the core of a burglar alarm system. Today, we’ll talk about some of the ancillary features that aren’t always included, yet still hold importance regarding your safety.

Pictured above are security window screens tied into an alarm system.

One such complementary piece of equipment is a security screen, which will signal the alarm if it is cut because the wire circuit within the mesh will have been interrupted. It also has a magnet in place, similar to a window or door contact, that will signal if the screen is removed. This allows you to keep your windows open at night in the warm months and still feel secure.

Also, make sure to consult with a locksmith to ensure that your locks are secure and that you have the proper locks, such as deadbolts. Make sure that your sliders have adequate locks and that your garage doors have contacts on them.

You’ll also want to make sure the door from your garage into your house is solid and that its lock is legitimate. Just because it is inside your garage doesn’t mean you should neglect it–thieves could break through a garage window and enter your house through this door.

Cellar windows and bulkheads are often overlooked. Make sure to also have your security consultant examine these and provide recommendations.

Lighting is another important component of a security system. It is advised to have motion sensor lights on the exterior; this literally stops thieves in their tracks. For the inside, you can set timer lights to go on and off at various times throughout the day and night (on their own), simulating a situation where someone is home.

With both interior and exterior lights, it isn’t effective to have them turned on all the time (such as overnight if you go away)–a thief will see right through this. You can also tie your lighting into your interior motion detectors so lights will turn on if a thief passes by.

Wireless transmitters that go on your key chain (key fobs) are another option. They allow you to arm and disarm your system from your driveway and to not have to worry about rushing to a keypad. Two-way transmitters will also notify you if the alarm is active or not, thereby indicating that it may have gone off while you were away and that you need to take caution when entering.

Voice annunciator systems help keep thieves away as well. A motion detector goes at the end of your driveway, or in other perimeter locations for instance. When it picks up motion, it prompts a pre-recorded announcement to play and warns thieves to stay away.

Remote video monitoring is another reasonably priced and easily installed option. ISee Video, manufactured by Napco Security, allows you to monitor your home while at work or on vacation. No software is required–just an internet connection.

You can view your family pet or nanny on your smart phone or computer. You can receive email video alerts if motion is detected as well, such as when your children come home from school. It’s also a great way to keep tabs on elderly relatives’ safety.

Please don’t forget about using people as a security measure…including yourself! Have the neighbors make tracks in the walkway snow if you’re away in the winter and ask them to remove restaurant flyers from your doorknobs, take in trash barrels and mail, etc.

And as for yourself, one thing you can do is to make sure to USE YOUR SYSTEM. Many people have them installed, get the decals for doors and windows and even a sign for the lawn, then rarely actually use the alarm.

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Of course the number one priority if you detect a fire at your home is to usher your family outside to a safe place. It’s debatable and depends on the situation if family photos or a laptop, for example, should be grabbed on the way out.

But what about your pets? They too are of high importance and will be escorted out with the family unless it’s virtually impossible to do so and lives are in imminent danger. But even danger hasn’t stopped family members and firefighters in some cases. We’ve all heard amazing stories of pet rescues. And pet owners will agree that they take precedence over material items.

What if a fire occurred when no one was home—when no one was able to walk out a pet or inform a firefighter that pets were inside?

Just like we have “tot finders” that indicate there are children in the house, there are stickers that alert firefighters that pets are inside the house as well.

As an aside: Tot finders aren’t always in favor nowadays due to possible abduction issues. (*Please talk to your local fire jurisdiction and get its advice on how and if to use tot finders.)

In researching for this blog post, I came across online forums where some firefighters expressed that they don’t favor tot finders. If children grow up and move out, the stickers tend to stay in the window. Also, they may give people a false sense of security. And of course there’s the aforementioned and all-important abduction concerns. These were all cited as reasons.

Getting back to pet finder stickers: If no one is home, pet finder stickers may be the only way that rescue personnel will know pets are inside—short of a neighbor informing them, for instance. Please be sure to ask your local fire jurisdiction about how to obtain these if you don’t have them already.

Not every fire department recommends or distributes pet finder stickers. And some posts in the forums mentioned above were of the opinion, of course, that humans come first. If a pet is found in the process, it will be saved, but that not much faith is put in pet finder stickers.

And for the same reason that some may not favor tot finders (a child may not be in the house anymore, yet the sticker remains), they may not pay close attention to pet finder stickers because pets may not be in the house any longer either.

Moving onto another danger in the household…

Another issue with pets, including small pets such as reptiles, hamsters and birds, is elevated carbon monoxide levels. Carbon monoxide detection is an important part of overall environmental monitoring—in which smoke and heat detection are included also.

These types of pets are very sensitive to small spikes in carbon monoxide, as well as other pets such as cats and dogs. Of course, any spike in carbon monoxide is dangerous to everyone in the household, regardless of its level. This odorless, tasteless and invisible gas does not discriminate.

Again, if a leak occurs during the day when no one is home, the fire department and those on your call list need to be alerted by your security system so these pets have a chance.

The moral to the story of this blog post is to check with your local fire department. Ask about their policy on pet finder stickers—if they have them and/or offer them for sale, if so, where they advise you to place them, and what their advice is if they do not recommend them.

While you’re talking to them, ask them about tot finders and where they should be affixed (assuming they recommend them at all).

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Your access control and security system can be integrated in such a way that your alarm system can be armed and disarmed through a single action on the access control side.

The advantage of this is the convenience of doing two things at once without remembering PINs or operating keypads. You can have the doors lock whenever the security system is armed and unlocked when the system is disarmed and receive notifications via text or email if there is a problem.

An access card can be used to gain access to a building, area or room. There is no need to fumble with keys or remember multiple security codes. Management can control access of individuals throughout the company and depending on the level of security. Grant access only to an employee designated area. Access control can also be integrated with elevators to control access to high security floors.

Propped doors can be a common problem. However, this can be addressed by installing door position switches on the door which sends a signal if the door is propped or forced open.

Electronic access control systems can be integrated with other systems to notify of power outages, high or low temperature alarms, or water level alarms. Almost any type of alarm can be monitored by the access control system.

Cards can have photos, logos and work titles imprinted onto them, to provide quick identification of the individual.

Call One Source Security today at 800-570-6478 and we will show you how to maximize your access control system.

Balancing the security needs of an assisted living facility, which can include a blend of independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing services, can be a complex issue. Residents and staff need to move throughout the facility freely, while unauthorized people are kept out.

Keeping track of staff, residents (some of which may have dementia and Alzheimer’s), and visitors with a comprehensive security system should include the following:

Video Surveillance

• oAssisted living facilities are full of activity, the constant coming and going of staff, residents and visitors, it can be a challenge to keep an eye on everything. Using a video surveillance system with a DVR would allow staff to see past events, if there is a question related to patients, visitors or staff.

Access control

• oInstalling readers at entries and cabinets, and distributing credentials, such as fobs, swipe cards, and proximity cards to staff will limit access to restricted areas, such as medicine cabinets, offices, supply rooms and medical records.
• oUsing an access control system will eliminate the replacement of keys and locks when a key is lost or stolen, or when an employee leaves. Credentials can quickly be deactivated.

Fire alarms, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

• oFire alarm systems and detectors are lifesaving components, when tied to a monitored security system they become even more effective.

Monitoring service

• oThe security system should be connected to a central monitoring station. When an alarm is tripped emergency services can be notified quickly, reducing the response time.
• oIn unpredictable situations, it is imperative to have the quickest response possible. This is especially critical in an assisted living facility as residents are slower moving and may have impaired hearing and eye sight.

Wander Detection

• oPatients wearing a wander detection device will alert the nursing staff when they are to close to a controlled door, the patient can then be refocused.

Nurse Call Systems

• oCommunication linked between residents and caregivers allowing residents to call for emergency assistance with the push of a button or the pull of a string.

Panic Notification

• oThese buttons should be placed in strategic locations throughout the facility.

Medical Emergency Response Systems

• oA wearable two-way voice emergency pendant or keychain like device, press a button and a trained emergency operator will respond.
• oSome devices are motion sensitive and can detect when a person falls down.

A comprehensive security system is essential for protecting residents, staff, visitors, medical records, physical assets and facility property. Call today for a full evaluation of your existing security system.

In our last blog post we discussed the need to accommodate for low and no-light situations in your CCTV system. Today we’d like to address changes in light with video surveillance.

Light, as well as darkness, needs to be dealt with in specific ways. In this article, we’ll talk about two of those ways: the auto iris feature and wide dynamic range.

The main difference between the two is how they handle and account for changes in light that a security camera encounters.

The auto-iris feature, as you may have assumed, acts like your own eye’s iris. It adjusts to allow a certain amount of light to enter down to the imaging sensor. For instance, this is a very important feature to have on an outdoor security camera when it begins to become dark—this auto iris opens wider to allow in more light. The opposite is true for that same outdoor camera if it were a bright, sunny day.

With the wide dynamic feature, the area of concern becomes a single frame—it’s all about contrast within one area. Picture a loading dock. If a security camera is monitoring the loading dock door from the inside and it suddenly opens on a very sunny day, a camera without wide dynamic range will show a bleached spot where the door opening is and black areas around it without detail.

WDR balances out the bright spot and the dark areas. It makes it possible to see detail in these areas—it lightens up the dark and takes the bleach out of the bright spot.

So basically, auto iris is necessary for changes in light, not necessarily stark contrast within the same picture as is wide dynamic range.

And with many of the newer cameras nowadays, auto-iris is on the chip inside of them electronically already, so you don’t have to take any steps. Some have auto-iris lenses also. But just be sure to ask the question of your security integrator, because there are some dealers who may try to sell cameras of low quality without auto iris.

So when light (or lack thereof) is discussed when designing CCTV systems, commonly, infrared security cameras will be brought up. But don’t forget to talk about changes in light and contrast in light within a frame. The auto iris feature and wide dynamic range are important pieces in the video surveillance puzzle.

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So you’ve decided to upgrade from a lock and key system and have your security systems integrator install an electronic access control system.

Or maybe you already have keyless entry on one or some doors and are looking to expand your access control system.

What are some decisions you need to make at the outset? There are many items to address, actually.

These include whether to use biometrics or credential readers, to use cards or fobs, to choose the proper panel which will accommodate the correct amount of future expansion, and more.

But there’s something that needs to be taken care of before all else and it doesn’t even involve electronics, credentials or future expansion.

It has to do with your locksmith.

Having a survey done of your doors and door hardware before you have any electronic equipment installed just makes sense. And most locksmiths will conduct a survey for free.

It also makes sense that you ensure that the integrity of the very doors you’re looking to secure is in tact.

So what is done during a locksmith survey of your doors and door hardware? Quite a bit, actually. It can be conducted on commercial as well as residential properties.

It not only leads to more secure doors but it also stops energy loss and it could avert lawsuits due to the prevention of faulty equipment from hurting someone.

Also it can ensure ADA requirements are being met and that fire exit safety is at a premium.

Here are some examples of checks that are done during a typical survey:

¨ Are door closers leaking oil and closing properly? (…could cause injury)

¨ Are doors plum, closing tightly? Are they swollen?

¨ Do thresholds need repair, weatherstripping, etc?

¨ Are leversets sagging? Do latches retract?

¨ Do cylinders stick and have rust?

¨ Are hinges secure and are all screws intact?

¨ Does panic hardware (crash bars) latch properly after the door closes?

If you are meeting with a security integrator about access control, ask if they have a locksmith division—some do.

If they don’t, simply make a few calls to locksmiths and ask if they do free surveys. Be sure to find one that doesn’t charge for the survey.

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There might not be a single “best” form, but there sure are “different” methods. And if there is a best form of biometircs, it’s often someone’s opinion that determines this.

Pictured above is a time and attendance biometrics unit by Find Biometrics.

For example, in an article written in the August 2012 edition of the Security Systems News, Jim Pangburn, VP of Engineering at Big Sky, Inc. believes there is not only a better system now, but one that may be coming in the future as well.

For now, he prefers hand vascular technology, also called blood vessel authentication. Says the article, with hand vascular they don’t have problems found in more prevalent methods like fingerprint and iris scans, such as environmental conditions and false reads.

With the growing popularity and ease of use with megapixel cameras, it is now more possible to use them to scan eye patterns. Pangburn sees this as a future method of biometrics, as is written in the article.

Also, British researchers claim that iris recognition is the most accurate form of biometrics access control due to its low false rejection rate. The National Physical Laboratory representing the Communications Electronics Security Group conducted the study.

The main types of biometrics access control are:

Facial recognition: Can search through large groups of people who spent only a short time in front of a camera. Assigns numerical quantities based on facial characteristics to form a code for identification purposes. Non-intrusive.

Fingerprint: Completely unique; no two exist that are the same.

Hand geometry: Can work in harsh environments.

Retina and Iris Scans: Completely unique but take relatively longer to achieve the scan.

Signature and Voice analysis: Signature is easy to gather and not intrusive. Voice analysis can be done without the subject’s knowledge.

In terms of future forms of biometrics, in addition to the megapixel scanning of eye patterns mentioned above by Pangburn, two other methods may present themselves down the road more often.

While it is mentioned as a subject of controversy at this point, DNA sampling may be an option. Cost and portability are two obstacles as of now.

And another body part being studied as a possible use for biometric reading is the tongue. Laser scanning would be used to achieve a 3-D picture of the tongue, says an article published on cnn.com on December 13, 2008.

Speaking of tongues, we wanted to give you a taste of the common methods of biometric access control systems, what some consider better forms and a touch of future incarnations that may be on the horizon.

We hope you gained a little from our article today. Thanks for spending some time with us.

To say that companies need to watch their bottom line in this economy is an understatement. Every opportunity should be taken advantage of whenever a firm can identify areas to reduce wasteful spending, shrinkage, energy loss and more.

Security companies can actually play a big role in reducing financial losses of many kinds, not just stopping vandals or catching thieves.

Pictured above are several security systems from access control to video surveillance.

To that end, you may have heard of the term security “integration”. Quite simply, this happens when a security company allows its various systems to talk to one another and achieve a higher security result than if systems were stand-alone. It’s sort of like synergy.

Integration is the answer to many of the 12 issues listed below that plague many companies, especially those in manufacturing. So we’ve listed the issues along with a brief product and/or solution that security provides.

1. Employees that prop doors open: Having an access control system (keyless) benefits you in many ways. One such way is that a sounder goes off after a certain amount of time if a door is left open.
2. Unauthorized visitors who wander around your building(s): The integration here would be between the access control system and the video surveillance system.
3. Overhead doors left open which let out A/C or heat: The alarm and access systems team up to ensure that these doors are kept secured. As mentioned above, sounders would come into play if they are left open. And if contacts between the overhead doors and the wall are not aligned in the closed position, the alarm will not be able to be set.
4. Employees who come in on the weekend without management’s knowledge: This issue pretty much encompasses all tenants of security – access control, video surveillance and alarm.
5. Employees who claim overtime that they have not worked: Card readers and video systems will provide access control audit trails on your software system and there will also be video evidence.
6. Doors left open all weekend or all night: The security system will indicate on the keypad that a door is open. Once again, this is an issue of the contacts not being aligned. Also, the sounders will sound if the door is open for too long.
7. Employees or visitors who claim bogus accidents inside or outside of your building: Video surveillance is the answer here.
8. Vandalism—internal and external: Again, video, or CCTV, would provide the results needed. Security lighting is also a strong preventative.
9. Shrinkage: Here, video would obviously isolate shoppers or employees stealing goods and access control would create an audit trail to indicate if a certain employee was in a given area from which goods may have been missing, for instance.
10. The need to change locks whenever some leaves your employment or loses a key: Having a keyless entry system is the solution here—you can simply de-activate his or her card or fob.
11. Unauthorized 2nd and 3rd shift employees who snoop in offices: This would encompass all systems—alarmed doors would keep the employees out. Video would record their actions. Access control would track where they went and prevent access as well.
12. Alarms which are tripped by employees who enter unauthorized doors: Again, all systems would come into play here.

As a business owner you have many choices when it comes to video surveillance. The goal is always to protect people and property.

There are many types of cameras available with a variety of uses, including but not limited to dome cameras, bullet cameras, infrared cameras and network/IP cameras.

• Dome cameras are a great choice for indoors, they are low profile and allow for 360-degree visibility.
• Bullet cameras encased with a tough housing are a great choice for outdoors as they can withstand the elements.
• Infrared cameras are used primarily outdoors to capture images in the dark.
• Network/IP cameras allow footage to be sent over a network to a centralized recorder. Quickly retrieve, review and share video with law enforcement when necessary.

There are also cameras with the ability to identify a small object such as a license plate, they will read and record a tag number on a moving vehicle.

License plate cameras are designed to focus on the alpha-numeric characters on a license plate capturing the tag number of vehicles entering and exiting a property. License plates from both parked and moving vehicles can be clearly captured. Depending on the placement of the camera the make and model, and even the color of the car can be captured. Sometimes the occupants may also be captured on the video, but that is not the main objective of this type of camera.

License plate cameras compensate for moving vehicles, the reflective material of license plates, headlights and varying outdoor light conditions, allowing them to capture a clear picture of the license plate. Images can be captured in complete darkness in real-time while recording video to a DVR.

License plate recognition cameras capture, read and record a tag number, just like the license plate reader. These cameras however have another specialized component to them. They are designed for one specific purpose, to capture the tag number and match it to a number in a database. The system is designed to flag a vehicle when the tag matches one in the database, notifying officers. This information is only available to law enforcement agencies.

Key features to look for when researching a license place camera:

• High definition resolution, allows for accurate and precise detail from images captured on the camera.
• Performs equally well with fast or slow moving traffic.
• Continuous day and night operation.
• Integrates with access control
• Covers multiple lanes for entering and exiting traffic.

Call One Source Security today, 800-570-6478, for a FREE security assessment of the perimeter of your property. License place camera can be yet another layer of protection for your business.

As security integrators, we often get asked about dummy security cameras as a solution to our customers’ security issues in lieu of an actual video surveillance system.

Pictured above is a “dummy” security camera

These issues can include such things as car break-ins in employee lots, employee theft, home security and more.

While they may prevent some crime from happening, many savvy thieves may know they’re not real and will then have free reign to burglarize your facility.

There are some questions you need to ask yourself if you are considering installing dummy security cameras.

What happens if you actually need footage? If an incident occurs on your property, you may wish you had an actual security camera installed to record it when you had the chance.

These incidents can include such things as an employee being assaulted in the parking lot, for instance. They may think these cameras were real and will be coming to you hoping you as the business owner can help.

Same with fake slip and falls. You will be liable to lawsuits if someone stages one of these. Having a real security camera to record the person’s actions can protect you and provide you with valuable video footage showing the real story.

What if a disgruntled ex-employee returned angrily to your workplace and he knew the cameras weren’t real? They certainly wouldn’t be of any help in this case and in fact they may cause more harm than good.

And if you were installing them to prevent employee theft, all it would take is one employee to discover that they’re fake, and they’d be rendered ineffective.

Of course one could say that dummy security cameras have done some good in terms of preventing crime. Having a deterrent is always a recommended measure, and they can certainly be classified as a deterrent. Although, as mentioned earlier, savvy thieves can typically know that they are fakes.

One feature that some dummy cameras have may actually help to give them away to these thieves. Some motion detection dummy cameras will move left and right when a person walks by (powered by AA batteries). They are mimicking pan, tilt and zoom cameras in this case, but do the dummies actually follow the person, or just move left and right?

So if you are intent on purchasing dummy security cameras, just know that some issues may arise where you may wish you had actual security cameras.