September 25, 2026
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ZKTeco Adds Body Temperature Screening & Mask Detection features to Security Solutions

Security and access control management company ZKTeco, top leading multinational manufacturer of biometric market, has recently incorporated to some of its access control readers, IP surveillance cameras and walk-through metal detectors some upgrades to now have body temperature screening and mask detection capabilities.

Now that critical period of COVID19 is nearly ending, still much of the global population remains socially isolated to prevent the spread of disease. The question is how to return back to certain normality and of course how to return to work after lockdown, regardless of how this reincorporation is going to be scaled, one thing is for sure, we have to be cautious not to reignite infections rate and that means we have to return to our physical working places counting with the necessary measures to avoid spreading risk of contagion. For that, there are three basic guidelines we need to follow: social distancing and no contact, everyone must wear masks and regular check for symptoms.

In words of ZKTeco’s Europe CEO, Fernando Ducay, “Our newly released security solutions with body temperature detection have become a real ‘need to have’ especially in recent times, as they help identifying and restrict people having elevated body temperatures from entering large highly dense public places including schools, hospitals, as well as commercial & residential properties” . Not only that he added “Besides securing people’s environment, we would like to also protect their health and do our best to prevent the spread of the coronavirus”

At ZKTeco we made an effort to deliver new capabilities to our solutions that respond to the rules enforced due to the coronavirus pandemic, adding the necessary features like temperature screening and mask detection to our security solutions to grant compliance with such guidelines and permit returning to normal functionating while keeping our people and business safe and secure preventing outbreak of disease.

More flexible working helps to maintain social distance and no contact. For example, flexible clock-in and clock-out time to prevent too many people from entering and leaving the office building at the same time or smart working, activities that can be monitored on site or remotely with our cloud time and attendance solution called GoTimeCloud.

So, what about controlling access of people not wearing mask or having a body temperature measurement over recommended? No contact and body temperature measurement are granted with our Touchless Biometric devices.

ZKTeco recently took a deeper step into the facial recognition market with the launch of its new series of visible light facial recognition (VLFR) products. The company says VLFR overcomes the shortcomings of previous facial recognition products and uses deep learning to improve recognition and reliability, and it is far better at catching fake faces. The deep learning systems deals with the lighting situation, the not 100% dead-straight images of faces, as well as spoofing. By passing its recognition software through ‘continuous training’, it has been able to enhance the performance of its recognition algorithms to a stage where it is now ready for real-world use.

The VLFR system ZKTeco developed beats fake faces through its anti-spoofing algorithm, which conducts liveness detection by learning how to differentiate lighting, texture, and resolution. The system also uses two cameras. One is a visual light camera that is used for recognition and verification, the other is an infrared camera used to detect fake faces. People who try to verify a fake identity by using a picture on paper or on their phone or tablet, for example, will quickly find their access is denied. Even using a high-definition video of a face will not be accepted. The utility of these systems is in the flexibility of the verification process, people can be recognized ‘on the move’ as they approach the point of entry. The VLFR system will detect their face and track and identify them as they approach. It is also able to recognize an enrolled face with a deflection angle of 30% – left to right, and up and down. It can detect and recognize faces, more than one at a time, and it can also capture faces in a certain area, for example at a sporting event or in retail environments.

Thanks to the incorporation of thermal sensors and improvements developed in firmware, our access control readers’ facial recognition capabilities are also able to identify individuals wearing protective masks — for example, healthcare workers — allowing them to safely keep the masks on during the biometric verification process, in addition to their touchless palm and facial recognition sensors — capable of detecting a person’s body temperature within 0.3/0.5ºC deviation range from 0,5 m away, allowing them to be used for entry and exit screening in public venues where an abnormal body temperature could be an indicator of COVID19 and therefore warrant restricting access to an individual who may be showing symptoms. Installers have a wide range of possibilities for installing them, as they are suitable for almost any support: on wall or desktop, integrated to turnstiles and speed gates or simply with a pedestal on floor.

Not only that, ZKTeco’s ZN-T5/W IP surveillance camera, which has both thermal and visible light capabilities, when paired with the ZN-TH01 — which uses black body radiation technology for recalibration — can read the body temperature of a group of up to 30 people from up to 5 meters away, with an accuracy within 0,3º degrees Centigrade.

Rounding out ZKTeco’s solutions that have temperature sensors is the ZKMD3180-TD walk-through metal detector, which scans people for both metal objects and a body temperature that falls within a specified ‘safe’ range. Audio and visual alarms sound to indicate when an individual with a body temperature that falls outside of the accepted parameters walks through the device.

To complete upgrade of our access control and time and attendance systems with temperature measurement and mask detection feature, a new module has been added to our existing software for access control, ZKBioaccess and ZKBiosecurity, and the functionality also has been incorporated in our cloud time and attendance application GoTimeCloud, so that, reports can show temperature status and the use of mask associated to every log and confirm if entrance is granted or not.
Let us get a closer view of mentioned solutions.

Temperature Detection Systems available
ProfaceX-T and V5L-TD are designed for traditional access control and time and attendance tasks. Both have anti-spoofing algorithm so, no video no picture will work and of course are 100% Touchless Access. The Rapid facial recognition within 0.3 sg. Work even in total darkness or bright sunlight (<50,000 Lux). Face verification is also possible while wearing protective mask and temperature measurement is extremely accurate with measurement deviation of ±0.3°C average performance and measurement deviation of ±0.5°C, without the need of a black body since the sensor is thermocouple based. Measurement distance comes from 30 to 50 cm.

Then, which are the differences between these two devices? Proface X we can say is big brother of these device family, showing more capacity in general. We are very proud to say is the The Govies Government Security 2020 Platinium Awarded thanks to its unbeatable features.

ZKMD3180S, our metal detector with temperature sensor, is available with 18 or 33 over-lapping detection zones and sensitivity for each zone is adjustable in increments 0-255. The unit is easy to assemble as there are only 2 pieces to be mounted. Infrared remote control and 4-8 hours backup battery are optionally available. The sound & LED alarms located on both sides indicate clearly where metal is detected. Automatically counts people and alarms and it is completely safe to operate and walk through as well as completely harmless to heart pacemaker, pregnant women, magnetic media, etc. Body temperature detection average performance measurement is by ±0.3°C and accuracy measurement deviation is ±0.5°C for a measurement distance up to 50cm.

ZN-T5/W & TH-01 ZKTeco’s Body Temperature Measurement Network Camera & Portable Black Body is the perfect solution when temperature needs to be detected at a longer distance and for more than one individual at the same time. Our cameras of course ONVIF compatible are featuring smart body detection and body temperature measurement for up to 30 individuals. Main characteristics of the system are on-board temp-detection algorithm, one IP address two channels, effective pixels 400×300, sensitivity ≤40mK, thermal: 8mm fixed lens and visible: 2.7~12mm motorized lens. The temperature measure accuracy is 0.3ºC and response time ≤30ms with 17 color control.

Which scenarios will need body temperature measure solutions in a short term?
All size business will request them indeed since taking temperature to employees, visitors or even clients will become essential to stop outbreak of the disease, in fact, many countries have already regulated officially and included as mandatory. Any business can find perfect solution in ZKTeco’s offer when looking for thermal devices as prevention tool.

Many workers use public transportation to reach their working places, services like metropolitan bus and metro, same than any other scenario involving people crowd, they need to control symptoms like body temperature under accepted threshold to avoid spread of contagion.

In all countries we need that people from our financial and public institutions are kept safe from any risk of disease to help working them hard to recover our weakened economy in these troubling times. Our solutions can help in preventing such risk.

And what about when we are finally able to normally enjoy our free time again? Gyms and sport centers will require an easy and cost -effective way of upgrading existing systems at their entrance, with the capability of body temperature screening. Our installing kit specifically designed to adapt to turnstiles allows a smooth assemble of the reader and people over temperature threshold allowed will be access denied. Not to talk about touristic places, think about Museums or historical buildings, traffic of people inside touristic places can be safely managed with our metal detectors incorporating thermal sensor identifying if people getting in is fever detected for immediate action.

Last but not least, we need to think about preserving our future and how to take best care of our future generations which will role the country soon we need to keep students at any educational centers safe and secure.

From standalone to networked solution for environments requiring more complex solutions, ZKTeco is able to offer you best possible solution to try to prevent the spread of disease.

Bespoke Gas Suppression Solution from Advanced Secures Historical Archives of Belgrade

A custom-engineered gas extinguishant system from fire systems leader, Advanced, is now protecting thousands of culturally important collections at the Historical Archives of Belgrade.

The Archives play an important role in Belgrade, preserving some of the city’s most important cultural and social assets, including 34,000 books and journals, documents, photographs, works of art and other artefacts spanning the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Advanced’s local partner in Serbia, TVI Ltd, undertook the fire protection work designing and engineering a bespoke gas suppression system to meet the site’s specific needs. Advanced’s ExGo gas extinguishant control panel was installed alongside a TouchControl touchscreen fire system repeater panel to protect the archive’s vast, 2,400 sq metre storage facility.

The installation involved the extensive interfacing of TouchControl with the ExGo panel, enabling the end user to see the status of the suppression system remotely via 3D interactive maps. The ExGo panel has been programmed with substantial logic in order to achieve cause and effect that activates relays and sounder circuits. These circuits are then used as mass-notification devices and integrate with a bespoke engineered system using Touch Control.

Radomir Kerkez, Electrical Engineer at TVI Ltd, said: “As part of the public procurement process for this project, we specifically requested Advanced to be specified as we knew its solutions were capable of delivering high-performance and reliable protection. Going forward we hope to install Advanced fire protection across the rest of the 4,890 sq metre facility.

Vladimir Zrnic, Advanced’s Regional Sales Manager for Southern Europe, said: “The Historical Archives of Belgrade required a suppression system that effectively and reliably protects the Archive’s contents in the event of a fire. Our ExGo gas extinguishant solution met TVI’s requirements, combining performance, quality and ease of use, while the unique interfacing of our TouchControl repeater panel with ExGo provides the end user with complete visibility of the system’s status.”

ExGo has been developed specifically for sensitive and strategic assets such as server rooms and data centres, control rooms, as well as historic and cultural attractions. It is suitable for almost all single-flooding area applications and includes a range of control options and devices. It is approved to EN54 parts 2, 4 and 13 as well as EN12094-1 and is among the first systems to combine these with EN12094 in a single solution. (EN12094-3 relates to the integrated manual release on the front of the panel). ExGo can be integrated into Advanced’s Axis EN fire system or any third-party alarm system.

TouchControl is a fully-functional remote terminal and repeater featuring integrated graphics, called Active Maps. The 10inch HD touch device offers fire panel and network control and reporting and allows users to immediately identify zones and devices in fire, fault, disablement and test using dynamic colour-coded status buttons.

Advanced, owned by FTSE 100 company Halma PLC, protects many sensitive and strategic assets around the world with its ExGo gas extinguishant control panels, including the Hong Kong – Macau – Zhuhai Bridge, Romanian National Library and 1,600km of Sudanese oil pipeline.

D-Link Announces range of highly affordable Wi-Fi 6 Routers

The all-new DIR-X1560 and DIR-X1860 Wi-Fi 6 routers provide fast speeds, greater capacity and less network congestion in modern smart home networks

[LOCATION – DATE, 2020] – D-Link, a global leader in smart home and networking technology, has announced the availability of two all-new, cost-effective Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) routers – the AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Router (DIR-X1560) and AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 Router (DIR-X1860).

Specifically designed with the modern smart home in mind, the DIR-X1560 and DIR-X1860 provide seamless and highly reliable combined Wi-Fi speeds of up to 1,500 Mbps and 1,774 Mbps respectively. Both routers provide a simple way to upgrade an existing home network to next-generation Wi-Fi 6 and are engineered to maintain a growing number of connected devices and smart home gadgets to run at any one time.

The DIR-X1560 and DIR-X1860 offer dual-band Wi-Fi with up to four simultaneous streams, which allows hassle-free 4K streaming, gaming or video calls. Both routers come fully equipped with a host of new technologies to enhance connectivity experience for users. These include 1024 QAM to boost throughput to all connected devices by up to 25% and 80 MHz for extended bandwidth. Both have built-in power amplifiers and include beamforming features to increase a Wi-Fi network’s reach and minimising blackspots. All together creating up to four times greater capacity and making connectivity 38% faster.

Both smart routers feature Multiple-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) technology and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), a signature element of Wi-Fi 6. OFDMA provides exceptional capacity by splitting a channel into four sub-channels and supports faster bandwidth and connectivity distribution to devices, eliminating congestion and network queues.

What’s more, the DIR-X1560 and DIR-X1860 both support voice assistant capabilities, allowing users to enable or disable Wi-Fi access, check log-in credentials or reboot the system via voice-enabled smart speakers, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Easy to set up, users can access how-to guides to install their new router via D-Link’s dedicated app. Once installed, users are provided with many management tools and parental control features that allow users to tailor network access enabling safer internet connectivity.

Key features of D-Link’s DIR-X1560 and DIR-X1860 Wi-Fi 6 routers include:
– Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) technology provides faster speeds, greater capacity and less network congestion.
– Combined dual-band wireless speeds up to 1,500 Mbps/1,774 Mbps ensures optimal Wi-Fi experience to all devices, whether it’s video streaming, online gaming or web browsing.
– OFDMA and MU-MIMO technology communicate more data to more devices while simultaneously reducing latency.
– Profile-based parental control allows you to control when devices have access to the Internet.
– Better battery life of battery-powered connected devices with Target Wake Time (TWT) technology.
– Automatic firmware updates ensure that the AX1500 Wi-Fi 6 Router stays up-to-date with the latest features.
– SPEEDTEST powered™, allowing you to find out the true speed of your Internet, straight from the router.

Availability and Pricing
Contact your local D-Link office for more information
http://www.dlink.com

About D-Link
D-Link has designed, developed and manufactured award-winning networking, wireless, video surveillance, storage and home automation solutions for 30 years. As a global leader in connectivity, D-Link is transforming business networks and equipping businesses to operate more efficiently. It is also a key enabler of the smart home, making it easy and affordable for people around the world to monitor, automate and control their home from anywhere, anytime using their smartphone or tablet.

D-Link’s extensive ranges of innovative, high-performing and intuitive technologies are available for both businesses and consumers through its global network of channel and retail partners and service providers.

Mobotix: Il Caravaggio International Airport Causes Video Surveillance To Take Off

Security at airports has become indispensable and entails continuously increasing requirements. The only way to keep satisfy the most demanding standards day after day, is to constantly further develop the technology in use. Video surveillance is a crucial contribution to airport security; this technology has a great deal of potential, as long as the current configuration is not taken as the final goal in terms of development. “Since the technological developments and the need to increase the security level were clearly evident, we could no longer put off considering a flexible video surveillance system, one that would be ready to meet the security and analysis requirements and guarantee a high level of performance,” says Ettore Pizzaballa, Manager of Information Systems at SACBO S.p.A. The important expansion phase at the Il Caravaggio International Airport terminal, which involved building a long gallery of shops and expanding the passenger boarding area, made the situation even more complex and challenging. This added another piece to the puzzle, alongside the usual airport security scenarios.

Safety And Security: The Winning Combination For A Project With More Than 300 Video Surveillance Cameras

Il Caravaggio International Airport is the third-largest airport in Italy in terms of traffic, with a volume of over 11 million passengers. Security is crucial when it comes to an airport infrastructure of this size, and a great deal of attention is required to maintain the necessary level of surveillance. Introducing MOBOTIX technology enhanced the quality and resolution of the surveillance images. In turn, this further improved the activities carried out together with the constantly present police forces operating at the Il Caravaggio International Airport terminal, thereby providing suitable support for investigations. “Inside the airport, not all the halls are homogeneous in terms of height and lighting; thanks to MOBOTIX, we were able to achieve excellent image quality under all conditions.” Video surveillance has also turned out to be a valuable additional tool for improving operating procedures related to safety: “We can analyze aircraft and vehicle movements in the maneuvering areas to help train operating personnel. Even the luggage is constantly under surveillance: If a piece of luggage stops or is stuck where employees can’t see it, the system immediately sends a notification to employees”. Over 300 MOBOTIX video cameras have been installed, both indoors and outdoors. Several different models were used in keeping with respective needs, including the c25, i25, M24/25, Q24/25, S15, S15 SurroundMount, M15/16 and T25. Each one of these cameras is active 24/7. The new VoIP infrastructure and NAS recording allow the different control rooms to share the images.

Perfect Synergy Between Hardware And Software

When it comes to ensuring state-of-the-art security, though, even the most advanced hardware technology does not suffice to cover all of the related tasks. A less visible component plays an important role in ensuring the efficiency of MOBOTIX solutions. “In addition to the image quality, we were also impressed by the option to receive thoroughly customizable software based on our specific requirements – not to mention the video analysis functionality.”

Video Analysis Takes Top Priority

At this point, it is actually easy to spontaneously develop ideas for the future, expanding the field of application of a system that boasts continuously developing potential, and utilizing the video surveillance infrastructure and its video analysis applications in order to obtain immediate and concrete results. The benefits are numerous: “The video analysis software allows us to immediately detect abandoned objects, locate the optimum route for vehicles in the maneuvering area and better understand how the flow of passengers moves inside the terminal (which we need to plan optimal routes), studying which type of traveler goes directly to the gate and which one stops instead to make purchases at the shops. The software also allows us to constantly monitor the lines at security checks and check-in and boarding areas in real time,” summarizes Pizzaballa.

FIRE SAFETY AT THE TOUCH OF A FINGER-TIP

The fire industry has experimented with touch screen technology for many years as ever sophisticated and human friendly solutions are sought to tackle fire situations which can be particularly problematic in cases involving large, complex sites and high-rise buildings.

Protecting these buildings and often hundreds, if not thousands, of people from the danger and damage of fire requires ease of control and monitoring with touch screen technology providing this at the user’s fingertips.

In expansive buildings with complex designs, irreplaceable or valuable contents and large numbers of people to protect, the ability to quickly identify and monitor a potential fire can make a significant difference to avoiding life threatening situations.

Touch screen technology provides ease of use allowing fires to be located down to both a zone within a site and individual devices facilitating speedy evacuations, if appropriate, and focused action to isolate and minimise the spread and potential damage of the fire.

These intuitive systems are easily configured and can include dynamic graphics and maps allowing for a fast response which is essential in these emergency situations. Providing information about a possible fire at a glance, touch screen technologies also provide the benefit of ease of management and monitoring from one location saving valuable time and prompt preventative action.

Not all situations are as a result of an actual fire. Avoiding large scale evacuations to minimise disruption is another benefit of installing touch screen technology with this innovation also identifying faults and disablement issues.

Where touch screen technology is particularly invaluable

The innovative technology is particularly beneficial in settings such as hospitals for example, where evacuating patients requires care and time, with touch screen technology delivering the earliest possible warning and specific details of the location of the fire enabling the affected zones to be isolated.

Large buildings can be monitored from one location with touch screen technology facilitating a fast response to the specific area in question, maximising both time and efforts to tackle the problem before it escalates.

Buildings in remote areas are also particularly vulnerable and can also benefit from installing touch screen technology where assistance with controlling and extinguishing a fire may not be as accessible as in less remote locations.

Evacuations in these incidents, involving hundreds and possibly thousands of people, require speed, careful management and calm with fire systems that include touch screen technology delivering immediate and specific warnings that are paramount to the process to help avoid life threatening situations from escalating out of control.

Factors to consider when selecting touch screen technology

There are a number of factors to consider before choosing the right touch screen technology for a site including:

– Can it be networked to cover a large site without compromising reliability and performance? Some systems’ effectiveness can be significantly reduced if large areas need to be covered
– Is it easy to install and configure to your specific requirements? The ability to easily install and configure the system to the individual specification of a site is key, improving performance and heightening protection of the building
– Does it provide an effective and easy user interface? Ease of use should be paramount as it may be some years from initial installation before a response to a potential fire is required. Does it provide sufficient detail allowing monitoring and control of each location and device?
– Is it an independent terminal, saving significant costs? Touch screen technology on fire panels add significant cost, compromise performance and add complications
– Does it provide high quality, dynamic and easy navigation maps and site plans providing at a glance information on the location of a potential problem? Detailed maps, the ability to zoom into high definition images and ease of navigation can significantly improve the response to a potential fire situation
– Does the touch screen respond to gloved hands enabling fire fighters to monitor and control the situation? This is an important factor as fire fighters need to be able to operate the touch screen technology in situations where it may not be safe nor time efficient, to take gloves off

Advanced TouchControl

Leader in fire systems technology, Advanced, manufacture one of the market’s largest touch screens, TouchControl, with a 10-inch screen providing more detailed at a glance information.

Designed as a remote terminal rather than being part of a fire panel, the stand alone innovative technology means that users save on cost, complication and the independent network node means performance isn’t compromised.

One of the unique features of TouchControl is Active Maps which enable live zone status information in high definition delivering incredible detail. Users can easily navigate a site/panel and network via Active Maps.

TouchControl is easy to install and is a fully functional Remote Control Panel, often installed in receptions, lobbies and public areas providing full fire panel and network control and reporting. When not in fire-use the touch screen repeater can be configured to display corporate, advertising or health and safety messages to the public.

Designed with intuitive ease of use, quality, detailed reporting and monitoring, TouchControl has been the preferred touch screen technology for a number of buildings of all sizes within diverse sectors, chosen for its reliability and high performance.

Examples of TouchControl installations:

– Lidl – the popular European discount supermarket
– One of Bulgaria’s largest banking groups DSK Bank chose TouchControl for its high level of protection and reliability
– The world class chemical plant Victrex in Lancashire which delivers high performance polymer solutions to a range of sectors
– The 610,000 sq ft Leadenhall Building in London which comprises 45 floors of office space
– The Atlantic Islands Centre on the 5.5 sq mile Isle of Luing.

Advanced products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control and fire paging systems. More details on TouchControl and Advanced’s wider product range can be found on the website at www.advancedco.com.

TouchControl: Overview from Advanced on Vimeo.

D‑Link adds McAfee Protection to its Covr AC2200 Tri‑Band Whole Home Mesh Wi‑Fi System

The COVR‑2202 now combines world‑class security features with sophisticated mesh Wi‑Fi technology for a safer, more secure and seamless connectivity.

COVR-2202 D-Link adds McAfee Protection to its Covr AC2200 Tri-Band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System
The COVR-2202 now combines world-class security features with sophisticated mesh Wi-Fi technology for a safer, more secure and seamless connectivity

D-Link, a global leader in network-based solutions, has announced innovative security features for its AC2200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System (COVR-2202), to provide blackspot free, high-speed, seamless Wi-Fi with added safety and security – specifically designed to meet the demands of the modern smart home.

The integrated McAfee Protection comes with five-year Secure Home Platform subscription and two-year McAfee LiveSafe Protection, and provides end-to-end security for each and every device connected to a home network. Emerging threats and vulnerabilities are identified and blocked thanks to McAfee’s Global Threat Intelligence, and its advanced parental controls ensure parents can keep their children safe from unsuitable online content. What’s more, existing owners can add this feature to their COVR-2202 by simply upgrading their device to the latest firmware.

The new feature forms part of D-Link’s expansion of McAfee Protection across its range of routers and home Wi-Fi solutions, which also includes the recently launched EXO Smart Mesh Wi-Fi routers (DIR-1960, DIR-2660 and DIR-3060).

The McAfee Secure Home Platform gives users complete control of their devices and ensures they are the first to know and respond to potentially threatening activity. This includes any devices trying to connect to malicious addresses, unidentified devices attempting to join the network, and the option to deny any new devices from connecting to a network. It also works with Amazon Alexa, providing an all-new way to control a network using voice commands. This feature allows users to monitor their network, block devices, and get up to speed on network notifications without lifting a finger. The two-year McAfee LiveSafe™ subscription allows antivirus software to be installed on an unlimited number of computers, tablets and smartphones.

The COVR-2202 works with a user’s existing router to create an expanded network that works seamlessly across an entire home. Each point creates an exclusive high-speed Wi-Fi zone, which allows users to run demanding multimedia applications from anywhere in a home.

Seamless, buffer-free connectivity is supported by the COVR-2202’s Smart Roaming technology with MU-MIMO and Smart Steering. This allows users to enjoy media streaming and internet phone calls throughout their entire home, avoiding drop outs and lag, even when moving from room-to-room. The system comprises two high-performance AC2200 Tri-Band Covr Points that eliminate Wi-Fi dead spots and provide fast Wi-Fi to homes of up to 550m2.

COVR-2202’s key features include:

Tri-Band AC2200 – two 5GHz bands and one 2.4 GHz with Wi-Fi speeds of up to 866 Mbps and 400 Mbps respectively
Smart Backhaul – dedicated 5GHz backhaul band for communication between Covr Points to optimise bandwidth across the whole Wi-Fi network
Smart Roaming – seamlessly connects to the strongest signal as you move from room to room, eliminating the need to disconnect and reconnect
MU-MIMO technology – creates a powerful, fast, and highly efficient Wi-Fi network that can handle a greater number of connected devices
Expandable network – Covr is a scalable solution. Simply add extra Covr Points where you need more coverage

Smart HVAC Systems on Cybersecurity and Connection Protocols

Compared to a traditional HVAC system, a smart HVAC system offers benefits including lower energy consumption, condition-based maintenance, predictive performance issues, and remote and automatic adjustments of the system. With it, tenants can live more comfortably, building managers can manage more efficiently, HVAC system technicians can work more easily, and total building utility fees can be decreased. There are several considerations for a building to adopt a smart HVAC system: for example, is the building old or new? Which wireless protocols should be used for the smart system? Does the system have sufficient cybersecurity protection? Overall, the smart HVAC system market is promising. The market needs have recently been expanded from residential buildings to commercial buildings, leading the smart HVAC system to provide comfortable living experiences for people working in offices.

Smart HVAC System Assists Energy and Operation Cost Saving
A heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is responsible for controlling temperature and air flows in a smart building. With the ability to locate people inside the premises, the smart system helps buildings save significant energy consumption and operational costs.

A heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system sits in the middle of a building, it’s respon- sible for providing comfortable room temperatures and air flow for the people inside, no matter if it’s a hot summer afternoon or a snowy winter day. As buildings are adding smart elements such as prediction and remote controls, HVAC systems are also getting “smart.” Smart HVAC systems benefit buildings and tenants in several ways, such as providing energy efficiency, building maintenance, performance prediction and automatic adjustment. Overall, smart HVAC systems are able to save operation costs and provide a better living experience. Here are some benefits brought by smart HVAC systems:

– Energy saving, for example, is achieved by smart HVAC systems constantly demanding performance monitoring and meeting the optimal conditions. As a result, the system is required to conduct energy diagnostics, energy prediction modeling, fault detection diagnostics and model predictive controls to save energy.
– Condition-based maintenance allows HVAC systems to automatically identify equipment performance issues, providing visibility across managing facilities. Rather than having to schedule regular maintenance visits for repairs, they can now be done on demand.
– Predicting performance issues are achieved by intelligence and machine learning embedded in smart HVAC systems. Several sensors are installed on different parts of the smart HVAC system, it is able to predict when system issues are about to happen by analyzing all data gathered from the system’s sensors, including installation dates and performance changes. Due to the system’s ability to predict issues that are about to occur through war nings, higher reliability and uptime of the system are experienced.
– Automatic and remote implemented system changes are accomplished by external decision support tools and systems connected with the smart HVAC system. If any environmental sensors detect changes in the surroundings of a building, a smart HVAC system will automatically adapt to the changes, maintaining comfortable living conditions in the building.

“A truly smart system should be able to anticipate how it needs to perform optimally and adapt to its operations to meet those goals,” said Sudhi Sinha, Vice President & General Manager, Digital Solutions, Johnson Controls. IoT-enabled HVAC solutions offer users insights into data beyond temperature, including humidity and levels of indoor air pollution. In addition, smart interfaces, dashboards and apps enable building managers and tenants to monitor equipment and make adjustments remotely. “It’s all about creating a personalized user experience. With the IoT, building occupants and owners can now feel more in control of their environments,” added Sinha.

Vital Components for Smart HVAC Systems
Compared to traditional HVAC systems, several components of smart HVAC systems are adjusted in order to realize energy saving. First of all, the Compressor, which is the electric pump compressing refrig- erant, and the air handler, that blows air over the heating and cooling coils, needs to be optimized since they are both a major consumer of energy. If these two pieces of equipment run only as needed, a great amount of energy can be saved. Secondly, the ventilation system, which controls a building’s air flow, when and where a building needs external help to save energy. For instance, strong air flow isn’t needed in an empty meeting room or the hallway after office hours.

Through sensor- driven technology to detect the density of occupants in a certain space, the ventilation system works only when it’s needed. Lastly, smart thermostats that can read temperature, humidity, occupancy and other variables are important in the whole HVAC system. The thermo- stats learn from gathered data from the surroundings and make intelligent decisions for the building, such as eliminating uncomfortable heat caused by humidity. “At a basic level, the key components for a smart HVAC system is the sensor hardware and software that provides a way to collect information and an interface for the user to see the information, receive alerts and notifica- tions, and take appropriate action,” said George Tsintzouras, CEO of Alert Labs.

Retrofitting Old Buildings for Smart HVAC Systems
Connected smart sensors play a significant role in establishing smart HVAC systems in old buildings. By having sensors in the existing system, components and back-end software providing data analytics, old buildings can also receive benefits from smart HVAC systems.

For new buildings, it isn’t difficult to embrace smart HVAC systems. Some of them have even been installed from the very beginning. For old buildings, however, adopting smart HVAC systems is a challenging job. There’s even a term “retrofitting,” designed to describe old buildings adopting smart technologies. “In older buildings, a wireless and battery-operated sensor platform could be crucial as it might be difficult and, or, prohibited to install external cabling along walls,” said Peter Lindkvist, Sales Director, Lumen Radio. That is to say, old buildings aren’t required to remove all existing components of HVAC system to adopt smart HVAC technology. They can keep current equipment and install wireless and battery-powered sensors around, to experience the benefits of a smart HVAC system. “Alert Labs sensors can be installed at any age of building and air conditioning system,” said George Tsintzouras, CEO of Alert Labs.

Smart Sensors Turn Old Buildings New
Alert Labs offers four sensors for smart buildings – a water flow sensor, a flood sensor, a sump pump sensor and an A/C monitoring sensor and system. Its A/C monitoring system and sensor, called Sentree, is designed to be installed by residential central A/C units, detecting temperature, pressure of liquid and vapor and real-time amperage numbers. The device connects with cellular networks and provides 24/7 remote monitoring of residential central air conditioning systems. As it detects issues, it will notify maintenance and building managers right away.

The water flow sensor, designed for indoor water meters, detects water leaks, floods, humidity, temperature, and power outages. For its instant alerts of all variable changes, the sensor can help reduce water bills and prevent damages. The flood sensor, on the other hand, focuses more specifically on water leakage and flooding. The sump pump sensor detects rising water levels, pending sump pump failures and floods, aiming to save on insurance and prevent any accidents. Furthermore, data gathered from all sensors can be presented on a back-end dashboard provided by Alert Labs.

The dashboard for homeowners, for instance, offers A/C performance and status; and the dashboard for contractors enables the service team to offer proactive mainte- nance and repairs. For managers who take care of several buildings, the company also has a command center, letting them monitor multiple properties in one place, assign service teams to individual properties, and receive alerts and A/C analytics.

Making Maintenance More Efficient
“A smart HVAC system enables contractors to send the right technician with the right parts to repair the problem on the first visit which reduces truck rolls and increases customer satisfaction,” said Tsintzouras. With the sensors around the HVAC system, contractors can keep equipment running more efficiently by knowing when issues are about to occur. Service or maintenance calls, therefore, can be cheduled before a breakdown happens.

Through a unified portal for both tenants and technicians, service calls can be scheduled by customers’ preference, reducing the frequency of off-hour emergency calls. “Property owners have insight into their buildings and can remotely adjust the system according to occupancy and time of day to save energy. The can also modify their behavior once they see how their property is performing or wasting energy with the incentive that they can save on their utility costs,” said Tsintzouras.

In addition to energy and cost saving, smart HVAC systems also improve management efficiency and building customers’ satisfaction. With smart sensors and the back-end analyzing and monitoring software, old buildings can also have the benefits from smart HVAC systems without replacing all the present equipment.

Mesh Frequency Bands in Smart Buildings
Wi-Fi, LoRa, Bluetooth, Zigbee… wireless connection frequency spectrums are crowded because of the rising number of connected devices around us. In addition to choosing one protocol, MiraOS, a mesh wireless network technology, could be another solution in smart buildings.

There are many connection protocols existing in the field of smart buildings, such as Wi-Fi, LoRa, Zigbee and Bluetooth. Each protocol has its best use Cases Wireless connections and power- efficiency, for the purpose of smart buildings, should be the most important features equal to selecting connection protocols. Bluetooth 5 and LoRa seem to currently be pretty promising in the field, due to their abilities to provide low power consumption and wide coverage connection for IoT devices in homes and buildings.

However, it’s pretty crowded between the wireless connectivity spectrums. IoT and M2M are thriving in the world, and many businesses are investing billions of sensors and actuators being wirelessly connected. According to a report by Gartner, it is estimated that around 20 billion devices will be connected by 2020. Another report by Ericsson predicts that 15.5 billion devices will be connected via short-range technology by 2020, accounting for 53% of all connected devices.

Furthermore, wireless protocols like Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread and Bluetooth all use the same frequency channel. The traffic jam might someday cause communication breakdown and service quality downgrading. “Many of the standard protocols available, such as BLE or Zigbee, do not have the capability to scale to thousands of nodes in one single network. They can neither cope with the amount of interference present in commercial buildings, nor are they energy-efficient enough to allow running the whole sensor solution on battery,” said Peter Lindkvist, Sales Director, Lumen Radio. These protocols don’t allow multi- protocol support. It means decision- making is difficult for smart building builders at the investment stage.

Guiding Networks to a Suitable Frequency
“MiraOS from LumenRadio is a best-of-breed wireless mesh for HVAC and Building Automation,” said Lindkvist. Mira operating system (MiraOS) is a future-proof wireless mesh network technology created and patented by LumenRadio. It enables mesh coexis- tence, ultra-lower power, over the air Firmware updates, easy commissioning and large-scale networks. The operating system is mainly powered by the company’s patented Cognitive Coexistence technology, an algorithm which enables real-time, adaptive frequency shopping.

“Within this algorithm, we build a predictive model of the frequency spectrum, where every single device weigh in the decision on the optimal channel to use in each individual (10ms) time slot,” said Lindkvist. Just like the weather forecast, the Cognitive Coexistence technology predicts how the frequency spectrum will be in the millisecond utilized and switch the connection to the best available and least congested frequencies.

Mesh Frequency Bands on Applications
Produal Proxima wireless solution, developed by building automation measurement and control company Produal, is created based on MiraOS from Lumen Radio and u-box NINA module. The solution, which includes several hardware devices, is able to route data from up to 100 wireless transmitters to automated buildings.

Swegon, a supplier of energy efficient and demand controlled ventilation (DCV) and indoor climate systems, is working with LumenRadio on a wireless climate control system – the WISE system. It is said to allow thousands of sensors, actuators and dampers to communicate and create an unprecedented indoor climate solution, helping buildings reduce energy consumption and operation costs, and increase the health of people in the building.

Unlicensed frequency bands, as more devices become connected, is today a scarce natural source. Frequency bands are just getting more crowded and congested day by day. Commercial buildings, are turning into an electro- magnetic mayhem, where different products and systems secure for airtime against smartphones and tenant Wi-Fi networks. “In order to remain reliable and enable industrial – and business-critical use cases, such as HVAC systems, OEMs must select agile technologies including strategies for interference mitigation,” said Lindkvist.

Smart HVAC Systems Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
Like other connected devices, smart HVAC systems could also possibly be hacked. If attackers take over controls of HVAC systems, in the worst case, cities would break down and private data would be stolen.

All connected devices are standing under the risk of cyberattacks. Smart HVAC systems are no exception, either. Although IoT devices such as smart meters and HVAC unit sensors are not designed for web browsing, they do need to connect to the internet for data gathering, remote control and analytics. Their direct access to the internet, not in purpose, rather makes them major targets of cyber attackers, posing serious security threats for smart buildings.

Cybersecurity firm ForeScout Technologies have discovered that thousands of vulnerable IoT devices in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Its research showed that nearly 8,000 connected devices, mostly located in hospitals and schools, offered unauthorized access and were highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hacker’s manipulation from HVAC systems could possibly let them access private financial information and potentially retain unauthorized data in large companies. For special locations such as hospitals, dysfunctional smart HVAC systems could possibly harm patients who need to rest under certain temperatures and air flow. This type of attack scenario even has a codename – HVACKer.

Malware Uses Commands to Control HVAC Systems
To carry out attacks on an HVAC systems, hackers would first identify an HVAC system connected to the internet or sitting on a connected internal network. Besides looking for HVAC systems, hackers might also look for building automation software, which incorporates an HVAC component as well. Once they identify such systems, they will try to breach and take control of it. Then, they will import their custom malware to the system in order to infect other devices and computers on the same network. Malware, meanwhile, is mostly used to send commands, instead of stealing data. Sending commands on HVAC systems, however, is still dangerous. Theoretically, hackers could break into air conditioners across a smart city and turn on all of them, to cause a power surge that could disable a city’s power grid.

A Security First Principle Needs to be Put in Place
“Cybersecurity is an incredibly important issue that everybody has to deal with today,” said Sudhi Sinha, Vice President & General Manager, Digital Solutions at Johnson Controls. The first step to achieve cyber safety in a smart HVAC system, suggested Sinha, is for the supplier to have a robust product security program, which spans from product architecture, design, development, support and data management. Next, customers need to ensure that their networks and port are safe and not exposed to any vulnerabilities. To build a cyber-safe HVAC ecosystem requires every partner to take part in. Cybersecurity should be designed from the ground-up, with the final product being the management and data analytics software. Johnson Controls, for example, has a Security First principle in its development processes and product launch. It also provides cyber solutions tailored for the unique needs of each building, ensuring daily tracking of potential threats and provide rapid incident response.

“For cybersecurity, people need to be proactive and vigilant. It is better if companies adopt standard security frameworks,” said Sinha. For instance, buildings can ensure that they have industrial grade encryption solutions such as 128-bit AES, a running network or protocol supporting IPv6 traffic, and an IP-based security solution added on top like certificate handling or DTLS.

Market Needs for Smart HVAC Systems
In addition to smart home and smart residential buildings, needs for smart HVAC systems are also rising in offices and commercial buildings. Remote diagnostics and monitoring of smart HVAC systems, on the other hand, will become more important in the industry.

Smart HVAC systems help smart buildings save energy consumption and operation costs. As many buildings are looking to become smarter, needs for smart HVAC systems are also rising. “Demand for smart HVAC systems is definitely there and increasing,” said Sudhi Sinha, Vice President & General Manager, Digital Solutions, Johnson Controls.

“There’s a strong push for creating more intelligent, on-demand solutions within the HVAC industry right now – driven by energy-efficiency require- ments, but also by the need to enable new data-driven business models and to create new service-related revenue streams for the big OEM’s (Ventilation- as-a-Service),” said Peter Lindkvist, Sales Director, Lumen Radio.

Smart HVAC Systems in Offices
“Smart living technologies are becoming popular outside of residential and hospitality spaces,” said Sinha. In general, people are spending a signif- icant portion of their lives in workplaces. Of course, they would want to feel more comfortable and engaging in this space, helping them become more focused and productive in their jobs. Smart building solutions in workplaces are more popular, suggested Sinha, “because it gives employees a sense of power to control their own spaces and use those spaces within facilities more effectively.”

“We have seen productivity increase by up to 20 percent in certain cases, employee retention by 10 percent, and innovation increase manifold. We have seen this happen across multiple industries and geographies,” said Sinha. For now, although more millennials have shown their preference on smart building technology, Sinha believed, other generations of people feel equally appreciative of it.

Remote Diagnostics Assists all HVAC Technicians
Recruiting HVAC technician talents with the right experience is time-consuming. As a contracted technician, they need to always keep up with service demands, business requests and retain happy customers. A smart HVAC system will also help on their job.

”HVAC business owners are looking for ways to do more with less. Consumers are also looking for ways to expand their smart building capabilities beyond thermostats and lighting,” said George Tsintzouras, CEO of Alert Labs. HVAC systems integrated with smart sensors are able to detect room temper- ature, humidity, water leaks and floods. In the near future, machine learning will further expand the capability of smart HVAC systems. Smart HVAC systems powered by machine learning are able to send alerts about potential issues as sensor readings are abnormal, before a customer really experiences a problem.

“Remote diagnostics are fairly new in the HVAC marketplace, but there are out-of-the-box solutions that are already providing contractors across North America with new business opportunities and growth,” said Tsintzouras. “Remote diagnostics and smart monitoring systems will be available in every technician’s truck in the near future.”

Market Challenges
“There are a few challenges that need to be addressed – cybersecurity, engagement with IT organizations, wireless and communication reliability because of the interference zones in areas where usually HVAC systems are kept, retrofitting and compatibility with older systems, data sovereignty in case of cloud systems,” said Sinha. “And most importantly operator and technician training around new digital and smart HVAC capabil- ities.”

Peter Lindkvist, Sales Director, Lumen Radio, on the other hand, mentioned other challenges for smart HVAC systems: “who should or could own the data, what services are building operators and real-estate owners ready to pay for, and design new product platforms that can scale well enough across large venues to allow fully integrated solutions.” The demand for more connected buildings and smart HVAC systems are growing. All partners should gather together, solving these challenges, and work on the next-generation smart building solutions.

Fisheye cameras: leaving no blind spots in sight

In video surveillance, covering blind spots has long been a challenge. As a result, fisheye cameras offering 360-degree panoramic views have become a popular alternative for end users seeking to monitor large areas. This article discusses some of the advantages and limitations of fisheye cameras, which the user should know before selecting a model that truly fits their objectives.
Izvor: a&s International
E-mail: redakcija@asadria.com

End user organizations seeking to monitor large areas, like retail outlets, hotel lobbies or warehouses, often find themselves constrained by using conventional box or bullet cameras, which point in one direction at a time. This leaves certain blind spots that are not covered and that can be exploited by criminals. A panoramic camera offering 180 or 360-degree views, be it a multisensor camera or a fisheye camera, can address this challenge.

Benefits and Limitations
One major advantage of fisheyes over multisensor cameras is size and weight. A multisensor camera, as its name suggests, has three to four sensors in one unit and therefore tends to be heavy and bulky; some models can have 314 x 512 millimeters in dimensions and weigh 4.8 kilograms. Fisheye cameras, on the other hand, are much smaller and lighter, with the diameter ranging from 146 to 160 mm and weighing less than 1 kg. While fisheye cameras offer certain advantages, it’s important to know their limitations as well.

Specifically, they have less resolution compared to multisensor cameras. “The early fisheye cameras did not have enough resolution to see the details of person’s face unless the person was very close to the camera. The latest single IP camera solutions use 4K cameras, with up to 12-megapixel resolution,” said Bob Mesnik, President of Kintronics. However, there is a caveat with that as well. “The resolution of the panoramic camera varies from the center to the outer edge of the view,” Mesnik said. “The resolution is best at the edge and worst in the middle.” Meanwhile, the viewing distance is something that the user should also know. According to Kintronics’ calculations, a fisheye camera with 4000 x 3000 resolution and an 180-degree lens allows enough resolution to recognize a person that is less than 11.9 feet or 3.6 meters away from the camera; further away the user sees less detail.

“Single-sensor 360-degree fisheye cameras have been around for many years. The problem with panoramic cameras has always been the lack of detail available at a distance,” Mesnik said. Outdoor applications can be an issue, too. “For most outdoor applications fisheye cameras are not better than multisensor cameras. For example, a corner of a building — users will not get the depth or overall image quality that can be achieved with a multisensor. That being said, for smaller indoor rooms fisheye cameras can be superior if the application requires full coverage,” said Thomas Carnevale, Founder of Umbrella Technologies.

According to Mesnik, fisheye cameras are best at providing situational awareness for users monitoring a large area instead of complex applications such as facial recognition, for example. “Fisheye cameras are used in some commercial applications where it is helpful to see an overview of an area,” Mesnik said. “If the prospect asks for other usage, we steer them to standard cameras. For example, we sometimes need to explain that the panoramic camera is not good for facial recognition.” Or, the user can pair fisheye cameras with standard cameras to achieve better monitoring. “For example, a retail store may use the wide area view to see everything in the store while using a camera at the door to view a person’s face as they enter or leave,” Mesnik said.

Some Applications of Fisheye Cameras
Generally speaking, fisheye cameras can be used in all vertical markets, helping end users monitor large areas. According to TKH Security in a blogpost, public transportation and healthcare can especially benefit, as blind posts can pose threats to the wellbeing of passengers and patients. Another vertical cited by TKH is marine vessels. “Marine vessels are usually gigantic and complex ships consisting of many different compartments and various areas, and fisheye cameras can come in handy,” the company said. “A wide-angle fisheye camera ensures full coverage of the area, using up less of the valuable space at the same time. The on board operations manager can cover a much larger amount of areas with half or even one third of the amount of cameras normally used.”

According to Mesnik, fisheye cameras are all very similar. “It’s important to note that it’s not the cameras that are significant for a vertical, but rather the dealer/ installer’s experience. Most dealers select cameras based on the relationship they have with the manufacturer, the reliability of the cameras, the support and return policies of the manufacturer (or distributor),” Mesnik said. “The cameras they choose are also affected by the video management software that works with the camera, the pricing they can get, their installation experience and the range of models available from the manufacturer.”

A Note About De-warping
Panoramic views captured by fisheye cameras, while useful to monitor all corners of a given area, are often distorted and can seem unnatural to the human eye. This is where mapping or de-warping comes in, a technology that corrects this distorted view. De-warping is done by software that creates a corrected version of the 360-degree video stream transmitted by the fisheye camera. The type of fisheye lens plays a key role in this process. “The lens can provide stereo- graphic, equidistant, equidistant angle or orthographic images. The software mapping will be different depending on the lens,” Mesnik said. The de-warping process can be done in the camera firmware or in the supporting video management software. “Some camera manufacturers provide a software plug-in that does the mapping in the VMS. For example, Hikvison has provided software for Milestone,” Mesnik said. “A software- and-lens combination is available from Immervision. This company provides both a lens and algorithms that run in the camera. The company provides special Panamorph lenses and software that improves the quality of the video.”

Yet the user should know about some of the issues with de-warping. “Some fisheye camera manufacturers only have in-camera de-warping with no client-side de-warping ‘plug-in’ to a VMS, while others have in-camera de-warping but the de-warping algorithm is not sophisticated and the images look warped,” Carnevale said. “In addition, the video management software community is fragmented at best as it relates to true client-side de-warping of fisheye cameras. Some VMS’s have their own de-warping algorithms and others are brand- or model number-specific with an SDK integration. Still some integrations are just very generic between camera brands and video management software companies, leaving the user with heavy processing power issues with live de-warped displayed images.”

Selection and Installation Tips
The specification sheet of a fisheye camera may include a lot of information. According to Carnevale, users should look at the optics first. “Fisheye lenses are in much lower production than traditional board or P-Iris or varifocal lenses. Because of that, the quality gap is wide. This traditionally affects the image quality on the outer perimeter of the fisheye causing artifacts and uneven focus. More resolution is not always better when selecting fisheye cameras for this reason,” he said. “A close second place is low light. Evenly illuminating fisheye cameras is not an easy task. I’ve seen several models that only illuminate the image ‘straight-down’ so outside a five-feet radius the image is completely dark. Also because there are several IR illuminators focused this can cause over exposure.”

According to Mesnik, choosing the right products really depends on the customers’ own needs and requirements. “We ask questions such as what detail do you need to see? How far away do you want to be able to see a target? What are the lighting conditions? Is the camera facing a bright window that requires wide dynamic range? Do they want to view an area that is very dark?” he said. “Selecting the right fisheye camera starts with the customer’s objectives.”

Fisheye cameras are typically mounted on the ceiling to get the maximal result.

The following are some of the installation tips, according to Reolink in a blogpost:
– Avoid placing a 360 fisheye camera in or near a corner, as the walls will hinder its panoramic view.
– If the user plans to install a panoramic fisheye IP camera to the ceiling, make sure the camera is located in the center of the monitoring zone; otherwise the images will be reshaped.
– Keep the camera away from air conditioner vents and electric entrance doors.
– Make sure the fisheye camera is not near ceiling lamps or indicator light, which will interfere with the image signal and affect the camera’s image quality.
– Stabilize the 360-degree fisheye security camera with expansion screws to prevent it from falling down over a long period of time

Mission possible: Safeguarding Moscow’s extensive VTB Arena Park

Centralized video security and access control solution for new sports and events park, a 300,000 square-meter urban space
As Moscow’s latest events destination, VTB Arena Park attracts tens of thousands of spectators during concerts and sports matches. The US$ 1.5 billion project is also a city in its own right, featuring parks, shops, living spaces and a five-star hotel. Providing video security and access control on this massive scale proved a challenge, but not a ‘mission impossible’ for Bosch.

Securing a 300,000 square-meter urban space
The modern VTB Arena Park is a mixed-use development on a 300,000 square-meter area in the heart of Moscow. It’s a showcase for dynamic urban spaces, but also a challenge from a security manager’s perspective because of its size: The Dynamo Central Stadium in the middle of VTB Arena Park is home to the FC Dynamo Moscow football club and holds up to 26,000 spectators during league matches. The indoor arena entertains more than 12,000 guests during ice hockey matches, basketball games and rock concerts. These guests leave once the action is over, but the park also offers permanent retail facilities, residential spaces, and a five-star hotel.
As a result of the mixed uses of its spaces, VTB Arena Park presents a variety of specific security needs. For instance, the on-site security technology needs to provide seamless access to ticket holders during matches and concerts, but it also had to ensure the day-to-day safety of residents who live at VTB Arena Park.

“ We were fully aware that the multifunctional character of the VTB Arena Park would lead to complexity that could hardly be topped. We needed integration power, a partner who knew how to bind all loose ends into one solution that had never existed before.”
Alexander Kravchenkov, Deputy Head of Security Systems Maintenance Group IT Department at VTB Arena

Supporting security personnel with video analytics
The video security needs of the sprawling premises are diverse, especially during big concerts and sports events. The team required the ability to identify certain individuals – for instance a person in a red jacket – among feeds from several thousand cameras. It was also important to limit access to cameras in certain areas to specific personnel with the appropriate access rights and apply specific settings to single cameras.
Catering to these video security needs, Bosch installed more than 2,000 fixed and moving video cameras – both indoors and outdoors – to safeguard all facilities and the entire perimeter of the Arena Park. The team also secured the stadium, homes and offices with high-definition cameras especially suited for providing 24-hour security in outdoor spaces thanks to excellent low-light performance.

The cameras at VTB Arena Park also feature built-in Intelligent Video Analytics to support security staff in the control room with automated alerts. This video analysis automatically detects deviations from standard moving patterns, like a person entering restricted areas, and security staff can then zoom into a scene for closer investigation. The forensic search function also supports identifying and locating specific individuals, like the aforementioned person with a red jacket. For centralized control, security operators can manage all 2,000 cameras and connected video storage on Bosch recording units via the Bosch Video Management System (BVMS). The system provides the team with a single platform that also supports specific user access rights and settings for individual cameras or groups of cameras.

Integrating three access control systems on one platform
To achieve the same degree of integration in the access control system for Dynamo Central Stadium, the Bosch team needed to innovate: The stadium operates three different access control platforms at the same time: a paper ticket system that opens turnstiles for visitors during events on the SkiData system, proximity cards that unlock doors for employees via the Access Engine of the Building Integration System (BIS) provided by Bosch and a third, offline system by Simons Voss that permits entry at specific stadium facilities.
In order to create a single point of control for these three systems, the team devised a highly customized set-up on the Building Integration System (BIS) by Bosch. The customized system provides the security team with a central point of access and comprehensive overview of the entire park during large-scale events. It features custom interfaces with third-party software and hardware, as well as specific scripts to transfer relevant access data into the BIS event log. As a result, VTB Arena Park now commands a single platform to control all of the stadium’s access points, integrated with the video solution and intrusion alarm for end-to-end security at Moscow’s latest attraction.
„The capacity of Bosch to provide both video security and access control and at the same time being able to integrate its own solutions with third-party systems on a single platform, creating one integrated security systerm catering to all the various purposes, has made Bosch our main security partner.“ Alexander Kravchenkov

Compact for convenience – the G40, Checkpoint Systems newest space-saving EAS antenna

XXX 2019 –Checkpoint Systems, a global leader in source to shopper solutions, has today announced the launch of the G40, a small footprint acrylic antenna specifically designed to tackle theft in convenience stores.

With small format stores growing at an exponential rate globally, the need to protect merchandise in high traffic, small footprint environments is increasing. The compact RF-based, G40 EAS antenna offers a solution to cover areas where installation of traditional EAS proves challenging. Maximising space for product displays, delivering accurate detection between pedestals while back-shielding against false alarms caused by customers walking behind the antenna.

The antenna, built on Checkpoint’s trusted EVOLVE electronics platform, delivers full system connectivity for remote servicing, management reporting and system updates to minimise downtime.

Simon Edgar, Senior Director of EAS Solutions at Checkpoint Systems commented: “The G40’s high-performance, small form factor, focusses on tough to protect areas offering retailers a cost effective, efficient EAS antenna that doesn’t eat into valuable space, meaning retailers can still maximise selling space while minimising losses.”

The G40 is available immediately.

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a&s Adria – professional security magazine for providing total security solutions is a monthly circulating publication and a licenced representative of Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media for Adriatic region, which consists of following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, FYR Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia.