星空传媒

The objective was to provide the technical and non-technical with a friendly non-jargon overview of IP technology as well as an opportunity for hands-on selection for those who wished to view various manufacturers products side by side.

Last year at IFSEC there were two or three handfuls of manufacturers showing off their IP products. This year there were more than 100 very serious and influential manufacturers and suppliers pitting their wits and displaying their wares to the visitors.

Next year I would put a few 'bob' on there being a separate Networking (IP) village for exhibitors to show their stuff.

Q: So what is IP?
A: IP simply means Internet Protocol and we, the industry, seem to have adopted the word IP to actually mean sending packets of information over computer data networks.

In simple terms everything has been converted to a digital format.

Audio (voice) until very recently was mostly recorded and transmitted by analogue methods. The digital revolution soon changed all that and now voice over IP is something that is commonly accepted just about everywhere.

Q: Is it Secure?
A: Well to be blunt, NO! But you can certainly put in procedural systems to make the transmission of security data as secure as is possible.

Q: Can I use it over existing structured cabling 鈥� for intruder alarm and perimeter alarm equipment?
A: Yes. You can send intruder alarm signals back to a central monitoring station through the internet (for example using Internet Explorer). IP may also be transmitted through conventional telephone lines, free space transmission and direct structured cabling systems using UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) or Fibre Optical cable.

鈥� for CCTV pictures?
A: Yes. You can send video pictures from the camera to any monitoring station worldwide in a matter of seconds, in the same way that voice or alarms signals are transmitted 鈥� incredible, but true.

Q: What do I need to use it?
A: You need to have a Video server/Codec (a box that transforms the video image from analogue to digital) or an IP camera that sends out a digital signal directly from the camera.

''Wait a minute'' I hear you cry! Aren't CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras digital anyway? Well no, they are not necessarily so. Let me explain: DSP (That is Digital Signal Processing) in cameras has been with us for a long time. It essentially means that the reflected image that comes through the lens and on to the face of the CCD is made up of varying light shades 鈥� which is analogue. The electronic circuitry within most good cameras is able to intelligently do some very clever digital processing and send the information out on to the back of the camera that will be hooked up to a twisted pair, fibre or coaxial connection鈥�which is analogue!

Q: How is the data transported?
A: UTP (unshielded Twisted Pair) is a one very common form of transportation.

Fibre Optic is another popular backbone.

In many cases the cabling around a company's premises may already comprise a suitable structured cabling medium that takes standard data and that may also be capable of taking the security information around.

This is an area where IT managers and security managers may come to verbal fisticuffs!

IT managers may be a trifle jealous and covet the needs of the company's data streams which may probably result in stopping over zealous security managers ''borrowing'' current installed structured cabling systems.

Security managers most probably need CCTV images as well as fire and intruder alarm reporting 鈥︹��.that needs loads and loads of the IT manager's available resources.

Of course, to ease any tensions between IT and security 鈥� you can always have your own structured cabling system!

Routers, hubs and switchers will be needed to take the information from one area to another.

It may be more convenient to take the information via the Web Browser route for example. (Make sure if you want real time you have the transportation medium to support your wishes! It is unlikely that you will get a full picture with high resolution at real time over the Internet just yet.)

Real time is expressed as a minimum of 25 pictures per second (even Walt Disney back in 1937 used 24 pictures a second in cartoon format to bring Snow White to life) Watch out for specsmanship! Its so easy to get bamboozled in the early days. Many people quote f.p.s. Does this mean fields or frames? I personally prefer digital speak to be termed as p.p.s 鈥� pictures per second.

Build your own operational requirement, be adamant that if your security needs to have pictures recorded in REAL time then spell out that you need a minimum of 25 p.p.s. There are some excellent systems that perform to this specification and provide picture quality that exceeds SVHS.

Q: How is the information displayed?
A: Computers incorporating GUI's (Graphic User Interface) are the most commonly employed display methods used in modern security control rooms today. (Don't worry! For those traditiona-lists, you can have a magic box at the receiving end and display the pictures on a standard monitor.) Don't be too surprised if the quality is not as good as when you had dear old analogue! There's a lot of IP systems which do have some-what ''iffy'' resolution criterion 鈥� It is definitely a case of spend your money wisely and select a system that is at least as good as the analogue.

Q: Is IP as good as analogue technology?
A: Some systems are much better!

Q: Is it cheaper?
A: Well it could be! Take for example some very enterprising manufacturers producing excellent servers with built-in Hot Swappable Hard Disk DVR's providing users with a highly intelligent, practical and economical solution to security needs.

Watch out for the 'economical with the truth' salesman's approaches like:

''Genuine imitation leather coats for sale sir!'' ''Cluster of solitaire diamonds cheap!''

''Real time streaming video over 10 base T networks.''

Watch out for the low cost imitations. It may prove to be the old adage of buying cheap proves to be expensive.

Q: Why do I need to use it?
A: Why did you change from vinyl to CD in 1986 to listen to your favourite music? Why did you choose to use VHS tape instead of Betamax or Philips 2000 to record and watch your TV programmes?

The same answer can be given to IP... because soon there will be little choice. The technical and commercial world are driving us digital and it won't be too long before we have to accept the inevitable changes.

鈥� and my question to readers?
How will you react to the changing market? Are you ready to embrace the new technology and when are you likely to consider it? Otherwise, will you elect to move over for the IT and communica-tions / networking specialist to take over the security and surveillance roles of the company?