The technological era

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." -Albert Einstein"   

Many of us don’t realise how much technology we use every day, and how it makes our lives easier and in the case of IPCCTV usually safer.  It has been said that the internet is - and should be viewed as - the fourth utility, as important as light and heat.  With the recent coverage of the new robot “beaming” technology, where you can be embodied as an avatar or robot, interacting with real people, along with motion capture technology, we are moving from science fiction to science fact.  Eveyone was in awe, when Clare Lomas, paralysed from the chest down, recently completed the marathon with her “Bionic Legs”.  Whether the technology is used for medicine, environment, communication, gaming or security, it fills all our lives and is only limited by our imagination.  It is allowing integrated security systems to become smarter and quicker and keeping up with them is exciting.  I’m looking forward to see what new innovations come out of this year’s IFSEC.

Robert De’Antiquis

Ifsec according to an apprentice....

The day at IFSEC started off with a long train journey from London Euston to Birmingham. Throughout the commute there was a build up of intensity and anxiety as we were just waiting to get stuck in at the competition. As we arrived at IFSEC we were overwhelmed by the amount of people were there, handing out business cards. This year at IFSEC we were taking part in an annual competition called Engineers of Tomorrow to win £1,000. The basic idea of the competition was to test the knowledge learnt throughout our apprenticeship. With only a hour and a half we had to do a full takeover of an intruder panel, which included fault finding and installing a new bell and vibration detector. We started off slowly, which in hindsight was probably a bad idea, as it eventually led us to losing the competition. After our initial slow start, we picked up the pace by completing various tasks such as; mounting a vibration detector, wiring a sounder and linking a P.A key switch to a door contact. With minutes left in the competition we were advised to wire the dual com to the panel as fast as possible. The competition ended with the adjudicator saying time, just as the final cable went in….. After the competition ended we had roughly 3 ½ hours to wait until we found out the results. Whilst patiently waiting to find out the results we felt the full impact of IFSEC and the technology. 4 o’clock came around and it was time to figure out if we had won or NOT. Unfortunately we didn’t bring home the win, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves, taking in a vast amount of knowledge throughout the day. Overall, it was a good chance to see what future technology has to offer and I look forward to next year.

Securing your world

In the uncertain times in which we live, securing your world has become paramount. Whether you choose to go down the route of closed-circuit television, access control systems, intruder alarms, fire systems or all of the aforementioned options, it has become necessary in this day and age to invest in at least one.
Security systems fall under varying categories, with life safety systems (Fire systems for those not in the know), taking immediate priority. These systems are designed to have a life saving impact- as who wants the first knowledge you have of your home going up in flames to be the scent of smoke and the crackling flames rending through the air? These systems have to be installed to BS5839 in order to follow the legal guidelines.
Here at HAE, we would much rather be woken up by the high-pitched squeal of a smoke detector activation than risk the numerous impacts of being entrapped in a fire. The lasting effects of a fire can be anything from smoke inhalation to burns as well as the destruction of property. These systems are integral in alerting neighbours, the fire department and those inside to the imminent danger.
As we are sure you are all aware, when a fire system starts to bleep (with no sign of fire) the immediate reaction would be to remove the battery from the detector (or in extreme cases pull it off the wall- and yes this does happen) in order to cease the incessant noise, however, whilst this might grant you a temporary reprieve, what you might not be aware of is that this will damage the integrity of the fire system and therefore leave you open to danger. What we would recommend, is taking out a contract with a reliable maintenance company, who can check your system is working and rectify the problems before stooping to such methods! Most security companies have a 24hr response time, but here at HAE, we like to get there within 4 hours.

Advances into new IPCCTV technology

Whilst at IFSEC, our engineers discovered the latest ’must have product’- the Sony SNC-ER550 Rapid dome camera. Aesthetically pleasing, with sleek lines, the camera produces high quality 720p images with high-speed 360 degrees of endless rotation.

The engineers raved about this camera with its superb reactions in low light levels, to the point where we are now trialling one on one of our most prestigious sites!

All elements of this camera impressed us, from the 28x optical zoom and the 12x digital zoom to the basic pan and tilt capabilities.  The above the horizon tilt ability really makes this camera one to watch out for, with the high power over Ethernet allowing a simplified installation whilst reducing the area of the infrastructure.

The camera also has an Exmor CMOS sensor which improves image acquisition.

This is, in HAE’s eyes a camera for the future!

Staying Safe- under surveillance!

The average Londoner gets caught on CCTV 70 times a day.

The question is, however, upon hearing this factoid; does it bring the big brother fear of ‘being watched’ or the peace of knowing that someone somewhere is watching?

The idea of public (and private) CCTV tracking your every move wherever you go is slightly daunting, however, the number of crimes caught on CCTV and therefore criminals jailed justifies this in our view.

Take the recent London riots, a number of criminals were apprehended based on CCTV footage alone, and more caught out by friends and families recognising published CCTV images and coming forward. In this instance CCTV saved the day!

Recently, on one of our prestigious maintenance sites, we were called in to pull footage from the CCTV system of a burglar. What we did not realise, was that we were going to see a whole new brand of criminal, literally and physically. The burglar was seen on the footage breaking into a house using a coat hanger of all things. The inventiveness of this particular method of access has now been noted down by the police. CCTV is effectively (whilst slightly intrusive) a force for good on our streets and around our homes. It allows our clients to liaise with the police and work towards incidents like the ‘coat hanger burglary’ not happening, as by raising awareness, we are one step further towards the cure.

The next question, you might ask, is now that I am convinced that CCTV is the route I need to go  in order to protect my property, what product do I need to invest in… Well keep tuned to ‘The world occurring to HAE Ltd’ for recommendations.

Ifsec from an HAE viewpoint!

It was a great few days at IFSEC, catching up with colleagues and checking out the new ideas and products.  We were all very proud of the apprentices in their intruder alarm challenge on the “Skills4Security” (www.skillsforsecurity.org.uk ) stand.  The stands that really stood out this year were Sony , Axxess ID ( www.axxessid.com ), Anixter (www.anixter.co.uk), EMS (www.emsgroup.co.uk), IDL and Canon. We loved the new IDL Glass Gate 150 with IP connectivity, the Sony ER550 camera and the Canon VB-M600D (www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Web_Cameras/Web_Cameras/VB-M600D/camera ), to name just a few.    IFSEC 2012 – the IP revolution has definitely started.  Thank you to everyone who afforded us their time and such great hospitality  – we’re already looking forward to next year.

Follow the links to see what stood out for HAE!

"The bitterness of the poor service remains long after the sweetness of the low price"!   

HAEL have always prided ourselves on the service we provide to all our clients.  We benchmark ourselves against other competitors and believe that we give a more site specific service to all our customers.  Our maintenance department, in particular, give great customer service and commitment.  We feel that in this economic climate, we offer value for money to our customers, allowing their security solutions to be well maintained thus reducing expenditure on upgrading or replacing systems, when budgets are being squeezed even further.

It is heartening to hear that we have secured another sizeable contract, based on this ethos and experience our team are able to offer - and they should be praised.

Robert De’Antiquis