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CCTV Code of Ethics

CCTV Code of Ethics

1. CCTV is focused on providing an extra “set of eyes”, particularly where hazards or difficulties apply to continual personal monitoring. These difficulties may relate to access constraints, environmental constraints or cost constraints. 2. The primary objective of deployment of CCTV equipment should be to: Act as a deterrent against criminal activity or unruly activities Provide assurance, security and safety to people occupying the spaces covered To maximise the deterrent value, and consistent with privacy requirements, camera usage should be notified in public areas 3. Staff should be informed of any use within their work areas. 4. CCTV systems should not normally be utilised purely for staff monitoring and surveillance. 5. No CCTV camera should be deployed within toilet and change room facilities. 6. All equipment being sold must be suitable for the application it is being applied to. 7. All sales staff should “clearly and in plain English” explain the strengths and weaknesses of each type of product or system. The explanation should cover applications, ethics and the equipment or environmental constraints. 8. CCTV sales staff should cover maintenance requirements and cleaning necessary for optimum performance of the system being offered. 9. The equipment installation should be covered by a minimum of 12 months parts and labour warranty. 10. At commissioning, clear and concise instructions must be provided on the operation of the system. 11. The use of CCTV cameras is to add value to the environment in which it is utilised. To this end, the net value of its use must outweigh the constraints or restrictions it imposes.

iFOB Control

iFob Control App – Getting Started

iFob Control App User Getting Started Guide Internet Compatible Alarm Control and Reporting Our iFob Control smartphone app, provides real time control and feedback for compatible IP enabled systems. Multiple sites are supported allowing you to manage your home, office or holiday house whenever you need. The MyAlarm global platform provides redundancy, exceptional reliability and continuous monitoring of system connectivity. How to Set Up! Connecting MyAlarm to your Bosch solution 6000 Alarm 1- Download MyAlarm iFob Control App to your iOS or Android Device. 2- Contact your Alarm Installer to setup your Alarm system with MyAlarm and receive your unique pairing code. 3- Enjoy using the iFob app Start controlling and monitoring your alarm system! How to Download the MyAlarm iFob App Installing and Configuring the iFob Control App STEP 1: Launch iFob Control and then Choose Setup New Site. STEP 2: Enter a unique name to identify the site on this device. Note that this can be any name of your choise. STEP 3: Enter the Panel Serial Number in the field provided. This should be provided by your installer. STEP 4: Enter the Panel App Code. Note that this is a unique code provided by Bosch that can be used on one device only for security reasons. This is to be provided by your installer. STEP 5: Enter User Alarm Pin. This is your Pin code that you use to arm and disarm the panel. STEP 6: Press the save button on the top right corner. Step 1: Setup New Site. – Launch iFob Control and then Choose Setup New Site. – You can press on “Setup New Site” or on the “+” button on the top right corner. Step 2: Site Configuration – Site Name: Enter a unique name to identify the site on your device. Note that this can be any name of your choice. – Enter the Panel Serial Number in the field provided. This should be provided by your installer. – Enter the Panel App Code. Note that this is a unique code provided by Bosch that can be used on one device only for security reasons. This is to be provided by your installer. – Enter User Alarm Pin. This is your Pin code that you use to arm and disarm the panel. – Press “Save Icon ” on the Top right corner. Step 3: Site Registered – After Pressing on the “Save icon” you will get a message saying “Registering site to MyAlarm. Please wait… -Few seconds later, you should get a pop up message saying “Successfully Registered Site”. Press OK – If you didn’t get the pop up message saying Successfully Registered Site, Contact us immediately. Step 4: Connect to your Site -Press connect to Connect to your site. -You will get a message saying “Connecting” – You will get another message saying “Loading Areas. Please wait…” – Loading areas should not take more than 10 seconds. At this stage the app is establishing a secure connection with your alarm panel. – The App will connect to your panel and you will be able to view the status of the alarm in the Areas section. Start using the iFob Control APP Main Menu 1- AREAS: by pressing on Areas, you will be able to view the home page of your alarm system that will show you the status of your alarm and equipment. 2- ZONES: This will allow you to see all your zones and check the status of all zones in the system. 3- OUTPUTS: This will allow you to check the outputs on your system. Ex: Roller door. 4- DOORS: The doors page allows you to check the status and control selected doors on the system. 5- TROUBLESHOOT: If you have any faults on the panel, this will allow you to view the faults. 6- HISTORY: This will allow you to view all the History and to check alarms and notifications. 1- Home Page: AREAS example – Once connected, the area page will load allowing you to quickly arm or disarm your system. Use the scroll function to see all areas if required. The name and status of all areas displayed. If the Armed is in Red, this means that the system is currently Armed. If the disarmed is green, this indicated that the system is disarmed. -The area control picture shown in this example has three areas with the house having 2 part arm modes. The panic function is enabled and two shortcut buttons have been created, one for the Roller Door and another for the Garden Sprinkle – Your system will look different based on the configuration and options set by your installer and/ or system owner. – The PANIC function is enabled. To activate it, touch and hold the panic button for three seconds to trigger a panic alarm. Note that the sirens might be activated. – Alarm, system trouble and zone status indicators are also shown for each area. 2- ZONES -The zone pages allows you to check the status of all zones in the system. Zones that are open, in alarm, trouble or tamper will displayed in red for easy identification. -To bypass or exclude a zone simply touch the bypass checkbox next to the zone you are bypassing. – Use the left and right arrows at the bottom of the page to view other zones on the system. – Options are also provided allowing you to filter the way zones are sorted. 3- OUTPUTS – The outputs page allows you to check the status of all outputs in the system. – To trigger the output, simply press on ON or OFF. This will behave like the remote control Button. – Use the left and right arrows at the bottom of the page to view other outputs on the system. – For this feature to work properly it has to be programmed by the installer. 4- DOORS -The doors pages allows you to check the status and control selected doors on the system.

iFob Control App

iFob Control App For Solution 6000 Panels

Bosch Solution 6000 is compatible with the iFob Control app which provides real time control and feedback of compatible IP enabled alarm systems. Day to day functions can be performed virtually from anywhere in the world using your mobile smart device. Arm and Disarm the system, operate an output, or even unlock a door with the press of a button. For even greater security and flexibility, the site owner can easily configure how and what each app user can do. iFob Features: ♦ View And Control Any Number Of Sites♦ No Port Forwarding Required♦ View And Control Multiple Areas On Each Site♦ View System Troubles♦ Operate Doors And Control Outputs♦ Voice Confirmation Prompts♦ Remote Panic Button Option♦ Optional Short-Cut Buttons♦ iFob App Honours All Panel User Restrictions♦ Zone Bypass Options♦ View Control Panel History♦ Live Zone Status Display♦ Automatic Daylight Saving Clock Adjustment♦ Installer Contact Information Display♦ Secure iFob Use With PIN Always Required Option♦ Restrict iFob App Use To Local Wi-Fi Zone

People Counting Cameras

IP Camera People Counting Shootout – Avigilon, Axis, Bosch, Dahua, Hanwha, Hikvision

A people counting test was done by IPVM on multiple manufacturers’ cameras, including: Avigilion H5A Axis P3245-Live Bosch IVA Dahua WizMind Hikvision Smart Series Hanwha Wisenet P AI / Wisnet 7 The test only included conventional, generally available, IP cameras and not specialized 3D cameras. Manufacturer Performance Summary Based on our testing, Hanwha AI and Axis People Counter performed best, correctly counting people walking through the scene while ignoring sources of false counting such as people lingering on the counting line or shadows in the scene. Avigilon H5 and Hanwha’s X series people counting had issues with people walking close together, infrequently missing a second person, while Bosch IVA counted subjects multiple times when they lingered on the counting line. Dahua people counting infrequently completely missed counts on a person walking across the line, with no clear indication as to why. Finally, Hikvision people counting (on a Smart Series camera) performed the worst with issues such as counting people twice in the scene, counting shadows as people, or counting multiple times when people lingered.

With Color, See the True Story.

Hikvision has been leading the security industry in imaging for years. That tradition continues with our powerful new Hikvision ColorVu Technology. ColorVu Technology enables cameras to produce colorful videos even in extremely dimly lit environments. Watch the video on the left to see how color helps to tell the true stories. WHAT’S THE CHALLENGE? Darkness provides cover for theft, trespassing, and other crimes. When using a conventional camera with infrared lighting for night monitoring, people, vehicles, or other important objects are blurry and blend into the background, making it difficult to identify details. Color-related information is crucial for many scenarios and are a great asset for data and analyses. However, conventional cameras often lose important details when rendering only black and white images. ColorVu Technology is our solution to this common challenge faced by many security system users.   WHAT IS HIKVISION COLORVU TECHNOLOGY? Hikvision ColorVu Cameras’ powerful ability to capture details in low lighting comes from two specific breakthroughs in hardware technologies: advanced lenses and high-performance sensors. Coupled with a supplemental light for extremely dark scenarios, ColorVu cameras guarantee video with colorful details when you need them. CAMERA PERFORMANCE AND KEY BENEFITS The Key Benefits of Full-color Video True Color Information– Accurate color rendering– Excellent performance in low-light environments More Details– Clearly captured color information and richer details compared to black and white imaging Better Visual Experience– Balanced brightness– F1.0 super aperture and advanced sensor guarantee realistic rendering

Practical tips for maintaining your CCTV security system

Your CCTV security camera systems need regular maintenance to ensure a clear picture, uninterrupted feed and complete coverage of key areas. It is important to create a CCTV maintenance checklist for yourself so that you don’t miss out on CCTV maintenance as it is just as important as the safety of CCTV installation. Below we’ve listed 13 practical tips for your security camera maintenance. CCTV Maintenance Checklist 1. Regularly clean camera lenses Check your outdoor and indoor security camera lenses to ensure they are always clean. Look for smudges, dust, water-spots and other undesirable elements. Your camera won’t get clear shots if your lenses are smudged or dirty. You should ideally start by using a compressed air can to blow the lens and remove all loose debris before using a microfiber brush to wipe the lenses very gently. You should perform this duty at least once in three months. 2. Check the camera’s housing The camera’s enclosures should remain waterproof and you can check this by opening your security cameras’ housing to check for signs of water, dirt and condensation. This way, you will know whether the enclosures are still protecting the cameras from rain and wind. Or you can simply inspect for water residue. In certain cases, you may need to apply waterproof silicon around the camera’s housing. You should ideally start by using a compressed air can to blow the lens and remove all loose debris before using a microfiber brush to wipe the lenses very gently. You should perform this duty at least once in three months. 3. Ensure that all cables are fully connected Check all cable connectors, including those connecting the monitor, DVR (or NVR) and security cameras to ensure that they are all receiving power. Also check the cabling for any signs of wear and tear, replace any exposed wire immediately. 4. Check the power supply Check the power supplies to your CCTV security systems to ensure that there is no loss of power due to thunderstorms, tampering, brownouts or other unwanted events. You may also want to check that your surveillance cameras are receiving their recommended power requirements using a voltmeter. Otherwise, the camera may fail rapidly and it is always cheaper to replace the power supply than buy a new security camera. 5. Check for corrosion Check out all connectors for signs of corrosion. If you found any corroded one, replace it immediately since it can cause the rest of the equipment to short out. Usually, once the system is installed, all the connections should be waterproofed by the installer. 6. Dust your DVR or NVR The DVR or NVR may collect a layer of dust over time, and this must be wiped off regularly to prevent it from affecting the recorder’s performance. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe your DVR/NVR or use a blower to dust the crevices. This should be done inside the box as well, open up the recorder and clean the dust. A heavy dust may cause the fan or other components to malfunction. 7. Trim the landscaping Check all your outdoors camera views to make sure that all provide a clear view. Keep bushes, vines, trees and other plants near the cameras trimmed to prevent them from obstructing the camera. 8. Check the lighting Ensure that important areas have enough lighting to illuminate suspects for easy identification. There are good cameras out there that provide clear images during the night time. Another option is to add CCTV illuminators to improve the outdoor light conditions. 9. Periodically review camera’s placement This should be done to ensure optimum location and camera focus. In many cases, over time the position of the camera may change, either on purpose or accidentally. It’s always recommended to check the camera’s placement and to make sure that the angle is right. The easy way is to check the image on your TV screen and see which camera seems not properly angled. 10. Verify that the system is recording You should check camera system recording ability each week. It is always important to find out if there is something wrong with the system before a major security incident actually occurs, only for you to find that you have no footage of the incident. Many users don’t playback for months and they’re surprised when something happens and the system wasn’t recording at all or the hard drive went bad a few months ago. For that reason, once a week, or once in two weeks, randomly playback to ensure that your CCTV security system is recording. 11. Set the correct date and time (timestamp) Always check to ensure that the correct date and time are generated by the DVR/NVR and displayed on the monitor. Brief power outages may make it necessary for the time and date to be set. Having the right time stamp on the recorder will help you to pinpoint exactly when an incident happened. At the same time, an incorrect timestamp (or missing at all) may be inadmissible in the court. 12. Check the hard drives periodically The hard drive may go bad which means the security system won’t be able to store any recordings. You need to check the settings of the NVR or DVR to make sure that the hard drives are on a normal status. You should never use a hard drive made for a desktop on your CCTV security system, always go with surveillance rated hard drives which are specifically designed for CCTV systems. A desktop hard drive installed on DVR/NVR will last 6-12 months, a surveillance hard drive usually lasts 5-10 years 13. Post signage Making a small investment in professional signage can help mitigate risks by confirming that you are in fact using video surveillance around your premises. Visible signage is the first lie of deterrence and helps enforce your property boundaries.

commercial alarm system

Benefits of an Alarm System for Business

Why You Should Install Now Security Alarm for Business Benefits of installing an Alarm System for Business Most of the business depends on physical assets. This can include equipment, inventory, data storage and sensitive information about customers, employees and suppliers. It is extremely important that you guarantee that your business is safe, protected and looked after 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Find out how to protect your business using an Alarm System: What is an Alarm System? It is a combination of electronic components to detect unauthorised access to a building or area, usually to protect people the place and its valuables. Usually, it is connected to locks, detectors, sirens and also cameras, and is controlled by a control panel. An alarm system can have: Motion Sensors Door / Window Switches Glass Break Sensors Duress and Panic Alarms Sirens Control Panel Keypads ( Codepads ) Keyfobs (Remote Controls) Smoke Detectors Heat and Gas Detectors Remote Control via Smart Mobile Apps Integration with Smart Building Benefits of Installing An Alarm System For Business Prevent intrusion and theft Get a faster response to any incident Minimize Loss Pay lower insurance premiums Integrate detectors and smart building functions Avoid false Alarms Get peace of mind If you want to know more about security alarms please contact us for free consultation. What our customers are saying!