CCTV Quad Splitter

The Video quad splitter is a very important component of close circuit television systems. Quad splitters were developed to eliminate the not so cost effective way of one camera per monitor and time lapse recorder design. A Quad enables the user to view up to four cameras on the same screen simultaneously. It displays all cameras on the screen two on the top quadrants and two on the bottom quadrants. This gives the user a tremendous advantage over security camera systems using video sequential or manual switchers. Using a quad, the system operator will not miss any activity he or she would have if they were using a sequential or manual switcher. However there is a slight drawback to the quad splitter. Its images can sometimes be too small to distinguish any specific details on an image, especially when using small CCTV monitors.

While viewing a live feed this drawback can be overcome since the quad allows full screen viewing of any camera with a simple push of a button. However the same cannot be said once a picture has been recorded. When a quad output is recorded, it is recorded the same exact way as it is seen on the screen. Therefore if a quad view is being displayed while recording that’s the only way it can be retrieved on playback. And if an operator has switched to a full screen camera view while recording that will be the only camera that could be viewed on playback. As you can see this could pose a problem in many applications and is also the main reason why many people upgrade theirs systems from quads to video multiplexers.

Monochrome cctv Quads

Monochrome Quads are designed for use with black and white cameras can also be used with color cameras but the picture on the screen will always be displayed in black and white. They are Ideal for use in pubs, clubs, hotels, commercial and residential premises

Color cctv Quads

Color quads are designed for use with color cameras but can also be used with black and white cameras. They are commonly uses in pubs, clubs, hotels, commercial and residential premises

Dual page cctv quads

Dual page quads are equipped with 8 video input to allow for up to 8 camera connection. The picture is displayed in two separate groups of four cameras. The switch between the two groups can be done manually or it can be set automatically at a predetermined switch time.

Private and Public IP Addresses: What’s the Difference ?

Internet Protocol (IP) addresses is usually of two types: Public and Private. If you have ever wondered to know what is the difference between a public and a private IP address, then you are at the right place.

In this post I will try to explain the difference between a public and a private IP address in layman’s terms so that it becomes simple and easy to understand.

What are Public IP Addresses?

A public IP address is assigned to every computer that connects to the Internet where each IP is unique. In this case, there cannot exist two computers with the same public IP address all over the Internet. This addressing scheme makes it possible for the computers to “find each other” online and exchange information. User has no control over the IP address (public) that is assigned to the computer. The public IP address is assigned to the computer by the Internet Service Provider as soon as the computer is connected to the Internet gateway.

A public IP address can be either static or dynamic. A static public IP address does not change and is used primarily for hosting web pages or services on the Internet. On the other hand, a dynamic public IP address is chosen from a pool of available addresses and changes each time one connects to the Internet.

Most Internet users will only have a dynamic IP assigned to their computer which goes off when the computer is disconnected from the Internet. Thus when it is re-connected it gets a new IP.

What are Private IP Addresses?

An IP address is considered private if the IP number falls within one of the IP address ranges reserved for private networks such as a Local Area Network (LAN). The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved the following three blocks of the IP address space for private networks (local networks):

10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255 (Total Addresses: 16,777,216)
172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255 (Total Addresses: 1,048,576)
192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255 (Total Addresses: 65,536)

Private IP addresses are used for numbering the computers in a private network including home, school and business LANs in airports and hotels which makes it possible for the computers in the network to communicate with each other.

Say for example, if a network X consists of 10 computers, each of them can be given an IP starting from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.10. Unlike the public IP, the administrator of the private network is free to assign an IP address of his own choice (provided the IP number falls in the private IP address range as mentioned above).

Devices with private IP addresses cannot connect directly to the Internet. Likewise, computers outside the local network cannot connect directly to a device with a private IP. It is possible to interconnect two private networks with the help of a router or a similar device that supports Network Address Translation.

If the private network is connected to the Internet (through an Internet connection via ISP), then each computer will have a private IP as well as a public IP. Private IP is used for communication within the network where as the public IP is used for communication over the Internet. Most Internet users with a DSL/ADSL connection will have both a private as well as a public IP.

You can know your private IP by typing ipconfig command in the command prompt. The number that you see against “IPV4 Address:” is your private IP which in most cases will be 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.2. Unlike the public IP, private IP addresses are always static in nature.

Common Myth about Private IP Address:

Most people assume that a private IP is the one used for stealth Internet activities and hence cannot be detected. But this is NOT TRUE!.

Unlike what most people think, a private IP address (unlike the private telephone number) is just like any other IP address that belongs to a private network. In reality, there is no public IP address that is impossible to trace as the protocol itself is designed for transparency.

 

Fingerprint vs.Facial recognition

Biometric technology and ID identification has greatly reduced the possibilities of buddy punching and unauthorized access for businesses. Yet there are different types of biometric technology on the market as a business owner has to decide which will work right for their building.

Fingerprint recognition:
Door fingerprint locks rely on scanning the unique ridges and valleys on the tips of a worker's finger. These fingerprints are used to match the fingerprints on file in the system to identify the worker.

Facial identification:
Facial identification works by taking pictures of a worker's face at different angles during the enrollment program. These pictures are stored in the system's database. When a worker uses the facial recognition system, they show their ID card as the system scans their face through the camera and matches it to the pictures in the system.

How To Choose A Biometric System? 
Both facial and fingerprint biometric recognition systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Yet the benefits should convince most business owners to invest in one of these security and time clock attendance systems. To decide which biometric identification system to pick, use these factors based on the type of business:
* How much can you invest in a biometric system?
* How many biometric systems will you need?
* Where will the biometric systems be placed (interior or exterior)?
* What environmental issues may affect the biometric system operations (i.e. dirty work areas that will affect fingerprint scans or lighting that may affect facial recognition)?

45% of End User Security Budgets Increasing

With much talk of budget cuts, many US-based organizations are still willing to pour dollars into their physical security initiatives, at least according to a recent study from by IMS Research. In fact, 45 percent of end users say that their security budget increased in 2012, the study found.

"It's clear that end users are still feeling the risk to their facilities -- and that means there's plenty of opportunity for manufacturers of physical security equipment," said Niall Jenkins, manager for video surveillance and security services research at IMS, in a press statement. "Just having a budget available was actually one of the top two reasons for end users paying to replace or upgrade their systems as well."

The survey, which polled 200 end users of physical security equipment across North America, found that the majority of these organizations are dedicating large amounts of resources to physical security. In fact, 44 percent reported that their organization's annual budget exceeded Rs. 5000K.

"Budgets either stayed the same or increased last year for those that spent approximately Rs. 1Cr and also for 85 percent of the overall market," Jenkins noted. "I wouldn't say that the security boom is over just yet."

Even with bigger budgets, users report concerns. Despite investing in new equipment, buyers say that their biggest worry is that vendors will suspend support for newly-acquired security products while they are still being productively used within the organization, the survey found.

Especially as the market in the US transitions from analog to network-based video surveillance, vendors are shifting their product mixes and ending support for products, said Jenkins in an interview with IFSEC Global. "There's also a transition to the use of video analytics, PSIM, and wireless infrastructure," he added. "In the fire market, you don't see that pace of development, while intruder alarm and access control are probably somewhere in the middle."

In addition, some vertical markets feel better served by security vendors. "The majority of end user markets, when asked about whether security meet their needs, were positive, but the transportation industry overall jumped out as one vertical that said the security industry wasn't meet their needs," Jenkins told us.

So, let us know. Is your budget on the rise? Where do you plan to invest?

Indian Company also increase there Security Budgets in 2013.

We hope that you have found this resource page to be helpful.  

 
If you have any questions about this page or anything related to CCTV or surveillance systems, please contact us at bhadra_1980@yahoo.com

Biometric Access Control Solutions

Biometrics has become one of the most prominent technologies in access control because it is reliable, convenient and secure.

The 4 characteristics of biometric access control solutions are: 
1. Speed and stability: Using infrared sensing, users can have their credentials quickly scanned without having to actually touch the scanners. In addition, most environments have little negative impact on the reliability of biometric credentials or the accuracy of scanners.

2. Convenience: Most biometric scanners use an all-on-screen design that lays out all controls in a single touchscreen display. The UI is also usually optimized for usability and convenience. Since leading manufacturers serve a global customer base, their devices generally feature multiple languages for users to choose from.

3. Security: Biometric access control systems are generally designed to protect facilities from backdoors in the system and coerced users. Depending on the security level, systems may use multiple authentication methods—such as requiring a user to also input a passcode or swipe an ID card—or require multiple people to be simultaneously authenticated. Systems can also be configured to include backdoors, such as different actions for different palms, to serve as a silent alarm in the case of coercion.

4. Integration: IP networks greatly increase the viability of creating an IP-based all-encompassing smart home system through the integration of biometric access control, alarm, video surveillance and other systems.

Comparison of 4 major authentication methods for access control.

How Domain Name System (DNS) Works

In the world of Internet and the area of computer networks, you will often come across the term Domain Name System or Domain Name Service which is simply referred to as DNS. The working of DNS forms one of the basic concepts of computer networks whose understanding is very much essential especially if you are planning to get into the field of ethical hacking or network security.

In this post, I will try to explain how Domain Name System works in a very simple and easy to follow manner so that even the readers who do not have any prior knowledge of computer networks should be able to understand the concept.

What is a Domain Name System?

A “Domain Name System” or “Domain Name Service” is a computer network protocol whose job is to map a user friendly domain name such as “arindamcctvaccesscontrol.blogspot.com” to its corresponding IP address like “173.245.61.120″.

Every computer on the Internet, be it a web server, home computer or any other network device has a unique IP address allotted to it. This IP address is used to establish connections between the server and the client in order to initiate the transfer of data. Whether you are trying to access a website or sending an email, the DNS plays a very important role here.

For example, when you type “www.google.com” on your browser’s address bar, your computer will make use of the DNS server to fetch the IP address of Google’s server that is “74.125.236.37″. After obtaining the IP address, your computer will then establish a connection with the server only after which you see the Google’s home page loading on your browser. The whole process is called DNS Resolution.

With millions of websites on the Internet, it is impossible for people to remember the IP address of every website in order to access it. Therefore, the concept of domain name was introduced so that every website can be identified by its unique name which makes it easy for people to remember. However, the IP address is still used as the base for internal communication by network devices. This is where the DNS comes in to action that works by resolving the user friendly domain name to its corresponding machine friendly IP address.

In simple words, domain names are for humans while IP addresses are for network devices. The “Domain Name System” is a protocol to establish a link between the two. Hence, it is not a surprise that you can even load a website by directly typing its IP address instead of the domain name in the browser’s address bar (give it a try)!

Types of DNS Servers and their Role:

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed database that resides on multiple computers on the Internet in a hierarchical manner. They include the following types:

Root Name Servers:

The root servers represent the top level of the DNS hierarchy. These are the DNS servers that contain the complete database of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. Currently, there are 13 root servers distributed globally which are named using the letters A,B,C and so on up to M.

Local Name Servers:

Local servers represent the most lower level DNS servers that are owned and maintained by many business organizations and Internet Service providers (ISPs). These local servers are able to resolve frequently used domain names into their corresponding IP addresses by caching the recent information. This cache is updated and refreshed on a regular basis.

How DNS Server Works?

Whenever you type a URL such as “http://www.google.com” on your browser’s address bar, your computer will send a request to the local name server to resolve the domain name into its corresponding IP address. This request is often referred to as a DNS query. The local name server will receive the query to find out whether it contains the matching name and IP address in its database. If found, the corresponding IP address (response) is returned. If not, the query is automatically passed on to another server that is in the next higher level of DNS hierarchy. This process continues until the query reaches the server that contains the matching name and IP address. The IP address (response) then flows back the chain in the reverse order to your computer.

In rare cases where none of the lower level DNS servers contain the record for a given domain name, the DNS query eventually reaches one of the root name server to obtain the response.

FAQs about Domain Name System:

Here is a list of some of the FAQs about DNS:

How does a “root name server” obtain the information about new domains?

Whenever a new domain name is created or an existing one is updated, it is the responsibility of the domain registrar to publish the details and register it with the root name server. Only after this, the information can move down the DNS hierarchy and get updated on the lower level DNS servers.

What is DNS propagation?

Whenever a new domain name is registered or an existing one is updated, the information about the domain must get updated on all the major DNS servers so that the domain can be reached from all parts of the globe. This is called DNS propagation and the whole process can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours to get completed.

How often the DNS servers are updated to refresh the cache?

There is no specific rule that defines the rate at which DNS servers should be updated. It usually depends on the organization such as the ISP that maintains the server. Most DNS servers are updated on an hourly basis while some may update their databases on a daily basis.

I hope you have now understood the working of DNS in a very convincing manner. Pass your comments and share your opinion.