Network Video Recorder cum Network Switch

Network Video Recorder "Built-in" Network Switch 

The introduction of a Network Video Recorder (NVR) with a built in network switch confused a good portion of the professional market.  It very much seemed to be something that was geared towards catering to a side of the market that was completely unfamiliar with how an IP camera system is setup and installed.   Not a lot has changed since their original release dates.  Most installers still scratch their heads at the thought of using them, but the fact remains that there is an audience.  For those who aren't looking to educate/teach themselves the way of "proper IP installation," these simple to adapt to NVRs are very appealing.  Having said that, it's equally important to understand what you're getting yourself into with a built in switch.

Cost Comparison

There are two ways to look at cost, but we're going to start with your initial purchase for getting this system up and running.  There's no way to conceal the fact that purchasing an NVR with a built in switch is going to be cheaper.  A standard NVR purchased together with a dedicated PoE switch will probably cost you about 25% more than the alternative.  Because of the somewhat basic nature of network switches, you probably won't notice any difference in performance between the two options.  It really comes down to quality in this case, and you're just going to pay more money for the more proven brands; your built in switches are generally built by an unnamed Chinese manufacturer.

The other way to look at cost is to look towards the future.  Network switches are just as imperfect as everything else.  The most common occurrence is that a network port burns out and is no longer able to be used.  If your warranty has expired, you're now in a position where you're going to need to start spending money to get to a solution.  Depending on how much that damaged switch effects your system, you're left with a couple options.  In the case of a dedicated switch, you can replace the switch entirely or you can purchase another smaller switch as an add-on to make up for malfunctioning port(s).  These can be purchased for as little as $50.  An NVR with a built in switch is not going to have such an easy time.  You can try using a dedicated switch as an add-on, but you're now just setting up your system via the alternate method.  If you still have a demand for the same type of "camera hardwired to NVR" setup and your NVR is out of warranty, you'll now find yourself needing to replace the entire NVR instead of the much cheaper network switch.P

Cable Runs

A built in switch is going to require that you run your cable the same way you would with an analog system.  In this scenario, you're going to be running a cable for each camera all the way back to the NVR to create your hardwired connection. Your cable length is limited, in this case, to the standard 328 feet.

A dedicated switch can potentially have some major advantages here. Thinking that a dedicated switch needs to be placed anywhere near your NVR or router would be a mistake.  It makes the most sense to place your switch as close to the biggest cluster of cameras as possible.  This can make for a lot of short cable runs from IP cameras to switch.  From there, it's just a matter of running a single cable from that switch back to your router.  The end result is that you simultaneously put all of your IP cameras on your network by running that one cable.

This is a rough example of what an installation might look like with a dedicated switch.  Of course your own personal hardware situation might be different, but you should get the concept we're going for.  Installing your IP camera system like this will also double the potential distance you can run your cable.  In addition to your cable length being able to be run as far as 328 feet from cameras to switch, you can also run up to another 328 feet from switch to router.  You can revert back to cost as much as you want, but a dedicated switch is going to give you more capabilities and versatility for your money than a built in PoE switch will.

Reliability

This is mostly a matter of opinion and how much you trust individual manufacturers to begin with.  Dedicated switches are usually going to be found with a name brand printed on them.  You've heard of certain brands like Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link because they have an established reputation.  It's not hard to go online and find out how well these companies are performing.  The internet will contain a plethora of reviews and discussions related to these company's products.  This is all to say that transparency is much easier to find with big brands; the general public doesn't let them keep any secrets.  This makes selecting and purchasing a product a very straight forward and simple task; it just takes a bit of research.

There are those among us who are completely against the idea of owning anything that's "unbranded" under the pretense that they believe it's all junk and lacks in longevity.  The fact remains that a good number of the unbranded devices that people have come to feel uncomfortable with are actually performing, and in some cases outperforming, a lot of the big brand names.  If something like this bothers you, you're going to have a hard time feeling comfortable with an NVR that has a built in switch.  The lower costs of these switches makes them attractive but getting passed the uncertainty of knowing whether or not they're going to perform as needed is not as simple.  Researching an NVR with a built in switch can gain you a general public opinion, but those opinions don't usually cover things like speed tests or information regarding longevity of the product.  This is one of those things you'll likely just have to try for yourself in order to know for sure.

All in all, you have good options for both dedicated switches and built in switches. Doing a little bit of homework/research into the product you’re considering should shed enough light on the subject where you can feel confident with your decision either way.

Compatibility

A dedicated switch, no matter who it may be manufacturer by, is compatible with any IP camera from any manufacturer across the board; no questions about it.  A built in switch relies on information it receives from the NVR to determine compatibility.  This can quickly turn into a problem absent any solution.  If you hard wire your IP camera to your built in switch on your NVR and you find that the camera isn't being detected, you're almost guaranteed to be the owner of an NVR and IP cameras that are probably never going to play nicely with each other, and likely not at all.  There is seldom anything you can do to fix a problem like this. On rare occasions, there's a setting that needs to be toggled somewhere, but don't plan on being this lucky.

You can still have compatibility issues with a dedicated switch, but those problems are usually limited to specific features and not the complete inability to bring up the camera whatsoever.  For example, a HikVision IP camera cannot be accessed by a Dahua NVR if you attach that camera to a built in switch on the NVR.  However, if you connect that same camera to a dedicated switch, you'll very easily be able to add that camera to the NVRs device list, but you'll be missing the motion detection feature without a lot of tampering.  We should mention again that any compatibility issues you encounter with a dedicated switch aren't cause by the switch, but by the manufacturers of the cameras and recorders. We are not promote HikVision / Dahua as both “High" level vulnerabilities. No participation in ONVIF committees for both brands. No access to new ONVIF software. Below media statement.

Security Trends in 2023

Security Trends in 2023 

Wishing you a very Happy New Year – 2023. Although some of the worst disruption caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic is hopefully behind us, 2023 is shaping up to be another challenging year for business and society. But this year few states going through partial lockdown case to case basis.

Cyber security in physical security:

Adoption of digital technology and internet have also led to increase in cybercrime incidents. It can be controlled or minimized with care, precaution, awareness and with the use of appropriate tools to secure the information. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under Cyber & Information Security (CIS) Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has prepared one manual to disseminate Cyber Hygiene Best Practices for the benefit of Industrial Bodies/General Public/Government Officials.

Many large buyers now provide a cybersecurity questionnaire that integrators and solution vendors must complete, leading to creation of new roles in some companies just to respond to such questionnaires that are required in bid processes. Vendors, integrators and the practitioners themselves are simultaneously chasing cybersecurity talent to add to their employee teams, a challenging proposition given the overall difficulty to hire technically skilled workers of any type. Cybersecurity has to be managed on multiple levels, requiring constantly expanding investments in:

·        Device-level cybersecurity (e.g., cameras, readers, panels)

·        Infrastructure cybersecurity (wiring, networks, switches, etc.)

·        Software and Server cybersecurity

·        Configuration cybersecurity (correct implementation of cybersecurity features)

·        Cloud cybersecurity

·        Mobile device cybersecurity (particularly as security and employee bases become more mobile or remote)

·        User cybersecurity (e.g., social engineering attacks, insider threats, etc.)

Security practitioners today seem to have three general choices when it comes to convergence:-

1. Ignore: Disregard the need to converge—a wholly unwise choice, by most accounts.

2. Strongly Interrelated Teams: Continue to manage security in two, separate but equal channels, but strongly define team relationships such that constant open dialogue and cross-investigation exist between the two specialized teams.

2. Fully Converged: Fully merge security leadership and tactical security management to link cybersecurity protections and physical security protections, given converged threat vectors that impact information, data, people and assets.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

In 2018, a NITI Aayog report stated that India will hold a late-mover advantage in real world application of artificial intelligence (AI). Worldwide, spending by governments and business on AI technology will top $500 billion in 2023, according to IDC research. Moreover AI applications on top of security solutions helps break the boundaries of our industry’s value to practitioners, by embedding non-security applications that take data from the proliferation of sensors of all types to correlate data points or find trends that can save businesses money or enable them to act more swiftly.

In a pre-event discussion with panel lists from an AI panel held at SNG 2022, the expert panel lists (reflecting integrators, vendors and practitioners) indicated they see sweeping AI frameworks coming, but admitted the industry is not yet prepared to define a framework for AI, noting that the technology’s rate of change is likely outpacing our ability to construct implementation frameworks, particularly ethical frameworks.

 

“IN 2023, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL BECOME REAL IN ORGANIZATIONS. NO-CODE AI, WITH ITS EASY DRAG-AND-DROP INTERFACES, WILL ENABLE ANY BUSINESS TO LEVERAGE ITS POWER TO CREATE MORE INTELLIGENT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.”

—TRENDS FUTURIST BERNARD MARR, WRITING FOR FORBES IN NOVEMBER 2022

 

Autonomous Devices:

Autonomous devices are a physical form of autonomous technology. Robots, both functional and humanoids, drones and vehicles are a few examples of autonomous devices. Autonomous devices learn from their surroundings and complete tasks without continued human input.

Automation of repetitive security tasks in lower-risk environments (think robots doing automated patrols in unstaffed facilities) and partly about highly responsive situational awareness (flying a drone to a remote or dangerous location for visual input back to the command post), but the real opportunity being seen for 2023 is connecting improved robotics with AI-embedded intelligence to finally put more “autonomous” in “autonomous devices,” some of which required an operator to previously drive the robot. Notably the International Standards Organization narrowly defines robots to not include remote-controlled solutions such as remote-controlled drones and ground vehicles.

Over half a million industrial robots were installed in 2021 according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), and that doesn’t even include robots for security applications, which are outside of the scope of the IFR’s annual World Robotics research.

Workforce development:

Workforce development from the societal centric perspective is defined as initiatives that educate and train individuals to meet the needs of current and future business and industry in order to maintain a sustainable competitive economic environment.

In a survey they found attracting skilled labor is a top concern, and there’s only one solution in today’s hyper-competitive labor market: “We must train our own.” Long established as a factor limiting companies’ growth (especially that of the systems integrators), expanding the workforce has become a key focus of organizations like SIA, which partnered with the Electronic Security Association to cofound the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) to drive awareness of security industry employment opportunities.

Smart practitioners, particularly larger corporations with extensive security teams, are also hiring talent from their integrators and vendors in some cases, recognizing that they need internal personnel with the skillsets that they once could wholly outsource. Others are instead outsourcing or embedding integrator talent into their organization.

70% of employees work through mobile devices, with 200 million worldwide using mobile business apps. What’s more, 84% of decision makers plan to increase spending on mobile applications that drive employee productivity, reduce costs and enhance customer satisfaction.

The mobile workplace is a place that offers a host of benefits. Its core objective is to make employees as productive as possible, whether they are at their desks, in the field or working remotely. It’s all about equipping staff with the tools they need to do their jobs more efficiently, putting those tools conveniently at their fingertips, and connecting processes so that everything within a business works more cohesively.
 
Smartphone applications will increasingly be employed in 2023 to control physical security systems. Managers will have fingertip control over who has access to certain zones and facilities, and will be able to set those controls from wherever they happen to be working.
 
Security analytics will collate rich data insights from a suite of IoT connected devices, delivering them into the hands of decision makers via their smart devices, helping to inform security and operational strategies.

Data privacy:

Data privacy is the right of a citizen to have control over how their personal information is collected and used. Data protection is a subset of privacy. This is because protecting user data and sensitive information is a first step to keeping user data private. US data privacy laws are regulated at the federal level. Data privacy is typically applied to personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). This includes financial information, medical records, video footage security, social security or ID numbers, names, birthdates, and contact information. You might be surprised to learn that CCTV footage is subject to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

By 2024, 75% of the Global Population Will Have Its Personal Data Covered Under Privacy Regulations. Ultimately, the practitioner is responsible for ensuring that their data is protected and that systems are used ethically. This had led to pullback from many practitioners on their pace of adoption for some technologies like facial recognition to ensure that they have not only justifiable use cases but the procedures in place to ensure that advanced systems are used responsibly, and that data is only collected when it is needed.

Contactless security:

Contactless technology has become hugely important post-Covid, due to the strong reaction against physical contact. It’s also about the user experience, with people increasingly wanting things to be instant and simple.

Contactless security is therefore, unsurprisingly, becoming more commonplace. Biometric access, using the likes of fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition to identify authorised personnel for physical access into a building or specific part of it, is already becoming the norm, whilst other contactless entry technologies that are set to be even more widely adopted during 2023 and beyond include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and smartphone NFC (Near Field Communication) keyless entry, as well as QR code entry for temporary access.

For added security, multi-factor authentication (MFA), the use of more than one method of identification, is likely to become more widely adopted, as organisations batten down the hatches, making it harder for would-be unauthorised entrants to gain access.