OPTEX launches intelligent visual monitoring solution for installers and end users

Monitored intruder alarms can now be visually verified within seconds without impacting the integrity of the technology installed or its grade. When an alarm occurs, a signal is instantly sent to the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) where the operator can view images both before and after the alarm event as well as the live view via a dedicated portal to determine whether the alarm is genuine.

Camera locations can be overlaid with a map of detection zones, thus helping the operator to quickly and easily ‘see’ where the incident has occurred and take the appropriate action. Images can also be sent directly to the customer’s handheld device for further verification if, for example, the alarm is genuine, but the ‘intruder’ is known to the customer or has a legitimate reason for being on site.

The OPTEX Bridge is the hardware device (ie gateway) that’s physically connecting the intrusion sensors or the panic buttons and IP cameras on site. It provides a complete audit trail of activity and can detect when a camera isn’t working (ie when it has dropped out of the network) and report the fault, thereby ensuring that security isn’t compromised.

Via a gated cloud portal, it can also communicate with the ARC in the appropriate ‘language’, regardless of the make or manufacturer of the monitoring technology installed or, indeed, the protocols with which it operates. It will, in effect, work with virtually any intruder alarm technology and any ONVIF camera to deliver one seamless visual verification solution. The ARC software needs to be compatible, while many of the major ARC software platforms are already integrated.

Remote Video Response Centres

Whereas the monitoring of intruder alarms through an ARC is generally accepted Best Practice, CCTV monitoring remains slow to take hold. Part of the problem has come down to finance. Larger sites such as major depots and warehouses with constant activity 24/7 can clearly benefit from a fully-functioning CCTV system monitored through a dedicated Remote Video Response Centre (RVRC). While they would benefit from visually verified alarms, smaller sites would struggle to justify the investment of a full-scale RVRC solution.

ARCs now have the ability to provide a visual verification service to residential and commercial sites without a substantial investment in time or money. The Bridge can be installed and working within the hour. The cloud-hosted platform also allows a stronger collaboration between the ARC and business owners by dint of having the ability to share video clips to confirm the alarms while respecting any privacy guidelines through its bespoke privacy feature that only end users can release.

Masaya Kida, managing director of OPTEX EMEA states that, following the installation of the OPTEX Bridge, sensors and cameras combine to deliver a secure, reliable and effective early warning solution, detecting and reacting to an intrusion before a potentially damaging and costly event has occurred.

“It’s also invaluable to those customers who need police response and may have lost their Unique Reference Number,” explained Kida. “A visually verified alarm will put them back on the list police response. For installers, meanwhile, it provides them with the opportunity to re-engage and adds further value for their customers thanks to seamless integrate with existing systems and technology across single or multiple sites.”