Nortek Security & Control (NSC) today debuted the new Linear 7” e3 Entry System. Linear e3’s new 7” weatherproof product features a larger touchscreen display with a self-adjusting sensor, making it easy-to-read both during the day and at night, as well as in rain, sleet and snow. The display is paired with a stainless-steel keypad […]

Nortek Security & Control (NSC) today announced the addition of the new 7″ e3 Entry System to the Linear line of access control and telephone entry solutions. The browser-based Linear e3 Entry System is a touch screen based entry system with a full query keyboard, which they says minimize the number of steps. Dealers save time with an easy-to-install solution […]

IC Realtime is introducing a new surveillance camera with on-board analytics to provide traffic metrics for business owners. The new 3 Mega Pixel, IP-based surveillance camera (Model: ICIP-3128-3D) is designed for retail installations and features a dual lens, dual camera design to differentiate between flat 2D objects and 3D people. When mounted towards the entrance of a retail environment, the ICIP-3128-3D […]

Last month for rAVe Ed, I wrote an article about school safety. I was inspired by the Parkland students, who suffered a horrible tragedy and decided to do something to make sure others did not have to suffer a similar tragedy. I specifically avoided talking politics and law. I think there is a place for […]

In rAVe Ed, we read about technologies that help teachers reach their students in new and improved ways. On occasion, we have written about how technologies in schools can also improve the safety of schools. In light of the recent violence in Florida and regular violence in schools in this country, I think we, as […]

As the world moves further and further into a technology-enabled and -dependent world, serious questions arise about personal and institutional privacy. Recently, news headlines have revealed that a seemingly innocuous bit of data could have far reaching and deadly side effects. Over the past several years, the U.S. Army has issued fitness trackers to its […]

Nortek Security & Control (NSC) today announced the integration of the ELAN Entertainment and Control Platform with the 2GIG GC3, claiming it to be the industry’s first Z-Wave Plus Certified Security panel. The GC3 panel can now be controlled natively from within the intuitive ELAN user interface ELAN’s Auto Zone Detection simplifies installation; once the panel has been configured, all zones […]

The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools K-12 (PASS K-12) – an initiative developed by the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) and the Security Industry Association (SIA) – is excited to announce that its guidelines have been used by the Secure Schools Alliance Research and Education (the Alliance) organization to create the first-ever school security construction […]

As I’m sure many of you are aware, there were quite a few instances of digital signage hacking this year. One of the most recent incidents, the hacking at Union Station, has stirred up some concern regarding safety for digital signage. Not to worry! Our team has put together four safety check steps to ensure […]

LILIN Americas, a division of Merit, has added to its line of IP cameras with the MR832 outdoor bullet camera, marketed as an entry-level surveillance system. The MR832 features a 4-millimeter fixed lens with an IP66 environment rating, an operating range of -40° to 122°F, along with 30M IR LED illumination and day/night imaging. LILIN MR832 IP cameras feature […]

Recent experiences have brought security installations to the forefront of my thinking. Security subsystems are something that AV pros have polarizing opinions on. Some don’t mind handling them, some do so only grudgingly, and others won’t touch them. Like everything, when deciding whether to do security at all there are pros and cons. The most […]

Metra Home Theater Group announces the new 16-Channel Hybrid DVR, encompassing the four most common video technologies, as well as 16 new Spyclops cameras. The 16-Channel Hybrid DVR (SPY-DVR16HYB2) provides dealers with more flexibility due to its compatibility with four types of video technology, including AHD, TVI, analog and IP. Dealers can utilize any combination […]

How the “New” industry security discussion really began Back in mid-January of this year, the AV world was rocked by a story that truly caught fire within hours after it was first reported. I watched it filter through the industry – the articles and podcasts – however I waited for the right moment to post […]

URC introduces HomeSet, a streamlined system optimized for the home security solutions channel. This is a completely new system build from the ground up by URC — new technology, new hardware, new software. It utilizes cloud-based programming and maintenance, and offers cloud compatibility with other cloud-based systems. HomeSet integrates with Z-Wave devices, Nest, SONOS and […]

Headline: Channel Partners – 3/10/16: Network Security Incidents High Among World’s Largest Companies Story: A new survey of IT and security professionals reveals that 72 percent of organizations have experienced five or more network security incidents in the past 12 months. Regardless of region or technology, IT and security administrators revealed that their networks have significant blind […]

If you haven’t heard yet, Apple has issued a public response to the US Governments request for software that would allow them to circumvent encryption on an iPhone. The long and short is that after the San Bernadino attack was found to have ISIS ties, the FBI found themselves in possession of the attacker’s iPhone. […]

Crestron’s Toine Leerentveld is the control system security expert. I caught up with him at ISE and asked him about the industry’s current concerns with the security of control systems and what Crestron is doing to address it. He also tells me about a security guide that Crestron has to help integrators deal with this […]

Recently there have been a few people who would have you believe that “Networked AV is the single biggest threat to cyber security today.”  Are the people who are saying this seriously stating that Networked AV poses a bigger threat to cybersecurity than social engineering or the other countless cyber security issues that end users […]

The AV industry received some unsettling news last week regarding a potential security vulnerability in Harman’s control processors. It was a rare moment when we as a group were all in the news, though not in a good way. For those who’ve not seen it by now, Ars Technica reported that AMX (now Harman) Netlinx […]

Will new headsets and more powerful phones pave the way for brain-controlled smartphone apps? Imagine calling your friends through the power of thought? According to an IBM and Xerox paper (*) summarizing the state-of-the-art in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), applications may well be developed including brain-driven software for dialing numbers, as well as for messaging and calling […]

Toshiba Surveillance & IP Video Products has embraced new 960H analog technology alongside its IP network-focused product portfolio by introducing today its first 960H dome cameras. Providing a thirty percent increase in resolution over comparatively priced D1 analog cameras, the new IKS-D207 (indoor) and IKS-R307 (outdoor) cameras incorporate a 960 x 640 CCD sensor to […]

IC Realtime is debuting a lineup of 4K video surveillance products this week that includes a 360-degree x 360-degree Virtual PTZ camera and NVRs. As you likely already know, Ultra HD 4K display has 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution with an expanded color space, in a 16:9 format, and uses progressive scanning at 25/30 Hz. […]

For those who may remember Catch Me If You Can, the movie is based on the story of a young man, a clever forger, who becomes a lawyer, a doctor and a pilot — all while still in high school avoiding the FBI by continuously staying one step ahead. For those who don’t know the story, watch […]

This week my daughter and I have been working on our presentations for InfoComm. That’s right. This year we get to present together for the first time ever. Some of you met my daughter when she was about 8 or 9 when I first came into AV and now she is teaching in AV and […]

I had a chance to interview Mike Brandofino, EVP Video and UC at AVI-SPL, and he explained the company’s new VNOC and Block ME products that are debuting here at ISE. The VNOC (Symphony Automated Room Shutdown) hinders uninvited guests from seeing or hearing what is happening in a conference room by automatically performing a […]

AVI-SPL has introduced two new features addressing the increased concern by customers about unauthorized video calls into meeting rooms. AVI-SPL’s expanded solution portfolio allows clients in varying industries to easily incorporate privacy safeguards into their day-to-day conferencing experiences. VNOC Symphony Automated Room Shutdown: VNOC Symphony’s Business Processes Automation Module hinders uninvited guests from seeing or […]

JVC just announced the VN-H557U network HD-resolution indoor PTZ dome camera — an entry-level ONVIF Profile S-compliant unit equipped with a wide angle zoom lens (6.3-63.3mm). Using a 2 megapixel CMOS imager, the VN-H557U is 1920×1080 resolution and is integrated with JVC’s so-called Super LoLux HD technology for very low-light color reproduction. The built-in lens […]

My favorite wrestler — and yes, that means I like more than one — is John Cena. The man is a fabulous athlete and ferociously intelligent, but I mostly like him simply for his signature move — the You Can’t See Me. It’s hilarious — he pretends to hide behind his hand, which is waving […]

In July of this year, one of our local sales and integration firms, Advance Technology Inc. (ATI), won the Installer of the Year award from Security Sales & Integration Magazine. You can check out the news release here. What struck me about the article is that ATI is using some sophisticated tools for remote maintenance […]

Sony’s new Scalable Management Software (SMS) is used to view and control Sony NSR and RSM recording products for security camera monitoring. It can be used to connect up to 1,000 Sony NSR-500 and/or NSR-1000 series recorders across multiple monitoring sites and allows for scalable monitoring systems – adding cameras on-the-fly. In addition, multiple site […]