Where else can you find so much innovative kit in one place?
Installers don't tend to be easily pleased, and their enthusiasm at shows – both the nationals and the many and various industry roadshows – is frequently tinged with criticism.

These go along the familiar lines of products being "too similar", being "the same as last year", stand staff "not able to answer my questions properly" right down to the "queues at the café" and "the price of the sandwiches".

Which is why the usual positive comments from the exhibitors at IFSEC 2004 rang especially true this year because, speaking to installers, I got the impression that this was, without a doubt, one of the best IFSECs ever … and, according to organisers, CMPi, the best ever.

Shouting above the band at Norbain's generous party for their customers (the best food … all you could eat, four great tribute bands and drinks on the house!) one installer told me: "I've been coming to IFSEC for a few years but this year it shows how much this industry is changing quickly. You gotta keep your eye on the ball now."

Apart from reading Security Installer every month, I can't think of a better way for installers to keep their eye on the ball than the annual pilgrimage to Brum.

And whether you know what you're looking for (I know an installer who went to IFSEC just to find a ladder stabiliser!) or go with an open mind and looking for new ideas, it's the best security show in the world and – in global terms – right on our doorstep.

Gimmicks there were not … (ok, I came away with the usual bag of trinkets … pens, yo-yo's, a Panasonic 'eyeball', a BT redcare pop-up house!).

Girls there were not … (some hot-pants giving out leaflets but nothing like VCL's Monroe lookalike, Dennard's 'schoolgirls' or Baxall's 'Spice Girls' of former years).

What was there for installers were some great new products and ideas to develop from the 600-plus exhibitors … (and readers will be pleased to know we've lined up some of the best for our forthcoming Bench Tests).

Panoramic CCTV
Causing a lot of interest with installers was the concept of panoramic (180 and 360 deg) cameras.

Ah, you may say, didn't we hear all about that a couple of years ago from Philips? You're right … but two cameras at the show this year showed panoramic images in colour.

According to another reveller at Norbain's party (someone who has, incidentally, agreed to be one of our forthcoming 'Instal-lers In the Spotlight' ) panoramic cameras will be a highly significant development for installers.

One camera, discretely embedded in the ceiling, can cover, say, a whole shop floor, supplying panoramic images and even catch the 'signalling' between thieves. Crucially, for installers, there are no moving parts, so maintenance is at a minimum, and of course one camera can replace multiples.

   Sony Image Sensing Solutions is releasing the RPU-C251 360 deg panoramic camera as an OEM module for manufacturers and integrators. Sony DSP technology ensures that the doughnut shaped image is reformed as a perfect panoramic view.

(Reader Service No 102).

GrandEye launched the Halocam 180 an "affordable" panoramic wide angle camera which features multiple "virtual" cameras that provide two 180 deg views. Two analogue outputs can be controlled independently and configured from a conventional PTZ control board. A single function key can configure the outputs to give one or more PTZ views, panoramic views or combination multi-views displayed on the same screen.

(Reader Service No 103)

The uses for panoramic cameras could be many … I overheard one suggestion that outdoor cameras could be developed to go on patrol vehicles so that incidents after a police stop would never again be lost "off screen". It will be interesting to hear of the applications to which this technology can be applied … any suggestions?

Looking to the future
Of course, the exhibition was bursting with CCTV equipment and IP technology in particular. Also notable was a new emphasis on combating retail theft (both Dedicated Micros and Norbain Vista introduced new EPOS – electronic point of sale – equipment). This is not surprising when you consider that the majority of retail theft is by staff themselves!

I also saw a number of companies displaying GUI software which shows where every camera is sited on screen … useful when security guards/operators come in fresh to a big site with multiple cameras.

There was a great emphasis on CCTV now providing more than just security. Manufacturers are responding to end users who want the CCTV on a network to earn its place by providing "extra value" such as shopper footfall information and crowd management.

Generally, access control manufacturers seem to be finally embracing biometrics technology and, with national ID card plans now being piloted, there is sure to be greater public acceptance of technology that has been waiting in the wings for up to a decade.

Intruder alarm manufacturers also seem to have been revitalised with many new products in this sector being launched as a result of Euro regulations. There was a drift towards home automation functions being incorporated into control panels … and, of course, the whole virtually-untapped domestic security alarms sector is still a great carrot to installers and manufacturers alike.

Exporters honoured
With so many UK security manufacturers now exporting the majority of their equipment, this aspect of production is fast gaining in importance and is marked by the BSIA New Exporter of the Year Award. Winner was Network Video Technologies who say they are the driving force behind real time CCTV video over UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable.

The stars of the show
Regular readers will have seen last month's edition in which we detailed the 14 innovative products shortlisted for the IFSEC Awards, sponsored by the BSIA.

From a smoke protection device for warehouses to an intruder alarm system that can automate homes … from a handheld CCTV system that shows police exactly what they're up against to a device that cuts out camera shake on the windiest days … this year's finalists covered the widest range … and a number of them had that "star" quality to be big in the market. (For a full rundown of all the finalists see Security Installer's June edition "Top Products Line Up" report).

I had the privilege of, once again, being invited to join the BSIA's judges and, in my opinion, this was the most interesting set of products in my six years on the panel.

Representatives of the winning companies received their trophies at the IFSEC security industry awards dinner, one of the major highlights of the security year and attended by more than 400 industry professionals and leading companies.

The overall winner was: QuinetiQ: StableEyes
With this system, camera shake on high-zoom surveillance cameras is removed. Using image processing, it is said to leave operators with clear, stable and steady video and increase the operational range of high zoom cameras in windy conditions. It is simply installed in line with the viewing monitor and is compatible with live and pre-recorded video. The system operates by employing ultra-fast real time video analysing techniques to keep images jitter free whatever the weather conditions. It can improve the performance of digital compression systems as stable images compress more efficiently.
Reader Service No 104

The five other winners were:
iOmniscient: IQ-180
An intelligent video system for 'non-motion detection', the IQ-180 can find objects left in a very busy scene even if they are obscured for a significant proportion of the time. The capability extends with items so small and with such little contrast that the human operator cannot see them. The system can cope with objects that are totally obscured for 50 per cent of the time in a busy scene involving hundreds of people. Based on artificial intelligent algorithms, the system can "jump to events" allowing the user to determine who left the object and when. The system will run on standard computers.
Reader Service No 105

Panasonic:
BM-ET300 Iris recognition

This is a one-glance access control system with Voice Guidance that can accurately identify individuals . False acceptance rates are so low that the probability of falsely identifying one individual as another is "virtually zero" says the company. It can be used as a standalone system or integrated into a multi-faceted solution across many markets, ie simplified passenger transport (fast lane security lines, boarding passes etc). It can also be used as a clocking-in device and is currently being used in a school application where dinner ladies can view a child's particular dietary needs.
Reader Service No 106

Synectics Systems: SynergyMobile
This hand held monitoring system extends the effectiveness of control rooms, allowing operators to relay camera images to users in the field who can see images of an incident. It is said to be particularly suitable for town and city centre surveillance schemes, allowing control rooms to relay CCTV images to a mobile unit using the handsets equipped with 02 wireless network services. In the event of an incident, operators can send images to single or multiple email addresses. Police on the ground are able to track incidents as they unfold or examine recorded video clips to clearly identify suspects and their precise locations.
Reader Service No 107

TDSI: Optica
For use in access control systems, Optica is a proximity reader combined with a keypad that has no moving keys. The keypad works by using optical components to detect the presence of a finger. The product allows systems to achieve Class 4 security as defined by the BSIA publication Security Classification of Access Control Systems. Such systems only grant access when the correct PIN is entered after a card is presented to the reader. Someone attempting to use a lost or stolen card would be unlikely to know the correct PIN for that particular code and would be denied access. The blocked attempt could then trigger an alarm or CCTV recording.
Reader Service No 108

WebWayOne:
IP Security Management System

The system enables alarm receiving centres to promote IP signalling and line monitoring services. Working within industry regulations and ABI requirements, it is a solution for line monitoring that does not require a third party service provider. By integrating to the serial interface of the alarm panel, SIA commands and controls can be transmitted. For sites that require it, WebWayOne provides a plug-on GSM dual signalling module that notifies the ARC of signal strength and cell availability via the primary path and loss of primary path via the GSM network
Reader Service No 109

More notable products ahead
Many more notable products caught the eye of Security Installer staff … far too many to include in this short report … but over the next couple of months we will be including the best of these in our product pages and special features.

So what was the overall verdict on the show?
According to Rob Healey of Panasonic: "This year was our biggest and best IFSEC to date. The quality of visitors to our stand was very high." And Dave Profit of the SSAIB said: "It was very busy, we had many installers on our stand".

The verdict of IFSEC organisers CMPi was that this year's show was "the best to date" with long queues and packed aisles. Visitor numbers look to have increased on last year and stand re-bookings were up.

Features of the four-day event included the IBM sponsored Network Advantage series of seminars covering the convergence of IT and security technologies CMPi group director, Simon Parker, said: "IFSEC has again proved itself as the world's largest security event and has demonstrated that it's growing– in terms of the technology as well as visitor numbers. The proportion of visitors from outside the UK has also increased reinforcing IFSEC's reputation as a truly global event."

And finally …
Mention must also be made of some of the great events the Security Installer team attended (well someone's got to do it!) … such as the aforementioned Norbain evening and the Pelco evening both at the Metropole, the Honeywell comedy night at the Glee Club and Panasonic's unforgettable event at the Comedy Club, where I laughed so much it hurt … thanks, especially to "Tracy", the real star of the show … 'nuff said!

So more than ever, I'm looking forward to next year's IFSEC. With the rapid pace of technology it's got to be the world's best security event for installers and all those who really want to keep their eye on the ball.