Fastcom Technology, a Swiss provider of video-based event detection solutions to the security industry, says it has demonstrated a next generation wireless alarm terminal.
Fastcom Technology, a Swiss provider of video-based event detection solutions to the security industry, says it has demonstrated a next generation wireless alarm terminal (WAT) that provides streaming video confirmation of emergency situations. The WAT uses PVPlatformTM, PacketVideo?s mobile streaming software system to supply real-time streaming video to portable devices over private and public communications networks. This solution, says Fastcom, enables event confirmation to be provided to security personnel on the move using low cost hardware (PDAs, telephones etc) and existing communications infrastructure (GSM, GPRS, CDMA etc). As the WAT only streams video when an alarm condition has been detected, the user only pays for communication when it is necessary. Event confirmation, the proof that an alarm is triggered on the real occurrence of an event is a source of major expense to the security industry. Now it becomes possible to use video to allow personnel to confirm a security situation before intervention. The Fastcom WAT is designed to provide an ?end-to-end? solution and features, the firm says: ?just the information you want?. Video streaming only takes place when an event is detected. This means that costs are reduced as only relevant data is sent to the user. Confidentiality. This is essential in security products and Fastcom uses a scrambling mechanism with smart card based terminals to be able to ensure that only authorised users can view the transmitted video. The video scrambling algorithms are compliant with the MPEG-4 based intellectual property management protocol (IPMP). This protocol ensures interoperability while permitting the use of freely available MPEG-4 players. Telecommunication technology independence. The WAT is not dependent on any telecommunication standard. It can be operated on any network with sufficient data transmission capability such as GSM, CDMA, GPRS, UMTS or WCDMA. Private networks such as WLAN or Bluetooth based can also be used. It is based on MPEG-4 technology. This is the next generation video transmission standard and ensures a future proof solution. Video source authentication and integrity. Fastcom leverages digital signature technologies to confirm the authenticity of the video events. The potential applications of the WAT are quite diverse, Fastcom argue. It is suitable for supervising large buildings and industrial sites such as refineries as well as for residential security. Common to each of these applications is the requirement for secure, video evidence of a security alert that allows swift intervention of the emergency services. See www.fastcom-technology.com.
