Technology at Work - SDM -- New Directions for Security Systems & Integration

Technology & Work: Wireless Mesh Complements the Fiber Backbone in Chicago’s ‘Operation Virtual Shield’ Project

The vision of Chicago’s Mayor Richard M. Daley was to create a mesh of security around the city’s downtown area on the shore of Lake Michigan. That goal is in the process of being realized by the Operation Virtual Shield project, which is using a wireless network for more than just video, although that is a large portion of its use.

by Russ Gager

	VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION Extra Funding, Extra Bid Help School District Gain a ‘Mega’-Security System Although when bidding for work, security dealers and systems integrators must price the equipment and work specified, nothing prevents them from suggesting a different system than the one requested by submitting an alternate bid. by Russ Gager

	WHOLE-HOUSE CONTROL Project Is a ‘Showcase’ for Dealer’s Expertise Some security companies might find a one-and-a-half-year installation of a complete home control system in a single-family home daunting, but it is the most satisfying work for Harold Sowell, owner of Pioneer Communications, Cookeville, Tenn. by Russ Gager

MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL INTERCOM
A-BUS Audio Boosts the Features of this Intercom

On Long Island, N.Y., vast stretches of undeveloped land have been steadily transformed into a multitude of new residential and commercial properties for close to three decades. While other areas have suffered from a declining number of new building projects, Long Island has kept rolling along, with demand for new homes and potential for retail and corporate building not letting up for a moment.

	REMOTE HOME MANAGEMENT Dealer Shows Builders Why Technologies Can Help Grow Both their Businesses As recently as a few years ago, Nova Scotia-based integrator DNS Systems found itself struggling to convince homebuilders that control technology could help differentiate their homes from their competition.

	BATTLEBOT TEAM DISTINGUISHES SCHOOL Network Centralizes Control of 6 Hybrid Video Systems A technical school district whose students have gained fame in the computer-robot fighting competitions called “Battlebots” would be expected to have the latest video surveillance technology, and now it does. by Russ Gager

	NEW SYSTEM USES LEGACY CARDS Access to Facility Controlled through Internet Like many businesses in major metropolitan areas, telx -— a provider of Meet Me Room and core interconnection facility solutions — leases space in a multi-tenant building in New York City that is home to more than 30 technology and enterprise companies.

	IP VIDEO UPGRADE County Buildings Benefit from Adaptable Video System Court security is a serious issue for many governmental bodies, so when officials in Lake County, Ill., took a survey on where to install the first phase of 79 IP-addressable video cameras, the reaction was not what they expected. by Russ Gager

Addressability Added to Condominium System
Fire Panel Failure Causes Management to Act

In September 2006, a service call was made to Fire Alarm Maintenance Co. (FAMCO) of Aston, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia. The call came from the Plaza Condominium, a 14-story high-rise located on Atlantic City’s Boardwalk. The nature of the call? The Plaza’s fire alarm system had failed and required urgent attention.

by Russ Gager

	MEDICAL CENTER DEPENDS ON 360-DEG. VIEWS No Getting around These Cameras As Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte, Neb., has tripled in size over the last 20 years, improved electronic devices have kept the security guard detail at its current level. by Russ Gager

	Construction Equipment Site Installs Wireless Video System No Trenching – No Problem Holt Caterpillar, located on the southeast side of San Antonio, has built a reputation as the largest dealer of the familiar yellow earth-moving and agricultural machinery equipment in the United States.

	SWEAT AND TEARS NEEDED TO SECURE BLOOD FACILITY Blood Supply Secured in Five Facilities Managers at the main facility of American Red Cross Blood Services in the New York-Pennsylvania region in 2004 evaluated the facility’s existing proprietary security system and found it to be outdated and unfriendly.

	SECURITY UPGRADE AT HISTORIC SAN FRANCISCO HOTEL Since its opening, every president since Taft (except George W. Bush) has stayed at The Fairmont, along with royalty, foreign heads of state, celebrities and Fortune 500 corporate executives.

AGING CCTV SYSTEM UPGRADED INEXPENSIVELY

An inexpensive fix helped a high-rise significantly upgrade its aging CCTV security system’s functionality and combine analog video, digital monitoring and analysis. The upgraded system turbo-charges the facility’s original analog cameras, patching them into a digital video recording system with smart analytics, and integrating them with access control.

	CODE IDENTIFIES CABLE LOCATIONS Wire Marking System Increases Access Control Job Productivity As integrators step further into a more technology-savvy era, the planning and organizing of complex installations becomes very sophisticated. Because of this, many low-voltage contractors are seeking outside resources to help with their installations.

IN WITH THE OLD; IN WITH THE NEW
Powerful Video System Gets Gaming OK at Historic Hotel-Casino Renovation

Deadwood, S.D., may be trading in on the notoriety of its founding through the recent HBO series “Deadwood,” but the South Dakota Gaming Commission ensures that the days of the Wild West are over in the casinos it oversees, like the new one at the recently remodeled Franklin Hotel in Deadwood.

by Russ Gager

	Technology @ work: CLASSIC ‘GRAND DAME’ HOTEL IS REJUVENATED AS CONDOMINIUMS “If these walls could talk…” This old expression is particularly appropriate for the historic Brookside Hotel and Apartments in Kansas City, Mo., that have been renovated into the Crestwood Condominiums.

	Technology at Work: VILLAGE INTEGRATES ACCESS AND VIDEO OVER 26 SQUARE MILES AND SEVERAL YEARS In the post-9/11 world, the Village of Hoffman Estates, Ill., began planning in earnest to protect its water supply and other infrastructure, and the staff who serve its more than 51,000 residents.

Technology at Work: IP-BASED NETWORK SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEM GETS FANS CLOSER TO THE ACTION

The Staples Center in Los Angeles has been busy most nights of the year since it opened in 1999. It is the home to five professional sports teams, as well as events ranging from rock concerts to political conventions. The facility has more than 120 luxury suites that offer a unique way to catch all the action.