A new security system that is sure to open the eyes of dealers, due to its RMR potential, ease of installation, and likelihood of reducing false dispatches and prioritizing police response, will be introduced at Electronic Security Expo (ESX) next month in Baltimore by RSI Video Technologies, St. Paul, Minn. It is a residential version of the company’s Videofied system, a wireless security system that transmits a video clip of the intrusion to a central station upon alarm activation, using cellular communications.

In 2007 the company’s commercial system, Videofied, won a Product Achievement award in the Intrusion Detection/Prevention category, as well as the Best of NPS Innovation award in the New Product Showcase competition. Videofied went on to have more than 100,000 systems installed worldwide through its security dealer channel.

At ISC West in Las Vegas last month, RSI president Keith Jentoft demonstrated the new Videofied XL for the residential market in a private suite off of the show floor. Response to the system by both security dealers and central stations was overwhelming, Jentoft said.

Jentoft also gave SDM an opportunity to preview Videofied XL in action at ISC West, by initiating an alarm and letting us see how quickly the signal and video documentation arrived at the “central station,” as well as how an operator may respond to the alarm using the system’s two-way voice capability.

“This product is for mainstream dealers,” Jentoft said, adding that RSI was previewing the system to major central stations so they were prepared for it by ESX. “While pressure for alarm verification is building, the goal [of this product] is priority police response,” he said. Jentoft cited the city of Charlotte, N.C., where alarm users who have systems with video verification do not have to pay the alarm permit fee.

For dealers, the fact that Videofied XL uses cellular technology to allow both the video and two-way voice to be transmitted between the protected premises and a central station means that they don’t need to worry about VoIP issues nor do customer sites need a broadband connection.

Jentoft calls the solution “unplugged” because it is totally wireless and will operate for up to four years on one set of D-size alkaline batteries. The system’s components also have the same four-year battery life. “The entire system is wireless and unplugged, meaning that there is no need for AC power on either the panel or the peripheral devices. The whole system can be mounted anywhere without worrying about a transformer,” Jentoft said. This feature makes the system well-suited for the rental market, because renters can take it with them when they move.

The basic kit includes a panel with a bidirectional wireless receiver; the panel has an integral keypad and proximity card reader for convenient arming and disarming, a siren, a speaker/microphone for two-way voice, the cellular modem and the video feature. The kit also includes a “MotionViewer” digital camera/PIR unit with infrared illuminators for low-light/night-vision applications, two contact switches, and two proximity fobs. The system accommodates up to 20 total devices, even including Videofied exterior peripherals such as outdoor MotionViewers and outdoor siren/strobes.

The wireless range of the 915MHz system is 2,000 ft. The video is transmitted at 5 frames per second at 240 by 320 resolution.

Also being introduced is the Videofied XT, which allows dealers to add video and cell backup to any existing alarm panel, a retrofit opportunity for dealers to go back to their existing customers and offer these police-response-enhancing capabilities. Jentoft suggests that dealers charge an additional $4 to $10 a month for monitoring Videofied systems. The Videofied XL kit is priced the same as other similar residential systems without video. “Video is now free,” Jentoft said.

The Videofied solution is already integrated with these central station automation platforms: ABM, Bold, DICE, IBS, MAStermind, Micro Key Software, SIMS, SIS, and Sureview.

“The RSI Videofied approach and product technology takes the pain out of the “pain and joy” of deploying wireless security systems,” said Keith Fisher, president and CEO of KEYTH® Technologies Inc., Highland Park, Ill.

"This product is exactly what the doctor ordered for the times and our clients’ needs. RSI delivers exactly what RSI promises, verified video in an all-wireless package.”