GreenPeak launches dual-protocol ZigBee chip

Editor / Provider: GreenPeak Technologies | Updated: 9/6/2012 | Article type: Component

GreenPeak Technologies, a Smart Home RF-communication semiconductor company, announced the launch of the new GP710, a dual-protocol ZigBee communications controller with simultaneous support for ZigBee RF4CE and ZigBee IP/ZigBee PRO protocols.

The GP710 communication controller is targeted for set-top boxes, gateways and Smart Home controllers and designed for supporting simultaneously ZigBee RF4CE applications – such as remote controls – as well as ZigBee IP or ZigBee PRO Smart Home applications such as security, home care and energy management.

The benefits of this GreenPeak dual-protocol communication chip are much simpler product design, cost reduction of the total product bill-of-material (single silicon) and a less complex PCB and antenna that makes it simpler and faster for developers to integrate ZigBee into their set-top box or gateway designs.

“The GP710 provides a low cost solution that combines different ZigBee Network protocols into a single chip,” said Cees Links, Founder and CEO of GreenPeak Technologies. “GreenPeak has developed special hardware features to enable multi-protocol support, minimizing the interrupt load on the set-top box processor, and allowing simultaneous RF4CE and other ZigBee protocol operations. This is a first for the industry! Because of GreenPeak's superior range that covers the whole home and its ultra-low power consumption for long battery life, the GP710 is the best in class choice for integrated low cost Smart Home ZigBee applications.”

Cees Links continues: “Many large operators already support ZigBee RF4CE in the set-top box and remote controls and have an urgent need to broaden the service offering to their customers.

GreenPeak's GP710 communications controller will make new Smart Home service offerings less expensive because new residential applications can all be controlled from the set-top box or gateway using a single device.”

"This solution leverages the growing availability of ZigBee RF4CE in the market,” said Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates. “Adding ZigBee IP/ZigBee Pro to the ZigBee RF4CE silicon will make it easy for service providers already using ZigBee RF4CE remote controls to add home automation devices - now an area of significant focus by communications service providers."

TI FPD-Link III Chipset Streamlines Video and Data Interface for Megapixel Driver Assist Cameras

Editor / Provider: Texas Instruments | Updated: 8/21/2012 | Article type: Component

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) introduced the DS90UB913Q serializer and DS90UB914Q deserializer, the newest additions to its FPD-Link III automotive-grade chipset family. The SerDes chipset provides a seamless video and data interface to megapixel driver assist camera modules, with no software overhead and fewer wires, resulting in reduced power consumption, cost and weight. These system-level SerDes enhancements are accelerating the adoption of camera safety systems in the mid- and entry-level vehicle segments. Applications include front-view camera for collision avoidance and traffic sign/pedestrian recognition, rear-view camera for backup protection, and surround-view cameras for parking assistance.

Camera systems have become an important automotive safety component, typically combining multiple camera modules with advanced image analysis to help drivers monitor road conditions, detect hazards and avoid collisions. Automotive safety system designers can use TI's FPD-Link III SerDes chipsets to connect cameras and displays to an electronic control unit (ECU) with thinner, more flexible cabling.

Key features and benefits of the DS90UB913Q and DS90UB914Q:
- Smallest serializer for ultra-compact megapixel camera modules: DS90UB913Q features 25-mm2 footprint, with 10-MHz to 100-MHz pixel clock and 10- and 12-bit pixel depth.
- Industry's first adaptive receiver EQ compensates cable loss: DS90UB914Q automatically adapts EQ gain, compensating for dynamic and long-term changes in cable loss.
- Fast response time increases driver safety: Continuous, bidirectional control channel on a single twisted pair cable provides low latency for precise multi-camera synchronization.
- Lower-cost cable assemblies: Lower serial line rates of up to 1.4 Gbps drive down system costs.
- System flexibility: DS90UB914Q's integrated 2:1 multiplexer allows the ECU video processor to select content from two camera sources.
- Supports heat-exposed installations: The SerDes chipset operates over the -40 degrees C to 105 degrees C temperature range.

The DS90UB913Q and DS90UB914Q can be combined with other automotive vision control building blocks, including the TMS320DM8148 (DM8148) automotive vision processor; LM22671 42-V, 500-mA SIMPLE SWITCHER? step-down voltage regulator; and LP38693 500-mA LDO regulator.

Tools and support
The DS90UB913Q serializer and DS90UB914Q deserializer are supported by the SERDESUB-913ROS evaluation kit. It is available today for a suggested retail price of US$399. IBIS models for the DS90UB913Q and DS90UB914Q are also available. Engineers designing with this SerDes chipset can ask questions and get answers from TI experts in the TI E2E? Community High Speed Interface Forum.

Availability, packaging and pricing
The DS90UB913Q and DS90UB914Q are available now for a suggested retail price of US$5.36 for each device in 1,000-unit quantities. The DS90UB913Q serializer is supplied in a 32-pin, 5-mm x 5-mm QFN package, while the DS90UB914Q deserializer is offered in a 48-pin, 7-mm x 7-mm QFN package.

Texas Instruments driving innovation in automotive applications
TI offers a full suite of reliable, state-of-the-art semiconductor products that allow manufacturers and system suppliers to deliver world-class features to the automotive market. In addition to our extensive catalog of analog power management, interface and signal chain solutions, TI offers Hercules? TMS570 safety microcontrollers, OMAP processors and wireless connectivity solutions, all with excellent product documentation and qualification to strict AEC-Q100 and ISO/TS 16949 standards. Whether improving system efficiency and safety or designing a vehicle that is more informative or fun, TI helps customers achieve their quality, reliability and cost goals and succeed in today's competitive automotive marketplace.

Future of Access Control (Sponsored)

Editor / Provider: Submitted by TDSi | Updated: 8/17/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

In the past, access control has been a “fit and forget” system that can last in excess of 15 years. However, according to access control manufacturer TDSi, there are some exciting innovations and trends emerging in the industry that are making security managers re-evaluate what they have and how it can be improved. These advances are penetrating every aspect of access control from controllers and readers, through to how the technology is delivered and powered.

“Access control is an integral part of the security industry's move toward IP, as the much hyped convergence of physical and IT security becomes a reality,” explained John Davies, MD of TDSi, a global solution provider access control systems. This is also driving adoption of physical security information management (PSIM) solutions to integrate security and nonsecurity systems for a more holistic approach to building and facilities management.

Vendors, installers, integrators and end users are all realizing the remote monitoring, system control and diagnostic capabilities that IP brings to access control systems, which cannot be achieved with traditional serial RS485 communications. “The introduction of IP and associated power over Ethernet (PoE) delivers substantial energy cost savings, and intelligent PoE switches can achieve even greater gains when integrated with building management and lighting systems,” Davies added.

One of the most exciting and biggest growth areas in the access control market that TDSi is at the heart of is biometrics readers, as Davies explained. “Fingerprint technology is still the main method; however, facial recognition is growing in popularity, especially in areas where noncontact is required, including sanitized health care areas or situations where the environment can affect the condition of a user's hands, such as the construction industry.”

“Biometrics will continue to increase in popularity, and with improvements in the reliability and usability of facial recognition, coupled with the advances in the video surveillance world, it won't be long before these two combine to provide facial recognition as standard from the surveillance system,” Davies stated. Soft biometrics is another exciting progression, taking advantage of video integration and utilizing human descriptions of a subject's physical appearance, to recognize individuals based upon a number of physical traits.

Davies added, “Undoubtedly, cards will continue to be an integral component for many access control systems for some time, but as well as the rise of biometrics, there is also growth in near-field communications (NFC). This has largely been borne from the market growth of smartphones and the potential to use them as an authentication credential.”

Another trend is not the technology but how it is delivered, with vendors taking advantage of IP infrastructure and cloud computing to offer hosted access control software systems and services. Davies noted that for IT managers looking after security systems on the IT network, this offers real appeal. “It minimizes hardware and running costs, as well as associated maintenance and support issues. What's more is that it provides a far more scalable and flexible system, so rather than access control being ‘fit and forget' for 15 years, it is now agile and able to embrace the very latest advances.” One issue with such services is the concern over availability, and the ability of an ISP to provide the essential 100% uptime necessary for the system to be effective, although there are ways to minimize the risk and deliver high standards of disaster recovery.

Finally, with all of the innovation taking place within access control, it is important to have stringent standards to help regulate the industry, as Davies concluded. “It is encouraging and refreshing that a new IEC standard is in development at a global level, to supersede the aging EN50133 European standard that isn't widely used due to the rate of progress in technology.”

ING Bank in Romania Protected by TDSi

Editor / Provider: TDSi | Updated: 8/14/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

TDSi offers a range of solutions that cater for the numerous and demanding access control needs of the banking and finance industry, whilst respecting the need to provide full value for money and return on investment – excellence that has been utilized by ING Bank in Romania.

TDSi has supplied access control systems for 175 Offices of ING Bank in Romania, with 125 locations completed to date. Working with TDSi's Romanian partner Siel Invest and installer Helinick, the bank is using TDSi's Excel4 and MICROgarde II controllers to integrate not only the access control systems but also other building services such as fire control and climate controls through an IP connection, so these services can be administered centrally. All controllers link via an IP connection to TDSi's EXgarde PRO software, which manages the many aspects of building control and provides accurate recording of staff attendance. Overall TDSi's solutions give ING Bank Romania the ability to administer facilities management from a central location whilst ensuring each branch adheres to the full security and access control policies required for these highly secure locations.

Access Without Borders

Editor / Provider: Hayden Hsu | Updated: 8/9/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

As the number of mobile-payment users grows to surpass 375 million by 2015, demand for devices with near-field communication (NFC) grows as well. Recent research from In-Stat forecasts that adoption of this technology will push global annual shipments of NFC chips to more than 1.2 billion units by 2015.

Fast and contactless communication, reliable data transfer and ease of use are some of the factors that make NFC, a revolutionizing technology which is disruptive to the mobile payment and physical access control markets, attractive. Access control, file sharing, ticketing and loyalty programs are emerging, according to Frost & Sullivan, to be potential applications which will further boost NFC market share. Transitioning from the development phase to the growth stage within its product life cycle, NFC is actively implemented in some of the key verticals, with retail, banking and consumer electronics gaining good and quick traction.

It is not perfect without flaws, though. Despite being a short-range technology, issues such as identity theft, lack of layers of protection, malware and viruses restrict faster and wider utilization of NFC. Standardization bodies such as GlobalPlatform and Smart Card Alliance are actively developing NFC standards. These efforts, according to Frost & Sullivan, are playing a key role in addressing security and privacy challenges. The initiatives are being complemented by several key players in the NFC ecosystem who are providing secured communication solutions and NFC-compliant tags that can address security concerns via chip-level encryption.

By enabling access control and payment management across the full spectrum of mobile keys and credentials, readers and locks, and over-the-air provisioning and deprovisioning services, companies are creating game-changing solutions, as well as opportunities, designed to address end-user needs for security, convenience and privacy.

Smartphones are key to our world today, never leaving our hands or sides. They are so much more than communication devices and have become indispensable consumer appliances for numerous personal, professional and entertainment applications, said Tam Hulusi, Senior VP of Strategic Innovation and Intellectual Property, HID Global (an Assa Abloy company). “With the advent of near-field communication (NFC) technology, mobile phones can now also be used to hold your identity keys and carry out numerous secured transactions.”

A short-range wireless communication standard, NFC enables the exchange of data between devices over short distances such as a few centimeters/inches. NFC is one of several new platforms that can be used to hold virtualized credentials that previously were stored on contactless smart cards and used to open doors. The same contactless credentials that are programmed to provide various levels of facility access can now be loaded onto a mobile handset and used with NFC for secured access. “Users benefit as it eliminates the need to carry any other access credentials, while making it easier for security managers to track who is entering and exiting monitored access points,” Hulusi added. This is the way that RFID cards, smart tags and card readers work, and the capability is now extended to smartphones.

How It All Started
Over time, access control cards have become increasingly sophisticated and intelligent, as exemplified by today's 13.56-MHz contactless smart cards, which include a tamper-proof RFID device connected to a multiturn antenna. These cards are personalized to the cardholder, and a mutual authentication process occurs when they are presented to a reader. Additionally, they can be used for multiple applications, such as biometric authentication, cashless vending and secured PC log-ons using the inherent secured storage capability of this technology. “Until now, cards were required for securely carrying our identity, and the decision to allow or deny access was made between the reader and a central panel (or server) that stores the access rules and decides if a particular person should be allowed to open a door,” Hulusi explained.

In reality, our identity information and the procedural chain of encrypted communication and data-processing events that occur between the reader and server or panel can be virtualized just like any other IT procedure and moved onto new platforms, including mobile phones. “In other words, the intelligence contained in today's smart cards, along with the user's identity information, can reside on any suitably secured electronic device,” Hulusi said.

Nevertheless, two prerequisites for such a virtualized system to coexist must be met: a way for the data to be communicated to an access control reader (the equivalent of swiping or presenting a physical card); and a mechanism for securely managing the identity and authentication information that are carried on the device (from the time of provisioning and throughout its life cycle). With these two pieces in place, the same access control methodology used by billions of people worldwide for decades can be embedded into smartphones and other mobile devices, Hulusi said. “This methodology must be based on a comprehensive chain of custody in which all system end points can be validated; only in this way can identity transactions between the end points be trusted at any time.”

Managing virtualized credentials can be a complex process. “In one typical example, a server would first send a person's virtualized credential over a wireless carrier's connection to the person's mobile phone. To ‘present' the person's virtualized credential at a facility entry point, the phone is held close to an IP-based access controller connected to another server. Throughout the process, there must be a way to ensure that the credential is valid. Both end points, plus all of the systems in between, must be able to trust each other,” Hulusi said.

The basis for modern transactional systems has been the ability to trust the identification of a person, computer, website, check or a credit card. “Unfortunately, the effort required to authenticate them has grown exponentially,” Hulusi continued. “There is, however, an aspect of secured identity systems that simplifies the problem: like mobile networks, secured identity systems are closed systems. To use them, you must complete a background check and sign a legal document to construct the basic blocks describing your identity.”

To have a current and valid set of identity blocks usually means that one has passed this bar and is a member in good standing of the closed system. It also means that the blocks and the systems supporting them can be simpler and constructed so that they use industry standards. “This is the approach taken with the trusted identity platform, which enables the validation of all end points, or nodes such as credentials, printers, readers and NFC phones, in the network, so that transactions between the nodes can be trusted,” Hulusi said.

Texas Instruments Releases Multicore Module for Surveillance and Other Apps

Editor / Provider: Submitted by Texas Instruments | Updated: 7/31/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

Facilitating easier development with high-performance multicore processors, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced the availability of two new evaluation modules (EVMs) for its KeyStone-based TMS320C665x multicore digital signal processors (DSPs). The TMDSEVM6657L and TMDSEVM6657LE EVMs allow developers to quickly get started designing with TI's newest processors, the TMS320C6654, TMS320C6655 and TMS320C6657. Combining fixed- and floating-point capabilities, TI's C665x multicore processors deliver real-time high performance at low power coupled with smaller form factors so that developers can more effectively meet the requirements of markets such as mission critical, industrial automation, testers, embedded vision, imaging, video surveillance, medical, and audio and video infrastructure.

“Our goal has always been to make multicore programming easier and more accessible to developers,” said Ramesh Kumar, business manager, multicore processors, TI. “With the availability of our new, low-priced C665x EVMs, we are driving our KeyStone devices into smaller and more portable products, enabling developers to take advantage of multicore in a wider range of high-performance and portable applications.”

TI's TMDSEVM6657L sells for $349, and the TMDSEVM6657LE sells for $549. Both EVMs include a free Multicore Software Development Kit (MCSDK), TI's Code Composer Studio? integrated development environment and suite of application/demo codes to allow programmers to quickly come up to speed on the new platform. In addition, TI's TMDSEVM6657L includes an embedded XDS100 emulator, while the TMDSEVM6657LE includes a faster emulator, the XDS560V2, for quicker program load and ease of use.

Starting at just under $30 at 10 KU, TI's C665x processors offer developers access to devices that are high performance while still being power and space efficient. The low power consumption and small form factor of 21mm x 21mm enable portability, mobility and low power energy sources such as battery and interface powering to drive breakthrough products. The C6657 features two 1.25-GHz DSP cores, delivering up to 80 GMACs and 40 GFLOPs, while the C6655 and C6654 singlecore solutions deliver up to 40 GMACs and 20 GLOPS and 27.2 GMACs and 13.6 GLOPS, respectively. Under normal operating conditions, the C6657, C6655 and C6654 power numbers are at 3.5W, 2.5W and 2W, respectively. TI's C665x DSPs also feature large on-chip memory coupled with a high-bandwidth and efficient external memory controller, making them an ideal choice for a variety of high-performance and portable applications.

Nordic Retail Chain Discovers Beauty of IP Video from Milestone

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 7/27/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Milestone Systems' open platform IP video management software (VMS) has been custom-integrated with a point-of-sale (POS) cash register transaction system as a valuable tool for loss prevention and controlling shrinkage in a chain of retail stores in Scandinavia called Matas.

Creams, perfumes and other personal care products are items that most people regularly pay for. However, some people prefer not to pay, which is why the retail chain Matas installed integrated video surveillance in many of its stores. Now the stores are able to compare cash register transactions with recorded video evidence. Matas personnel are pleased with this and would actually like to have more monitoring.

Matas has 2,500 employees, more than 25 million transactions per year and annual revenue of approximately 4 billion Danish crowns. Shrinkage is a problem that costs both human resources and money on the bottom line. For Matas management, shrinkage control is a high priority, so it was decided in 2010 to intensify the fight against it. One of the ways was with advanced IP video surveillance, initially in 65 of the chain's 258 stores.

Matas already has video surveillance in its stores, but it consists of many disparate systems that are difficult to support when they fail, and it is not easy to train new employees to use them. In addition, transactions at the cash register are not directly connected with the video recordings, which makes it time consuming to find suspicious incidents at checkout. Now these problems are solved in the stores where Matas has installed a Milestone solution.

"With the old systems, to identify shrinkage and procedural errors to clarify doubts about payments or giving change, we had to manually compare the video evidence with POS events from the cash register. It was costly and also meant we had to guess about possible false transaction events," says Marianne Gernyx Sejbak, Security Manager at Matas.

Cash register and video in sync
Matas therefore decided to implement advanced video surveillance equipment in 65 of its large stores, which could correlate transactions from cash registers with the video monitoring. The new solution is centralized so all system administration can be undertaken from the headquarters. Each store manager can leave the investigative work to central control and instead focus time on the daily management of the local store. However, the store managers do have access to video evidence so it can be used in connection with events such as shoplifting or payment disputes.

The video surveillance solution is XProtect Corporate VMS and XProtect Retail add-on software from Milestone Systems, implemented by EG Retail & Media, Scandinavia's largest supplier of IT solutions to retailers and media houses. The POS system generates documentation for all transactions, which is associated with the video evidence and simultaneously displayed on the screen via the Milestone XProtect software.

"We are automatically alerted by the monitoring system when something seems abnormal at the cash register," says Helle Bakkendorf, Shop Controller and daily user of the system. "Cash registers might have been opened without any purchase taking place, or there might be canceled transactions where the customer pays in cash but the money is not in the cash register, suspicious transactions after closing, return sales on an exact amount and so on. We can also search a given period, actual amounts that were paid in cash, by credit card or gift certificate, or on specific brands and see the corresponding video recording. We can target our investigative work much better than before."

Beneficial for employees and customers
The system spares loyal Matas employees from possible suspicion of internal shrinkage. If it does occur, cases are resolved fast. Matas can now avoid such matters dragging on over extended periods which can generate a bad work environment. Video surveillance has actually become so popular that staff at the other stores ask for it, too.

"We obviously want maximum job satisfaction and well-being for our good employees and fortunately we have many of them," says Sejbak. "Video surveillance is largely implemented to provide security and safety - in connection with theft and assault, questions surrounding shrinkage and customer disputes. Did the customer get the right amount? There is no doubt now since we immediately resolve it with evidence on the screen."

The video solution also contains people counting analytics, which tally the number of customers in a store. Each store can compare this with the number of sales and adjust work schedules to ensure proper staffing for better customer service. The entire solution thereby works as a management tool to optimize operations.

"There are many advantages to the new video surveillance. It has created a much better working environment for all our dedicated employees, who can now concentrate on what they do best, namely to advise on and sell beauty, skincare and health products. It also has an anti-theft effect. Matas plans to get the same video surveillance installed in more stores," says Bakkendorf.

Guangzhou College Hospital Ensures Quality of Care and Management With HID Solution

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 7/27/2012 | Article type: Security 50

The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University Medical College (formerly the Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Hospital) was established to provide medical and healthcare services to Chinese citizens. It is also responsible for nurturing medical professionals and spearheading medical research in China. The hospital includes 43 departments and 850 beds, delivering quality medical, rehabilitation and healthcare services by a team of 1,100 medical professionals. The hospital is undergoing an extension project that includes the construction of a 72,000 meters in-patient building. The new building will be equipped with advanced medical equipment and a new security management system to enhance the clinical services and ensure the security of its medical facilities.

Challenges
The large influx of patients, visitors and staff poses challenges to the hospital‘s security management. In the past, it has been relatively easy for an intruder to walk around a hospital unchallenged, accessing areas meant only for authorized staff. In rare cases, this could lead to security breaches where infants are removed from pediatric wards. Therefore, it is critical to safeguard key zones that also include the dispensary, operation rooms and intensive care units. As a result, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University needed a multi-layered access control system to dramatically increase overall security. With the hospital's plans to renovate its old buildings and construct a new in-patient building, the new access control system also needed to be scalable to address this expansion.

Solutions
In order to achieve central monitoring and multi-layered security, HID Global's VertX V1000 network controller, VertX V100 reader interfaces and iCLASS R10 readers were installed on the premises. By connecting VertX V1000 controllers to the host computer via a TCP/IP network, the centralized, web-based IP access control solution performs remote monitoring and area control for key zones while restricting staff access based on their job functions.

iCLASS R10 readers were installed at each entry points and all staff must now present their iCLASS cards to verify their identities. Heightened physical security throughout the hospital was achieved by enabling different levels of building access to certain staff. For example, only doctors and nurses in charge of intensive care units and operating rooms are granted access to these areas. Similarly, only on-duty staff members are permitted to enter the dispensary, preventing accidents and malicious intrusions.

For system management, HID iCLASS R10 readers were connected to a VertX V100 reader interface and VertX V1000 controllers to transfer the entry records to the central station. By incorporating HID's networked access solutions with system software, the central station administrator can perform all execution commands, including tracking and changing security levels and access rights, as well as data backup and report generation. In the case of communication failures, each entry point is able to execute all commands offline, and once communications are restored, all buffered transactions are uploaded to the host for real-time monitoring and data transmission.

Lastly, the system can collect cardholders' entry records and information including the employee number, name, department and title for time and attendance purposes.

Results
“After comparing several local and international brands, we selected HID Global's solutions for its leading technology, worldwide agency certifications, comprehensive post-sales support and lifetime warranty,” said Mr. Zhao, Project Engineer of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University.

“Moreover, iCLASS technology delivers enhanced security through data encryption and mutual authentication technologies, addressing our needs for maximum security at key zones.”

In addition, HID Global's open architecture networked access control solutions meet the hospital's evolving requirements through simple firmware upgrades. The solutions are also scalable, enabling additional applications such as fire alarm, biometrics and logical access for future system expansion.

Gallagher Perimeter-Proofs Aussie Mines

Editor / Provider: Gallagher | Updated: 8/1/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Xstrata Copper's Mount Isa Mines in Australia operates one of the largest underground mines in the world. The company's mining and smelting complex at Mount Isa produces copper anode and lead bullion containing silver and zinc concentrate.

Handling explosives, operating machinery and working as deep as 1800 meters below ground require first class safety and security systems. Sjeff Klaassen, from Xstrata Copper's security partner ADT Queensland said ongoing security reviews and upgrades had become an integral part of the business planning process with a range of safety management and improvement systems being implemented in line with Xstrata Copper's safety and health policies.

The complex mix of mining, processing and smelting at Mount Isa presented numerous challenges when it came to ensuring the safety of employees and the general public. “We must allow for movement of authorized personnel with a minimum of effort, while ensuring all the necessary training, induction and other entry requirements are current,” said Darren Bracey, Emergency and Protective Services Superintendent at Mount Isa Mines.

Collection and management of all the associated data was a significant issue in itself – and aligning this with access requests complicated it even more. Today, the site deploys Gallagher security systems, a Microsoft Windows-based security system. Ten workstations enable the system to be used as an efficient tool by authorized staff on site, each of whom is assigned operator privileges to report and perform a multitude of functions. The Gallagher system employed at Mount Isa Mines has several integration applications including an interface with the CCTV management system. It is integrated with reporter software packaged to provide a customized reporting tool to monitor the whereabouts of underground staff.

As well as being interfaced to the Mount Isa's HR management system, the Gallagher system also monitors alarms, including environmental, fire, intrusion and production alarms and domestic site associated alarm systems. In addition to on-site alarms management, the system's field controllers support dial-up to a remote alarm monitoring company for backup. Cardholder import feature enables cardholder data to be imported from other systems using an XML interface. There's also a photo ID feature to capture images, design cards and to print photo ID cards. The challenge feature enables a cardholder's image from their CCTV system to be checked against the cardholder image in the Gallagher system.

Gallagher's security software enables business managers to directly control the access periods given to each contractor for specific areas. This helps ensure contractor compliance for site access and generate reports on times spent in a defined area by a person, contract company or other defined unit.

Chinese Power Plant Improves Safety Management With HID Access Solution

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 7/19/2012 | Article type: Infrastructure

HID Global's network access control solutions and contactless readers have been deployed at the Fuxi power plant in China's Sichuan province.

The new system provides increased security that ensures the operational safety of production and facility areas, offers real-time monitoring at the central station and enables security administrators to remotely close facility doors for improved safety management.

HID Global's VertX V2000 network access controllers, iCLASS R10 contactless readers and Genuine HID credentials were installed at the 141-acre (57-hectare) Fuxi power plant, enabling administrators to restrict staff access levels and entry times based on job titles and critical entry zones, such as the main production plant, engine room, central station and chemical waste areas. With the new system, access to the chemical waste area is restricted to authorized staff, and administrators can now establish access rights to prevent unauthorized entry and ensure occupational safety. Additionally, iCLASS readers provide data encryption and mutual authentication capabilities, significantly increasing the plant's security.

“HID Global's access control system was installed in the first phase of the project, which significantly enhanced the overall security and improved efficiency,” said Fu Bo, sectional chief with Fuxi power plant. “By leveraging the advantages of the web-based, centralized access control system, administrators can now remotely control various entry points, which has substantially reduced patrol deployment time. The system also provides multi-layered security to eliminate unauthorized access to the plant.”

“After several onsite assessments, HID Global customized an access control solution that fulfills Fuxi power plant's need for an advanced access control and management system,” said Eric Chiu, director of sales, Identity and Access Management, China with HID Global. “China is making it a priority to upgrade its energy infrastructure, which will continue to drive the country's growing demand for high security access control solutions. Our successful deployment at the Fuxi power plant has reinforced HID Global's proven technology expertise and ongoing commitment to address the unique security challenges faced by utility facilities across the region.”