By adding a camera right on the reader, Openpath’s Video Reader Pro attaches visual verification to every access event from the vantage point of exactly where the event occurred — at the door. Combining video with access logs gives security teams the full story of events throughout the day and allows them to see what’s happening outside the entrance in real-time, plus up to 180 days of cloud storage viewable in the Openpath mobile app for historical access. The video feed is also optimized for mobile with remote features on any device, allowing security administrators to quickly and easily take the necessary actions, such as granting remote guest access, activating lockdown capabilities, diagnosing automated alerts, or informing on-site personnel to a specific situation that may require immediate attention.

All of these features, plus the way the readers lend themselves to generating RMR, and the ease of installation, make the Pro Series a tempting offering to integrators, Segil said.

“What we are doing by putting a camera in the reader is reducing a reason to put extra cameras in that hallway or in front of that door,” Segil explained. “We’re making the installation easier, and we’re giving the integrator the opportunity to offer something new and different to their customer. And the recurring revenue on a video reader is higher than the RMR on a plain reader … as you start to add additional capabilities onto the device, you can charge them more and more.”

In the future, end users will be able to add tailgate detection, facial identification and other features to their readers.

“Putting the technology in place now is a future-proofing opportunity where this can be a computer platform on the edge that’s built into every door,” Segil said. “The processor is massively powerful and can do many things. In a couple years, maybe the world is ready for facial authentication. We aren’t launching that capability now, but we will be able to integrate with that type of third-party software. For us, this was a big deal both in terms of trying to move the company and the industry forward, but also to make sure we integrated with the partners we have.”

For more information, visit www.openpath.com. — By Courtney Wolfe, SDM Managing Editor //

With the new Developer Champions initiative, Milestone Systems aims to foster inspiration and knowledge sharing and create valuable relationships in the developer community.

“We have a very strong developer community, and we’ve had many solid contributors and supporting voices throughout the years,” said Jasleen Kaur Rehal, senior developer relations manager, Milestone Systems. “Awarding the title of Milestone Developer Champion is our way of appreciating these positive forces. We want to strengthen our relationships with the newly appointed Milestone Developer Champions as well as future champions so that together we can create more awareness about and share experiences of working with Milestone’s video technology. This is what community is all about.”

The first five technology professionals to be awarded the title of Milestone Developer Champion are: Christian Spitzner, Bosch (Germany); Eric Bourque, Orbnet Systems (Switzerland); Michel Matta, Veertec (Lebanon); Dan Fritsch, App-Techs Corp (USA); and Dani Elias, The Boring Lab (USA).

“It’s a big honor to be recognized for my work and what I have been able to contribute with so far,” said Dani Elias, chief technology officer at The Boring Lab, one of the five Milestone Developer Champions. “I am looking forward to connecting even more with the Milestone Community.”

All champions will have the opportunity for frequent contact with the Milestone Systems’ Developer Advocate to discuss and develop ideas. Champions will receive support from the initiative, as well as continued opportunities to further contribute to the developer community with opportunities such as speakerships, offering their expert advice and sharing content, videos, and solutions among other things.

Learn more at www.milestonesys.com. //

The Charlotte Quality & Innovation Lab now occupies two and half times its original footprint, having grown from 3,000 square feet to 7,500 square feet, while full-time staff has increased from 12 to 20. With investments in testing equipment for power and networking gear such as Wattbox, Araknis and Pakedge products, the professionals running the lab can now work faster, smarter and more efficiently to analyze more attributes and perfect more products.

The expansion also adds several new areas to test specific products and applications. In the new IoT area, a collection of wall-mounted and rack-mounted devices are integrated with SnapAV products, testing real world interoperability and performance. The new automation center accelerates time to market through the use of automated scripts that perform a schedule of tests much faster and with more precision than a human. With those tests complete, the hands-on work begins to perform use-case testing, resolve bugs and ensure all issues are addressed.

While most of the lab areas are located across a fairly open floor plan, the new isolated sound test room has sound insulation in the walls, ceiling and doors to create ideal conditions for testing amplifier and speaker products. SnapAV product testers can perform in-house evaluation of outdoor products in the outdoor patio, which is pre-wired to test outdoor surveillance products, displays, speakers and networking equipment. Additionally, the existing media distribution area has been expanded with more wall space to enable testing with a broader selection of display models and at a larger scale.

“Our goal is to innovate in every category and push the industry forward with rapid product development and responsive firmware and software updates that make our partners’ jobs easier, and our end users’ experience better,” Dhaliwal said. “Our Quality & Innovation Lab also allows us to collaborate with partners on product features and design, even down to specifics like the placement of buttons and connectors on a product.”

The company has several Quality & Innovation Labs throughout North America and is in the midst of a multi-year initiative to invest across multiple labs. For more information, visit www.snapav.com. //

As an OEM partner, Feenics will resell the WaveLynx line of Ethos readers and credentials. In addition, Feenics will soon integrate the WaveLynx MyPass mobile credentials into its Keep ACaaS platform, enabling automated mobile credential provisioning for the Feenics suite of security and safety management solutions.

“We love to align ourselves with partners who share our commitment to driving secure, open and interoperable solutions into the security market,” said Laurie Aaron, executive vice president at WaveLynx. “Feenics is a leader in the enterprise cloud access space, and we are excited to enter into this partnership as we feel our products are a natural fit for their portfolio. As each of our products have recently been specified in multiple common projects, it only made sense to make our relationship official.”

Brian Matthews, director of sales at Feenics, added, “with the increasing demand for mobile applications and credentials, the WaveLynx easy-to-deploy and affordable approach to mobile credentialing really resonated with our customers, making it a great fit for our Keep Mobile solution.”

Learn more at www.wavelynxtech.com. //

Net2 access control is easy to install and designed to make the management of any building simple, according to the company. As a system, it offers a variety of IP video intercom, battery-powered door handles and wireless or wired door controller hardware to suit any site requirement, ensuring buildings run smoothly and remain secure.

Designed specifically for installers who have completed Net2 Essential training, Net2 Pro sessions are running throughout the year to help installers grow their business and provide additional benefits to their customers.

“At Paxton we have always been passionate about training and education,” said Paxton Global Training Manager Steve Woodbridge. “We meet thousands of installers in free training classes each year from all over the world. Launching Net2 Pro online training for our U.S. customers is so important, developing understanding of the system capabilities. The session has been designed to give installers knowledge of the powerful features of Net2 Pro and how to configure them to benefit their customers.”

Sessions will be delivered virtually, allowing installers to complete the course from their home, office or wherever suits them best. The fully interactive, instructor-led, live training sessions will help installers take a deeper dive into Net2 and prepare for upcoming installations. As always, this training is free of charge.

For more information and to sign up, go to www.paxton-access.com/us/net2-training/. //

“It is an honor to be approved as an accepted choice for the physical security mission of the U.S. Air Force,” said Ryan Kaltenbaugh, senior vice president, North American sales, LenelS2. “LenelS2 and Milestone Systems have a long history of protecting critical and high-value facilities with a proven, cost-effective and commercial off-the-shelf physical security solution.”

Today, the OnGuard platform is the only physical access control system to meet control and security objectives of Federal Identity, Credential and Access Management (FICAM), Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12), NIST FIPS 201-2 and GSA approvals on the U.S. Air Force IDSEL, according to the company.

“At Milestone, we’re the open platform company, and part of being open is being flexible,” said Tim Palmquist, vice president of the Americas at Milestone Systems. “The U.S. Air Force is utilizing Milestone and LenelS2 systems to meet the requirements set forth by IDSEL. Rapid video verification and seamless integration across multiple platforms are the hallmarks of Milestone’s open platform technology and flexibility within the solution’s design.”

LenelS2 and Milestone now join a small list of companies with systems that meet the U.S. Air Force's Integrated Base Defense Security System (IBDSS) requirements, spanning a range of protection levels and extending to core mission protection, including flight lines and readiness missions.

For more information, visit www.LenelS2.com. //