Gregg Pike

Innovative design allows popular centre to protect visitors, staff and site with better quality images and fewer cameras MOBOTIX AG, a manufacturer of digital high-resolution, network-based video security systems announces that MOBOTIX Partner Switchnet Systems has completed a successful installation at a well-regarded garden centre that combines video surveillance, day-night operation, number plate recognition and analytics to secure the site and enhance management visibility. Vanstone Park Garden Centre Vanstone Park Garden Centre is a family run business set in a beautiful parkland setting near Hitchin, Hertfordshire. For over 40 years, this popular centre has expanded beyond garden essentials to offer a café and even a miniature railway for kids and adults alike. The 60-acre site with two buildings and a car park welcomes over 3000 visitors each week and is part of a sector with over 2500 garden centres contributing to a garden retail industry worth over £4bn a year to the UK economy. Having experienced several break-ins over the years which were not properly captured by its aging analogue CCTV system, owner Giles Groom approached local security expert Switchnet Systems for advice. “Our old system was nearly 15 years old, offered poor quality images and was starting to experience more failures,” explains Giles “Our aim with the upgrade was to not only improve security for our site, staff and visitors but also potentially improve the way in which we run our business through better visibility. We considered a number of installers but Switchnet not only gave us an innovative solution but the guys had a far greater understanding of our challenges along with unrivalled technical services and ongoing support.” Mobotix system Switchnet Systems conducted a full site survey and came up with an innovative solution that would both reduce the number of physical cameras along with discrete MOBOTIX hemispheric models able to cover larger areas in better resolution both day and night. The complete system also provides number plate recognition offering the centre better functionality and features when identifying vehicles entering the site. In total, Switchnet Systems via their distribution partner NBM Technology, supplied and installed just 10 cameras to provide complete coverage of all public accessible indoor and outdoor areas along with main entrance, car park and key perimeter areas. The system uses the decentralised MOBOTIX architecture to allow all video to be stored on a single Synology NAS server and viewed from any location. The system includes MxActivitySensor 2.0, a video motion analysis integrated into each camera that reliably detects moving objects and does not trigger any false alarms in the event of interference such as rain, snowfall or moving trees or poles. The centre also benefits from the MOBOTIX mobile application which allows senior managers to check any camera remotely via a smartphone or tablet in the event of an issue or alarm. "The new system is perfect for what we need and provides us with great image quality without loads of obtrusive cameras or the need for a dedicated control room" Great image quality “The new system is perfect for what we need and provides us with great image quality without loads of obtrusive cameras or the need for a dedicated control room,” says Giles, “The team from Switchnet Systems were fast and professional and the fact that the MOBOTIX software didn’t require an ongoing licence fee made the solution much better value for us over the longer term.” Gregg Pike, Managing Director for Switchnet Systems added, “In phase 1 we have installed and configured the security aspects of the solution and for the next phase, along with deploying additional cameras, the centre is planning on activating the built-in MxAnalytics solution to better analyse footfall and where customers go when they enter the site to help better plan the layout of its retail space.” Trevor Holt, Business Development Manager, UK & Ireland for MOBOTIX added, “This is a great example of how our channel partners are able to use our technology to help solve security challenges and also add value to day-to-day operational activities of our customers.”

The new MOBOTIX compatible accessory allows video surveillance to benefit from powerful new display and integration features As a manufacturer of digital high-resolution, network-based video security systems, MOBOTIX AG has announced that as part of a strategy to encourage partners to build a higher value solution, its Solutions partner SeSys has created an innovative new MOBOTIX compatible accessory that allows video surveillance to benefit from powerful new display and integration features. SeSys VS-One Video Matrix Server The new SeSys VS-One Video Matrix Server is a small standalone appliance that operates in two modes. While deployed in Matrix mode, the appliance can directly display real-time video from as many as 9 MOBOTIX cameras on a single HDMI compatible monitor or TV, without the need for a PC. A 1, 4 or 9-way Matrix is supported and optimises the display of the cameras on screen, configured through an integrated browser GUI. For cases that require simplicity, this mode takes advantage of the MOBOTIX distributed architecture that processes video directly inside each camera, which can be stored on an internal SD card or across an IP network to any Network Attached Storage Device. When deployed in Video Server mode, the VS-One can convert a single MOBOTIX MxPEG stream into H.264 Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). This functionality allows MOBOTIX solutions to deliver deeper levels of system integration; for example, by embedding video into websites and for use with other video analytics applications that require H.264 or RTSP. "VS-One is an alternative option as it is more cost-effective than a PC, uses less power, is quieter and offers more reliability" “Our aim with the new VS-One product is to enhance the capability of the MOBOTIX product set we have worked with for over 10 years that has been vital in helping customers across the world deliver innovative solutions,” explains Dan Eames, Operations Director for SeSys.“Unlike other vendors in this space, MOBOTIX has actively helped partners through its Software Development Kit and close relationship with senior technical engineers to innovate and VS-One is an example of how working together can deliver innovative third party solutions that benefit end customers and the wider MOBOTIX community.” MOBOTIX partner: Switchnet Systems One such partner that has already deployed VS-One is Switchnet Systems, a MOBOTIX AMP partner that has installed the solution at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead, the UK’s leading indoor snow sports facility, as part of an ongoing refresh of the site. “The Snow Centre already has over 50 MOBOTIX cameras along with Wi-Fi and VoIP telephony solutions that we installed” explains Gregg Pike, Managing Director for Switchnet Systems, “As part of the recent office and conference room refurbishment, the management team at the centre wanted a single large screen that could display 9 key CCTV cameras’ views in the easiest fashion. VS-One is an alternative option as it is more cost-effective than a PC, uses less power, is quieter and offers more reliability by removing the need for operating systems, hard disk and other components. Setting it up took under an hour and our client is extremely pleased with the result.” MOBOTIX supports SeSys initiative  The development of VS-One is endorsed by MOBOTIX, which has embarked upon an ongoing strategy to help its channel deliver more value-added solutions that utilise a mix of innovative technology along with services such as design, implementation and support. Frank Graham, Key Account Manager for MOBOTIX, added: “VS-One is a great example of a useful third party accessory that takes advantage of the innovation that is at the heart of the MOBOTIX portfolio to add value to the wider product family. We wholeheartedly support partners like SeSys that have taken the initiative and urge other partners to look at ways in which products from the wider channel community can help to meet the needs of customers in this competitive marketplace.”