My notes for Access Control work

[chieflittlehorse]

So I had a previous post on learning new skills. My problem is I like someone to teach me those skills before actually doing a job. But in a not so perfect world, that doesn't always happen that way.

So I then planned to watch Youtube to figure out how other people install mag locks, electric strikes, etc. I saw how they would put up cones and caution tape for the safety of people they'll be working around with, especially when people are walking thru your work area.

Watched some videos and learned that you should have skills in basic cables, terminating cables, crimping, and the proper tools and techniques for such skills.

Sometime I just took notes on the types of drill bits needed, especially if you have to mount things to concrete/brick/masonry type stuff.

You also need to be able to test your wires, trace wires, run wires, choose the right wire, etc.

Sometimes you need to learn how to install, use, and teach the various software that comes with the hardware, especially in CCTV monitoring software or other access control programs.

From what I got from my one day of studying, I came to the conclusion that you can accomplish about anything IF, and that's a big IF, IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS. but you also NEED THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE. The proper tools and the proper knowledge will take us way into the a profitable future.

So here's some of my rough notes.

CLH!

[Patrick Star]

Looking at the document, and you aren't going to need any BNC/coax stuff unless you're working on an existing camera installation.
Same with DVRs and digitizer cards. Noone has actually been installing analog cameras for quite a few years now.
Instead, you're gonna be installing Ethernet (typically with PoE) and configuring the cameras and server so they can talk to each other.
You'll also want to look into thermal cameras and some realtime video analysis.
A lot of cameras can do stuff like tripwires (i.e. trigger an alarm when someone enters an area) and with some (like Axis), you can even install custom software on the camera itself. Then we have the big systems like Aimetis.

Also - I don't know how it works in the US, but here CCTV installation means lots of filing for permits and doing stuff like privacy masking to avoid filming stuff you aren't supposed to. So you'd need to know the appliciable laws and regulations as well.

Plus there are best practices for things like visual quality and identifiability that you are supposed to be following.

[malfunctionjunction]

Analog cameras actually are still being installed, at least here in the US. Maybe a few months back I saw the low-voltage guys running siamese to analog cameras for an insurance company moving into roughly 30ksqft of office. I was chatting with the guy doing the install and mentioned that I thought that analog was dead and he said that he still sees more analog than one would think, and that it does have it's advantages, especially over long distances. So if I was going to do CCTV, I wouldn't skip having the tools for coax. just yet, though I do think we're probably coming up on a time when we won't see it anymore, at least outside of modifying existing installs. Also, ADI still has siamese on the shelves, which I'm guessing would disappear if people weren't still buying it in quantity.

[keyway_grooves]

Also - I don't know how it works in the US, but here CCTV installation means lots of filing for permits and doing stuff like privacy masking to avoid filming stuff you aren't supposed to. So you'd need to know the appliciable laws and regulations as well.

The US' adversarial system can have differences in federal and state law, and everything and everyone (like the president, or even the entity of the US itself) is subject to being contested in court, as long as basic legal protocol and the costs of a lawyer are covered. It's relevant to CCTV in California vs the US, where the state law reserves the right to reject federal requests for information like license plates that it finds to be illegal - something relevant for the issue of immigration and the question of ICE, in a state where racial profiling and the power of video have successfully kicked off riots and the like, and in a country that is uneasy about its demographic shift in skin color to earthier tones and pushing towards vigilante ethnic survivalism in some parts.

Privacy laws cover not just visual surveillance, but also audio, which is relevant for video with mic. Although liability may generally go toward the home or business owner, it's probably best to simply keep good conscience with regard to installation of surveillance and especially hidden cameras/recorders - the rule of thumb seems to be "reasonable expectations of privacy," but the details for that are battled out in court.

Random fact, CA gets to be first to install cameras that see through garments on the subway / metrorail system; maybe when the random incidents that show up on the news channels get the video it will be visible light-spectrum only.

[Patrick Star]

Analog cameras actually are still being installed, at least here in the US. Maybe a few months back I saw the low-voltage guys running siamese to analog cameras for an insurance company moving into roughly 30ksqft of office. I was chatting with the guy doing the install and mentioned that I thought that analog was dead and he said that he still sees more analog than one would think, and that it does have it's advantages, especially over long distances. So if I was going to do CCTV, I wouldn't skip having the tools for coax. just yet, though I do think we're probably coming up on a time when we won't see it anymore, at least outside of modifying existing installs. Also, ADI still has siamese on the shelves, which I'm guessing would disappear if people weren't still buying it in quantity.

Here I would essentially consider it dead. At least 6 months since I saw someone doing any sort of analog work, and that was an extension of some existing installation.
And they didn't even bother pulling coax for it - just hooked up a balun to twisted pair wiring.

Random fact, CA gets to be first to install cameras that see through garments on the subway / metrorail system; maybe when the random incidents that show up on the news channels get the video it will be visible light-spectrum only.

Huh? Are they millimeter wave "cameras" or something?
Thermal cameras don't really see through clothing in any meaningful sense. The resolution is far too low for nice boob and butt shots atleast