Integration requires more than cutting-edge technology from a single manufacturer. It involves finding a way for today's systems not only to communicate with each other, but also to communicate with the systems of the future.
By Michael Lützeler*
Today, offering a truly integrated long-lasting security solution requires more than cutting-edge technology from a single manufacturer. It involves finding a way for today's systems not only to communicate with each other, but also to communicate with the systems of the future.
End users want the flexibility to determine which product best fits their security needs, both for their current purchases and for future enhancements, without having to restrict themselves to using single-manufacturer solutions.
Various industry initiatives have sought to design a unique global interface for the interoperability of IP products. This common protocol, regarding the way network video devices exchange information, would allow installers to integrate products from different manufacturers into a single system.
The standard will also help software marketers ensure that their products are compatible with different brands of networked products. For product manufacturers, an open standard ensures interoperability with other manufacturers.
In this environment systems could be upgraded or enhanced with products from a range of different manufacturers, rather than restricted to product lines from a single manufacturer. With more than 470 member companies, ONVIF is one of the largest organizations participating in this initiative, in terms of number of members and market penetration, with more than 4,000 products available that meet industry standards.
While the growing popularity of IP video has captured most of the attention in this burgeoning world of security industry standards, other market segments such as access control are beginning to feel the benefits of the global standards approach.
The technology employed by the existing ONVIF specification in the network video and web services sector is equally suitable for other technologies, such as physical access control, an area in which ONVIF will soon publish an expansion of the specification's functionality, known as Profile C.
ONVIF introduced the concept of profiles to allow end users to more easily identify the functions supported by a device or a client, without the need to determine compatibility between versions of the ONVIF specification.
The first release was Profile S for video and audio streaming, PTZ, relay output control, video encoder settings, and multicast. The launch of Profile G, comprising recording and storage capabilities, and Profile C is scheduled for early 2014.
Integration possibilities
For companies in the video arena, a global network interface allows manufacturers to extend the functionalities of their products with access control functions using the same ONVIF base that governs their video technology.
For end users and system integrators, freeing themselves from proprietary equipment and software in access control—one of the market segments where there are traditionally more proprietary products—will allow them to have more freedom of choice in terms of technology, reduce integration costs as well as the overall total cost of ownership of access control systems.
Although access control has always had different subgroups of standards, in particular the Wiegand and OSDP interface between the card reader and the door controller, the interface between the controller and the access control management software has been the point where manufacturers typically had proprietary communication protocols.
Today, for the first time, Profile C will allow IP gate controllers from different companies to become compatible with each other.
Profile C will provide a common language that will make possible a system that allows IP door controllers to search for devices, creating a list of reader types and connections, and subscribing to a card reader and door handler events. The same profile would also be used to control system outputs, such as turning networked field devices on and off.
The Profile C concept will also assist in the configuration of a security management system that monitors cameras, other network video devices and IP door controllers and will enable device detection and event management, while the management system seamlessly receives motion events from the cameras and door events from the IP door controllers.
Physical access control systems integrated with network video devices would use the standard to locate a PTZ, dome-type camera to record the passage of a card at a particular door, activate network video recording at the passage of an invalid card, or control and coordinate schedules and access rights of integrated network video devices and access control system.
The establishment of open standards in the video sector is already helping to drive the migration from analog solutions to digital solutions, offering anyone the benefits of network video available, along with interoperability, flexibility, quality and adaptation to future changes.
By expanding the scope of the ONVIF specification to include access control, the industry is moving one step closer to facilitating the integration of IP security with security devices using an open global standard.
*Michael Lützeler is Director of Emerging Technologies in Enterprise Security, International Thirst, Building Technologies Division, Siemens Switzerland Ltd., globally committed to innovation. Mr. Lützeler is a member of the ONVIF Steering Committee. If you would like to contact him, you can write to [email protected].
