Security Talk Blog

Yesterday we examined exactly how fast your computer wants to communicate on the network.   Most desktop PC and Macs communicated at Fast Ethernet (100BASE-X)  until early 2009 when they started converting to Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-X).   The reason for this shift was primarily due to the high demands of moving video on the network.  Your security system and smart appliances only consume a small fraction of this communication bandwidth… but video is big and demanding.  A two hour HD movie can consume up to 9 GB of storage, and this video file will take hours to transfer on a Ethernet (10BASE-X) network.

In short, the conclusion is to make sure that your network switcher can simultaneously handle 10Base-x and 1000Base-x ethernet.  The day your son-in-law comes over and wants to transfer his weekend-videos to your network… you will be happy.

Wait one more minute before buying your new switcher/router.   How about wireless?

Basically, wireless is the solution to rewiring your house every time you want to add a new smart appliance or new features to your home monitoring solution.    You need to carefully add the wireless capacity to your switcher/router.   There are basically three varieties of wireless that you will come accross.   WiFi: 802.11b, WiFi: 802.11g, WiFi: 802.11n  (often referred to as wireless b, g, and n.     In a nutshell the higher the letter designation the faster the speed and the further the wireless signal reaches.  If you could simply choose, pick (n) for speed and distance.  However, my iPhone, iPad, and other devices still all use (g).   So you need to pick a wireless network that simultaneously handles (g) and (n).   Yes… simultaneously.   If you just go in to your local network store they will sell you a switcher/router that steps-down to the lowest rate…  (yikes!  stop!).   We want every device on the network to communicate at its highest rate!   This means simultaneous network speeds.

So lets wrap up by selecting a couple of switchers/routers that simultaneiously handle “fast” and “gigabit” ethernet and simultaneously handle Wifi (g) and (n).

• NETGEAR N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router
• Linksys Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 Router (E4200 v2)

Your home security system can be self contained and simply monitor the status of your house and send appropriate alerts to your monitoring company.    For many home security needs these stand alone installations work perfect.  However, when you start asking questions about sending alerts to your office, or checking your monitoring system on your iPad, or expanding your home system to monitor all appliances… then you need to have a home network.   You may request that your home security expert team install and maintain your network… or with a few hours of research you can manage your own home network.

Before you go out and buy your network products you should take just a few minutes to understand the basics of home networking.   So over the next few blogs I will attempt to cut to the truth with as little unneccessary dialog as possible.

A home network is simply a method of allowing computers, printers, appliances, media devices, and security sytems to communicate with one another.   The backbone of the network is the wires, ( or wirless signal), routers, switcher, and internet connection that allow your devices to all talk to each other.    The first consideration is the wire or wireless signal that transmits the communication between devices.  (In this blog we will only cover wired networks and then in the next installation we will cover wireless.)    When you purchase your ethernet cables you want to ask for Cat 5E cable with standard RJ45 connectors.     Your ethernet cables need to run from your computers and devices to a central router/switcher.

Each of your network connected devices talk to one another through a switcher.   Your entire network can share a internet connection through the use of a router.   The router connects your network (devices and switch) to external networks.   Fortunately you can purchase combination router/switchers that take care of both tasks.   Example:   Cisco-Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch.     One last thing before you run out and buy your cables and router/switcher… “how fast do you want your network to run?”

If you just bought a new BMW 740 series vehicle you probably are thinking “let’s get this car on a good freeway where I can open it up.”   A new computer is no different… if it can communicate at a blazing rate and your network is made for a horse and buggy… then you have a problem.   Network devices are built to communicate at a given speed:

• Ethernet (10BASE-X)     1.25 MB/s
• Fast Ethernet (100BASE-X)   12.5 MB/s
• Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-X)     125 MB/s
• 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GBASE-X)  12.5 GB/s

A megabyte per second (MB/s) is a unit of data transfer rate equal to: 1,000,000 bytes per second.
A gigabyte per second (GB/s) is a unit of data transfer rate equal to:  1,000,000,000 bytes per second.

Lets end this session today with you looking up how fast your computer is designed to communicate.    For a PC here is how:  open up your device manager and look at your “network adapter” settings.    This will tell you which one of the above speeds your computer wants to use for communication.

Many modern home security systems connect into your home networking environment and can actively send alerts and other information to your internet connected devices. As you start connecting your specific selection of security monitoring devices you soon or later need to address the range and signal strength of your network. Most of us have spent a few frustrating Sundays trying to get our different computers and devices to successfully communicate on our wireless network. Recently, I simply gave up on getting my wireless signal to reach the far side of the house and I turned to “Power-Line Networking” as the solution.

Power-line networking is based on the concept of “no new wires.” You almost always have an electrical outlet near a computer. In power-line networking, you connect your computers to one another through the same outlet.

Here are the advantages of a power-line network:

• It’s inexpensive.
• It uses existing electrical wiring.
• Every room of a typical house has several electrical outlets.
• It’s easy to install.

The latest generation of Power-Line network products has a very fast transfer speed and can utilize good old standard USB ports or standard Ethernet. So if you have wireless network problems and just can’t get that remote device to connect…. then it is time to think Power-Line networking.

This week we continue our research into the major players in the home automation world. CABA ( Continental Automated Buildings Association) is an international not-for-profit industry association dedicated to the advancement of intelligent home and intelligent building technologies. The organization is supported by an international membership of nearly 400 companies involved in the design, manufacture, installation and retailing of products relating to home automation and building automation. Public organizations, including utilities and government are also members.

CABA is dedicated to advancing integration of automation for residential and commercial buildings, helping members create increased market opportunities, supporting multi-disciplinary partnerships, while serving as a preferred global source of information, knowledge and networking for key stakeholders.

Over its 23-year history, CABA has carved out a niche for itself in the most unlikely of areas: home automation. This field deals broadly with the creation of “smart” or “connected” technologies in the home and it is a sector with which the common consumer is largely unaware. Yet, according to CABA officials, this technology is the way of the future.

CABA does not advocate a particular methodology or product, but focuses on promoting the best of the new smart technologies. In a recent talk, Ron Zimmer, the president and CEO of CABA explained, “Home automation encompasses everything from safety and security technology, to climate control, to lighting, to energy management, and even to entertainment and multi-room AV systems,” he said. CABA remains undaunted, though it has ta ken on such a diverse number of platforms. The organization has taken a ‘full court press’ approach, aggressively researching each platform with marked skill and expertise.

On the CABA website you will find dozens of research papers on the entire range of home automation. My favorite paper on the site is “iHomes and Buildings.” Start with this well-written overview document and then dive into the website.

Over the last few weeks we have starting covering “Home Automation” and how your fire and security needs integrate with the larger home network. For many of our reader the question occurs; “Why do I want to integrate my fire and security solutions with my home network?” The simple answer is; “In the long run it simplifies maintenance and provides additional levels of security.”

If we look at the evolution of the modern house we trace the development of indoor plumbing, electrical systems, heating/cooling systems, watering systems, telephone systems, TV/entertainment systems, computer networks, wireless networks, home security systems, and fire alarms. As these systems evolve the idea of each system being isolated starts to add complexity and costs to the maintenance of your home. At the primary level you probably ask; “Why can’t I control everything from a central computer (or ipad)?” If you could control all of these systems from your computer you could simply stop wasting resources and stop duplicating communication networks. “Why install more wires for your alarm system… why install more wires for your home entertainment system?” No matter how you look at it …. at some point you will want to stop duplicating systems, and every time you eliminate a duplicate system you start to save money.

Perhaps even more important than saving money and reducing complexity is adding new levels of security and safety for your family. It just takes one dead smoke detector to start compromising the safety of your home. An integrated system would simply report that you have a failing smoke alarm… and you fix it. The security of your doors, windows, garage and exterior building is paramount to the security of your family. Even when I am at work, I want to know that my house is safe for my family. If there is an intrusion in my home… I want to know immediately… no matter where I am. These are the services that an integrated system can deliver to you… as your security systems all report to you over the Internet… even when you are in London for a business meeting.

Last week we covered the basic principles of “Intelligent Buildings”, and this week we will extend the concepts in to the field of “Home Automation.” Although the field of “home automation” is extremely diversified, it does not mean that home owners cannot take individual elements from the field that offer cost savings and life savings benefits. Home owners should start asking questions about, “how does this product integrate into the master home automation plan?”

Home automation is the residential extension of “building automation”. It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. Home automation for the elderly and disabled can provide increased quality of life for persons who might otherwise require caregivers or institutional care.

A master home automation plan reaches out and embraces your HVAC, lighting, computers, smart phones, audio / video systems, security, medical alerts, intercoms, domestic robots, yard watering, pet feeding, your new electric car and other systems in your house, garage and yard. (Did I forget the coffee maker?) Although this vision was originally proposed more than 50 years ago, it is only recently that the technology and cost have matured to the extent that this vision is now a reality.

This is a great list to start with. Next blog we will continue by look at the organizations and standards that enable an automated home.

The evolution of the home network is a fascinating story. The home network started out connecting our PC/Macs and media services to the Internet and then started connecting the array of security and home monitoring devices. This constant expansion of the home network and intelligent home appliances have spawned a new field called “Intelligent Buildings.” Many architects and builders are more familiar with the term BAS (Building Automation System), although a strict definition of BAS classifies it as a subset of “Intelligent Buildings.”

An intelligent building is a network of routers, switches, computers, smart appliances, smart media devices, smart security devices, smart lighting controllers, smart water systems, and smart heating controllers. The central control system monitors and regulates the subsystems to achieve dramatic improvements in efficiency. There are numerous studies that prove the financial gains and paybacks from a properly designed intelligent home. Just because you are not building a new home and do not have the opportunity to create a unified intelligent home, you may start by first installing a proper network and then slowly adding the additional intelligent home devices. A well designed intelligent home may be remotely monitored and controlled from any Internet connection.

If this all seems like too much technology, then think back to a time when we did not have modern plumbing systems and how complex it seemed to add pipes, water heaters, ventilation, and sewage systems. At some point these technologies evolve to a point of sophistication where they are simply taken for granted. Well, we are really close to that point with intelligent homes.

Businesses like AlliedFireAndSecurity have trained technologist that can teach you how to slowly and economically start down a path towards your intelligent home. You need the advice of a real expert to help you create a unified and well-structured development plan.

Over the next few months we will continue to talk about the intelligent home and its subsystems.

An estimated 32 million security alarm systems have been installed in the United States, and most of these are monitored.  The industry adds roughly 3 million new systems each year. Sixty percent of those are in residences, the rest in commercial and institutional properties.

The vast majority of alarm calls — between 94 and 98 percent (higher in some jurisdictions) — are false. In other words,  alarms’ reliability, which can be measured by these rates of false activations, is generally between 2 and 6 percent.  Nationwide, false alarms account for somewhere between 10 and 25 percent of all calls to police. For many U.S. police agencies, false burglar alarms constitute the highest volume type of call for service. In the United States alone, “solving  the problem of false alarms would, by itself, relieve 35,000 officers from providing an essentially private service.”

Recent research suggests that false alarms result from the following:

• User errors, such as using incorrect keypad codes, leaving a door or window open when activating the alarm
• Roaming pets or helium balloons
• Inadequate employee training
• Entering and exiting alarmed premises incorrectly
• Faulty or inappropriately selected equipment
• Poor installation, including failing to install motion detectors in sensible areas or at appropriate heights

As a alarm system owner, your role is the most crucial in managing the problem of false alarms. Here are a few suggestion of how to reduce false alarms:

• Train the necessary people in the use of your home’s alarm system
• Be familiar with your monitoring company’s procedures if you receive an alarm signal from your home.
• If your system includes a back-up battery for use during an electrical power loss, check to make sure that it is fully charged.
• Regularly check alarm contact switches/magnets on doors and windows for damage or looseness.
• If your system has glass-break detectors, call your monitoring company to verify that they have been adjusted properly so that loud noises such as thunder or nearby construction will not set off the alarm.
• Check that all doors and windows are locked and cannot be inadvertently opened by a strong breeze.
• Motion detectors should be aimed away from air vents, sources of heat, fireplaces and windows.
• Periodically test your alarm system with the monitoring station
• Always advise your alarm monitoring company before any interior remodeling

You should also talk to a professional alarm monitoring and installation company and have an expert explain the dozens of recent advance in monitoring equipment. False alarms are expensive to you and to your local police department, but through proper education and equipment you can dramatically reduce false alarms and increase your home’s security.

Many of our customers ask about the latest generation of fingerprint gun safes, locks, and access control systems . To many people it seems impossible that no two fingerprints are identical and that a security device could use a fingerprint instead of a key or combination lock.

The first question is easy to answer as, two people cannot have the same fingerprints. So far as forensic science has been able to determine, not even identical twins have exactly matched fingerprints.

To answer the second question we need to look at how fingerprints are recorded and then how the details of the fingerprint are analyzed. A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. Fingerprint identification involves an expert computer system determining whether two friction ridge impressions are likely to have originated from the same finger.

Classification systems are used to categorize fingerprints based on general ridge formations,such as the presence or absence of circular patterns on various fingers. The fingerprint patterns: loop, whorl, and arch form the foundation of fingerprint recognition. A fingerprint sensor is an electronic device used to capture a digital image of the fingerprint pattern. The captured image is called a live scan. This live scan is digitally processed to create a biometric template (a collection of extracted features) which is stored and used for matching.

The scanner system software uses highly complex algorithms to recognize and analyze these extracted features. The basic idea is to measure the relative positions of features, in the same sort of way you might recognize a part of the sky by the relative positions of stars. If the scanner software determines that the features of the finger being scanned match a stored (authorized) fingerprint then the electronic lock is opened.

Yes, a fingerprint (biometric) lock may be fooled with a substantial effort, but even with this drawback, fingerprint scanners are an excellent means of identification.

My father carries around a giant key chain with keys for the house, office, cars, shed, garage, boat, and a key for his gun cabinet. Mind you, I know better than to suggest that he replace even one lock with a biometric (electric) lock, but as I review the latest generation of these locks I am tempted to at least replace his house and gun cabinet locks with a good biometric lock.

The term biometric authentication refers to the methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical traits. In computer science, in particular, biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and access control. Fingerprint recognition is a subset of biometric authentication and was first used thousands of years ago as a signature on clay tablets. The real art of fingerprint pattern analysis picked up momentum in the early 19th century when law enforcement used fingerprints to identify criminal suspects. In 1905 the US Army began using fingerprints and later that year the U.S. Department of Justice forms the Bureau of Criminal Identification in Washington, DC to provide a centralized reference collection of fingerprint cards.

The adoption of computer based fingerprint analysis systems in the early 1990s by several federal law enforcement groups gave the green light to millions of dollars in funding research into commercial applications of fingerprint recognition. So, 20 years of research and development has delivered this last generation of fingerprint authentication locks and devices that are a remarkable combination security and convenience.

In addition to fingerprint recognition here are just a few biometric authentication processes used in commercial and private security devices:

Facial Recognition

Iris Recognition

Retinal Scans

Voice Analysis

Vein Matching

DNA Matching

And just for fun here are a few movies with examples of these biometric authentication devices:

Minority Report, Gattaca, Demolition Man, Angels and Demons.