PSIJan2017

SECURITY IN 2017
(continued)
person it is meant to be protecting. The sheer
lunacy of a product such as a fridge containing a
camera so that you can look inside and see if
you need to buy milk while in Tesco should have
security conscious people recoiling in horror.
We’ve already had IP baby monitors and cars
‘hacked’ by unscrupulous characters - just to see
if it could be done, so what happens when your
alarm is sat on the same network?
In 2017 installers will need to do a little digging
when specifying and fitting IP enabled technology
for domestic customers. Customers should be
made fully aware of the dangers of adding
frivolous IoT devices to the network in the chance
that they would be presenting the criminal with an
opportunity to unset panels or switch off cameras.
After all, who do you think will be the first to get
the blame if a property is burgled once the
security technology is disabled? It won’t be the
company that made the web-enabled condom
ordering button (yes such a thing exists) - it will
be the installer of the security devices shortly
followed by the manufacturer. And don’t think the
newspapers will blame the homeowner either -
any excuse to blame security cameras is jumped
upon.
So in 2017, the home automation trend will
continue but we are due a big breach and as a
result the market might take a dip while
confidence is restored and IoT devices get the due
blame.
No major resolution rises?
With the rise in the development of cute little
cameras for the home automation market, I
suspect a trend of the next twelve months will not
include a further widespread rise in the resolution
of new CCTV cameras.
I suspect that for 2017, there will
be no need to move beyond 4K
for camera developers, instead
they will focus on better day/night
capabilities, H.265 compression,
lag reduction, easier installation
features and analytics innovations
Despite the fact that just about all of the major
camera manufacturers now offer 4K units, the
average resolution of CCTV cameras in the UK
these days is still below this level. The installers I
spoke to recently told me that the most common
level they are working on is HD - for either first
install or upgrades. The 4K units are great for
zooming in, facial recognition and wide area
coverage etc but for the average customer it is a
case of having more HD cameras to cover a view
rather than fewer cameras at higher res that
appears to be the current norm.
Therefore I suspect that for 2017, there will be no
need to move beyond 4K for camera developers,
instead they will focus on better day/night
capabilities, H.265 compression, lag reduction,
easier installation features and analytics
innovations including software features like
accurate smoke detection etc rather than racing on
to higher resolutions. I also suspect that, to
continue in the IoT line of thinking, that
manufacturers will also embrace methods of adding
cameras to existing situations, such as body-worn
and in-car cameras.
So what kind of a year can installers expect for
2017? Well no matter what happens with Brexit,
Donald Trump or anything else that could affect the
stock market, people will always need security. If
you can work with either food or security you should
have a job for life as both are essential for living.
I would expect that there will still be plenty of
coax cable still around by the end of 2017, but how
you decide to upgrade any analogue systems is
entirely open as there are a whole host of ways you
can do this now and by the end of the year there
may well be even more.
When it comes to recruiting and training new
staff there should be more choice thanks to the
sterling work going on with regard to bringing in
new apprentices and we can expect this to continue.
Perhaps more installers will go down the 2016 route
of Banham Security in London and develop their
own training academy and not only for their own
staff but for any installer keen on developing their
skills thus raising the game across the board.
But when you roll the whole thing up, 2017 for
installers will probably mean tightening margins,
new manufacturer’s names to get used to, lots of
IP work and some great new innovations in the
pipeline.
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