Siemens mobile security apps

Security Products from Siemens has debuted Pandora, a new tablet computer “app” that enables security system installers to get instant access to data sheets and support for Siemens full range of CCTV, intruder detection and access control products from almost any location at any time of the day or night.

The new Pandora app is a particularly valuable resource for installers who need information or have queries while they are working on site. It gives users access to three main services – product data, news, and peer-to-peer technical support. The product data service incorporates a fast and efficient search facility that makes it easy to find and peruse the full data sheets for products in the Security Products from Siemens range, while the news service is regularly updated with the latest information about product and commercial developments.

The innovative peer-to-peer technical support service allows Pandora users to post technical queries, which are automatically circulated to all other users and to the Siemens technical support team. Any of the recipients can reply to the query, which means that this service gives app users a convenient way of tapping into the technical expertise not only of the Siemens team, but also of their fellow installers. It is anticipated that this novel collaborative approach will allow queries and challenges to be addressed quickly and efficiently.

Siemens' SPCanywhere is another App that allows end users of Siemens intruder detection systems to monitor their installations remotely. With SPCanywhere, end-users of intruder detection systems based on the latest SPC product family can remotely monitor individual or multiple SPC installations using a tablet or smartphone.

For each installation, they can select a map view, which provides an instant overview with icons that clearly show the positions of detectors and security cameras. When an icon is touched, further information about the status of the associated device is shown. A separate screen shows only the cameras in the installation, and touching the camera icon allows live real time images from it to be displayed on the tablet or smartphone screen. SPCanywhere also notifies users automatically of alarm activations.

Siemens' new Vectis HX range of hybrid digital video recorders (DVRs) support both analogue and IP cameras, thereby smoothing the transition for users upgrading from traditional to networked CCTV installations.

Vectis DVRs also use the latest H.264 video compression format to minimise storage and bandwidth requirements without compromising image quality, and their powerful processors mean that they are able to record video streams from up to 16 HD cameras simultaneously.

* Photograph shows: Left Barry Shakespeare, Managing Director of Norbain and Peter Hawksworth, CEO of Security Products from Siemens, demonstrating the benefits of the new Pandora app on the Norbain stand at IFSEC.