30 June 2021 - Rick Wakeham
Featured in: Product information and OPTEX tech tips, Tech Tip, Intrusion detection
OPTEX offers a large range of sensors, some like the LiDAR series REDSCAN Pro and RLS-2020 are IP devices, the REDWALL SIP-IP-Box series includes our IP encoder the PiE-1 and others are analogue sensors that can be connected to the PiE-1 such as our infrared beams and our short-range sensors (BXS, VX, WX series etc) to become IP-enabled.
IP enabled sensors communicate alarm signals through our REDWALL
Event Code (REC) protocol., The REC codes are constructed as a series of data
packets which are transmitted over the network to the various VMS and PSIM
platforms which have integrated the codes.
What information are the REC codes transmitting?
The REC codes are detailing all of the information of alarm and trouble outputs, including:
- The device that triggered the alarm
- Which alarm zone has been activated
- Which trouble event has occurred
- Any tamper information
Using the codes to create event rules
The alarm codes can then be used to activate rules within the security management platform. These rules can be configured to send PTZ cameras to focus on the activated area, or a system can be triggered to begin recording, or increase the recording rate.
Another advantage of the REC is that it can produce combination, or COMBI alarms. If two detection zones - for example NEAR and CREEP zones on a REDWALL sensor - are activated almost simultaneously, this is transmitted not as two separate alarms, but as a single COMBI code, allowing the attached system to perform a different rule set. In the example given, the COMBI alarm can trigger a camera to zoom out to see both activated zones rather than send it to two preset shots simultaneously.
Monitoring the sensors
When the OPTEX event codes are integrated with a security management platform, it enables the software to monitor the IP sensors. The device monitoring is crucial to ensure the system works properly and no sensor has ‘dropped off’ the network.
Using the REC codes in combination with a VMS or PSIM opens up a wide range of possibilities for intelligent alarm monitoring – increasing the benefits for the end user and system installer. Using the PIE-1 interface module enables existing analogue devices into the IP realm and utilise the power of the REC.
