CHeKT is excited to announce support for AI and video analytics with integration into alarm monitoring centers. With a firmware update, the OPTEX Visual Verification Bridge can now supervise cameras with analytics over the IP network and generate alarms based on the camera’s analytics.  When an analytic event occurs, the Bridge creates a video clip of the incident and transmit the Contact ID alarm code into the monitoring center, giving operators instant access to the site’s live video and the pre/post-alarm event video.  This advanced level of integration allows security integrators to use cameras with analytics as new security zones or as additional alarm zones to an existing alarm system, making the Bridge function like a Video Analytics Zone expander.

Camera analytics and specifically AI technology are gaining momentum and have become increasingly more accurate over the past 12 months.  While AI and improved video analytics can help users move through video footage on their recorder or VMS with a high level of accuracy, it has not provided clients with an effective solution for a 24-hour, real-time response to AI events. The CHeKT Visual Monitoring solution now solves this for professional security companies.

“When integrators can trigger detection from both physical detection zones and cameras with reliable analytics, you can quickly scale a site into a modern security solution. This allows security companies to leverage an existing alarm system with cutting-edge AI technology, ensuring an operator response to AI events,” said John Milliron Vice President of CHeKT.

Traditionally the Bridge has allowed integrators to pair any camera with any physical trigger zone.  Now, the security industry has a device that can create an alarm and video event from either a physical trigger point or video analytics.

“This is a significant announcement for dealers who install sites with high-quality video analytics and need a central monitoring station to provide monitoring service of these cameras,” said Milliron, “Integrators won’t have to configure cameras or recording schedules.  With the Bridge connected to an on-site alarm system, analytics-based alarm events will only transmit to the central station when the alarm panel is armed.  The monitoring centers can treat these cameras like a traditional alarm panel zone.”

This solution allows security companies to leverage the familiarity and reliability of the alarm system with analytics and deliver an alarm and video event into their alarm monitoring center.

CHeKT’s Visual Monitoring platform has gained momentum in the contract centers and independent monitoring centers, due to the unified and consistent video monitoring portal for operators.  The CHeKT Monitoring Portal takes all camera brands and presents them to the central station staff during an alarm. This consistency across brands reduces the training time needed by operators because all video verification events are always present in a consistent manner.

CHeKT is compatible with the ONVIF Alarm Event Messaging Standard used to communicate analytics and AI-based alarms.  Cameras and recorders that follow this standard will create alarm events with the Bridge.  CHeKT has worked to validate some initial brands of cameras.  The following is a list of camera brands that have been verified:

Video Analytics Zone Expander

Several other camera manufacturers have developed cameras with analytics to follow the ONVIF Alarm Event Messaging standard.  Their cameras are also likely to work with the Bridge. However, we encourage security companies to test these before deployment.  It is also essential for security companies to understand that the quality of video analytics varies widely between companies.  The amount of alarm traffic and the accuracy of alarms are dictated by the quality of the camera’s analytics.

The CHeKT Dealer Portal allows you to see the amount of traffic generated by analytic based cameras and also provides a remote connection to the cameras for configuration changes.