KOA’s Best of the Week security camera and more - KOA CCTV Blog

KOA’s Best of the Week security camera and more - KOA CCTV Blog

Google Home Voice Activated Speaker

Look outside of your window… It’s 21st century there. The era of new technologies and new opportunities. It is everywhere. New technologies have significantly changed the world we live in. There is no any field left, where information technologies haven’t penetrated yet. Of course, household technologies do not stand aside. In general security systems and especially CCTV systems are one of the best representatives of Information technologies, so it is very natural to see new devices with all latest features produced from year to year in this particular field. One of the giants in information technologies has created one of the best devices you can find on the market right now. I am talking about Google Home Voice Activated Speaker.

Let’s talk about what is this Google Home Voice Activated Speaker.

With its own Wi-Fi connectivity, embedded voice recognition system, and home automation support, the Google Home Voice Activated Wireless Speaker will connect to your wireless network to provide you with total control over all of your smart devices. Isn’t it cool? It plays music, checks the weather, can tell you about traffic, help you to note miss latest sports events, Google Home can control your smart home equipment and do much more. It uses far-field voice recognition technology and has the Google Assistant installed. With the built-in microphone, Google Home recognizes your voice and perform the requested task in an instant.

You have all 3 ways to control your Google Home

• By voice
• With the Google Home app,
• By using the touch surface on top of the unit.

So why do you need Google Home Voice Activated Speaker?

Turn on my jam Google!

With only a few words Google Home will play any music, podcasts, or radio you want from services like Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, and TuneIn.

Tell me please Google…

Thanks to Google’s history in search, the Google Home is ready for your questions. Get real-time answers, including the latest on weather, traffic, finance, sports, local businesses, and more.

Your personal assistant Google

If you want, Google Home will learn about you and get personal. It can retrieve your flight information, set alarms, and timers, and tell you about the traffic on your way to work.

Control other devices with Google
The Google Home connects with smart devices like Chromecast, Nest, and Philips Hue so you can use your voice to set the perfect temperature or turn down the lights.

Google will understand you from far

Far-field microphones and natural language processing help ensure that the Google Home hears you reliably.

Google is never too much

Multiple Google Home devices can be grouped together to enjoy the same content in every room.

Touch Google, but gently

The top touch surface gives you total control, and a mute button lets you put the Google Home’s microphones on standby. Tap the top surface once to pause or stop audio, timers, alarms, and responses. Swipe clockwise to turn the volume up or counterclockwise to turn it down. Long-press the touch panel to trigger the Google Assistant. Press the mute button on the back to keep the Google Assistant from being triggered, even if you say “Ok Google.”

Google as a part of your home

With bases separately available in seven colors, you can make the Google Home Voice Activated Speaker fit with nearly any space and décor. Just twist and pull off the one you don’t want to replace it with the base of your chosen color.

Close your ears Google!

You have total control over when you want Google Home to respond to your voice commands. Its light states tell you the status of your device when you say, “Ok Google.”
No Lights: Waiting to hear the “Ok Google” hotword.
Dots Animate: Listening for your request and ready to help.
Four Red Dots: Voice control is deactivated.

Google for all your family

Up to six people can connect their account to one Google Home, so when you ask your Google Assistant for help, it can distinguish your voice from that of other family members so you can hear your own personal playlists, commute times, schedule, and more.


Be ready to offer best to your clients!

Any company selling or installing home technologies, CCTV systems, home audio or video systems or any other devices want to get Google’s Home Voice Activated Speaker. You may guess the reason, high demand from their clients. Google, a company which doesn’t leave any place for doubting in their product has created one Device to rule them all. If You want to learn more details about the product just click here.

AHD technology or Analog High Definition Technology

The market of video surveillance systems offers  vast choice of security systems and solutions. All of them are based on different technologies, such as HD-TVI, HD-SDI, HD-CVI, AHD technology. The consumer has wide opportunities to choose the most relevant one.

In this article, we will speak about AHD (Analog High Definition) technology. This technology is a relatively new one in the market. Anyhow, it has managed to gain great popularity in short time, because of its appealing features for end-users.

Explained simply, AHD technology uses coaxial cable for transmitting HD/Full HD video, audio, and the control signal from the security camera to the Digital Video Recorder-DVR without any latency or loss at the distance of 500 meters. One interesting feature typical to AHD, that the quality of coax cable doesn’t play any significant role for transmission. That’s why any coax cable is suitable.  AHD supports 720p and 1080p HD video resolutions. AHD security cameras deliver either 1080P HD or 720P HD clear sharp images.

One of the advantages of AHD technology is that AHD video recorders can work in three formats. Therefore with three types of video cameras: standard analog D1/960H, AHD and IP. Due to this smart feature, you can connect already installed IP or/and standard analog video cameras to AHD video recorder.

Like HD-TVI, AHD technology is also an open technology, which allows a customer to choose AHD equipment of different manufacturers because they are compatible with each other due to the same technology used.

Here we want remind our readers once more that CVI, AHD and TVI technologies aren’t compatible with each other. In this case, if you already used AHD cameras you should use AHD DVRs. TVI cameras will not work with CVI DVRs and vice versa.  AHD security systems gained popularity, as they have rather an affordable price while offering high-quality images. Easy operation is also one of the benefits: they are easy to use, plug & play, therefore no encoders, converters or switches are required. Installers with limited experience of IP network systems can easily cope with the installation process. AHD cameras and DVRs are installed using the same coax cable as traditional analog CCTV cameras. Some end-users prefer to use UTP cables such as CAT5, CAT5e, or CAT6 and get a transmission distance up to 1000 feet.

Samsung Wisenet Security System and Solutions

Samsung offers consumers and security professionals a new, affordable, high quality, easy to use security systems. AHD technology connects the high resolution of HD technology with the easy installation process of analog systems.

Samsung Wisenet line security cameras incorporated AHD technology, thus enabling to deliver superb quality HD images over coaxial cabling.

WiseNet HD+ cameras and DVRs appeal to end-users who are eager to capture and record Full HD 1080p images, but they don’t want yet to migrate from analog to an IP network based video surveillance solution.

7 Tips for Protecting Home Automation System from Hackers

There is no need to discuss how useful home automation systems can be, as beyond any doubt, they make our life easier, safer and incredibly convenient. Due to smart home automation systems, home owners can manage all home devices from one place, thus also maximizing home security level. Automatically lock and unlock doors, turn on and off the lights being in another place, make a video feed of your home available on your mobile phone, and even include thermostat control.  Anyhow, many systems are also vulnerable to home automation hackers. They are very often able to break in to change settings, access video feed, what is more dangerous, unlock doors of the house or garage so that they can easily access your home. If homeowners just follow these simple rules, their home automation systems will be more protected against hackers’ attempts to take control over their property.

#1 Set password

Always, in any case, set a password. Use strong passwords, weak passwords are easy to guess. The best choice are strong passwords with numbers, letters, and characters.  Also avoid using real words or names.

#2 Change your password regularly:

Even if hackers have already revealed Your password, regular change can save the situation.

#3 Secure Your router:

In case the router is secure, it makes all the connected devices strongly protected. It would be excellent if homeowners chose routers which have strong security features. Also, make sure you change the default password to a new, stronger one while installation.

#4 Choose reputable brand:

It is always tempting to order some cheap system from unknown brand, but you should always have in mind that this can cost a lot more, than a trusted product from a well-known brand. They will also give more practical instructions against home automation hackers.

#5 Consider having a separate network for your home automation system:

It is a good idea to create multiple access points on the router for two different networks.  One will serve for your computer and mobile devices, and the second will be used for your home automation system. So, even if a hacker reveals your network password from your mobile or laptop, they still won’t be able to access your home automation system.

#6 Check the camera logs.

Many security cameras give access to users to the history of which IP addresses have accessed to the camera feed. Checking the camera logs regularly will help to make sure no one has accessed your home surveillance system. If you notice any suspicious behavior, immediately change your password and contact your security provider.

#7 Don’t use public Wi-Fi

Using home automation applications on public Wi-Fi can easily give access to hackers. Turn off the Wi-Fi and use secure mobile data instead before using a home automation application. Using an encrypted mobile website if your system offers that feature is also a good idea.

HD-TVI Technology

While choosing security cameras one should clearly understand, what tasks he is going to solve, what security challenges he faces, and what security solutions are needed for managing the whole process. It is also of great importance to estimate the right budget for the project. After that, from wide CCTV market you can choose the camera which fits your security needs. When it comes to high quality and affordable price, HD-TVI technology is the first the security professionals should consider.  Let us introduce HD-TVI technology briefly below.

How it All Began

HD-TVI stands for High Definition Transport Video Interface, its technology, DSP-TVI, was developed by Techpoint in 2012 and was used by certain manufacturers, Hikvision among them. HD-TVI technology was launched to meet the demands of the market regarding high definition video surveillance.

Affordable Price – Good Quality

HD-TVI cameras offer excellent quality at affordable price. This is the main reason that in short time they became demanded in CCTV industry. TVI technology is available in 720P or 1080P versions. KOA CCTV offers its customers mainly 1080P security cameras. These cameras offer longer transmission distance (1500 feet or 500m) and no video quality loss during the live or recorded video. Actually, they offer longer transmission distance than other HD over coax technologies. The cameras are also backward compatible with analog cameras, thus becoming a truly transitional technology.

Easy Installation

One of the main advantages of HD-TVI is an easy installation, it is also easy to use and operate. While other formats are limited in camera compatibility and channel configuration,  HD-TVI is open-standard.This features enables hundreds of other manufacturers develop analog security cameras based on these exceptional technologies. This important feature also keeps it on the forefront of technology with the competing demands for security and convenience. If You have difficulty in choosing an HD-TVI camera, or have questions, professionals at KOA CCTV are ready to help and offer proper advice!

Source:https://koacctv.com/hd-tvi-technology/

Advantages of Intercom Systems

An intercom system is a special a two-way communication device for transmitting and receiving audio or audio/video data. Intercoms can be wireless, wired, Video Intercoms, Apartment Intercoms, Gate Intercoms etc. Having an intercom system installed at your house or office is no more a luxury, but a necessity, as it acts as a crime deterrent. Nowadays intercoms became essential part of security measures and they serve for both security and convenience purposes. Intercoms are widely used at houses, offices, hospitals, schools, airports etc

N1 Security

The main benefit of intercom systems is the increase of security level. Being able to know, and very often to see (In case of video intercoms) who stands in front of the door before opening it gives the property owner peace of mind, that intruders will mainly escape their area. By the way, intercom is an extra layer of security, which increases the price of the property, and is usually taken into consideration while dealing with insurance fees.

They are essential especially for baby monitoring both for houses and childcare centers, where permanent communication between rooms is very important.

N2 Unwanted Visitors

Intercom Systems will save your time, and free you from opening the door to various salesmen, promoters, strangers etc. You can just politely ask them leave using a two-way audio intercom, even if you are at a far end of the house. Intercom systems with integrated door locks are a great help especially for businesses, when it is essential to know, who enters your property area, and the opening of the door needs monitoring.

N3 Comfort

This works especially for big houses or business areas, when for communicating someone you don’t need to take your phone and call, but just a push a button and speak. This is especially essential for large houses with many kids, elderly people, and people with a disability.

We all need more and more time for ourselves every day, and the development of home automation gives us the opportunity not to waste our precious time on running to the door every time the bell rings or checking on the children every 10 minutes.

N4 Constant Development and Upgrade

Intercom technologies keep developing all the time, to meet the needs of a consumer. There are intercoms with integrated door locks and card key systems, wireless ones, linked to smartphones, enhanced with security cameras, touch screens, control of audio systems, lights, curtains, room temperature, etc.

Hikvision 5MP CMOS Infrared Network Bullet Camera

Hikvision 5MP CMOS Infrared Network Bullet Camera DS-2CD2052-I combines a compact design with high quality. Due to 30 IR LEDs, the camera delivers outstanding video images with long-range visibility of up-to 30 meters in low light or completely dark environment.

Up to 5 megapixel (2560 × 1920) resolution, industry-leading WDR technology and IR cut filter with auto switch make this camera stand out in surveillance market. Camera also supports VCA, which is compatible with NVR for the second time of video searching and analyzing. The camera comes with a mass of features like 120dB WDR e, 3D digital noise reduction, electronic shutter for different surveillance environments and IP66 rated weatherproof metallic housing which makes the camera durable against harsh outdoor weather conditions.

The DS-2CD2052-I can well meet customers’ demand for consistent high-quality images regardless of low light conditions, which makes it very competitive in the IP security camera market. Besides, camera is manufactured by Hikvision, which is the world market leader for security cameras and accessories for video surveillance. KOA CCTV is an authorized distributor of Hikvision products. Find full Hikvision catalog here. https://koacctv.com/cctv-products/hikvision-usa