No Drive Thru Window at Kintronics

Everyone is familiar with the drive thru window, even if they’ve never frequented one. We’ve all seen the lines of cars, inching forward one at a time toward the intercom at the side of the building, be it MacDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell, etc. A brightly lit menu displays the variations and prices of the tacos, burgers, or fried chicken, but for the most part, drivers and riders already know what they want, and are ready to place their orders as soon as they hear the voice bark from the speaker order please!

Sounds simple right? Place order, drive round to window, hand off money, receive bag of food, drive home or to the park and enjoy your meal. This is true most of the time, but sometimes things don’t quite line up right, like when a Big Mac devotee tears into his bag, flips open the styrofoam box and finds…. a fish sandwich. This is exactly what we strive to avoid at Kintronics. That’s why we ask so many questions.

How wide an area do you want to view? How far away is the viewing area? This determines the best lens to use.

If you’re looking for an IP camera system, we want to make sure we specify the right camera. We don’t want you to open the box and get any unpleasant surprises. That’s why we ask

• What is the lighting at night? This determines the low light sensitivity required and whether we should suggest lighting.
• Are the cameras to be used indoors or outdoors? This determines whether we should suggest day/night cameras and enclosures.
• What is the environment – salt air, etc? This determines if you need special enclosures IP66.How cold and hot does it get? This determines if a heater and blower is required.Are you watching people gambling, walking, moving cars? How fast are they moving? This determines the frame rate required.
• How many cameras do you need? This determines what software, computer and storage is required.

Maybe you’re in the market for an access control system? In that case, be prepared to let us know

• How many doors do you want to control?
• Indoor or outdoor?
• What type of lock do you need
• How many people will control the credentials and access
• What type of credential do you prefer – HID or Isonas?

If you’re looking for paging or PA over IP we need to determine the correct sound level output (decibel [dB]), the number and type of speakers, consoles, amplifiers, and transformers , and whether power supplies or PoE is best. So be prepared for

• In how many areas do you want sound?
• What is the background noise level?
• Indoors or outdoors?
• How large is each of the areas?
• What type of ceilings do you have – solid drop, etc.?

Like a Big Mac, some systems may fit many customers needs, but that doesn’t mean this is a one solution fits all world. So when you call, make sure we know your objectives and feel free to send us pictures, diagrams, even maps. This way we can perform an engineering analysis and ensure you get what you expect. At the heart of it, Kintronics is an engineering company, providing engineering specific and complete system solutions for each application.

If you need some engineering assistance please contact us. We can be reached at 914-944-3425 or 1-800-431-1658 (in the USA), or use our contact form.

New Cameras from IQinvision

IQinVision has released its newest version of the popular Sentinel HD Megapixel line of IP cameras. Like the line it is replacing the full featured all-weather outdoor camera comes in four models offering the user a choice of resolutions

• The IQ861NE with 1.0 megapixel /HD720p (1280Px720p)
• IQ862NE - 2.0MP/HD1080p (1920x1080)
• IQ863NE 3.6MP(2560x1440)
• IQ865NE 5.0MP (2592x1944)

The Sentinel makes installing easier. Using the One-Touch-Focus feature, fine focus adjustments can be made from a remote computer, eliminating the need for manual focusing at the camera. With its Ethernet terminal punch-down there is no need to terminate with an RJ45 connector. And although it is a simple feature, installers will appreciate the steel camera hangers that allow the use of both hands.

The new Sentinel cameras provide multiple, individually configured H.264 and simultaneous MJPEG streams. The H.264 standard builds on earlier standards such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 resulting in better compression performance. Compared with MPEG-4, H.264 gives a better quality image at the same compressed bitrate. In addition to its superior compression performance, H.264 offers added flexibility over MPEG-4 in terms of transmission or storage, including a packetized format and features that help minimize the effect of transmission errors.

The Sentinel can be considered green in that it has a power consumption of less than 7 watts, which is lower than many similar cameras. It can also operate using Power-over-Ethernet. In addition to the aforementioned features, all four models come with

• Day/night moveable IR filter
• Lightgrabber low light feature
• IP66/NEMA 4 outdoor enclosure
• Choice of telephoto, wide, or ultra-wide lens

All this plus IQinVisons standard three year warranty make any of the Sentinel cameras a wise choice. Contact Kintronics for pricing and availability. We can be reached at 914-944-3425 or use our contact form.

As Seen on TV

On Monday October 3, we all came to work here at Kintronics with the same question for each other. “Did you hear about Parkchester?” Why? Because one of the lead-in stories carried on the local news broadcast the previous morning had been “Brutal attack captured on video leads to arrest of suspect in Parkchester.”You might ask, what is Parkchester? And why is Kintronics so interested?

What is Parkchester?
Parkchester is a 129 acre condominium complex in the Bronx. It was developed and built by Metropolitan Life Insurance in 1939 as a self-contained apartment complex for middle class families. Family was the key word and concept and was paramount in its design. In 1972 a conversion to condominiums began with the creation of Parkchester North Condominium with 3,900 units. The process was completed in 1986 with the final 8,286 units that comprise Parkchester South. Walking along its winding sidewalks amidst shrubbery and occasional statuary is a delight, but driving through Parkchester is a nightmare. But this is the way it was meant to be.

To minimize traffic there are only two through streets, Union port Road, running from the northwest corner to the southeast, and Metropolitan Avenue, from southwest to northeast. They form an X, crossing at Metropolitan oval a landscaped seating plaza with pool of fountains in the very center All cars are required to navigate the roundabout that encircles it, effectively keeping the speed low. Met Life built these roads, as well as the sewers, water mains, and islands lining them, and when construction was completed to its satisfaction, deeded them all to New York City.

There are no real side streets in the sense of actually going anywhere. All offshoots of the main two roads are dead ends, provided solely for the purpose of deliveries and residents’ parking. In keeping with the desire to keep this a family -comfortable community, 52.5% of the 129 acres is given over to landscaping and recreation; of the remainder, 22% comprise streets, and 27.5% is occupied by buildings.

There are 171 buildings scattered throughout, in fifty one clusters, ranging in height from seven to thirteen stories. These buildings house 12,271 apartments. As if that didn’t constitute a city in itself, there are also one hundred shopping and commercial spaces. Residents can walk to two supermarkets, several pizzerias, bakeries, and delis, two banks, numerous clothing stores, two drug stores, cleaners, a movie theater and doctors and dentists of all specialties. Parkchester even has its own Macy’s! So now that you know what Parkchester is……

Why is Kintronics so interested?
Naturally we were appalled and sorry that the attack on an elderly man had occurred, but glad we could have had a part, no matter how miniscule, in the apprehension of the attacker. For You see, the police identified the perpetrator thanks to video captured by an Axis 207 IP cameras mounted in the front lobby of a building on Unionport Road and saved on a computer system using ONSSI software.

Kintronics provided consulting services to Parkchester South and its 116 buildings. We helped make sure we understood their objectives and helped determine which cameras were best for each location resulting in the installation of hundreds of IP cameras in building lobbies, outdoor spaces, and special areas requiring increased surveillance.

Security surveillance is not limited only to the grounds. Within the buildings elevators are being fitted with an alarm notification system consisting of alarms, two way intercoms to the safety officer’s station and cameras to allow the officers to evaluate the situation and react appropriately. The project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2012

In many ways, the world has become a much scarier place than it was in 1939 but with the help of the comprehensive security system Parkchester is installing it can continue to be a place that offers a serene setting for its third generation of families.

To learn more about how to provide security and surveillance using IP Cameras, conact us at 914-944-3425 or use our contact form.