Is 1080p Resolution Still the Standard? by DW

NYC Apartment Entrances Door Security – What You Need To Know!

I recently attended a meeting of our Small Property Owners Association (SPONY) in a posh area of Manhattan. As I left the subway, walking to the meeting, I could not help noticing the beefed up security in most buildings with new CCTV surveillance cameras, video intercoms, keyless access control, door men and even security guards.  What was missing?  The doors and locks themselves being protected against forced entry.   Unfortunately, most property managers, owners and co-op/condo boards forget about door security. The apartment building entrances in NYC have a lifespan that  range from being brand new to well over 100 years old. Most of the apartment door entrances we see are over 30 years old and can be easily forced open. And while new glass door entrances look great unless they are fully secured they can be forced open.

Door security has undergone major changes in recent years with new technology.

Magnetic Locks:

High tech electromagnetic locks or magnetic locks use electromagnetism to control the entire locking mechanism. These locks rely on electric power like your washing machine or HDTV or refrigerator. Magnetic locks can pick up a number of different coding mechanism including smart card, proximity readers and keypads. Single door magnetic locks are offered in 600 lbs. or 1,200 lbs. dynamic holding force.  The strength of today’s magnetic locks is much greater than conventional locks. We recommend 1,200 lbs. magnetic locks for NYC apartment buildings entrances. 

NYC Codes and HPD Enforcement:

New York City has one of the toughest door lock codes in the nation which has kept lock manufacturers from producing magnetic locks that are NYC Code compliant.  New York City Codes are enforced by The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). In New York City an apartment building entrance lock must have the following:

1. Positive latching and a locked exterior. One motion, turning the door handle, opens the magnet on the latch. The door can remain locked on the outside even during a power failure, which would cause the electromagnetic lock to open.

2. No Special Knowledge exiting. Anyone can walk up to door and depress a lever or panic bar to exit.

3. Intercom interface in the building. The intercom interface to meet the apartment release requirements.

In New York City you must have on door entrances a heavy duty latch, single motion exiting and intercom release.

 

Securitech® Maglatch System: NYC Code Compliant Building Entrance Locks.

Currently, Securitech® Inc., a local manufacturer from Maspeth, New York, is the only manufacturer that is New York City Code compliant. We were so impressed with their product line for increasing door security that we had all our technicians trained at the Securitech factory in installing and servicing their electric locking systems.

Securitech® Maglatch System is NYC HPD code compliant durable and also vandal resistant.  The Maglatch lever handle has a built-in magnetic lock cut-off switch. One motion releases the electromagnetic lock and retracts the mortise latch lock. The locks are durable. The electric release solenoid is protected within the exterior trim. The locks are also vandal resistant. The slipclutch lever handle breaks-away if forced, but will not open the door and the lock is not damaged.

Homeland Surveillance is a certified dealer of Securitech® NYC Electric Locking Systems.

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE- What You Need To Know!

 

For real estate owners and property managers Video Surveillance is essential. Video surveillance can alert you to potential problems, document incidents on your properties as they happen, check your properties live long-distance  and help you stop criminal behavior.  This sounds great but unfortunately many video surveillance systems FAIL to meet the expectations of their owners.  We do a lot of business upgrading video surveillance systems that were never right for the properties that they were installed in.

 Eight Requirements for Good  Video Surveillance:

1.  Reliability, what happens if the power goes out? Does the system have a power backup supply and for how long? Is the system vulnerable to computer viruses? Is the System Windows based, Linux operating or self contained to avoid virus threats? We recommend self contained systems with backup power supply.

2.  System Monitoring and Diagnosis, does your video surveillance system alert you to problems with cameras or recording? We recommend specific monitors and recorders with health monitoring features within to ensure control from identifying problems.

3.  Analog or IP Digital Cameras, the best cameras for picture quality are IP Digital Cameras. These cameras are much more costly than analog cameras. The difference in picture quality is that IP digital cameras record at a much higher resolution than analog cameras.  Many banks have been switching to IP digital cameras for the better resolution. IP digital cameras also require a high performance recording system, added storage capacity and processing power. We believe that the key is to look at your facility and its needs and see both cameras before purchasing. You need to plan and design the video surveillance system before you start installing cameras. Many property managers like high end analog cameras for the exterior and lobby of the buildings with vandal hardened analog cameras on each floor and in the elevators. Airports, banks, parking lots and large high rise office buildings are good candidates for IP digital cameras.

4.  Product Protection, many new surveillance manufacturers are entering the industry and it’s important to have a system where the vendor(s) have a commitment to backward compatibility. We see many properties with discarded video systems because of no product compatibility.

5.   Wireless or Wired Cameras, wireless cameras can work for a small apartment to provide an adequate picture but the network and picture can have issues at times. For businesses, commercial properties and larger homes a more complex solution is needed which requires cabling from cameras to DVR through low voltage lines. This provides your properties its own closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) system that you control.

6.  Recording Capabilities, what is the amount of footage to record and archive? Can you set your system for motion detection only?  What kind of video quality do you need?  Based on your answers we can determine the level of hard drive you need.  For a 16 channel recorder you could have up to 6 Terabyte Capacity (1 terabyte equals 1,000 Giga Bytes). Remember cameras that work on motion detection will save you tons of footage.

7.  Camera Site Installations, the number of cameras you need and the exact place setting is going to depend on your structure and coverage. Lighting and weather conditions matter. We recommend weather resistant cameras for all outdoor video surveillance and night vision capabilities. You also have a choice of fixed straight cameras or pan/tilt/zoom-around abilities. PTZ cameras give wide coverage and zooming abilities.

8. Service-Service-Service, most importantly have an integrated security company that can respond to all your needs immediately! Take the time to check client references and to see a video surveillance system that is similar to the system that you would install on your property.