We’ve made our list, we’ve checked it twice, and we’ve decided what qualifies as a lofty device. You’d be hard-pressed to find an installing security contractor who wouldn’t be thrilled to receive most any of the cool products featured in SSI’s 2008 Top 30 Technology Innovations listings — or the profitability and efficiency they represent — this holiday season.
Amid the housing market catastrophe, financial institutions fiasco, stock market binge and purge, runaway fuel costs, intense presidential race, natural disasters, et al. — enough to make anyone exclaim, “Bah, humbug!” — security technology managed to march onward. Breakthroughs in video imaging and storage, wireless communications, and IP connectivity paced the advances.
All are well represented in the Top 30 (space omits scores of other worthy offerings), which runs the gamut from solutions aimed at the high end of the marketplace to modest installation tools. They offer exciting opportunities and benefits for owners/operators, salespeople and technicians alike. Also, some are just downright nifty.
So in the spirit of season, SSI Technical Writers Bob Dolph (of “Tech Talk” fame) and Steve Payne (“Convergence Channel”) along with Editor-in-Chief Scott Goldfine, give you, in alphabetical order under each tech expert’s top 10 picks, the 2008 Top 30 Technology Innovations. Now, have you been a good security contractor this year?
Brivo Web-Based Access Control System
What happens when you mix the power of an access 
control system with the Web 2.0 flexibility of the Internet? You get a product that adds several extra dimensions to
the conventional access control system. This is the case with the ACS OnSite™ system from Brivo of Bethesda, Md.
I was impressed with the versatility of the ACS OnSite system. No longer do you have to have a dedicated PC and equipment location for a card access system. This system is Web-based and can be securely accessed from anywhere in the world with the proper credentials. The system uses an expandable IP-based control panel that has the capacity of up to 30 readers, with optional remote door controllers.
Click here to request more information about this product.
Cypress Computer Supervised Extender Access Line
Cypress Computer Solutions of Lapeer, Mich., is one of the companies you might not hear much fanfare about, but it has always made a great product line.
If you are a regular of “Tech Talk” you have heard them mentioned. I have selected the company’s Supervised Extender line as a product pick for 2008.
One of the challenges of access control systems is establishing a reliable and secure communications connection between the reader and controller. Cypress’ Dual Supervised Reader Extender line comes in both hardwired and wireless varieties. The wired version is fully supervised RS-485 twisted pair with a range of up to 10,000 feet. The wireless version allows for two readers, is 900MHz and fully supervised with a range of 5,000 feet. The product line comes with devices for twisted pair, Ethernet, coax and fiber optics.
Click here to request more information about this product.
Inovonics Wireless Software Development Kit
Two key areas for overall performance of wireless security systems are reliability and versatility. One company that keeps rising to the top is Louisville, Colo.-based Inovonics. The selected product is the SDK9000, which is a software development
kit (SDK) for the company’s EchoStream wireless product line.
Using the SDK interface library, developers and integrators are no longer burdened with the raw detail of EchoStream message formats, bit fields and RF network operations — saving days, weeks, even months of software development time. The SDK supports a variety of Inovonic’s EchoStream wireless products. From wireless pendants and contact closures to environmental and utility measurement devices, the SDK makes it easy to integrate a wide range of life-safety, security, temperature, humidity and utility consumption applications into customized software.
Click here to request more information about this product.
Byte Brothers Power Panel Testing Device
In the tradition of “Tech Talk” I must keep everyone up to date on the latest in test equipment technology. That is
why I have selected the Power Panel™ from Byte Brothers of Newcastle, Wash. I love it when a company takes a good look at what is needed for testing systems in today’s high-tech IP-based world.
The Power Panel does a lot of cool things. It is a test device with a big, easy-to-read display, a small footprint and many test functions. It can test for power over Ethernet (PoE) and pairs used (end or mid span); phone line voltage and pairs; and network speed, duplex and pairs. It can also force linking with network switches; simulate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone or camera, and prompts PoE power from the network.
The device comes in a couple of different flavors that allow for DSL and inline connectivity, a feature that, from a tech’s viewpoint, I especially like.
Click here to request more information about this product.
ELK Products ElkGuard Self-Contained Wireless System
Can you stand it? Here is another ageless, quality company, 
Hildebran, N.C.-based ELK Products, providing yet another exciting and
versatile new product: the ElkGuard®. This new self-contained wireless security system provides extreme
flexibility in many ways.
The system can be set up in minutes; the remote wireless control can operate up to three months without AC power; it provides GSM cellular communications; is easy to operate remote arm/disarm; and has a very loud internal siren.
Your first impression might fool you as it also has a unique, very secure corner mounting configuration. The ease of installation and portable use makes the ElkGuard system ideal for construction sites, rentals and homes without landlines.
Click here to request more information about this product.
NAPCO iSeeVideo Ethernet Over Power Video System
I am always attracted to products that use the latest technologies and make life easier for not 
only the end user but
the installer. On top of this, if it can bring you additional recurring monthly revenue (RMR) then it is truly an exciting find. This is the case with the iSeeVideo system, a versatile IP-based, line-carrier video system from an old-time, proven company, NAPCO Security Systems of Amityville, N.Y.
You have all heard of power over Ethernet (PoE), but have you heard of Ethernet over power (EoP)? In this case, th