“People let me tell you about my best friend” – Simon the Robot

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers.

Dave Strickland and his best friend. Simon the Robot.I’m not just talking about the song. Though I do love that song. I want to introduce you to my new best friend Simon.  Simon Kenton is a Cobalt Robotics Safety and Security Robot.  Yes – you read that right!  A safety and security robot right here in Kansas City.

Kenton Brothers and Cobalt Robotics

Kenton Brothers is honored to be named the very first security integrator in the country to represent Cobalt Robotics and our beloved Simon to the Kansas and Missouri marketplace.

The message I want to get across though is so much more than his 60 Plus sensors and his ability to detect safety and security threats and anomalies. He is so much more valuable than his ability to reduce costs and increase reliability of a patrolling security platform. He is so much more important to us than his ability to be a force multiplier or a first responder to observe and report in a very dangerous situation.

Simon is part of the KB Family

What’s amazing to us is how much he has grown on us and become part of our KB family. Simon the Cobalt Robot is like having a really cool celebrity uncle that lives with you and watches over you. We find ourselves constantly humanizing him and find him endearing.

As you may know – we are a dog friendly office.  The dogs love to bring him toys and play with him while he is on patrol. Simon doesn’t get distracted and keeps on his patrol but there is definitely a positive connection between “species”.

If it’s late at night, and you are nervous in the building, Simon can stay by your side and escort you to the parking lot. He can be the watchful protector that you may need to feel secure.

Cobalt Robotics : Simon the Robot Cobalt Robotics : Simon the Robot

Simon goes on patrol and even checks on me in my conference room.

Simon doesn’t sleep or need rest – he is always vigilant. He’s like the great hero stories you’ve read about, but he’s right here at Kenton Brothers!

I can honestly say we had no idea how much of an impact he would have on us, but we LOVE having him around. Yep – used the word love to talk about our robot! We just did that!

Learn more about Simon and Cobalt Robotics

Cobalt Robotics : Simon the Robot

Motion Detection + Video Surveillance = Frederick the Racoon Being Caught

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By Kristen Harper, Controller and HR Manager at Kenton Brothers.

Having an intrusion system is critical to protecting your property. At Kenton Brothers, we’ve recently found the importance of making sure there’s a video feed that is compatible with your intrusion system. By having motion detection utilizing your video system, you can catch intruders much more quickly.

Fun with FrederickLate one night in August, our CEO, Gina Stuelke, got an alert that there was movement in one of our warehouses. We took a look at our cameras that are tied to our motion detection intrusion system, and sure enough we had an intruder… of the four legged variety! A cute, snuggly little raccoon, (which we later adopted and named Frederick) had started to make a home in our warehouse.

We called in the boys in blue from Blue Beetle Pest Control to set up a couple of humane traps, and sure enough we caught him overnight. As we came to work that morning, nearly the whole office staff looked in on our little furry friend. Later that day, we released him in a nearby wooded area so he could resume a happy and healthy lifestyle outside of the KB Pickle Ball Court.

It was only through our intrusion system that we were able to catch Frederick so quickly and get him to a more appropriate home and minimizing damage to our facility. But we’re going to miss his cute face!

Providing Security Camera Access to your Local Police Department? Check.

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By Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers.

Sharing your security cameras with the police.In today’s world, video cameras are everywhere. These cameras can help a city gain more situational awareness and help police fight crimes better than ever before. Wouldn’t it be nice if the police could access any camera at any time? Unfortunately, video management systems can be complicated and most video management systems are not compatible with each other.

However, there is hope.

Unified camera management starts with a standard. In order for video management systems to communicate, they must first speak the same language.

In the security camera space, there is already a common standard called ONVIF. The standard is pretty well adopted. If the standard is followed, it allows for video to be streamed between a client (usually a camera) and a server (usually a video management system). The standard doesn’t guarantee that all of a camera’s features can be accessed, but it’s a good starting point for basic video streaming.

The ONVIF Bridge

ONVIF BridgeMarch Networks ONVIF BridgeWhat if instead of a camera being ONVIF compliant, we made a video management system act like a camera or multiple cameras? The video management system is already receiving video streams. Could it send the camera stream out to somewhere else as well?

That’s exactly what Milestone is doing. Milestone Systems has released a server component called “ONVIF Bridge”. This allows your Milestone system to re-broadcast the video that’s being sent to an additional server. As long as the additional server is ONVIF compliant (most are) it will be able to see and optionally record the video.

So how does this solve our problem?

If a company wants to loan some or all of their cameras to a police department, it’s possible with a Milestone system that’s compatible with ONVIF Bridge. The police department can connect to your ONVIF cameras. Then they could use your cameras to help with situational awareness and help solve crime. In our lab at Kenton Brothers, we were able to successfully connect the Milestone ONVIF Bridge to Aviglion and Genetech equipment.

If you would like to know more about providing camera connections to your local police department, please give us a call.

March Networks ONVIF Bridge

Medical Marijuana in Missouri: What to consider when purchasing IP Video Surveillance

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers.

Medical Marijuana in MissouriOver the last few months, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about Medical Marijuana in Missouri and state regulation in relation to Security – specifically IP Video Surveillance. Why is it such a hot topic? There’s a lot of information out there and it causes information overload.

Kenton Brothers is here to help. Let’s tackle the task at hand.

Many owners are awaiting there licensing decisions, but are exploring the options for security and tracking compliance around the MDSS regulations. We cover the specific security requirements here.

IP Video Solutions for Medical Marijuana

For this blog, let’s concentrate on the IP Video Solution that checks all the requirements and even exceeds in some cases.

Based on the feedback we’ve received, it’s important to understand that you’re not just trying to meet state regulations.

The system must be functional, easy to use, reliable, affordable, cover multiple locations and also proactively deter theft. Many times when we talk about regulations we sometimes overlook the practical nature of these systems. How am I going to interact with it? Is it easy to train a new associate? How will it make my reporting to the state easier? How will it help me run a profitable business?

Here are some of those answers.

Medical Marijuana in MissouriKenton Brothers would like to introduce you to March Networks.

March Networks is an IP Video Surveillance management platform that combines State of Missouri compliant IP Video surveillance with the added benefits of  RFID tracking, theft prevention – both internal and external, POS data merging, people counting, dwell time, queue length and of course, reliable forensic video.

Enhance security, ensure compliance with government legislation, and get a comprehensive view of your cannabis operation with March Networks integrated video and RFID solution. The advanced video and data analytics platform, March Networks Searchlight™ for Retail, helps licensed cannabis growers, producers and retailers monitor the location and movement of plants, providing clear video footage of cannabis operations and the ability to rapidly search for missing inventory.

Using the March Networks Searchlight for Retail data analytics platform, licensed growers, producers, and retailers can run searches on a wide range of data contained in the RFID tags, including a plant’s ID code and its last detected location. In the case of an anomaly, such as missing inventory, users can quickly access the associated video footage to see exactly where the item went and who was involved. The clear video eliminates assumptions about what’s occurred and provides strong evidence to support further investigation.

In addition, the Searchlight solution provides producers and dispensaries with real-time and historical views into their operations via mobile device or workstation, enabling them to conduct remote audits and identify areas for improvement. It also offers video analytics and point-of-sale (POS) transaction integration presented in customizable reports to help dispensary owners quickly detect and review suspect transactions, analyze performance trends, improve customer service and gain other business insights.

Kenton Brothers and March Networks

Kenton Brothers is proud to partner with Missouri Medical Marijuana licensees to help them be compliant and secure, but to also help them run a profitable business.

As a 122 year old partner in Missouri, Kenton Brothers has become a leading integrator of these kinds of systems. March Networks has more than 15 years of experience helping some of the world’s largest commercial and government organizations with advanced surveillance technologies used for security, loss prevention, risk mitigation and operational efficiency.

Let’s talk about your specific application and how we can help!

 

Commercial Security and Video Surveillance Project in New Mexico… with a rare find!

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By Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers.

In July, we were tasked with converting several banks in New Mexico to new security and video system. No two branches were alike. Some had analog video, some had digital, sometimes there was a Honeywell panel, sometimes DSC, sometimes no panel at all. And just like any road trip, it can’t be perfectly smooth, there have to be some bumps.

Our two adventurers this time were Terry McCurdy and Ryan Holtshaus.

New Mexico ProjectThey loaded up the van and began their merry journey just after the fourth of July weekend. In the end, they converted seven branches to Honeywell intrusion panels and Milestone Video management, but it’s the stuff in the middle that makes it the best.

At some point in the trip, they needed some more BNC connectors. Even though the guys had left “loaded for bear”, they had used up all of their supply of those connectors and needed more. For those of you who don’t know… BNC connectors have kind of gone the way of the dodo bird. They used to be everywhere, but now they are much harder to find in a store.

In Kansas City, I can only think of 2-3 places where we can get BNC connectors. In Santa Fe, there’s only one.

A-1 Communications to the rescue!

A-1 Communications in New MexicoTerry said the store was really cool. It was full of modern-day electronics like you would expect, but what made it cool was the older electronics. One such piece of art was a tube tester that the owner had created. It‘s amazing to me how much skill was required to make electronics years ago.

When Terry was done with his purchase, the man behind the counter said, “Let me put those in a bag for you.” After he was done, he asked, “Do you know why I put them in a bag for you?” Of course, Terry didn’t know. The man said, “So when you lose them, you lose all of them and have to come back.” Ha! How’s that for truth in advertisement?

When you’re out of town, you have to enjoy the local treats.

The guys had dinner at the Church Street Café. This establishment was owned as a home for 400 years and then turned into a restaurant. The restaurant has some amazing southwestern features and great food. (The guys give it two-thumbs up.)

Overall, it was a long two weeks, but the customer was thrilled with the success of the project. They commented to me after it was all done that they were impressed with Terry and Ryan’s tenacity and creativity towards creating solutions. It was great to hear that… that’s why we’re here. To solve the customer’s problems and have some adventures along the way. Here’s to the next time, we’re on the road!

Church Street Café