An End to Security Tapes

Forget about fumbling with video tapes from your school’s security cams with an IPcorder Network Video Recorder. The company’s KNR series are small and range from a 4IP channel unit that holds 3TB to a 40-channel unit that holds 5 drives and tops out at 15TB of accumulated video. Everything can be viewed with the company’s Web-based software on a computer, phone or tablet.

Keeping an Eye on School, Night and Day

TrendNet’s TV-IP262P security camera not only lets you transmit 1,280 by 1,024 resolution video, but you can remotely pan, tilt or zoom-in on an area of interest. It can be mounted indoors or out and the camera’s data and power can be fed by a simple Ethernet cable and you can view what’s going on with up to 32 cameras with Trendnet software. 

Complete Windows 8 Protection

As Windows 8 starts to become a reality in a little more than a month, protecting a school’s computers and data become paramount. Norton’s trio of flagship protection products – AntiVirus, Internet Security and 360 – get a revamping for the new software.

The software works just fine with Win 7 but has been redesigned for the new OS and software. It is safer because it has emphasis on dealing with the scams involved with social networking, can warn users if they’re venturing into risky sites and the programs have a new firewall. It’s faster and can actually extend the battery life of a notebook by only running when it needs to. It’s simpler to use as well because it’s been re-engineered for using one of the new touch screen systems and doesn’t require rebooting to take advantage of new updates.

Pricing is similar to current versions with AV going for $50, Internet Security costing $80 and 360 going for $90.

Freebee Friday: Passwords – Here, There, Everywhere

Get rid of that little yellow sticky note with all your school passwords on it because Norton Identity Safe can hold them all and recall them at a moment’s notice as needed as well as basic contact data that can streamline the filling out of online forms. It’s a freebee until the fall. All the information held in a secure online repository and it works with PCs as well as iPads and Android tablets. The software can even make up super secure passwords to your exact specification and keep them secret.

 

Beating the Cell Phone Cheats

We all either know or heavily suspect that kids are cheating using cell phones to text answers to each other. PocketHound is the answer. It’s a handheld scanner the size of a mobile phone that continuously looks for cell phone use across all networks and frequency bands during a test or quiz. When the $500 device finds some suspect cell phone activity, it vibrates and lights up.

 

 

CES for Schools: Web View of the School

The latest surveillance camera, D-Link’s DCS-5222L, has a unique take on how to maintain security at a school: it routes the video automatically to the Web. The camera can be remotely tilted, panned and rotated 170-degrees in either direction, grab 30 HD frames per second and uses the company’s Cloud Services to stream the video to just any computer, tablet or smartphone.  

Safe and Secure

With the Web overflowing with malware and inappropriate sites luring students in, most schools are falling behind in the Web cold war. M86’s latest Web Filtering and Reporting Suite can keep an eye on where students and teachers are going on the Web and steer them clear of the worst online spots. The beauty of Version 4.2 of WFR is that it works, regardless of whether they’re using school computers or their own, including Android tablets or iPads.

 

 

Wireless Lock Up

By bypassing old-school keys, Assa Abloy’s Aperio lock technology lets a school’s WiFi network verify who can gain access to each room in a school, On top of reducing the cost of implementing an electronic key system, the system leaves an audit trail of who has opened each lock. The lock works with 802.11b and g networking gear and a variety of access control software, but don’t require data or power cables; the lock runs on a pair of AA batteries that should be good for about 18 months.

 

 

 

 

Locked Up Tight

The first thing to break in high traffic areas is quite often the door lock, making the school a less secure place for teachers and students. Sargent’s 11-line of locks and hardware can secure the school. Made with the company’s T-Zone technology, the key is that every piece of the lock works together to create a rigid structure. The lock set has a ten year warranty, but in testing has survived 34-million cycles, the equivalent of 130 years of use in the typical school. Available in 11 finishes with four different levers, it can be covered with an anti-microbial coating to reduce the spread of disease.

 

 

See Everything

Whether it’s to keep an eye on a busy hallway or to make sure there are no intruders at night, every school should have security cameras in strategic locations. Vaddio sets the standard with high resolution cams that can be remotely aimed and zoomed in to see every detail. Its ClearViewHD-20 has a 20X optical zoom lens and can capture full high definition video while panning, tilting and zooming in on the action.