Solutions White Paper – Inaccurate Time Stamp or Video and Access System Clocks Not In Sync

Problem

System clocks being out of synch between Access Control systems and Video Servers can compromise the integrity and reliability of forensic video history. The reliance on the accuracy of the PC’s internal clock, which is one of the most unreliable components of a PC, presents problems in finding and matching recorded video events with associated access system events. Video clips are often thrown out of courts as evidence due to their conflicting time stamps, because the Video Server’s time clock is simply significantly off from actual time, or the system may be unable to find an event at all based on a time
search.

Details

Virtually all Access Control and Video integration schemes are reliant on the time clocks of each system to be in synch in order to match a video event to an access control event. Depending upon user configuration, most systems allow for a window of several minutes to find matching events. Even if events are found within the specified window but the timestamps are not an exact match, the video and access event can be thrown out during a trial as being conflicting. This problem is illustrated below.

User requests an Access Control Report
Access Control system queries Video server for time window matching events
Do times fall within a specified window?
Access System pulls a list of videos clips from the Video Server for display
Access System cannot find matching video events or displays wrong events
User clicks on the requested link and Access Systems retrieve the clip
Does the time stamp match?
Evidence likely is dismissed in a trial
Evidence likely is usable in a trial

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Solution

Keri Systems Video Integration solution, Reflections, is constantly monitoring our video partner’s application. If an event occurs on a camera that’s been linked to a door or input point on a Keri controller, Reflections immediately grabs a copy of the video event, places a copy in the access database, and
creates a unique database link between the video and the access control text event. This means the system can always match and retrieve both, regardless of the possible inaccurate time stamps or overwriting of data on the Video Server. This solution is so unique that Keri has several patents pending.
Also, because the events were recorded simultaneously, there is little chance that it can be eliminated as evidence in court because of a conflicting time stamp.

Summary

Keri’s Access Control + Video integration is unlike virtually any other in that Reflections is a real-time integration that is aware of the activity on both Access Control hardware and Video Server simultaneously and has no reliance on system clocks or their synchronization. When events occur on either system, they
are linked and archived immediately and forever using a unique identifier key, eliminating the chance to incorrectly mapped or later lost via overwriting when the video hard drive is full.

Needed Equipment

1) Keri – Doors.NET Access Control Software
2) Keri – Reflections or Reflections Plus Video Integration Software
3) Supported Keri Video Partner – NVR or DVR
4) Keri NXT Series Access Control Hardware
Currently Supported Platforms 1
* In Process Integrations*
Aimetis Arecont Vision
Milestone Vivotek
Panasonic Toshiba (IP Cameras)
Axis IP Cameras Hykvision
OnSSI (NetDVMS)
Pelco 8100 series (on 32 OS only)