Dante Group has installed ACTviquest, an integrated access control and video management solution, at the £100m Manchester Arndale shopping mall.
The solution offers video recording, retrieval and archiving options with access control information such as break-glass, door forced or door ajar scenarios. Users at the Arndale can utilise a GUI that shows the site with a 3D feel which represents all devices and their current status as icons. Fire alarm systems and break-glass incidents are included in these views.
If a member of the public or an intruder attempts to use a restricted door anywhere on the 140,000 square-metre site, ACTviquest highlights this to operators and presents them with camera feeds in the relevant zone. The Arndale has a nine-floor central tower with offices that are used by its own staff and third parties. Employees use MIFARE cards with access privileges appropriate to their job. They present their card to readers, and door control is then managed via ACTpro 4000 controllers. These units are designed for high-traffic volumes where changes to the cardholder database are a regular occurrence. They can manage up to 60,000 users.
ACTviquest has a mobile app that not only allows Arndale managers to view the site remotely but means they can leave the control room during an incident to gain information on the ground as a situation unfolds while still viewing camera streams and access control status from a smartphone or tablet. The app gives PTZ control of cameras. As an alternative, users outside the operational hub can both view and control up to six cameras as well as monitoring access control events simply by logging in to any major web browser.
ACT worked with Dante Group and Thames Valley Controls to ensure that ACTviquest is aware of which lifts and doors are appropriate for each visitor’s destination. If a visitor tries to enter areas that are not applicable to them they will be denied access. As the project develops, ACT will be integrating with over 150 cameras (both IP and encoded feeds from analogue) at the Arndale.
Michael Byrden, Sales Director of ACT, said: “Unlike most retail sites, the focus here is public safety and general logistics rather than shrinkage. ACTviquest is empowering management at Manchester Arndale to process an ever-increasing range of data types and combat broad security threats.”
