Subscriber Discussion

Experience With Integrating Plcs (Programmable Logic Controllers) Into VMS Or ACS

UE
Undisclosed End User #1
Jul 26, 2017

I'm wondering if any of you have experience integrating this kind of equipment into VMS or ACS (Access Control System).

We would like to receive alarms from the PLC in the VMS or ACS, see gate status and send commands to them. We have other logic in the PLCs, so moving to hardwired inputs/outputs of the ACS is not an option.

 

I'm investigating the use of OPC and Modbus for communication. I saw something in Milestone site for modbus, but I don't know the level of integration for that solution.

Any thoughts? I would be interested in your experience with any VMS or ACS vendor. I'm just trying to understand what options we have for this type of integration.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Jul 26, 2017

I have been unsuccessful with integrating ModbusTCP and Ethernet/IP with VMS's and surveillance in general.

What we ended up doing was hard wiring DI and DO from a camera's alarm triggers or access control triggers to the PLC and vice-versa. It's a little painful, but unless you are using the FLIR thermal cameras that have built-in ModbusTCP, it's a lot easier on yourself to hard wire where you can.

That being said, if you want to connect to the process network, get in touch with your Milestone rep and see what they say. I was told that they will eventually have an app store for all of their analytics and plugins, but I have not heard anything on that topic in a while.

Best of luck!

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Brian Rhodes
Jul 26, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Integrations will likely be manually created via I/O events and basic.

Which PLC platform are you working with?  

I have seen a basic Allen-Bradley SLC system used for access, because it was essentially scratch built by a customer's on-staff electrical engineer.  In the end, it was far more expensive than buying a off-the-shelf solution.

If you can use BACNet, that might also be an integration avenue.

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UE
Undisclosed End User #1
Jul 26, 2017

Thanks for your responses. I'm working with GE. I agree that some logic shouldn't be in the PLC, but we have a bunch of other things there, so it's difficult to migrate.

I didn't think about BACNet, I will put some thought into it.

SN
Simon Nazaretian
Jul 28, 2017

I worked on an access control system a little while ago that claims native BACnet protocol.

http://www.remsdaq.com/integratedsecurity.php?page=accesscontrol

we didn't complete any PLC integrations with it though. No idea how well that integrations works. 

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Jul 28, 2017

FYI - Milestone has a BACNet plugin. I do not know much about it.

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U
Undisclosed #4
Jul 28, 2017

Vijeo.

Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Jul 28, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Is that a product?  Or did you just put a hex on someone?  :)  

(Please provide more details)

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AW
Amos Wipf
Jul 28, 2017

I have used networked PLC's to send TCP messages to Milestone VMS.

Milestone has a "Generic Events" engine that can receive TCP messages and generate event actions in the software.

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