Genetec Mission Control Tested

By Ethan Ace, Published on Jul 13, 2017

Genetec continues to move up market with their Mission Control, "Decision Support System", bringing PSIM-like procedures and incident management to their 'unified platform' / VMS Security Center.

We tested Mission Control to see how it worked, what features it adds to Security Center, how complex monitoring and configuration are, and how it compares to existing PSIM and VMS platforms.

Related, see our coverage of Genetec's other platforms/features:

*******

** *** *****, ******* Control *** ****** ** use *** ******** ********** and *********, **** **** little ******** ******** ***** and ****** ******* ***** management ******* ******** ** Security ****.

*******, ************* ****** ****** workflow, *********, *** ******** setup ** ** * substantial **** **********.

*******, *** **** ***** puts ** *** ** reach ** **** ************* who *** ****** **** functionality (****** ***** ******* less ********* **** ******* PSIM).  

********

**** *****, **** *** testing, ******** *** *********** features / ********* *** Mission *******:

******* ******* *** ***** **** components:

  • ******** *************, ***** ** Config ****
  • ******** **********, ***** ** Security ****
  • ******** *********, ***** ** Security ****

**** **** ***** ***** are ********* *** * separate **********, *** ******** in ******** ****** ** default. ******* ******* ** currently *** **** *********'* ****** ********** **** ** ******** updated. ******* **** **** Mission ******* ** ******** to ** ******* ***** every ***** ******, *********** of ******** ******'* ******* schedule.

Compared ** ****

******** ** ******* ****, Security ****** **** ******* Control ** ************* ***** cost. *******, ***** ***** integrations *** **** *******, with ****** ** ***** VMS/NVR ********* *********, *** limited ****** *** ********* lines, ***** **** ********* typically *** **** ****** agnostic.

**** ***** ****, ******** Center/Mission ******* ******** **** the ***** *********** ******* Genetec ********, ******** **** functionality *** *************, ******* of ****** ********* ****** and ***** ******* ** PSIM. **** *** ** attractive ** ******* **** customers ***** ******* ** their ***.

*******

******* ******* *** * base ******* **** ** $**,*** USD, *** ********* ******** licenses ($*** ****/$**,*** *********). This ******* ** ** addition ** ******** ****** licensing, ** ********** $*,*** base *******/$*** *** ****** (Enterprise ** ********, *** below).

******* **** **** ** intermediate **** ** ******* Control **** ** ******** in *** ****** **** lower *******. ******** ******** and ******* **** *** available.

******** ** ******* *** systems, **** ******* ** very *********, **** ******* Control's **** ******* **** above *** ***** ******* cost (** **** ******** cost) ** *** ******** of *******. *******, ******** to **** ******* ** may ** ********** *******, it ** ** *** lower ***, ** ************ most **** ************* **** been well **** *** ****** costs. 

Version / ****** *************

******* ******* ******** ******** Center **********. ** ** not ********* **** ******** and ************ ********.

****** *** ****** ********* by ******** ****** (********,********,******,*******, ** *******) *** be **** ** *********. This ******** ***** ****** detection *** *********, **** readers *** ********, *** cameras, ********* *********, ***. There ** * ***** license *** ($**) *** devices ********* *** *** Genetec ***, ***** ******** many ***** ***** ************ to ******** ******* **** as ********* *********. 

Incident **********

** *** *****, ******** Desk's ******** ********** **** was ****** ** ***, effectively ******* ** ******** event **********, **** *** addition ** **********, *********, and ******** **********, ********* below. 

***********, ** ** * modified ******* ** *** existing **********/***** ********** ***** found ** ******** ****, displaying * **** ** incidents ** **** ***** (top), ***** **** * map ******* ******** ********(*) below. ********* *** ******* via *** ******* **** shown ** *** *** below (**** ****** *** icons ********** *** *****/**********). 

** *** ***** ** the ******** **** *** map ** *** ******** pane, ***** ******** *********** about *** ******** ********, including *** ********, *****, monitoring *********, *** ******* state:

*******, ***** ** * set ** ******** ********* Procedures ******* ****** *****. These ********** *** ******** to **** *** ********(*) through **** ********, ****** for ************* *** ******** steps, *** ******* ********* which *** ** ****** for ******** ********.

***** *** ****** *** file **** ** * document, *** **** ********* these ***** **** ** images, ****, ** ***** documents. *** *******, ** part ** *** "**** Alarm" **** ********, ********* ******** a ***** ****** ** well ** * **** evacuation ****, ***** ****:

 

Incident ************* 

******** ** **********, ******** configuration ** * ******* task. ********* *** ***** ** two ********:

******** *************

*** ******** *** ******** a **** ***** ** actions ***** *** ********* when *** ******** ******. Elements *** ***** *** drag *** ****, ********* by ******** ****** ****** to ******. 

******* ******* ***** **********, such ** ********** * camera, ******* * *****, or ********** * *** to **** ** * specific ******. ************, ***** may ******* ******* ** incident **********, **** ** color, ****, ********, *****, etc., ******* ****** ** the ******** *** ******* video/info, ** ******* ***** incidents **** *** ********.

******* ********* ******* ** many ****** *******, ***** may ** * ******** to ************** **********, *** no ******** ** ******** required *** **** ********. For ******* ********* *** which ***** ****** **********, users *** ***** ** blank, **** ********* ******** adjusting ***** ********** ** the ******** ** ** progress. 

********* *************

*******, ********* ************* ****** users ** ***** * set ** ***** ** be ******** *** **** incident, ********* ******** *** certain *****, *** ********* related ********* *** *********, shown *****.

****** ********** *** *** complex ** ******, *********** SOP *** ********* ** a ***-******* **** ***** project. ************* ** *** level ***** ******* ******* is ****** (*** **********) are likely ** **** ******* procedures *******, ****** ***** must ** ********** ** Procedures ***** *** ******* to ******* *******, *** likely ** **** ******* tweaking ***** ***. 

Support *********

***** *** **** *** supporting ********* ** ********* for ******** *********. ***** may ******* *********** *** document ****, ** ******** Center ****** ***** *** document ** *** ********** viewer (****** ** ******* Photos, **** ** *******, DWG ** ******* ***.) instead ** ******* **** natively. Documents *** ********** **** a ***** *** **** via "***". **** **** one ******** *** ** associated **** * *** and *********.

** **** **********, **** organizations ****** **** ***** documents ** ******* ******, but ********* *** ********* related ***** *** *** in **** *** ** a *********** **** **********. 

Time ** *******/***** *****

******* ******* ******** **** audit ***** ** *** incident-related *****, ********* ***** viewing *** ********, ******** and **** **** *******, workflow ***** ********* ** skipped, ********* ********, *** more. *** ********** *** timestamped, ******** ******** ** assess *** **** ********* took ** ******* ** a ***** ********, ***** ********** of *** ******* *** specific *********, ***.

** ****** ********, ******* says **** **** ** adding * ******* ********* timer ** ** ****** for *********, ** ****** operators ** *** **** ******** for ****** ********. 

Incident *************

**** ***** ****** ** Security ******, ********* **** their *** ************* ****. Users *** ****** *** incidents ***** ** ****, date *****, *****, ******, location, *** ****. ****** clicking * ***** ***** unpacks ** **** * separate *** **** ******** entities.

***** *** **** ****** an ******** ** * report **** *********** ********, snapshots **** ******* *******, operator *****, ***.

More ******** **** ******** ****** ***** **********

********* ****** **** ******** Center's *****-** ****** ** two *** ****:

  • ** ***** ** ********: *** **** ******* ** operator *** **** ** an ***** *** *********** (default, *********, *** ********) and *******. ************ *** be ********* *** ** HTML ***, *** **** is ********** ******* ** Genetec *** ***** *** audit ***** ***** ** Incidents.

  • ******* ***** *****:****** *********** **** ***** who ************ *** ***** and ****, ** **** as **** ***** ***** fields. ** ********, ******* Control ****** **** ***** trail ** ******** ********, including ***** ********* **** the ********, ***** ** complete *****, **** ** user ****, *** ****.

Versus ********* ********

********* ******** ****** ***** to ******* *** ********** camera ** *** ***** source *** ** *****, without ********* ******** ********* of *** ***** ** be *******. *** *******, an ***** *** ** set ** ******* ** line ******** ********* ** all *******, *** *********'* Alarm ******* ******** **** the ****** ******. ***** cameras *** ** ******** configured ** ******* ** the ********, ** ****.

******** **** *** **** a ****** *** ** replicate ******* *******'* ********, attachments, ********, ***., *** a *** ** **** triggers ** ******** ****** in ********** (**** ** bad **** ****, ******** by ****** **** *****, followed ** ****** *********).

Versions ******

**** **** *** ********* using *** ********* ******** versions:

  • ******* ******** ******:*.*.***.****
  • ******* ******* *******:*.*.***.**
  • ******* *******:*.*.**.*

Comments (10)

Itamar Kerbel

07/16/17 05:52am

From the report the software looks very impressive and I really wish Avigilon would have some like this to offer.

That said, with an MSRP of 75,000$ I don't think we would be able to sell a single license....

Undisclosed Distributor #1

07/17/17 01:31pm

Thanks for reviewing! Did you require Genetec to set up the demo for you? Are there any competitive incident management packages you plan on reviewing?

Avatar

Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Distributor #1 | 07/17/17 04:37pm

We set up the software ourselves. It was not particularly complicated, though you want to make sure you read the prerequisites and instructions carefully beforehand. We actually had some server version mismatch issues which drove me nuts for a day before Genetec pointed it out.

As for other packages, we would be open to testing them. Do you have any suggestions as to which?

Avatar

Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to Ethan Ace | 07/17/17 04:42pm

For clarity's sake, the software was not a demo version, it was a fully functional, licensed version running on our server.

Avatar

Joshua Hendricks

Milestone Systems
07/17/17 07:01pm

Hi Ethan,

Great report and really interesting functionality, thank you! Just a minor correction though:

Milestone XProtect practically limits users to a single source and related camera per alarm. This essentially requires users to create an alarm multiple times if more more than one device is running analytics or VMD for example

This is actually relatively easy to accomplish. Here is an example Alarm definition...

Milestone Alarm Definition

And the resulting VMD alarms from two different cameras triggered by the same alarm definition above...

Milestone XProtect Smart Client VMD Alarms

Thanks again

Avatar

Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to Joshua Hendricks | 07/19/17 09:52pm

Thank you for pointing this out. It was a misunderstanding in configuration and we just confirmed it.

Like you, I configured XProtect to trigger alarms on all cameras for motion detection, and each alarm shows video from the event source:

My original understanding was that you needed to manually select related cameras in the alarm configuration (below), but the triggering camera displays by default.

I'll update the report to reflect this, thanks.

Samuel Rodgers

In reply to Ethan Ace | 07/21/17 03:55pm

Same for Genetec, if I'm understanding what you're trying to do correctly. In Genetec, you can have one general alarm (ie, "Motion Detected") and have multiple cameras trigger this alarm. Any entity triggering an alarm will forward through the video of any associated cameras into the alarm, so you can leave that "attached entities" field blank under the camera and it'll still pick up cameras from the triggering entity (whether a camera, door, zone, etc). It will even inherit some additional video settings like live/playback settings specified in the alarm (in image below, the alarm will pull the camera from the triggering entity but still use the "live and playback" settings configured).

That field is only useful to me if it's alarm that get manually triggered by an operator or if there are additional entities I want to display with the alarm.

Avatar

Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to Samuel Rodgers | 07/21/17 04:13pm

Thanks for pointing that out. It somehow got by us. I've updated the report with this.

Interestingly, when testing, I remember at least a couple of instances where the triggering entity did not display. I will have to try and recreate that. But I just confirmed what you show above, thanks.

Samuel Rodgers

In reply to Ethan Ace | 07/21/17 04:25pm

I vaguely remember hearing about an issue with this not working in one of the earlier 5.5 releases, I see it was tested on 5.5.670.1080 for this report. We're running 5.5.670.4045 (SR4) so I am assuming that the test version is GA or SR1, that may have been the cause. 

Undisclosed End User #2

07/21/17 02:02pm

Would like to see a comparison with NICE (Qognify) Situator PISM. or a stand alone NICE Situator PISM review as well.

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