The Iris Adjusts the Lens Aperture, but What Adjusts the Iris?

The eye has an iris. When we say we have blue eyes or brown eyes or green eyes, we are referring to the iris. But the iris is more than the colored circle surrounding the pupil. It acts as its diaphragm, reacting to the intensity of light, to widen or narrow the pupil which admits and focuses light on the retina at the back of the eye. Like the image sensor of a camera, the retina reacts to the light and sends a record of it, via the optic nerve, to the brain which makes sense of the image.  The iris constricts the pupil in bright light and dilates it in darker conditions.

The camera also has an iris which serves the same function. The camera iris controls the lens aperture, opening it so as to admit light to the photosites on the image sensor. Iris control for fixed surveillance cameras is of  three types:

·         Fixed  -  set at a specific circumference and cannot be adjusted.

·         Manual - allows you to adjust  the aperture by hand.

·         Automatic   - adjusts  the iris according to the prevailing light

If the camera is mounted indoors where the lighting remains the same, one can get by with either a fixed or manual iris since there is no reason to adjust the iris. However when using an outdoor camera,   automatic  iris control is needed.

 The iris setting affects image sharpness and depth of field. Depth of field refers to the distance both in front of and behind the focal point where objects share the same degree of sharpness. The deeper the field, the greater the portion of the scene that is visible. This is especially important in surveillance when covering a long corridor or escalator or a parking lot.

However, in waning light, the aperture may not admit sufficient light to pass through. The pixels that correspond to the darker portions of the image may not have enough time to collect sufficient photons, resulting in a shallow depth of field. 

A wide iris opening reduces depth of field while a narrow one increases it. The term, f-number is used to define the size of the lens opening, the higher the number, the smaller the opening. 

 

The following chart shows the effect the size of the aperture opening has  on the depth of field. A higher f-number  increases the depth while a lower f-number decreases it.

A smaller opening will also improve image sharpness.  This is because any lens will produce some sort of image aberration if the whole surface is used, so the smaller the opening, the less of the lens used, and the better the error reduction. 

However, and there’s always seems to be a however, too small an opening can actually blur an image due to what’s called diffraction. Diffraction arises in bright outdoor conditions when a lens closes its shutter too much and the light is diffracted or spread over too many photosites, resulting in loss of detail and a dull light-washed image.   Megapixel cameras compound the problem because not only do they have a large number of photosites but in many cases, the photosites are small and close together.

The following set of images illustrates diffraction at different iris settings on cameras within a range of megapixels.

More precise iris control would go a long way in decreasing diffraction, thus increasing sharpness and depth of field but unfortunately  the DC-iris lens as  mentioned above, only  controls the iris in response to light intensity . It does not allow for any finer adjustments that might result in more accurate photon collection. Axis Communications has developed a solution, jointly with Kowa, for minimizing diffraction. It is called P-Iris.

P-Iris provides automatic precise control of the iris opening. Rather than merely regulating the flow of light to the image sensor, P-iris sets the iris at the optimum  f-number at which the central and best part of the lens will be used.  The P in P-iris stands for precise.  Using this preferred setting as the default  insures better contrast, resolution and depth of field.  

But in some lighting conditions, P-iris  may not be enough. In those cases, electronic processing  is called for -  gain (amplification of the signal level),  or an alteration  in exposure time.  Either or both can  optimize the image quality by  maintaining  the best iris position for as long as possible.

In the rare instance when neither the preferred iris position, nor the electronic processing can correct the exposure,  cameras equipped with P-iris will automatically instruct the camera to change the iris position. Axis holds forth that any network camera equipped with P-iris will adjust itself to produce crisp high definition images with good depth of field, no matter what the lighting conditions may be, and will do it all automatically.

In addition to Axis, other camera manufacturers such as CBC Ganz and Vivotek are using the technology. If you have any questions about P-Iris cameras or any IP camera, visit Kintronics at http://www.kintronics.com/neteye/neteye.htmlor fill out a request for information form.

Are you sure you need all those megapixels? (Maybe you can get by with a little help from your lens)

When it comes to selecting an IP camera the first question out of some people’s mouths is how many megapixels does it have?  

But before asking this question, you should ask yourself how many megapixels do I need? 

And before asking that the question make sure you know what degree of resolution you need?  

Do you want to see the flow of foot traffic in your department store?

 or do you want to see the facial features of the woman pocketing that watch?

Resolution

Resolution is defined as the number of picture elements comprising an image. When dealing with IP cameras, the pixel is the unit of measure. Resolution may be expressed either horizontally x vertically (640x840), or as a total number (1.4 megapixels). The finer the detail you want to see, the greater the resolution (more pixels) you should seek. However it’s not quite that simple. Megapixels do equal greater resolution but there are a few more considerations, some plus, some minus.

(+)     Megapixels add greater resolution to the equation and you get a higher quality image.

(-)      But now you need more bandwidth and have higher storage requirements.

(+)     Compression and frame rate adjustments can solve this.

(-)      But this could lower the quality of your image.

Bearing all this in mind, the most practical thing to do is decide how many megapixels you need without going overboard?

PPF

 Camera developers have come up with a minimum of 40 pixels per foot (ppf) as the standard for facial recognition.PPF refers to the resolution of the final video frame and is based on the size of the area being recorded. However Recognition is a broad term, implying that this is a person is already known to the viewer. In most cases recognition is based not only on facial characteristics but also on familiarity with the subject’s body build and perhaps choice of clothing. If the person is looking away from the camera or wearing sunglasses, or a hat is obstructing their face, you may sort of, kind of think you recognize then but you can’t be sure. The ideal resolution would allow you to identify them. Notice I made a distinction between recognizing and identifying. For identification the standard has been raised to 80 ppf (across the person’s face.  So if you are watching a section of the store that is 20 foot wide, say the jewelry counter,  you need a camera that gives a horizontal resolution of at least 1600 pixels wide (20 feet x 80 pixels). 

                          40ppf                                                                                               80ppf

                  

                                                       

           

                                                                                                                                                  

                

                                                        On Second Thought

                                                                                                        

Suppose you want to cover the 20 foot jewelry counter plus 10 feet on either side, your total area of surveillance is now doubled to 40 feet. Picture a triangle here, by moving back you have now widened the base of the triangle but the angle remains the same. You have widened the field of view. And with a wider field of view comes the need for higher resolution to maintain that optimum facial identification.  Since you have doubled your area to 40 feet, using that original camera with a megapixel resolution would now cut your final resolution in half to 40ppf adequate for facial recognition but not identification.  So if you want to keep that requisite 80 ppf, you could consider purchasing a camera with a higher resolution (more pixels per foot, in this case, 40 feet x 80 pixels) of at least 3200. But now you have those storage and bandwidth excesses we spoke of. But there is another way. 

Consider the Lens

If you remember from previous blog entries, the lens plays a major part in the quality of the image and the field of view. It determines how far away you can see something and it also defines how wide an area you can cover.

  If we are monitoring an area closer to the camera we need a wider angle lens with low magnification thus a smaller focal length (less mm). But if we are monitoring something farther away, our angle of view becomes narrower and we need a higher vocal length (more MM) which will give us greater magnification. With a fixed angle lens this is an either/or proposition but in the expanded area situation described above we need both. There is a way, however, to widen the angle of view, maintain focus and still use the original camera.

You could use a variable lens. Variable lenses give you a choice of fields of view. If the field of view is changed, focus can be maintained within a range of focal lengths. Variable lenses are labeled according to zoom capability. For example a lens that states having an 8x zoom refers to the ratio between its longest and shortest focal length, and might give you a range of 6mm to 48 mm.

This would be an efficient move. You still have facial recognition but since you have not increased the resolution, you haven’t increased the bandwidth. Furthermore if in the future, a decision is made to once again change the viewing area, this lens can adapt, giving you added flexibility.

 Carpenters used to have an old saying when it came to making sure they weren’t wasting wood. Measure twice, cut once. The same could be applied to choosing the right camera. Consider your measurements.  Granted, choosing a camera without adequate resolution won’t give you the surveillance you need, but at the other end of the scale, purchasing a camera on the sole basis of megapixels can very well give you more resolution than you need.  This means you’re not only wasting budget dollars but eating up bandwidth without reaping any additional benefits.

If you need advice in choosing a camera or putting together a system that will give you the most for your investment, call Kintronics at 800-431-1658 or go to our website and fill out a request form.

Crowded Pixels Don't Make a Pretty Picture

Today’s camera brochures and specs  lead us to think that the number of megapixels makes all the difference in the world; like a raucous party - the more the better.  But this isn’t entirely true – in either case. 

The number of megapixels does make a difference, but only up to a point. We need to consider the size of the image sensor. Remember, pixels are photo-receptors etched into the silicon of the image processors. The job of the pixel is to record the photons (light) reflected through the lens. 

We can compare it to a jigsaw puzzle, with each pixel holding a piece or an element of the picture.  

A digital image is made up of numbers, millions of 1’s and 0’s that determine the colors of the composite pixels, their placement, and light intensity.  When digitally processed, each pixel’s signal is interpreted as to color and light intensity and, collectively, processed back into a recognizable image of the captured scene.

Pixel Over-crowding

 More pixels may mean more information but they don’t necessarily mean a clearer image or higher resolution. If you increase the size or the amount of pixels without increasing the size of the sensor the pixels are going to be crowded together and pixel overcrowding leads to digital noise. When pixels are in too close proximity, in some cases, the digital signals of the photons can interfere  with each other, resulting in noise. In other instances, some of  the  light can spill  off the sides of the pixels leading to  image degradation.

Digital Noise

We are not aware of them per se, but electronic signals are being transmitted around us non-stop. If your television is on,  broadcast data is being transmitted over cable or through an antenna. Switch on your car radio and an  audio signal  the transmitter’s station  en route to the cars receiver via the antenna. For digital cameras, the signal is the light that travels through the lens and hits the camera sensor.

No matter what type, some degree of noise is always present in these transmission. In terms of TV when an antenna, rabbit ears or roof,  was the receiver, we experienced noise   in the guise of a “snowy” picture or  visual static. Noise in radio transmission produces a crackling sound often painful to the ear.

When it comes to the digital camera,  noise can affect a video frame in a variety of ways.

It can result in a frame of randomly spaced brightly colored pixels:

It can obscure small features and skew the color

It can result in a lack of clarity in darker areas

One way to combat digital noise in today’s megapixel world is to use larger image sensors while at the same time, improving  image quality.

Larger sensors are a win-win solution:

·         Larger sensors not only hold more pixels  they can hold bigger pixels.  

·         Bigger pixels hold more light.

·         The more light, the stronger the digital signal.

·         The stronger the digital signal, the greater the chance of overcoming the digital noise.

In addition, photosites themselves can be spaced farther apart on a larger sensor, creating less electrical contamination resulting in a stronger signal and less noise from the start; a higher signal to noise ratio.

Signal to Noise Ratio

The term signal to noise ratio is one we come across in electronics, and it’s a good thing. It’s relatively easy to comprehend, A higher signal to noise ratio means the signal overwhelms  the noise,  resulting  in clearer transmission of whatever type of signal is involved. In the case of video, relatively little digital noise translates into better clarity and more detail.

To sum it up, the larger the sensor you have in your camera, the less noise,  greater detail,  and more superior  the image quality you will obtain. But human nature being human nature, although you'll have so much more than you did just a few years earlier, you'll still want more.

Next post –  larger sensors, more dynamic range

Looking into the Lens

Back in the 50’s and 60’s families relied on their cameras to capture special moments. The popular camera of choice was not today’s ever-present smartphone, or the sleek digital camera of today. It was the Kodak Brownie and it held a place of honor at family gatherings and was not to be left home at vacation time.

Everyone would line up to be arranged by Mom so Dad could look through the viewfinder and make sure the scene was picture perfect. At the say cheese prompt, smiles spread across everyone’s faces and all eyes would look into the camera’s big glass eye.

My childhood vision of a lens as the camera’s eye was not far off base. In the center of the eye is the pupil which dilates to admit light on the retina, allowing us to focus. In the center of the lens is the aperture which opens to admit light, in the day of the brownie, to the film plane.


The ensuing technology has taken film out of the picture. No longer is there the horror of coming upon the photo shot of a lifetime only to discover we’ve run out of film.

 Today’s cameras have a life time supply of “built-in film - image sensors.But it is still falls to the lens to perform that first and crucial step of directing the path of light rays to project the image on the digital sensor.
In discussing lenses, there are several terms to be defined. The first is…..

Field of View

Field of view is the area we are covering and the degree of detail we desire. Since it depends on two factors, the focal length of the lens and the physical size of sensor, the field of view is not a fixed characteristic of a lens and can only be stated if the size of the sensor, with which it is used, is known.
Focal Length
The focal length is expressed in millimeters (mm) and determines the magnification of the image projected onto the sensor; the higher the number the higher the magnification. Thus we would select a longer focal length for a subject farther away. The focal length is also linked to the angle of view. Using a higher focal length would narrow the field of view. Conversely, for objects closer to the camera and needing less magnification we would choose a shorter focal length giving us a wider angle of view.

Angle of View
Lenses are also identified by their angle of view. Taking into account the sensor size and the length of its diagonal, a lens is:

·         Normal – if the angle of view is about 50 degrees and its focal length equal to the diagonal measure of the sensor

·         Wide-angle – if the angle of view is wider than 60 degrees and the focal length is shorter than normal. Used for close-up objects

·         Long-focus – if it’s focal length is longer than the diagonal measure of the sensor. Used for objects farther away

·         Telephoto – the most common type of long focus lens, using special optical configurations to make the lens shorter than its focal length

F-number
Another term we use in selecting a lens is the f-number. This refers to the maximum aperture or opening of a lens and determines how much light can pass through the lens, thus affecting the intensity of the light that will hit the image sensor. The f-number is also known as the focal ratio and is calculated by dividing the focal length by the aperture.
A smaller f-number correlates with a wider aperture and since a wider aperture admits more light, it also allows a faster shutter speed.  Lens with a smaller f-number would be the best choice in an area of low light. Conversely, a larger f-number pertains to a narrower aperture, letting in less light, thus needing a slower shutter speed. A higher f-number will increase the depth of field.

Lens Footnotes
We cannot leave the topic of lenses without mentioning a couple of other factors that will be explored in more detail in a future post:

Image Sensor Size
As stated above, the relationship of the sensor size to the focal length of the lens is one of the determinants of the field of view. If replacing a lens on a camera, we must make sure the new lens is compatible with the camera’s image sensor. If a lens is made for a smaller sensor the resulting image will have black corners; and if the lens is made for a larger sensor the resulting field of view will shrink since part of the information will be “lost” outside the sensor.

Megapixel Lens
 If we are working with a megapixel IP camera, we want to take advantage of its high resolution so choosing a high quality lens is vital.  Megapixel sensors have smaller pixels so if we want frames with   crisp images from edge to edge, the resolution of the lens must match the resolution of the camera.

One More Lens Footnote
Interestingly enough (according to Wikipedia) lens derives its name from lentil since a double convex lens is the same shape as a lentil.

        

If you have any questions about IP cameras and the best type of lens for your application, Kintronics sales engineers will be glad to assist you. Call us at 800-431-1658 or use our contact form to request information.

Image Sensors – CMOS or CCD?

In a previous post we spoke about HD, IP, IR, POE, PTZ, theABC’s of IP cameras. But there are also C’s, as in CCD and CMOS. 

 CCD stands for Charge Coupled Device, and CMOS stands for Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. Both are image sensors that are used in IP cameras.  In pre-digital days a lens gathered light and focused it on film. In today’s world image sensors have taken the place of film. 

An image sensor is a silicon chip on whose surface is embedded millions of photosensitive diodes called photosites. Photosites collect light in the form of photons. The more light that hits a photosite, the more photons it records, thus photosites that hold light from highlights in the scene will have many photons while those  recording light from shadows will have few. 

 Each photosite will eventually contribute a single pixel to the image but first the sensor has to convert the photons into an electrical signal. Both CCD and CMOS perform this process but each does it in a different manner

·         CCD:  The first row of pixels is transported to a corner of the chip called a read-out register, then on to an amplifier, and finally to a digital converter where each pixel receives a digital value. Upon completion, the charge of the row is deleted and the row above it drops down to undergo the same procedure, to be replaced by the next and the next until all the pixels have been converted. When we say charge coupled device, charge coupled refers to the manner in which each row is coupled to the one above it.

·       

              CMOS    Each pixel in a CMOS chip is surrounded by several transistors that amplify and move its charge using traditional wires therefore allowing each pixel to be read individually. CMOS stands for complementary metal oxide semiconductor and refers to the process by which the chip is manufactured, with the circuits and diodes etched into its surface.This is the same process used to make computer processors and memory chips.

While CCD sensors and CMOS sensors perform the same function, the different processes by which these sensors are manufactured result in a few differences affecting both the cost and the image.  

Cost

CCD sensors are more expensive because the manufacturing process is specialized and expensive and can only be used to make CCD’s. 

CMOS sensors, on the other hand, are made using the common high yield process used for semi-conductors and memory chips all over the world.

 Mass manufacture on the same equipment cuts the cost of producing CMOS chips dramatically and spreads the fixed costs of the plant over a much larger number of devices. Costs are lowered even more because CMOS image sensors can have processing circuits created on the same chip whereas on CCD’s these processing circuits must be on separate chips.

Image

CCD sensors produce a higher quality image because they transport the charge across the chip without any distortion resulting in a minimum of digital noise.    

CMOS sensors tend to be more perceptible to noise plus the proximity of each pixel to several transistors results in photons hitting the transistors instead of the photosite, thus lowering light sensitivity. 

How big is a pixel?

It is not until the very end of digital conversion that a pixel can be said to have size or dimension. Each photosite on the image sensor has size and dimension, but the pixels themselves are just photons.

Even after they have been converted to electrical charges they lack size and shape. Think of the static charge you pick up when walking across a carpet on a dry w inter day. Can you see or measure it? And once it has been converted to digital code, it is but a series of zeros and ones. Think of your birth date or phone number. Can you give it a size or a shape?

No, a pixel must wait for the device that prints or displays the pixel before it takes on size and shape.  To do this a computer divides the screen or printed page into a grid of pixels. It then uses the values stored in the digital code to specify the brightness and color of each pixel in this grid. Think of painting by number.

 




 
How big is a sensor?

This is tricky as well. Think of standard resolution; let’s take XGA, which is defined by the width and height dimensions in pixels, or 1024x768. A sensor’s size is specified in this manner but since a captured pixel has no physical size, the sensor size is expressed in the number of photosites on its surface. However, this can be a virtual approximation of the number of pixels since in most cases each photosite will capture one pixel.

When it comes to determining what type of camera fits your needs it is not so much a question of CCD or CMOS but of resolution. And it is here that the size of the sensor and the total number of pixels comes into play. And that is a matter we will address in our next post.  

 But if you need to know now, call us at 800-431-1658 or use our contact form to request information.

IP or IP?

I thought I knew what IP stood for. Internet Protocol as in Kintronics, the IP Camera experts.  But last week I came across another IP on Twitter and when I clicked on it, the tweet made no sense. It brought my mental gears to a blinding halt.  Did I know exactly what Internet protocol is?

Protocol

I know what internet is, but what is protocol? According to Dictionary.com, protocol is

1. 1. The customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette
2. 2.   An original draft, minute, or record from which a document, especially,   a treaty, is prepared.
3. 3.   A supplementary international agreement
4. 4.   An agreement between states
5. 5.   An annex to an agreement giving data relating to it.

None of these definitions seems to really fit so I delve a little deeper and find that network protocol is defined as rules and conventions for communication between network devices.Looking at it this way #1 fits if we substitute technocratic for diplomatic.

 Internet Protocol specifies formatting rules pertaining to how data is packaged into messages to be sent or received. Internet Protocol also includes mechanisms for devices to identify and make connections with each other.  This brings me to another IP – IP address.

IP Address

 The IP address is a numerical address assigned to a specific device on a computer network. IP addresses are expressed as binary numbers but stored in text files and displayed in human language such as 172.16.2541.1. An IP address serves two functions. It identifies the host or network interface and addresses the device’s specific location.  

·        

 Or to put it succinctly an IP address points out

·         Where it is

·         How to get there

 

 IP Camera

 Each IP camera is connected to the network and has a unique IP address.  This is a stand-alone computer device that allows a user to view live, full motion video from anywhere on a computer network, even over the Internet, using a standard web-browser.  When you install IP cameras the first thing you have to do is set the IP address.   

The Other IP

I found out it stands for Intellectual Property.

 Intellectual Property covers a lot of ground. No pun intended. (If I were making a pun I’d say a lot of acres) Intellectual property refers to inventions, literary and artistic works, or to put it another way, creations of the mind. Names, images, and designs used in commerce are included.
This type of IP can be divided into two categories: 

Industrial property

·         inventions (patents),

·         trademarks,

·         industrial designs

·         geographic indications of source;

Copyright,

Literary Works – novels, poems, plays, films
Artistic Works - drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, architectural designs
Musical Works

Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television program. This was the issue at the heart of the storm of opposing arguments regarding the legislative bills known as SOPA (Stop Piracy Online Act in the House of Representatives) and PIPA (Protect IP Act in the Senate) which seek to fight against foreign websites that infringe on copyrighted material.
So now you know. Kintronics is not the place to come for an idea for a sitcom, but we’re still the place to come to for assistance in designing your IPcamera systems to fit your needs. Contact us at www.kintronics.comhttp://www.kintronics.com/ or 800-431-1658 or 914-944-3425.

I Can’t Get Away from IP Cameras

You’d think I could get away from thinking about surveillance cameras over the weekend, wouldn’t you? It didn’t work that way a few Saturdays back. I view it as a hazard of visiting one of those huge multi-screen theaters which have become fixtures in our cities and suburbs. The one I found myself in is home to fourteen theaters! 

You’d think that with fourteen films my friend and I would be able to find one we could agree on, wouldn’t you?  My friend wanted to see The Artist and I didn’t. I wanted to see Hugo – in 3D, partly because the magic of the story appealed to me. And partly because I’d written an article for the Kintronics newsletter a couple of years back. I was curious to experience 3D in its most recent incarnation.

And I almost saw it - until we found out about the 3D surcharge.$11.00!!! Ouch, this called for a  conference My friend had heard of Safe House, a story of a girl's search for her kidnapped sister. I went along with her choice since it wasn't silent and it wasn't black and white.  So while she went to get popcorn I stood looking up at the board listing the times and theater numbers of the other  films offerings . “Wow” I commented when she got back. “Safe House is playing and so is something called Silent House. People could find themselves in the wrong movie.”

After being directed to theater 5 by the ticket taker we settled into nice roomy, rocker seats with lots of leg room.

 I think they provide them so you'll be relaxed and comfy while you sit through twenty minutes of previews,  each louder than the preceding one.

 Finally the Featured Presentation began. The camera pans in on a traffic crush that made midtown Manhattan look like Sunday Morning. Mayberry, USA. Denzel Washington emerges from the back seat of a taxi and dashes into a building. A vague memory materializes.  I had seen Denzel on David Letterman recently, talking about his latest film. It was called Safe House and he played a rogue CIA agent.
 I turned to my friend who was in the process of turning to me. We whispered the same sentence to each other. “We’re in the wrong movie.” 

I had been correct when I surmised some people might end up in the wrong movie. I just didn’t know some people would be us. All in all though, it wasn’t a bad story and (bonus!) it provided me with an idea for this entry.
You see, the whole plot rides on surveillance cameras, or the lack thereof, and I’ll venture to wager all my worldly goods that I’m the only one in the theater who realized this right off the bat. Call it a by-product of working at Kintronics, the IP Camera Experts

But back to our story.....The next scene takes us to a clandestine booth in a smoky, exotic bar. Tobin Frost (Denzel) slides in opposite a Mid-Eastern featured man. They exchange greeting and the man slips a microchip into Frost's outstretched hand.  Frost  goes into a stall in the men’s room, fits the microchip into in a small ampule, and somehow injects it into his thigh. I can’t be more specific because I had my eyes closed.

 He returns to the table downs the last of his drink and the two men leave and get into a BMW. Within seconds shots are fired, his cohort slumps over the wheel  and Frost is left to steer from the passenger seat, serpenting through oncoming traffic in the heart of Cape Town South Africa. Just when you wonder how much bouncing and whorly-gigging one car can take, he pulls up in front of the United States consulate and sprints in, escaping the danger. ( foreign danger, that is.)

From there he is escorted, by a cadre of high ranking CIA internal affairs interrogators, to a CIA safe house out in the boondocks of the South African countryside. The agents can't believe their good fortune. The famed Tobin Frost has dropped into their laps. Matt Weston, played by Ryan Reynolds, is the bored rookie “house keeper” who is eager for a "guest"  after twelve months as a virtual hermit. He enters a string of passwords into the control panel and grants entry to his visitors. But he barely gets a glimpse as they rush the legendary Frost, handcuffed and hooded, past him, and into a room outfitted with a two way mirror.

“Turn off the surveillance cameras,” the head honcho tells him.

“Which ones?” he asks.

“All of them” comes the barked response.

(Uh-oh, I think, but keep it to myself)

The next scene reveals why they’ve turned them off. Water boarding, even the domestic variety isn’t something they want captured on film. Well, wouldn’t you just know it. Just as Tobin Frost is going down for the third time, all hell breaks loose. Alarms buzz, bells ring, sirens sound amidst explosions and general chaos. Frost’s pursuers are breaking in.

Head torturer sticks his head out from the two way mirror. “What the hell?” he yells “Where are the surveillance cameras?”

 “You told me to turn them off,” Weston reminds him.

“Re-boot!”  he’s commanded. 

(Oh no, I think, rebooting’s gonna take a while. But still I remain mum.)

And so while the system is rebooting, the pursuing assassins succeed in slaughtering everyone present except for…………

……. You guessed it ….. Frost, and oh yes, Weston who now has assumed the role of Frost’s pursuer.

These two in turn are pursued by the original pursuers. And so it goes, the whole plot turns on that flawed decision. They turned off the IP cameras.

 Don’t let this happen to you. Keep your IP camera system up and running.And come to Kintronics with any questions you may have. www.kintronics.com