Synology Surveillance 365, new cameras, and a new access control system
Computex is one of the world's top electronic expos, so it is no wonder that so many companies choose it to present new products, services, and solutions for the upcoming period.
Synology is following this pattern, and many of its hardware and software upcoming solutions and additions were actually presented at Computex and CES. The same is true with this year's assortment, focusing on their surveillance portfolio of products.
This year around, Synology is going big on surveillance with the introduction of new and refreshed camera models, along with new DVA models, a brand new access control system, as well as new features inside their Surveillance Station platform. Finally, last year's rebranded C2 Surveillance cloud platform has gone through yet another rebranding, and it's advertised as Surveillance 365 this time around.
New Surveillance Station features
Starting with new SVS features, Synology now supports over 17.000 camera devices from 195 well-known brands. With such a large number and popularity of Surveillance Station. Managing so many servers and cameras via Synology's CMS at the same time can be extremely challenging. If a device encounters a problem, IT teams are likely overwhelmed.
Because of that, Synology is introducing a System health monitoring feature.
With this feature, IT teams can remotely monitor the real-time status of all servers and cameras, ensuring that any product issues can be identified and resolved immediately.
In addition, to give users more flexibility in customizing their monitoring dashboard, Synology is also introducing the Embedded browser feature.
This feature was introduced because, in addition to viewing surveillance footage, IT personnel often need to check attendance or production line information at the same time. Until now, switching between different systems was needed.
With the Embedded Browser feature, third-party system screens can be integrated directly into Monitor Center, allowing surveillance, attendance, and environmental data to be viewed together in a single interface for more convenient management.
Just as users can customize their Monitor Center dashboard using drag and drop, so is the case with the embedded browser. We will be able to pull in a specific "web pages" widget that can be configured to access a local or public URL, presenting the content inside the chosen dashboard.
Synology Access Control Solution
To create a more complete surveillance ecosystem, Synology has developed its own new access control system. From hardware to software, everything is handled entirely in-house.
Starting with the core hardware, we have the single-door controller. We can think of it as the brain of the access control solution, managing all connected devices while also serving as the communication bridge between the card reader and the system.
The controller supports standard OSDP and Wiegand communication protocols, meaning it is compatible with both Synology and third-party card readers.
When the product launches, we will be able to manage and configure it directly through Surveillance Station.
- Single door controller
- Compatible with Synology & 3rd-party reader (OSDP / Wiegand)
- Configure and manage centrally through Surveillance Station
Alongside the controller, Synology is also introducing two reader models, the AR300 and AR100.
The AR300 features a numeric keypad for direct PIN entry, while the AR100 has a compact design focused on simple contactless access.
What does contactless mean? In the past, entry and exit often required a physical card, but to provide a more complete user experience, Synology will also launch a brand-new mobile app called Access Key, essentially turning your phone into an access card.
Besides the controller and readers, Synology is also launching a series of essential accessories, like Synology cards, key fobs, locks, and REX buttons.
New and updated camera models
With the new ACS system, Synology is presenting brand new and updated cameras, building on top of their current bullet, turrent and wifi portfolio.
Luka Manestar
Luka Manestar
Luka Manestar
All three current cameras are getting a new generation update with BC510, TC510, and CC410W models. Later this year, in August, we should also finally be able to buy their 360 fisheye camera model, the FC600.
But on top of these known models, Synology is also introducing a new dome camera segment with three new models.
Now, the main reason for offering these new models is that the overall camera product lineup is more complete and gives customers more options. The dome design itself is more aesthetically pleasing compared with bullet cameras, and it is also less noticeable and offers better physical protection.
The main difference among the three models is mainly in terms of optics. The DC500Z is a 5MP varifocal camera, while the DC800 and DC400 are fixed-focal models, offering 8MP and 4MP, respectively.
While the DC800Z and DC400 are specifically designed for indoor use, the DC500Z is rated IP66 and IP67 for water and dust resistance, and is IK10 impact-resistant, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor environments.
A built-in mic is only present on both DC models, while the maximum lightning distance also varies depending on the model. All three cameras have an IR sensor that's rated up to 10 meters for the DC400/800, and 30 meters for the DC500Z. The smallest model, however, lacks the white light option that both DC models have it, with up to 30 meters for the DC500Z and 10 meters for the DC800.
In terms of AI, the DC500Z and DC800 both support advanced AI analytics, such as license plate recognition, smoke detection, and attribute search, while the DC400 offers basic functions such as human and vehicle detection and intrusion detection.
Of course, all dome cameras comply with NDAA and TAA standards as expected.
New DVA models
While information about upcoming new DVA models has been known for a while, including their names, not much more was known in terms of specifications.
Well, today we have more details on both models and their capabilities, as well as their internal hardware components.
In general, the rack-based DVA7400 will support up to 100 cameras, while the smaller desktop model will stop at 60.
The DVA7400 will come as a 2U rack model in a familiar Synology enclosure, powered by yet another expected AMD CPU, the Ryzen 1780B. It will also have a dual 10GbE network support and an NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada or Pro 2000 Blackwell GPU card.
With the already mentioned 100 supported camera channels, the DVA7400 will be able to perform 40 concurrent deep learning tasks (20 of those will be possible face recognition ones), and it will also support new SVS features such as semantic video search, finding repeated objects, attribute search, and more.
Similar to the DVA7400, the DVA3000 will be a less capable device, specifically due to its internal hardware. For its CPU, Synology decided to use the Intel i3-1315URE, a 2023 Raptor Lake silicon. This 6-core CPU comes with a built-in iGPU that will allow for this compact DVA to perform up to 12 deep learning tasks, six of which will be face recognition ones. It will also not be able to do semantic video search, unlike its larger countepart but other advanced AI features will be supported.
While we are on the subject of AI features, Synology will also redesign the events section inside Surveillance Station. Dubbed as the Event Center, the new interface will consolidate events from Synology cameras, DVA, third-party AI, and other sources into a single unified interface.
At the same time, Synology will also introduce new AI search capabilities, such as the previously mentioned Semantic Video Search, re-ID, and attribute search.
This will allow users to find the events they need more quickly, without switching between different tabs, greatly improving search efficiency.
New cloud-based surveillance solution, the Surveillance 365
The new VSaaS was already announced last year at Computex as well, under the C2 Surveillance name, but it looks like it took another year for Synology to roll out the new cloud-based service and, in the process, rename it once again.
So what is Surveillance 365? Surveillance365 focuses on simplified deployment, enabling rapid setup without the need for a server. It is especially suitable for customers with multiple sites, limited space, or those looking to reduce IT operational burden.
Key features
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Zero footprint - No local server required, ideal for limited-space environment
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Plug-and-Play - Rapid edge deployment in minutes
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In Camera - Edge storage on individual microSD cards
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Cloud Backup - Saves a copy to the cloud for easy remote access
Surveillance 365 will offer two plans: the Standard and the Business plan.
Standard plan: Simply connect your Synology Camera to Surveillance365 to enjoy features such as Monitor Center, camera management, AI detection, and notifications.
For larger-scale users, the Business Plan is available to unlock additional features that may be useful for multi-site deployments, such as User, Site, Log, and more.
The Business Plan is currently calculated per account. If there is only one camera under the account, the annual fee is $49.95 per camera.
Surveillance 365 will only be compatible with Synology-branded camera models, including the new series 10 (BC510, TC510, CC410W), as well as the upcoming FC600 and BC800Z.
Considering that Surveillance 365 will require storage for security recordings, there will be both on-device and cloud-based options. All camera models support microSD cards, including 3rd party vendors, and while Synology will support those, stability and reliability will not be guaranteed.
On top of that, Surveillance 365 will support the new consolidated cloud storage service called C2 OneStorage.
This service will support event-based or continuous recording backup, as well as scheduled backup tasks. It will be priced at $29.99 per year for 300GB, or $79.99 per TB per year for up to 200TB.
Synology will also, in the future (Q4 20206), introduce a hybrid surveillance model that will allow Surveillance365 to serve as a CMS host. In addition to managing cameras that are directly connected to the cloud, it will also manage recording servers.
Through this hybrid cloud and on-premises architecture, enterprises can flexibly choose the most suitable deployment method according to the needs of different sites.
