Internet Security Blog

Most of the USA’s 100 million electrically powered exit signs use between 2 and 40 watts of power and contain batteries and circuit boards that are now recognized as hazardous “universal wastes.”  An increasing number of new and refurbishment building projects are ‘glowing in the dark’ with  Photoluminescent exit signs that are powered from nearby area lighting and are constructed of non-hazardous recyclable materials.

Progressive building owners, architects and engineers focusing on energy efficient and sustainable products are paying more attention to the types of exit signs on their lighting fixture schedules.  From a ‘green’ perspective, they know the most popular fixture may not be the best choice.

Today, well over 90% of the exit signs being installed into new facilities employ LED [Light Emitting Diode] lamps that use 2 – 5 watts of power and have an expected service life of 20 – 25 years.  Compare this to the popular exit signs of the 1970s and 1980s that used 20 to 40 watt incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs with service lives of months, and its easy to see how the current love affair with LED exit signs evolved.

Although a giant step forward with respect to energy conservation and bulb life, LED exit signs have adverse safety, efficiency and sustainability issues when compared to another evolving technology – the Photo-luminescent exit sign.

Not to be confused with industrial looking radio-luminescent Tritium exit signs that glow from the radioactive decay of hydrogen to helium, Photo-luminescent [PL] exit signs use a non-toxic, non-radioactive compound of strontium oxide aluminate to store ambient light energy, and then when the light is removed, to release the stored energy as an intense green-yellow glow. It’s the same “glow-in-the-dark” technology used in toys and other curios, but with a radiance that is much brighter and longer lasting.

Glow Safely 

PL exit signs and systems have been marketed since the early 1990’s, primarily for low level exit systems.  However, with the advent of more effective glow-in-the-dark compounds, PL exit signs are now UL listed and accepted by the NFPA for both high and low level exit sign applications.   UL and NFPA recognize that, as long as nearby lighting is on a few minutes before an emergency, PL exit signs are almost failsafe.

New York City went a step further last year and passed Local Law 26 requiring installation of  PL exit signs and marker systems in all new and existing high rise office buildings.  This extraordinary measure is a result of studies of the World Trade Center bombings which confirmed that building occupants exited faster and safer in those areas that were outfitted with PL technology.  LED and other electrically based technologies rely on emergency generators, battery back-ups and light bulbs – all of which can and unfortunately do fail during emergencies. 

As the following comparison table outlines, the enhanced safety protection of PL exit signs costs less than competing LED and Tritium products, and is a more sustainable building technology. 

PL technology is an excellent choice for many exit sign applications but there are important guidelines specified by NFPA: 

• The face of a PL exit sign must see at least 5 footcandles from a charging light source.

• The charging light source must be on when the building is occupied.

• The charging light source cannot be on a circuit controlled by timers or sensors.

• The charging light source must be controlled by authorized personnel.

Knowledgeable architects and engineers understand these and other code guidelines [check with local authorities] and know how to design building lighting systems to work synergistically with PL exit signs.  Typically, PL exit signs need to be within 8 – 10 feet of a charging light fixture.  In areas where lights are controlled by timers and sensors, PL exit signs are located near light fixtures on a separate circuit – such as one that powers emergency lighting. Consequently PL exit signs are excellent choices for the high and low level exit signage in the lobbies, corridors, hallways, stairwells and parking garages of many buildings.  

Glow Efficiently  

On a sign in the box basis, architecturally attractive PL exit signs can cost somewhat more than LED exit signs but after factoring-in the costs of installing and testing the signs, PL exit signs are considerably less expensive than LED exit signs – about 40% less.  Since PL exit signs work off of area lighting, there are no direct electrical connections to engineer, install and test, so the cost of installation is usually the cost of the sign and the cost of a tradesman [usually not an electrician] to spend 5 – 10 minutes affixing the sign to the building wall or ceiling. 

The operating costs of a PL exit sign are also significantly less than an LED exit sign because there are no power costs, no batteries or bulbs to replace and no monthly and annual testing procedures.  PL exit sign maintenance typically consists of verifying that charging lights are operational and periodic wipe-downs with a damp cloth. 

With escalating construction and operational costs, these savings are increasingly attractive to building owners and operators.  One large condominium community in San Diego is realizing savings of $18,500 per year by using PL exit signs instead of LED exit signs in 70% of their exit sign locations. 

Glow Green 

As sustainable design in the building industry becomes more prevalent, PL exit signs are the clear choice over radioactive tritium signs and electrically powered LED signs. Non-radioactive, non-toxic, non-hazardous, non-electrical and recyclable, PL exit signs are a green dream product. 

The radioactive nature of Tritium exit signs increasingly precludes their use in many locations, including grade schools, college campuses, and corporate facilities.  The United States Department of Defense Unified Facilities Criteria specifically prohibits Tritium exit signs in military facilities.   

Regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, owners of tritium exit signs must notify the NRC if a sign is damaged or goes missing.  Owners must also notify the NRC when a sign is decommissioned and sent to a nuclear waste facility.  Proper disposal typically costs about $75 per sign.   

To avoid the high costs and negative environmental impact of tritium exit signs, early in a project’s schedule building owners should advise their architects and engineers that radioactive signs are not acceptable products.  Although it only takes a little extra engineering to do it right, it is surprising how many architects and consulting engineers specify “self-luminous” tritium exit signs to minimize their workload. 

Watt miser LED exit signs should not be considered a sustainable building product for 3 reasons.   

1. Contribution to greenhouse gas inventory.  Although 3 – 5 watts per sign is low compared to other electrically powered exit signs, it adds up when there are well over 100 million exit signs in the USA using about 35 megawatts of electricity [Energy Star info].  If all these signs were converted to LED technology tomorrow, it would still take nearly 5 megawatts of electricity to power them.  Assuming this electricity is produced from fossil fuels, over 11,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent in greenhouse gases would continue to be released into the environment annually [Nuclear Energy Institute info].

2. Hazardous Chemicals are used during fabrication processes.  The housings of many exit signs are PVC, which is associated with chlorinated dioxins and other extremely hazardous and long-lived pollutants.  The fabrication of the circuit boards used in LED exit signs also involves environmentally unfriendly chemicals, including methyl ethyl ketone, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.

3. Circuit Boards and Batteries are hazardous wastes.  Federal Regulations [EPA 40CFR Part273] now consider the back-up batteries inside many LED exit signs to be a “Universal Waste” because they contain various heavy metals.  In some states [i.e. California], the circuit boards inside LED exit signs are also a Universal Waste as they contain lead, chromium, cadmium and sometimes mercury. Universal Wastes are not permitted inside municipal landfills and must be directed to a recycler.

Glow Forward 

So next time you are reviewing your project’s schedule of lighting fixtures, check out the exit sign specifications.  If the specification lists ‘self-luminous’ tritium signs or ‘internally illuminated’ LED signs, consider changing to ‘photo-luminescent’ exit signs.  That way you’ll be getting an almost failsafe product that is the most cost effective and sustainable exit sign technology on the market today.

Several companies make high quality photo-luminescent exit signs. Make sure that you specify an exit sign that is UL924 listed and install it per NFPA 101 and local codes.  

Michael O’Connell is a sales engineer for Active Safety.

Biometric Door Lock From BioAxxis Available Online and from Select DealersSyracuse, NY (June 3, 2008) –The Good Housekeeping Research Institute has tested and evaluated the BioAxxis BD1, biometric deadbolt and the Institute has rated it the best compared to the others on the market.  A revolutionary new lock from BioAxxis Development Corporation uses your fingerprint instead of a key, forever eliminating the need to fumble in pockets or purses and improving home security and safety. The lock, called the BD1 for Biometric Deadbolt, has been featured on CNBC and received the top honor for design and engineering at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2007.  The Good Housekeeping Research Institute just tested a few of these new locks to see if they’re worth the money.
“Fingerprint-scanning technology is showing up in a lot of consumer products nowadays. You see it on laptops and printers, and more recently on front door openers and garage door openers,” said Stacy Genovese, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute’s Engineering Director.After careful testing the Good Housekeeping Research Institute concluded the BioAxxis BD1 the most reliable biometric lock.  Genovese states, “The BioAxxis lock held up to all our testing and proved to be best door lock we tested.”  The institute tested the lock in a variety of ways.“We had many people register as users so they could open the doors, and then tested it on lots of other people that weren’t registered to make sure it wouldn’t let them in. We also tested it in a rain tester and in a humidity chamber set at 30 degrees so you could get in the winter,” Genovese said.For more information on BioAxxis, visit their web site at www.bioaxxis.com

  July 2008

New TV Show
by John L. Schum, Senior Vice President

After watching a few of those junky reality shows on TV, I have decided to produce a new show.  I am going to call it “Extreme Service”. It will consist of manufacturers as contestants and distributor/end users as judges.  In this show the manufacturers must produce products of such good quality that they can compete for points on offering the best warranty.  Two, five, ten year warranties all worth points, with a lifetime warranty getting the highest score.  Next comes the delivery competition.  One week, two weeks all worth points with two-to-five working days getting the highest points.  Somewhere along the line we will give bonus points for the fastest phone response by a live person.  Points for the shortest recorded instructions; big bonus if a live person immediately answers the call.

The next competition segment will be technical help.  In this competition you can lose points for bouncing a caller around, giving erroneous information, or blaming the caller for their problems.  The highest point score would be given to the manufacturer who always solves a problem regardless of its nature.  The grand finale will account for the most points.  The winner of the points will be the manufacturer who creates the smallest amount of paperwork for a product returned for repair or replacement.  Bonus awarded if the manufacturer will accept product direct from end users.

Well, I hope I can get backing for this show.  I might also have a problem getting contestants, but just so you know, DynaLock Corp has already signed up.  Oh, by the way, the big prize at the end – your business!

Total Connect Services
Stay Connected to Your Business…

Wherever You Are

Whether you’re in the office or on the road, Total Connect lets you take advantage of all of the amazing benefits next-generation digital technology can provide. You can now use the Internet, PDAs, cell phones and other web-enabled devices to control your security system, receive information remotely and much more. And our Video Services option allows you to keep an eye on your business, your assets and your employees from any remote location with Internet access!

Total Connect actually simplifies and streamlines the way you interact with your business on a day-to-day basis—helping you operate a safer and more productive enterprise by intelligently utilizing everything today’s technology has to offer.

Total Freedom
As director of operations for a regional supermarket chain, I need to be able to connect and communicate with my business whether I’m on-site or on the go. With Total Connect, I have total freedom! I can go online wherever I am to check that things are running smoothly. More importantly, with so much perishable inventory, I can get instant notification if our refrigeration systems malfunction. Imagine the loss of revenue rom spoiled foods, or the liability if customers became ill from foods stored at incorrect temperatures.

Minding the Store
I’m an area manager for a chain of trendy clothing stores located in high-traffic malls. Like many retail nvironments, employee turnover is high. With that comes the continual need to reassign who has access o the security system. With Total Connect, I can easily get online to assign security codes to allow access s well as cancel codes for ex-employees. I can control the systems of all the stores in my area through he Total Connect website 24/7. It’s great to always be connected!

Stay Connected…and Protected
I’m the security manager for a large commercial property management company that covers over 100 properties in two counties. Even though I know my central station is on top of things, I also like to be in the know. With Total Connect, I can have instant notification if there is a situation at any one of those properties. I recently received an e-mail notifying me that a significant temperature drop occurred in one of the buildings. That meant that if a pipe were to freeze it could cause damage as well as disrupt business! Because of Total Connect, I was alerted to the situation instantly and could take action to have it repaired right away. With immediate access to information, I can better protect my business, my properties and my employees and create a safer work environment.

Connect to Opportunity
My brother and I have been in the electronics business for many years. Our higher ticket items are in a special area of our warehouse that very few people can access. Total Connect helps us keep an eye on our business when we’re not around, which usually means ensuring that things are safe and secure. However, Total Connect recently helped us in a way we would never have imagined-functioning as a collaborative tool that actually helped us gain business. My brother and I were offsite when we got a call from our office manager. A customer whose business we’ve been trying to get for a long time had called and wanted to place a large order and needed it shipped overnight. However, no one on premises had access to the restricted area where the items were stored. I immediately logged on to Total Connect and assigned a user code to the office manager so she could supervise the fulfillment of this very important order. Thanks to Total Connect, we were able to satisfy a new client and secure a great new business opportunity!

Total Connect Video Services from Honeywell give you a whole new way to look at your home and loved ones - whether you’re there or not. It’s video on demand. And, it’s personalized and secure. Only from Honeywell, a world leader in technology.

• Connect remotely from anywhere in the world - all you need is Internet access.
• Protected with the highest level of data security.
• Indoor and outdoor cameras.
• Look in and view MPEG4 format at 15 frames per second.
• Store approximately 100 clips of ten frames each of JPEG images (up to 12MB) on our server.
• Send images via e-mail from any camera with just one touch.

For the ultimate in peace of mind you can see, look no further than Total Connect Video Services from Honeywell.

Here’s Looking at You Kid!
As a working parent it can be so hard to balance things. When I’m at work, I really miss
my baby, and even though I have a terrific nanny, I feel secure knowing I can check up
on my child whenever I want with Total Connect services. You know, just to make sure
everything is okay. I found the solution I need with Video Services from Honeywell.
Just this morning my infant son was crying when I left, but when I got to work,
I looked in and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. This service gives me so
much peace of mind. I couldn’t imagine being without it.

Ready for a Close-Up…
Life can be so hectic and between both of us working and the kids’ busy schedules, it’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on. And, with teenagers, sometimes I worry. But with Video Services from Honeywell, I know when my son gets home from school because I get a picture on my cell phone. And, I can check from a PC to make sure he’s getting his homework done. We live in a good community, but we all know there’s no such thing as being too safe. Break-ins still occur, and you can be in danger even when you’re home. With my husband’s long hours at the office, I feel safer knowing that when the doorbell rings, I can just flip the TV channel and see who is at the door. If it’s someone I don’t know, I don’t answer it - and my children know not to open the door to strangers either. After all, there is no such thing as being too safe.

Reach Out and Touch.
Mom’s in her 80’s, living alone and I can’t help but worry about her. It’s an uncomfortable
feeling when your elderly parent is over 1,000 miles away. I found added peace of mind
with Video Services from Honeywell. There is a camera in her hallway which she passes
through constantly - from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen and to the den. It’s
a great way to make sure Mom is alright without infringing on her privacy. Now whether
I’m at work, home or traveling, I can log in and see that everything really is okay. We also
had a camera placed outside her front door and she just loves that she can click to another
TV channel to see who’s there without having to get up out of her chair.

Just a Click Away.
Last year we made an investment in a vacation home. We try to get away as much as
we can - even if just for some long weekends. It’s a great investment, and we’ll surely
use it a lot more when we retire in a few years. We wanted to be able to check up on
the place from home - just to be sure everything is fine. Since we already use Video
Services from Honeywell, it made perfect sense to get it for the vacation home too. We
feel better knowing we can look in on our investment whenever we want. It’s an added
layer of security that gives us greater peace of mind.

Whether you’re at home, across the street or across the country, Total Connect lets you utilize the Internet, PDAs, cell phones and other web-enabled devices to control your security system, receive information remotely and much more. And our Video Services option allows you to keep a close eye on your home and family from any remote location with Internet access. Total Connect actually simplifies and streamlines the way you interact with your home on a day-to-day basis, helping you and your family stay connected by intelligently utilizing everything today’s technology has to offer. 

With Total Connect you can:

• Control your security system via a virtual keypad using any web browser on a PC, or via SMS on a PDA or cell phone

• Receive important alerts through any text messaging device, including cell phones and PDAs (e.g. receive an e-mail when your child has arrived home safely from school)

• Be notified of activity in various areas of your home (e.g. when doors have been opened or closed, when the security system has been armed or disarmed, when a safe or liquor cabinet has been opened)

• Utilize optional video services to receive images of specific activity occurring around the interior or exterior of your home (e.g. if the housekeeper leaves) from any remote location over the Internet, a web-enabled PDA—even your cell phone!

Protected…and Connected
Life can be so hectic! Between both of us working and having teenagers with busy schedules, it’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on. Total Connect services have been a lifesaver. Now I know exactly when my children get home from school because I receive e-mail alerts. When the kids are home alone, we can make sure they’re okay by receiving video notification if someone is at the door nd a text essage when the door is open. We can even be notified if the liquor cabinet was opened. Total Connect helps us feel close to our family and home even when we can’t physically be there. We an’t imagine life without it!

The Picture-Perfect Vacation Home
Last year we purchased a vacation home. It’s a great investment, and we plan to spend a lot more time there when we retire in a few years. In the meantime, Total Connect has provided us with an easy way to keep tabs on our property when we can’t be there in person. We also have someone who checks up on the place once a week and can see exactly when he was there by checking the event history on the virtual keypad. Since the vacation home is in a warm climate, we’re aware of the risks for flood and temperature detection, and can receive immediate alerts if there is ever a cause for concern-letting us take action to help prevent damage. Total Connect has given us tremendous peace of mind by letting us check up on our “home away from home” whenever we want, wherever we are!

Bridging the Distance Gap
My parents retired and moved to Florida almost 20 years ago. Now Dad is gone and with Mom living alone, I can’t help but worry. Thanks to Total Connect, distance is no longer an obstacle when I need to know she’s safe…even though she’s 1,000 miles away. In fact, it can bridge the gap in ways that make me feel like I’m really there. We had a camera placed in mom’s hallway, which she passes through constantly. It’s a great way to make sure she’s alright without infringing on her privacy. I can also use the event history to keep track of Mom’s comings and goings. She wears an emergency pendant, and should she ever press one of the buttons, it will notify the central station and send a text message to my cell and an e-mail to my PC and PDA so I’ll know if she’s in trouble. Whether I’m at work, at home or traveling, I can log in and see that Mom really is okay thanks to Total Connect.

Here’s Looking at You, Kid!
As a working parent it can be so hard to balance things. When I’m in the office, I really miss my baby! Even though I have a terrific nanny, I feel so much better knowing I can take a look at my child whenever I want with Total Connect services. It’s so easy! All I have to do is log into the secure website and I can view any of the cameras my alarm company set up throughout my home. I can even receive e-mail alerts when the nanny leaves and returns from taking the baby for her morning walk. There’s nothing better than the peace of mind that comes with feeling connected…it’s the next best thing to being there.