Speco aims to 'up its game' with new IP line

AMITYVILLE, N.Y.—Speco Technologies is aiming to “up its game” with IP with a new line of eight “OnSIP” cameras launched on Jan. 16.

It's not Speco's first venture into IP cameras, said Todd Pinnell, product engineer for Speco's IP line. However, the company's older line (Speco IP or SIP) “was too bulky, technically not there … too expensive to produce,” he said.

The SIP line, introduced about five years ago, was also proprietary, whereas the new OnSIP line is ONVIF-compliant (hence the name).

Speco, which made a major investment in R&D last year, “had to re-engineer the cameras to cut costs while maintaining quality,” Pinnell explained.

“A year ago we had three or four engineers, now we have close to 10,” he said.

Pinnell said the line ranges from an entry-level IP camera to ones with more functionality. Four of the new cameras are 2 megapixel; others are standard resolution. They're all dual codec (MJPEG and H.264). Some of the cameras can record at the edge, while others have multi-profile streaming.

Pinnell and Laura Mastroberti, Speco's director of marketing and communications, both say the cameras' two-way audio is a differentiating feature.

“It's Speco's mission to manufacture products that prevent crime from happening,” Mastroberti said. Everyone makes products that capture, record and review, she said, but Speco's cameras and DVRs stop crime by two-way audio, by sending messages, and by enabling lights to go on.

Speco introduced a new line of hybrid and megapixel-compatible DVRs at ISC Solutions in November. The OnSIP line of cameras is the first run of SKU, Pinnell said. “There will be more at ISC [West] time,” he said.

Speco envisions this line as helping dealers migrate from analog to digital cameras, but the company is not moving away from analog quite yet. “We recognize that IP is where it's all moving toward,” Pinnell said.

Speco has developed educational materials for end users “so they understand the applications that are available,” he said. For installers, there's tech support, new online training webinars and instructional “video vignettes.”