12 Apr 2024

Omnilert, a foremost in active shooter solutions, announced the Omnilert Gun Detect™ Appliance, a fully integrated AI visual gun detection system that combines the hardware, software and services required to turn existing security cameras into an active shooter protection system for schools and universities, places of worship, small and mid-size organisations, as well as large, multi-site international business chains.

This one compact appliance not only replaces large, complex and costly server equipment, but it is also configured to be easy to install and maintain whether a facility has 10 cameras or 10,000 across hundreds of locations.

With the Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance, a new market of customers can now take advantage of life-saving AI visual gun detection that can identify a weapon in a fraction of a second, and once verified can automatically initiate a robust response to lock doors, warn those in harm's way and notify first responders.

Delivering one easy-to-deploy solution

Solving problems by combining the hardware, software, monitoring services, integrations & PSAP Complex video analytics and AI processing of video streams have typically required high-performance GPUs and costly server platforms. Small and medium-sized organisations have often been priced out of advanced AI analytics due to expensive computing requirements. 

For large enterprises, the complexity of deployments to thousands of locations and ongoing maintenance have made it challenging to embrace new security technologies. Omnilert Gun Detect and the Gun Detect Appliance solve these problems by combining the hardware, software, monitoring services, integrations and direct public safety answering point (PSAP) connections in one easy-to-deploy solution.

Easy detection

"Our goal is to make AI visual gun detection capabilities as ubiquitous as having fire alarms and the only way to achieve that is to make the solution simple to install, easy to use, economically accessible for smaller organisations and manageable to large installations," said Dave Fraser, CEO of Omnilert.

"Many customers don't have dedicated data centers or IT closets with adequate space and this has prevented them from even considering life-saving gun detection technology. The Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance breaks down those barriers by allowing organisations of all sizes to easily and affordably add the ability to detect firearms at first sight and then initiate an automated response to warn those in harm's way."

Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance features

The Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance is currently utilised by a wide variety of small and large organisations from deployments of 10 cameras up to several thousand across hundreds of buildings.

The pre-loaded software and an automated, self-provisioning capability simplifies the onboarding process

The appliance comes pre-installed with the company's visual gun detection system which leverages Omnilert's third-generation AI software for high-performance processing on highly available commodity GPU and CPU platforms, making a simple appliance platform versus data center servers a reality. The pre-loaded software and an automated, self-provisioning capability drastically simplifies the onboarding process and ease the requirements of IT departments or system integrators for deployments.

Configuration

Once connected to a network, the systems dynamically configure for account and location and can have stream details predefined to quickly deploy and enable detection. The hardware and software are complemented with Omnilert Monitoring services' multiple 24x7 operations centers that provide human-verified gun detections and connect directly with PSAPs in the event of a confirmed threat.

With the Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance, onboarding is as simple as setting a network connection and configuring cameras through automated network discovery, VMS integration or manual configuration. Its small form factor, quiet operation and low heat profile allow deployment in a wide variety of building locations, which was not possible when servers were required. If camera volumes exceed the capacity of a single unit, multiple appliances can be deployed simultaneously with the same low profile and cost-effectiveness. 

Technical specifications

The technical specifications of the appliance include the following:

  • CAMERA STREAMS: Up to 55 1080P streams
  • CPU: Intel
  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4000 series
  • OS: Linux
  • DIMENSIONS: 12.60 in x 9.45 in x 2.25 in (320mm x 240mm x 57mm)
  • WEIGHT: 8 lbs / 3.6 kgs
  • HEAT SINK: 3 silent turbo fans
  • SOUND PROFILE: < 25 Decibels
  • NDAA Compliant

Pricing and availability

The Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance is shipping and available today. The appliance can be purchased outright for $1,500, nearly 75% less expensive than existing solutions, or built into annual stream licensing, further lowering the overall cost to operate.

A complete system to secure a small installation would cost less than $10,000. The Omnilert Gun Detect Appliance can be seen this week at the ISC West conference in Las Vegas.