Systems Integration

Automation

By automating buildings systems such as HVAC and temperature controls and automating business processes, you can save energy and improve worker efficiencies. Houle’s designers will collaborate with you to help you automate your building using networked and Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring solutions to monitor and control various building and production parameters.

Hotel Reservation Systems

In addition to friendly customer service, guests expect hotels to be comfortable. From regulating temperature in guest rooms to managing the vacancy of rooms, Houle can help you automate your facility with our hotel reservation system solutions. We provide you with the technology to customize and set the right temperature, ventilation and lighting in your hotel, providing simplicity and efficiency to your operations.

Lighting Control Systems

Providing the right amount of light when and where it is needed is fundamental to achieving comfort, productivity, and energy savings. Houle provides both indoor and outdoor lighting control solutions for commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential spaces. From a single space to multiple facilities, our flexible and scalable solutions can be tailored to your lighting control requirements.

We can help you set the perfect ambiance for your space.  From having lights turn off automatically when the space is vacant to programming lights to dim automatically as the sun sets, no matter what your intention is, we can help you identify opportunities and select the right solution. Some lighting control features you can deploy in your facility are:

• daylight harvesting – using natural light to reduce electric lighting levels
• occupancy and vacancy detection – adjusting/turning off light depending on space occupancy
• shade control – installing motorized shades to control the natural light coming into the space
• scheduling – setting lights to turn on, turn off, or dim based on work weeks, holidays, and events
• scene control – setting lighting scenes for different space usages and conditions
• energy monitoring – displaying usage data to show lighting energy consumption
• remote access – using your smartphone, iPad, or computer to access your lighting control system remotely

Houle offers both standalone and integrated solutions. With an integrated solution, your lighting control system is integrated with your HVAC, security, and/or building management system. Having one front-end user interface provides ease of use and improved operations. Whether you are looking for standalone or integrated lighting, centralized or distributed lighting, we provide solutions based on the latest technologies available in the marketplace. Our experienced team of designers, project managers, and technicians have the skillsets to design, install, and service all your lighting control needs.

Access Control

Unlock your doors from your NFC or Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. Use your computer network smart card to open doors. From traditional pin-pad or proximity card swipe systems to cutting-edge biometric security devices, control access to your facility every day of the year. Whether you are looking for wired or wireless integrated smart-locks, Houle’s government licensed security consultants can assist you in designing an electronic access control system to manage ingress and egress from your facility. Our solutions enable you to set access to your facility during specified times, control and monitor all entry points, manage and track visitors within your facility, run custom reports to determine who accessed what area and when, and incorporate any number of buildings into one consolidated entity for system management and oversight.

Our expertise does not stop there. As experts in system integration, we can interface your access control system with other systems, including video surveillance, intrusion alarm, door and key management systems, time and attendance, and even specialized custom interfaces such as Microsoft Active Directory Service Interfaces.

If you have an old legacy system that needs upgrading, our access control bridge provides an interface between an older system and a newer system, giving you the flexibility to migrate the systems when your budget permits. You can take full advantage of a brand new access control platform without the upfront investment to swap out your entire system immediately.

Analytics

Gathering data and generating reports is the first step towards total quality improvement and trend analysis. Houle offers systems and applications that can analyze recorded data from various sources including security systems, healthcare systems, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and building automation sensors.  Whether you have a dementia patient in home care, or a complex office building with temperature, humidity, and light sensors throughout, our trending and analytics applications can help you work more efficiently, provide better care, or simply track your operations. Houle’s Operations Centre can also monitor and store the data for you, helping reduce your building’s ownership costs.

Through our video analytics solutions, you can strengthen your overall security, enhance your marketing efforts, and improve operational efficiency. Video analytics can be a valuable tool for providing unmanned monitoring on a video surveillance system. Houle can help you run video analytics on-camera or on-server, analyzing the video in real-time and generating alarms or alerts when unwanted behaviors are recognized. Typical analytics include:

• License plate number recognition
• Character recognition
• Facial recognition
• Object or vehicle line cross monitoring
• Object or vehicle removed monitoring
• Object or vehicle left behind monitoring
• Speed monitoring
• People or vehicle counting
• People active tracking
• Crowd detection (for security or marketing)
• Tamper or vandalism detection
• Motion detection
• Shape recognition
• Area usage tracking (for marketing)
• Fall detection
• Temperature monitoring (thermal imaging)
• Perimeter intrusion detection

Our team of experts can assist you in selecting the best analytics for your applications. From providing real-time alerting to generating reports that can help you make better business decisions, we can help you realize the full value of a video analytics solution.

Apartment Entry Solutions

Residential apartment dwellings and large multi-tenant office complexes often require a telephone entry system to allow visitors to automatically call a tenant for access. At Houle, we design and implement automated concierge-like solutions along with completely automated entry intercom systems for virtually any facility or campus. We can help you integrate your entry solution with your intercom system, access control, and/or wired or cellular telephone for automated building access. Our entry solutions also come with optional video intercom functions that provide enhanced security by allowing your tenants to view who they are conversing with prior to remotely giving them access to a facility.

Barriers/Gates/Turnstiles

From aesthetic glass turnstiles to high security bollards, turnstiles, and automatic motorized gates, Houle offers various types and styles of vehicle and pedestrian gates, turnstiles, and bollards.  If you are looking to guide traffic and/or protect areas from vehicle intrusions, we supply and install vehicle bollards rated for high impact as well as raised gates for secure vehicle access control.

We can install turnstiles in your facility to control traffic and manage access to certain personnel only. Our turnstiles and barriers are available with integrated proximity card readers, cameras, electronic signage, or even directly integrated facial recognition. With today’s barriers and turnstiles being designed with durability as well as appearance in mind, we can help you select the most appropriate barrier for any pedestrian entrance or throughway. Select from stainless steel for outdoor applications to attractive non-obtrusive glass barriers for lower security portals.

Biometrics

Traditional access control uses keys which can be lost or stolen. Electronic access control systems generally utilize proximity cards or fobs which can also be lost or stolen. At Houle, we offer enhanced security solutions with stronger authentication methods that are nearly impossible to clone or cheat. Our solutions include facial-recognition access, in-motion identification, scramble-pad card readers, voice-recognition, retina scanners, fingerprint readers, and even hand-geometry and hand vascular scanners. Biometric readers may be added to almost any existing access control system to provide an added level of security.

Fence/Perimeter Detection

Do you have a full perimeter security fence but find that your facility is still being compromised? Houle can install a high-security perimeter fence detection system at your premises that monitors the entire perimeter for disturbances. The fence detection system will alert you whenever potential intruders attempt to climb or break/cut your fence. You will be alerted of the location of the intrusion, enabling you to respond quickly. Sirens and lights can also be interfaced to act as deterrents to would-be thieves. These systems, widely used in prisons, airports, and military bases, are now cost effective enough to be implemented at smaller facilities such as vehicle impounds and secure parking lots.

We work closely with all major manufacturers to bring you the latest perimeter fence detection system technology. Our designers will help you select the system that best meet your needs; whether it is a fibre-optic sensing cable system, buried sensor cable, coaxial sensors, beam detectors, or radar/laser sensor detectors. As experts in high security perimeter monitoring solutions, our team of programmers can integrate your perimeter detection systems with almost any alarm and access control or remote video monitoring solution.

Intrusion Detection

Add a layer of defense with our intrusion detection and monitoring solutions. Whether you are looking for motion sensors, glassbreak sensors, door contacts, and/or beam detectors, Houle’s security consultants will work with you to provide specialty sensors to protect your most valuable assets. We offer special computer monitoring, real-time locating systems, perimeter fence detection, article/art monitoring sensors, as well as large-area laser and beam sensors. We are certified to supply and install various alarm systems including Bosch, ICT, Honeywell/Ademco, Tyco/DSC, and UTC/Interlogix. In addition to installing your system, we can also provide ULC Intrusion Monitoring.

Panic/Duress Alarm Systems

Protecting the safety and security of your employees and visitors is important. Enhancing staff and visitor safety with wired or wireless emergency duress systems can protect employees and visitors from assault or other hazards. When an emergency occurs, a simple push of the panic alarm notifies others of the situation. Since the ability for responders to respond quickly to an emergency situation is critical, Houle offers location-based wireless duress systems that enable responders to pin-point the exact location of the emergency, saving crucial time in finding the location of the incident, time that could mean life or death.

Applications for our solutions include, but are not limited to:

• Parking emergency call systems, including voice intercom systems that are solar powered for remote applications, as well as fully supervised in-building call stations and sirens.
• Specialty hold-up buttons for retail and banking facilities, as well as bill-trap alarms and silent alerting solutions.
• Specialty man-down offer alarm pendants for prison guards and security/lone workers.

Manned or unmanned, stand-alone or fully supervised, Houle will work closely with you to design a system that provides the highest level of safety for your facility and/or surrounding parking lots.

PLC Door Controls

Houle designers use only open-architecture programmable logic controller (PLC) and human machine interface (HMI) based platforms for advanced door control and integrated systems. Unlike many proprietary systems, open architecture products offer more compatibility with industry standard protocols and standards-based interfaces. Leveraging open-architecture products also allows you to have the freedom to leverage products from multiple vendors, preventing your facility from being ‘locked’ into a proprietary solution.

Houle designers work closely with all stakeholders to develop and design screens and controls that are intuitive and easy to manage. We leverage intuitive icon-based controls and interfaces that use industry standard protocols to ensure that you get a fully functional and easy-to-use system. Upon request, we can also set up an entire system prior to installation, using our pre-fabrication facility to mock-up the entire system for factory acceptance testing. This gives you the opportunity to fine-tune settings and features prior to final installation in an operating facility.

Nurse Call

From traditional analog and digital telephone systems to Hybrid VoIP/SIP, digital and analog systems including wired and wireless telephones, Houle offers solutions suitable for your facility. We implement low and high-end telephony solutions that incorporate voicemail, auto-attendants, voice conferencing, and collaboration, as well as options for reselling voice services and call accounting packages.  This helps you generate revenue while offering residents and patients enhanced telephone services. Our solutions also include advanced wireless telephone systems and Wi-Fi based systems with proper Quality of Service (QoS) roaming features and follow-me features.

Parking Management System

Parking can be a challenge if not properly managed. At Houle, our parking management solutions can help your customers and staff alleviate some of the parking headaches. From automating the access control with systems like automatic gates, barrier controls, and ticketing systems, to car and people counting solutions, we can help you design and implement a stand-alone or fully networked parking management solutions that allows you or a third party company to manage all parking and parking auditing.

People Counting

Knowing the number and direction of people moving through a facility or zone can help you evaluate your business’ performance, create revenue projections, and determine the most effective marketing techniques. At Houle, we supply, install, and service a broad range of people counting systems for all environments, markets, and applications. Utilizing the latest technology in the market, our versatile people counting solutions can be utilized for a wide range of applications including, but not limited to:

• Reducing HVAC in unoccupied locations of a facility
• Optimizing staff schedules and daily operations based on customer/visitor volume
• Evaluating and improving marketing and promotional activities
• Counting passengers for queue management and safety
• Enabling shopping malls and retail stores to deploy initiatives that increases the likelihood of conversion

From thermal imaging counters to video and Wi-Fi counting, Houle will work with you to deploy a system tailored toward your needs.

Point-of-Sale (POS) Integration

Every day, thousands of dollars disappear from Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals in retail stores due to fraudulent or criminal employee activities. We can help you reduce loss and fraud at POS terminals by integrating video that is tied to your POS transactions to detect fraudulent register transactions. By synchronizing video and POS data, you have visual verification of each transaction. This provides you with the ability to generate reports with filters such as employee number, date, time, register ID, and transaction type. You can search the transaction history of all your stores and view the video tied to these events to quickly identify suspicious transactions.

Time & Attendance

Knowing when your employees start and stop work can help you manage your labour force.  At Houle, we offer various automated time and labour management solutions to help you eliminate paperwork and streamline payroll processing. From tracking employees’ clock-in and out times and breaks to managing vacation and sick days, our solutions can help you directly integrate with your payroll system so your employees’ are paid correctly every time.

We can help you leverage a single-card campus environment with our stand-alone biometric systems or fully networked systems integrated with your HR and access control systems. Houle offers various time and attendance solutions, personnel management systems, and visitor management solutions to help automate building visitors and manage your physical visitor security.

Collaborative Technology (Video Conferencing)

Bring people at different sites together with video collaboration tools. Through industry-leading integration with Microsoft solutions, including Microsoft Exchange and Skype for Business, Houle eliminates your need for third-party gateways. We can help you connect your teams anywhere, anytime, with less complexity, increased reliability, and a lower total cost of ownership.

License Plate Recognition

Utilizing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras which Houle can supply and install, you can read and capture vehicle license plates. Our license plate recognition solutions can be utilized for a wide range of applications including, but not limited to:

• Law enforcement applications including vehicle registration, licensing checks, and stolen car identification
• Traffic rule enforcement including red-light enforcement and overspeeding
• Electronic toll collection for pay-per-use roads and bridges
• City traffic analysis during peak periods
• Cross-border control
• Parking automation and parking security
• Vehicle theft prevention
• Vehicle access control management

Our experienced and knowledgeable team will work with you to implement an adaptable solution that delivers remarkable accuracy and speed in image processing, even for vehicles traveling at high speeds.

Process Monitoring Camera Systems

Houle’s automation experts are well versed in the design, supply, installation, and configuration/programming of cameras specifically for monitoring factories, assembly lines, and process monitoring in industrial facilities. Whether you need high-speed cameras for monitoring defects in manufactured products, for safety, for security or to meet regulatory requirements, we offer video monitoring products for your needs. These cameras can be integrated with your existing or new HMI, PLC, or SCADA systems to provide a single control point. We can also include redundancy for mission-critical applications.

Houle also leverages the best video analytics to provide application specific monitoring, including equipment removal or objects left, objects (or persons) in hazardous areas, spot-temperature monitoring using thermal cameras, inventory counting and control, or general monitoring overview of a mine, mill, factory, or construction site.

Thermal Imaging

Where traditional cameras fail, thermal or infrared (IR) cameras translate thermal energy into visible light and display it on a screen, so you can analyze a particular object or scene, even in total darkness. Houle’s thermal imaging solutions are ideal for a wide range of applications, including analytics to track cars, people, or animals; accurate people counting; and temperature monitoring of objects. Whether you require onboard analytics or simply total darkness viewing, we offer surveillance options using thermal imaging cameras that you may not know even exists.

If you have expensive equipment and want to monitor the temperature, we can install a thermal camera to monitor the equipment. A single thermal camera can monitor up to 36 points on the image and send you alarm notifications if temperatures go beyond pre-defined boundaries. Houle works closely with various manufacturers to help you select the appropriate thermal imager for your application. If you are more comfortable having your equipment tested by experts, our certified electricians can perform detailed infrared thermography tests on your electrical equipment.

Video Distribution

Through the power of video, you can connect and with your employees, improve communications, and keep staff updated with the latest news and events, across multiple locations on any compatible device. Houle provides secure video distribution within your organization direct to desktop monitors, laptops, tablets, and/or public area displays. Depending on your requirements, the interface can be the same for all users or customized for specific groups. Whether your employees are in a single office or spread across the country or globe, Houle’s video distribution solution enables you to share and watch video from any device at any time.

Video Surveillance

With a video surveillance system, you can see, respond, intervene, and mitigate risks if and when they arise. While anybody can mount a camera and plug it in, few have the expertise to optimally configure the camera settings and network security to ensure a long-lasting stable video surveillance system that cannot be hacked or tampered with. Houle’s technicians are highly trained to install and service small, medium, and very large complex tamperproof video surveillance systems.

Whether you need cameras to view in complete darkness and/or at extreme distances, we can help you select the appropriate lighting, invisible IR illuminators, or thermal imaging cameras.  Houle’s designers can also assist you in selecting appropriate video analytics to assist with unmanned security monitoring.

If you have a large system that requires a comprehensive control centre and/or video wall, our control room solutions include specialty mounts, tables and lifts, as well as large-scale HD displays and video wall solutions. From high-security analytics-assisted monitoring to remote mobile viewing, we can help you select the best solution for your needs.

Video Wall

Multi-screen video walls can inspire and awe your clients and visitors. Houle supplies, designs, and installs high-quality professional digital video walls that serve as an interactive display and/or an informational video wall. Our video walls encompass a wide range of different sizes, solutions, and technologies.  The screens we supply and install features narrow bezels to minimize gaps between active display areas and flexible mounting systems for installation in a variety of environments.  From control room settings to public venues to corporate settings, we will work with you to design a solution that is tailored to your needs.

IoT and RFID

Using the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Houle offers radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that can help you track, monitor, maintain, and gather data on any tagged asset.  As a more durable and longer lasting alternative to the conventional barcode sticker, you can easily scan the tags using a standard smartphone to extract important data including service history, password, and programming information. If there is a service failure with the tagged asset, using this technology Houle can access the information on the asset even before going to site. Data can be reported in real-time, giving you the ability to make quicker, more accurate decisions.

RF Communication

From intercom to telephone to wireless communications, our team will work with you to determine the right solution for your needs. With today’s growing trend towards Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, Houle can design a telephone, intercom, or mobile solution that operates on a network or Wi-Fi network, providing you with seamless staff and customer communications.

We offer complete solutions for communications system interfaces and management or monitoring systems that can streamline your workflow and improve efficiency. We can also help provide a complete unified communications platform where all of your telephony and intercom and messaging leverages a single network infrastructure.  Our communication systems offering are secure from outside monitoring and tampering, giving you top-notch security. Whether you want to send alarms to Wi-Fi telephones or leverage secure text messaging, we will work closely with you to select a local, stand-alone, or enterprise communications platform that will best meet your requirements both today and into the future.

RTLS – Equipment Tracking

Reduce equipment movement. Recover lost property. Improve audits. By leveraging real-time locating systems (RTLS) for tagging people and assets, you can reduce time wasted searching for equipment, respond more quickly to personal alarms, boost security, and reduce accidents and duplicated material. At Houle, we have a tremendous amount of experience with various RTLS technologies. We offer solutions that enable you to place active or passive (no batteries) tags on equipment and people to track their locations inside or outside buildings. Common applications include:

• Wireless panic duress
• Patient/Resident emergency call
• Wander prevention in elderly care facilities
• Infant protection in acute care hospitals
• Equipment tracking and locating
• Hand hygiene compliance tracking
• Automated staff presence in care facilities and hospitals
• Vehicle tracking
• Object theft prevention
• Warehouse inventory management

The RTLS technologies we offer include:

• Radio Frequencies (RF), including: Zigbee, Wi-Fi, 802.15.4, UWB, and Bluetooth
• Low Frequencies (LF), signposts, portals, and exciters
• Ultrasonic (US), both active and passive for accurate indoor location, or sonar
• Infrared (IR) for line-of-sight locating
• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for outdoor tracking

Many RTLS systems are not able to differentiate between objects, walls, and floors and often locate equipment on the wrong floor or in the wrong room, only providing the “relative location” of a tag within an approximate area. We offer “relevant location” solutions where you can locate precisely where a tag is located. Since not all systems are suitable for all applications, our knowledgeable team can help you select the best solution for each application, taking into consideration what user interface and integration options exist.

RTLS – Wireless Staff Duress/ Code White

Protecting the safety and security of your staff is extremely important. Not only does it improve work morale, it also ensures that care staff aren’t distracted by the stress of their personal safety. Houle offers wired and even wireless emergency duress systems that can protect staff from assault or other hazards. When an emergency occurs, a simple push of the panic alarm instantly notifies the appropriate responders the identity of the staff member needing help and the precise location of the emergency situation.

Text Messaging Systems

With important information being exchanged everyday between various parties, there is an ever increasing need to ensure confidential information is kept secure at all times. Standard text services pose security concerns as it allows messages on devices to be read by anyone. Houle mitigates these security concerns by offering secure text messaging and alerts without disrupting workflow. Our secure texting and voice calls utilize your iPhone and Android smartphone application to send you reminders, notifications, and tips via text message; messages that can be sent to a person or to a group of people, intermittently or on an automated schedule. Colleagues can easily communicate and collaborate amongst each other, sharing essential information and getting critical answers.