Sunflower Labs Plugin for Genetec Security Center

Sunflower Labs autonomous drone logo

    Pilot and supervise your Sunflower Labs drones directly from Genetec Security Center - without leaving your operator station. The Sunflower Labs integration connects Sunflower Labs autonomous drones (the Bee) and their base stations (the Hive) to Genetec Security Center. Operators supervise the drones in real time, watch their live video, dispatch them to an incident and run predefined missions - all from the unified Security Center interface.

    Drones are integrated as native Security Center entities: their live GPS position and status appear directly on the Security Center map, and their camera feeds are available in Security Desk and recorded by the Genetec Archiver. From a map click or an alarm, an operator can send a drone to a precise location, follow a moving target or launch a mission defined in the Hive.

    • Native video in Security Desk: the drone cameras are integrated as native Security Center cameras (Omnicast), available in tiles, on the map and in a Monitoring task.

    • Real-time position & telemetry: the drone's GPS position and status (battery, operational state, technical alerts) come in on the map as native Security Center entities.

    • Dispatch from the map: a right-click creates an incident at the GPS coordinates and sends it to the drone - manually or automatically on alarm / event.

    • Event catalog & supervision: the plugin publishes the drone's operational statuses (online / offline, mission started / ended, take off, landing, on inspection, on sweep, returning, charging…) and a diagnostic event ("Diagnostic issue detected / recovered") that monitors connection and system health.

    • Recording & playback: video is recorded by the Genetec Archiver and replayable in a dedicated task.

    • Native configuration: everything is configured in Config Tool, with no external service to host.

    • Sunflower Labs specifics: Hive station with integrated RTSP camera · launch of predefined missions from the Hive · automatic weather and flight-advisory (go / no-go) check before take-off.

    Built for demanding environments, the Sunflower Labs integration turns autonomous drones into fully supervised Security Center assets - combining real-time aerial awareness, integrated video and automated response on a single unified platform.


Main Features of the plugin

System Architecture

Sunflower Labs integration architecture with Genetec Security Center

Sunflower Labs plugin system architecture diagram for Genetec Security Center integration


Plugin configuration
    In Config Tool, the Sunflower Labs plugin offers the following features:

  • Connection parameters to Genetec Security Center
  • Sunflower Labs connection: server URL, Hive ID and encrypted API key per drone
  • Enabling / disabling of drones in Security Center
  • Enabling / disabling of the cameras associated with the drones
  • Map-based dispatch commands (fly to, nearest location, target following, predefined missions)


Operational use
    The integration of your resources in the Sunflower Labs plugin lets you leverage the unification offered by the Security Center platform:

  • Viewing of the drone cameras
  • Visualization of the drone(s) position on the Security Center map
  • Visualization of GPS data, telemetry and drone status (availability, flight state) in real time
  • On-demand map-based dispatch: "Fly to" a point or alarm, send to the nearest predefined location, or follow a moving target
  • Launch of predefined missions from the Sunflower Labs Hive, then track or cancel them
  • Landing and return to base in one click
  • Automatic pre-flight weather and flight-advisory check (go / no-go) before take-off
  • Playback of all information (cameras, GPS, metadata and mapping monitoring) in a dedicated task


Key Features and Capabilities

FeaturesSupport
videocam Cameras
Integration of Drone Cameras check
Drone Camera PTZ Control close
Hive camera integration (RTSP) check
Offline Camera Management close
gps_fixed Data & GPS
GPS Data check
GPS Coordinate Transmission check
Metadata check
map Map & Navigation
Interactive Map Markers check
Fly to check
Run location or Run routes check
notifications_active Incidents & Missions
Manual and Automatic Incident Position check
Automatic and Manual Incident Creation and Dispatch check
save Recording & Playback
Playback check
Automatic Post-Mission Video Download close

Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

What is the Sunflower Labs plugin for Genetec Security Center?

The Sunflower Labs plugin integrates Sunflower Labs autonomous drones (Bee) and their base stations (Hive) directly into Genetec Security Center. Operators monitor drone GPS position in real time, view live video, dispatch a drone with a click on the map, launch predefined missions and replay recordings from Security Desk - without leaving their workstation.

What is the Bee drone and its Hive station, and how do they work together?

The Bee is the Sunflower Labs autonomous drone designed for site surveillance. The Hive is its base station: it houses the drone, protects it, recharges it and deploys it automatically. Together, Bee + Hive form an autonomous aerial surveillance solution that takes off on demand or on alarm, without a pilot on site.

What are the benefits of integrating Sunflower Labs into Security Center?

Drone supervision in the same operator workstation as cameras and alarms, instant dispatch from the Security Center map, launch of predefined missions without leaving Security Desk, automated alarm response (Event-to-Action), and video recording in the Genetec Archiver - no more 'separate drone console' silo.

Compatibility & requirements

Which Genetec Security Center versions are supported?

Genetec Security Center 5.11, 5.12, 5.13 and 5.14. The DDF license is only available with Security Center Enterprise packages.

Is the plugin compatible with Security Center SaaS?

No. The plugin requires an on-premise Security Center deployment because it installs as a native Genetec server role. Security Center SaaS is not supported at this time.

How many Bee drones / Hives can be connected?

The plugin is designed to support several Bee drones and several Hives on the same site - each drone / Hive is configured independently with the Sunflower Labs server URL, the Hive identifier and a dedicated encrypted API key. Exact volume depends on the Sunflower Labs and Security Center sizing customer-side.

Is a Sunflower Labs Cloud subscription required?

Yes. The plugin authenticates against the Sunflower Labs server to receive GPS telemetry, video streams and trigger missions. An active Sunflower Labs account and the associated API credentials are required customer-side.

Features

How does live video streaming of the Bee work in Security Center (Omnicast)?

The Bee onboard camera is integrated directly into the Omnicast module as a native Security Center camera. Operators view the live video stream in Security Desk tiles, on maps or in a Monitoring task - without switching to the Sunflower Labs application.

Can a Bee drone be dispatched from a right-click on the map (GPS coordinates)?

Yes. Security Desk interactive GPS markers let you dispatch the Bee to a precise location, or follow a mobile target. The workflow runs in the usual Security Center interface, without switching to the Sunflower Labs application.

How to launch a predefined Hive mission from Security Desk?

Missions predefined in the Sunflower Labs Hive are exposed as Security Center actions. The operator launches them from Security Desk, tracks missions in progress and can cancel them in one click - without leaving the Genetec console.

Can a drone be dispatched automatically when an alarm is raised (Event-to-Action)?

Yes. Sunflower Labs events (drone departure / arrival, mission start / end) integrate with the native Security Center Event-to-Action engine. An intrusion alarm or a video detection can automatically trigger the Bee take-off toward the incident position - useful for immediate responses outside human presence.

Are drone video recordings archived in Genetec Archiver and replayable from Security Desk?

Yes. The Bee video stream is recorded via the Genetec Archiver like any Security Center camera. Recordings are replayable from Security Desk with the standard tools (search, timeline, export) - no dependency on third-party storage.

Does the plugin push back the GPS position and status of the drone (availability, flight status) in real time?

Yes. The plugin pushes back in real time the GPS position of the drone(s) on the Security Center map as native entities, as well as the flight status: availability, mission in progress, return to base. Dynamic icons and tooltips in Security Desk.

Can each Bee drone be recorded on a different Genetec Archiver?

Yes. The plugin lets you select a Genetec Archiver per Bee drone in Config Tool. Each drone (and its Hive) can therefore be recorded on a dedicated Archiver - useful to spread the storage load across multiple Archivers, isolate video per site, or align recording with the Security Center network topology.

Licenses

What licenses are required?

GSC-RS-ADDONX-DDF-BASE (Genetec base license of the Drone Dispatch Framework, developed by ADDONXPERT - available only with Security Center Enterprise packages) + GSC-RS-ADX-DDF-SUNFLOWER (Sunflower Labs driver add-on, includes Fleet Monitoring for 5 drones) + ADV-RS-ADX-DDF-1Y to 5Y (mandatory Genetec Advantage contract, from 1 to 5 years, not sold separately).

Cookies

We use cookies to understand how you use our site, to personalize content and to improve your experience. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies and revised. Privacy policy

Accept cookies