Australian security Company Swann Communications who manufacture the highly popular Swann Max Range cameras, has taken immediate action to distance themselves from a US banned Chinese Company with the Australian business shifting production of their top end consumer security products to new suppliers outside of China.
Zhuhai Raysharp Technology Co Ltd who trade as Ray Sharp was a supplier to Swann, until the US Government banned them for questionable activities, this led to Melbourne based Swann management moving quickly to distance themselves from the Company.
Raysharp claim that their business focuses on the R&D, production and sales of software and hardware for security video surveillance products, to third party suppliers.
SwannShield.
The US Homeland Security banned the business earlier this month claiming they have been selling banned products to Russia along with banned security video surveillance products to other questionable regimes.
Unlike other distributors in Australia such as Dicker Data who are still selling banned Hikvision cameras Swann who are based in Melbourne took immediate action to stop using Ray Sharp as a supplier.
According to Swann Marketing Manager Jeremy Stewart the decision was “fairly easy” for Swann who also have a major trading presence in the USA, UK, and Europe.
“We have multiple suppliers in multiple Countries, so it was fairly easy for us to source a new supplier of security components,” said Stewart.
As for Dicker Data and the likes of retailer Jim’s Security products who still sell the Chinese product direct to consumers, Swann has moved to minimise any risk to their customers due in part to their multi-Country manufacturing program.
Dicker Data a major supplier of consumer goods to retailers and resellers are still sticking with a banned product despite a national ban by the Australian Federal Government on any Hikvision products.
The share listed business has known since November 2022, that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned Dahua and Hikvision from new equipment authorizations.
The FCC declared these companies a threat to national security in 2021.
The ban restricts the use of any US federal funds to purchase equipment from these companies, this is the same approach taken by the Australian Federal Government.
The ban on the likes of Ray Sharp and Hikvision, is designed to prevent foreign entities from exploiting vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure or hacking into homes where questionable Chinese cameras such as those from the likes of Eufy and TPG who is also banned in the USA are installed.
The US Government claim that Chinese security camera manufacturers often make these devices available at low prices.
They claim that these devices are not as rigorously secured as laptops or servers.
