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Protection starts outside

Outdoor environments require a very sophisticated approach to detection. Specifically, outdoor detectors must be able to distinguish between real intrusion threats and different types of legitimate motion, such as swaying bushes, free-roaming animals, sprinkler irrigation and all kinds of weather conditions, such as storms, rain, snow and more.

The TOWER-20AM outdoor detector from Visonic fully overcomes these demanding challenges. Indeed, after almost two years in the field, with thousands of installations worldwide, it has proven a reliable solution for outdoor detection in the security market today. At the core of Visonic’s ability to deliver outdoor detection sensitivity and reliability is its Octa-Quad technology. Developed over the course of many years, this technology uses eight PIR sensors, instead of one or two used in other outdoor detectors, with each of the sensors acting as a quad detector. Each of the eight detectors monitors 1/8 of the field-of-view, and a smart built-in motion processor analyses the motion signals coming from each of the individual detectors to determine whether an alarm is justified. It is like having multiple guards watching the same area and communicating with each other to intelligently decide whether the movement is legitimate or not.

The Tower behaves in the same way. Its algorithm ensures real alarm verification and, in order to activate an alarm, multiple specific conditions need to be present. For example, the fields of vision of more than two adjacent detectors need to be crossed at a certain speed and in a certain direction that together indicate human movement. At the same time, various kinds of environmental conditions are constantly being checked. By considering these multiple parameters, false alarms are prevented and detection sensitivity remains high.

Overcoming traditional weak points

Outdoor installation makes detectors much more vulnerable to vandalism and masking attempts than their indoor counterparts. With TOWER-20AM, Visonic has overcome these challenges by completely changing the design concept. Instead of a window, it has a relatively small and recessed V-Slot that, because of its convex shape and recessed position, is almost impossible to break. In addition, the V-Slot window has unique anti-spray grooves all around the perimeter that, together with Visonic’s active IR anti-masking technology, ensure that any masking attempt will immediately activate an alarm.

False alarms caused by white light interference coming from car headlights and strong flashlights pose an additional challenge for outdoor detection. To overcome this challenge, Visonic developed Obsidian Black Mirror technology, which acts as an IR energy filter and therefore virtually eliminates white light interferences. Installing the product is easy, due to its unique structure. All adjustments are made after the detector is already attached to the wall, ensuring they remain stable. The installer has tilt/pan and vertical/horizontal options to accurately adjust the detector to the correct position for optimal detection. In addition, it provides complete creep zone protection, such that any attempt to crawl under it will immediately trigger an alarm.

The TOWER-20AM is available in two versions, hardwired and wireless, making it ideal for a wide variety of sites. With its high sensitivity and near-total invulnerability to false alarms and vandalism,

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