printer friendly version

Once they are inside, it is too late

Most South African houses and business premises are equipped with alarms of some sort installed with the idea of keeping criminals out.

But this does not mean they are actually effective, since they only raise an alarm once an intruder is already inside.

"Motion detectors covering doors and other internal areas are certainly useful if there is no other security, but they only set off an alarm once someone is inside and that is too late," says Earle Wainstein, managing director of Powerhouse Electronics. "Electric fences are also heavily relied on to keep criminals out, but even these perimeter devices are quite easy for criminals to overcome, especially if they are not linked to an alarm system."

Effective perimeter security requires an approach that keeps the bad guys out by raising the alarm before they make any progress. The solution the security industry has been promoting for some time is active perimeter beams.

These are point-to-point beams that set off the alarm when the beam is disturbed. These systems offer a more secure method of protecting life and property as there is no way to neutralise the beam without raising the alarm. The beams are also fairly versatile, meaning one needs use only a few beams to secure a broad area.

"The problem with these devices is that there is only a single beam and it is normally easy to bypass," continues Wainstein. "Most people set the beams at waist height so as to allow their pets to run around freely without tripping the alarm. A criminal can easily duck under these beams without anyone being alerted."

The security industry responded to this weakness by developing a new solution that incorporated outdoor passive infra-red detection. While these devices made it harder to sneak by because their beams covered a far larger area, they were very unstable. A random leaf or even a gust of wind could set these systems off. In a factory setting they worked fairly well, but only on the inside, safe from the elements.

"The industry then came up with adaptive dual technology solutions consisting of passive infra-red as well as microwave beams," explains Wainstein. "These systems were more reliable as they checked each other. This means the alarm was not raised unless both detected a problem."

The dual-technology systems therefore react to heat and movement over a wide area, making it almost impossible to crawl under or sneak through covered areas undetected. And as technology has advanced, the systems have become more stable and cheaper. Of course, false alarms due to wandering pets still occur.

Wainstein says that many companies in the security business are still selling old equipment based on outdated technology. This, he states, is unacceptable because the latest technology available is more reliable, robust and stable. He believes offering this new technology to customers is a must since there may be lives at stake. New systems have more intelligence and can allow for pets weighing less than 35 kg to wander through protected areas without tripping the alarm.

He also says that offering clients a replacement warranty of less than five years on their dual-technology perimeter beams (including against lightning) is unacceptable. "These devices are mission critical. Poor quality means poor security and that can have disastrous consequences."

Adaptive dual technology solutions are the latest in perimeter defence and now offer comprehensive coverage of wider areas than ever before that are much harder to bypass than the single beams of the past. Wainstein concludes that there is no excuse for using old technology in the security industry; companies that are not moving the latest technology that provides improved security at a lower cost are doing their customers a disservice.

Share this article:

Further reading: