Outdoor perimeter protection has diverse applications.Installing dealers continue to meet client needs that span everything from protecting people and property (sometimes in remote locations), to warding off burglars, deterring vagrants, and securing unmanned facilities, to assisting security guards in monitoring multiple cameras and locations. The list goes on and on.


Perimeter protection runs a wide gamut. End users look to it for myriad reasons, ranging in importance from saving precious lives to stopping people from siphoning gas from vehicles.


Often, weeding out seemingly inconsequential intrusions and false alarms, such as those presented by harmless animals or random cars passing by, is a key consideration. So is delivering solutions that can stand up to extreme weather and terrain.


Security professionals face many challenges in exactly meeting client’s perimeter protection needs.

Here is just a small sampling of some of the outdoor intrusion detection products on the market designed to meet these many complex needs — and the success stories dealers and integrators have achieved to deliver them.
Bring on the Bucket Brigade
THE INSTALLATION


A large national retailer with an outlet store in Elk River, Minn., wanted a cost-effective means to provide security with video verification of vacant properties that might be targeted by thieves. Gene Earhart, president of Wellington Security Systems in Minneapolis installed the Videofied system last October.


“To provide detection on the roof of the building we attached the motion-cam to a metal post which was mounted in a five-gallon bucket of cement. We installed a control panel, keypad and two interior motion-cameras inside the store and two bucket cams on the roof of the building. It was 22 degrees below zero. I personally went to the site and tested the system. It worked great.”


Because the system is wireless, client investment is in technology, not labor, Earhart adds. “The system captures a 10-second video clip of what triggers the motion sensor. This allows a central station dispatcher to verify the alarm before dispatching the police. We’ve been working with the product for close to three years. I like it because of its portability and the fact that it provides video verification of an alarm. This results in our being able to offer our customers greater value than a system utilizing traditional technology.”


THE PRODUCT


The “Bucket Cam” from Videofied is testament to the fact that common sense never goes out of style. This wireless Videofied system utilizes motion sensors with integrated cameras and, to provide protection in some areas, the motion-cam is attached to a metal post that’s mounted in a bucket of cement (hence, the name “Bucket Cam”). This intrusion alarm with a sophisticated outdoor PIR motion sensor is a wireless, battery-powered system that operates outdoors in frigid temperatures ranging from -20 deg. F to +140 deg. F.


RSI Videofied. Visit www.rsivideotech.com or call (877) 206-5800.
Taking on Tough Terrain
STR Inc.’s IMB-150RD adjusts to the environment by handling changing weather and terrain conditions. It’s an electromagnetic-interference-immune, dual-frequency, transmitter-receiver set designed to identify people within a protected area. The unit is recommended for use near radio towers, power lines and other similar interference-emitting devices. It creates a 500-foot-long and 8-foot-wide detection zone. Because of configuration of the antenna and the ability to calibrate the unit manually, the IMB-150RD can be installed in rough terrain and continue proper operation with almost a meter of snow on the ground. When it detects an intrusion, the IMB-150RD outputs an alarm by opening a closed dry relay contact. (STR, by the way, stands for Security, Technology, Research.)
THE INSTALLATION
Bill Roddy, director of Western region for TechSystems, recently installed a fenceline perimeter detection system for a major utility company in southern California. The goal was to protect an unmanned natural gas pipeline station in the desert. Roddy chose STR’s IMB-150RD and reports that this was a low-cost, dependable solution for a site that had been vulnerable to vandalism.
Roddy has had many successful installations using this product and selects it often. Other applications he sees it being a good fit for include any interior or exterior large or wide-range perimeter areas requiring protection. “Tech Systems’ focus is to exceed our clients’ expectations in everything we do,” he says. “We can only do this with the right team members, and, just as important, the right partners within the industry. We have found that STR’s customer service and tech support team share the same philosophy and [we] are glad to be partnered with STR Security moving into the future.”
STR Inc. Visit www.strsecurity.com or call (416) 657-4434 or (866) 534-2787.
Dual Technologies Deliver Valid Alarms
RFI Communications, San Jose, Calif., is often called upon to provide perimeter protection for a wide array of applications. Hyong Cho, an account manager based in Nevada, has been installing the PROTECH PIRAMID XL2 for about eight years because he finds it reduces false alarms and clients have been very pleased with the results. There are many monitoring applications for the product, he says, particularly for facilities that house equipment and are remote or vacant after-hours.
He recently installed the XL2 for an equipment yard in Nevada. “The area is vacant after-hours, and whenever anyone’s moving it triggers the alarm. You know there shouldn’t be anyone there during those times, so the alarms are valid,” he says.
Protection Technologies Inc. Visit www.protechusa.com or call (800) 428-9662 or (775) 856-7333.
THE PRODUCT
The PIRAMID XL2 Outdoor Motion Sensor Series (models SDI-76XL2 and SDI-77XL2) marry PROTECH’s stereo doppler microwave technology with a dual-element passive infrared sensor. When the two independent sensor technologies activate at the same time, they create an overall sensor alarm.
PROTECH’s PIRAMID XL2 sensors ignore randomly moving objects and offer advanced signal processing for better bird and animal immunity. To eliminate false alarms, an internal sensitivity switch selects the distance an intruder must move to initiate an alarm. (Four inches to 40 inches of movement are required for a valid microwave alarm). XL2 sensors are typically used for strategic area or asset protection as well as in conjunction with outdoor perimeter systems to serve as “gap fillers.”
Turning a Cold Shoulder on Nebraska Winters
The 5800PIR-OD wireless outdoor motion detector from Honeywell is suited for outdoor sensing applications in difficult-to-wire locations. It avoids the costs and time of trenching and excavating typically required for traditionally wired outdoor sensing technologies. The sensor is battery-operated and provides property protection in both residential and commercial settings. Features include a range adjustable to 40 feet, immunity to both large and small animals, and two passive infrared (PIR) sensors that must both be tripped in order to declare an alarm. The 5800PIR-OD is weatherproof with a temperature range of -4 deg. F to 122 deg. F.
THE INSTALLATION
Homer Creutz, owner of Heartland Security LLC in North Platte, Neb., says he uses the 5800PIR-OD because “The low-temp capability and wireless capabilities make it a slam dunk. I have it programmed, installed and ready to go in 20 minutes, and the range is excellent. It’s powerful, well-built and well-designed.”
Creutz recently performed an installation for a client needing to protect a large, low-temperature, detached building used to store a tractor. “There’s no heat in there,” he explains. “And, getting a hard wire out there was next to impossible. But this wireless 5800PIR-OD could be installed and it’s protecting his tools and farm equipment through the cold Nebraska winters.”
Cruetz adds that he used to secure every door and window and it wasn’t cost-effective. “With the motion for an internal location we’re now able to protect it with one or two devices and make the homeowner or business owner comfortable with their level of security. I love being able to provide client solutions to their security needs and this is one I’ve been waiting for. I now have a solution for people with no heat in the areas they want to secure.”
Honeywell Security. Visit www.honeywellsecurity.com or call (800) 573-0154.
Good Fences Make Good Solutions
Greg Sloan, president of Sloan Security Fencing/Sloan Security Group (SSG) in Boise, Idaho, has completed both large and small installations utilizing the Gallagher PowerFence Intrusion Detection System (ids) in multiple states. He’s even installed it around his own business.
SSG is currently upgrading a petroleum facility in California which is using more than 17,000 linear feet of 12-inch-tall PowerFence.
“The backbone of the entire system is the PowerFence Trophy Dual Pulse controller, of which there are 19 PF Trophy FT controllers controlling 39 detections zones,” Sloan describes. “The Trophy FT is a key component in its ability to power and control multiple zones and integrate with the access control software package (in this case, Lenel).
Gallagher Security Management Systems. Visit www.gallaghersms.com or call (407) 302-4055.
THE PRODUCT
PowerFence Systems perimeter solutions from Gallagher Security Management Systems (GSMS) deter and de-tect any would-be intruder or escapee. The systems use the latest electric fence technology and provide deterrence through an electric pulse sent around the fence line every 1.2 seconds. The pulse delivers a brief, safe, but sharp shock. When someone tries to breach the fence, the system reports the zone under attack and an alarm is sent to the monitoring center for dispatch. With its PowerFence Trophy FT, GSMS combines its PowerFence perimeter security with the complex integration platform provided by Cardax FT — a Microsoft® Windows®-based security system.
A Solution Glows with ‘Good Will’
The VX-402 series from Optex Inc. is a 40-foot by 40-foot outdoor passive infrared detector, designed to dramatically reduce false alarms caused by animals and environmental nuisances. Its dual PIRs create two detection areas – upper and lower – that must be compromised simultaneously to go into alarm. The battery-operated version (VX-402R) works with any manufacturers’ wireless technology and eliminates the cost and hassle of a hardwired system. The detection range can be limited to ward off false alarms that may be triggered by moving cars, people or animals outside the protected area. It’s recommended for rooftops, cell towers sites, substations, construction sites, rental yards and storage yards.
THE INSTALLATION
Goodwill Industries in Santa Cruz, Calif., was trying to reduce incidents of illegal dumping because people were using their donation bins as a dumpster. The debris was causing a significant nuisance. Goodwill called upon David Hood, vice president and general manager of First Alarm in Aptos, Calif., to solve the problem.
“It would have been too expensive to trench across the parking area to hardwire devices, so the wireless VX402 was the only way we could come up with to reliably and economically detect unauthorized vehicles and people,” Hood explains. “We placed two VX402s in a parking area behind a commercial building. The detectors are wirelessly connected to a First Alert FA168 alarm panel, which auto arms and disarms. Cameras are positioned on the building facing the protected area — and when the devices detect motion, a signal is sent to our central station where an operator views the video stream to determine if unauthorized or illegal dumping is occurring.
“The operator will attempt to contact the violator via a speaker in order to stop the dumping. It worked like a charm,” Hood reports.
Optex Inc. Visit www.optexamerica.com or call (909) 993-5770.
