Perimeter Protection in the Great Outdoors

SPEEDING: Notify on vehicles speeding as they approach a perimeter barrier or exterior guard booth, indicating an intention to breach the perimeter with force. Analytics can filter for speed and size. This enables the system to ignore all movement below a certain speed, yet alert the operator when the movement is faster and by an object that is at least the size of a small car.

Integrated perimeter protection systems allow end users to receive alerts on mobile devices, including snapshots that show events around the perimeter. Together with the camera’s DNS or IP address in the alert, users can connect directly to the relevant camera by clicking on a link in the notification.

COLOR MATCHING: Alert operators to the presence of an object that is a particular color, such as a red vehicle that is parked illegally or a person wearing a yellow jacket that enters a defined outdoor area. This can be used to notify personnel to the presence of a known security concern.

It is possible to use these individually or combined to address more complex scenarios. These are just some of the examples of how video analytics can assist with perimeter protection. And, with an integrated system, the analytic alert can immediately fault the corresponding point on the control panel until the alert clears. This prompts the control panel to communicate the alarm to the central station or to send video snapshots in an event notification via E-mail or text message to one or multiple recipients. End users can receive E-mail alerts on their smartphones, including snapshots, showing events around the perimeter. And, by including the camera’s DNS or IP address in the notification, the user can also connect directly to the relevant camera simply by clicking on a link in the notification.

By delivering meaningful information direct to users, they gain the ability to easily monitor security events remotely without involving the central station. It also enables them to make more informed decisions about whether the central monitoring station should dispatch police to the location to prevent an intruder from attempting to enter the building itself.

Control Panels Help Keep Intruders at Bay

Securing the perimeter of the grounds is the first line of defense, but it is also important to consider technology that assists in preventing unauthorized entry to the building itself.

Glassbrea
k detectors are an effective means of detecting an intruder attempting to gain entry by breaking through a window or glass door. Using sound analysis technology, these detectors listen for the frequencies associated with breaking glass and issue an alarm if the signal produces the specific frequency, signature and timing relationship. Glassbreak detectors should always be used in conjunction with motion sensors to fully protect the building.

Outside of the traditional use of a building’s intrusion detection system, consider areas that need to be opened for authorized employee use, but restricted to others. Security control panels with integrated access control come into play here, allowing those authorized employees to gain entrance. But, how do you prevent mistakes made by employees who may forget to rearm a system when leaving, or prop, or inadvertently, leave a door open?

Modern security control panels will offer advanced programming capabilities that either prevent these situations or that alert security personnel or the central monitoring station when they happen. For example, a panel could be programmed to automatically rearm an area after a specified amount of time. This is ideal for areas that may be unoccupied for an extended period, such as a service shed or other remote station on the facility grounds. This ensures these areas are never left unsecured for a long period.

In addition, by delaying the reaction of a point for a specified time – from one minute up to an hour depending on the user’s requirement – disarmed points can also be monitored for abnormal conditions. This can be used for emergency doors to ensure they haven’t been propped open or for loading dock doors or roof hatches inadvertently left open to provide an enhanced level of building perimeter security. Technicians can program the system to annunciate locally, or send an alert to the user via text message and delay the supervisory report. This can serve to remind the user to close the door or hatch before a report is sent to the central monitoring station.

An integrated security solution should be able to accept alarms from various devices and use those alarms to trigger actions that focus the attention of security personnel or the central station monitoring the facility.

Apps for remote control and monitoring of panel functionality offer another opportunity to enhance perimeter security. Within the same app used to arm or disarm a system or area or control doors, users can also view live video from IP cameras integrated with the system. All of this can be done using a smartphone or tablet over the Internet, a local wireless network or over cellular, depending on the control panel model.

Add Live Intervention Via Cloud-Based Services

Combine these latest security technologies with services that enable the central monitoring station to intervene at the time of an impending perimeter breach or one in progress and you have a powerful deterrent that may prevent possible intrusions. Cloud-based services are available that enable the operator at the central monitoring station to intervene with audio. Once a video or intrusion alarm is transmitted to the central monitoring station and verified through video images, the operator can take immediate action with audio intervention using a nearby camera that is equipped with a loudspeaker. If intruders are warned that they are on camera and that the local authorities have been contacted, they may likely flee the area. This added layer of security is an effective means for preventing damage and theft.

All of the capabilities described here can be implemented with security control panels, IP cameras and cloud-based services that are available today. With this type of integrated security solution, dealers and integrators are better equipped to provide customized solutions for securing the perimeters of facilities and grounds with a range of requirements and environmental conditions.

Tom Mechler is the intrusion Product Marketing Manager at Bosch Security Systems. Sean Murphy is the North America Regional Marketing Manager for video systems at Bosch.

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