28 June 2023 - Mark Cosgrave
Featured in: Market Insights, Intrusion detection
Unfortunately, we all know someone whose home or business has been robbed. Experiencing a break-in is a traumatic experience which leaves a long-lasting impact on victims and not just affects them financially, but also mentally and emotionally. The fact that someone intruded your private sanctuary where you have your loved ones and valuable belongings is a feeling that stays with you long after the physical damage is repaired, but this has never stopped criminals from committing such crimes. Europol warns of a steady increase in reported burglaries in recent years. Estimates suggest that one burglary is committed every 1.5 minutes in the EU, with some Member States registering 1,000 burglaries every day.1
Summer is a common season for break in attempts and vacant properties become a popular target for burglars who take advantage of people being away on holidays. Another frequent situation is for burglaries to happen while the occupants are at home, often due to the tendency to leave windows and patio doors open or leave , valuables in the garden.
Security starts outside of the property
While indoor systems are essential for securing the interior of a building, they are unable to alert of an intrusion before the actual break-in has occurred. Outdoor intrusion detectors have been specifically designed to expand the security coverage beyond the confines of a building and to warn of anyone approaching as early as possible. Time in an intrusion is a critical factor and early warning by outdoor detectors allows a quicker security response to prevent or minimize the impact of an intrusion. External sensors can be armed even when the occupants are home, which ensures the safety and peace of mind even in Summer when vulnerable entry points such as balcony doors and windows are open.
Outdoor detectors are presented with many challenges due to environmental factors like wind or wildlife, weather conditions and temperature changes. Adaptable detection technology is therefore needed externally for reliable detection without false alarms.
Not all external detectors are made equal
At OPTEX our aim is to prevent intrusions and we do so by developing robust outdoor intrusion detectors which form an essential part of a comprehensive security strategy for residential, commercial, or industrial properties. Years of experience manufacturing outdoor sensors have equipped our devices with unique algorithms and advanced technology and have positioned OPTEX as market leaders due to our reliability and extensive sensor range.
Our PIR sensors come with a bespoke logic called Super Multi-Dimensional Analysis (SMDA) that combines digital detection analytics with temperature compensation to maintain performance and prevent false alarms. This combination of technologies ensures that OPTEX PIRs have advanced sensitivity and precision, creating an ‘intelligent detection’ that recognises the sensor environment and distinguishes genuine intrusions.
Our sensors use digital microprocessors with customised algorithms and analysis which provide the detector with intelligence to learn and adapt to its environment, filtering out false alarms and focusing on genuine intrusions. SMDA logic detectors consider five key analytics to validate a genuine alarm:
OPTEX pioneered the development of outdoor sensors, and since then we have been accumulating data on factors that can cause sensors to operate erroneously. This data serves as the basis for our algorithm development, which focuses on building robustness against environmental noise and creating sensors capable of withstanding challenging outdoor conditions. Additionally, we actively seek feedback from various sites worldwide where our sensors are deployed. This invaluable information enables us to consistently raise the detection standards and lead the market in performance..
1. (https://www.europol.europa.eu/crime-areas-and-statistics/crime-areas/organised-property-crime)