29 October 2020 - Lara Velasco
Featured in: Market Insights, Intrusion detection
Retail outlets and stores of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to theft and vandalism. While indoor intruder sensors will alert of an intruder already inside the premises, there are clear benefits of adding outdoor sensors to the security system.
It enables the ability to detect an intrusion before it happens, triggering lights and CCTV cameras, launching an audio warning, alerting the security staff, and acting as an active deterrent to thieves or vandals.
For most retail outlets, being situated in and surrounded by public areas can present a key security challenge, so it’s important than an outdoor solution can provide a detection area very close to the building. Here we explore a few options of intrusion detection within our range of solutions that can deliver outdoor security protection for retailers.
OPTEX curtain detection sensors can protect the store façade reliably alerting even when an intruder is leaning against the wall or window screens. Curtain detectors are available for one side detection – FTN Series – or both left/right detection – BXS Series - covering up to 24m in both directions and providing independent configuration for each side.
Panoramic sensors – WXI and WXS series – provide a 180-degree detection field with independent left/right configuration, and are an ideal solution to protect open spaces and roofs. Unsecured roofs can be an easy entry point for intruders crossing from an adjoining building and accessing the store or back office via skylights, balconies or side windows. Our intrusion detection sensors have the intelligence to adapt to the environment providing reliable detection even in locations prone to weather or temperature changes and can discriminate false alarms from small to middle size animals such as birds, cats and foxes, and detect only human intrusions.
Keep your business safe with OPTEX FTN, BXS and WXI Series
Our LiDAR technology with award-winning REDSCAN RLS-2020 provides a perfect solution when a higher level of detection and accuracy is required. Not affected by lighting and weather conditions, LiDAR functions in effect like an invisible wall or plane, defining the size and speed of movement of the object detected, allowing to discern genuine intrusions.
With the flexibility to be mounted either vertically or horizontally, detection areas can be customised to protect the store façade with a virtual wall, or the roof and skylight access with a virtual ceiling. Within the detection area different zones can be created allowing for different alarm outputs, for instance enabling a pre-warning zone by the main entrance, for deliveries, or a high threat zone by the back office, where valuable goods and inventory are kept.
Unlike cameras, LiDAR does not depend on an external light source and hence its detection will not be affected by darkness or bright sunlight. One further advantage of LiDAR is how it can guide cameras, pointing accurately to the right location of the detection, feeding the X and Y coordinates so they can point to the exact location where the intruder or object is detected and track across zones, assisting in a faster response by the security staff.
Benefits and applications of LiDAR technology for outdoor retail protection
