31 October 2018

Highlights of Optex Europe’s Open Day

We hosted the Open Day on 16th of October in the new premises of our EMEA Security Headquarters in Maidenhead, UK. The event gave us the opportunity to introduce our new management and the wider OPTEX group to the security media and some selected customers.

Our Managing Director, Masaya Kida, gave an insightful presentation about the history of Optex, and how the now £297 million strong organisation started nearly 40 years ago from the vision and hard work of a handful of people.

This was followed by the introduction of the re-organised UK Sales Team, an overview on our product portfolio, a presentation on the evolution of LED lighting given by Raytec, and a summary of what needs to be considered for remote monitored sites explained by Farsight. LB Foster presented on how Optex Laser technology was the foundation of a bespoke solution developed to detect obstacles on railway crossings.

After the presentations, we gave a tour around our premises where we use all of our own multi-layered security solutions to protect our office space, warehouse and car park.

We would like to thank our partners, sister companies and media partners for helping us to make the event a success.

Indoor dual-tech sensors for great performance in challenging environments

All our recent indoor PIRs feature a digital target recognition to provide a very stable operation using OPTEX’s Core platform. In some environments though, this feature might not be enough to guarantee perfect stability.

Strong Direct Sunlight

In homes or offices with large windows, skylights or glass walls, the sunlight may create a sudden heat difference similar to the one caused by a human body, triggering the sensor.

Aircon/ heating

PIRs are motion sensors so airconditioning or heating systems blowing cold or hot air can cause curtains, fabric, balloons etc to move and trigger the alarm.

Typically for those types of environment, it is best to use dual-tech PIRs – a combination of passive infrared and micro-wave technology. While the PIR will detect the movement and temperature difference, the microwave will detect a moving object. Together this will act as double-knock and verify the intrusion.

Optex offers a range of dual-tech sensors ranging from grade 2 to grade 3 sensors, certified for most European countries that can be installed onto any alarm panel and give the intrusion system the stability needed. The RCX-DT (wired) and RXC-RDT (wireless) are our entry level grade 2, 12mx12m 85-degree 78 zone PIR, typically designed for residential applications. The FMX-DT is our mid-range wired grade 2, 15mx15m 85-degree, 78 zone PIR, designed for light commercial applications. The CDX-DT is our grade 3, 15mx15m, 85-degree, 82 zone PIR for commercial applications.

You can see the whole range here.

Optex Tech Tip: Using our bespoke plate for more effective beam tower installation

When installing OPTEX long-range IR beams, Smart Line series, into towers it is important to position the transmitter and receiver beam so they are in a perfect line of sight. Depending on the distance between the beams, the elevation between the two beam towers may vary slightly.

Traditional methods to ensure line of sight can be a time-consuming task as it comprises of drilling self-tapping screws into the beam tower grooves to ensure the beams are level, which involves constant measurement and adjustment. For a more efficient method, our tech team highly recommends using the TW SSL an adjustable mounting plate specifically designed for our Smart Line Beam series. The Smart Line beam can be fixed on to the TW SSL then the plate can be clipped in to the beam tower. Using this method, alignment can be easily facilitated by simply adjusting the plate up or down in the grooves to set it at the right height.

Using the TW SSL for the installation process can be very beneficial over traditional installation methods as there is no need to use power tools to install the beams. Overall using a TW SSL can drastically reduce installation time.