Good perimeter intrusion beams are available in different sizes and can be deployed in various ways. Some are provided in column-style enclosures that allow the integrator to mount them directly to the ground. Others are much smaller and can be mounted to a wall (for covering windows or doorways) or to the top of an existing perimeter wall or barrier.
The enclosure design used to house the perimeter intrusion beams is critical to sustain good operation in multiple environments. Many areas experience a wide range of temperature and weather changes throughout the year. Some of the less expensive and robust perimeter intrusion beam enclosure designs do not hold up well in very hot or cold environments. Properly designed systems work fine in both. With a combination of heating elements and fans, good perimeter intrusion beam enclosures can properly function in rain, heat, cold, ice, fog, and most types of weather.
Orion Security Solutions highly recommends perimeter intrusion beams that incorporate multiple sensor technologies. The use of a combination of intrusion technologies reduces false alarms, provides tremendous programming flexibility, and elements several vulnerabilities that exist with single-technology perimeter intrusion systems. For example, if a perimeter intrusion system only uses infrared beams to detect intruders, then any time a person, object, artifact, animal, or anything else passes through the infrared beam, an alarm will be initiated. This is completely ineffective when deployed in most settings due to the amount of false alarms that will be received in areas that are windy, icy, rainy, etc. The other problem with these types of systems is that an intruder can simply set a ladder or any similar object a few inches outside the infrared beam path and jump over the beams. The most vulnerable area of these systems is at the beam column itself. Someone can defeat the system by simply climbing over the perimeter intrusion beam enclosure.
The multi-technology perimeter intrusion beam systems address these vulnerabilities by creating arrays of sensor detection zones that validate possible intrusions. At the columns, Doppler technology is used to envelope the column where the perimeter intrusion beam receivers and transmitters or located. This protects against an intruder simply climbing over the column. Between the columns, a combination of microwave and infrared can be used. This creates a laser-type infrared beam along with microwave to create a wider envelope of detection area. This makes it more difficult to climb over the beam pattern. Each beam can also be individually configured to change its sensitivity or turned off all together. This is especially effective when beam in the array is defective so that the system can continue to work and not have to be turned off all together.
There are many styles of perimeter intrusion beams that have different capabilities and characteristics. In most cases, it is imperative to consult with an expert integrator like Orion Security Solutions to discuss which type of perimeter intrusion beams will work best for each application.
We look forward to sharing more useful technical security insights with you next Wednesday here at The O.
