Outdoor Motion Sensor
Securing the perimeter or the outer boundaries of a building is of utmost requirement because outer boundaries are the starting points for a burglar looking to enter your place. The security industry has innovated so many products with the incorporation of growing technology for complete residential and commercial security.
Outdoor Motion Sensors
Outdoor Motion Sensors are the security devices installed on the outer regions and boundaries of the premises to be protected. These devices are capable of detecting and alerting the property owners if someone tries to enter into the premises by jumping over the walls.
Why it is important to install Outdoor motion sensors :
Installing Outdoor motion sensors is very important when it comes to residential or commercial security. They serve the purpose of protecting the outer perimeter, the area just inside the outer walls, main gates, windows, roofs, etc. Protecting these parts of a building is necessary because these are the attack areas or the premises from where the act of burglary is initiated by an intruder. If a burglar is able to take entry through these unsecured points of a building, half of his job is already done. Hence, to deter burglars and then avoid such incidents from taking place, installing outdoor security sensors at the threat areas is always an intelligent act.
Technology and working Principle of Outdoor Motion Sensors :
-
- Active Infrared (AIR) : Many devices work on the principle of Active Infrared (AIR) waves to detect intruders entering the premises. Outdoor Alarm Systems with AIR have a combination of an emitter and a receiver sending and receiving the Infrared waves respectively. The AIR acts as a beam being propagating in a straight line from source to destination with air as a medium. If an intruder comes into the transmission path of the Active Infrared, the system considers it an intrusion attempt and sends the signal to the control panel.
-
- Passive Infrared (PIR) : Passive Infrared (PIR) is another form of Infrared wave that is utilized in outdoor motion sensors or outdoor alarm systems to detect the motion of people. The devices working on the PIR principle are equipped with a PIR motion sensor that just receives the infrared radiations released from the objects and creates a heat map of the nearby objects. Whenever there is any motion in the detecting range of the PIR sensor, the infrared radiation level changes and is noticed by the motion sensor. Such change in the radiations level is an indication of intrusion and thus the same signal is sent to the control panel to act accordingly.
-
- Microwaves : Microwaves sensors consist of a combination of two components i.e a transmitter and a receiver arranged side by side. The transmitter as per its usual task, keeps on transmitting the microwaves in the nearby environment. On the other side, the receiver keeps on collecting the microwaves after they get reflected by any static object in front and this process goes on in a similar pattern. When any person or object comes in the path of the microwaves, the amount and pattern of the reflected waves changes and the receiver notices the change. As per the system’s set programming, this change in the reflected microwaves is considered as an intrusion attempt and thus a signal is sent to the control panel to act upon.
-
- Dual Technology : As the name suggests, dual technology motion sensors are the ones that work and detect the motion with the help of two technologies working at a time in the device. The combination of technologies can be the one with any two of PIR, AIR and Microwaves. The most common and outperforming combination is the combination of PIR and Microwave sensors as the motion detectors with this combination have a proven record of better detection and negligible false alarm rate.
-
- LASER (LIDAR) : LASER is a device that produces a narrow beam of light which is a result of optical amplification process. The laser when produced from the security device, travels in the medium in a straight line as per its nature. When someone comes into its range, the path of the LASER gets distorted and this gives a signal to the control panel to alert the security personnel.
How to Install a Motion Sensor :
With a lot of wireless motion detectors now available in the market, installing these devices has become far easy now and can be installed by the property owners as well without having any prior installation experience. You can install a motion sensor by following these DIY steps –
1. Unbox the Device –
Your motion sensor box should have an installation guide, mounting screws and hardware. If the device has separate batteries, put them into the device.
2. Finalize the location –
Choosing the perfect installation location is the most important part of securing the whole premises. Consider the following things beforehand :
-
- Identify the areas of the premises that are most vulnerable to theft.
-
- Check the main entry-exit points for any threat vulnerability.
-
- Check the doors and windows for loopholes in the security.
-
- Check the outer boundaries if can be jumped off easily.
-
- Check the outsides of the premises for possible means to aid unauthorized entry into the premises.
3. Mount the Device –
The motion sensors are very lightweight and can be easily mounted on the walls, poles, etc with just simple tools. Most of the motion sensors come with a mounting bracket that can be pulled off the main device. Just screw the bracket into the wall or pole first and then put back the main device back into it.
4. Connect the sensor with the control Panel –
Once the sensor has been mounted as per the decided location, the next step is to connect the sensor with the control panel. This can also be done by yourself only by following the simple instructions mentioned in the installation guide received with the sensor.
5. Walk test the Sensor –
Once the sensor is connected with the control panel, do some walk tests to check if it is detecting accurately. Adjust the position of the sensor if there is any requirement.
Outdoor Motion Sensor Maintenance :
After getting installed an outdoor motion sensor, it is very important to keep a regular check on the device to maintain its efficiency and accuracy. There are some tasks that can be performed by the owner itself to keep a check on it :
-
- Being the motion sensors installed outdoors, there are possibilities of dust accumulating on the sensors. Hence, a regular check on sensors cleanliness should be done.
-
- Sometimes the devices may generate false alarms due to the presence of trees in their detection region. To avoid such incidents, it is required to keep the sensors’ area clean from such obstacles.
-
- The Motion sensors working on the Passive Infrared (PIR) technology sometimes get triggered due to excess heat present near to it from sources like Air Conditioners, sunny windows, etc. Thus, proper care should be taken while installing new air conditioners and their vents at the premises to avoid such false alarms.
-
- Perform walk tests in regular intervals to determine if the sensors are working and detecting the motion accurately.
Advantages :
-
- Deter Burglars – Just the presence of a security solution is enough to create a panic situation in the minds of burglars thinking to enter that place and hence the threat gets stopped even before its initialization.
-
- Restrict Unauthorized entry – The Outdoor motion sensors are very accurate in detecting the movement in its range and take no time in alerting the security personnel about the unauthorized access being gained by someone.
-
- Increase human efficiency – Deploying man guards all around the premises has become an incomplete way of security. Latest technology outdoor alarm systems have reduced the requirement of man guards and increased their efficiency resulting in better security with lesser cost.
-
- Protect Valuables – Whether it is a residential place or a commercial place, the need to protect valuables is the same at both types of places. Such type of safety is provided by the security devices based on motion sensors.
-
- Detect Suspicious Activities – The Outdoor motion sensors are so accurate in their work that they can detect and report the suspicious activities taking place near the perimeter of the premises.
-
- Safeguard Lives – These devices play a very important role in safeguarding the lives of your family members because with the devices being 24*7 active criminals can not enter your home.
-
- Remote Monitoring – Outdoor motion sensors when integrated with CCTVs make you able to see the real time view of the surroundings of your premises from anywhere anytime through mobile phone or tablet.
-
- Peace of Mind – With the Motion sensors installed at your premises, the most important thing you get is peace of mind because you are now not concerned about the safety of your home or industry when not physically present there.
Applications (Verticals) :
-
- Residences : Most incidents of burglaries or intrusions take place at residential places only, homes being the easy target for burglars. Thus residences need ultimate perimeter protection provided by outdoor motion sensors.
-
- Industries : Industries are the important assets of a nation that put a direct impact on its economic condition. Industries are protected from thieves and intruders by the motion sensors mounted on the outer boundaries.
-
- Airports – Airports have always been the most desired targets for intruders including terrorists as planes once hijacked can be used for unpredictable fatal activities in any part of the globe. Hence airports are made safe with many levels of security with outdoor motion sensors and other high tech security solutions.
-
- Construction Sites : Construction sites have a lot of costly raw materials and machines which are stolen by intruders leading to a lot of loss of money and time in buying the new ones. The installation of security solutions becomes necessary at construction sites keeping in mind the possible threats.
-
- ATMs and Banks : Cash is the most preferred valuable stolen by burglars as it can be easily used in the market and hence ATMs and Banks are the most critical places in respect of security. The installation of security solutions that too with advanced technology motion sensors is mandatory at ATMs and Banks to safeguard the cash of people and government.
-
- Cantonments: Cantonments are highly sensitive areas that require very high security to prevent trespassing. The cantonment areas are restricted to be entered by civilians too due to security measures and hence the requirement of security devices is the most important thing taken care of by the cantonments.
-
- Data Centres: Data centres store a lot of sensitive information about organizations and their employees that can lead to unavoidable circumstances once get leaked or tempered. The organizations secure the data centres with the best quality security products investing a large amount of security budget.
