A trial of outdoor, wireless passive infrared sensors (PIRS) could lead to more deployments in residential security applications.OPTEX has been working with Wolverhampton-based Amron Security to protect an isolated residential property in the west Midlands countryside in the UK.
As the home is exposed on all four sides by main roads and fields, the owner was concerned the property, including detached garages, would be a target for intruders.
Paul Bishop, contracts manager and senior installer at Amron Security, showed initial scepticism when OPTEX proposed using wireless PIRS technology. He says: “As an installer I feel more comfortable using outdoor sensors only when alarms can be visually verified remotely, as it is far from ideal for false or nuisance alarms to trigger with no possibility for verification. However, I haven’t experienced any false alarm problems with these outdoor PIRS, which have performed flawlessly.”
According to Bishop the technology has performed to such a high standard that Amron Security has started specifying OPTEX’s sensors at further sites.
“Since the installation in 2016 there has not been a single false alarm.” Paul Bishop, contracts manager and senior installer, Amron Security
The PIRS specified by OPTEX include five of its VXI-R and two FTN-R sensors. They have some of the lowest false alarm rates and highest detection rates in the industry. Both types are battery-operated detectors that wirelessly connect to a Ricochet-enabled alarm panel via OPTEX’s pre-configured and pre-connected Ricochet-enabled wireless transmitter, the BGR-01, which is fitted into the back of each sensor.
The VXI-R sensors have a 12m wide angle of detection, while the FTN-R sensors provide a shorter detection range in a curtain-like pattern. Combining the two variants optimises the level of security defence around a property.
All of the tamper-proof sensors are equipped with OPTEX’s latest analytics programming that includes small animal tolerance and enhanced weather protection to avoid false alarms. The battery life is around three years.
Amron Security maintains the sensors and provides a remote monitoring service. “Since the installation in 2016 there has not been a single false alarm,” says Bishop.
OPTEX is a Japan-headquartered global supplier of security detectors based on IR, for indoor and outdoor applications.
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