To secure sensitive establishments like airports and military bases, a Perimeter and Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) is of strategic importance. Traditionally, perimeter protection comprised security systems for doors, windows, gates, or any physical opening. However, in the wake of sophisticated forms of attacks, the traditional PIDS is due for an upgrade.
Of course, insufficient perimeter security can leave the establishment vulnerable to terrorist attacks and unauthorized entries. Thus, PIDS is effectively the first line of defence for sensitive establishments against vandalism, terrorist activities, etc.
Hence, establishments must fortify their critical infrastructure with physical barriers combined with modern security-related technologies.
A question arises in that context - can electric fences function as a deterrent to intruders? Let's find out.
As a physical barrier, electric fences have been in existence for some years now. Traditionally, electric fences have been effective at preventing unauthorized access to homes and security establishments. And despite the recent advancement of security technologies, electric fencing is still sufficient for most security-related needs.
Here are some of the benefits of electric fences across industries:
Along with these benefits, electric fencing has its share of limitations, including the following:
Additionally, traditional electric fencing does not work during unplanned power outages and requires a reliable source of power supply.
Can fibre optic technology enhance the capability of electric fencing? Let's discuss this in the next section.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) recently announced the plan to instal PIDS in hypersensitive airports by December 2023. Going by this announcement, sensitive establishments must install only those PIDS that meet the BCAS technical specifications.
Using the Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) technology, PIDS is based on the interference of light signals that move through reliable optical fibres. An OFC-based PIDS is easy to install on any boundary wall, fence, or even underground.
Listed below are some of the benefits of using an OFC-based PIDS in sensitive establishments:
OFC-based PIDS can secure an entire perimeter zone (of up to 50 meters) with a single, continuous cable. This is more cost-effective as individual zones do not require separate power supplies. Typically, these zones are based on GPS coordinates or the length of the fencing.
PIDS (installed underground) provides the benefit of covertness, where attackers are not aware of the presence of the system. A Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) controller is typically placed remotely up to 10 kilometres from the main location. This helps in easily detecting any manual or mechanical activities (like digging) and provides actionable insights into the form of intrusion.
Optical fibre systems use sensor cables that are immune to interferences like Radio Frequency (RF) and Electromagnetic. These are electrically passive sensors that do not transmit any electric current.
Optical fibres in PIDS use an intelligent signal processing algorithm, which can detect any form of interference or intrusion. Some of the intrusions include:
The OFC-based PIDS is fit for use across different types of facilities, including:
In the modern risk environment, a traditional PIDS using electric fences is no longer adequate to address security requirements. OFC-based PIDS acts as a powerful fencing system that can prevent various types of intrusions into sensitive establishments.
With its focus on securing military and sensitive establishments, Athena Security has designed an OFC-based intrusion detection system that conforms to BCAS technical specifications. Through our sophisticated technology, we have served a wide variety of customers from the Oil & Gas, Power, and Aviation industry.
Do you want to customize your PIDS to meet your growing needs? We can help you out. Contact us today.