Rich and Famous

A combination of challenges converge in high-end residential settings

Residential security involves a broad spectrum of physical layouts— from a simple family dwelling to a large estate or residential compound. Specifically, thermal cameras play a role in helping security professionals keep estate residents safe.

High-end estates present a multitude of challenges for the modern security provider or integrator. In addition to the sheer size of many of these compounds, families with children are often in the mix. Issues like broadly varied threats, the wide range of residential locations and the residential nature of the facility all complicate the job of the security professional.

The Challenges
The threats involved are as varied as the people living on estates. They may be business executives, movie stars, singers, technology innovators and current or former government officials. The wide-ranging nature of the protectee’s involvement in our world results in a multivariate threat profile.

Security professionals charged with securing these high-value homes, estates and compounds must be able to respond to anything from nuisance threats like tabloid photographers and nosy members of the public to actual threats such as stalkers, kidnappers and terrorists.

If you could live anywhere you wanted, you probably would. These clients can and do—on the water or in the mountains; in the tropics or in snowy climates; in the country or in the city—and each environment poses unique security challenges.

The professionals designing and installing security equipment need to consider form as well as function when securing someone’s home. When a person pays millions of dollars to live in an idyllic location, they want to be safe, but they don’t want to feel like they’re living on an army post.

A Thermal Estate
All of these factors mean that the equipment deployed has to get the job done transparently while providing operators the flexibility they need to react to ever-changing threats. For today’s residential security professional, thermal security cameras meet these needs.

Thermal security cameras let you see what your eyes can’t. Invisible heat radiation is emitted by all objects regardless of lighting conditions. Thermal cameras detect the minute temperature differences between objects and turn them into video viewable on almost any monitor.

Because they see heat, thermal cameras are effective in any environment. They can easily detect intruders and other potential hazards, regardless of lighting conditions or weather. To appreciate the benefits more clearly, end users must understand how these products create images differently from CCTV cameras. Most security installations include standard CCTV cameras that create images with visible light. Unfortunately, the ability of a given detector—be it in an eyeball or a camera—to create images with visible light relates directly to the amount of light available.

Contrast is another limitation. Like human eyes, these cameras create better images if the object in view has lots of contrast compared to its background. Thermal cameras don’t suffer from these limitations. First, they make pictures from heat, not light, and have nothing to do with reflected light energy. Everything encountered in daily life creates heat energy, called a “heat signature,” that a thermal imager can see. These heat signatures also create their own contrast.

What’s more, the thermal energy seen by thermal cameras creates a better image at night. They work fine during the day, as long as there is temperature contrast between an object and its background, but security professionals need the most help seeing at night.

Analyzing the Options
It’s important for security professionals to understand what technological advantages thermal cameras have over other options. First, they allow homeowners and security professionals to see in the dark, and at greater distances, which enables them to spot intruders without using security lights.

Thermal cameras also maintain privacy. Because thermal cameras can’t identify facial features, homeowners can use them without sacrificing the modesty of family members.

Versatility is one of the thermal camera’s great, unsung benefits. When used to secure estates located in wooded areas, thermal cameras can see intruders from ranges that give security personnel ample time to react. And, at an estate with extensive waterfront exposure, thermal cameras can be used to create a virtual perimeter along the beach without having to erect a fence or other physical barrier.

Wildlife is another element that highlights the 24-hour usefulness of thermal security cameras. In a secluded location, large estate perimeters are constantly being crossed or approached by animals. Fence sensors, motion detectors and other devices can help on-site security staff know when something is approaching, but they can’t identify what that something is. This can result in numerous false alarms. Enabling rapid and easy evaluation of these false alarms is an invaluable use of thermal cameras. The cameras see environmental elements for what they are, leaving time to pay attention to other— more serious—alarms.

Thermal cameras provide operators with impressive range performance. In some cases, cooled thermal cameras with 750-millimeter optics can detect activity from nearly 10 miles away. The same type of sensor can detect small vehicles and boats from more than 12 miles away.

This range of performance is vital for securing large estates and residential compounds that may have waterfront or open-land areas that can’t be secured by a physical barrier. Thermal cameras allow security staff to detect and assess activities with plenty of time to evaluate the threat and respond appropriately.

Another important consideration is police response time. In remote locations, it may take law enforcement considerable time to arrive in an emergency. The extra response time provided by the thermal imager’s long-range threat detection capability can make the difference between safely securing the client and an unfortunate face-toface encounter with a bad guy.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

  • DHS to End ‘Shoes-Off’ Travel Policy

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a new policy today which will allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints. Read Now

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.