Rural crimes have been on the rise with an increase in targeted intrusion in remote locations which can be particularly vulnerable. Thieves will often target remote locations or holiday homes under the impression that no one would be watching or even aware of the crime until months later. Understandably, homeowners are becoming increasingly concerned with the safety of their property, people and possessions and are looking for an all encompassing, reliable solution that can help them keep an eye on their properties from a distance.

The Problem

The case for our residential customer in Cumbria highlighted these exact concerns. The property was in a remote location and the customers wanted a solution to protect their vehicles, pets and home while ultimately giving them peace of mind.

The Solution

Following a consultation with the owners, and review of the property, a combination of award-winning outdoor sensors and an Intelligent Visual Monitoring Solution from OPTEX was recommended and installed so the owners can safely verify the alarms themselves from their smartphones, wherever they are. The Solution also allows them to give audible warnings onsite from their smartphone and even trigger third party devices, such as lights or sounders, that work as a deterrent for any unauthorised person seen onsite. Three OPTEX 180-degree WXS outdoor intrusion sensors, two 90-degree VXS sensors, and a BXS curtain sensor BXS have been installed around the perimeter of the property and its approach, providing full coverage of the property, driveway and rear garden, to provide highly accurate and reliable intrusion detection.

How does it work?

The sensors and a series of eight day/night CCTV cameras installed around the property are ‘bridged’ together to create one, seamless, system via OPTEX’s Intelligent Visual Monitoring Solution, which enables events or alarms to be visually verified within seconds When an alarm occurs, push notifications are instantly sent to the owners, who can view images pre- and post- the alarm event as well as the live view to determine whether the alarm is genuine and if any action is necessary. The sensors are also linked to the homeowner’s security lighting system, which helps to add a further level of deterrent for any potential break in.

Crucially, the OPTEX outdoor sensors are tolerant of small animals and will not trigger if cats or smaller dogs are in the detection area. This results in the peace of mind of the homeowner knowing their pets are protected when out in the garden and the benefit of them knowing they are not going to get any false activations. Their detection capacity is also not affected by variable light, vegetation sway and changes in the weather making it ideal for the rural setting.

Customer comments

“The performance of the detection and OPTEX’s cloud based visual verification solution has been outstanding”, the homeowner commented. “As well as external protection, the system also enhances our intruder alarm system, so we have advanced notification of any intrusion attempts."

"We have not experienced any false alarms even when our dogs are out in the garden or with the recent storms, something I have experienced with other DIY systems. It has been a huge benefit to only be notified when a person is detected. I always have the system armed at night with my smartphone beside my bed and can sleep well knowing that if anyone is around, I will be alerted by the OPTEX App. Equally, when we are out at work, or away on holiday, we know we have a comprehensive security system, that we can monitor remotely, to protect our property and possessions.”