Invisibility is the greatest asset a criminal can have against security personnel. It’s also the greatest tool that security can wield against would-be criminals.
Foreknowledge, stealth, and the ability to deceive, surprise, and overwhelm your opponent despite their superior strength, resources, or vantage point—these are the time-tested ideas at the very core of military doctrine and security endeavors.
On the side of security professionals, we want:
- To know all we can about our opponents (and we want to have this knowledge as much “in advance” as possible”) including their goals, their methods, their weaknesses, their resources etc
- We want to keep our own goals, methods, strengths, weaknesses, and resources as much a secret from our opponents as possible
- We want to know what they are doing, where they are, etc. Even better, we want to be able to “watch” them without them knowing that we’re watching
- We want to be able to anticipate our opponent’s moves so we can lay traps for them, detect them, deter them, delay them, defend against them, and where necessary, apprehend or otherwise neutralize them
One of the greatest keys to accomplishing all this is an invisible perimeter. An invisible perimeter does not lie in the same place as the property perimeter. No, the invisible perimeter is farther out. It forms an extended, protective barrier of situational awareness around a site. Its purpose is to subtly, quietly pick up on, that is, detect and track threats before they get to the property perimeter.
The invisible perimeter created by Spotter Global radar systems can do more than pick up on threats. It can proactively deploy measures to deter, delay, and defend against those threats too. Additionally, smart, Spotter Global “invisible perimeter” systems can pick out the difference between real potential threats and nuisance alarms such as local early-morning joggers or foraging deer. But we’ll get to that later.
First, before anything else can be done to mitigate a potential threat, we need to know that it is there.
A Useful Metaphor
If your physical perimeter is like the shell of your car, then an “invisible” perimeter is like the proximity sensor many higher-end cars have these days. Such sensors tell you in advance if another car, parking garage wall, or other object has come too close, so you can course-correct. Maybe the shell of your car could take the hit with only a little damage, but it’s far better to avoid the collision entirely.
Invisible perimeters detect threats long before they “collide” with your site, enabling you to mitigate them before any damage is done.
How Do Invisible Perimeters Work? Radar.
Radars have been creating “invisible perimeters” to keep vital assets safe for decades. The earliest radars were rough by today’s standards. They could detect potential threats from miles away, true. But they were very large, very expensive, and could only detect large threats, like enemy planes, vehicles, and maybe a few surfaced submarines. They couldn’t filter nuisance alarms or pick up on the little threats.
Enter Spotter Global. In 2009 we invented compact surveillance radars, radars specifically designed to detect smaller threats such as individual intruders, smaller vehicles, and even drones. Today, Spotter Global compact surveillance radars are used to protect secure sites and mobile warfighters all over the world. Turns out there are lots of places that could do with a localized “invisible perimeter” that guards against big and small threats alike.
But how does it work?
Radars emit radio waves. Those radio waves travel out at the speed of light and bounce off of any physical matter they encounter. The radar antenna receives the return signals and, by analyzing them, is able to measure the precise size, speed, and direction of the bounced-off objects within the radar’s range (very much like the echolocation of a bat, dolphin, or whale). With modern machine learning analytics, the Spotter radar system can recognize different types of targets, such as humans, vehicles, drones, birds, and smaller animals and filter out nuisance alarms accordingly.
Handily, these fast-moving radio waves can travel through darkness, fog, dust, smoke, and often even rain or snow with little to no signal degradation. As modern security radars are able to analyze the data they receive almost instantaneously and are able to emit and receive about eight radio wave signals per second, this gives security professionals using such radar systems constant, continuous 24/7 real-time situational awareness on the surrounding environment, including at night or when there are obscuring weather conditions.
Any threats hoping to sneak up on a property under the cover of darkness or other obscurants will be detected by the radar system the moment they unknowingly breach the “invisible perimeter”. Their every move within the perimeter will be tracked by the radar and displayed in realtime to security personnel on the radar software application, NetworkedIO or NIO.
Thanks to the real-time data the radar is feeding to decision makers, mitigation responses can be prompt and tailored precisely to the present threat (or threats) in question. Advance warning is crucial to the development and execution of the most effective mitigation efforts.
How Far is the Range of the Radar? Where does the “Invisible Perimeter” Lie?
That depends on the radar model you choose.
Smaller properties as well as properties with closer neighboring buildings often use shorter-range radars. Security personnel use these radars to monitor the alleyways, parking lots, and other open areas around their perimeter for potential threats. They may monitor those areas the same, day and night, or they might, for example, set alarm zones to alert them to suspicious activity in these areas during the nighttime hours when no one is supposed to be entering or leaving the property or general area.
The shortest-range radars extend surveillance 100m from where the radar is installed (usually within the property fence, mounted on property infrastructure, looking outwards over or through the property fence). However, radars that monitor for and pick up intrusions as far as 600m would still be considered to be on the “shorter-range” half of security radars.
Larger properties in remote locations, such as rural substations, power plants, and other properties are often in need of greater perimeter coverage. As such, dams, airports, and prisons are more likely to use longer-range radars. Their “invisible perimeter” can begin as far as two kilometers away from the property fence line. Such distances provide ample warning to security personnel of approaching potential threats, be it human, drone, or vehicle.
What Are Alarm Zones?
Alarm zones are dedicated areas within a radar system’s coverage that are conditionally set to respond to intrusions according to customer preferences. When radar systems are integrated with system cameras and mitigation tools, they can proactively defend against threats that enter these alarm zones.
A customer concerned about lingering vehicles on the nearby road may enjoy an alarm zone that triggers floodlights if a car remains on the nearby stretch road for more than 20 seconds. Another customer may request an alarm zone that turns on a hyperspike if any boat comes within 1.5 km of the dam. As another example, another site and customer may desire that an immediate call to law enforcement be made if an unfamiliar drone is detected anywhere within the “invisible perimeter” created by Spotter Global’s AX250.
The extent of radar-enabled perimeter surveillance, combined with the smart integration and conditional response features of modern technology, allows for the creation of alarm zones matching the situations listed above. Tailored very specifically to the surrounding landscape and customer preferences, radar-enabled alarm zones help security personnel maintain effective, advanced, and relatively low-cost perimeter security around almost any site.
How Does the Radar Filter Nuisance Alarms?
Every year thousands of dollars of security funds and thousands of hours of security personnel time are wasted on nuisance alarms.
Harmless local traffic, wildlife, and even wind-blown foliage and shifting shadows can set off nuisance alarms that distract security personnel and drain security funds. Too many unresolved nuisance alarms can even serve as a cover under which real threats slip past.
With just a little training, the machine learning software in Spotter Global radar systems, called the NetworkedIO or “NIO”, can learn to distinguish between humans, vehicles, drones, foliage, and species of wildlife common to that area. Once the filters to recognize these target types are in place, the NIO can be set to automatically identify and dismiss nuisance targets, saving security personnel valuable time and resources.
Where are “Invisible Perimeters” Used?
Anywhere extended perimeter surveillance is needed. This includes many critical infrastructure sites, such as substations, dams, and airports, as well as data centers, prisons, permanent and mobile military installations, private high net worth residences, and more.
A few of the more novel uses for our radars include:
- Avalanche detection in the European Alps
- Polar bear detection around Manitoba, Canada
- Tourist security around the Mount Rushmore National Monument
How Much Does An “Invisible Perimeter” Radar System Cost?
Different sites have different security needs, differing volumes of area to cover, and different integration requirements. Also, different Spotter Global radar models come with different ranges, detection capabilities, prices, and other specifications.
Exact pricing is usually determined through a careful consultation process with a Spotter Security Expert. They help ensure customers can get all the perimeter security coverage they need at the lowest possible cost.
To help customers determine the precise, minimum number of radars they will need to maintain the desired degree of perimeter security, at the beginning of our sales process, we offer free, no-obligation sample site designs based off of a satellite map of a potential customer’s site. This free site design shows precisely where radars could be placed on the site’s pre-existing infrastructure to create an invisible perimeter around that site. These site designs give customers a rough estimate of the types of radar (range, power compatibilities, detection abilities, etc) they will need to secure their site, how many, and approximately how much it would cost to install and maintain such a system.
Precise adjustments to the design according to customer preferences, price negotiations, Q&A, and other customer-focused steps are taken during the consultation process to ensure the final product fits the customer’s site and budget to satisfaction.
Conclusion
“Invisible perimeters” made possible by modern radar technology and software are a leading trend in global perimeter security. Their 24/7, all-conditions continuous surveillance abilities, combined with nuisance alarm filtering and site-customized alarm zones, make them one of the top desired perimeter security solutions in the world, especially when it comes to the protection of critical infrastructure.
As always, the ability to get eyes on your opponent before they see you and act against them with the advantage of surprise is vital to success. Invisible perimeters allow security professionals to do just that on almost any property with a wide range of threats.
You may request a Spotter product demonstration, a free site design, or a consultation with a Spotter Security expert through the “Contact Us” button at the top of this page.