As a vital device in the alarm system, the intrusion detector employs physical or electronic technology to automatically detect the intrusive behavior in the defending area. It timely informs the exact sites through the alarm signal for the surveillance people to adopt proper solution.
As a vital device in the alarm system, the intrusion detector employs physical or electronic technology to automatically detect the intrusive behavior in the defending area. It timely informs the exact sites through the alarm signal for the surveillance people to adopt proper solution.
Chinese detector manufacturing primarily centered on Southern part of China, especially in Quanzhou of Fujian province and Shenzhen of Guangdong province.
These alarm companies have accumulated several years in overseas sales and strictly speaking, 90 percent of these companies focus on manufacturing. Through mass production and matured alarm technology, alarm companies are able to provide the most cost-effective products for mid-end to low-end markets, posing an enormous threat to other competitors in the world.
However, is the technology of intrusion sensor nothing really new? Is intrusion sensor only about price? Based on our observation and interviews with leading companies in China, many of them are actively looking for innovation of product features and marketing strategies, enabling themselves to well-prepared for fierce competition in the market.
Enhanced Stability
Apparently, reducing the false alarm is the most critical factor of alarm sensor. Besides, more and more buyers concern easy battery replacement as it can help reduce unnecessary maintenance cost and extend its product life. Suppliers design their own unique to enhance their product stability.
Many sensors feature the anti-pet function. A&R's anti-pet sensor is able to detect pets nearly to 80 pounds. “Generally speaking, other anti-pet sensor can only detect 40 to 50 pounds,” said Alfred Lam, President of A&R Technologies. “Our product is featured by our in-house technology — dual-frequency infrared (DFIR), which is more immune to the false alarm while saving the power consumption.”
Take Sunlit's infrared detector for example, it is easy to be affected by the temperature and sunlight variations. “Our outdoor products adopts the anti-UV material with light filter that can remove the by-effects of sunlight, ” said Cathy Zhang, Marketing Manager of Sunlit Technology.
In the manufacturing process, the temperature simulating system can display to realize the test for the product performance in the environment of different humidity and temperature. “We adopt the patent testing method which can be automatically operated under the unified control,” said Helen Peng, General Manager of Longhorn.
we try to replace the microwave by ultrasonic wave that can reduce the cost and the use of solar power can save more energy and these are highly appreciated by users.“With the compact structure design plus light immunity technology, the stability has been greatly enhanced.”
Though the detection pattern is not new, breakthroughs can be achieved by applying some new functions. A detector will be more practical and economic for the users and device provider if the power consumption can be lowered. “Lower power assumption means longer product longevity,” said Ken Li, President of Chuango. “It can lead to more stable product so we try to replace the microwave by ultrasonic wave that can reduce the cost and the use of solar power can save more energy and these are highly appreciated by users.”
To See, To Believe — Video Alarm
However, users are more willing to believe in the authenticity of the image provided by video camera rather than the alarm signal delivered by the intrusion detector even though the price of the alarm products is easygoing compared to the video surveillance.
Among the multiple integrated applications, the combination of video surveillance and alarm system are much anticipated. As two subsystems of security industry, they are to some extent complementary to each other — video surveillance can record the images for the source of evidence while the intrusion detector can be activated to give alarm signal rather than telling the on-site situation, where false positives frequently happens.
Certainly, the efficient alarm solution sees great demands as the alarm information can be confirmed by the real-time image. There are different kinds of solutions prevailing where the combination of detector and camera is the most common form. Many Chinese manufacturers like Karassn, Mei'an, Sunlit have launched some related products such as the Karassn's smart video alarm system, Sunlit's wireless PIR video camera, by means of well integrating two functions, video surveillance somehow sees much possibilities in wide application.
Ongoing Consuming Market
Due to the rapid development of electronic and information technology, people are coming up with more requirements for security at the living places. Unlike DVR that can seize the market by simply one product. The intrusion detector owns diversified market niches.
Despite most of Chinese users are more willing to have installers with the involvements of telecommunication. DIY market is quite popular in Europe and America as a result of the high labor cost. DIY buyers would normally focus on the outward design at the very beginning and then the steady performance and some additional functions come after.
Though consuming market still remains in the relatively low-end class, the section has scaled up than ever before, in respond to the expanding demands, most of the detection manufacturers have set the particular product line to tap this vast market for affordable products. “Easy installation and adjustment is the basic requirement for DIY buyers, the product design and the interior decoration should be highly coordinate,” added Peng.
Moreover, when any product goes to consuming market, user's experience is the critical factor to grasp the market share. Chuango initially designs APP to effectuate all of the functions and users can program and control the entire alarm system only with a smart phone that is more user friendly than remote control.
Given that the home depot gets popular, and alarm system is a one part of the smart home, more and more customers set their eyes on the personification scope. “We integrate the diversified functions into one device such as a sensor with LED light. Sensor turns to a lighting device. Safety and comfort can be realized by a remote control,” said Lam.
Besides, Lam pointed out that sensor's housing is crucial to today's buyers as they want to enhance its safety while maintain an aesthetical design. “One of our sensors has won design prize from an Italian security exhibition,” Lam added. “The whole housing is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is available for all-in-one design. This new sensor revolutionizes the conventional sensor 's outlook without compromising the accuracy.”
Future Trend
Nowadays, backed by the information, automatic and modern telecommunication technologies, the alarm system begins to incorporate the electronic map, multimedia operation, management and control software. This new system adopts the multimedia to process types of information and builds up an interactive mode between the equipments and information in order to automatically identify, predict and transmit the warning signal. Therefore, the entire security system will be more dynamic for displaying the powerful and steady functions.
According to the manufacturing trajectory of Europe and America, China's alarms industry still has a long way to go. Under the gloomy global economic forecast, the industry begins to shift their attention to the emerging markets. Numbers of brands are building industrial chain by claiming the brand awareness and cooperating with partners. The domestic market seems to reshuffle after the disorder phase.
Now that most of the products made by foreign brands have been fixed, the traditional buyers still focus on the steady performance. “Besides the reasonable performance and price, the most vital part is the quality service before or after the sale,” added Zhang.
In Li's opinion, “more added values being offer to your customers can solidify the relationship between manufacturers and buyers.” Under the pricing pressure, manufactures have to provide the cost-effective products.
Furthermore, market segmentation of intrusion detector tends to be specified. In light of the different conditions, core technology can vary from one to another. “We should broaden our horizons in making the product planning, instead of focusing on the separate product, manufactures is supposed to expand the markets by integrating the applications,” said Li Jia, Vice President of Jing Hua Long.
Meanwhile, the entire alarm system is no more independent since the intrusion detector is critical to front-end sensor for Internet of things which is a popular concept at present. Therefore, the intrusion detector will meet a long-term development in whatever the traditional or consuming market.