Creating efficient perimeter protection for a home owner in one of Madridˇs most luxurious enclaves using infrared beam towers presents a challenge, while a South African residential golf estate seeks an updated access control system.
Creating efficient perimeter protection for a home owner in one of Madridˇs most luxurious enclaves using infrared beam towers presents a challenge, while a South African residential golf estate seeks an updated access control system.
Fifteen kilometers away from Madridˇs center, La Moraleja is a deluxe enclave where well-heeled celebrities have chosen to live. The criminals operating in the zone has become increasingly sophisticated and there have been a number of intruder incidents. The be s t opt ion would be to employ Bunkerˇs MALTA and CAV security garden lamps with Twin Beam detectors such as those from Japanese manufacturer, Takex.
The Takex twin photoelectric beam series is designed to meet the highest quality and reliability standards in photoelectric beam intrusion detection. Unique twin beams are synchronised in order to reinforce the range and stability in severe weather conditions (up to 100m). The intelligent beam series adds selectable channel settings to allow stacking of multiple units within each enclosure. The external structure of Bunkers garden lamp range is made of polycarbonate, which allows the infrared beam to pass through whilst at the same time offers protection against solar and ultraviolet radiation. The unique properties of this polycarbonate allow the presence and positioning of the beams to be hidden, and helps to ensure that the units remain vandal resistant.
Infrared beam towers disguise products such as a towers house, not permitting intruders to become aware of the type, number and position of the security devices inside. The problem, however, is that home owners with prestigious properties have been reluctant to use infrared beam towers due to their robust appearance, as they disrupt the overall integrity and style of their homes. Towers are thus more suited to protecting perimeters of warehouses, industrial premises, areas of land, and the like.
Spainˇs Bunker Seguridad has succeeded in implementing of their towers in several projects where infrared beam technology was required. Bunker decided to develop enclosures in the form of garden lampposts that would offer the same degree of security as the towers but which are oriented to protect perimeters of villas, private residences, hotels, and locations where appearance and visual appeal matter. The lampposts allow installers to mount their preferred active Twin infrared beams inside, as well as providing end users with an enclosure that illuminates the location in which they are set.
As Jose Luis Plazas, Technical Engineer for Bastion Seguridad, the installing company which went to work in Madridˇs most renowned district, pointed out, ¨The primary advantage offered by Bunker lamps is the high level of protection that they provide, as the intruder is unaware that security devices are in place. The towers already offered us this advantage, but home owners did not want to have their residence look like a military headquarter stacked with all sorts of security equipment. Bunkerˇs product offers home owners a solution that merges security with an elegant design that provides illumination, too.〃
Golf and Access Control at Luxury Estate
The initial access control system installed at Zimbali Estate was the old Link Scan system designed and manuf a c tured by Impro Technologies. Unfortunately, it had not catered for or expected the growth that was to take place at Zimbali and would therefore not have supported the eventual development that took place. The system had to be upgraded to work over a very large area with control points linked together on a fiber-optic reticulation. This was necessary to ensure the stability of the communication system and to reduce the possibility of lightning and surge damage to the equipment. Rob Anderson & Associates were asked to provide an upgraded, integrated security solution for the high profile residents living at Zimbali, one of the premier residential developments in South Africa.
A decision was taken to install an access control system that could be tailored to fit specific needs with the ability to expand where required. An advanced system was chosen to ensure that a high level of security would be maintained at all times, with adequate reporting and audit trail information available for the security management. Resident, visitor and contractor vehicle movements had to be monitored. Staff working for contracting companies would only be permitted access to the site via turnstiles monitored by security personnel.
A large amount of planning went into ensuring as seamless a changeover from the old equipment to the new as possible. This entailed a large amount of time spent cleaning up the old database, removing redundant users, and converting the database for the new equipment. It also required the editing of access rights for all existing access tags. The final solution decided upon was Impro Technologiesˇ IXP400 Access Control system with full IP capabilities. The fact that there was a previous Impro Technologies system on site would make migration to the new system far easier. The equipment was chosen on the basis that the system was fully expandable to well beyond the number of access points and users required that could be expected on the system. It was anticipated that the system would peak at between 30,000 and 35,000 tag holders when fully developed and the number of access devices on site would be 140. The solution also required that the software for the access control system be integrated into the CCTV system so that there was a link between the access activities and the camera images thereby enabling recording of events.
With the new system in place, the client benefited immediately. The access control system at Zimbali is now being used on a daily basis for both residents and contractors and has been a successful solution to what could have been a very intricate and lengthy transition from the old to the new.