ISC West exclusive: Shooter Detection Systems brings high-precision gunshot detection to outdoor spaces

Adoption of security solutions to detect gunshots is increasing in the US, as fears of mass shooting events in public spaces remain high. As the technology is maturing, more and more users see the benefits.
 
Shooter Detection Systems, a subsidiary of Alarm.com, presented at ISC West its new solution for outdoor spaces, called SDS Perimeter Outdoor Gunshot Detection System. The company, which has a robust portfolio in gunshot detection solutions for indoor spaces, expanded its outdoor offering with a dedicated solution, after showcasing its first forays into exterior spaces at the same show last year.
 
In an exclusive interview with asmag.com, Rich Onofrio, Chief Technology Officer for Shooter Detection Systems, told us about the specific challenges of bringing the company’s solutions to exterior spaces.
 
“In general, outdoor spaces are more challenging,” Onofrio said. “First, they are larger, so we extended coverage significantly. Second, conditions are harsher, for example as temperatures vary more. Third, the soundscape is different. There are noises that sound similar to gunshots to the human ear, such as fireworks or the backfiring of a motorcycle on the street in front of the premise. Therefore the stakes are higher to detect gunshots at the highest precision.”
 
SDS Perimeter leverages the company’s established multi-factor sensing approach, verifying firearm discharges through acoustic signatures and infrared sensing of the muzzle flash. It can be integrated with wider security infrastructures, such as VMS or cloud solutions, enabling escalating alerts within seconds of a gunshot being detected.
 

Precision through specificity

Onofrio said gunshot detection resembles a smoke alarm system in its specificity—both are attuned to identifying a single, common threat at the highest precision.
 
“Our solution compares the sound and the heat signature of potential discharge events,” Onofrio explained. “Aside from its accuracy, the real power of SDS Perimeter lies in its integration with video security, mass notification systems and access control. The solution helps determine what actions need to be taken—whether a lockdown should be initiated or doors should instead be opened to enable people to leave the area where the shooting is taking place.”
 
“Active shooter events often begin in outdoor spaces before moving inside,” he said, explain why outdoor and indoor solutions complement each other. “Our key message for ISC West 2026 is that the trust in and accuracy of our indoor systems is now also available outdoors.”
 
“We developed the infrared sensor we’re presenting in Las Vegas specifically for outdoor environments where many heat signatures might be detected,” Onofrio stated. “This includes cooling the internal sensing components down to nearly zero degree Celsius to minimize thermal noise.”
 
SDS Perimeter processes sensor data exclusively at the edge, ensuring there’s minimal latency between the detection of an event and the system response. Edge processing also allows for the highest privacy standards, as no sound or visual data “leaves the box,” Onofrio said. “Only AI metadata is being transmitted.”
 

Greater accuracy thanks to advanced AI

In order to reach the highest accuracy, SDS Perimeter had to “learn” to distinguish gunshots from other, similar events, in a process similar to how large-language AI models learn how to understand voice commands.
 
“Machine learning enabled us to determine the subtle differences between gunshots and sounds that sound similar to the human ear,” Onofrio stated. “We created our own ‘language model,’ based on a large database of gunshot sounds we have compiled ourselves. To refine the system, we also added sounds similar to gunshots, such as fireworks or engines backfiring.”
 

AI understanding and upcoming features

In general, AI-based gunshot detection systems are much better attuned to the “language of gunshots” than the human ear. Understanding human language may even be seen as the simpler task, as context helps the AI understand what’s being said. If the natural-language system, for example, understands the beginning of a sentence and the end, while missing the middle part, it might be able to reconstruct the meaning based on context.
 
Gunshots, however, happen without context, making multi-factor sensing essential.
 
“SDS Perimeter takes into account that the infrared signature of a gunshot arrives a fraction of a second before the sound signature,” Onofrio said. “The difference in the speed at which the signals travel—at the speed of light or the speed of sound—helps make the system as accurate as possible, and it will eventually enable future systems to determine the exact location of a shooter.”
 
“An upcoming feature will enable SDS Perimeter to locate the shooter through an array of sensors,” he added.
 

Open integration

Shooter Detection Systems follows an open-architecture philosophy, with integration into VMS and access control systems, including cloud-based platforms, through open APIs. To that end, the company enables easier integration with over 40 partners for its professional systems, as well as the cloud platform of Alarm.com for an indoor gunshot detection system for people’s homes.
 

Market focus within and beyond the US

While the US remains the primary market, the company is beginning to see broader interest across North America. “There is interest coming from Canada and Mexico as well,” Onofrio said.
 
Even though the threat scenarios might be different, with a lesser focus on potential mass shootings outside the US, the solutions by Shooter Detection System offer significant security benefits across many scenarios, he added.