Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a “Virtual Guard”?
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How does Mobile Sentry® work?
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How does Security-Net® work?
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What is the difference between Mobile Sentry® and
Security-Net®?
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Why is digital cellular access important?
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What is the difference between Central and
Self-monitoring/Event Notification?
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Why is video verification important?
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How can I stop graffiti and vandalism?
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How can I stop employee theft?
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Are lights and sirens really necessary?
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How can I secure copper that is already installed in a
building ?
- How can I secure copper already installed in the ground?
- Are products available for outdoor applications?
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How can I protect valuable horses and tack on the road?
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Do you have security and surveillance solutions for
ranches and farms?
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Fuel theft is our problem.
How do I secure my heavy equipment?
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Why should I consider a security system?
Will
it bring down my insurance costs?
The concept of a "virtual guard" is derived by utilizing electronic technology to monitor an area where security is required. For the most part, such electronics includes products like CCTV, to remotely view and record activities, motion sensors and photoelectric beams to annunciate the presence of an intruder, volumetric radar and long range radar to implement perimeter protection, sirens and high intensity LED strobes to frighten intruders, and a wireless cellular based hub to collect signals from each of the devices so that a monitoring center or individual can be notified. A "virtual guard" does not need coffee to stay awake, requires no sleep and does not eat during its tour of duty. Rather it is continuously alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mobile Sentry® is a small compact footprint of a security system that can operate on nominally any power source. Because of its size, it was established to handle only four zones, with each zone being encoded in the data transmission packets that are sent out when an alarm occurs. The Mobile Sentry® is powerful enough, however, to have a number of ancillary devices (32) assigned to each of the specific zones, thereby allowing this small, yet powerful security system to grow with nearly any project. When an alarm condition is transmitted by one of the wireless sensors, the signal is received by the base unit that then analyzes the alarm for authentication. If determined to be a valid alarm, the signal is processed by a cellular modem and the signal is transmitted out from the base unit to a redundant server farm, where the signal is redeployed as a dynamic text message and/or email to any one of ten (10) selected recipients. While the system can deliver its alarm outputs to a central monitoring station, it does not incorporate Contact ID as part of its transmission protocol.
Security-Net®
is a PC based security network that utilizes the cellular
network to communicate alarm conditions to a redundant
server farm where the signal are then resent as text
messages, emails, of full Contact ID signals to a central
monitoring center. It was built using the PC as its platform
to mitigate size of a project or required number of sensors
from being a limiting factor in its deployment. It provides
a cost effective method of delivering the potential for up
to 255 individual wireless sensors to be placed on the
network, and allows each of these to be manufacturer
agnostic. In addition, each transmitter allows for
additional devices to be further hard-wired to the
transmitter, giving you a potential total of 4 independent
sensors of your choice in any one area or location. This
gives a potential for over 1000 sensors to be operational on
the network, with each sensor having its own associated dial
out list of ten (10) contact individuals. Security-Net®
communicates through a HUB with a robust modem utilizing
a multiple of one (1) watt radios as repeaters, each
communicating with the wireless transmitters providing the
wireless security alarm transmissions to the base computer.
Because the network is fully bi-directional, the system is
capable of testing each transmitter within the system to
determine its operational status, its power level or battery
life expectancy and passing such data streams between each
smart module. It is capable of supporting queries/commands
from the host and can be programmed to accept either
normally closed or normally open inputs. Because the system
is extremely power efficient with a wide operating
temperature range (-70 F to 140 F) the base unit can be
operated in either an indoor or outdoor environment, giving
it a level of flexibility that is unknown in the
marketplace.
What is the difference between
Mobile Sentry® and Security-Net®?
The primary differences between the two systems include the number of sensors that can be accommodated, the number of potential zones, the ability to interface Contact ID with each signal output, transmission range, and of course cost.
Why is digital cellular access important?
With the sunset of the analog cellular network in February
2008, few, if any, of the analog networks remain in the U.S.
Today, for cellular data to reach its destination with some
relative speed, devices must depend on the digital cellular
network for call completion. Most major carriers have made
the transition through out their networks, creating a
modern, high speed data network capable of transmission of
text messages that often take less than a couple of seconds.
Obviously, this capability is conditioned by the sheer
volume of traffic at any given moment, but for the most
part, the speeds of delivery are far in excess of what the
old analog networks were capable of achieving.
What is the difference between
Central and Self-monitoring/Event
Notification?
Central monitoring generally refers to provided by an
outside station where incoming alarm signals are routed to
individual computer data bases that provide not only the
location from which the alarm was received, the name of the
person wanting to be notified, the local responding public
safety agency (police, sheriff) to be notified, and the
account code assigned to a specific address.
Self-monitoring and Event Notification generally refer to
notifications that occur that do not include direct police
notification or dispatch. In this instance, the individual
responsible for the alarm system is notified, either by text
message, email or by direct telephone contact to inform them
of an alarm signal being derived from a specific address
and/or account code. It is up to the individual responsible
for the alarm system to then make the decision to call the
local police for a dispatch request.
It has become increasingly difficult to achieve a dispatch
on an alarm signal, particularly in communities of large
populations, without some level of verification that an
alarm is real. The sheer number of false alarms has tapped
many police departments operational budgets, and with fuel
costs on the rise, further impacting their ability to
perform their duties. Visual verification allows an
individual or monitoring center to physically ascertain that
an intruder is present within a secured area via cameras
that transmit signals offsite that are accessible via the
Internet and gives the police the basis for a rapid
dispatch. It is the opinion of
Silent Solutions
Security that this will quickly become a near
requirement, particularly in larger storage yard areas and
construction sites, where the potential for false alarms is
at its highest
How can I stop graffiti and
vandalism?
There are a number of ways to protect specific areas from
graffiti and vandalism, especially with the introduction of
motion detectors, photoelectric beams or long-range radar
units that communicate wirelessly with and trigger
high-intensity quartz halogen lights that can instantly
illuminate a large area. This type of shock factor has
proven to be especially effective in thwarting any attempts
at such acts of vandalism on job sites where we are active.
How can I stop employee theft?
Cameras play an important part in any effort to stop
employee theft in the retail environment. In the
construction industry, we have learned to utilize a series
of covert cameras along with motion sensors to mitigate tool
loss. They are cost effective and extremely efficient,
providing clear visual evidence of the tools disappearing
and the perpetrator of the theft.
There is no question that lights turning on and sirens going
off play a very important part in any security network. We
have reached a point in our business model where we now
request that major commercial buildings under construction
be left completely dark at night. This allows our wireless
security network to operate as the determining factor for
triggering the lights inside the building if an intruder is
detected after the facility has been shutdown, and provides
the illumination for active cameras positioned throughout
the building to have adequate light to capture clear photos.
We have specialized in this type of security protection. Our
world is imbedded in the construction industry, and our
major efforts are in protecting assets while they are being
built. We rarely remain after the assets are completed and
the building is occupied. We have, however, become very good
at securing both copper wire and copper plumbing pipes in
building while they are under construction, and recommend
that you contact us to discuss the particulars of a specific
project
Silent Solutions Security
is working closely with one of the nations largest
electrical utilities to secure a sensor capable of detecting
attempts at movement of heavy electrical cables after they
have been placed in the ground. This effort is to thwart the
theft of cable tails protruding from electrical cabinets
that are often vulnerable for extended periods of time until
the cables can be physically terminated. It is our hope to
have this product in mass production by the 4th quarter of
2008.
All of the products that we utilize to protect buildings and
storage areas have the capabilities of being placed
out-of-doors, or have counterparts that are completely
weather tight. Outdoor applications are our specialty, and
we have an arsenal of effective tools to use in this
environment.
The "Mobile Sentry" provides an excellent and cost effective
solution for equine transportation that can operate directly
off of the power supply of your truck. Between motion
sensors to monitor the tack room and living quarters of a
horse trailer, and door contacts to monitor the rear
entrance and emergency exit doors, there in little in the
way of access for a thief while you are away from the unit.
More importantly, the Mobile Sentry will provide you with
near instantaneous notification of any attempt to enter any
of the areas while your away from your vehicle and horse
trailer.
Do you have security and
surveillance solutions for ranches and farms?
Yes, we have a wide array of solutions available. These
range from the ability to provide remote video verification
that someone has entered a barn or shop to the ability to
annunciate an alarm that someone has entered your driveway a
quarter of a mile away. We can even provide protection for
the control wires and aluminum sprinkler segments of a
pivotal deep-well sprinkler system left standing out in the
field over the long fall and winter months.
Silent Solutions Security
is working with an engineering firm to design and
manufacture a sensitive and highly accurate wireless sensor
capable of identifying an attempt to remove a fuel cap from
a piece of heavy equipment or an attempt by some
unauthorized person to enter a fuel storage tank. The
wireless transmitter will communicate with either the
Security-Net or Mobile Sentry products, allowing the base
unit to communicate via the cellular network, sending a
notice of the attempted theft directly to you or to the
local police if so requested.
In most instances, insurance companies will provide a significant discount for the presence of a security system, whether leased or purchased. However, each instance is treated on an individual basis. Contact your local insurance agent to see what might be available.
