Owners and decision-makers considering commercial security systems for their businesses quickly face a challenge: numerous choices. There’s variety in technology, design, features, and every other aspect. Choosing the right system requires homework and knowing what you need now and in the future.
One of those choices is between a wireless and a hard-wired system. Wireless technology is so ubiquitous in our daily lives that people often don’t give it a second thought. Why not wireless in your commercial security system? We see it everywhere else.
Wireless technology is often not the most reliable option for commercial and industrial security systems.
A Brief Overview of Commercial Security
Every business is different, but commercial security systems focus on preventing theft, monitoring processes, maintaining safety, keeping unauthorized individuals out of sensitive areas, and protecting against fire, water damage, gas leaks, and other hazards. Depending on their goal, these systems incorporate sensors, video cameras, RFID readers, barcode scanners, facial recognition, and other technologies. Some businesses use a combination of these technologies. It depends on each business’s commercial security concerns.
FICO is a leader in developing building security and management systems (BMS) that work to protect your business and help it run efficiently.
However, there is still the question of wireless vs. hard-wired security systems.
A Detailed Look
At first glance, commercial security systems incorporating wireless technology seem appealing. Installation does not require hard wiring, giving you much more discretion on where you position cameras and sensors. Many see wired installations as unattractive and accessible to intruders. Upon further examination, however, serious downsides make wireless systems particularly vulnerable.
Connection stability
If you use wireless devices in your business, such as tablets, to maintain inventory and other information, you know wireless systems are susceptible to service interruptions and malfunctions. You might even have zones in your buildings where wireless does not reach. If you use microwaves in manufacturing or even a microwave oven in your break room, you may have experienced service interruptions in your wireless network due to electronic interference. There are other sources of interference, including weather and other electronic devices.
Hacking
Recent reports from the Los Angeles Police Department describe break-ins in high-end residential communities, where thieves gained entry by disabling wireless alarms and sensors using Wi-Fi jamming. The hardware for a wireless jammer is available for less than $100 (sometimes as low as $40) and is effective on residential and commercial wireless systems. This has happened not only in Los Angeles but in other communities across the U.S. WiFi jamming devices are illegal in most jurisdictions, but that hardly stops the bad guys.
Network security
Hacking into a wired system requires criminals to physically tap into your hard-wired network, which means they must be physically present on the premises. Access to a wireless network is possible from a distance, from an adjacent building, on the other side of a wall, or from some other nearby location. Once criminals gain access to your security network, they can also access other parts of the network, allowing them to view proprietary information, financial data, and other confidential details.
Network traffic
Additional devices on your wireless network, such as security cameras and sensors, can cause excess traffic. Overloading causes your network to operate slowly and makes it susceptible to malfunction.
Power
A wired security system draws electrical power from your internal grid. You are susceptible to system shutdown only if you lose electricity, and many businesses today use electrical backup systems to guard against this. Wireless sensors, cameras, and readers rely on batteries, which require increased expenses for batteries and maintenance. We often hear of thieves who went undetected because someone failed to change out dead batteries in a wireless security system.
Limited range
Wireless systems rely on proximity to communicate, send data, and operate correctly. For businesses or other entities with a large footprint or campus, wireless systems can be problematic due to their limited range. A hard-wired security system can reach much farther, up to 800 yards.
Motion-only recordings
Wireless surveillance cameras typically rely on motion detectors to conserve battery life. However, motion detectors provide an incomplete record of operations and add another variable that can malfunction. Many wired systems are programmable for either constant camera operation or motion detection.
A Final Word
At FICO, our staff takes security seriously. That’s why we recommend starting with a wired system for your commercial projects. The increased reliability of operation, the safety of knowing that things work, and less strain on your wireless network all ensure that your commercial security is worry-free. FICO security technicians employ clean installation methods, including PoE (Power over Ethernet) technology, which delivers power to devices and transmits collected data through a single Ethernet cable.
“Our goal is to provide you with reliable systems,” says FICO’s security strategy expert, Gary Marrone. “Our experience in this field tells us that hard-wired security systems are the best.”
About FICO
