FiberPatrol Site Planning & Installation Guide
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System description
Principles of operation
The FiberPatrol fence-mounted perimeter intrusion detection sensor system, detects and locates
intruders using fiber optic technology. FiberPatrol senses and locates minute vibrations in the
fence fabric caused by climbing, cutting, lifting, or otherwise disturbing the fence fabric. A fiber
optic sensor cable is attached to a perimeter fence. The controller unit transmits a laser light into
two single-mode fibers in the sensor cable. The controller picks up the back-scatter reflections
caused by fence motion or vibrations in the fence fabric and sends the data to the processor unit.
The processor determines the magnitude and location of the disturbance, and triggers an alarm
when the disturbance meets the criteria for a valid intrusion.
The sensor cable is a communication-grade single-mode fiber optic cable intended for outdoor
installation. The cable includes two dedicated sensing fibers. Depending on the particular fiber
optic cable used, at least 10 dark fibers are available for other perimeter applications (e.g., CCTV,
data communication, etc.). The sensor cable is generally available in lengths up to 12 km (7.5 mi.)
and requires professional installation using telecom industry standard practices. All fiber splices
require fusion splicing, and the sensor unit fiber optic connections use FC/APC type connectors.
FiberPatrol can operate as a standalone sensor, which communicates alarm conditions via
optional relay output modules. A PC-based security management system, such as the Alarm
Integration Module, or StarNeT, can serve as the primary operator interface for a FiberPatrol
system. FiberPatrol can also report alarms to 3rd party security management systems (SMS) via
the Network Manager Service. The security management system monitors the FiberPatrol sensor,
and can report alarms to an operator on a graphical site-map.
The FiberPatrol system includes Windows-based configuration software, which is used to setup
and calibrate the system. The configuration software enables sensor calibration, detection
parameter adjustments and system configuration settings.
FiberPatrol sensor system details
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passive, fiber optic, fence mounted outdoor perimeter intrusion detection system
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uses standard outdoor rated telecommunication grade single-mode fiber optic cables
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additional dark fibers available for auxiliary perimeter device communications
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models available for single pass coverage for fences up to 3 m (10 ft.) high
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no power required for outdoor components
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outdoor components unaffected by lightning, EMI, or electrical transients