As the long dark nights of winter stretch ahead, home and business owners will be focussing on keeping their properties protected. This presents new opportunities for installers, as the requirement for maintaining or upgrading security systems increases. Neil Baldwin, managing director at ESP looks at some of the options that installers should be considering.
According to the police, crime fell by 28% when Britain went into lockdown to battle the coronavirus at the height of the pandemic. While many have been spending more time at home in lockdown, burglaries have been significantly reduced – but this could all change as restrictions are lifted. With the easing of lockdown and people returning to work and going out more, experts are warning of the return of the burglars taking advantage of empty homes. With break ins tending to be more common as the nights grow longer, now’s the time to make sure adequate security measures are in place.
For some home and business owners, it may be a case of starting from scratch with the provision of security, for others a case of replacing old and corroded equipment or upgrading to a more sophisticated and reliable system.
For those customers with no external security measures in place to protect their properties, the installation of a simple low energy LED floodlight can be enough to deter unwanted intruders. Today there are modern, ultra slim versions available that appeal to those looking for a stylish, more aesthetic lighting solution than the bulky options often associated with floodlights. The NightHawk Plus range of floodlights, for example, are simple to fit and adjust, and there is a selection of light outputs to choose from and an optional PIR version with predefined settings for ease of use.
For added protection and the means to capture activity on camera, a combined camera and security floodlight system could be considered. There are a range of products available, such as a complete, all-in-one, energy-efficient, high-performance LED PIR floodlight system.
ESP’s GuardCam Combined Security Camera and LED Floodlights, for example, are suitable not just for securing domestic properties, but also for areas around offices and industrial or agricultural units. The system is straightforward to install by simply connecting to the mains power, fixing to the wall and setting the time and date via the supplied SD card. Once switched on Guardcam will detect an intruder, floodlight the area, and initiate a High Definition video recording directly to an internal SD card. If selected, an audible warning can be delivered, and users have the ability to record their own warning message.
An 8GB card is supplied and there is the capacity for a maximum card size of 32GB. Up to 200 x 20-second video clips can be captured. Or you can go one step further and opt for the latest Wi-Fi version that offers remote monitoring via smartphone or tablet.
ESP’s GuardCam Deco is a combined Wi-Fi security camera and LED floodlight system, which has been designed with ease of set up as a key feature, including the option for remote monitoring via smartphone or tablet, using ESP’s specially developed ESP Smart APP. With a built-in camera that offers full 1080p HD live viewing and recording, the GuardCam Deco is the perfect all in one solution for a wide range of applications.
On approaching the unit, GuardCam Deco will detect the intruder with proven PIR technology at a distance up to 10 metres from the unit. It will floodlight the area, initiate a video recording and provide the user with an option to deliver a two-way audio message or activate the inbuilt alarm warning. It features an adjustable 16W high-intensity LED Security Lamp (3000k colour light and 800 lumen) and you can remotely dim or turn on/off the LED lamp via the APP. It will record up to 200, twenty-second video sessions onto the supplied 8GB storage, and this is expandable up to 64GB.
GuardCam Deco has the option to deliver motion notifications via the APP while recording the activation. The user-friendly App also allows recordings to be accessed. The integral high-resolution digital camera offers wide angle camera view and clear image recording in video format. Night images retain colour and clarity due to the automatic LED light illumination.
Even where an existing security light might be in place, chances are that it is old, corroded and out of order. Yet a fully functioning, replacement solution can be installed in no more than 15 minutes and without the need for additional cabling. This is an easy solution for installers to sell to customers.
Visit the ESP UK website to view the full range of products and for full technical specifications.
