Fence alarms for commercial sites
Detect an intruder at the fence line, before they reach your buildings, yards or plant. We design, install and maintain fence alarms and outdoor intrusion detection for commercial sites, linked to CCTV so every alert can be checked.
- Local engineers
- Alerts checked on CCTV
- Free site visit and quotation
At a glance
- Based in
- Huntingdon
- Covering
- Cambridgeshire and East Anglia
- Detection
- Fence-mounted, volumetric, video motion and barrier sensors
- Verification
- Alerts checked on CCTV
- Services
- Survey, design, installation and maintenance
- Support
- 24-hour service line, 365 days a year
Overview
Fence alarms and perimeter intrusion detection
A fence alarm tells you when someone climbs, cuts or tampers with your perimeter fence, so you know about an intruder before they reach your buildings, yards or plant. It is the detection layer of a wider perimeter protection scheme, working alongside your gates, barriers, CCTV and intruder alarm.
BDi Advance designs, installs and maintains fence alarms and outdoor intrusion detection for commercial sites across Cambridgeshire and East Anglia. We choose the sensor type around your fence, the terrain and the risk, and link detection to CCTV so alerts can be checked on camera before anyone responds.
- Local engineers based in Huntingdon, covering Cambridgeshire and East Anglia
- Fence-mounted, volumetric, video motion and barrier sensors
- Designed around your fence line, terrain and site conditions
- Alerts checked on CCTV, so only genuine intrusions get a response
- Linked to your intruder alarm and access control where that adds value
- 24-hour manned service line and emergency call-out, 365 days a year
Quotations start with a free site visit. Call 01223 566 599 or send us your details and we will get one booked.
Costs
What affects the cost of a fence alarm?
Fence alarm prices depend on the length and condition of your perimeter and the detection you choose, so we survey first. These are the main factors.
Length of perimeter and number of zones
Biggest factor
Longer fence lines need more sensors and cabling. Dividing the perimeter into zones tells you where an alert came from, which speeds up the response.
Type of sensor
Varies
Fence-mounted, volumetric, video motion and barrier sensors suit different sites and cost different amounts to buy and own. We recommend the type that fits the threat.
Fence condition and terrain
Site specific
Fence-mounted sensors attach to an existing structure, and slopes, vegetation and ground conditions affect which sensors work and where they go.
CCTV verification
Recommended
Cameras let each alert be checked before anyone responds. That adds equipment, but cuts the cost of responding to nuisance alarms, especially at remote sites.
Integration
If required
Linking the fence alarm to your intruder alarm, access control or a security management system adds set-up time and brings alerts into one place.
Maintenance
Ongoing
Outdoor sensors face weather, animals and debris, so regular servicing keeps detection reliable and nuisance alarms down.
Fence alarms
Outdoor intrusion detection for commercial sites
Outdoor sensors detect intruders as soon as they enter a protected area, before they can reach people or valuable assets. They can complement indoor detection, or be the main protection where indoor security is not practical, such as open yards, compounds and remote unmanned sites where guards are not a realistic option.
Outdoor detection has to cope with conditions indoor sensors never face: temperature extremes, rain, snow, animals, blowing debris, terrain and traffic. The aim is a high chance of detecting a real intruder while keeping false and nuisance alarms to a minimum, so the people responding keep trusting the system.
Verification and control
Detection only helps if the people responding trust each alert, so how alerts are checked and who receives them is agreed and set up as part of the installation.
Checked on CCTV
Cameras show whether an alert is a real intrusion or a nuisance alarm, so only genuine alerts get a response. See our commercial CCTV.
Managed from one place
A security management system can bring sensor alerts together, show which zone triggered and help diagnose problems with individual sensors.
A simpler layout is sometimes enough. If fewer sensors or a single detection type covers the risk, that is what we recommend.
Choosing detection
Detection matched to your perimeter
The right sensor depends on the threat and the level of protection you need, how well the sensor works against that threat, your site conditions, and the cost of buying and owning it.
Hidden sensors are hard to avoid and less likely to be vandalised, while visible ones act as a deterrent. We explain the trade-offs at the survey.
At the fence line
Detects climbing and cutting
Fence-mounted sensors raise an alarm when vibration from cutting or climbing a metal fabric fence is detected, before the intruder is inside.
Linked to CCTV
See what caused the alert
Pairing detection with CCTV assessment means each alert can be checked on camera before anyone is sent.
Part of your alarm
One system, one response
Fence alarms can be linked to your intruder alarm and access control, so perimeter alerts follow the same response plan.
Sensor types
Types of outdoor intrusion sensor
Most outdoor sensors fall into four groups: fence-mounted, volumetric, video motion detection and barrier sensors.
Many sites use more than one, matched to different stretches of the perimeter.
Fence-mounted sensors
Attached to an existing fence or wall, and activated when an intruder disturbs the detection field or when vibration from cutting or climbing a metal fabric fence causes an alarm.
Best for: sites with an existing fence line to protect.
Worth knowing: the sensors rely on the structure they are fixed to, so we look at the fence at the survey.
Volumetric sensors
Create an invisible detection field that locates intruders moving through it, which makes them very difficult to evade or bridge.
Best for: sterile zones, and sites where detection should be covert.
Worth knowing: they cover a zone rather than the fence itself, so layout and ground conditions matter.
Video motion detection
Analyses the video from CCTV cameras to create the detection field, so cameras detect as well as record.
Best for: sites that have, or need, camera coverage of the boundary.
Worth knowing: the same footage helps show what caused an alarm and whether it is genuine.
Barrier sensors
A physical barrier and a detection system in one, providing both a barrier to intrusion and a sensor. Taut-wire sensors are an example.
Best for: higher-risk sites that need both a barrier and detection.
Worth knowing: because the sensor is the barrier, it is planned as part of the perimeter design.
Fence alarm design and installation
How an installation works
Every fence alarm starts with a free site visit. We walk the boundary, assess the fence, the terrain and what you need to protect, and design detection from what we find.
Site visit
Free site visit to assess the threat, terrain, site conditions and how your team will use the system
Design
Sensor types, zones and CCTV coverage chosen for each stretch of the perimeter
Installation
Installed, commissioned and tested by our engineers against the agreed specification
Handover
Your team shown how alerts arrive, how to check them on camera and how to respond
Ongoing support
Planned maintenance, remote support and a 24-hour service line, 365 days a year
Detection and CCTV from one local installer
We design fence alarms as part of your wider site security, not in isolation. Where cameras are used to verify alerts, that CCTV work is carried out under our SSAIB certification, which covers CCTV, intruder alarms and access control. We also service, maintain and take over perimeter detection systems installed by other companies.
Fence alarms across Cambridgeshire and East Anglia
We are a Cambridgeshire business with local engineers, providing responsive maintenance and long-term support for the perimeter detection we install.
Areas we cover
We install and maintain fence alarms across Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, including Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, St Ives, St Neots, Ely, Wisbech, March, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds.
Our engineers are local to the region, and we also work with national clients across the UK.
Sites we protect
Fence alarms suit sites with an outdoor boundary to protect, including commercial and industrial sites, warehouses and distribution centres, and construction compounds.
- Industrial
- Warehouses
- Construction compounds
- Defence
Remote and unmanned sites gain most from checking alerts on camera. At a UK defence facility we delivered CCTV-based perimeter detection using AI video analytics in place of conventional external beams.
“Papworth Trust have worked with Advance Security since 2012 on all aspects of security maintenance works, including door control, intruder alarms, Net2 access systems and project works such as gate installations. We have found them professional and attentive in their approach and would recommend them as an organised service provider within the security industry.”
Property and H&S Facilities Manager, The Papworth Trust
Next step
Free site visit and quotation
Every perimeter is different, so each fence alarm is priced from a survey. An engineer walks the boundary with you, checks the fence and the ground conditions, and designs detection around the site and your budget. The survey is free.
Talk to us about your fence alarm requirements
Book a free site surveyCall 01223 566 599No charge for the visit
Frequently asked questions
A fence alarm is a detection system fitted to or along your perimeter fence. Fence-mounted sensors are attached to the fence or wall and raise an alarm when an intruder disturbs the detection field, or when vibration from cutting or climbing a metal fabric fence is detected.
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