Systems, comparisons and specifications
This page is for people who want to see the numbers. Detection architecture, reference specifications, comparison tables, integration protocols, storage calculation and applicable standards. No invented figures: every data point states where it comes from.
01 · Architecture
Two layers, not one
Everything below rests on the same principle: the layer that detects and the layer that verifies must be different technologies.
The model
Layer 1 — detection. Low threshold, contained cost, wide coverage: radar, LiDAR, beam, fence sensor or outdoor PIR. Its job is to raise the event and start recording. It does not sound the alarm on its own.
Layer 2 — verification. A camera with object classification, or thermal with analytics. It answers one question: is it a person?
Alarm. Only when both layers agree within a time window.
This design solves three problems at once: it removes false alarms from animals and vegetation, it produces an image attached to every event — which later serves as evidence — and it matches the verification scheme that Spanish regulation requires of systems connected to an alarm receiving centre.Orden INT/316/2011
- Detection — radar / LiDAR / beam / PIR marks position and time
- Orientation — PTZ or fixed camera covers the event zone
- Classification — AI decides: person, vehicle, animal, unknown
- Decision — layer agreement inside the time window
- Action — siren, light, alert with image to the owner
- Record — recording with pre-alarm and timestamp
Design rule. The security chain must work without internet and without a server: local siren, local recording and a relay output. Software is the intelligent layer, not the critical one.
02 · Comparison
Outdoor detection technologies
Reference values from professional-grade equipment. Ranges depend on the model, the lens and the mounting height.
| Technology | Typical range (person) | Coverage | Rejects small animals | Rejects moving vegetation | Tells person from large animal | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 GHz radar | 3–60 m | ~5,600 m² (1 unit) | Yes | Yes | No | IP + relay |
| 24 GHz long-range radar | up to 140 m | ~20,000–30,000 m² | Yes | Yes | No | IP |
| 60 GHz radar | 5–60 m | 95° · measures speed | Yes | Yes | No | IP + I/O |
| 2D LiDAR | 20×20 m plane | 95° · 8 zones | Yes (by size) | Configurable | By size | IP + relay |
| Thermal 160×120 | 91 m detect / 23 m recognise | 50°×37° | With analytics | Yes | With AI | IP + relay |
| Outdoor PIR | 12 m | 85–90° | Mounting-dependent | No | No | Relay / IP |
| Outdoor curtain | 2×15 m | Narrow plane | Up to 80 cm | Partial | No | Radio / relay |
| Quad IR beam | up to 200 m | Line | Partial | Yes | No | Relay only |
| AI camera | lens-dependent | Field of view | Yes | Yes | Yes | IP + relay |
The decisive column is the last detection one: only image classification tells a person from a large dog or a wild boar. Neither radar nor PIR does — radar classifies such an object as "unknown".
03 · Radar
Volumetric radio-frequency detection
Typical specification manufacturer datasheet
- Band
- 24.05–24.25 GHz · transmitted power < 100 mW · licence-free band across the EU
- Range
- Person 3–60 m · vehicle 3–85 m
- Coverage
- ~5,600 m² for a person · ~11,300 m² for a vehicle
- Mounting
- Recommended height 3.5 m · reference person 170 cm
- Separation
- Two objects closer than 3 m merge into a single detection
- Classification
- Person / vehicle / unknown — three categories
- Filters
- Ignore small objects (manufacturer documentation names cats and rabbits) · ignore swaying objects (trees, bushes)
- Power
- PoE IEEE 802.3at Type 2 Class 4 · typical draw 11 W
- Protection
- IP66 · NEMA 4X · IK08
Strengths
- Immune to shadows, headlights, rain and insects on the lens
- Large area from a single unit and a single IP address
- Native filtering of wind-blown vegetation — decisive in a Mediterranean garden
- Relay output on several models: it acts without a network
Limitations
- Radar shadow behind every solid object: wall, hedge, retaining wall, plant room
- Metal surfaces in the field cause reflections that degrade classification
- Cannot tell a large dog or a wild boar from a person: both are "unknown"
- There is no genuinely residential price tier
When to change band or range
| Variant | Reference data | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 24 GHz · 60 m | 180° · ~5,600 m² · relay output | Villa garden, medium plot, temporary site |
| 24 GHz · long range | 140 m person / 200 m vehicle at 5 m mounting height · 180° ~20,000 m², 270° ~30,000 m² · PoE 802.3bt | Large property, one unit instead of three |
| 60 GHz | 61.00–61.50 GHz · 95° · person 5–60 m, vehicle up to 150 m in road profile · speed measurement ±2 km/h up to 200 km/h · 12 VDC output max 50 mA, no power relay | Straight driveway, internal speed control |
Radio compliance. Both the 24.05–24.25 GHz and the 61 GHz bands are short-range device bands that are licence-free across the European Union; datasheets declare conformity with the relevant ETSI standards.ETSI EN 300 440 / EN 305 550
04 · LiDAR
Laser-plane detection
Typical specification manufacturer datasheet
- Area
- 20 × 20 m · 95° aperture
- Zoning
- Up to 8 independent zones, each with configurable sensitivity, minimum object size and output
- Sensitivity
- Detects objects of the order of 2 cm thrown through the plane
- Laser class
- Class 1 — eye-safe, no mandatory warning signage
- Power
- PoE IEEE 802.3at, 10 W · or 19.2–30 VDC (max 420 mA at 24 V)
- Mounting
- Recommended outdoor height 4 m · alarm delay ~2 s
- Environment
- IP66 · −40 to +60 °C
- Larger model
- 30 × 60 m · 190° · fog/snow mode · EN 50131 Grade 3 · ONVIF Profile S
Strengths
- The only technology with numerically configurable object size per zone — the technical route to ignoring a cat while detecting someone crawling
- Centimetre precision: it can raise a vertical plane tight against a glazed facade
- Clean cut at the boundary: unlike radar, it does not reach into the neighbour's plot
- Class 1: no eye risk and no signage obligation
Limitations
- Degraded performance in dense fog and heavy rain: scattering absorbs the pulse. Filter modes reduce this, they do not remove it
- Expensive for general area surveillance: radar covers more for less
- Requires installer configuration software
- The manufacturer does not publish the numeric object-size range on the web datasheet: it is read in the software
Typical domestic application. A vertical plane in front of a glazed living room or a run of terrace doors; a cellar or valuables room; the top of a wall; a narrow strip along the boundary. Outside these cases it usually does not pay for itself.
05 · Thermal
Infrared radiation detection
Typical specification manufacturer datasheet
- Thermal sensor
- 160 × 120 · NETD < 40 mK · 3.1 mm lens · 50° × 37.2° field
- Visible channel
- 4 MP (2688 × 1520) · 4 mm lens · 84° field
- Person DRI
- Detection 91 m · recognition 23 m · identification 11 m
- Vehicle DRI
- Detection 280 m · recognition 70 m · identification 35 m
- Analytics
- Up to 8 VCA rules
- Protection
- IP66 · 6 kV surge protection
The commonest quoting error in this industry. The detection figure (91 m) is the one that appears in brochures; the recognition figure (23 m) is the one that determines whether the system is useful. Designing from the first produces systems that "see something" but do not let you decide. We size from the recognition figure.
| Resolution | Reference | Domestic use |
|---|---|---|
| 160 × 120 | NETD <40 mK · bi-spectral | Best cost/performance on a 0.1–3 ha plot |
| 384 × 288 | NETD 40 mK · 7 to 35 mm lenses (55°…10.5°) | Long sight lines, beyond 150 m |
| 640 × 480 | NETD 30 mK · 10/19/35 mm lenses (63°/31°/17°) | Beyond what a home needs |
06 · PIR & beams
Volumetric and line detectors
The cheapest layer — and the one that produces the most false alarms when it is mounted wrongly.
| Type | Reference data | Declared immunity | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dual-layer outdoor PIR | 12 m / 90° · 16 zones · mounting 0.8–1.2 m · Grade 2, Environmental Class 4 · −30 to +60 °C · 9.5–18 VDC, 20 mA | The manufacturer publishes no kg or cm figure: immunity comes from the dual-layer geometry | Relay |
| PIR + microwave | 12 m / 85° · 94 zones · mounting 2.5–3.0 m | Qualitative | Relay |
| Bilateral curtain barrier | 2 × 12 m · two PIRs per side, both must trigger · mounting 0.8–1.2 m (1.0 m recommended) | Geometric | Relay |
| Wireless outdoor curtain | 2 × 15 m · dual optical system, two PIRs per system · ~4 years battery | 80 cm + birds | Radio |
| Wireless outdoor detector | 3–15 m · two independent IR sensors · anti-masking · −25 to +60 °C · up to 5 years battery | 80 cm | Radio |
| Wireless detector with imaging | Mounting 0.8–1.3 m · 1–5 images per alarm at 320 × 176, or up to 3 at 640 × 352 · delivery in 9–30 s | 80 cm | Radio + image |
| Quad IR beam | Up to 200 m outdoors · dual modulation · response time 50/100/250/500 ms · IP65 · −35 to +60 °C | High against vegetation | Dry contact only — no network version |
| IP outdoor PIR | 30 × 20 m, 40 × 10 m or 40 × 4 m depending on model · 4 independent areas, each with its own output · PoE | Configurable per area | Native IP, integrates into a VMS |
Two design consequences that are almost never explained.
1. On dual-layer PIRs, animal immunity is not a product parameter, it is the result of the mounting. Raising the sensor to 2 m for aesthetic reasons cancels the geometry and with it the immunity. That is why we document the mounting height in the handover dossier.
2. Classic IR beams have no network version: dry contact only. If the project has no alarm panel, an input module has to be allowed for — and it often costs more than simply choosing an IP sensor in the first place.
07 · Analytics
Levels of artificial intelligence
| Level | What it solves | Where it runs | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Person/vehicle filtering | Discards leaves, shadows, light changes, rain | Camera or recorder | No attribute search |
| On-camera classification | Person, vehicle and vehicle type; line crossing, intrusion, time in area, occupancy, tailgating | Camera, no server | No dedicated animal class |
| Classification with animal category | Person, vehicle and animal as an independent class | Camera | Model-dependent |
| Search and attributes | Clothing type and colour, face, number plate, natural-language search over the archive | Analysis unit or server | Processing cost; higher data-protection sensitivity |
| Upgrade appliance | Adds advanced recognition to existing ONVIF cameras | Appliance | Depends on the quality of the original stream |
Where to run the analytics
| Location | Advantage | Drawback |
|---|---|---|
| On the camera | No extra hardware; analyses at full resolution and frame rate; scales linearly | Updating the model means updating firmware device by device |
| On the recorder | Upgrades cameras without AI; updated in one place | Limited number of AI channels; decoded stream quality is a constraint |
| On a server | Stronger models, advanced search, cross-camera tracking | Cost, power draw and cooling |
Domestic rule. Detection on the camera for the alarm — low latency and a reliable relay output; analysis on an appliance or server only if the client needs retrospective search. They do not compete with each other.
Why the animal category is a specification here, not a luxury. A study by the Malaga Veterinary Association with the University of Cordoba on urban wild boar captured in the province found: Marbella 40%, Malaga city 30%, Fuengirola 22.5%, Benahavis 7.5%. A wild boar far exceeds the 25 kg of declared pet immunity and moves at ground level. Neither PIR nor radar solves it.
08 · Selector
What your plot actually needs
Six questions, immediate result. Calculated in your browser: nothing is sent or stored.
Indicative result. It does not replace a site visit: radar shadow, real sight lines and existing infrastructure can only be measured on site.
09 · Integration
Protocols and interfaces
What works across manufacturers, and what ties the project to one brand.
| Interface | Cross-vendor? | Real-world use |
|---|---|---|
| RTSP | Universal | You always get the stream. Authentication and URL scheme vary. |
| ONVIF Profile T | Yes | The current baseline. H.265 video, analytics metadata, imaging settings. |
| ONVIF Profile S | Being retired | Deprecated by ONVIF because its authentication methods no longer match current cybersecurity recommendations. Do not specify it on new projects. |
| ONVIF Profile G | Yes | Recording, search and playback on the device itself. |
| ONVIF Profile M | Thinly implemented | Cross-vendor metadata and analytics: object classification, number plate, counting, MQTT support. Verify device by device. |
| MQTT | Yes | The automation glue. Local bus, no cloud. |
| Dry contact (relay) | Universal | The most underrated interface: siren, gate, panel zone. It works when nothing else does. |
| Vendor HTTP API | No | Very capable, but it ties the project down and can change with firmware. |
| SIP | Yes | Video entry independent of the manufacturer's cloud. |
| KNX / Modbus | Yes | Output to existing home automation: lighting, blinds, irrigation. |
Our stable layer. On multi-vendor projects we build on RTSP (image) +
ONVIF T/M (event) + MQTT (automation) + relay (action). Anything
beyond that ties the project to one manufacturer — a decision to be taken deliberately, not by
default.
10 · Network & power
The layer that decides whether the system alerts
PoE classes IEEE 802.3
| Standard | Type | Port (PSE) | Guaranteed at the device (PD) | Pairs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 802.3af | Type 1 | 15.4 W | 12.95 W | 2 |
| 802.3at | Type 2 | 30 W | 25.5 W | 2 |
| 802.3bt | Type 3 | 45 / 60 W | 40 / 51 W | 4 |
| 802.3bt | Type 4 | 75 / 90 W | 62 / 71.3 W | 4 |
Power available at the device is always lower than at the port: the difference is loss over 100 m of cable. And bt classes use all four pairs: a "two-pair" installation rules them out, and that can only be fixed by pulling new cable.
Sizing rules engineering judgement
- Plan the PoE budget to 80%. Heated cameras all start together after a winter outage — the worst possible moment.
- UPS across the whole chain: ONT, router, switch, recorder and panel. The classic failure is powering only the recorder: the system records but never alerts.
- Second communication path in the panel, not in the router: different carrier, different network.
- Hourly heartbeat. It turns an outage into an alert instead of into silence.
- Time synchronisation from a common source: without it the timestamp is arguable and multi-camera reconstruction falls apart.
Outdoor protection
- Surge protection on every long outdoor line: gate, pool, outbuilding. Reference standard IEC/EN 62305, whose part 3 is in its 3rd edition, 2024 — specifications citing the 2010 edition are out of date.IEC 62305-3:2024
- One single equipotential bonding system. The most expensive mistake is two separate earthing systems.
- Optical isolation on long runs or towards a separate building.
- Solid copper cable, UV-resistant sheath, gel-filled for buried runs. CCA is not acceptable.
11 · Recording
Storage calculation
Formula
Storage (GB) =
bitrate (Mbps) × 3600 × h/day × days × cameras / 8 / 1024
Indicative bitrate scene-dependent
| Resolution | H.264 | H.265 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 MP | 4–6 Mbps | 2–3 Mbps |
| 4 MP | 8–10 Mbps | 4–5 Mbps |
| 8 MP | 16–20 Mbps | 8–10 Mbps |
Codecs
- H.264 → H.265: roughly 50% better compression efficiency.manufacturer technical paper
- H.265 → AV1: theoretically 20–30% better, with variable real-world results.
- The same paper warns: a codec change on its own does not absolutely determine the storage saving. What dominates is scene complexity, motion, night-time noise, frame rate and GOP length.
How we size it. On H.265 with a 30–40% reserve, and always to 30 days: that is the legal maximum retention in Spain, not a technical limitation. A night scene with rain and trees pushes the bitrate past any calculator.LOPDGDD art. 22.3
12 · Coastal
Material specification on the Costa del Sol
The section almost no quote includes, and the one that decides whether the system lasts five years or two.
Corrosivity ISO 12944
| Category | Environment |
|---|---|
| C3 | Moderate urban or industrial |
| C4 | Industrial, or close to the sea |
| C5-M | Coastal, high humidity and salinity — salt spray test of 720 to 1,000 h |
| CX | Extreme — offshore, chemical |
Practical rule: front line and coastal developments, C5-M; the band a few hundred metres inland, C4.
Material consequences engineering judgement
- 316L, not 304. The molybdenum in 316L is what resists chloride pitting. Most "stainless" brackets and screws on the market are 304 or worse.
- The weak point is never the camera. It is the bracket, the screw, the cable gland and the connector. A 316L camera with 304 fixings accelerates galvanic corrosion.
- Marine anodising rather than powder coating. Under damaged paint, corrosion spreads unseen.
- Heat. The usual upper limit of professional equipment is around +55 °C, and that does not guarantee operation in full sun on a south-facing facade. Sun shields, orientation and a ventilated location for the UPS.
Mechanical protection IEC 62262 / 60529
IK08 = 5 J · IK09 = 10 J · IK10 = 20 J. On a perimeter, IP66 minimum; IP67 where flooding is possible. Any device installed in the open without shelter should meet Environmental Class IV of EN 50131 (−25 to +60 °C, 85–95% humidity).
13 · Cybersecurity
A badly exposed system is a risk, not a protection
Why we don't open ports or use P2P
After a critical unauthenticated command-injection vulnerability was published (CVSS 9.8), more than 80,000 exploitable cameras were documented as directly reachable from the internet.
And the manufacturer's P2P cloud is not the safe alternative: in a campaign documented in 2026, more than 14,500 devices were compromised; on the P2P path the relay established the route without prior authentication, and 89.4% of the serial numbers queried returned an open, unauthenticated channel.
Two authentication-bypass vulnerabilities from 2021 were still in CISA's known exploited vulnerabilities catalogue in August 2026, five years on. And in 2025, stack overflows in the ONVIF handler itself were published, exploitable without authentication.
What we apply
- No port forwarding and no P2P: disabled by default in the handover configuration
- Separate VLAN for cameras, with no internet egress: the single most effective measure
- Remote access over VPN with an access list: the owner reaches the viewer, not the camera network
- Factory reset, current firmware, an admin account separate from the client account
- HTTPS with TLS 1.2/1.3, unused services disabled, anonymous access prohibited
- Microphones disabled by default and documented in the handover record
- Firmware inventory and an update window for critical vulnerabilities
Wider responsibility. A compromised system doesn't just stop protecting its owner: it becomes a tool for attacking third parties. That is why network configuration is part of the project, not an extra.
14 · Standards
Applicable technical and legal framework
| Standard | Subject | Project implication |
|---|---|---|
| EN IEC 62676-4:2025 | Video surveillance application guidelines | Replaces DORI terminology with seven pixel-density levels: 20, 40, 80, 125, 250, 500 and 1,500 px/m. Specifications citing the 2015 edition are out of date. |
| EN 50131 | Intrusion systems | Grades 1 to 4 and environmental classes I to IV. Outdoors, Class IV. |
| Orden INT/316/2011 | Operation of alarm systems | Grade 1 cannot be connected to a receiving centre. Grade 2 for dwellings intending to connect to one. Sequential verification: three or more signals from different detection elements within 30 minutes. Video verification: one image from the moment of the alarm and two afterwards. Two false alarms in a month can suspend the system. |
| LOPDGDD art. 22 | Video surveillance and personal data | Retention of one month maximum; where an offence is involved, handover to the authorities within 72 hours. Informative signage. Strict limits on the public road and a prohibition on capturing a neighbour's property. |
| IEC/EN 62305 | Lightning protection | Part 3 in its 3rd edition, 2024. |
| ISO 12944 | Atmospheric corrosivity | C5-M on the coastal front line. |
| IEC 62262 / 60529 | Impact and ingress | IK08/09/10 · IP66 minimum on a perimeter. |
| ONVIF | Interoperability | Profile T as the baseline; Profile S being retired. |
| Ley 5/2014 | Private security (Spain) | Defines which activities require authorisation. We install systems not connected to an alarm receiving centre or control centre, outside the scope of the activities subject to authorisation. We provide no guarding, keyholder response or monitoring. |
Methodology note. The specifications on this page are taken from manufacturer datasheets and from standards texts, and have been selected as product-class references to illustrate each technology: they are not an offer of a particular brand and do not imply official distribution. Ranges, power draw and performance vary with the model, firmware version, lens and mounting height, and are verified against the datasheet of the exact device before it goes into a quote.
Values marked engineering judgement are our own sizing rules, not figures published by a manufacturer. Those marked standard refer to the cited standard, whose current version must be checked on each project.