Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
easily the card reader can be damaged due to frequent use or challenging
working conditions (e.g., weather conditions if the reader is located outside).
Often, the vulnerability of a system is influenced by the number of moving
parts in the system—the more moving parts, the greater the potential suscep-
tibility to damage. Life-cycle ratings are based on the durability of a given
card reader system over its entire operational period. Systems requiring fre-
quent physical contact between the reader and the card often have a shorter
life cycle due to the wear and tear to which the equipment is exposed. For
many card reader systems, the vulnerability rating and life-cycle ratings have
a reciprocal relationship; for example, if a given system has a high vulner-
ability rating it will almost always have a shorter life cycle. Card reader tech-
nology can be implemented for facilities of any size and with any number of
users; however, because individual systems vary in the complexity of their
technology and the level of security they can provide to a facility, individual
users must determine the appropriate system for their needs. Some important
questions to consider when selecting a card reader system include
• What level of technological sophistication and security does the card
system have?
• How large is the facility, and what are its security needs?
• How frequently will the card system be used? For systems that will
experience a high frequency of use, it is important to consider a sys-
tem that has a longer life cycle and lower vulnerability rating, thus
making it more cost effective to implement.
• Under what conditions will the system be used? (Will it be installed
on the interior or exterior of buildings? Does it require light or
humidity controls?) Most card reader systems can operate under
normal environmental conditions; therefore, this would be a miti-
gating factor only in extreme conditions.
• What are the system costs?
Intrusion Sensors
An exterior intrusion sensor is a detection device used in an outdoor environ-
ment to detect intrusions into a protected area. These devices are designed
to detect an intruder and then communicate an alarm signal to an alarm
system. The alarm system can respond to the intrusion in many different
ways, such as by triggering an audible or visual alarm signal or by sending
an electronic signal to a central monitoring location that notifies security
personnel of the intrusion. Intrusion sensor can be used to protect many
kinds of assets. Intrusion sensors that protect physical space are classified
according to whether they protect indoor, or
interior
, spaces (e.g., an entire
building or room within a building), or outdoor, or
exterior
, spaces (e.g., a
fence line or perimeter). Interior intrusion sensors are designed to protect the
