Greenhouse Security systems are essential if farmers want to harvest the harvest, since many have suffered theft at some point, given how easy it is for thieves to commit them.
Due to their nature, these types of facilities are located in isolated, unpopulated areas with multiple access roads, which, together with the easy sale of merchandise, make them subject to continuous theft unless they install various security systems adapted to what is required. environment special.
Fencing off the area
One of the first steps to take is the fencing of the place, either using a metal fence or building masonry walls that make entry more difficult.
It is true that this is expensive and that it will not prevent the friends of the alien from entering in all cases, but it is a first step to make entry difficult and that can be complemented with other security systems.
In this way, we could say that fencing alone will not prevent all thefts, but that it is the first element of a security ring that will have to be configured with the help of professionals.
Private surveillance
A system that works very well is to hire private security guards who are going around the area during the hours when the thieves act, which is usually at night when there is no one in the greenhouses.
It is an expensive measure, but it is less expensive if it is contracted among several farmers in the area who have surely had the same problem, so these guards can have an assigned space and call the police as soon as they see something suspicious. or out of the ordinary. In many cases, it is the farmers themselves who organize themselves to make rounds along the roads.
Security Cameras
Security cameras with video analysis combine very well with perimeter fences as they are very dissuasive elements for thieves who know that they can be identified, and the images can be used in a lawsuit against them.
All greenhouses usually have large extensions, so it is convenient to have a security company specialized in them that knows how and where to locate them, since we cannot put dozens of them throughout the cultivation area.
This solution is usually very expensive, preventing the investment compared to the production to be protected.
In addition, you always have to think that we are not in an urban environment, which means that you have to opt for a team that resists the most extreme weather conditions and does so for years in order to calculate the amortization of the expense.
Other perimetral systems
Continuing with the security ring, another of the elements that we can use are the perimeter alarms.
Again, we must bear in mind the special nature of the installation and that here we cannot place a sensor on a door, since thieves have hundreds and hundreds of meters through which to access the farm.
What types of perimeter security system are there?
There are several types of perimeter security, some of them excessive for a greenhouse due to its cost. In any case, implementing one or the other will depend on the value of the crops and the number of robberies in the area. That is why it is so important to analyze security systems for greenhouses.
Access Control Systems
One of the simplest is this, with which only authorized persons such as workers, managers, etc. can enter the premises. For access you can use an access card, a pin code or your own fingerprint.
Motion Sensors
A motion sensor is an electronic device to detect intrusions made up of different types of sensors capable of detecting variations of some physical magnitude that occur in its coverage range. Once this happens, they activate an electrical signal that activates the alarm, which can be treated in different ways depending on the action protocol. Likewise, additional actions can be established in programming, such as turning lights on or off or activating the public address system or audio or video verification.
Infrarred barriers
Equipment consisting of an infrared ray emitter and receiver that form (vertically) an invisible barrier; the interference of foreign elements in the continuity of the rays will activate the alarm devices.
Microwave detectors
Equipment consisting of a microwave transmitter and receiver, whose function is to capture the variations in the frequency of the signal reflected by the objects in the protected space. Said frequency modifications are caused by the interposition of bodies or objects, which cause the frequency of the emitted waves to be different from those of the received waves (Doppler effect).
On the basis of this definition, we deduce that the elementary components of the equipment are:
- Emitter: it is an oscillator that generates electromagnetic waves in the microwave band.
- Receiver: its function is to receive the microwaves reflected by the environment and transform them into electrical signals, which will be sent to the signal processor
- Signal processor: electronic circuits that analyze and compare the signals, activating the alarm when it detects previously determined variations.
Wires on fence
Fences are one of the best security systems for greenhouses, but when there are huge perimeters, monitoring them is a problem and they can be cut to enter.
By placing the cables on the fence, they are capable of detecting the vibrations that occur when trying to cut or jump over it, notifying the central unit.
Buried sensor cable
Another very effective active detector is the buried cable, which creates an electromagnetic field. There is no better security measure than the one that is not seen and that is why this cable works so well.
The intruders believe they have entered the perimeter without raising suspicions, however, the moment they disturb the electromagnetic field of the cable, it emits a signal that gives them away.
As we can see there are several security systems for greenhouses. The ideal is to use more than one, always taking into account the value of the crops, since picking tomatoes or peppers is not the same as having a greenhouse with legal cannabis to extract the CBD oil that is so fashionable at the moment.
