Traditional intruder alarm systems have typically relied on public switched telephone networks (PSTN) and general packet radio services (GPRS) communication for signal transmission. The growing number of home security systems including video cameras, along with a growing number of sensors installed in these systems, has led to the rise of internet-protocol communication use.
However, this communication depends on the strength and stability of the internet network supplied to the home or building and can be compromised in a number of ways, which is why IP is often used as a back-up communication channel to the primary GPRS channel.
With the upcoming deployment of 5G technologies, the security system of the future may look and perform quite different from those on the market today, according to new research from IHS Markit.
Devices equipped with 5G-capable chipsets offer superior battery life and much lower power consumption in wired systems. This allows for a reduction of the overall system maintenance costs, increasing the longevity and signal transmission stability over existing technologies.
The benefit for residential systems could mean live video verification of intruder alarms on a wider scale. In commercial systems, 5G connectivity could support deployment of smart buildings that aim to improve the environmental footprint of commercial buildings, while also delivering automation benefits, IHS Markit said.
Pairing 5G with cloud technologies could enable real interconnected environments and leverage big data. Likewise, 5G could also help accelerate the transmission between systems processing large data while at the same time improving connection stability.
However, IHS Markit cautioned that 5G is still in the very early development stage and even 4G network coverage isn’t universal, thereby reducing the popularity of this frequency use in alarm communication. The 5G deployment costs on a national level may lead to the postponement of country-wide rollouts, which will make investment in 5G technologies for security systems a riskier proposition if 5G isn't prioritized in home markets.
According to IHS Markit, the potential of 5G has not yet been realized. Any Internet of things device or security system equipped with 5G-capable chipsets are likely to see a huge spike in price, meaning early adopters or tech-savvy consumers may be the only ones wanting to use the technology for security in the early rollout.
But in commercial systems, 5G benefits may be more quickly realized in smart buildings that integrate alarm systems with other building systems.
Overall, 5G offers a path to feature-rich systems that integrate higher resolution cameras with better bandwidth that can send sizeable images through the network. IHS Markit said the volume of data 5G networks will transfer will be enormous, but with that comes a heightened concern about cybersecurity of big data and the potential for misuse or breaches.
Ultimately, the test for 5G in security systems will be a question of whether or not the communication is necessary to accomplish what modern and future intruder alarm systems are capable of.
To learn more about 5G and security systems, visit IHS Markit’s Intruder Alarms and Monitoring Services Database.
