'Home security' with innovative products
A successful combination of safety, security and comfort
Sales of electronic security and safety technology are rising rapidly. The reasons for this include not only the good economic situation in Germany but also new areas of application and innovative solutions. This field, which the Safety and Security Systems Division of the Central Association of the German Electrical and Electronic Engineering Industry (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie – ZVEI) calls 'Home Security', has received an additional boost by the discussion about 'internal security'. Thus, positive developments are to be seen in all three main segments of the electronic safety and security technology sector, i.e., systems offering protection against fire, burglary and robbery, as well as video surveillance and access controls.This trend is indicative, inter alia, of a growing awareness of the need for safety and security. This applies not only to public areas and industrial and commercial complexes but also to the private sphere and small businesses. Particularly when it comes to such unspectacular locations, ZVEI campaigns, such as 'Not with me' and 'Smoke alarms save lives', have increase people's knowledge of potential dangers. For these areas of application, Light+Building – International Trade Fair for Architecture and Technology – in Frankfurt am Main from 6 to 11 April 2008 will present a spectrum of exhibits that is not only broad but also extremely interesting. The innovative products and systems provide the means of increasing personal protection, of minimising damage to property and thus bringing about an increase in the quality of life.
Around 2,100 exhibitors – including national and international market leaders from the three interdisciplinary fields of lighting, electrical engineering and house and building automation - will present a comprehensive range of products and services for architects, interior architects, designers and engineers, as well as for craftsmen, the wholesale and retail trade and the industry.
Electrical engineering in association with house and building automation will be the most important platform for intelligent building-services technology at Light+Building 2008. Around 450 exhibitors will present an impressive spectrum of new products and system solutions to visitors in Halls 8 and 9. Supplementing this range will be around 150 exhibitors from the field of house and building automation who will be showing future-oriented solutions for house and building automation, facility management and contracting in Hall 9. House and building automation plays a key role in interdisciplinary system engineering. These halls also offer space for intelligent solutions in the field of electronic safety and security technology.
A good example of this is fire-alarm components, the biggest section of the market, sales of which rose by 7.9 percent to € 966 million in 2006 and which continue to have a great potential because only 31 percent of all German households have smoke alarms although over 200,000 fires occur every year in German homes. Other factors contributing to growth include new laws and standards, such as modification A1 to DIN 14675 "Fire-alarm systems – installation and operation", which defines responsibilities more exactly.
Thus, from the range of sensors and alarm systems, which are graded by categories, it is possible to configure customised solutions that also take account of design considerations or, thanks to wireless connections, can be retrofitted without difficulty.
Also tailored to individual requirements are burglary and robbery alarm systems and components, sales of which rose by 1.5 percent to € 621 million in 2006. Burglar alarms designed especially for use in homes or small businesses can be installed quickly and easily. Fitted, for example, with wireless control panels and LCD displays, such systems are characterised by easy operation and flexibility because it is simple to show the status of the alarm system, to switch it on or off, to programme key fobs used for access control or to configure individual user settings.
However, video entry phones also give a feeling of security and make life easy when, for example, fitted with a hands-free communication system. Like a hand-free telephone for the car, hands-free entry phones operate fully automatically: an electronic circuit identifies the direction of speech and simultaneously suppresses background noise. This assures that communication is clear and understandable. The user only has to press a button to accept and end the conversation.
Light+Building from 6 to 11 April 2008 will once again present a host of interesting ideas for protecting people and property effectively.
