Optical Fibre Security Systems: Applications For Intrusion Detection

Originally available for commercial applications some 25 years ago, glass in the form of an optical fibre waveguide was the answer looking for a question, it offered many natural advantages over copper wire, but at that time computer based communications, cable TV and associated industries were not in place to take advantage of the medium. This paper provides an overview of how optical fibres are being applied in the difficult area of physical security, where fibre optics, backed by processing electronics, are used to communicate restricted data, transmit closed circuit TV pictures and actually detect intruders moving across restricted areas.