Summary of the EUSAS-workshop "Intrusion Detector Testing (IDT)"

In the following a short summary of the EUSAS e.V. IDT-workshop is given. A comprehensive report can be downloaded: Report (PDF, 1441 KB).

Background:
National standards specifying the functionality and the test requirements for volumetric intrusion detectors exist since many years in several countries. However, it is a common opinion that none of them provides an adequate level of reproducibility for type approval testing. For this reason an EU-supported project called "Intrusion Detector Testing" (IDT) was started in 1998. Last year this project was finished and an appropriate IDT equipment as well as a draft proposal for a corresponding test procedure have been presented. The EUSAS e.V. IDT-workshop was then initiated in order to provide a platform for experts on an European level to discuss the outcome of the IDT-project. Thus, a solid basis for the future exploitation of the IDT system was intended to be found.

Workshop:
At the workshop viewpoints of the IDT developing team, the European alarm industry, the testing institutions and the standardization bodies have been exchanged. In addition the IDT system has been demonstrated and a lively and controversial discussion on the future of IDT testing and standardization has taken place.

With their presentations the members of the IDT developing team explained the background, the function, the features and the future perspectives of the new IDT testing methods. However, Dr. Rieche, ZVEI, pointed out that no efforts concerning marketing have been made to convince the industry of the benefits these methods may have. Nevertheless, he offered his help to push the new concept in case that satisfactorily convincing benefits will be clearly worked out until end of 2003. On the other hand Mr. Conrads, VdS, unequivocally pleaded for maintaining the conventional testing methods, whereas Mr. Aris, BRE, tried to weigh up the advantages and the disadvantages. Besides the technical aspects Dr. Loi, CENELEC, explained that the deadlock which predominated TC79 in the past has now been overcome by introducing the "Technical Specification" (TS) as an intermediate step on the way to an EN-standard.

Referring to the lively discussion and the correspondingly increased mutual understanding of viewpoints the IDT workshop was generally seen to be successful.