"How to Protect Yourself from Copper Theft..."

At DPS, we're hearing from many of our clients that copper theft is once again on the rise. With the value of copper rapidly approaching its pre-recession high of $4-per-pound, copper thieves are back in full force.

From the safety of your employees to the reliability for your customers, you have a duty to stop copper theft. The good news? A monitoring system will often pay for itself after preventing just once incident.

You can't predict where copper thieves strike next, but you can protect yourself with automatic monitoring gear. You need a system that alerts you immediately. That way, you can contact the police and catch the criminals in the act.

Diagram of a Good Copper Monitoring Solution

In this copper theft monitoring system, door and motion sensors report to the local NetGuardian alarm remote (RTU), which then triggers image capturing from the SiteMon IP cameras. All alarm information is reported to the T/Mon master console at your central office. You can also receive text messages or email alerts.

Motion and Door Sensors:
These sensors are your first line of defense against copper theft. Inexpensive and easy to set up, you can install them in multiple locations within a site (weatherproof motion sensors are available for exterior monitoring, as well). When triggered, they latch a contact closure that's wired into a discrete input on the local NetGuardian remote (discussed below).

IP Cameras (SiteMon IP, several per site if needed):
IP cameras allow you to view the live status at your site. The better IP cameras (SiteMON IP in this example) will also automatically capture images when a nearby motion, door, or other sensor is triggered. With a built-in LAN jack, the SiteMon IP provides a web browser interface and email notifications (you can also send text messages to your cell phone via email) when operating in stand-alone mode (that is, without an alarm remote or alarm master). SiteMon IP is also available with an external housing that protects it from the elements. The use of a housing (instead of a different camera model) means that you only need one version of camera hardware - reducing hassles during purchasing and deployment.

Alarm Remote (NetGuardian 832A G5 or smaller, depending on site):
The local alarm remote at your site serves as a central aggregation point for your sensors and, for models equipped with a LAN switch/hub, your IP cameras. It maintains a connection (typically LAN) to your central office for reporting intrusions. For smaller sites, your SiteMon IP cameras can perform this role themselves, collecting data from 2 sensors and reporting back to you via LAN. This makes simple surveillance possible at a lower cost. Like the SiteMon IP, most NetGuardian models include a web interface and email/text message notifications when operating in stand-alone mode (without an alarm master).

Master Station (T/Mon)
If you have more than a few network sites, you should be using a master station already to monitor your network (T/Mon LNX shown here, T/Mon SLIM available for smaller networks). It will provide an aggregated alarm display at your central office. In this case, it's best to tie your copper theft monitoring equipment into your existing network monitoring system. That way, your operators will have just one screen to look at for all network threats. It is possible to monitor alarm remotes (or even just IP cameras) directly via web browser interface over LAN, but this is not recommended for monitoring any more than a handful of sites.

The 3 Ways that Effective Copper Monitoring Will Protect You

1. Theft Deterrent: The best way to prevent copper theft is to stop it before it starts. Monitoring systems (especially IP cameras and motion sensors) make potential thieves think twice about stealing your copper. A thief who spots your cameras may decide that it's simply not worth getting "caught on film." This is the best possible outcome. You're helping yourself, your customers, and the would-be thieves.
2. Theft prevention: No matter how many deterrents you have at your sites, eventually some thief will be brave enough (or stupid enough) to go after your copper. That's where your monitoring really starts paying for itself. You'll get an instant alert that you can immediately pass on to law enforcement. This limits the time that thieves have to cause damage. Plus, every criminal caught in the act is one less threat for your network. Arrests also deters future attempts from others.
3. Theft prosecution: Some sites are simply too remote - and some thieves are simply too fast - to be caught during the theft itself. That's where IP camera surveillance comes in. Cameras can pick up important details, like faces, body types, vehicles, license plate numbers, and theft tactics. All of these can be useful for law enforcement to track down and capture the criminals. Images captured by IP cameras are transmitted back to your central office for review and long-term storage. Image capture can even be "triggered" by a door alarm, motion sensor, or other event, ensuring that you get good surveillance even if you're not at your desk. In the courtroom, surveillance photos are particularly valuable evidence for your company to have.

Dangers of Ground-Wire Copper Theft by Industry

• Telecom: If thieves rip out the grounding wires of your remote site, your equipment can become unstable or break. This really hurts, because now you're paying three ways. You have to buy new copper, you have to pay the labor expense to have that copper installed, and you face customer loss, fees, and/or penalties caused by a service outage.
• Power Utility: Loss of grounding can actually be deadly in power generation and distribution environments. If copper thieves successfully remove the grounding from a high-voltage site, serious charges can build up where you wouldn't otherwise expect them. This creates a potentially fatal risk for everyone. The thieves themselves are in danger during the theft. Your people are at risk during routine site visits after the theft.

What Should You Do Now?

Don't wait for copper thieves to strike in your network. The cost of just one incident will frequently pay for an effective monitoring system. It's much better to install a monitoring system on your own proactive schedule than to do it all in a frenzy after your copper does get stolen (and you'd better believe that we do get those calls). Call DPS today at 1-800-695-0351 to speak with a sales engineer about your sites.

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NetGuardian 832A G5

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NetGuardian 832A