What should installers do to help protecting customers during the winter months? Are there any systems or combinations of technologies that offer the best security for the longer evenings and are there any common mistakes being made?
The onset of winter means there are fewer hours of daylight giving burglars more opportunities to operate under the cover of darkness. So, what should you be doing to make sure that your customers are best prepared to deal with unwanted visitors over the chilly season?
Carl Meason – Fenix Monitoring
As the darker months arrive, the risks for customers inevitably increase. Longer evenings, harsher weather, and sites operating on reduced hours all combine to create more opportunities for intruders and greater fire safety challenges. For installers, this is the time to double down on the basics and make sure systems are fully prepared for the season ahead.
Start with housekeeping. It may sound obvious, but untrimmed foliage, blocked detector views, or cameras obscured by cobwebs can undo the best system design. Winter should also be the point where coverage is reviewed, settings are adjusted for longer nights, and both fire and intruder systems are tested to ensure they are operating effectively together.
Technology is the enabler. Intruder alarms linked to remote monitoring services provide round-the-clock reassurance, while reactive lighting and detector-activated CCTV create a powerful deterrent at the precise moment intruders expect to exploit the dark. On the fire side, seasonal risks increase as heating systems and temporary equipment are brought online, making regular testing and monitored fire detection even more critical.
One area often overlooked is communication with your ARC, if applicable. As working patterns shift and sites close earlier in winter, informing your ARC about changes to monitoring times or site activities ensures protection is always aligned with reality. It avoids unnecessary activations, but more importantly, guarantees that genuine risks are never missed.
The common mistakes? Poor detector placement, systems left un-serviced before winter, and lighting left permanently on instead of responding only to activity. These are all avoidable with the right approach.
Ultimately, success this winter comes from partnership. The ARC, the installer, and the end-user working together to keep both intruder and fire risks under control. Get that right, and even the longest nights hold fewer threats.
John Oliver – HKC Security
As the clocks go back and the nights get darker, security risks naturally rise. Longer evenings offer more opportunities for intruders to operate under cover of darkness, so winter is a crucial time for installers to review their customers’ systems and ensure they’re protected.
One of the most effective ways to secure properties during the winter is to combine perimeter protection with smart lighting and remote monitoring. Intruders are often deterred before they reach the property if the system integrates motion sensors with lighting or camera activation.
Hybrid control panels, for example, can support both wired and wireless devices, making it simple to extend coverage or add external detection as the season demands.
Installers should also encourage customers to use automation features effectively, such as arming systems at set times, creating occupancy simulations with lighting, and ensuring remote notifications are enabled. Small habits, like checking that outbuildings and garages are included in coverage zones, can make a significant difference.
Remote monitoring is a powerful tool that benefits both the installer and the end user. By offering 24/7 professional monitoring or app-based self-monitoring options, installers can provide an additional layer of reassurance throughout the winter. For installers, this also creates opportunities for recurring revenue through service contracts and ongoing system support.
Customers gain peace of mind knowing that if an alarm is triggered, there’s always a rapid response, while installers build stronger, longer-term relationships based on dependable performance and proactive protection.
A common mistake we see is assuming that ‘set and forget’ systems are sufficient. Batteries in wireless devices may struggle in colder conditions, so maintenance checks are essential. Firmware updates, signal tests, and user refresh training all help keep systems reliable and customers confident.
Ultimately, a layered approach offers the best protection. Pairing professional-grade alarms with smart home integrations and vigilant user behaviour ensures security throughout the winter months, not just from intruders, but from complacency. Installers who take this proactive, consultative role not only keep their customers safer but also strengthen long-term relationships built on trust and reliability.
Jamie Barnfield – IDIS Europe
The onset of long, wet, and cold winter nights should surprise no one, but with the prospect of increased security and safety risks, this is traditionally the time when we remind customers to check that their surveillance systems are up to scratch – it’s a good opportunity to conduct audits and ensure cameras are working at optimal performance, before maintenance becomes urgent.
When evenings draw in, system weaknesses become more obvious, making it harder to ignore faulty equipment and performance issues—for example, badly installed cabling or devices affected by water ingress; the build-up of leaves or other debris; or simply cameras that are performing poorly.
As hours of darkness increase, it’s always been important for surveillance users to ensure that low-light image capture meets evidential quality at the required distances. Camera technology has advanced significantly, with HD and UHD NIR night vision, super-wide WDR that handles varying light conditions, and a broad range of cameras that deliver full-colour image capture in almost complete darkness.
Taking winter-readiness further, it’s also a great time to consider upgrading to edge AI cameras. There are strong arguments for doing so. Security and safety are significantly improved when systems can automatically detect every time somebody enters a high-risk area – a member of staff using a footpath to or from the car park, for example, or having a fall due to slippery conditions; or somebody loitering on a perimeter – so that events can be automatically flagged, locally or remotely, enabling fast and appropriate responses.
A winter upgrade to edge AI cameras can enable a more proactive and efficient security approach, while the same cameras also provide convenient after-hours automated detection of intruders, loitering, and line crossing at vulnerable points such as roof hatches, windows, doors, and perimeters.
Users should ensure their systems can capture crisp, clear footage even in darkness and poor weather conditions, but simple AI edge-camera upgrades with automated detection can also help security teams act more quickly on what they are seeing.
Read the full article in the November 2025 edition of PSi magazine
