Oskar Strøm, a renowned expedition leader, heads film expeditions in Svalbard. These expeditions focus on documenting polar bears in their natural Arctic habitat. To capture unique footage, the film crew lives in extreme conditions: enduring very low temperatures, residing in small sleeping pods, and positioning themselves in close proximity to polar bears. Strøm required a solution to secure the camp and protect his team and valuable equipment from polar bears wandering around searching for food.
Challenge
Living next to polar bears in Svalbard to film them presents unique safety risks for Oskar Strøm’s crew. Hungry polar bears often dare into human camps to search for food and can threaten crew members or damage valuable equipment. Moreover, the lack of infrastructure necessitates generators, increasing fire risks. The crew’s compact sleeping pods create concerns about carbon monoxide buildup. This combination of wildlife threats, fire hazards, and potential CO poisoning in a remote Arctic location demands a comprehensive and reliable security solution capable of simultaneously addressing multiple risks in extreme conditions.
Designlarm’s task was to develop a system to detect polar bear intrusions and alert the crew immediately. The solution had to protect personnel and expensive equipment, including generators and filming gear, while also including fire and carbon monoxide detection. The system needed to be easy and intuitive to install, requiring minimal maintenance, and capable of operating without laid cables or constant internet connectivity.
This comprehensive security setup had to function effectively and self-sufficiently in Svalbard’s harsh environment, where technical support is not readily accessible.
Solution
Designlarm chose the Ajax system for Oskar Strøm’s expeditions for its versatility, reliability, and intuitiveness. The Ajax ecosystem offers a comprehensive range of products that address all the expedition’s security needs. The system’s wireless operation was crucial for covering the camp area, where sleeping pods are spread out, and there are no structures for cable attachment. This wireless capability allowed for flexible placement of devices across the entire site, ensuring protection without the need for complex wiring.
The security system for the Arctic expedition is built around Hub 2 Plus Jeweller. This control panel uses Ajax proprietary radio protocols Jeweller to ensure reliable communication between all devices without leaning on internet access. This feature is crucial in the Arctic, where 2G/3G/4G coverage is nonexistent, and the team relies on limited and expensive Starlink internet access. Thanks to reliable two-way communication, Hub 2 Plus Jeweller receives alarms from detectors and delivers them to users. This ensures no alarm will be missed, guaranteeing protection even without Wi-Fi or cellular communication. At the same time, occasional internet connections allow for system updates. Powered by 12-24V PSU (type A), the Ajax hub operates on low-voltage sources instead of relying on a standard power grid, which is absent in remote Svalbard.
Four DualCurtain Outdoor Jeweller detectors are placed around the camp’s perimeter to guard the camp against polar bear intrusions. Each device features two narrow-angle motion detectors facing opposite directions and providing a total detection range of up to 30 meters (15 meters in each direction). This way, the bear’s approach will be registered in advance, not on the doorsteps of the sleeping pods. The viewing angle can be adjusted by 3 degrees horizontally on each side, eliminating blind spots and ensuring comprehensive coverage. To minimize false alarms caused by snow or small animals, the detectors use a software algorithm that analyzes signals from IR sensors. When triggered, DualCurtain Outdoor Jeweller detectors send alarms to indoor and outdoor sirens, effectively alerting the crew if a polar bear enters the camp.
MotionCam Outdoor (PhOD) Jeweller detectors serve as a second line of defense and provide motion detection with visual verification of alarms. When a polar bear crosses the perimeter, monitored by DualCurtain Outdoor Jeweller detectors, the system immediately triggers an alarm. While the bear moves around the camp, the built-in camera from MotionCam Outdoor (PhOD) Jeweller takes a series of photos, which the crew can see in the Ajax app within 9 seconds when connection to the internet is available. This visual verification allows the team to monitor the bear’s actions and exact location within the camp.
Indoor and outdoor sirens were installed in the camp to alert the team of security violations and deter curious or aggressive polar bears. HomeSiren Jeweller devices are installed inside sleeping pods to quickly wake the crew if a polar bear breaches the camp perimeter. The sirens provide immediate notification of danger and are impossible to ignore. StreetSiren Jeweller devices are deployed for external alerting. They serve a dual purpose: warn the crew about an intrusion and aim to deter approaching polar bears thanks to a tone. StreetSiren can produce a sound of up to 113 dB, lasting up to 3 minutes.
The Ajax SpaceControl Jeweller key fob is an essential component of Oskar Strøm’s security system. This compact device allows control of the alarm system even without the internet. With the key fob, users can arm, disarm, set night mode, or trigger an alarm manually. Its impressive 1,300-meter connection range to the hub ensures system control from various points around the camp.
In addition to the threat of polar bears, the expedition team faced the invisible danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. This risk is high in their small, tightly sealed sleeping pods, where CO can quickly accumulate to dangerous levels. To address this issue, Designlarm installed FireProtect 2 (Heat/Smoke/CO) Jeweller detectors. They have a built-in siren and LED indicator to alert when a sensor detects a threatening CO level. The detector is always active and reacts 24/7, regardless of the system’s security mode. In addition, the detector will also alert the team of the fire. Its unique smoke chamber doesn’t require regular cleaning, while a dual-spectrum sensor differentiates smoke from steam, reducing false alarms.
The Ajax security system has demonstrated remarkable durability and reliability even in extreme Arctic conditions. Despite being rated for temperatures down to –40 °C, the system operated effectively at –45 °C. Over 1.5 months, outdoor devices such as DualCurtain Outdoor Jeweller, MotionCam Outdoor (PhOD) Jeweller, and StreetSiren Jeweller have been operating without issues in these severe conditions. The only notable effect of extreme cold was faster battery drainage, which is expected at such low temperatures. However, this wasn’t a significant issue as the system informs users about low battery levels in advance. Anticipating this challenge, the expedition team had prepared by bringing an ample supply of spare batteries.
Why Ajax
- Performance surpassing expectations. Ajax devices have demonstrated exceptional reliability in the harsh Arctic conditions and outperformed their specified operational parameters. They provided dependable protection against polar bear encounters and other potential threats in one of the world’s most challenging environments.
- Reliable operation without constant connectivity. An Ajax security system functions effectively without continuous connection to the internet. Hub 2 Plus Jeweller maintains communication between all devices and continues to process and respond to alarms even when there is no internet connection.
- System mobility and ease of installation. One person managed to install and configure the entire system using the intuitive Ajax app. The whole process is fast and does nor require specialised tools.
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Editor, Security Portfolio
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