Building and perimeter protection
Perimeter systems such as access control and video surveillance are often exposed and particularly susceptible to lightning-related damage. A failure can create critical security gaps. With DEHN, you can reliably protect your outdoor installations – ensuring maximum security and compliant operation.
Integrating surge protection from the very beginning of your planning helps you minimise technical and economic risks. We support you throughout the process.
The risks:
Overvoltages caused by lightning events or switching operations are coupled in via power, data and control lines.
The consequences:
Disruptions such as false alarms, blocked access points, or the failure of central monitoring structures can interrupt building operations and significantly impair the safety of individuals. As a result, operators face additional organisational effort as well as legal pressure.
Our solution:
Securing system boundaries: Our protection concept secures all relevant inputs and outputs of the systems – from camera systems and alarm and signalling technology to access control and power supply – reliably and in a practical, coordinated manner. This ensures that signal quality, surge protection, safe discharge paths, and transparent system monitoring are maintained at all times.
Added value for your planning
Our expertise can help you take a systematic approach to planning safety and security. The only way to provide secure interfaces is by fully understanding the security architecture. We help you close skills gaps, assess risks at all interfaces and implement protection concepts reliably and in accordance with standards.
FAQs
Lightning strikes and power surges pose a significant risk to the availability of systems using safety technology. Perimeter security systems in particular (e. g. fencing, CCTV cameras, access control systems, turnstiles, single-pass systems, etc.) contain many exposed components installed outdoors. Under the KRITIS Framework Act, operators must implement technical measures to ensure resilience – this includes protection against natural events such as lightning strikes. A failure of these systems can directly lead to security vulnerabilities in the outer protective ring.
The KRITIS Framework Act focuses in particular on the physical resilience of critical infrastructure, whilst NIS2 addresses digital safety. Both demand:
- Carrying out risk analyses
- Implementation of technical protection measures in accordance with the ‘state of the art’
- Comprehensive protection concepts (physical and digital)
Lightning and surge protection forms part of the structural and technical measures taken to minimise risk and safeguard the infrastructure.
Typical risks include:
- Direct lightning strikes on towers, fences or cameras
- Overvoltage ingress via energy and data lines
- Electromagnetic interference (LEMP)
- Potential differences between outdoor installations and buildings
These can lead to malfunctions, system failures or even a complete failure of the perimeter security system. A standard-compliant protection concept therefore combines an external lightning protection system with internal surge protection.
An effective protection concept includes:
- External lightning protection system (air-termination rods, down conductors, earthing)
- Lightning equipotential bonding at boundaries
- Multi-level SPD concept (Types 1–3) for energy and information technology
- Lightning Protection Zone (LPZ) concept for structured risk minimisation
Only by combining all these measures can comprehensive protection that is standard-compliant be achieved.
The lightning protection zoning concept (e. g . The ‘onion skin principle’(in the context of KRITIS) structures the installation into different protection zones– from the outer perimeter to the highly critical core.
In terms of perimeter security, this means:
- Exposed outdoor areas = highest risk
- Points of entry into the building = critical boundaries
- Transitions within the interior of the building (zone 1 to 2)
- Strict isolation when laying cables (free from lightning current / carrying lightning current)
- Strict isolation in cable routing (energy and information technology)
- Graduated protection measures are required to increase availability
The zoning concept ensures systematic planning and greater fail-safety.
Security systems (e. g. CCTV, access control, burglar alarm systems) rely heavily on electronics and are therefore susceptible tosurges.
Without appropriate protection measures, there is a risk of:
- undetected system failures
- False alarms
- Loss of the monitoring function
- High costs arising from appropriate alternative measures (patrols and security services)
- Economic loss due to production downtime
As KRITIS requirements explicitly address the availability of critical systems, lightning and surge protection is becoming a key component of modern security concepts.
Yes – the installation orientation (‘protected / unprotected’) MUST be observed. This is not merely a minor detail, but is crucial to the effectiveness of the entire surge protection system, particularly in perimeter security.
Surge protection devices (SPDs) are designed to:
- Conducting partial lightning currents from the unprotected side (outdoor area)
- and divert them in a controlled manner towards the protected area (indoor area)
If the installation direction is reversed:
- the protective effect does not work properly
- this may result in additional coupling of interference energy
- in extreme cases, this puts the system to be protected at even greater risk
No – as, according to the product standard, they must be able to operate multiple times without destruction. However, it is strongly recommended that the relevant surge protection modules be checked (visual inspection of the operating state indication, checking for mechanical damage and, where necessary, carrying out a functional test using a diagnostic module).
Exchange at:
- Trigger (fault indication)
- unknown load
- security-critical applications (e. g . KRITIS, perimeter security)
Safely standard-compliant
Our solutions and products comply with IEC 61643-11 and Part 21. Learn more about the requirements and how you can meet them with our solutions. Further specifications on the safety of people, animals and technology are contained in the IEC 62305 series of standards, as well as national standards, regulations and laws.
