September 2, 2008 -- DPS Telecom, a developer of network alarm monitoring systems, has released a new advisory titled "Copper Theft," a guide that teaches techniques for preventing copper theft in networks. The guide is available for free downloading in PDF format.
"Copper thieves just keep getting bolder," comments Eric Storm, president of DPS Telecom. "The copper wire they steal is expensive enough to replace, but the cost of network outages and repairs can be astronomical."
DPS rightly maintains that, over the last few years, copper theft has become a rapidly growing crime, affecting the telecom, transportation, power, utilities, and public safety industries, as well as others. The firm notes that the value of copper has risen dramatically, worth somewhere between $3 and $4 per pound (up from just 75 cents a few years ago). The firm notes that thieves are apt to steal the metal from just about anywhere, even installed network cabling. DPS suggests that while it's important to surveill activity at remote sites, sites with lots of copper are especially at risk.
"You're at the greatest copper theft risk at your unmanned sites," continues Storm. "They're in remote areas where no one is physically able to watch the site. Fortunately, you have several good choices for electronic surveillance."
DPS Telecom's Copper Theft Prevention Advisory discusses several specific solutions for detecting and stopping copper theft. Topics include motion sensors, IPvideo surveillance, network alarm monitoring gear, and others. Using expertise gained from successful network monitoring deployments around the globe, DPS says its engineering team has developed "a simple and highly effective" system for detecting copper theft attempts.
"You can't be everywhere at once," concludes Storm. "But you can deploy an effective monitoring system so you can swiftly respond. We've had cases where clients using our system alerted police of a copper theft in progress. The police were able to catch the criminals and stop the theft."
For more information about copper theft prevention systems from DPS Telecom, download the free "Copper Theft" advisory in PDF format at: www.dpstele.com/copper_theft_guide.
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