Technologies change the way we work and live. Their development has an influence on our professional and private lives.

In the not so distant past, alarm systems were installed to inform security companies of a burglary on time. Nowadays, the installed systems are key parts of entire systems that combine automatic protection against various types of threats, video surveillance and smart home features. All of the above can be done with the use of transmitters.

Connectivity, however, is undergoing evolutionary changes in most parts of the world, and in selected areas, it is a real leap forward. However, we still observe different data transfer frequency from 2G to 4G in different parts of the world.

2G – 2nd Generation, or simply second generation had its beginnings in 1991. Its predecessor, the 1G network, which was deployed in the early 1980s, was based on analog technology that actually isn’t used by the operators anymore. The 2G network guaranteed better coverage and higher call quality, it also ensured the possibility of data transmission at speeds reaching 50 kbps (after upgrades up to 1 Mbps). Nowadays,  it is a speed that makes it almost impossible to use the Internet in any form, but in the days when 2G was implemented, no one thought about using the network access on the phone, and for calls and texting such a transfer was more than enough. It is worth mentioning that 2G transmitters are still active today, and in the areas where newer technologies do not reach or work worse, one can still use 2G. However, there are fewer and fewer such places, and therefore it is planned to slowly shut down the entire 2G network.

The next standard was 3G (analogous name, 3rd Generation), and it enabled almost unlimited network access, initially with speeds of 14 Mbps and after many upgrades, of up to 28 Mbps. The first 3G network was launched in 2001 in Japan. It was a real revolution that made it possible to use the Internet from any place in the world. The 3G network is still widely used. Currently, it covers more than 90% of the area of Poland and nearly 99% of the country’s population. In contrast, the fourth generation (4G) was first used commercially as early as in 2009 in Scandinavia. It gave the possibility of transferring data with speeds often unattainable for stationary Internet connections – in theory of up to 300 Mbps, in practice,  the achieved values depend on many factors and are usually lower. However, it can be said without a shadow of a doubt that the 4G network provides the fastest and best quality data transfer. LTE is also often mentioned in the context of 4G networks. This is the name of the data transfer standard used by 4G networks. It’s also worth noting that 4G LTE is an evolving technology, with hundreds of new transmitters added every year, which makes high-speed data available to more and more people.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the 5G network which is neither the first nor the last generation of mobile networks, yet it is considered a breakthrough. However, the breakthrough associated with the deployment of 5G network will not happen overnight. The changes we will observe are more likely to be gradual. The first 5G network deployments are mainly offered to consumers, by fulfilling the service assumptions for the so-called  eMBB category. However, many services are still in the project or pilot phase, especially in industry.

The promise of 5G has drawn the attention of business leaders, decision-makers and manufacturers of security systems and business automation solutions. The interesting thing, anyway, is how much of this promise is likely to be implemented in the near future?

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to cause major delays in the deployment of 5G networks around the world. However, these delays may vary depending on regions. In the United States, the deployment has managed to maintain its current pace, albeit with some regional setbacks. While Europe should experience major delays, other regions such as China could record significant growth. Nevertheless, devices capable of supporting the fifth generation networks are already beginning to appear on the market.

While there is a lot of talk about the 5G network, we are witnessing another change right next to this key technology in mobile connectivity. The era of Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax, has begun. The next generation of Wi-Fi isn’t just about faster transfers – it is a change that will affect the way we use the Internet on our devices at home, work, and in public places. The first devices are hitting the market soon.

In the case of products offered by the EBS company, universality of our transmitters, which is based on the fact that they use all available mobile telephony technologies from 2G to 4G as well as local computer WiFi networks (wireless – WX2NB) and Ethernet (wired – EPX series), should be emphasised.
With our own R&D department, we are prepared to develop our devices and adjust them to the 5G technology as soon as the it becomes a proven and globally accepted trend.

It is worth noting that EBS transmitters – LX20 4G, EPX400 4G and other 3G transmitters have full range and remote connection from the monitoring station in order to reduce operating costs and increase competitiveness.

A very important element that we can observe globally is the Connected World, a global trend that plays an extremely important role in the security industry. The traditional alarm system, with a keypad and function dedicated only to the protection without any interaction between the end customer and the smart home alarm system, are slowly disappearing from the market. End customers demand more from alarm systems than they did even 5-10 years ago. The system should be expanded e.g. by a mobile app as the main connection between the alarm system and the end user.

EBS offers the EBS Install T, and soon also EBS Config 2.0, mobile application for installers, but also EBS Security for the end user, which thanks to a universal communicator gives the possibility of managing the alarm system even of other manufacturers from any place on earth.