The CarDefender: Securing a Van Dealership

This case study is provided by one of our professional installer customers. The company provides services to a full variety of properties and companies, providing home, commercial or retail security.

We recently helped a company that buys and sells second-hand vans, worth around £15,000 each and around £375,000 in total, to overcome significant security challenges using the CarDefender.

The company leases part of a larger premises shared with other businesses. Access to the site is via a shared main entrance, meaning traditional perimeter security was not an option as different on-site companies were coming and going at different times, and the landlord-provided main entrance gate was regularly breached. As a result, the business was extremely vulnerable to theft.

Adding to the challenge, the vans they deal with are in high demand. Sadly, there is strong market demand for illegal resale, whether the vans are sold as complete units or broken down into parts, making their site an attractive prospect for criminals.

Having experienced four van thefts over a short period of time, the company set out to hire a security installation company to find a solution that would work for their limited budget. They spoke with us and a number of our competitors, ultimately choosing our company to protect their premises as we were able to offer a one-of-a-kind solution that our competitors just couldn’t; the CarDefender.

The business already had a Pyronix Enforcer control panel installed in their office space, along with a few BatteryCams. A solution that worked with their current system was tremendously attractive to the customer as it allowed them to control all of their security solutions remotely in one place via HomeControl2.0.

We were able to add to their current system, installing two external PIR sensors in the yard and 25 CarDefenders across their fleet of vans.

Five of the CarDefenders installed were placed in Area 1 along with the intruder alarm; these vans were in use during the day, so the devices would only be set when the alarm system was activated, like in the evenings when the offices were closed.

The other 20 CarDefenders were installed in the company’s vans that sat in the yard until sold (usually only for a few days). These devices were placed in Area 2 and remained set all day and night, but could easily be deactivated should a van need to be moved. Additionally, when a van was sold, the device could quickly and easily be temporarily disabled to relocate it to a new vehicle as and when required.

Once installed, the customer was noticeably impressed with the aesthetics of the device as the bright yellow strap it comes with for mounting acted as another clear visual deterrent to potential thieves.

All the CarDefenders installed were set up as intruder zones, rather than switcher zones, this meant that any attempt to break into the vehicle was immediately signalled by the devices to the control panel and the alarm would sound, alerting anyone nearby, and also signalling directly to the user’s smart device via the HomeControl2.0.

The devices were activated on the lowest of the three sensitivity settings available and were set to trigger for tilt detection only to avoid any chance of false activation through high winds or other environmental changes, which can adversely affect high-sided vehicles such as vans.

Up to now, the company hasn’t experienced any false alarms or attempted thefts, which really reflects positively on the device’s performance and visual deterrence.

The CarDefender is truly a game-changer when it comes to expanding security solutions outside of the property. Its three selectable detection modes, numerous sensitivity settings and additional visual deterrence, played a significant role in securing our partnership with this company. By offering a product that effectively addressed a critical security concern for our client, we stood out in a way that other security companies just couldn’t match.

The success of this project has fuelled our enthusiasm for the CarDefender. We’re now actively introducing our existing residential and commercial customers to the device, as well as quoting it to prospective customers. Not only does the CarDefender offer us something unique, it also delivers on its promises. This kind of impactful and reliable solution is exactly what the security industry needs and we’re proud to be able to provide it.

The CarDefender is an award-winning combined technology device, having won Innovative Security Project of the Year at the BSIA Awards 2023. The device has also earned the Alarm/Detection Innovation runner-up spot at the 2023 Benchmark Awards, emphasising the importance of innovative solutions in vehicle security.

If you’d like to find out more about the CarDefender, please get in touch with your local Account Manager.