The evolution of electronic fences can be roughly divided into three stages:
(1) First Stage: Electronic fences originated in mobile pastures in England. For grazing purposes, herders would simply run a wire with direct current to create a simple electronic fence, allowing livestock to roam within a certain area. In post-war Europe, animal husbandry played a significant role in agriculture, and the large market demand for livestock spurred the development and promotion of electronic fences. Cattle and sheep would retreat when stopped by the electric shock of the electronic fence, effectively acting as "shepherds" and preventing large animals or predators from entering the enclosure. This significantly promoted the development of animal husbandry at the time, and it continues to play a significant role in some countries with well-developed animal husbandry.
(2) Second Stage: With the development and deepening of the entire electronic fence industry, product accessories and types have increased. In the mid-to-late 1990s, intelligent perimeter security alarm systems with blocking and alarm functions began to be used professionally in the field of public safety. These systems had alarm functions for open circuits, short circuits, and power failures, while also retaining the safety blocking function of electronic fences. This product fully considers human initiative and intelligence, accurately identifying various situations such as unintentional touch, intentional damage, and illegal intrusion, making it a better choice for current perimeter security projects.
(3) Third Stage: As people's requirements for product performance and functionality increase, products need to be more user-friendly, and products with more functions are emerging. Second-stage products have a constant output pulse voltage. Therefore, when the perimeter length changes, the voltage at the front end will be too high or too low depending on the perimeter length. Also, when the product is installed in villas or residential areas with low walls, there is a risk of accidental shock to children or nearby staff during the day. Based on these problems, more advanced products have emerged that can adjust the output voltage and set high-voltage and safety modes. When switched to safety mode, there is no electric shock sensation when touching the electronic cables, but an alarm signal will still be emitted if the cables are damaged. At the same time, some products in this stage also have remote control and long-distance operation functions, providing better products for large-scale application in villas and residential areas.
(4) Fourth Stage: With the gradual deepening of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the security industry, most perimeter alarm systems still rely on front-end alarms and single-device control and management, lacking the ability to link systems, resulting in a "decentralized management" state for security systems. Networked electronic fences emerged as a solution. Their main node devices-the full-network electronic fence host, intelligent control terminal, and management software-can all be directly connected to the Ethernet, allowing users to monitor the electronic fence via the network, achieving real-time information transmission, data interaction, and remote monitoring. The networking and integration of products in the fourth stage reached a relatively mature level, featuring flexible solutions, simple construction, cost savings, and stable transmission.
(5) Fifth Stage: While the pulse electronic fence industry is booming, two fatal technical flaws have plagued industry practitioners for years: single-line contact with the network does not trigger an alarm, and bypass bridging does not trigger an alarm, posing safety hazards to users. Market demand has spurred innovative perimeter security products. The fifth-stage pulse electronic fence product, based on a full network, adopts the Smart DEC intelligent algorithm (full name "anti-equipotential bonding technology"), solving the technical loophole of bypass bridging in electronic fence products on the market. It has achieved four alarm modes: single-line contact alarm, bypass alarm, short circuit alarm, and open circuit alarm, which comprehensively improves the security performance of electronic fences. The development and application of electronic fence technology has entered the next milestone era.
