If you’re not aware about this secret that the bad guys know, then you should read this. I was hesitant to post this article as it occured to me that criminals could use the information I’m about to type, to break in to properties. 
After giving it some thought, I decided that the determined bad guys already know this stuff and I’d rather empower property owners to mitigate the risk.
This secret way to gain access, is by using a section of the fence above a gate that does not trigger the alarm. This should not exist but sadly in many homes and offices, it does. This is an extremely common problem that I see and many property owners are either not aware that it exists or do not know how to deal with it.
There are two main ways that electric fence installers place fencing over sliding gates. The one way is to place the fence brackets directly onto the gate posts. This allows the gate to move freely underneath the fence. ie Independantly of the fence. It is ideal in certain circumstances but it can also create it’s own challenges. Firstly, it means that big trucks can’t go through the gate as they’ll wreck the fence. The other issue is that if the gate is too long, you’ll often get wires sagging due to to a lack of tension.
The most common solution to these issues is the second method of installation. This is where the electric fence is mounted directly onto the gate. It moves with the gate and it is connected to the rest of the fence via gate contacts. These are essentially 2 pins that slide into slots on the gate post. ( There are various systems available). This second method of working is where the trouble starts if burglars understand how it’s wired.
Unfortunately, many technicians are trained to connect both pins to the live wires, without adding an additional earth wire. This is theoretically great but it creates a practical problem. Due to there not being an earth wire on the gate, not only is the shock that the baddie gets less effective but the main issue is that it means the fence alarm will not trigger. ….
If you’ve read some of my other articles, you’ll realise what a big issue this is. One of the biggest advantages of electric fencing over most other types of fencing is the fact that it provides early warning. Amongst other things, this happens when a criminal pushes two wires together and your fence alarm activates. If your alarm is linked to armed response, then the good guys come to sort out the bad guys.
If your electric fence alarm doesn’t trigger due to there being no earth wire on the gate, then you have a big problem.
Now although I’ve done an electric fence installation course, I’m certainly not a fence technician. As a security management consultant, I needed to find a solution to this problem. I can not simply go to my clients and say there is a problem. I needed to find a way to mitigate the risk.
The first technician I asked, understood the problem but was not able to fix it. The next one was. We added an earth wire to the fence bracket on the gate and ran it directly into the gate. Problem solved!
I tested the fence repeatedly and we no longer had a problem. How this is not standard practice in the industry, is quite beyond me, however it is certainly a reality.
The scary thing is that I went round to sliding gates at various other sites that had been installed by different companies and found the exact same issue. It’s an incorrect, yet very common way of installing.
This small wiring issue may not be known to too many people, however for criminals it’s a fantastic way to get into your property without anyone knowing how they did so.
If the electric fence on top of your sliding gate has this wiring issue, sort it out chop chop or you may be left wondering how they baddies got in completely undetected.