S3 Ingeniería
ES

CCTV · Intruder alarms · Access control · Security network

Physical security engineering for Grades 3 and 4. And the network that connects it.

We design CCTV, intrusion and access control, and the network that carries every image, alarm and access event. The licensed security company you choose installs, connects and certifies; we check that what was designed is what gets built.

  • The design, in writing.
  • We do not sell the equipment we specify.
  • The licensed company you choose carries it out.
Tell us about your project Follow the data

The data journey

From the sensor to the person who decides. Every stage, designed.

Follow an image, an alarm and an access event from the moment they are generated until someone acts. Every stage has a typical failure and a design decision that prevents it.

Skip the journey
Video Alarm Access Network

  1. 01 · Capture

    Every camera, sized for what it has to identify.

    Typical failure
    Cameras chosen by megapixels: you can see someone, but you cannot identify anyone.
    In the design
    For each camera we set the level of detail it needs in each zone, from a general overview to identifying a person, and at what distance, expressed as pixel density. That determines the lens, resolution, mounting height and lighting.

    EN IEC 62676-4

  2. 02 · Transport

    One cable, two directions. Power is calculated, not assumed.

    Typical failure
    Switches with no power headroom: when the infrared comes on at night, the cameras start rebooting.
    In the design
    We calculate the worst-case PoE draw on every port, the headroom on each switch and the UPS runtime. It is set down in the calculation annex of the technical report.

    PoE · IEEE 802.3at/bt

  3. 03 · Detect

    Make the system notice when someone tries to blind it.

    Typical failure
    Detectors without anti-masking: covering them before going in is enough.
    In the design
    At Grades 3 and 4 we specify detectors with anti-masking, supervision of every device and zones laid out from the risk analysis.

    EN 50131 · Order INT/316/2011

  4. 04 · Authorise

    The grade is achieved by the whole system, not by the reader.

    Typical failure
    Readers connected over Wiegand: the credential travels unencrypted along the cable and can be copied.
    In the design
    We specify encrypted communication between reader and controller (OSDP with a secure channel), credentials with strong encryption and anti-passback rules.

    EN 60839-11-1 · OSDP

  5. 05 · Segment

    Your team sees the camera. The camera does not see your network.

    Typical failure
    Cameras, recorder and office computers on the same network, and cameras connected to the manufacturer's cloud without anyone having decided so.
    In the design
    The design puts video, intrusion, access control, management and office on separate networks, with explicit rules between them. Remote access comes in over VPN only; no camera, recorder or panel is exposed to the internet.

    VLAN · IEEE 802.1X · Flow matrix

  6. 06 · Record

    Recordings stay on site.

    Typical failure
    Recorders reachable from the internet with the factory password.
    In the design
    We define where footage is recorded, how long it is kept, who can view and export each image and which areas are masked for privacy. Only what the design authorises leaves the site, and it leaves encrypted.

    Data protection · Retention

  7. 07 · Decide

    Image, alarm and door, on the screen of the person who decides.

    Typical failure
    A single communication path to the alarm receiving centre (ARC): if it is cut, nobody receives the alert.
    In the design
    We design how video, intrusion and access control come together at the client's operator workstation. Where the site must connect to an alarm receiving centre, because the regulations or the insurer require it, we design the transmission over supervised paths to the ARC of the licensed security company you contract.

    EN 50136

    • Designs S3
    • Installs, connects and certifies the licensed security company
    • Operates your team

  8. 08 · The design

    All of this, in writing.

    It is the basis you tender on, the one the licensed company can adopt to draft its installation design, and the one any auditor can review.

    • Technical report
    • Drawings
    • Bill of quantities
    • Specification
    • Network flow matrix
    • Test protocol
    Tell us about your project

Reference standards

What brought you here?

Our insurer or the regulations require Grade 3 and we do not know what to ask for.Grades and design Every installer offers us their own brand and there is no way to compare.Tendering and technical supervision The cameras are on the same network as the office.Security system network Nobody has reviewed the system since it was installed.Audit and grade compliance

Services

One specialism, five services.

We design the security system and the network that carries it to the same criteria and in the same document.

01

Electronic security design

CCTV · Intrusion · Access · Grades 2 to 4

CCTV, intrusion and access control designed from the risk analysis, with the documentation needed to go to tender.

When to call us
New build, extension or refurbishment, or when your insurer or the regulations require a grade.
What you receive
Technical report, drawings, bill of quantities and specification.

Video surveillanceIntrusionAccess controlScope (PDF)

02

Security system network

Video · Alarms · Access

The network that carries images, alarms and access events: segmentation, PoE, backup power, secure remote access and rules between networks.

When to call us
The cameras share a network with the office, you are about to grant remote access, or nobody knows what is exposed to the internet.
What you receive
Network architecture, flow matrix and configuration requirements that can be verified.

The security system networkScope (PDF)

03

Audit and grade compliance

Existing installations

We review what is installed against the real risk and the required grade, including the network, and prioritise what to fix.

When to call us
You inherit an installation, change the use of the building or are asked to demonstrate a grade.
What you receive
Findings report and prioritised remediation plan.

04

Tendering and technical supervision

Comparable bids · FAT/SAT testing

We prepare the tender documents, compare bids against the same design and supervise the works against it.

When to call us
You are about to request bids, or you want someone independent to verify the works.
What you receive
Technical comparison, supervision reports, factory and site test protocols, and review of the final documentation.

05

Critical operators and Grade 4

Critical infrastructure · High risk

We design the systems of high-risk installations and turn their protection plan into verifiable requirements, together with the organisation's security manager.

When to call us
Critical infrastructure, explosives stores, cash and valuables depots and other high-risk installations.
What you receive
Design, requirements specification and acceptance criteria.

Who does what

We design. The licensed company installs and certifies. You decide.

S3 Ingeniería

  • Risk analysis
  • Technical design and specification
  • Bid comparison
  • Technical supervision and testing

Licensed security company

  • Supply and installation
  • Installation design and certificate
  • Connection to the ARC
  • Maintenance

Your organisation

  • Decides the risk it accepts
  • Chooses the installer
  • Operates the system every day

Why it works this way: Spain's Private Security Act (Law 5/2014) reserves the installation and maintenance of systems connected to alarm receiving centres or to control or video surveillance centres for licensed security companies (art. 5.1.f), and places planning, consultancy and advice outside its scope (art. 6.1.d). Our role is engineering: designing and supervising on the client's behalf.

Security grades

Grades, without the jargon.

The regulation sets the minimum grade. The risk analysis decides where to reinforce.

GradeRiskApplies toWhat we do
1LowAlarm systems with audible signalling that will not be connected to an alarm receiving centre.Out of scope
2Low to mediumHomes and small establishments, shops and industrial premises in general that intend to connect to an alarm receiving centre.Design
3Medium to highEstablishments obliged to have security measures, and other commercial or industrial premises that, because of their activity or other circumstances, are required to connect to an alarm receiving centre.Design, audit and technical supervision
4HighCritical infrastructure, military installations, sites storing regulated explosives, and security companies that store cash, valuables, precious metals, hazardous materials or explosives.Design and requirements specification

Summary of article 2 of Spain's Order INT/316/2011. It does not replace the official text.

What changes in the design at each grade

Judgement is measured by what changes.

Results from S3 projects. Client identities are confidential. See the case studies in detail.

Industry · Grade 3

−22%

in cost against the initial budget

Before After

Independent by structure.

We charge for the engineering

Our fees pay for the design and the supervision. We do not sell the equipment we specify, and our fees do not grow with the value of the installation.

Requirements, not a catalogue

We specify by performance: recordings that stay on site, firmware with declared support and operation that does not depend on the manufacturer's servers. Several brands can meet it, so the bids can be compared.

Implementation-ready documentation

The scope, specifications and acceptance criteria let you contract and supervise whoever carries out the work.

How we start.

Questions before we start.

Do you install or sell equipment?

No. We design and supervise. Supply, installation, connection to an ARC and certification are the responsibility of the licensed security company you contract.

Can you work with my installer?

Yes. If you already have a licensed company you trust, it can implement the design. If you want to compare, the same specification lets you request bids from several.

What is the difference between Grade 2, 3 and 4?

The grade indicates the level of risk the system is designed for and sets requirements for detection, supervision and transmission. Order INT/316/2011 assigns Grade 3 to establishments obliged to have security measures and to installations that must connect to an ARC, and Grade 4 to critical infrastructure and other high-risk installations.

Why do you also cover the network?

Because today the image, the alarm and the access event all travel over the network. If it is not segmented, a camera can become the way into the rest of the company, and an exposed recorder can leak images.

How long does a design take?

It depends on the scope, the documentation available and the site access required. We agree the schedule in the proposal; we do not confuse design time with installation time.

Before choosing equipment, let's define the risk.

Tell us which installation you need designed or reviewed. The first conversation lasts 30 minutes, is with an engineer and is free of charge.

One email is enough. Tell us in three lines:

  1. Which installation you want designed or reviewed.
  2. Which grade is required, if you know.
  3. When you need it resolved.

We reply from this same address with a first outline of the scope. We use your details only to answer your enquiry and, if you ask for one, to prepare a proposal. Privacy.

Tell us about your project