Three Installers Walked Away
The logistics company outside Bucharest operates a cold storage warehouse that runs at -25°C. Inside, pallets of frozen goods sit on steel racks reaching 15 meters high. Trucks arrive and depart around the clock.
The facility had no working security system.
Three previous security installers had been brought in. All three walked away. The challenges were not ones they could solve with standard equipment:
Standard PIR motion sensors stop working at low temperatures. The pyroelectric elements inside them are not rated for -25°C. In a deep-freeze environment, they either fail to detect movement or generate constant false alarms from thermal cycling as the cooling system kicks on and off.
Wired sensors meant drilling through freezer insulation panels. Every hole through an insulated panel compromises the thermal seal. Moisture gets in. Ice forms. The insulation degrades. The cooling system has to work harder. The energy bill goes up. The cold chain — the entire reason the facility exists — gets damaged.
Environmentally sealed sensors exist, but at prohibitive cost. Industrial-grade sensors with environmental housings cost three to four times more than standard security equipment and require specialized wiring back to a control panel. The cost and labor for a 600m² freezer space was not justifiable.
The facility manager had nearly given up on getting a security system at all.
The Roombanker Solution: Cold-Rated Sensors and 868 MHz Through Insulated Panels
The fourth installer took a different approach. He had been using Roombanker systems for residential projects and wondered whether the wireless approach could solve the cold storage problem where wired systems could not.
His solution used three components:
Cold-rated magnetic door sensors on the freezer envelope. The Roombanker Door/Window Magnetic Sensor is rated to -40°C (-40°F). These sensors detect door opening events at the critical entry points: the loading bay doors, the personnel access doors, and the emergency exits. The reed switch and magnet assembly is fully passive — no internal electronics are exposed to the cold environment.
PIR motion sensors in the ambient staging areas. The facility has intermediate zones maintained at 0 to 5°C where goods are sorted before entering the deep freeze. Standard PIR Motion Sensors operate reliably in these temperatures, covering the transition areas where theft risk is highest.
Hub placement in the loading zone. The Roombanker Hub was installed in the 0 to 5°C loading area. From this position, it was within signal range of both the freezer sensors and the ambient-zone PIRs. The Hub itself operates in temperatures from -10°C to 55°C, so the loading zone gave it ample thermal margin.
The 868 MHz RBF Protocol signal passed through the insulated freezer panels without issue. The panels are constructed with polyurethane foam insulation sandwiched between steel sheets — a composite material that typically reflects or absorbs standard wireless signals. The RBF Protocol, using a lower carrier frequency with better penetration physics, passed through reliably. In open air, the protocol is rated for 3,500 meters (2.17 miles). Through insulated panels, the signal maintained full strength across the 600m² freezer space.
Total installation time: 5 hours. Device pairing: 14 sensors in 18 minutes.
The Result: The First Security System That Worked in the Freezer
The system has been operational for eight months. The facility manager reports an average of 0.3 false alarms per month across all 14 devices. For context, the BSIA 2023 benchmark for commercial alarm systems reports an industry average of 1 to 2 false alarms per month per site.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Previous installers | 3 walked away |
| Installation time | 5 hours |
| Freezer operating temperature | -25°C |
| Sensor rating | -40°C (magnetic door sensors) |
| False alarms per month | 0.3 (BSIA 2023 benchmark: 1-2 per site) |
| Structural damage | Zero — no insulation panels penetrated |
| Signal penetration | Insulated freezer panels, no repeaters |
“Before Roombanker, we had accepted that the freezer zone would remain unsecured,” the facility manager said. “Three installers told us the same thing: drill through the panels or give up. The Roombanker installer was the first person who had an actual solution instead of a compromise.”
Based on the results at the first site, the logistics company is now rolling out Roombanker systems to three additional cold storage facilities across Romania. Each site has similar freezer configurations. The installer expects to complete each installation in under six hours.
What the Installer Says
“Cold storage is one of those environments where the security industry has accepted that wireless just does not work. Everyone assumes you need wired sensors with expensive environmental housings. But that assumption is based on Wi-Fi and Z-Wave, which genuinely struggle in these conditions.
“The 868 MHz RBF Protocol operates in a completely different frequency band with different physics. It goes through insulated panels the way Wi-Fi goes through drywall. The industry needs to update its assumptions about what wireless can do.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature rating do Roombanker sensors have?
The Door/Window Magnetic Sensor is rated to -40°C (-40°F). PIR Motion Sensors are rated for indoor ambient temperatures of 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F). For sub-zero environments, magnetic contact sensors at entry points are the recommended approach rather than PIR sensors in the cold zone.
Can standard PIR sensors work in cold storage?
Standard PIR sensors are typically rated to a minimum of 0°C. Below this temperature, the pyroelectric sensor element may fail to detect human heat signatures accurately or may generate false triggers from thermal cycling. In cold storage facilities, PIR sensors should be deployed only in ambient-temperature staging areas and offices.
Does the 868 MHz signal penetrate freezer insulation panels?
Yes. In testing at our 35,000m² manufacturing facility, the RBF Protocol maintained signal integrity through polyurethane foam panels with steel cladding up to 200mm thick. This covers the full range of standard cold storage panel construction used in European logistics facilities.
What is a normal false alarm rate for a commercial security system?
The BSIA (British Security Industry Association) 2023 benchmark reports 1 to 2 false alarms per month per site as the industry average for commercial alarm systems. The cold storage installation recorded 0.3 false alarms per month across 14 devices — significantly below the industry benchmark. Low false alarm rates reduce police dispatch costs and improve response reliability.
How do Roombanker sensors handle condensation in cold storage environments?
Cold storage creates condensation whenever doors open and warm air meets freezing surfaces. Roombanker sensors use conformal coating on internal circuit boards for moisture resistance. The sealed housings are rated for indoor use including high-humidity environments. In eight months of operation at the Bucharest facility, no moisture-related sensor failures have occurred.
Can the system expand to cover multiple cold storage rooms with different temperatures?
Yes. A single Roombanker Hub supports up to 128 devices. For facilities with multiple temperature zones — deep freeze at -25°C, chilled at 0 to 5°C, and ambient storage — sensors can be assigned to different groups within the RB Link app with zone-specific arming schedules and notification rules.
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Download our free guide to security system design for challenging industrial environments: cold storage facilities, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and logistics centers. Includes sensor selection guide by environment temperature, mounting recommendations for insulated panel construction, and signal planning for metal-rich environments.
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Want to discuss security for your industrial or cold storage facility? Contact your regional Roombanker distributor or speak with our technical team about your specific requirements.
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