Leading the way in gunshot detection

Accuracy in gunshot detection comes from requiring more than one independent physical signal before an alert fires. SDS sensors confirm both the acoustic muzzle blast and the infrared muzzle flash of a firearm discharge. If only one signal is present, no alert is generated. This dual-factor requirement filters out common false triggers including slammed doors, dropped objects, fireworks, and vehicle backfires, which typically produce an acoustic event without a corresponding infrared flash. Acoustic-only systems cannot make this distinction, which is why they generate significantly more false alerts.

Indoor gunshot detection is designed for occupied buildings, hallways, and enclosed spaces where acoustic complexity is high and detection speed is critical. The SDS Indoor Gunshot Detection System detects gunfire in under one second and maps the shot location on a facility floor plan. Outdoor gunshot detection addresses perimeter environments, parking lots, and open spaces where range, weather resistance, and direction-of-fire data matter. The SDS Outdoor Perimeter Sensor detects gunfire in under three seconds and adds shooter direction to the alert. Both products share the same dual-factor acoustic and infrared detection foundation and operate within the same SDS platform.

SDS maintains more than 50 certified integrations with leading video management systems, access control platforms, mass notification systems, and public safety platforms. Approximately 80% of these integrations are API-based, meaning they connect directly to your existing systems without relay devices or additional wiring. When a gunshot is verified, the system can simultaneously call up cameras to the shot location, initiate access control lockdowns, push mass notifications to staff and occupants, and route verified alert data to 911 dispatch. SDS functions as a force multiplier for the security infrastructure you have already invested in.

SDS indoor sensors detect and verify a gunshot in under one second and SDS outdoor sensors in under three seconds, entirely at the sensor, with no round trip to a server or cloud. The moment detection is confirmed, alerts go simultaneously to on-site security teams and, via ResponderLink, directly to 911 dispatch without requiring anyone to place a call. Dispatchers receive the facility address, a map of the shot location, and real-time event updates. Law enforcement arrives already informed of the precise location, which can meaningfully reduce the time between the first shot and an effective response.

No, our gunshot detection system does not record or monitor people. All detection processing occurs within the sensor itself, at the edge, before any data leaves the device. SDS sensors use purpose-built microphones engineered to detect only high-decibel, impulsive sounds. They cannot capture conversational audio. No audio file is created. No video is recorded by the sensor. The only data transmitted is a detection event, timestamp, and shot location. No personally identifiable information is collected or stored. This privacy-by-design architecture makes SDS well suited for regulated environments including healthcare facilities, financial institutions, and schools.

Dual-factor gunshot detection is a detection method that requires two independent physical signals, acoustic and infrared, to both be confirmed before any alert is generated. When a firearm is discharged, it produces a muzzle blast (acoustic) and a muzzle flash (infrared). SDS sensors must independently detect and validate both signals. Neither factor alone is sufficient. This is a hard architectural requirement built into the sensor’s processing logic, not a scoring system where multiple inputs are weighed against each other.

This distinction matters when evaluating competing claims. Some systems describe “tri-factor” or “multi-factor” detection but include machine learning sound analysis as one of their factors. Analyzing an acoustic signal three different ways is still acoustic detection. True multi-factor detection requires independent physical phenomena, not multiple analyses of the same signal. It also requires that the IR sensor actually perform verification work. A system that claims infrared detection but can also detect gunshots through walls is not using infrared to confirm a detection. It is using infrared as a supplementary input, not a required one.

SDS sensors require both acoustic and infrared confirmation on every detection, with no exceptions. This is why the system achieves fewer than 1 false alert per 5 million hours of sensor use, and why it can be trusted in acoustically complex environments where sound alone cannot reliably distinguish a gunshot from environmental noise.