The Smoke Screen Pillars: Permanent, Deployable and Monitored Security Fog

Security fog has changed. So has the way we talk about it.

For years, the question we heard most was “which machine do I need?” The honest answer depended on things product marketing and information never told you: how large is the site, does the protected area change, is there mains power, will the system be regularly checked? So we have stopped making people work it out and created categories to help our clients all over the world find the fog solution that meets their needs in a simpler fashion.

Every Smoke Screen product now sits under one or more of three pillars: Permanent, Deployable and Monitored. Each one describes a different job a security fog system does. Every product carries a pillar badge, and some carry two. This article explains why you need a security fog system in the first place, what each pillar means, which products sit under it, and how to pick the right one for your site.

Whichever pillar you choose, the fog can be set off in the way that suits your site: by your intruder alarm, by a panic button your staff can press, remotely from an alarm receiving centre, through video analytics, after someone has verified the alarm, or by the unit’s own detector with no alarm system at all. Our alarm systems integration page explains how fog connects to the system you already have.

In brief:

• Permanent — fixed security fog generators wired into the building and armed every night. The Sentinel range, plus strobes, sounders and the Smoke Screen Interface.
• Deployable — security fog that goes where the risk is, with no fixed installation. Sentry, Rapid Deploy and Sentinel Go.
• Monitored — live visibility of your fog generators through Sentience, wherever they are and whatever type they are. Every current-generation Smoke Screen unit can connect.

Why you need a security fog system

Most security tells you about a crime. A security fog system stops it.

CCTV records what happened. An intruder alarm makes a noise and calls someone. Both matter, but neither stops a thief who knows they have a few minutes before anyone arrives. A security fog system works in those minutes. When the alarm confirms a break-in, the protected space fills with dense, harmless fog in seconds. The intruder cannot see the stock, the till or the way out. There is nothing to grab, so they leave with nothing.

The numbers explain why more businesses are asking about it:

• 5.5 million shop thefts in a year, costing UK retailers nearly £400 million, according to the British Retail Consortium’s Crime Report 2026. The BRC says the true cost is likely higher because many thefts go undetected, and it points to organised gangs targeting one store after another.
• 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day, with an average of 36 a day involving a weapon (same BRC report). Theft and violence are linked: the BRC cites Usdaw evidence that two-thirds of attacks on retail staff are triggered by theft or armed robbery.
• 519,516 shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales in the year to June 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics. That is only 2% down on the year before, after a long run of increases.
• A record £313 million spent on crime prevention by convenience retailers in a single year, according to the ACS Crime Report 2026, with 52% of retailers saying incidents involving organised crime groups have increased.

Businesses are already spending heavily on security. The question is whether that spend stops the loss or just records it. Security fog is one of the few measures that acts while the crime is happening, and it does it without putting a member of staff between the thief and the stock. Read more about why alarms on their own fall short in why intruder alarms are rubbish, and how fog compares with the alternatives in security smoke vs security fog.

The fog itself is non-toxic, leaves no residue and is safe around people, stock and electronics. Every Sentinel generator is built to EN50131:8 and IEC62642:8, the European and international standards for security fog.

Why we introduced the pillars

A security fog system does one thing very well: it fills a space with dense, harmless fog in seconds, so an intruder cannot see what they came to take. That part has not changed in more than thirty years.

What has changed is where and how fog gets used. It is no longer only used to protect banks, jewellery stores and high-value warehouses. It is wheeled into a chemist the morning after a break-in. It sits in a shipping container on a building site with no power. It continually reports data to a loss prevention manager, highlighting risk. Those are three different jobs, and the old way of listing products by size did not make that clear.

It is no longer a case of “what’s the volume of the space you want to protect? Then you need this fog machine.” That does not work any more. The problems are far more sophisticated now, and so are our solutions.

The pillars fix that. They group our range by what you need the system to do, not by model number. If you know your situation, the badge tells you where to look.

Pillar One: Permanent

This is where security fog started, and it is still the backbone of what we do.

A Permanent security fog system is a fixed installation. It is built into the site, connected to the intruder alarm, and armed every time the building is locked up. You do not deploy it when something goes wrong. It is already there, already armed and waiting.

The biggest strength of a Permanent system is that it is fitted to protect the exact space it is installed in. It is typically installed by a trained alarm engineer and may need some additional electrical work.

What sits under Permanent

The full Sentinel range of security fog generators:

• Sentinel SC20 — our most compact unit, for counters, kiosks, cash offices and small stockrooms
• Sentinel S35 and Sentinel S55 — for shops, offices and smaller rooms
• Sentinel S70 and Sentinel S100 — for larger retail floors, stockrooms and commercial spaces
• Sentinel S150 — our most powerful generator, with dual nozzles and high-velocity output for big, high-ceilinged spaces

Around them sit the add-ons that complete the system:

• Xenon Flash — a strobe that magnifies the disorienting effect of the fog
• Sound Barrier S3B — a sounder that adds noise to the confusion and alerts anyone nearby
• Smoke Screen Interface (SSI) — a keyswitch panel that shows system status and low fluid, and lets you run a test

Permanent in practice

An SC20 in a convenience store. Compact, installed behind the counter and working quietly every night. If someone forces the door after closing, the space fills with fog before they reach the till or the tobacco gantry. It protects the stock, and the people who serve it the next morning.

An S150 in a warehouse. Our largest unit, covering a big space full of high-value stock. Its high-velocity output means it can cover an area very quickly, and with twin nozzles that can be aimed independently, the fog can protect two areas more accurately and instantly too. See our warehouse security page for how sites like this are protected.

Different scale. Same principle. A Permanent system is protection you never have to think about, because it never stops working for you. Our guide to security fog standards explains what EN50131:8 and IEC62642:8 mean for a fixed installation.

Pillar Two: Deployable

No fixed install. No waiting on the build programme. No time to lose.

Fog is no longer limited to a permanent installation. Deployable products protect a space quickly, then move on when the job is done. They suit sites that have just been hit, sites that only exist for a few months, and businesses that want proper protection without the cost or complexity of wiring into an alarm.

If you have been searching for a temporary alarm system or a portable security alarm, this is the pillar to look at, with one difference: these do not just make a noise. They stop the intruder seeing anything.

What sits under Deployable

Three products, each built for a different kind of site.

Rapid Deploy — plug it in and it works. A stand-alone security fog generator with its own detector, armed and disarmed from a radio key fob. All it needs is a suitable plug socket; no engineer, no alarm integration. It is the go-to for small, independent retailers who want real protection without a full installation.

Example: a collectibles shop. Trading cards and collectibles are a growing target, and many of these shops are independent, with no budget for a wired system. Rapid Deploy gives them the same protection a national chain would have. We looked at this problem in detail in Pokémon card theft and trading card shop security.

Sentry — wheeled in after an attack. A self-contained unit in a rugged flight case. Roll it in, plug it in, point it where the risk is. Sentry is deliberately visible, which deters on its own. It has a camera fitted for event capture and a 4G modem for cloud connectivity, so it captures an image and fires fog in one unit: CCTV and a response together. Sentry has the same fog output as Rapid Deploy, with a more advanced set of features.

Example: a chemist. After a break-in, a pharmacy cannot wait weeks for a permanent system to be specified and fitted. Sentry protects staff and stock from day one while longer-term measures are planned.

Sentinel Go — no mains supply needed. Our battery-powered security fog generator. It can run on batteries alone, trickle-charged from a suitable supply, or fully powered from a mains socket. Because it needs no fused spur, it goes where other generators cannot. Read more in battery-powered security fog: Sentinel Go.

Example: a storage container. Tools, plant and materials on a construction site or farm are easy pickings, and there is rarely power on hand. Sentinel Go protects the contents, then moves to the next job when this one is finished. Our farm and agricultural security page covers similar remote sites.

Different sites. Same principle. Protection that arrives when you need it, not when the build programme allows. Wherever the risk goes, fog follows.

Pillar Three: Monitored

Protection is only as good as your confidence that it works.

A fog generator that has run out of fluid, lost mains power or been tampered with looks exactly the same from the outside as one that is ready to fire. For a single shop that might mean a monthly check. For a retailer with hundreds of stores, or an installer maintaining sites across the country, it is a real problem. A Monitored system solves it: you have eyes on your whole estate, all the time.

It is also becoming the first question we get asked. When we present to large retailers, monitoring now often comes up before anything else.

What sits under Monitored

Sentience is our online command centre for fog generators. One dashboard, with a simple traffic-light view: green for OK, orange for a warning, red for critical. Live updates show what is armed, what is online and what needs attention.

Sentience reports:

• fluid levels
• mains failure
• low battery
• tamper alerts
• activations

Everything in one place, in real time, from one site to a full national estate. Installers can configure and commission systems remotely, and event logs can be downloaded without a site visit. Our Using Sentience guide walks through the dashboard.

Sentience connects outbound only, using a single outbound connection (TCP port 8883), so there is no need to open up firewalls on the customer’s network. It is built to scale, with capacity for more than 10,000 sites.

Node 4G is the wireless 4G router that connects IP-enabled fog generators to Sentience where there is no suitable network on site.

You do not need new kit

This is the part that surprises people. Every current-generation Smoke Screen fog generator can talk to Sentience. Fit an IP card and it is connected. Installing an IP card is covered on our support site, and the Machine Identifier shows which models are IP Ready. Sentry is monitored as standard.

That is why Monitored is the pillar that runs across the others. A Permanent Sentinel can be monitored. A Deployable Sentry is monitored. The badge simply tells you so.

For installers, it means fewer unnecessary visits. For security managers, it means an estate you know is ready before it is tested. See remote monitoring for more.

Which pillar fits your site?

Choosing a security fog system starts with your situation, not the model number. Use this as a starting point and get in touch with us today if you need any help.

FAQ

Why do I need a security fog system?

Because CCTV and alarms record and report a crime, but they do not stop it. A security fog system fills the protected space with dense, harmless fog within seconds of a confirmed break-in, so the intruder cannot see anything to take. With 5.5 million shop thefts a year in the UK (BRC Crime Report 2026), it is one of the few measures that acts while the crime is happening.

What are the Smoke Screen pillars?

Three categories that describe what a Smoke Screen product does: Permanent (fixed security fog installations), Deployable (fog that can be moved to wherever the risk is) and Monitored (live visibility of fog generators through Sentience). Every product carries at least one pillar badge.

Can a product belong to more than one pillar?

Yes. Sentry, for example, is both Deployable and Monitored. Any current-generation Sentinel generator fitted with an IP card is both Permanent and Monitored.

Which Smoke Screen products are deployable?

Three: Sentry, Rapid Deploy and Sentinel Go. Sentry is a wheeled unit with a camera and 4G, Rapid Deploy is a plug-in stand-alone unit, and Sentinel Go runs on batteries.

Do I need new fog generators to use Sentience monitoring?

No. Every current-generation Smoke Screen fog generator can connect to Sentience once an IP card is fitted. Sentry is monitored as standard.

How is a Smoke Screen fog generator triggered?

Most are triggered by the intruder alarm, with an optional hold-off detector in the protected room to confirm someone is there before fog fires. They can also be fired by a dedicated panic button, remotely from an alarm receiving centre, through video analytics, or after an intruder has been verified on camera. Rapid Deploy and Sentry work without an alarm system, using their own detector and key fob.

Is security fog safe?

Yes. Smoke Screen fog is non-toxic and leaves no residue. It obscures vision for an intruder without harming people, stock or electronics. Ventilate the space after activation and normal operations resume.

Right unit, right space

Every site is different, and we would rather talk it through than guess. Tell us what you are protecting and we will tell you which pillar, and which product, fits. Contact Smoke Screen to book a demonstration, read how security fog works, or browse the full product range.

Can’t see it, can’t steal it.