[en] The instruments technologies for radiological protection of the environment have been considerably enhanced since the last 20 years. From very simple warning bells in the early 80s, the instruments have been sophisticated nowadays to a degree where their performances can be compared to the performances achieved in low level laboratories. This presentation will briefly overview the evolution of these instruments by comparing their technology, their methodology and their performances. Next, it will present the concepts of the state of the art technology in the field of continuous monitoring of the environment. A discussion will follow on the performances and the limitations of this technology. Finally, the presentation will highlight the future perspective of developments by taking into account recent progress in the field of radiation detectors, telecommunication and computer sciences among others. (authors)