If you have recently passed by a construction jobsite, a Walmart parking lot, or a vacant property, the chances are you have seen a solar surveillance trailer and wondered what it is, what it does, and how it works.
Through our years within the industry, we’ve built extensive knowledge around the successful security measures businesses can deploy to protect their sites against crime, intrusion and other security risks.
Mobile solar surveillance trailers are considered one of the most effective forms of security solutions, and in this article, we’re going to explore what they are, key features, and answer some frequently asked questions around them.
What Are Mobile Solar Surveillance Trailers?
Solar surveillance trailers are a type of mobile video surveillance unit specifically designed for rapid deployment at locations that require temporary security coverage but lack the power and/or internet facilities to support a traditional security camera installation.
Equipped with solar panels that power internal batteries, and with security cameras that sit on top of a tall mast, they give users wide-ranging views of their site.
Depending on the manufacturer, there are a range of additional security devices such as live voice-down audio units, sirens, alarms, and flashing lights to help prevent crime and unauthorized access.
Most importantly, mobile solar surveillance trailers deliver flexibility, complete power autonomy, cost-effectiveness, and an environmentally conscious approach to security, making them the market-leading choice in modern surveillance technology.
How is a Surveillance Trailer Different from a Security Guard?
Security guards are a commonly considered solution for security at parking lots, construction jobsites, critical infrastructure, and vacant properties.
Although guards still remain popular, they are no longer the sole option for business security. But, why are surveillance trailers starting to replace security guards? Well, there are several benefits of using surveillance trailers, which include:
Cost-Efficiency: Hiring a security guard has always come at a premium rate, and with labor shortages driving wage increases, these costs are only spiraling higher than ever before.
The cost of hiring a surveillance trailer is significantly less than hiring a security guard. In fact, by using WCCTV’s Surveillance Trailers, you can reduce security cost by up to 88% by switching from traditional methods.
Reliability: A solar surveillance trailer isn't going to be late for work, take a day out sick, fall asleep on duty, or turn a blind eye. Surveillance trailers, as we say at WCCTV, are always awake and on guard.
Providing 24/7 visibility through 4G/5G connection and solar powered batteries, meaning there’s reduced risk of operational disruption, which can be caused from being connected to mains power and fixed internet.
Effectiveness: A surveillance trailer can do several things that a security guard would find impossible.
Firstly, it can see in the dark. Criminals tend to break into properties and jobsites at night, but with the infrared capabilities of modern security cameras, they can still provide clear video monitoring up to 200 metres in complete darkness, dust and harsh weather conditions.
Secondly, a security guard can only be in one place at a time. Depending on the size of the location you're looking to secure, this could leave several blind spots that a guard is unable to cover.
This can lead to several thousands of dollars being spent on more security guards to cover those blind spots and run more regular patrols. Or, you could purchase a solar surveillance trailer at a fraction at the cost, and that provides complete visibility of large areas.
Proactiveness: The main reason most companies will stick with legacy security guard solutions is the belief that a guard can intervene and stop a crime from occurring, but a solar surveillance trailer backed by remote video monitoring can provide exactly that, and actually be more proactive with this.
With surveillance trailers, once intruders are detected with the cameras, a remote operator will verify the threat, and then issue preventative measures such as, live audio warnings, sirens, flashing lights, or dispatch local police where necessary to stop crime in the act.
Documentation: Alongside live video footage, solar surveillance trailers store footage of all incidents that occur on sites. So, if you need to send documentation evidence to law enforcement, insurers, and clients.
Essentially, you have a full archive of indisputable evidence rather than a potentially unreliable witness account from a security guard.
Your security depends on a solution that never calls in sick, never takes a break, never steals, deters crime, provides live response, and video documents all events at a reasonable cost.
Surveillance trailers deliver all of this and more, which is why demand for these systems is soaring - with the market for trailers estimated at $2.7b in 2024.
What Industries Use Solar Surveillance Trailers?
So far, we have referenced a few industry sectors that typically use solar surveillance trailers for their security needs, but below provides a greater range of businesses suited to them, including:
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Police and Law Enforcement
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State, municipal, and local government
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Property management companies
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Big box retail parking lots and strip malls
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Surface lots
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Public works projects
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Construction jobsites
Although you will likely have seen these across parking lots and jobsites, the use cases for solar surveillance trailers spans multiple industries and settings.
The thread that binds all of these industries together is their desire for one or more of the following benefits: temporary security, targeted surveillance, off-grid deployment capability, zero-maintenance requirements, and no upfront cost investment.
How Do Solar Surveillance Trailers Work?
Solar surveillance trailers combine video surveillance cameras and remote connectivity technology in a portable unit powered entirely by solar energy.
The video feed from the cameras on a surveillance trailer can be accessed remotely via cellular connectivity, meaning users can view real-time or archived footage directly from their phones or laptops.
Alternatively, the video streams can be sent to a remote video monitoring station where security professionals monitor cameras 24/7. For some providers, both options will be included in their service.
Trailers can also be fitted with a range of customization options to enhance their security capabilities. These include devices such as speakers, sirens, lights, environmental sensors, AI detection, or specialized cameras such as LPR cameras and thermal imaging cameras.
Other camera technology that can be added includes time lapse video cameras, which are typically utilized at construction projects to document progress and record key milestones.
Surveillance trailers will have a distinctive telescopic mast that the camera equipment sits on top of, making them a highly visible security system for any site. In turn, enhancing criminal prevention.
What are the Key Features of Solar Surveillance Trailers?
Security is a competitive market and with most offering surveillance trailers, there are key features you should be looking for to ensure high-quality security that can protect your site:
High-Quality Security Cameras: Ideally, you should be looking for security cameras that can offer functionality such as pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ), infrared (IR) night vision, auto-tracking, 1080p high-definition video recording, and edge-based video analytics.
Cellular Connectivity: For any trailer, cellular connection is vital. At WCCTV, we offer 4G/5G connective capabilities that are built directly into the camera units using our in-house technology. This allows users to access their cameras at any time from anywhere.
Tall Trailer Mast: The mast elevates the security cameras and other devices, therefore it’s important that it provides efficient views of your site. Our Trailers reach up to 20ft in height for optimal visibility and wide-area monitoring.
Any mast should be protected from harsh weather conditions. Look for them to be made of aluminum or steel as this offers a weather-resistant finish.
Depending on the provider, they can be manually or automatically extended, often featuring telescopic adjustability and stabilization systems to maintain steady operation in windy environments.
Strong Solar Panels: Solar panels are the main power source of a surveillance trailer, so this means you need to ensure these have the correct panels to power your system.
They convert sunlight into energy, providing an eco-friendly power source for the surveillance equipment. This eliminates the need for on-site electricity hookups or generators.
Discuss this with your provider as most will emphasize the solar draw, but the importance lies more with having the correct amount of power for your system which is likely only to be known from them directly.
Battery Storage: Solar surveillance trailers have battery storage systems to ensure continuous operation, even during extended periods of limited (or no) sunlight. These batteries store excess energy generated during the day for times when sunlight is not available.
It’s key that your system is fitted with a high-quality battery storage, and that provider ensures good maintenance of this to avoid any downtime.
Complete Mobility: Key to their flexibility is the ease with which a solar trailer can be transported and relocated. Most solar surveillance trailers can be hitched to a truck for long-distance transportation and easily repositioned around a site by hand using a drawbar.
Without this feature, this can disrupt the movability of your trailer and prevent blind spots being covered on your site, increasing the risk of crime.
How Much Does a Solar Surveillance Trailer Cost?
The cost of a surveillance trailer will vary dramatically by manufacturer, feature set, and build quality.
A Google search on surveillance trailer purchase costs will return results ranging from $13,000 to $50,000, depending on the country of origin, capabilities, and more.
We suggest always seeking out trailers certified as NDAA-compliant, as cheaper imports often suffer from reliability operations and can be dangerously under-specced.
For industries like construction and other temporary needs, purchasing trailers isn’t always the best option. Many manufacturers like ourselves will offer customers the option to rent the equipment. In many cases, this may be a preferable option due to:
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short-term requirement of security
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zero-upfront costs
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guarantee of the latest technology
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easier procurement process
Overall, with providers like ourselves, we offer a number of flexible payment options that ensure cost-effectiveness for your business without skimping on the quality of service you receive.
Are Solar Surveillance Trailers Monitored?
Depending on the deployment scenario, solar surveillance trailers can be backed by remote video monitoring services, where a team of security professionals watches the trailer's cameras for any criminal activity.
There are several benefits associated with remote video monitoring services, including crime prevention benefits and cost-effectiveness compared to using security guards.
In situations where remote video monitoring is not required, the user can self-monitor solar surveillance trailers via software and/or mobile apps.
Most surveillance trailers will also have onboard video storage, which stores all images captured by the cameras 24/7.
How Quickly Can a Solar Surveillance Trailer be Deployed and Made Operational?
Solar surveillance trailers, in most cases, are quick to deploy. Operational timescales will often vary more between providers, however, is actually the most important element for your business.
With WCCTV, our Surveillance Trailers can be deployed and operational in up to 20 minutes for basic setups, providing near-enough immediate coverage.
No waiting days for your cameras to become operational following installation, you can be reassured that with our service, your business is covered from the first day.
With any provider, you should always ask them to provide an estimate on when their surveillance trailers become operational, not just when it can be installed.
Can Solar Surveillance Trailers Work Without Sun?
Solar surveillance trailers need sunlight to operate because they rely on solar energy to charge the internal batteries.
Depending on the size, number, and capacity of the internal batteries, solar trailers can operate entirely on battery power in times of zero sunlight.
At WCCTV, our solar surveillance trailer delivers a minimum of 10 days of power autonomy for times of limited direct sunlight. Their innovative design means that our systems do not require a large solar draw to power the system, meaning they provide operational longevity.
Depending on where you want to deploy a surveillance trailer, we encourage you to speak with the provider themselves to see whether the placement would provide optimal solar power.
As part of our managed service, we complete a site survey to assess your location and advise on best placement for both security coverage and powering capabilities.
Related Articles: How Our Solar Surveillance Trailers Sustain Security During Winter
WCCTV's Care Guide On Maintaining Solar Panels Throughout Winter
Can You Integrate Monitoring Technology With Solar Surveillance Trailers?
Advanced security providers normally offer additional integrations or feature add-ons to personalize the surveillance monitoring provided by their solar surveillance trailers.
For construction jobsites, this can include environmental sensors to monitor areas like air quality, weather, and noise. All of which can influence project schedules and are heavily regulated areas which can result in financial penalties and legal action.
Other smart detection integrations like intrusion, PPE, and smoke and fire detection are also available with some surveillance trailer providers, helping to reduce the number of suppliers involved at your site. In turn, minimizing cost and the use of fragmented systems which can create difficulties with compliance
Additional integrations will vary between providers, so check before engaging in any rental or purchase agreement with them.
At WCCTV, we built an in-house, cloud-based platform, Stellifii that combines live video surveillance, environmental monitoring, smart detection and remote monitoring in one. This allows you to cater our Surveillance Trailers to your needs, streamlining monitoring and enhancing business compliance.
How Can I Get a Solar Surveillance Trailer for My Site?
In most instances, the security provider will transport the surveillance trailers to your site and install them on your behalf.
This removes any complication of organizing transportation and any additional expenditure created through this process.
Always check beforehand that transportation is covered by the provider and there aren't any extra costs that come with them doing this. You may find with some providers that this is a hidden cost.
Why Choose WCCTV’s Solar Surveillance Trailer For Your Site
With over 20-years of security expertise, our Solar Surveillance Trailers offer a reliable, sustainable, and flexible solution designed to protect sites of all types.
Utilizing solely solar power and offering advanced technology like AI-video analytics and cloud-based monitoring integrations, our Trailers ensure high-quality security coverage, quick operational installation, and compliance monitoring all within one unit.
Through this, they help protect people, property, and assets without the need for permanent infrastructure or costly services.
Whether you’re managing construction sites, critical infrastructure, or covering events, our solar-powered Surveillance Trailer solutions deliver strong performance, cost savings, and complete peace of mind.
Contact us today to discuss your surveillance requirements and arrange a free site survey on how our Surveillance Trailers can support you with this.
