Mobile surveillance units and solar-powered poles for remote sites

Where these units are used

A solar surveillance unit makes sense wherever trenching a power feeder and a data cable would cost more, take longer or be impossible:

• Construction sites before the permanent supply exists, and where the camera must move as the works progress.
• Farms and rural estates: gates, boundaries, pumps, stores and livestock areas far from the main house.
• Yards and warehouses with open storage, plant and vehicles, where fixed lighting and cabling stop short of the fence line.
• Roads, utility and pipeline sites: long linear assets with isolated points that need watching.
• Event and temporary sites that need coverage for weeks or months, then removal.
• Any location with no grid or no cabling route, such as a plot awaiting development or an access road.

How a unit works

Every unit is the same chain of parts, sized to the job:

• Mounting: a pole or mast set in a foundation, or a trailer or skid with a raising mast.
• Power: a solar array, a charge controller (MPPT) and a battery bank in a shaded, ventilated, lockable enclosure.
• Cameras: fixed or PTZ, with infrared for night and a thermal option where detection in darkness matters, aimed using the pixel-density method in CCTV design.
• Recording at the edge: footage is stored on the unit, so a weak link never means lost evidence.
• Backhaul: a 4G/5G/LTE router or a point-to-point wireless link to a site office or control room.
• Remote viewing and alerts: live view, event clips and notifications when a person or vehicle enters a defined zone.
• Optional extras: audio talk-down, a strobe or floodlight triggered by detection, and monitoring of battery state.

Sizing: how the energy budget is built

Solar sizing is arithmetic, and a quote that does not show the arithmetic should be questioned. We work through five steps, which our guide to sizing a solar system explains in full:

1. Load in watts. Camera, illuminators, heater or fan, router or radio, recorder and any lighting. Night-time draw is higher because infrared is on.
2. Hours of operation. Most units run all day; lighting and talk-down only work for short periods.
3. Days of autonomy. How many days the unit must run with little sun. Two to three days is a common starting point for security points, agreed with you.
4. Panel size. Daily energy divided by the sun hours of the worst month at Riyadh, then increased for heat and dust losses.
5. Battery size. Energy for the autonomy period divided by the usable depth of discharge, with a margin for heat.

Riyadh gets strong sun, but modules run hot and lose output, and dust on the glass can cut it further between cleanings. Batteries age faster in heat, so the enclosure is shaded and ventilated. For battery chemistry we usually propose lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) for its tolerance of deep cycling and heat; lead-acid is cheaper to buy but needs larger capacity and shorter replacement intervals.

Below is an illustrative example. The numbers are assumptions to show the method, not a specification.

Reading a quote: look for the load list in watts, the days of autonomy, the sun hours assumed, the usable battery capacity (not just the nameplate), the cleaning plan, and what happens if the link drops. A quote that gives only panel watts and camera resolution cannot be compared with another.

Fixed pole, relocatable trailer or skid unit

Theft and vandal protection

An unattended unit holds valuable parts, so protection is part of the design. Batteries and electronics sit in lockable, tamper-switched enclosures with no exposed bolts. Panels are fixed with security fasteners and angled so they are hard to prise off. Cables run inside the pole. Poles are anchored with foundations designed for wind load; trailers are chained to ground anchors and have their wheels or hitch locked. The camera is mounted high enough to be out of reach, and a tamper or tilt alert tells you when someone interferes with it.

Connectivity and its limits

We test signal strength at the planned pole position during the survey. If coverage is poor, edge recording with motion-triggered clips usually works better than continuous streaming.

Permits and landowner coordination

Before installing, confirm who owns or controls the land and get their written agreement for the foundation, mast and access. Public roads, utility corridors and shared plots may involve extra approvals or rules on camera direction and privacy. We list what to check and prepare the drawings that your authority or landowner may ask for; the approvals themselves remain with you and the relevant parties.

How we work

We design, build and install each unit to the needs of the site. We do not rent or sell off-the-shelf units, and what a unit can do depends on a site survey.