Solar-Powered CCTV & Backup Power

Solar-powered CCTV is the answer when the camera has to go where the electricity does not. It works well if the site, the signal and the sunshine cooperate, and badly if nobody checks them first.

For places the grid never reached

Think of a farm gate at the end of a dirt road, an empty plot you are about to build on, a building site with thousands of rupees of steel and cement lying around at night. Running a cable there costs more than the cameras. A solar camera has its own small power plant: a panel, a battery, a controller, and a 4G SIM for sending video back to you.

It is not magic, though, and we would rather you heard the limits from us than from the first cloudy week.

What decides whether it works

Mobile signal comes first. Before we quote we check the signal on site with test SIMs from more than one network, because a camera that cannot upload is just an expensive ornament. Second is sunshine. Pakistan has plenty, but in Punjab the winter fog and smog cut what a panel produces, so we size the battery to carry the camera through several grey days in a row. Third is data. A camera streaming full-quality video all day will eat a SIM package in a week, so we set it to record locally and send only clips and alerts unless you need a live view.

Then there is theft. Panels and batteries have a way of walking off. We mount them high, hide the battery in a locked box and use fixings that take longer than a thief wants to spend. A camera pole near a road should be treated as something people will try to take.

Backup power for ordinary CCTV

The same thinking helps on sites that do have electricity but lose it for hours every day. A recorder that switches off in the middle of the night records nothing, and that is exactly when you need it. We add a small battery or UPS to the recorder, the router and the cameras on one circuit, so a power cut does not mean a blind spot. For larger systems we plan solar and battery together so the cameras run from the sun by day and from the battery by night.

What a typical site gets

One or more 4G cameras, fixed or pan-tilt, with night vision,
a solar panel and battery sized for your location and the camera you chose,
a pole or mounting bracket that suits the ground, wall or roof,
local storage in the camera plus alerts and a live view on your phone,
a short walkthrough of the app, and a visit later if the first month shows a problem.

We also sell ready-made solar-powered camera poles. For the wider picture of cameras and recorders see CCTV installation, and for power for the rest of the office read UPS, inverter and solar backup.

Products for this job: solar 4G camera kits, solar-powered camera poles and lithium battery banks.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a solar camera run without sun?

It depends on the battery we fit, and we size it for your site. As a rule we plan for several cloudy days in a row. In deep winter fog the margin shrinks, so tell us if the site sits in a foggy area and we will add more.

Does it need a SIM card and a monthly data package?

Yes, for remote viewing and alerts. We set the camera to record on its own memory and send clips and alerts, which keeps data use sensible. A live view all day needs a much larger package.

Can someone just steal the panel?

They can try, so we make it hard. Panels go up high, batteries sit in locked boxes, and the fixings are not the kind you undo with one spanner. Nothing outdoors is theft-proof, and we will not claim it is.

Can you add battery backup to the CCTV I already have?

Usually, yes. We look at how long your cuts last and what has to stay on, normally the recorder, the router and some cameras, and fit a UPS or battery to match.

Solar-Powered CCTV & Backup Power in Rawalpindi