When evaluating security options for your job site, storage yard, or vacant property, the choice is often between hiring a security guard and using solar-powered surveillance trailers in Salt Lake City. On the surface, both options offer crime deterrence. However, the costs associated with the two options differ significantly.
What a Security Guard Actually Costs
Typically, an unarmed security guard will charge between $25 and $40 per hour. Most companies will then hire the equivalent of 3 guards to cover shifts, while also addressing the coverage needed for sick days, no-shows, and employee turnover. This results in a monthly cost between $16,500 to $20,000, or even more. The cost continues to climb, driven by overtime, holiday shifts, and liability insurance. A company can realistically expect to spend over $200,000 on a single location in a given year.
Even with an unlimited budget, there is an inherent coverage problem: a guard can only cover one location at a time. This is especially problematic for larger sites, like a five-acre lot.
How Much Does a Surveillance Trailer Cost?
The cost for renting a solar surveillance trailer in Salt Lake City can range from $1,000 – $3,500 per month. This cost depends on added features for different camera technologies, trailer height, and whether remote live monitoring is included. This single cost replaces three work shifts, and solar surveillance trailers in Salt Lake City can take an entire site’s surveillance in HD, and then cover the entire site with surveillance.
Since these units use solar panels and batteries, you eliminate fuel costs, digging, and connection fees to the power grid. This is helpful if you have a site with no access to the grid. Most operators that switched found that their total security costs dropped by 50% to 60%.
The Hidden Costs on Both Sides
The costs associated with hiring a guard, such as turnover and training, typically exceed 100% per year. Surveillance trailers incur costs like cellular data, cloud storage, and maintenance. Even with these costs, using solar-powered surveillance trailers in Salt Lake City is typically cheaper than hiring continuous guard services for a week.
When Guards Still Make Sense
In some situations, you need the discretion of a human. In these situations, hiring a guard may be worth it. Access control is also where property managers typically implement a hybrid security model, hiring a daytime guard and using solar-powered surveillance trailers in Salt Lake City for the overnight and weekend hours.
The Bottom Line
If your property is vacant and the primary concern is after-hours theft or vandalism, then the choice is clear. Solar-powered surveillance trailers in Salt Lake City provide verified notifications, recorded evidence, and coverage at a lower cost than guard services. Before you spend another dollar on guard services for a year, call and get a quote for a solar-powered surveillance trailer, and you’ll see the savings compared to what your budget will notice before an intruder.
