Ingredient List For Solar Surveillance Trailer?

I deal with a lot of integrators that are trying to venture into this arena. The best recommendation I could give you is to try to do as much reading and research as possible. 

You will need:

- Enclosed Trailer

- Batteries

- Inverter

- Solar Panels

- Pole/Mast for Cameras

- Cradlepoint for Communication (or similar)

What about buying and building the trailer part so you can customize it however buying purpose built solar cameras? I know there are a few out there however V5 Systems seems to be on top of their game.

Strong Poles (we rep them) have purpose built surveillance poles as well.

Sometimes the time needed to deal with the details is more expensive than paying more for a solution. I am interested to see what you come up with. Will you be selling these or just using them for your business?

It’s easier than you think. Deep cycle batteries, charge controller, solar panels. Try hard not to use an inverter so everything you use should be on 12vdc. 

One of the biggest questions is how long does it need to run before a maintenance visit should be expected. Must take lattitude into consideration. How many powered devices at what total power demand?

You can get 12v to POE switches/injectors, which I highly recommend as to not use inverters. 

Your biggest challenge will be 'what to do with the video?'

Meaning, do you send it over Wi Fi to another location? (easiest)

Do you store it onboard and retrieve later? (also easy)

Do you want to view it remotely via cellular (which is what everyone wants to do but is the most expensive by far.)

Also, be careful as to how high up you put your pole and how much weight you have. Reason? If you have a lot of weight up high, a minor breeze will make your camera sway. If you're using a PTZ with a 30x zoom lens, you'll get sea sick in a hurry.  (been there, done that).  

I work for a company who manufactures these trailers (www.wanco.com).

Aside from the video and network components, the important things to consider are:

1) choosing the right size solar array to meet your power requirements, which is dependent on your geolocation / sun quality

2) making sure the trailer is simple to deploy and stable both when deployed and when towing

3) making sure you are incorporating the right power infrastructure: charge controller, deep cycle batteries, etc

4) securing your equipment and batteries from theft. Batteries are a hot item on the streets, so a strong enclosure with puck locks, guarded hasps and guard hinges will save you a lot of replacement costs down the line

Wanco has options designed for integrators who want to add their own components to a trailer. 

I’d be happy to assist you with pricing and information if you are interested.