Remote Construction Site Monitoring, Part 6: Live Streaming Your Site with Cameras

Matthew Ramage

We’ve talked at length about how to get detailed ‘ground truth’ information from each of your construction sites through the first 5 articles of this series, but now it’s time to focus on combining that information with cameras giving you a live view of what’s happening on site.

Monitor progress on your site with a live view

Now you can understand who is on site, make sure that everyone is compliant and the perimeter is secure, but you also need to be able to see with your own eyes what is going on. Having a camera solution which live streams what it records is an ideal solution for remote site monitoring and progress reporting. From any location, you can prepare reports on what’s happening while directly viewing on site activity. Typically, this is even more information than you would have access to if you were physically present.

With enough coverage, cameras offer the ability to monitor safety concerns, machinery activity, security issues and construction progress in all areas of the site.

Detect intruders during off hours and delays

With so many sites seeing a reduced labor force presence and some even closing down, intrusion detection is a necessary feature for many construction projects.

Intrusion detection often uses either visual or infrared cues to alert you of activity on your construction site. Day or night, you can monitor for unexpected activity, whether it be an intruder, a thief, an urban explorer or a raccoon!

Pick a solution that can be deployed by anyone

Most construction sites have cameras somewhere, either for time lapses, incident monitoring or for security purposes. But most of these solutions were set up for post-event review, not for a live view of the site. Much of their data is stored in site offices on large DVR units that operate as the central hub for all cameras. Cameras are often hardwired to the site office, and adding additional cameras can be difficult, expensive or impractical. These locally installed camera systems are at risk of theft or damage, especially now, when many sites have less personnel or activity.

To make sure you can always see what’s happening on your sites, choose a solution with cameras that are easy to install, can be streamed anywhere, can run even if the power is cut, and operate independently from all other cameras on site.

If you have an existing camera system on site that doesn’t offer these functions, it is simple to augment that system with newer cameras that can be installed by anyone onsite. You can be live streaming your site in a matter of hours.

A bonus tip: Try to invest in a camera solution that can run from batteries, not just main power. Solar-powered solutions are also a great ,sustainable energy option that will work very well if they have long battery life reserves (aim for 6 plus days).

Sitewatch Pro2 camera system features

While on-site management and visits will always be critical in the construction industry, investing in the right remote monitoring technology will keep your projects on track when you can’t be there. From protecting your most valuable assets to ensuring compliance, to catching problems before they occur, a remote camera solution can carry you through disruptions and add a layer of real-time efficiency to your projects.