How Drone Patrols Fit Into a Large Property Security Plan

By Michael Mui, CTO, MSC Integration

Years ago, a longtime manufacturing customer came to us with a security challenge: they needed to see what was happening near a gate at the far end of their property.

The factory was large, but the surrounding property was even larger. The gate sat beyond a stretch of open land, far from the infrastructure needed for a conventional camera installation. At the time, cellular connectivity wasn’t a practical option for the video connection they needed.

One solution involved mounting a high-resolution camera on their tall building and pairing it with a specialized long-range lens. The proposed cost was approximately $45,000 to observe that one distant area.

That experience illustrates a challenge we still encounter: how do you cover a large property within a realistic security budget?

Today, autonomous drone patrols give us another option to consider.

The Challenge of Covering a Large Property

Installing cameras throughout a large property can become expensive. Beyond the cameras themselves, there may be substantial costs for power, network connections, trenching, poles, and other infrastructure.

Many businesses concentrate cameras around their highest-risk locations, such as entrances, loading docks, buildings, and valuable equipment. Security personnel then help cover the spaces between those fixed viewpoints.

A guard might patrol the perimeter every hour, every two hours, or according to another schedule established by the company. Those patrols provide observation and a visible presence, but covering long distances takes time and staffing.

The question is where another tool could help that security team see more and use its resources effectively.

Taking the Patrol Into the Air

Through our partnership with Sunflower Labs, we offer autonomous drone patrols that follow predetermined routes around a property.

Patrol schedules can be tailored to the site’s security plan. A drone can launch, travel its planned route, and provide live video to the monitoring team.

The aerial perspective offers a different view from a person walking along a fence or a camera mounted in a fixed position. It can help the team observe open areas, check distant locations, and investigate activity across a large site.

Returning to the manufacturing customer’s example, a drone service is an option we could evaluate today for observing that remote gate and other parts of the perimeter. That is a present-day possibility, rather than a system that customer deployed in the original project.

People Make the Response Decisions

Autonomous flight does not mean autonomous security judgment.

Our U.S.-based monitoring professionals assess the live video and determine the appropriate response under the customer’s security procedures.

Consider a large mining facility. If someone briefly crosses an unmarked boundary and then moves away, that may call for continued observation. If the person continues deeper into a restricted area and approaches equipment or other protected assets, the situation may require a response.

The monitoring team can use the live view to assess what is happening and direct on-site security or contact law enforcement when appropriate.

That visibility can also help security personnel understand a situation before approaching it.

Where Drone Patrols Make Sense

A drone should earn its place in a security plan by solving a practical problem.

For a smaller property with power, network infrastructure, and straightforward camera coverage, traditional cameras may be the better investment.

Drone patrols become more compelling when a property has long perimeters, distant gates, large open areas, or locations where an aerial viewpoint would improve visibility.

We start by looking at the customer’s concerns, existing coverage, patrol responsibilities, and budget. From there, we evaluate whether drone patrols would improve the security operation enough to justify the expense.

The technology may be exciting, but the recommendation still needs to make operational and financial sense.

A Controlled Patrol With Defined Boundaries

One misconception is that a security drone can pursue someone anywhere they go, including following a vehicle down a public street.

Our service operates around planned patrol routes and defined operating boundaries. It is designed to support property security within the limits established for the deployment.

Another misconception is that AI decides who is a threat and automatically dispatches a response. In the service described here, security professionals assess the situation and make those response decisions.

The drone supplies another viewpoint. People use that information to act.

Security as a Service

Our drone offering is provided as Security as a Service: a monthly subscription combining the use of drone technology with monitoring.

That gives customers a service to evaluate within their ongoing security budget. Depending on the property and its existing operation, it may help reduce the amount of routine ground patrol work required or expand the area the security team can observe.

The value depends on the site. We evaluate it alongside fixed cameras, monitoring, access control, and security personnel to determine how it fits into the overall plan.

Start With the Property and the Problem

The distant gate in our customer’s story was a visibility problem with an expensive proposed solution. Today, we have more ways to approach that same challenge.

For large properties, autonomous drone patrols can provide another way to observe remote areas, investigate activity, and support the people responsible for responding.

For a deeper explanation of the technology, read our Learning Center article, Beyond the Camera: How AI-Powered Drones Are Changing Property Security.

If your property has coverage gaps or difficult patrol requirements, contact MSC Integration to discuss whether drone patrols could fit your security plan.

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Author

Michael Mui

A Two-Decade Journey in the Security Industry Michael Mui, a seasoned professional in the security industry with over 20 years of dedicated service, is a trailblazer known for his unwavering commitment to safety and innovation. Throughout his career, Michael became known for his technical prowess. From mastering the intricacies of surveillance systems to staying ahead of emerging cyber threats, he continuously expanded his expertise to encompass the evolving landscape of security technologies.