Property protection and patrol service: how does a surveillance drone replace the night-time patrol round?
Classic patrol service and plant security live on presence and regular rounds. In practice large gaps remain, and staff are scarce and expensive. An autonomous surveillance drone takes over the patrol more reliably and at lower cost.
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Why the classic patrol service protects your site only inadequately.
Property protection, plant security, patrol rounds and alarm response all stand or fall with the individual guard on site. Three structural weaknesses that classic security staff can hardly solve.
Patchy patrol rounds
Depending on the size of the site, a guard on patrol duty only manages a few rounds per night. In between, large gaps without deterrence open up, and checkpoints are technically easy to trick.
Staff quality and absence
Staff shortages and low wages lead to fluctuating quality in patrol service. In case of illness a subcontractor steps in at short notice, and performance often drops noticeably.
Single point of failure
While the guard is on their round, nobody is watching the cameras at the gatehouse. If this one person is taken out, there is nobody left to protect your site.
The tasks of patrol and guard service in detail.
In property protection the classic patrol service covers three core tasks: night-time rounds, walking defined checkpoints and deterrence through visible presence. The idea is sound, because an intruder should sense that someone could be on site at any time. In practice, however, this model often fails to deliver what it promises.
The guard is usually no athlete, so depending on the size of the site only two to three rounds take place per night. In between lie long windows in which no deterrence happens at the perimeter. Checkpoints confirmed by key or chip are technically simple to trick and say little about whether the site was actually checked.
Why is quality in patrol service sometimes so inconsistent? Security companies hardly find good staff anymore and deploy whoever is available. Fierce competition in tenders means providers compete mainly on price, in other words on who pays the lowest wage. Hardly anyone is keen to take night shifts for a pittance, and that is exactly what shows in performance.
Another challenge is illness among security staff. Without contractual safeguards a subcontractor is deployed at short notice, and the quality of service usually drops sharply. Critical here are not only direct losses but also high consequential damage such as the theft of copper cables. With power supply interrupted, production stops and operations are disrupted.
Patrol service is often supported by cameras connected to the gatehouse. What matters is a well-thought-out security concept that analyzes risks and weak points so the cameras are used efficiently. Every camera should, like our surveillance drone, use AI-based intrusion detection to identify people reliably. Without AI, video cameras are good for recording but weak at alarm-based analysis.
Now comes the decisive point: we have one guard on site, in the cheapest case a single person. This person carries out the rounds. So who is watching the cameras at the gatehouse during that time? Nobody. And if this security professional is taken out, who is then watching your site? You can see it: this solution is highly vulnerable.
That is why at Security Airline we work with multi-layer security concepts and usually deploy battery-powered motion detectors instead of many cameras. They are considerably cheaper. With intelligent placement of the sensors, property protection in combination with the Arrow-401 LR surveillance drone can be realized very economically. The drone flies irregular patrols for a high level of deterrence and checks the alarm zone as soon as a sensor triggers.
The goal is a future-proof solution that delivers the patrol service more reliably than a single guard, reduces the cost of surveillance and gatehouse service and at the same time raises the level of security.
How do I replace the guard round and at the same time cut the cost of property protection and gatehouse service?
The core element of a multi-layer, redundant security concept is a robot. We use drones instead of conventional ground-based security robots and wheeled robots, because:
The aerial view covers everything
From the air, the field of view on the ground is very large. We also see people hiding in the bushes, right where a ground patrol walks past.
Tireless patrol
The surveillance drone never gets tired and takes no breaks. It flies irregular patrols, builds up a high level of deterrence and does not stumble across the site.
AI scan of large areas
Large areas are scanned in a short time using AI intrusion detection. That way we detect offenders early, often before they even reach the building.
One solution, three components.
Our software, developed specifically for a high degree of automation, controls the surveillance drone largely automatically. Many flights and smart AI raise the chance of detecting offenders early, before they reach the building.
Arrow-401 LR drone and docking station
Purpose-built drone system with redundant communication electronics and a large UPS. You rely on the drone to replace other solutions dependably. Off-the-shelf drones lack this technology.
VdS-certified emergency and service control center
Alarms are handled by trained pilots on the customer side, such as the plant fire brigade, or in a VdS-certified control center. Essential for a high quality level and reliable processes, even during a power outage.
Flight Automation Center with AI
Our own secure flight automation software with intrusion AI. Controls the drone automatically, plans irregular patrols and integrates with existing sensors such as motion detectors.
Why simply buying a drone is not enough.
There are many drone companies that want to sell you expensive hardware and an expensive approval process. Then you have to hire several pilots. You want to focus on your business, not on the ten pieces of the puzzle needed to operate an airline. That takes years of experience. Security Airline takes care of all the pieces of the puzzle for you.
150,000+ surveillance flights
Extensive experience in drone operations across all sites.
Initial consultation with security analysis
Free and without obligation, on site or remote.
Security concept (optional)
Multi-layer concept to raise the security level, including potential insurance savings.
Project planning & EU approval
Flight planning, alarm plan and approval across the entire EU, including Switzerland and Norway.
Redundant communication & UPS
So the drone reliably replaces other solutions, even during a power outage.
Installation of drone system & sensors
Integration with motion detectors, cameras and existing infrastructure.
Regular maintenance
We keep spare parts in stock and secure the availability of your drone surveillance permanently.
Proprietary software "Flight Automation Center"
Secure in-house development with intrusion AI for maximum detection quality.
How much do you save per year?
Calculate in 30 seconds what you save each year when you replace your classic patrol service with an autonomous surveillance drone.
Autonomous. Weatherproof.
Ready around the clock.
The Arrow-401 LR drone system launches on its own, when an alarm is triggered or at predefined patrol intervals. The system is fully operational at night, in wind or in sub-zero temperatures.
The rugged, VdS-certified drone is charged, protected and monitored in the integrated docking station. It handles climate control, telemetry and maintenance monitoring and thus ensures uninterrupted operation.
The result: less personnel effort, higher deployment frequency and significantly lower operating costs, especially for large, hard-to-see areas without permanent guard staffing.
Why our customers rely on drone monitoring
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Olaf Besser
Management
Heating network system technology from manufacturers YADOS. District heating stations and heating systems for efficient energy applications from Saxony.
Nowadays, it is increasingly important to work efficiently and cost-effectively. This also applies to entire facility management — this includes monitoring. The Security Airline system impressed us both in terms of price and technology.
Kathi Gerstner
(press spokesperson)
The LEAG Group not only provides electricity and heat. We offer companies, cities and municipalities a wide range of other products and services.
For several months now, the Lusatian energy supplier Leag has been using several Security Airline surveillance drones in combination with artificial intelligence to monitor its industrial plants more effectively and protect them from theft and unauthorised access.
Sebastian Hanne
Business Development Manager
We offer burglary protection, convenience and automation, fire protection and security, and video surveillance. Everything integrated in one system.
Our sensors harmonize perfectly with Security Airline's drone system. After an alarm has been triggered via the infrared motion detectors, the surveillance drone flies fully automatically to the marked location and illuminates the area.
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