Next Generation of Wireless Alarms Combat Theft at Residential Construction Sites


The construction industry turns to smart alarms, powered by Sigfox’s IoT network, for flexible protection that is changing the face of jobsite security.  

Imagine this scenario: You’re the project manager for construction of a suburban housing development with a planned sixty-seven units. It’s early in the project, so the site contains little more than a job trailer and a few pieces of heavy equipment. At this point, keeping tools and equipment safe from thieves is relatively easy. But as work progresses, and more materials come onto the site, keeping everything secure will become much more difficult.  

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Construction site theft is a major problem worldwide. Power tools and materials are easy to steal and easy to sell, and even heavy equipment isn’t immune from theft. Maintaining adequate security for residential construction sites is a must, but although it’s relatively easy to install a traditional security system on a single structure, wiring a system at each individual unit in a large residential project just isn’t feasible. The last thing your project budget needs is the cost of installing a new wired alarm system every few weeks as more units come on line. 

With jobsite theft on the rise, many residential construction companies are turning to the next generation of wireless security systems, powered by Sigfox’s global IoT network, to protect their job sites. Battery operated and connected to a secure cloud, wireless alarms protect both large and small sites and can be easily reconfigured for maximum flexibility. These simple, temporary security systems have already saved construction companies thousands of dollars in lost materials and productivity.

Wireless Alarms Gives Residential Construction Maximum Flexibility

Going back to our original scenario, let’s suppose that you—the project manager of this sixty-seven unit housing development—decide to try a next-generation wireless alarm on the model home that is currently being built. These alarms are “plug and play,” so you don’t need to wait for a security company to configure the unit; you can set it up yourself in less than five minutes.  

You will rent your wireless alarm, so there’s no need to sign a contract or commit to a major purchase. You can start by renting a single alarm at the project’s model home and maybe one for your job trailer as well. Then, if you like the way the wireless alarm works, you can scale up or down as the project progresses. Because the alarms bypass WiFi entirely, connecting instead to a secure cloud network, they operate on a long-lasting battery and can be placed anywhere. So you may even decide to rent an extra unit to put outside near your heavy machinery.   

Cloud Connected Devices Offer Secure, Remote Management

  • Connected securely to Sigfox’s global IoT network
  • Local alarm/ lights deter thieves while law enforcement is notified
  • Designated employees receive alarm notifications via app or email
  • Remote activation and deactivation offers maximum flexibility

But you wouldn’t be a good project manager if you didn’t watch out for the bottom line. As you consider a wireless alarm system for your residential construction site, the final deciding factor will be cost. This, it turns out, is the easiest part of the equation. At around 0.50 USD per day, renting a wireless alarm for four months costs roughly 60 USD. That’s less than the cost to replace one stolen skill saw. In terms of a powerful return-on-investment, this figure speaks for itself.