Christmas Break Security Camera Hire: Book Before the Shutdown

Your crew finishes on a Friday in December and comes back in January. The gate stays chained and the plant stays put. Christmas break security camera hire covers that gap: a solar tower or trailer on site for the shutdown, a control room watching it, and collection once the crew is back.

Here's what a shutdown hire includes, which unit suits, lead times, how booking works, and how to set install and pick-up dates. For the full plan, read our guide to securing your site over the Christmas shutdown.

What Christmas break security camera hire includes

A shutdown hire is a short-term hire with a fixed window, quoted on the same lines as any camera hire. Our guide to site security camera hire costs explains each line. For the break, you get:

• The unit. A solar tower or trailer that keeps working after the temporary board is switched off.
• Recording and alerts. The Single Cam records 24/7 with 30-day storage, intruder alerts, siren and audio; the Twin Cam adds smart alerts, strobe and battery backup.
• Connectivity. 3G/4G where there's coverage. Where there isn't, Starlink is a separate line.
• Delivery, setup and collection. Placing the unit, drawing detection zones and setting armed hours, then pick-up after the break.
• Monitoring. Alerts to your phone, or a staffed control room that responds for you.

Siteguard doesn't publish hire rates. A two-week hire often costs more per week than a six-month one because delivery and setup are charged once, so ask for the breakdown.

Which unit suits a shutdown site: towers or trailers

Over the break the site doesn't move, so a tower on the fixed perimeter is the usual pick. Siteguard's solar camera towers come in four configurations. Match the unit to what's staying behind.

A CCTV surveillance trailer earns its place when the unit tows in and out, or covers another compound in the new year. Towers set down by truck or plant and take less ground, which suits a tight urban block. Our CCTV tower vs trailer comparison has the trade-offs.

Lead times: why early December is too late

The shutdown is the one hire where every customer wants the same dates. Builders, civil contractors and depots finish in the same week, so the fleet goes out at once. Siteguard doesn't publish a cut-off date, but the later you leave it, the fewer units and install slots are left.

Work back from your last day. This timeline assumes a Friday 18 December finish and is a planning guide, so confirm availability when you enquire. Our post on Christmas shutdown 2026 dates has the state-by-state detail.

Siteguard runs nationally through local dealers and installers, so a regional job doesn't always wait on a truck from a capital city. That helps with lead time. It doesn't bring back units that are already out.

The monitoring add-on: who answers the alarm on Boxing Day

A camera on its own records. Over a three-week break, a break-in on 20 December can sit on the hard drive until January. Monitoring turns the recording into a response.

With 24/7 control room monitoring, an Australian-based operator verifies every alarm, issues audio warnings and the siren, and escalates to the authorities when required, on weekends and public holidays too. The alternative is self-monitoring through Siteguard Foreman: alerts go to your phone and you check the live view, which works if someone will pick up at 2am on Boxing Day. Decide before the gates close, and agree who gets called and in what order.

How booking works with Siteguard

Booking starts with a call or the enquiry form, which asks for your hire period (less than a week up to 6 to 12 months), installation timeframe, industry and main concern. For a shutdown, that's usually the 2 to 4 week bracket and "next week" or "within 2 to 4 weeks" if you're reading this in November.

Have these ready for a like-for-like quote:

1. Site postcode, which sets delivery and whether 4G reaches.
2. Your last day on site and your first full day back.
3. What's staying behind: plant, containers, a generator, materials for January.
4. A rough site plan: gates, fences, laydown areas, site office.
5. Who answers alerts now, and whether you want the control room watching.

The team recommends a setup for your industry, environment and budget, confirms availability for your dates and sends the quote. Before you sign, check the minimum hire period, what the rate includes, off-hire notice, and who carries the risk if the unit is damaged. Our Christmas shutdown security checklist covers the rest.

Install and pick-up dates: setting the hire window

Set the install date in your last working week, not on your last day. A unit that goes in on the Monday gives you four days to test alerts, adjust zones around parked plant, and fix a camera pointed at a hoarding instead of the gate. Then do your last-day lock-up walk with the cameras already live.

Set the pick-up date after your first full day back. The last nights of the break carry the same risk as the first, and day one is when you find out what moved. Walk the site, review the break's events, then release the unit. If the return date slips, tell the team early so the hire window extends rather than lapses. And note when site power goes off: the solar unit doesn't care, but wired lights stop with the board, so place cameras around what stays lit.

Frequently asked questions