Virtual guard
A virtual guard for the hours a guard post costs too much.
Most sites don't need a person standing at the gate at 3 a.m. They need someone watching who can speak up when somebody shows up. That's a virtual guard, and it costs a fraction of a 24/7 post.
The short answer
What a virtual guard is.
A virtual guard is a live operator who watches your cameras from off site and intervenes by voice. At VuePoint Secure, Behavior AI flags activity, and the operator talks to the person on site, sounds the siren and strobe, and alerts your contacts. It suits overnight and weekend coverage on yards, lots and jobsites.
Our solar tripod units are under $1,000 per unit per month for hardware, connectivity, analytics and software. They ship by freight and one person sets them up. Live monitoring is quoted with your site review.
The problem
You pay the agency's rate, not the guard's wage.
Guard wages look modest. The national median wage for security guards was $38,020 a year in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). BLS put mean hourly wages at $21.61 in California and $17.76 in Nevada in May 2023 (BLS OEWS, 2023). Those are wages, not what you're billed.
The bill rate is what you pay. Agencies bill $25–$40 an hour for an unarmed guard (Mobile Video Guard, 2026, vendor estimate). That covers the wage plus the agency's payroll costs, insurance and margin.
Around the clock adds up fast. A month has about 730 hours. 730 × $25 = $18,250. 730 × $40 = $29,200. That's one post, one person, seeing one spot at a time.
Plug in your own state and hours with the security guard cost calculator.
Honest scope
What a virtual guard does, and what it doesn't.
Does: watch every flagged alert
Behavior AI scores context, site knowledge, time of day and action. An operator reviews each event it flags, on every camera at once.
Does: speak up
The operator talks to the person on site through a talk-down speaker. They know they've been seen, by a person, right now.
Does: siren, strobe, alerts
If talking isn't enough, the operator sets off the siren and strobe, then alerts you and your contacts with what happened.
Doesn't: patrol
No one walks the fence line, rattles doors or checks that the gate chain is locked. Cameras see what they're pointed at.
Doesn't: step in physically
An operator can't stop, hold or remove anyone. They can see, speak and sound an alarm. That's the full toolkit.
Doesn't: work without signal
The cameras need a connection. Solar tripods run on 5G, so the site needs cellular coverage where the unit stands.
The sequence
What happens when someone walks onto a closed site.
- 1
Behavior AI flags it
A person near equipment after hours scores high. A delivery driver at the gate during the day doesn't. It was trained on hundreds of thousands of alerts.
- 2
An operator looks
A live operator checks the clip and the live view, and decides whether it's real.
- 3
The operator speaks
Through the talk-down speaker, the person hears that the site is monitored and they need to leave. If they stay, the siren and strobe go off.
- 4
You hear about it
The operator alerts you and your contacts with what they saw and what they did.
Cost compared
Full-time guard, hybrid, or virtual guard.
24/7 on-site guard
About $18,250–$29,200 per month for one post (730 hours × $25–$40 an hour bill rate; Mobile Video Guard, 2026, vendor estimate). Covers one spot at a time.
Hybrid: day guard + virtual guard
Example: a guard 10 hours a day, 5 days a week is about 217 hours a month, or $5,425–$8,680 at the same bill rates. Cameras with live monitoring cover the other 513 hours.
Virtual guard on a solar tripod
Units are under $1,000 per unit per month for hardware, connectivity, analytics and software. Live monitoring is quoted with your site review. Trailer rentals run $1,000–$4,500 a month by comparison (LP Magazine 2026; ECAM 2026, vendor estimate).
Being straight with you
When an on-site guard is the better choice.
Hire a guard if someone has to check IDs, sign in visitors, escort people or lock up buildings. A camera can't do any of that.
Hire a guard if your contract, lender or insurer requires one on site. A virtual guard won't satisfy a written guard requirement, so check the wording first.
Hire a guard if the site is busy with the public all night, like a hospital entrance or an open parking structure. Constant foot traffic turns every camera into a stream of alerts.
The hybrid option. Many sites only need a person while people are around. Keep a guard for gate hours, and put a virtual guard on nights and weekends. You pay guard rates for the hours that need a guard and camera rates for the rest. We'll help you work out the split in the site review.
Where we serve
Virtual guard coverage in CA, AZ, NV and OR.
We run from Las Vegas and cover sites in California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. No power where you need a camera? The solar tripod ships by freight and one person sets it up. Already have cameras? An edge device adds Behavior AI to them without port forwarding.
How the monitoring side works in detail: remote video monitoring. Comparing options for a jobsite: construction site security and remote video monitoring vs security guards.
FAQ
Virtual guard questions
What is a virtual guard?
A live operator who watches your cameras from off site. When Behavior AI flags activity, the operator reviews it, talks to the person through a speaker, sounds the siren and strobe if needed, and alerts your contacts.
Is a virtual security guard cheaper than an on-site guard?
For overnight and weekend coverage, usually by a wide margin. A 24/7 guard post runs about $18,250–$29,200 a month at $25–$40 an hour in bill rates (Mobile Video Guard, 2026, vendor estimate). Our solar units are under $1,000 per unit per month for hardware, connectivity, analytics and software, with monitoring quoted per site.
Can a virtual guard fully replace my security guard?
Sometimes. If the guard's job is mostly watching an empty site after hours, yes. If they check IDs, sign in visitors, lock up or handle emergencies in person, keep the guard for those hours and use a virtual guard for the rest.
What can't a virtual guard do?
Patrol, check doors, or physically stop or remove anyone. An operator can see, speak and sound an alarm. If you need hands on site, you need a person on site.
How does the hybrid option work?
A guard covers the hours people are on site, such as gate hours. A virtual guard covers nights and weekends. A day guard 10 hours a day, 5 days a week is about 217 of the month's 730 hours.
Do I need new cameras?
Not always. An edge device adds Behavior AI to cameras you already own without port forwarding. For areas with no power or network, the solar tripod ships by freight and one person sets it up.
Where do you offer virtual guard service?
California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, from our Las Vegas office. If your site is outside those states, ask and we'll tell you straight whether we can cover it.
Find out what your guard hours should cost.
Tell us the site, the hours you cover today and what you pay. We'll show you the virtual guard and hybrid numbers side by side.