Mechanical and systems trades

Connectivity for solar installers

Design, permitting and monitoring are digital from the first site visit. The equipment you install increasingly reports back over a network, and customers expect you to see a fault before they do.

Internet, wireless and security for solar installers

Each of the three has to be right, and they are usually bought from different companies. We compare them together.

Internet

Design tools, permit portals and utility applications are all online.

Wireless

Crews commission systems and confirm monitoring is live before leaving the roof.

Security

Monitoring portals and financing applications hold customer data that must be secured.

Article

The system was on the roof and off the network

By the Telecom Agency advisory team

A solar installation is not finished until it reports. The crew left at four, the monitoring never came online, and the homeowner's first experience of the new system was an error message.

What a consultant changes

An advisor gives crews dependable mobile data to commission each system before they leave, and reviews how monitoring accounts and financing applications are protected. For a growing installer, Telecom Agency also plans connectivity for each new branch, with one contact across every carrier involved.

How Telecom Agency shops the market for solar installers

The advice
An advisor compares mobile data for commissioning systems on site, connectivity options for monitoring equipment, and protection for the customer and financing information you hold.
The price
Crew data plans and any monitoring connections are priced across carriers. Each new branch office is quoted with them, so the whole company is negotiated at once.
The service
As you open in new areas the advisor checks coverage and arranges office service ahead of the move-in date.
  • No fee to you: providers pay the advisor
  • Every provider compared, none favoured
  • One contact for every carrier
  • Reviews and support after the install

An illustrative scenario based on situations common among solar installers. It does not describe a specific client.

What we usually put in place

  • Connections for monitored equipmentCellular and internet links for panels, controllers and sensors.
  • Replacements for copper linesApproved alternatives for alarm, elevator and emergency phones.
  • Field mobile plansData and devices for technicians on the road.
  • Controlled remote accessCustomer systems reached through secured, separated networks.

Providers that often fit

The shortlist depends on your addresses. Open a provider to check availability where you work.

The best connection available,at a price you can compare.

Tell us where you work and what you run. An advisor brings back internet, wireless and security options side by side, at no cost to you.

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