Q: Do you require customers to sign a long-term contract?

A: Not exactly. At Vision Link, we don’t tie customers into rigid long-term contracts. For example, customers typically pay annually, while some local flood groups previously paid monthly by cheque, and now use Direct Debit.

However, when we install a camera system, we commit to a 24-month SIM contract ourselves. While we've never had an issue with customers cancelling early, it's important to note that we're liable for the ongoing SIM cost regardless of usage, much like a standard mobile phone contract. Unfortunately, SIMs cannot be paused once activated.

Additionally, it's not just about the SIM—we also provide and maintain the secure server infrastructure that supports the system, all hosted here in the UK and managed entirely in-house, ensuring reliability, performance, and compliance.

Q: Is the alert system included in the price?

A: Yes, absolutely. At Vision Link, we don’t believe in hidden fees or charging for unnecessary add-ons. We're an engineering-led company, focused on delivering reliable, value-driven solutions—not on squeezing every penny from our customers.

The alert system is included and is triggered by our integrated water level sensors. If your setup doesn’t include sensors initially, the system is fully upgradable, so water level monitoring and alert functionality can be added at any time without starting from scratch.

Q: Can you align cameras with gauge boards or install water level sensors in drainage catchpits?

A: Yes, we can. If you're referring to gauge boards (also known as measure boards) like those used in our projects at Braithwaite or Parbold, we regularly align our cameras to provide a clear, real-time view of those indicators.

Additionally, we offer a range of water level sensors that can be installed directly into catchpits, culverts, or drainage chambers. These sensors integrate seamlessly with our camera systems and alert platforms, allowing for precise, remote monitoring of water levels.

If you’re interested, we’d be happy to discuss sensor options and pricing based on your specific site requirements.

Q: We're planning to install the system internally—can you provide a demo or guidance on how to set it up?

A: Absolutely — we fully support self-installation. All Vision Link systems are pre-configured, so setup is essentially plug-and-play. The main controller includes a built-in full color display, giving you live feedback on status, network signal, and data connection—so you're never left guessing whether the system is working.

The unit will automatically connect to the strongest available GSM network, and while a new SIM may take a couple of minutes to register (similar to roaming abroad), the screen provides clear connection feedback in real time.

Our smartphone apps are also ideal during setup. You can position the camera, then immediately check the live image on your phone or tablet—making alignment and testing fast and hassle-free.

Q: How often do the cameras need maintenance, such as battery replacements or lens cleaning?

A: Our camera systems are designed for minimal maintenance. The onboard batteries are high-quality lithium-ion (the same technology used in electric vehicles), which do not suffer from memory effect like older battery types. Because the system operates 24/7, the batteries are consistently cycled in a healthy way.

We use a dedicated MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) charger, ensuring optimal solar charging performance—far superior to basic PWM systems. The power system also includes proper battery balancing and built-in over/under voltage protection, all of which contribute to long-term battery reliability.

As for the camera lens, occasional cleaning is necessary, especially in outdoor environments. While our infrared LEDs are only activated during image capture, they can still attract insects—which in turn attract spiders, and spider webs can reflect IR light, reducing night image quality. This is common across all camera systems.

We recommend:

• Gently brushing the lens area every few months, depending on location

• Using anti-spider sprays (available online for around £10/can) which help deter web-building near the lens for several months

• Considering camera placement carefully, avoiding positioning near surfaces that may reflect more infrared light than your intended target

In most cases, lens cleaning can be done during routine site visits or inspections, It’s a simple but important step to ensure consistent image quality.

Q: How often do the cameras update?

A: Our camera systems typically update every 5 to 30 minutes under normal operating conditions. This provides a reliable balance between performance, power efficiency, and data usage—ideal for most applications in fair weather.

In special cases, we’ve deployed systems with higher update rates to meet specific customer needs, but increased frequency impacts battery life and data usage, and falls outside our standard pricing model.

When a camera is paired with an integrated water level sensor, it becomes even more intelligent. If rising water is detected—such as during rainfall or culvert filling—the system will automatically switch to an enhanced update rate, providing more frequent images during critical conditions.

This enhanced mode can also be manually activated remotely for short periods, giving engineers real-time visibility when it’s needed most.

Q: Can we use our own SIM cards in the system?

A: This isn't something we currently offer. Our camera systems rely on specialist multi-network roaming SIMs that have been extensively tested across hundreds of installations to ensure reliable performance in a wide range of environments.

It's not just a case of inserting any SIM—our SIMs are designed to automatically switch between available networks for the strongest signal, or can be locked to a specific provider if required. Additionally, our systems continuously report GSM signal strength and network performance back to our servers, allowing us to remotely monitor and support each deployment effectively.

Using our approved SIMs ensures the highest level of reliability, diagnostics, and support across the entire system.

Q: Some cameras offer an IR-cut filter as an "option". Isn't that the same as yours?

A: No. An optional fixed filter means you have to choose when the camera is built. With the filter fitted, you get good daytime colour but poor night images. Without it, you get night images but washed-out, pink or purple colours during the day. Either way, you lose out for half of every day.

Our cameras use an automatically switching IR-cut filter as standard. It blocks infrared during the day for true, natural colour, then moves aside at night so our built-in infrared lighting gives clear images in complete darkness.

A fixed filter is usually offered because it's cheaper and avoids redesigning an older camera. We believe customers shouldn't have to choose between good day images and good night images, so every Vision Link camera gets both, as standard.

Q: Do you manufacture the systems yourselves, or are they assembled from off-the-shelf parts?

A: Yes, we design and manufacture our systems entirely in-house. This includes developing our own electronics, designing the PCBs, and assembling components using our automated production facility—all here in the UK. The only part we outsource is the fabrication of the raw PCB boards, which involves chemical processes, but we’ve worked with the same trusted UK supplier for over 13 years.

Our in-house manufacturing gives us full control over quality, performance, and supply chain resilience. For example, during COVID, when certain components had 52-week lead times, we were able to source alternatives and reconfigure our production overnight, ensuring zero disruption to customer deliveries.

This level of control means we can respond quickly to customer needs, adapt to component changes, and maintain consistent, high-quality output across every system we deliver.

Q: solar charging / Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)?

A: What it does:

MPPT ensures that a variable power source, such as a solar panel, operates at its peak efficiency, delivering the maximum possible power to the battery.

Why it's needed:

Solar panel output varies due to changes in sunlight intensity, temperature, and other factors. Without MPPT, the panel might not operate at its maximum power point (MPP), leading to reduced energy production. 

Benefits:

MPPT increases the overall efficiency of solar power systems, leading to higher energy yield and improved performance.

Q: Is there a limit to how many people can access the web portal or smartphone apps?

A: No. There is no restriction on the number of users who can log in using the same username and password. We offer three access levels to suit different needs:

• Admin – Full access to system configuration and user management. Ideal for team leaders or site managers.

• User – Access to cameras, historical images, and telemetry data. Commonly used by field teams.

• Guest – Limited access to specific cameras only, often used for sharing selected views with third parties.

Q: Some cameras advertise night vision without infrared lights. How does that compare to your system?

A: Those cameras usually take black-and-white images only and rely on whatever natural light is available at night, such as moonlight or nearby street lighting. To gather enough light, they use a slow exposure, like leaving a camera shutter open for longer. This works on a moonlit night, but on a dark, overcast night or in an unlit rural location there is very little light for the camera to capture.

Our systems work differently. During the day, you get full-colour images, which make it much easier to tell water from mud, spot debris, or identify vehicles and equipment. At night, our IR-cut lens switches over and our built-in infrared lighting illuminates the scene. The infrared light is invisible to people, and it gives clear images even in complete darkness, regardless of weather or moonlight.

We also use an image sensor with large pixels, which capture more light than the smaller pixels found in many higher-megapixel cameras. More megapixels doesn't automatically mean a better picture, especially at night.

In short: colour by day, reliable night images in total darkness, not just when the conditions happen to be right.

Q: Some wireless sensors use 2.4GHz. Why do Vision Link sensors use 868MHz LoRa?

A: Because 868MHz LoRa reaches much further and copes far better with real sites.

2.4GHz is the same frequency band used by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microwave ovens. It is fine for short distances in open space. However, it is easily blocked by trees, hedges, embankments and wet ground, because water absorbs 2.4GHz signals. Systems using it typically quote ranges of around 300 metres, and often need a mesh of many devices passing signals along to cover a site.

868MHz LoRa was designed specifically for long-range, low-power sensors. The lower frequency passes through vegetation, buildings and rough terrain far more easily. It can reach 1000m in open ground, and it is also clear of the crowded 2.4GHz band.

For customers, this means:

• Fewer devices are needed to cover a site.

• Sensors can be placed where they're needed, not just where there's a signal.

• Links are more reliable in wet weather and through summer foliage.

• Battery life is longer, thanks to LoRa's very low power design.

Q: Some wireless sensors use lithium thionyl chloride batteries. Why do Vision Link sensors use L91 lithium AA batteries?

A: Lithium thionyl chloride batteries do hold more energy on paper, and they are often promoted for that reason. In real outdoor monitoring, though, they have two important drawbacks.

1. They give almost no warning before they fail. Their voltage stays almost perfectly flat for most of their life, then drops off suddenly at the end. That makes it very difficult to measure how much charge is left. A sensor can report "battery OK" one week and stop working the next, often during the bad weather when you need it most.

2. They struggle in the cold. Radio sensors draw short bursts of power each time they transmit. In low temperatures, thionyl chloride batteries find it harder to deliver those bursts, and they can also suffer from "passivation", a build-up inside the cell that further limits the power it can deliver. The result can be missed readings in winter.

Our sensors use L91 lithium AA batteries, which are designed to perform down to -40°C and deliver power reliably in cold weather. Their voltage falls more gradually towards the end of their life, so our system can detect low battery in good time and alert you before a sensor stops reporting.

They are also standard AA size, available from most shops and suppliers, so replacements are simple, quick and inexpensive.

Q: Do your cameras send video, or just still images?

A: Both. Many remote monitoring cameras only send a single still image, often once an hour or only when triggered. By the time you look, the situation may have changed completely.

Our systems can send regular high-definition still images and short video clips. On our Network Rail installations, for example, the camera sends a 1080p image every 5 minutes and a 20-second video every 15 minutes. Video shows you what is actually happening: whether water is flowing or standing, whether debris is moving, and how quickly conditions are changing. A single photo can't tell you that.

Our video uses H.264 encoding, the same industry-standard format used by professional CCTV and online video services. It compresses video very efficiently, so clips are small enough to send quickly over 4G while keeping clear, detailed pictures. It also plays instantly on any phone, tablet or computer, with no special software or plugins needed.

Q: What does your A.I. actually do?

A: Our A.I. automatically checks images for blockages, flooding and obstructions, so problems are flagged without someone having to watch every image.

It has been trained on over 10 million real images collected over 14 years from Environment Agency, Network Rail, county council and commercial sites. That means it has learned from real UK conditions, including rain, fog, darkness, debris and flooding, not from generic stock images. It was developed entirely in-house, and we keep improving it as new data comes in.

Q: Does the camera need connecting to any existing power or infrastructure?

A: No. Each system is completely self-contained. It has its own solar panel, battery and 4G connection, and is not connected to any existing infrastructure or power supply. On rail sites, the camera can be installed alongside the track without touching Network Rail equipment, which keeps installation quick, simple and low-risk.