Innovation Never Stops: The Next Chapter for Watchtower
Our mission is simple: to make temporary site security smarter, more reliable and easier to manage. We invest heavily in developing new technologies, and I, Wouter Ommeslag Managing Dirctor of Watchtower, am proud to present our latest products and services
Introducing Watchtower Celsius
One of our newest innovations is Watchtower Celsius.
A fire rarely starts out of nowhere. Heat almost always builds up first: a hotspot in a pile of waste, a battery warming up, a temperature curve climbing too fast. By the time you see smoke, you've lost valuable time.
Several incidents this summer highlighted clear use cases for an early heat – fire detection system:
At the Tomorrowland festival, the organizers had to hire people to see if nothing caught fire (fire watch).
At building-materials supplier and waste processor in Lubbeek, a pile of waste and insulation material caught fire, producing a large plume of smoke and threatening to spread to a nearby warehouse.
At waste-processing company Galloo in Menen, a battery believed to have been left in a pile of small electrical waste started a major fire. The heavy smoke prompted emergency alerts across the region.
In Oostrozebeke, a fire that had likely been smouldering for some time spread rapidly through a warehouse containing highly combustible wood and textiles, completely destroying the building.
In Emelgem, a fire completely destroyed a furniture company’s warehouse, forcing nearby residents to evacuate. Asbestos released in the smoke kept the surrounding area closed after the fire was brought under control.
That's why we built the Watchtower Celsius. It's a thermal detection tower that monitors temperature around the clock and raises an alarm when something is off:
a temperature goes over a threshold you've set
a temperature rises unusually fast
there is an open flame
A 360° pan/tilt thermalgraphic camera automatically scans preset zones, each with its own alarm criteria. Specially developed AI continuously analyses the thermal data to identify abnormal heat patterns, rapid temperature changes, and flames. Watchtower Celsius covers a range of up to 50 metres and features secure 5G connectivity and backup power. When a potential threat is detected, an alert is sent directly to the customer or to a connected monitoring centre, which can notify the fire brigade.
We built it for locations where heat poses a real business risk, including recycling and waste-processing facilities, EV storage sites, wood-processing facilities, industrial storage sites and logistics yards—all environments with an increased risk of fire.
You can discover the Watchtower Celsius here.
Meet Watchtower 360
Another major step forward is the launch of Watchtower 360.
As the name suggests, this innovative unit features a 360-degree camera system, with a more compact frame. You get full panoramic coverage from a unit that's easier to transport, place and set up, even on tight sites.
For customers looking to maximize coverage while minimizing the physical impact on-site, Watchtower 360 represents a significant leap forward.
Check out our Watchtower 360 here.
Watchtower in Your Pocket: The Watchtower App
With the new Watchtower app for iOS and Android, users manage their own system. They can:
set and change their alarm times
watch live footage from their site, wherever they are
get notifications straight away, for an alarm and also for things like a power failure
This gives customers more control, faster information and fewer phone calls to control rooms.
From Rental to Ownership
For years, Watchtower has been known for its flexible rental model. That remains a key part of our offering.
However, we are now taking the next step by making Watchtower units available for purchase.
This creates opportunities for:
Construction companies with long-term or permanent site monitoring requirements
Operators of critical infrastructure where towers remain deployed for extended periods
Security companies looking to expand their service portfolio with a proven and innovative mobile security solution
Customers will be able to combine ownership with a range of new service packages, allowing them to choose exactly how much support they require.
Some organizations prefer to operate the system largely themselves. Others want complete peace of mind and full operational support from Watchtower. Our service packages will make both approaches possible, providing maximum flexibility while ensuring optimal performance.
You can find more info here.
Looking Beyond Security
While security remains at the heart of what we do, our vision extends further.
Over the coming months, Watchtower will continue to innovate with solutions that go beyond traditional security applications. We are actively expanding our focus into the world of safety, helping customers not only protect assets but also support safer working environments and better operational awareness. So the same system that delivers security by night, enables safety by day.
We are not quite ready to reveal everything yet, but I can promise there is much more to come before the end of the year!