4 Ways to Stop Connectivity Bill Shock and Overages
Whilst theft accounts for over $1 billion dollars in losses in the EU and US markets respectively, another large leak in profit comes from connectivity bill shock. For an Operations Director, a single 4K CCTV camera left on a continuous stream instead of motion-only can be a ticking time bomb. It can consume 500GB+ of data in a month, racking up thousands in overage fees and causing friction with your finance team.
The good news? This is 100% preventable.
At Soracom, we provide the tools to ensure you pay only for what you use. Here is your essential bill shock prevention checklist to lock down your site connectivity.
1. Enable IMEI Lock (The Anti-Theft Switch)
The Risk: With the UK construction industry losing approximately £800 million to theft annually, the US close to $1 billion, and Europe approx €1.5 billion, your routers have to be considered a target. The nightmare scenario isn’t just losing the hardware, then, as a thief can just as easily take your SIM card, put it in a tablet, and stream Netflix in 4K on your dime.
- The Fix: Bind the SIM to the device.
- How it works: IMEI Lock pairs your SIM card to the specific hardware (router or camera) in which it was installed. If the SIM is moved to an unauthorised device, the Soracom network automatically rejects the connection. No data flows. No bill shock.
2. Set Hard Caps with Event Handlers
The Risk: . You often have no visibility on which sites are blowing the data budget until the invoice arrives.
- The Fix: Automate the kill switch.
- How it works: Don’t rely on email alerts you might miss at 2 AM. Using Soracom Event Handler, you can create “If This, Then That” rules for your SIMs.
- The Rule: If daily data usage exceeds 2GB…
- The Action: …Change SIM status to suspended or throttle speed.
- The Result: You create an automated financial safety net that catches configuration errors immediately.
3. Enforce Motion Only Rules
The Risk: High-definition CCTV cameras should rarely be recording 24/7 over cellular. They should be set to motion-only to capture incidents without wasting bandwidth on empty frames.
- The Fix: Identify potentially problematic cameras by analysis of their data usage.
- How it works: A motion-only camera produces a specific data pattern: low baseline usage (heartbeats) with occasional spikes (events). A continuous camera produces a flat, high line. By visualising your traffic in the Soracom Console, you can identify misconfigured cameras instantly and enforce your rules before the bill spirals.
4. Eliminate Idle Connectivity Spend with Active/Standby Scheduling
The Risk: Paying for connectivity on sites that have finished or paused for the winter. These dormant costs represent wasted OpEx on equipment sitting idle in a warehouse.
- The Fix: Master lifecycle management.
- How it works: Soracom allows you to toggle SIMs between active and standby status instantly via the console or API.
- In Warehouse: Set SIM to standby. You pay a minimal “keep-alive” fee, not the full data rate.
- On Deployment: The moment the router powers on, the SIM flips to active.
- Project End: Instantly pause the SIM the moment the site closes.
Summary: The Zero-Waste Model
You wouldn’t leave a generator running 24/7 for an empty site. Don’t let your data run wild either. By using these four controls, you can eliminate overage risks and ensure zero-hassle connectivity for your security operations.
Ready to lock down your data costs? Book a Project Data Scoping Session with our Solution Architects today. We’ll help you define your architecture and data pool size to ensure your project stays on budget.