Quick answer: For an independent dealership or used-car lot, remote video monitoring means an operator watches your existing lot and building cameras live after hours and alerts you when someone is on the lot, near vehicles, at the service bay or at the key box. During business hours it can also check opening, closing and key-control routines. Digital EYE uses the cameras you already have; the standard plan is $600/month for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, up to 4 cameras, and larger lots are quoted.
The dealership risk profile
Our car dealership lot security guide goes deeper. The common problems:
- Parts theft from parked vehicles — catalytic converters, wheels and tires, batteries.
- Vehicle theft, often helped by poor key control.
- Vandalism and break-ins to vehicles on the front line.
- Large, open lots with dark edges and many hiding spots.
- Service bays with tools and customer vehicles inside.
- Test-drive and key routines that are skipped when the lot is busy.
What our operators watch after hours
| Area | What the operator looks for |
|---|---|
| Lot perimeter and entrances | People or vehicles entering after closing, gates left open |
| Between rows of vehicles | Anyone crouching, lying under or jacking up a vehicle |
| Front line | People trying door handles, breaking windows |
| Service bay doors | Doors open after hours, movement inside |
| Building entrances | Anyone at doors or windows |
| Key box or key room | Access outside business hours |
When we see activity that matches your rules, we alert your contacts right away with the time, camera and what we saw. You decide whether to call the police. Digital EYE provides operations and loss-prevention monitoring, not on-site guards or alarm dispatch. If you need someone to physically respond, keep your guard or patrol service and use monitoring to tell them where to look.
What makes lot monitoring work
Lots are harder to watch than stores. Monitoring is only as good as the picture:
- Lighting. Dark rows make it impossible to see someone under a car. Fix lighting before adding cameras.
- Camera height and angle. Mount cameras high enough to see between rows, not just the first line of vehicles.
- Coverage of the edges where people enter — fences, back alleys, neighbor lots.
- Fewer cameras, better placed. Four well-placed cameras on a small lot beat twelve pointing at car roofs.
We review screenshots from every camera, day and night, before we start, and tell you honestly what we can and cannot see. Our guide on video verification and false alarms explains why a verified picture matters more than a motion alert.
During business hours
Some dealers use part of their hours for operations instead:
- Opening and closing — lot gates, building, key box locked.
- Key routine — keys signed out and back in where the camera shows the key area.
- Service bay — vehicles moved in and out, bay doors closed at night.
Attendance and incident software
Digital EYE's workforce software verifies clock-ins on camera, flags no-shows for sales and service shifts, turns verified hours into payroll, and keeps incidents as cases with clips for police and insurance. Free for 6 months, then $50/month.
Picking hours and cameras
Most small lots choose closing through early morning on the standard plan. Larger lots with more cameras, or full overnight-to-opening coverage, need more operator time and are quoted. See pricing and our honest explainer on what a virtual guard can and cannot do.
Sample escalation rules
Every client agrees escalation rules in writing before monitoring starts. A typical starting set:
| Event | Who is alerted | How |
|---|---|---|
| Person on the lot after closing | Owner or general manager, then second contact | Call immediately |
| Someone under or jacking up a vehicle | Owner, then second contact | Call immediately |
| Service bay door open after hours | Service manager | Call |
| Gate left open at closing | Closing manager | Message |
| Camera offline overnight | IT contact or owner | Message |
You can change who is alerted, and in what order, at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Can you stop catalytic converter theft?
We can't physically stop it, but an operator watching the rows can alert you within moments of someone going under a vehicle, with time and camera, so you or a patrol can respond.
Do you use AI to detect people on the lot?
Our operators watch live. Your own system's motion or person detection can help draw attention, but a person checks what is actually happening before we alert you.
Do I need new cameras?
Usually not, if your lot cameras have usable night images. We'll tell you if lighting or angles need work.
Is a 4-camera plan enough for a car lot?
For a small lot with good lighting it can be. Larger lots usually need more cameras and are quoted.