Deployment Checklist for Security Robots on the Plant Perimeter

This guide is written for plant managers who will commission a patrol robot in the next 30 days. It does not replace a security concept. It structures the transition from signed contract to autonomous 24/7 operation. Every item on the list has a deadline in hours or days. Whoever cuts corners pays later in false alarms, works-council conflicts, or weeks lost before the real go-live.

Deployment Checklist: From Contract to Operational Go-Live in 14 Days

The rollout splits into five hard time blocks. Slipping one day pulls the go-live with it. Quarero plans for 14 calendar days, not 14 working days.

Day 0 to 2. Contract signed, insurance proof under EN ISO 13482, delivery address and receiving officer named. Security robots have to meet the requirements of EN ISO 13482 for service robots in outdoor use. Without valid proof no unit leaves the warehouse. The receiving officer is named, with mobile number and deputy.

Day 3 to 5. On-site perimeter audit by the deployment engineer. Output is a heatmap of weak points marking fence gaps, blind corners, and crossing logistics routes. From this the patrol corridors with waypoints and dwell times are defined.

Day 6 to 9. Wi-Fi mesh validation at every waypoint, LTE failover test with forced Wi-Fi drop, installation of the docking station on a certified power feed with residual-current protection. The docking station is roofed, with three meters of clear approach.

Day 10 to 12. First patrols in escort mode with the Werkschutz. The Posten verifies every detection, the robot tunes the detection zones. Thresholds for person, vehicle, and animal detection are adjusted to the site.

Day 13 to 14. Handover to autonomous 24/7 operation. The escalation matrix with names, phone numbers, and reaction times goes to the control room. The acceptance protocol is signed.

To hold the 14-day plan, start with the TCO comparison of classic guard service to demonstrate the economics to the board.

Preparatory Site Analysis: What Must Be Settled Before Delivery

The site analysis decides whether the 14-day plan holds. It is sketched before contract signing and deepened in day 3 to 5.

• Ground map. Slopes above 8 degrees, thresholds above 4 cm, unpaved areas, and grating panels are marked. The robot drives around these points or gets a ramp.
• Gates, barriers, locks. Every passive obstacle gets a status: passable, automated opening, bypass. Sliding gates with Modbus interface are connected directly, all others via radio relay.
• Light conditions. Lux measurement at patrol points during the darkest hour. Areas below 5 lux require a QR-2 for 24/7 outdoor perimeters with thermal module. RGB alone does not deliver forensically usable images in this range.
• Radio survey. Documented signal strength at every patrol point, minimum -75 dBm. Values between -75 and -85 dBm require an additional mesh node. Values below -85 dBm are not operable.
• Hazard zones with third parties. Hauliers, cleaning contractors, plant fire brigade. For each third party an avoidance rule applies: the robot keeps 3 meters distance, signals acoustically, waits up to 90 seconds, then takes an alternative route.

Without a clean audit the 48-hour delivery for security robots is an empty promise. Delivery itself takes 48 hours. Usable deployment without an audit does not.

Sensor Choice: QR-1, QR-2, or QR-3 by Use Profile

Three sensor classes cover the spectrum of plant perimeters. The choice follows damage value per incident, not square meters.

Model	Use	Sensors	RaaS rate
QR-1	Halls, lit courtyards	RGB, audio	€3,200 / month
QR-2	24/7 outdoor perimeter	RGB, thermal, person detection 80 m	€3,500 / month
QR-3	KRITIS sites	LiDAR, drone detection, thermal	€3,800 / month

QR-1 is the right choice for logistics halls with constant lighting above 50 lux and no outdoor area. Thermal adds no value here.

QR-2 is the standard case for industrial sites with outdoor perimeter and night operation. Person detection up to 80 meters, thermal for areas below 5 lux.

QR-3 with QR-3 LiDAR and drone detection belongs at KRITIS sites, substations, waterworks, and chemical parks. LiDAR delivers detection in fog and heavy rain. Drone detection catches small UAS up to 120 meters.

Mixed fleets. A QR-2 plus a QR-1 covers 90 percent of typical plant perimeters with hall and outer ring. The selection rule: sensor depth follows damage value per incident, not surface area. An 800 m² high-security warehouse needs a QR-3. A 40,000 m² general-cargo warehouse needs a QR-1.

For sizing industrial perimeter protection, the audit produces a sensor recommendation per patrol corridor.

Integration into the Control Room and Existing Security Architecture

The robot does not replace the control room, it feeds it. Integration is closed on day 7, in parallel with Wi-Fi validation.

• API connection. REST endpoints for Lenel, Genetec, and Milestone are documented. Alarms, live video, and telemetry flow into the existing VMS. No second user interface for the shift leader.
• NSL mirroring. Alarms are mirrored as VdS-compliant messages to the Notruf- und Serviceleitstelle. The plant manager decides which escalation levels the NSL handles directly.
• Escalation levels. Four levels are binding: sighting (robot detects anomaly), verification (control room checks image), intervention (Posten or Streife responds), police call (control room dials 110). Each level has a maximum reaction time in seconds.
• Roles and rights. Plant manager, shift leader, and external contractors are kept in separate roles. Externals see only live video, no route data, no history.
• Logging. Recordings are kept 90 days, security-relevant events 180 days. KRITIS operators are subject to documented retention and evidence duties under KritisV section 8.

Whoever already uses Lenel or Milestone saves on training. Shift leaders keep working in the familiar interface.

Legal and Regulatory Duties at Rollout

Three legal areas run in parallel: data protection, labour law, machinery law. None can be caught up later.

• Data protection impact assessment. Closed under Art. 35 GDPR before the first patrol day. Quarero supplies a template, the plant's data protection officer signs.
• Works-council involvement. Works agreement signed before the robot records any images. Practice shows: whoever engages the works council on day 0 has the signature on day 10. Whoever informs them on day 7 loses four weeks.
• Signage. Notices on video surveillance under section 4 BDSG posted two weeks before go-live at every entrance. Pictogram, responsible party, contact for data subjects.
• CE conformity. The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 governs CE conformity for autonomous mobile systems from January 2027 on a binding basis. Quarero supplies the declaration of conformity with the unit.
• KRITIS inclusion. At KRITIS operators the robot is taken into the security concept under the KRITIS Umbrella Act (KRITIS-Dachgesetz). Details on deadline and documentation in the KRITIS-Dachgesetz checklist 2026.

Test Operation: 72 Hours of Parallel Patrol with the Werkschutz

Test operation runs on day 10 to 12 and is not negotiable. Whoever shortens it to 24 hours risks 15 percent false-alarm rates in live operation.

Hour 0 to 24. The robot follows the guard on the regular round. It calibrates routes, gathers reference images by day and night, learns fixed obstacles like parked trucks or containers. The guard confirms every waypoint reached.

Hour 25 to 48. Autonomous day patrol. The guard stays in the control room and verifies every alert. False positives are logged with cause codes: shadow, animal, reflective surface, third-party vehicle.

Hour 49 to 72. Autonomous night shift. Escalation chains are tested live, including a planned intrusion test by an employee in a high-visibility vest. Reaction time from sighting to verification must stay under 90 seconds.

Acceptance criterion. Less than 5 percent false alarms over the last 24 hours. If the value is exceeded, a further 24-hour loop begins with re-tuning of the detection zones.

Acceptance protocol. Signed by plant manager and Quarero deployment engineer. It contains false-alarm rate, availability, mileage, and tested escalation levels.

Without a signature no transition to day 13. The robot stays in escort mode until the protocol is on the table.

Operational Handover and Service Levels in Continuous Operation

From day 15 the service contract runs. Terms are standardised in the RaaS model.

• Reaction time. Quarero support answers within 15 minutes for critical alerts (outage, security event), within 4 hours for maintenance. The windows apply 24/7, including public holidays.
• Hardware swap. On-site replacement of defective units within 24 hours. The replacement is configured identically, with mirrored routes and detection zones. No new audit, no new test operation.
• Performance report. Monthly, with patrol kilometres, events by category, availability in percent, top 5 false-alarm causes. The report goes to plant manager and security officer.
• Security review. Quarterly with the plant manager. Routes are adjusted to new hall usage, changed logistics flows, or new hazard zones.
• Contract term. 24 months, extension in 12-month steps with no price increase. The rate stays fixed for the entire follow-on term.

Whoever chooses the Robotics-as-a-Service model avoids capex and depreciation logic. The BDSW documents personnel costs and availability gaps in classical guard service that make this choice economic.

Common Deployment Errors and How to Avoid Them

Five errors surface regularly in deployment reviews. Each costs time, money, or trust on site.

Error 1: Radio survey skipped. The robot loses connection in dead zones, enters safety stop, blocks routes. Result: 20 to 40 minutes of manual intervention per incident. Countermeasure: hold day 6 to 9 strictly, measure every waypoint.

Error 2: Works council brought in too late. Go-live slips four to eight weeks because the works agreement is not in place. Countermeasure: first meeting with the works council on day 0, in parallel with contract signing.

Error 3: Escalation matrix missing. Alarms reach the wrong recipient or sit in the plant manager's inbox at 3 a.m. Countermeasure: the matrix is handed to the control room with names and phone numbers on day 13, not earlier and not later.

Error 4: Sensor class chosen too low. A QR-1 on the outdoor perimeter at 2 lux delivers no usable images. Forensic investigation fails, the insurer cuts payouts. Countermeasure: lux measurement on day 3 to 5, sensor class set afterwards.

Error 5: No acceptance protocol. In later liability questions (theft, property damage, personal injury) it stays open in which configuration state the robot ran. Countermeasure: sign the acceptance protocol on day 14, copy to plant manager, Quarero, insurer.

These five errors explain 80 percent of failed or delayed rollouts. Whoever knows them plans around them.

Next Step

This checklist is not a marketing document. It is used in Quarero deployments as a working basis and updated after every rollout. Plant managers who commission a robot within the next 30 days should start with the perimeter audit, not with contract negotiation. The audit costs nothing. The lost month does. Request a pilot and have the audit team on site within 48 hours.