Mobile Surveillance Trailers Compared: LVT vs. Wanco

Wanco is a nearly 40-year-old manufacturer of traffic control, roadway safety, and construction equipment (variable message signs, arrow boards, light towers) that also produces portable surveillance trailers. LiveView Technologies (LVT) is a security-focused company built specifically around AI-driven mobile surveillance and deterrence. This guide compares the two based on publicly available product information—the underlying business models are different enough that the comparison is less "which trailer is better" and more "which approach to security hardware fits your operation."

Specifications below are drawn from LVT's and Wanco's public websites as of publication. Both companies offer multiple configurations and update their lineups regularly, so we recommend confirming current specs directly with each vendor before making a purchasing decision.

Company Overview

Product Lineup

Wanco splits its surveillance offering into four distinct product lines depending on how much of the system the customer wants to build themselves, while LVT sells a single integrated, preconfigured platform.

Detection and Deterrence Features

LVT's materials emphasize AI-driven analytics and automated deterrence as core, built-in features. Wanco's public materials describe its trailers as a durable, camera-agnostic platform; specific detection/deterrence capability on a Wanco unit depends heavily on which camera and software package is installed, especially on the Integrator Trailer line.

Power and Deployment

Where the Two Differ Most

• Integrated system vs. build-your-own. This is the single biggest distinction. LVT sells one integrated platform where hardware, AI analytics, and the monitoring app come from the same company. Wanco's Integrator Trailer line does the opposite on purpose—it's marketed as a bare, durable platform specifically so a customer or systems integrator can install whatever cameras and software they already use or prefer.
• Core business focus. Security and surveillance is LVT's entire business. For Wanco, portable surveillance trailers are one product line within a much broader traffic-safety and construction-equipment catalog that includes message signs, arrow boards, and light towers.
• Deterrence sophistication. LVT's public materials describe a more built-out AI deterrence stack (automated talk-down audio, strobes, spotlights) as a standard, packaged feature. Wanco's public materials focus more on the hardware platform itself, with detection and deterrence software capability varying more by configuration and installed equipment.
• Track record and category. Wanco's nearly 40-year history is in traffic control and public-safety equipment broadly, which may appeal to buyers (DOTs, municipalities, law enforcement) already using Wanco's other products. LVT's shorter but more security-focused history may appeal to buyers looking for a security-specific vendor rather than a general equipment manufacturer.

What to Ask Any Mobile Security Vendor

Regardless of which company you're evaluating, a few questions are worth asking directly:

• What does detection accuracy look like in real-world conditions (weather, low light, occlusion)?
• What's the actual cost over a full contract term—unit price, monitoring fees, and any per-incident response charges?
• Who handles live monitoring and escalation: in-house staff, a third-party monitoring center, or software alone?
• What's the typical timeline from order to a fully deployed, operational unit?
• Does the trailer work with the cameras, VMS, and analytics you already use, or does it require replacing your existing stack?

Here’s How LVT Would Answer

• What does detection accuracy look like in real-world conditions (weather, low light, occlusion)? 
  
  • LVT’s thermal imaging camera works in all weather conditions and detects heat signatures from a distance, which allows for accurate threat detection, even in total darkness.
  • LVT Units hold up in high winds and extreme weather. See evidence from Hurricane Ida.
  • Another example of the LVT Platform detecting in zero visibility weather. 
• What's the actual cost over a full contract term—unit price, monitoring fees, and any per-incident response charges?
  
  • The answer to this question depends on your specific site. LVT teams work with each individual site to create a custom plan to meet your security needs and secure any blind spots. Our goal is to work as partners to create a safer and more secure world starting with your location. Visit LVT’s pricing and packaging page for more details.
• Who handles live monitoring and escalation: in-house staff, a third-party monitoring center, or software alone?
  
  • LVT leverages professional third-party monitoring to respond to LVT Unit alerts in real time.  Users that you authorize can access your live video surveillance feeds at any time, from anywhere, but our trusted partners from central stations can do it for you. Our advanced surveillance software will alert our teams of security professionals when activity is detected on your property. From there, they will follow set procedures which could include:

• Deterring trespassers by talking through the on-unit speaker
• Contacting you and telling you exactly what is happening
• Calling law enforcement

Learn more about LVT’s monitoring packages and find the best solution for your business.

• What's the typical timeline from order to a fully deployed, operational unit?
  
  • This answer depends on several factors: what type of unit, where it is going, what the availability is in the area, and more. We aim to have our units deployed and set up in days, not weeks or months.
• Does the trailer work with the cameras, VMS, and analytics you already use, or does it require replacing your existing stack?
  
  • LVT’s trailers ship with their own proprietary camera hardware built into the unit, so you cannot use existing cameras. LVT does have direct integrations for VMS/software layers. They’ve built integrations for various third-party VMS providers and offer an open API so customers can access their data using whatever software they prefer. LVT supports live remote monitoring through its own platform, and many customers integrate with third-party monitoring services or internal security teams rather than being locked into LVT's monitoring only.

If you'd like to learn more about LVT’s product offerings and get a quote for your specific property, reach out to our team.