There are two ways to clean a camera mounted high above the ground.
One looks heroic.
The other looks professional.
1. The “Alex Honnold” Camera Cleaning Technique
Inspired by the fearless approach of Alex Honnold, this method is pure adrenaline: climb the structure, hug the façade, reach the camera, wipe the dome, climb back down. No lift. No ladder. Sometimes no harness. It’s bold, dramatic, and undeniably risky.
Why People Still Do It
- It’s fast if you’re already trained to climb
- No equipment to rent
- Makes for a great photo
The Reality
- High risk of injury or fatal falls
- Liability nightmares
- Inconsistent cleaning quality
- Not scalable across dozens, or hundreds, of cameras
- One slip = catastrophe
This method belongs in documentaries and action films, not in facility maintenance plans.
2. The Dotworkz DomeWizard® Method
Now let’s talk about reality.
The Dotworkz DomeWizard® was built for the exact same problem, dirty cameras at height, but engineered for the real world: cities, campuses, malls, transit hubs, stadiums, and industrial sites.
Instead of climbing to the camera, the DomeWizard brings the cleaning to you.
How It Works:
- Carbon-fiber pole systems (13’, 25’, or 40’)
- Lens-safe microfiber cleaning head
- Pro-Clean, streak-free, anti-static solution
- Clean cameras from the ground, no lifts, ladders, or climbing
Why Professionals Use It?
- Zero fall risk
- No special training required
- Consistent, repeatable results
- Faster across large camera fleets
- Dramatically reduced liability
- Designed specifically for domes, PTZs, and box cameras
Side-by-Side Reality Check:
Approach | Risk Level | Scalability | Liability | Cost Over Time |
Free-Solo Climb | Extreme | ❌ One camera at a time | ❌ High | ❌ High |
Lift / Ladder | High | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Moderate | ❌ Rental costs |
DomeWizard® | Minimal | ✅ Fleet-wide | ✅ Low | ✅ Low |
Heroics vs. Systems
Alex Honnold’s climbing is awe-inspiring because it’s rare.
Camera maintenance shouldn’t be.
Security cameras, traffic cameras, AI analytics, and LPR systems depend on clean optics to function properly. A dirty lens means:
- Missed incidents
- False alarms
- Poor image quality
- Reduced ROI
Cleaning shouldn’t rely on bravery, it should rely on process.
The Takeaway
If you’re cleaning one camera once for a photo op, the “free-solo” approach might make headlines.
If you’re responsible for dozens or thousands of cameras, there’s only one sane option.
The Dotworkz DomeWizard® turns a dangerous, expensive task into a safe, repeatable maintenance routine, no harnesses, no heroics, no risk.
Leave free-soloing to the climbers.
Leave camera cleaning to the tool built for it.