Digital pest control: your top 8 frequently asked questions answered

Digital pest control allows for more enhanced premises protection. It provides automated, round-the-clock monitoring, early intervention, and easier audit compliance. Connected pest control also offers a data-driven service so experts have a better understanding of your pest risks and can be more targeted in their approach. It can offer good value for money as any activity can be quickly dealt with by experts before it escalates, mitigating the risk and costs of business downtime and damage to stock and machinery.

Technology affects almost every aspect of our lives and it’s even transformed pest control, providing new levels of efficiency. Customers across several sectors now use digital pest control, but it’s a commonly misunderstood topic. We’re here to answer your questions and talk about digital pest control. 

For a full breakdown of digital pest control, including what it is and why you need it, scroll on!

1. What is digital pest control? 

Digital pest control is pest control made smarter, faster and more efficient with the power of technology. 

It calls on technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), cloud computing, and — at the cutting edge of this service — AI, to monitor, manage and control pest threats more effectively. 

Digital pest control relies on the Internet of Things (IoT) to automate the monitoring of rodent traps and allows for 24/7 monitoring and protection. 

It means you can have early detection and expert intervention.

That’s right. Technicians no longer have to check traps manually. Instead, they respond quickly, schedule a convenient time to visit and are empowered with data for enhanced insights into pest activity and risks at your site. Let’s put that into perspective; 12 hours of scheduled service visits over a year, for example, could become 8760 hours of premises protection.

The traps are also integrated to customer portals, so all the data is recorded and easily accessible to customers. 

For Rentokil customers, data from the devices is integrated into myRentokil, providing instant access to proof-of-service documentation, in-depth data analysis, and comprehensive insights, including pest activity trends, recommendation tracking, and heatmaps. It means all relevant information is stored in one place, ready for audits and producing pest activity reports.

2. Is digital pest control effective and why do I need it? 

Now that we’ve covered what digital pest control is, it’s time to move on to two killer questions that come hand-in-hand: is it effective and why do I need it?

I’m sure many of you wonder how effective digital pest control is and what it can do for your business. 

So, we’ve zeroed in on the main benefits below.

• Round-the-clock monitoring You have enhanced protection of your premises, helping you switch from reactive to proactive pest control, preventing infestations and minimising business impact. 
• Early intervention There’s a fast response to pest activity from expert technicians. For example, Rentokil studied hundreds of customers who moved from traditional (non-connected) to connected pest control, and found with 24/7 monitoring and quick intervention, PestConnect can resolve rodent activity twice as fast.
• More sustainable pest control Technology is enabling the development of non-toxic solutions and quicker intervention, so less rodenticide is needed. For example, PestConnect can be more sustainable by reducing rodenticide use by up to 60%.¹
• Data-driven insight for more targeted, proactive pest control: Because digital pest control continuously collects data, technicians comprehensively understand your premises and pest activity before their arrival. This allows them to focus their efforts on high-risk areas and mitigate the risk of future infestations.
• Customised reporting You can gain insight into pest trends for your unique environment and view detailed records of pest activity on your premises. Use the data to build and schedule custom reports to support auditing and legislative requirements.  
• Easier audit compliance You have full control of your onsite pest management, with data from across your locations readily available to support audit compliance.

¹Based on a comparison of rodenticide use at customer sites transitioning from non-connected to connected pest control. All data on file.

3. Is digital pest control a more environmentally friendly option?

Yes, it is. In fact, PestConnect can help reduce rodenticide use by up to 60%.² This is because by analysing data from our connected devices, we can identify common trends and high-risk areas over time. This allows us to be proactive rather than reactive — mitigating risks before they escalate and ensuring that any rodenticide use is highly targeted and minimal.

Technology is also driving the development of more efficient, bait-free solutions. For example, PestConnect Optix (our AI-powered cameras) allows experts to have visibility into pest activity at a customer site at a level they’ve never had before, including rodent exit and entry points and bait take. AI then detects pests in the captured image and can trigger an automated alert, enabling swift intervention. This allows for quicker, more effective resolutions to pest activity, minimising the impact of infestations and the use of rodenticides.

²Based on a comparison of rodenticide use at customer sites transitioning from non-connected to connected pest control. All data on file.

4. Will digital pest control use or impact my business’ internet connection?

Another frequently asked question is whether connected devices use or affect your business’s internet connection, and the simple answer is that they don’t have to. There are many options where connected pest control operates entirely independently of your IT infrastructure. For example, Rentokil’s connected system operates independently to minimise disruption to your business. 

For PestConnect Optix cameras, we achieve this by setting up a secure, dedicated router that won’t connect to any other Wi-Fi at your site. This ensures that continuous monitoring doesn't cause any lag or slowdown on your primary company network. 

For other connected units, we use a dedicated, industry-standard network called LoRaWAN® to ensure minimal disruption. LoRaWAN® connects all your devices to a central Gateway, which sends data seamlessly to our system. Crucially, the Gateway has its own pre-installed SIM, meaning it, too, works entirely independently of your company’s Wi-Fi or IT infrastructure.

5. Which wireless networks are best?

In digital pest control, there isn't a one-size-fits-all network. The best option depends entirely on the size and type of data being sent. Here’s a look at the most common options:  

• WiFi 
• LoRaWAN®
• Cellular (Cat-1 and Cat-NB) 

 Each network has its strengths, depending on the type of data being transmitted. However, we believe that LoRa is generally the best option for low data usage in pest control, with a streamlined set-up process and a strong range both inside and outside buildings. 

LoRaWAN® ensures your data remains secure without requiring any complex setup or resources. A single Gateway can also connect up to 1,000 devices, offering robust coverage with minimal hardware on your site.

6. Will my data be secure? 

Data security is a top priority for any digital solution, especially given that, according to IBM and the Ponemon Institute, the frequency of cyber attacks is increasing year after year. 

For reassurance that your data is protected, it’s always a good idea to work with companies that adhere to the latest global standards.

ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is the most recent and highest internationally recognised standard for managing information security, and the award certifies that the information stored is protected to the highest degree. We’re delighted that PestConnect and myRentokil have been certified to ISO 27001:2022.

We’re constantly assessing, minimising and eliminating risks and vulnerabilities, so you can trust our data management. We store all data on backed-up Rentokil Initial servers with HTTPS encryption, and user accounts are protected with secure passwords

7. Does digital pest control offer value for money? 

You’re likely also wondering whether digital pest control offers you value for money and the short answer is: yes, it can.

The value lies in digital pest control providing 24/7 monitoring and protection combined with the power of data-driven insight. 

Round-the-clock protection coupled with data enables a better understanding of pest risks at your site, meaning there’s earlier, more proactive intervention against costly pest infestations. 

Our expert technicians can quickly deal with any activity before it escalates, mitigating the risk, time and costs associated with business downtime and damage to any stock and machinery onsite. 

Digital pest control also helps you spend less time and resources on audit compliance. Because you’ll have all your pest control data in one place and the ability to build custom reports, you can win back the time and resources that would be spent on manual processes.

8. What data will I be able to see?

Digital pest control equips you with indispensable data, providing precise insights. But what does that look like in practice? 

 It gives you access to service visit information and pest activity insights, so you know what’s happened, when, where on the site and which devices have been triggered. You’ll also be able to see risk management recommendations and pest trends across single or multiple sites.

Also, with exciting developments in camera technology, such as PestConnect Optix, data is now more visual than ever. You can view photographic evidence of pest activity on your site. Our AI analyses these images to identify the pest and avoid false positives, ensuring our experts are only notified of confirmed pest activity.

All this information is housed in one central location, the myRentokil customer portal, to support audit compliance, making insight analysis and report production quicker and more efficient.

Next steps – what can PestConnect do for your business?

PestConnect is our award-winning system of connected devices that detect, capture or eliminate pests. With over 630,000 devices currently active across the globe, our technology is trusted by leading international brands to protect their premises.

Our range of traps continuously monitor your premises and deliver a rapid response from expert technicians for unrivalled, round-the-clock pest control protection.

Now that you better understand digital pest control and its benefits, take the next step and book your free consultation to assess how we can help make your pest control more efficient with PestConnect.