Why there is no fixed price
The same system — camera, recorder and disk — can double in installed price from one site to another without the equipment changing at all. The difference is not in the box; it is in the distances, the cabling method, the retention period and the image quality you want. That is why any price given before we see the site or its drawings is guesswork.
What raises the bill and what lowers it
- The number of points: not the number of cameras, but the number of scenes you want to return to. One clear scene beats three blurred ones.
- Resolution: the higher it goes the more detail — but also more storage and more load on the network. Most entrances are served by 4 megapixels, and there is no reason to pay the difference for 8 in a place where the face does not show anyway.
- The cabling method: the single largest variable, and the next section is about it.
- Retention: the disk is sized for the days you need, and that is a real cost line.
Cabling before or after finishing — here is the real difference
If the building is under construction, running the routes before plastering saves you breaking, making good, and visible surface solutions that never look right. If the building is finished, it needs surface trunking or pulling through false ceilings — which is more time and more labour. The sensible decision: if you are at the build stage, run the cabling now even if you install the cameras later.
Storage: the line everyone forgets
The price of the recorder alone is not enough; the disk is what keeps the recording. As a rough rule, a camera with H.265 encoding consumes between 0.5 and 1 terabyte per 30 days depending on how busy the scene is. So eight cameras with a month of retention need a disk of between 6 and 8 terabytes. Ask for that figure calculated and written into the quotation, not the phrase “the disk is enough”.
The cheapest price is not always the cheapest cost
An economy system can work perfectly well in a quiet home. But in a facility that needs reliable recording, integration and maintenance, a spare part that cannot be sourced or a security update that never arrives turns the initial saving into a larger cost. Weigh today’s price against the next three years.
How to read a quotation
- Does it itemise each camera, its position and its angle, or give you one total?
- Does it name the equipment and model, rather than “4-megapixel cameras” and no more?
- Does it include the cabling, first-fix and commissioning, or only the equipment?
- Does it calculate the disk capacity against the retention period you asked for?
- Is there a warranty and a clear maintenance clause?
When a quotation is that clear, you can compare it properly — and you know what you are paying for.
