CCTV cameras protecting your home can give you peace of mind and security especially if you live an areas with a high crime rate where it is difficult to get cheap insurance. You might have a little one you want to keep check or you might have a commercial property that you want to protect. Whatever your reason CCTV is now both affordable and effective in deterring intruders and protecting you and your loved ones.
The cost to install a CCTV system in your home depends on where you want to put your cameras, the price of the CCTV cameras and the time it takes a qualified electrician to install them based on their hourly or daily rate. The average cost for an electrician to install a wired basic 4 camera cctv system costs £500, including the price of the cameras.
If you are looking to install wireless battery powered “smart” CCTV cameras in your home that are wirefree, you can install your cameras yourself and just need to mount the cameras in the correct position. In this case you do not need to hire an electrician which will cut costs. You can also eliminate the need to store your footage on a hard drive and pay a monthly fee to store it on the cloud.
But if you want to install a system with a central DVR (Digital video recorder) and the associated power supply for each camera. Or if you want to install your CCTV camera outside with mains power you will probably need the help of an experienced electrician to deal with all the wiring and drilling.
Today, CCTV cameras come in many guises but the biggest difference from 20 years ago is they are much smaller and easier to install and set up. All models can now be viewed and controlled by your smartphone and they are a lot cheaper to buy. Healthy competition in this market means prices are relatively low and you can get some great deals for high specification cameras if you shop around.
Wireless CCTV cameras are either battery powered, which will require removing and recharging of the battery when low on power or they are mains powered through an adaptor. Your preference will depend if you want an easy installation or you don’t want to have to recharge the batteries. You might only need the camera for a short time period if you have had a baby for example and wired installation would be OTT. Or you might want an outdoor camera checking your driveway where a wired camera would make sense.
A lot of battery powered, wireless security cameras are now both indoor and outdoor ready with lots of cool features such as 4k resolution, colour, motion and infrared detection alerts, night vision, solar power and cloud storage. Having wirefree cameras means that installation can take a couple of minutes to an hour depending on where you fit the cameras. The big players in this category are Ring from Amazon, Nest from Google, Reolink Argus Pro and ARLO pro 4. All require a wireless internet connection and router to set up and operate correctly.
There are plenty of other budget options out there including the Blink range and for ease of set up, operation and support, the best wirefree cameras are below. These systems are classed as smart cameras and work with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri.
| Wirefree CCTV camera | Specification | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Google Nest Cam | Indoor, outdoor, battery powered (rechargeable), 1080p | £179.99 |
| Ring Stick Up Cam Battery | Indoor, outdoor, battery powered (rechargeable), 1080p | £88 |
| Reolink Solar Security Camera Outdoor | Outdoor, Solar powered battery powered (rechargeable), two way audio, 1080p, SD card storage | £79.99 |
| Arlo Pro4 Wireless Home CCTV | Indoor, Outdoor, 6 month rechargeable battery, 2k, 2 way audio, siren built in | £219.99 |
| Blink Outdoor | Outdoor, 2k, 2 year battery life | £59.99 |
If you want to install your wireless CCTV cameras more permanently without having to recharge the battery or you want a more budget CCTV system (wirefree systems are more expensive) you will need to have a mains power supply to each of the cameras. There are a number of ways to do this, depending on the system. You can either use a mains plug socket close to the camera for both indoor and outdoor installation or if the cameras have one power source that supplies all the cameras, power leads for each of the cameras will need to be routed back to the adaptor or central power supply .
A wired system is a more complicated installation and might test your DIY skills to the limit so it might be time to hire an electrician to help you install your CCTV cameras. There is a lot of competition in this category and you can pick up a camera for around £30 and an outdoor surveillance CCTV system, including 4 cameras, for £170. Many systems come with a wireless NVR (DVR) so you can store your own data rather than rely on a cloud where you have to pay a monthly storage fee.
It is a good idea to do your research before you buy. Some systems are better than others including the software, image quality and additional features like a siren, two way audio and spotlights. Choosing a CCTV system that suits your requirements and budget is something you can get advice on by contacting a local electrician or CCTV specialist who can help you. They can also quote you for camera installation.
| Wireless (wired) CCTV cameras | Specification | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SANSCO 3MP WiFi CCTV Security Camera System | 4 cameras, 1TB Hard drive, 2k, NVR | £219.99 |
| SANNCE Wireless CCTV Camera System | 4 cameras, NVR, 2k | £179.99 |
| Arlo Pro3 Wireless Outdoor Home Security Camera System | 4 cameras, NVR, 2k, 2-way audio, battery powered | £295 |
Traditional CCTV cameras with coaxial cables feeding analogue pictures back to a DVR, powered by mains power using a 12v adaptor are the most commonly used CCTV camera system used by commercial and private properties. If you want to fit one of these systems you will need to hire an electrician.
The choice of systems on the market is vast and what you choose depends on what you are trying to protect or monitor. Larger systems (more than 4 cameras) would take longer to set up and might require more wiring and a more complicated installation. Wireless CCTV cameras have limitations with distance and a wired system can cover greater distances for larger properties.
The type of cameras available depend on what area you are trying to cover and their price depends on the image quality and detection methods you want to use. Systems can cost as little as £300 and go up to over £2000.
We have created a table of the installation cost and price of a 4 camera NVR CCTV installation in a residential property by a qualified electrician in your local area. Prices in the south, around London, tend to be more expensive but other factors such as the experience and qualifications of the electrician or security expert play a part.
If you want to get a quote to install CCTV in your property, post a job on HaMuch.com and get quotes from electricians local to you.