CCTV Installation Pricing Guide UK — Domestic and Commercial Costs (2026)

The CCTV installation market in 2026

The domestic and small-business CCTV market has grown steadily over the last five years. Two forces are driving it: the normalisation of video surveillance through consumer devices like Ring and Nest doorbells, which has made homeowners comfortable with the idea of cameras; and rising insurance requirements that now ask businesses to evidence CCTV coverage before quoting premiums.

That appetite spans two very different tiers of product. At one end sit consumer-grade WiFi cameras that plug into a home router and upload footage to the cloud — customers can buy and self-install these from any DIY shed. At the other end are professionally installed systems: IP cameras running over a structured cabling network to a Network Video Recorder (NVR), or HD-TVI analogue cameras wired back to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). These systems record locally, provide higher reliability, support more cameras, and produce evidential-quality footage that insurers and police services actually want.

Professionally installed CCTV is the market that matters to you as a trade installer. The work is done by a diverse range of firms: electrical contractors who add CCTV to their service menu, IT companies that already manage network infrastructure, and specialist security firms that focus exclusively on intruder alarms, access control and CCTV. All three compete for the same jobs. What separates the profitable firms is the ability to quote clearly, price accurately and present professionally.

Domestic CCTV installation costs

Domestic jobs are typically 4- to 8-camera systems covering front and rear approaches, driveways, side gates and outbuildings. Prices vary with camera count, cable complexity (loft access, underground runs, external walls) and the specification of recording hardware.

• 4-camera IP system with NVR, Cat6 cable, PoE switch, hard drive and installation: £600–£1,200. This is the most common domestic installation. Cameras are typically 4MP or 8MP (4K), recording continuously or on motion to a 1–2TB HDD inside the NVR.
• 8-camera HD-TVI analogue system with DVR: £800–£1,500. Analogue remains popular for larger properties where the camera count makes IP infrastructure expensive. HD-TVI systems deliver 2–5MP resolution over standard RG59 coaxial cable. A quality 8-channel DVR with 2TB storage is the centrepiece.
• Single HD doorbell camera with NVR integration: £150–£350 installed. Customers increasingly want a wired doorbell camera integrated into their existing NVR rather than a cloud-dependent consumer device. This involves running a Cat6 or twin-coax spur to the door position and configuring the camera within the existing recording system.
• Remote viewing setup: App configuration, DDNS setup and router port-forwarding (or a cloud relay subscription) is typically included within the installation fee. Budget 30–45 minutes per system and factor it into your labour.

Commercial CCTV installation costs

Commercial work is where margins widen. Longer cable runs, higher-spec equipment, RAID storage for evidential retention, and formal handover documentation all support stronger pricing. Three rough tiers cover most small-to-medium commercial sites:

• Small office or retail unit (4–8 cameras, PTZ or fixed dome): £1,200–£3,000. A small shop, GP surgery or professional office typically needs cameras covering entrances, till areas, staff-only zones and car parks. Outdoor cameras should be IP66 or IP67 rated. Delivery includes system configuration, footage retention policy documented in the quote, and ICO signage advice.
• Medium business (8–16 cameras, full HD, NVR with RAID storage): £2,500–£6,000. Warehouses, multi-floor offices and industrial units fall into this bracket. RAID-1 or RAID-5 NVR configurations protect footage from drive failure — worth specifying explicitly in quotes. Managed switches and structured cabling through trunking add to materials cost.
• Large site (16–32 cameras, PTZ, fibre backbone, monitoring integration): £6,000–£25,000+. Multi-building industrial estates, car dealerships and large retail sites require fibre between buildings, PTZ cameras on perimeter positions, and often integration with an alarm receiving centre (ARC) for monitored recording. These jobs almost always require a formal tender and specification document.
• Annual maintenance contracts: £200–£600/year for small systems. Recurring revenue from maintenance agreements is one of the most valuable parts of a CCTV business. An annual visit covers camera cleaning, hard drive health check, firmware updates and remote-viewing verification. Price per-system rather than per-camera for simplicity.

CCTV installation cost breakdown

Use this table as a starting point for itemising your quotes. Actual costs depend on your supplier relationships, region and system specification.

IP vs analogue CCTV — which to specify?

The choice between IP and analogue (HD-TVI, AHD or CVI) is one of the most common decisions you'll make on-site. Neither is universally correct — the right answer depends on camera count, existing infrastructure and the customer's budget.

IP CCTV

IP cameras transmit compressed video over a network using Cat5e or Cat6 cable. Each camera gets an IP address and communicates with an NVR or video management server over the local network. Key points:

• Resolution up to 4K (8MP) — significantly sharper than analogue, especially useful for facial recognition or number plate capture
• Power over Ethernet (PoE) means a single Cat6 cable carries both data and power — no separate power supply runs
• Easier to scale: add cameras to a managed PoE switch without touching the NVR
• More complex to configure: IP addressing, VLAN isolation (best practice), DDNS and port-forwarding all require network competence
• Higher per-camera hardware cost but lower cabling cost per run on long distances

Recommend IP when: the customer wants 4K resolution, the site already has structured Cat6 cabling, or camera count will grow over time.

Analogue HD (HD-TVI / AHD)

Modern analogue cameras transmit HD video over standard RG59 coaxial cable using HD-TVI, AHD or CVI encoding. They're recorded to a DVR rather than an NVR.

• Lower cost per camera — significant saving on 8+ camera systems
• Simpler configuration: cameras are auto-detected by the DVR with no IP addressing required
• Hybrid DVRs accept both analogue and IP cameras — useful for phased upgrades
• Maximum resolution currently around 5MP (HD-TVI 3.0) — adequate for most domestic and small commercial sites
• Coaxial cable has higher signal loss over long runs; baluns required beyond ~300m

Recommend analogue when: camera count is high (8+) and budget is the primary constraint, the customer is upgrading an existing analogue system, or the site has long external cable runs where IP infrastructure cost would be prohibitive.

Day rates and productivity for CCTV installers

Pricing CCTV labour accurately is harder than it looks because installation time varies enormously with cable run complexity.

The 2–4 cameras per day figure for a domestic sole trader covers: mounting the camera bracket, drilling through an external wall or loft ceiling, pulling the cable to the head-end location (plant room, under-stairs cupboard or utility room), terminating at both ends, configuring the camera on the NVR, testing coverage angle, and adjusting as needed. Complex runs — fishing through a loft, running cable underground in conduit, or installing on a high soffit requiring ladder repositioning — can reduce that to one or two cameras per day.

Handover and app setup is a fixed cost regardless of camera count. Budget 30–60 minutes per system: walking the customer through playback, demonstrating motion detection zones, and setting up their phone app for remote viewing. Include this explicitly in your quote — customers notice when an installer just hands them a leaflet and leaves.

NSI and SSAIB accreditation — what's required?

For basic domestic and small commercial CCTV installation, there is no formal licence requirement in England and Wales. Any competent installer can fit a camera system legally without certification. This is different from intruder alarm installation, where Police URN (unique reference number) response typically requires NSI Gold or SSAIB accreditation from the installer.

Where accreditation becomes necessary for CCTV:

• Monitored CCTV (linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre): ARCs will only accept feeds from accredited installers. If you want to offer monitored CCTV as part of a security package, NSI or SSAIB accreditation is essential.
• High-security sites: Government buildings, banks, and some commercial tenants specify accredited installers in their security policies.
• Insurance-approved systems: Some commercial insurers specify Grades I–IV under PD6662 / EN 50131 for integrated alarm and CCTV systems. Always ask the customer to check with their insurer before specifying equipment.

On the data protection side: businesses that operate CCTV capturing images of members of the public (including car parks, shop fronts and building entrances) are required to register with the ICO as a data controller and display GDPR-compliant signage. As the installer, you are not legally responsible for the customer's data compliance — but pointing it out in your handover pack protects you professionally and builds trust.

How to quote CCTV installation work

A CCTV quote that wins jobs does three things: it demonstrates that you've thought about the customer's specific site, it makes the price feel justified, and it protects you from scope creep after you start.

Site visit and camera placement plan

Always do a site visit before quoting. Walk the property and identify camera positions that achieve maximum coverage with minimum camera count — dead zones waste money and frustrate customers. Sketch a simple floor plan or site diagram showing camera positions, cable routes and head-end location. Including this diagram in your quote sets you apart from installers who quote blind.

What to assess during the survey

• Loft access: is it boarded? Is there existing cable trunking? Can you fish cables from the loft into external wall cavities?
• External walls: brick, render or timber frame each require different drill bits and make-good approaches
• Garage runs: underground conduit between house and detached garage adds significant time
• Existing network equipment: is there a router in a suitable location for the NVR? Is broadband upload speed adequate for remote viewing?
• Power: where will the NVR be located? Is there a nearby socket or does a spur need adding?

Specify storage clearly

Customers often ask "how many days of footage will I have?" Answer this in the quote by calculating storage: a 4-camera system recording at 1080p 15fps uses approximately 30–40GB/day. A 2TB hard drive provides around 50–65 days of continuous recording — or much longer on motion-only recording. State the expected retention clearly and document that footage quality and retention days are estimates that vary with motion activity.

State what is not included

Always list exclusions to prevent disputes. Common exclusions for CCTV quotes:

• Internet router supply or configuration (customer's responsibility)
• Ongoing cloud storage or monitoring subscription fees
• Making good after cable routes through walls (unless specifically included)
• Additional cameras beyond the quoted count
• Electrical work beyond a local unswitched spur (refer to a Part P-registered electrician if needed)

Growing a CCTV installation business

CCTV is a strong anchor service because it generates recurring revenue through maintenance and creates natural upsell opportunities.

Package with alarm systems

CCTV and intruder alarms are almost always bought together, especially by small businesses. Positioning yourself as a 'security systems' installer rather than a CCTV-only specialist nearly doubles the average job value. If you're not yet qualified to install alarms, consider partnering with a nearby alarm installer on a referral basis while you build toward accreditation.

Annual maintenance contracts

Every system you install is an opportunity for a maintenance agreement. A well-structured contract — covering one annual visit, firmware updates, camera cleaning and remote-viewing health check — priced at £200–£400/year, creates predictable revenue and keeps you front of mind when the customer wants to expand the system. Send renewal reminders automatically and include a system report after each visit.

Insurance-approved systems

When quoting commercial work, ask the customer to confirm with their insurer what CCTV specification is required before their policy will respond to a claim. This simple question wins you jobs — most customers have never asked their insurer and appreciate the prompt. Once you know the grade required, you can specify equipment confidently and include the insurer requirement reference in your quote.

Property management relationships

Property management companies and letting agents manage large portfolios of residential and commercial properties, each of which is a potential CCTV customer. A relationship with a single mid-sized property management company can generate 20–40 installations per year at consistent volume. Approach them with a tailored package — fixed pricing for standard landlord systems, priority response and a consolidated quarterly invoice — to make the relationship easy to manage from their side.