Blog / security
How to read a camera-system quote before you sign it
Five things that are usually missing from a security camera quote, and the one line item that is almost always padded.
Most camera quotes I review have the same shape: a list of cameras, a recorder, a day of labour, and a number at the bottom. What they rarely show is whether the network can actually carry it, who owns the footage, and what happens when a camera fails in year three.
What's usually missing
- PoE budget. Six 4K cameras on a switch that can power four of them is a quote for a system that reboots at night.
- Retention. "Records video" is not a specification. How many days, at what resolution, and what happens when the drive fills?
- Remote access without a subscription. If viewing from your phone requires a monthly fee, that should be a line item, not a surprise.
- Cable. The cameras are the cheap part. Forty metres of Cat6 through a finished ceiling is not.
- Ownership. You should hold the admin password. If the installer keeps it, you don't own the system.
What's usually padded
The recorder. A rebadged NVR sold at three times its street price is the oldest trick in the book, and it's easy to check: ask for the model number and search it.
If you've got a quote in hand and want a second opinion, that's an hour of my time, and it routinely saves more than it costs.