What to know before installing CCTV and how much does it cost?

As technology advances in leaps and bounds, supervising your home, children, and pets has become quite easy. From the confines of your office room, you can easily keep tabs on nanny babysitting your kids at home, see the gardener watering your plants, or know who is knocking at your door right now. 

You don’t have to go through a series of complex steps to monitor your home via CCTV. Rather, launch the app on your phone, tablet or laptop and select the cameras you want to view. At one go, you can easily view 4 to 5 cameras targeting different sections of your house. Also, apart from live streaming, a CCTV system starts capturing images and videos as soon as it detects movement and sound. 

Now that you know the significance of installing CCTV, let us answer some of the important questions that must be brewing in your mind. 

What is CCTV Camera Installation?

Closed Circuit Television, more commonly known as CCTV, is a video system that is strategically placed around your home or office to capture images and videos, and transmit it to a monitor for real-time viewing. On the other hand, a CCTV system is a broader concept which includes camera, wiring, internet connection, digital or cloud storage for videos and images, monitors, access control and the overall management of security cameras. As far as installation is concerned, you can either do it yourself or hire a professional CCTV installation UK team. Similarly, you can choose between a wireless or a wired CCTV installation.

In case you want to go for DIY CCTV camera installation, there are a few things that you need to consider first. 

What Do I Need to Know Before Installing CCTV?

With the increase in crime rate and anti-social elements residing in the city, people feel more comfortable installing CCTV cameras around their house as well as their place of work. However, before getting to work, please bear in mind the requirements for cctv camera installation. 

Coverage

Be it a home, shop or organisation, you need to establish the areas that you need to cover with CCTV. Is there a specific location you need covered? For example the driveway or street leading to your house? These are just a few basic questions that you must have the answer to. If you are hiring experts, then they are most likely to guide you regarding areas that should be covered via CCTV 

Location

To have maximum coverage on a CCTV system, you need to find the optimal location to install or place the camera. For instance, if you want a clear view of the street is it better to install CCTV near the garage door, front door or the driveway? Similarly, indoor cameras must be located strategically so you can easily view different sections of the house in one go. 

Types of CCTV cameras

The most popular type of camera for domestic and commercial use is a wireless CCTV camera. Installing a wireless CCTV system means eliminating the need for wiring and other additional tasks. Wireless CCTV cameras are further divided into bullet and dome cameras. While the former one is fixed and points to a single direction - giving limited coverage, dome cameras provide a 360-degree view. 

Legality 

While installing CCTV cameras at your home, office or organisation is legal, the law requires you to declare to people that they are being recorded. If you are installing home CCTV, then you must inform your neighbours (if a part of their house is being recorded). Similarly, if you monitor maids or workers, they should also be informed about. Please note that installing cameras in private places like bathrooms or changing rooms is illegal.

Permission to Install CCTV 

The need to get permission from relevant authorities before installing CCTV cameras depends on where the installation will be done. If you are installing cameras outside your house covering a portion of your neighbour's home, then you must change the angle if they are not comfortable with it. However, most residential areas and apartment blocks require homeowners to seek permission from the local civic body before installing cameras. 

Which CCTV Camera Is Best for home?

The best CCTV camera is the one that falls within your budget, provides good video and audio quality, and is easy to install and operate. The top 3 options for you are: 

- Blink Mini: It is priced at £30 and a good option for an outdoor camera. 

- TP-Link Kasa Spot costs £40 and is known for offering recording free of subscription. 

- Eufy SoloCam E40 priced at £120 with a battery life of 3 months per charge. 

Charges to Install CCTV Cameras

Now that we have decided on the best cameras for indoor and outdoor coverage, it’s time to find the CCTV camera installation cost. Installing an average single camera costs between £20 to £ 550. This figure also includes camera, memory card prices and the channels you choose. If you are interested in CCTV installation price UK, the average is £340-£1900 (inclusive of parts and installation) 

Do You Need CCTV Installation Services?

Installing a basic single camera is easy and can probably be done by yourself without much hassle. But if you are looking for multiple-camera coverage, it is better to hire the services of an expert. Rather than asking around in your circle for professional services, have a look at EaseFix - a one-stop-solution for all your installation needs. EaseFix can connect you with trustworthy and affordable CCTV installation services in the UK.