All CCTV systems need to be installed, but it’s up to you whether a professional installs one for you, or you install it yourself. Generally, DIY installation is cheaper but this often results in a false economy when you consider all the pitfalls of DIY.
You do the work
You’ll need to read the whole manual, spend time on the phone with customer service, or listen to a pre-recorded set of directions when you do it yourself. This is quite an undertaking sometimes if you choose a complicated system. You’ll also need to hang equipment, connect it to your network router, and work out all the kinks on your own. If things go wrong, this can take up a lot of time.
No in-person professional
Once you set up your system, you’ll also need to teach yourself how to use it. When a professional comes out to install your CCTV system, they can walk you through it and show you how to use every feature. Even if you’re good with technology, this probably won’t scare you. However, CCTV can be a very complex field and is not the same as (Information Technology) If you know you would feel more comfortable with professional guidance, know that DIY doesn’t offer that.
Higher Equipment Cost
If you do it yourself, you might have to pay more for the equipment and you may not qualify for warranties if they can’t guarantee you installed your system correctly. This could get you into trouble down the line if your home suffers a burglary or fire and the insurance company claims the system was installed incorrectly. Having a professional do it gives you an iron-clad case.
Experience
This is something no amount of money can buy, nor no amount of YouTube video tutorial watching can provide.
Installing CCTV is not just about hanging cameras on a wall and plugging them into the recorder or TV. CCTV installation engineers are armed with years of experience, together with 1000’s of installations under their belt. An experience professional CCTV installer will know all about the following:
- Correct installation heights
- Privacy Issues
- Right equipment for the job
- Using the correct cable types
- Networking (For remote viewing)
You get what you pay for
This term is relevant for anything you purchase, CCTV is no exception to that phrase. Going to a ‘DIY Retailer’ such as Maplin or Costco will result in you purchasing cheap hardware. The very systems sold by these outlets are designed to be cheap, that results in cheap components being supplied. A cheap camera will simply not provide you with the same level of consistent quality of that manufactured by a leading CCTV manufacturer such as Hikvision.
Hard Drives – This is something that is always overlooked when purchasing CCTV. All of the footage recorded needs to be stored onto a hard drive, this is what stores the video files for retrieval at a later stage when evidence is required. We are yet to see a DIY CCTV system that contains a purpose built CCTV hard disk inside. This may not seem important at the point of purchasing, but your DIY CCTV system will be pointless if you are unable to retrieve the evidence due to a hard disk failure right? We only use dedicated CCTV drives such as the Western Digital Purple Drive. You can read more about this here : Surveillance Drives vs Desktop Drives
The difference
For all the reasons listed above, the difference between a DIY and professional CCTV installation can be seen below:
Summary
CCTV is not like hanging up a picture frame, painting your spare bedroom or cutting the grass. CCTV installation requires expertise and experience to ensure that your home or business is fully secured with a functional and fit for purpose system.
We are not saying “You must purchase a system from us” but instead, we are suggesting that you should always consider a Professional CCTV Installation company to trust when securing your home, business or possessions.