There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question: “How much does a CCTV system cost?”
The total price will vary depending on your property type, installation difficulty, and the hardware chosen. Different CCTV systems also come with different features and functionality, which affect the overall cost.
Generally, the cost of installing a CCTV system comes down to two main factors:
- Type of Hardware Used
- Complexity of the Installation
In this guide, we’ll break down these cost factors so you can better understand how much to budget when investing in a new CCTV system.
Hardware
CCTV systems are composed of two main components: Security Cameras and a Recorder.
The Cost of CCTV Cameras
For domestic installs, cameras typically range from $150 – $300 each, while commercial-grade cameras generally start from $300+
Major Price Factors for the Cost of CCTV Include:
- Whether Cameras are Digital or Analogue
- The Number Megapixels
- The Type of Low Light Technology
- Whether the Lens is Fixed or Varifocal
- Brand
- Number of Cameras Required
- Whether Cameras are Digital or Analogue
Digital vs Analogue
Digital (IP) cameras cost more, around $150 extra per camera, but provide much better long-term value. They deliver:
- Higher image quality
- Integration with PoE (Power over Ethernet)
- Video encryption
- Compatibility with modern CCTV systems
Analogue cameras are cheaper upfront but offer limited performance and flexibility. For most installations, we recommend digital cameras, as they provide superior clarity, frame rates, and reliability.
Number of Megapixels
High resolution products i.e. cameras with a greater number of megapixels (e.g. 6MP or 8MP) are generally more expensive. The recordings from these cameras also take up more storage space, potentially increasing fees if paying for cloud storage.
While lower resolution cameras (4MP – 6MP) are usually suitable for domestic installation, high resolution CCTV cameras are more appropriate for commercial installations due to their ability to capture fine detail and enhanced zooming capabilities.
Type of Low Light Technology
There are two main types of low-light technology:
- Infrared (IR): Affordable, uses infrared light for night vision.
- Starlight: More expensive but produces colour images in low light using natural light. Starlight cameras are also more energy-efficient in the long run.
The cost of a Starlight camera depends on lux level requirements. Popular brands such as Tiandy and Dahua offer different levels of Starlight for domestic vs commercial applications, street light areas, or total darkness.
Many cost factors are intertwined. For example, higher resolution can slightly reduce night vision performance because smaller pixels are less light-sensitive. For domestic installs, 4MP–6MP cameras work for both day and night, while larger businesses often need a mix of high- and low-resolution cameras.
Fixed Lens or Varifocal
A fixed lens is usually cheaper than a varifocal lens camera, as its field of view (FoV) cannot be adjusted. For most domestic installations we use fixed lens CCTV cameras as our trained security technicians are experts in correctly positioning cameras to achieve the best possible field of view (eliminating the need to adjust FoV) and ensuring that all key areas of the property are captured.
As such, varifocal lenses are more popular when it comes to large commercial installs. For this lens type there are two options: a manual lens and a motorised lens. Unsurprisingly, motorised lenses tend to cost a bit more than manual.
Brand
Different brands offer security cameras at different price points depending on their software and hardware. For example, while Dahua is a reliable and proven entry level brand, Hikvision offers more premium products (suitable to high end domestic and commercial installation) at a higher cost. Other brands we stock here at Jim’s Security fall in between these two price points.
Number of Cameras Required
While this may seem like an obvious point, you may need additional cameras to properly secure your home or business and ensure that there are no blindspots. Additionally, you may require a mixture of different types of cameras (e.g. low resolution for clear night vision and high resolution for sharp day time vision) to meet your security requirements.
More cameras also mean higher hardware costs when it comes to NVRs (i.e. 8 channel NVR vs 6 channel). This will be further discussed in the following section.
The Cost of a Recorder
Entry-level NVRs or DVRs start from around $300, with advanced units costing more.
Major Price Factors for the Cost of a Recording Device Include:
Recorder price factors include:
- NVR vs DVR
- Number of channels
- Supported analytics
- Storage capacity
NVR vs DVR
DVRs are typically cheaper than NVRs. This is because, to put it simply, if you have a DVR your system will use analogue cameras and if you have an NVR recorder your cameras will be IP based (digital). While IP Cameras are seen as new and advanced technology, analogue cameras are typically regarded as old, traditional technology.
However, although the hardware for DVRs tends to be cheaper, DVRs/analogue cameras are more costly to install as they require extra materials and labor. This is because for analogue cameras a cable must be run between every camera and the recorder.
To understand more about the differences between NVRs and DVRs check out our Swann DVR vs NVR article.
How Many Channels
When it comes to DVRs, each channel corresponds to a single camera, meaning an 8-channel DVR can support 8 cameras. Naturally, the more channels a DVR has, the higher the cost.
Adding more channels on a DVR can be expensive because each camera must be connected to a separate port on the recorder, limiting scalability.
In contrast, an NVR can leverage Power over Ethernet (PoE), allowing it to support more cameras than it has physical ports. For example, an 8-channel NVR may be able to handle 10 cameras when used with a PoE switch, making expansion simpler and more cost-effective.
Supported Analytics
It would come as no surprise that more advanced analytics tend to cost more. This is because advanced analytics such as Intelligent Video Surveillance (IVS) require more processing power than standard analytics and higher end NVRs typically have ‘better’ or more sophisticated analytics.
Many popular brands like Hikvision and Dahua offer a broad range of analytics (each of which vary in the features they offer) to meet different security requirements at different price points. While others such as Swann Security offer a standard set of analytics across all cameras – generally making these systems cheaper and more suited to domestic installations.
Storage
The cost of storage will depend on the size of Hard Drive you need and bandwidth required. The amount of bandwidth directly relates to camera video quality. Generally, the higher the quality, the higher the bandwidth and need for storage space.
For a domestic installation we generally suggest 2TB of storage for a 4MP and 6MP system and 3-4TB for an 8MP system. If interested, you can use this video storage calculator to help you estimate how much storage may be needed for your surveillance system.
Installation
Professional installation at Jim’s Security starts from $150 per camera. Costs may vary depending on:
- Construction of Home
- Flat vs Pitched Roof
- Roof Access
- Location of NVR/DVR
- Distance between Cameras and NVR/DVR
- Analogue or IP based System (cabling)
Click here to read more about factors affecting installation cost.
Overall, there’s no simple answer to the question of how much a CCTV System should cost. In reality, the price of your CCTV system will largely depend on situational requirements regarding your property (e.g. lux levels or construction of building) and personal preferences for some features over others.
Our final piece of advice is that when looking to buy a CCTV system don’t be tempted by wireless solutions. While these security systems may be dirt cheap, they usually end up costing customers more in the long run due to missing key events (DIY cameras are unable to continuously record), often not being set up properly and the inconvenience of forever having to replace batteries.
Here at Jim’s Security we have packages for professional grade NVR CCTV systems starting from just $1595. This includes four 6MP IP cameras, 1TB of storage and a NVR with Smart Analytics. We also offer a wide range of CCTV brands and packages. To find out more don’t hesitate to give us a call on 131 546, or book your free quote.
