R1 400
per camera, installed
A straightforward position. Power is close by, the run is short, and the camera is doing one simple job — showing that someone was there.
Pricing
What CCTV actually costs in Durban.
Most installers will not put a number on a page. Here is ours, with the reasons behind it — because the range is wide, and you deserve to know what moves it before somebody quotes you.
R2 000
per camera, installed
Most homes land here. A decent camera in a considered position, cabled properly, with the power sorted out and the recording set up to keep what you actually need.
R3 500
per camera, installed
A long cable run, a difficult mounting position, a camera that has to identify a face or read a plate, or a coastal site where the hardware has to survive salt air.
These are guide figures for a camera supplied and installed, not a quote. We price per position after seeing the property, itemised by device, so you can look at the list and see what each camera costs and what it is for.
Why it varies
The camera is often the cheapest part.
Two properties can want the same camera and get quotes that differ by double. This is where that difference comes from.
Whether the Wi-Fi actually reaches
A Wi-Fi camera is only as good as the signal at the spot you want it. We test the reception at the mounting point before quoting one. If it is not strong enough, the honest answer is that the network needs extending — not that you should accept a camera that drops out on the nights it matters.
Finding power
Every camera needs permanent power unless it is a solar unit, and power is almost never where you want the camera. That is why we have a qualified electrician on the team with twelve years behind him. It is also why a camera on a pole at the bottom of a garden costs more than one under the eaves next to a plug.
The cable, and how far it has to go
A cabled camera has to be cabled properly. We take that seriously — the run should be neat, tidy and something you are happy to look at, not stapled across a wall. On a long run the cable and the labour to install it can cost more than the camera on the end of it.
How many cameras, and what each one must do
A camera that shows somebody was present is a cheaper camera than one that has to identify a face at a gate or read a plate on a driveway. We work out what each position has to answer first, then specify to that. It is usually fewer cameras than a quote based on floor area.
How long you want to keep the footage
Retention is a storage decision and it costs money. Two weeks is not the same as three months, and the day you need footage is the day you find out which one you bought.
How many people need to see it
One phone is simple. A household, a body corporate or a team on shift is a different setup, with different licensing and a different conversation about who can see what.
Where it lives outdoors
Wind, rain and — this being Durban — monkeys. Coastal properties add salt to that list, which decides the housing, the bracket and the cable gland long before it decides the camera. Getting this wrong is the most common reason we are called out to replace equipment that is not old.
Questions
Questions about cost
- How much does CCTV installation cost in Durban?
- Expect roughly R1 400 per camera installed at the lower end, around R2 000 for a typical installation, and up to R3 500 where the position is difficult or the camera has to identify a face or read a plate. The figure covers the camera and the work to install it properly. We quote per position after a site visit so you can see what each camera costs and why.
- Why is the range so wide?
- Because the camera is often the cheapest part. Getting power to the position, running cable neatly, extending Wi-Fi if the signal will not reach, and specifying hardware that survives coastal air all cost more than the device itself on some properties and nothing at all on others.
- Do you charge for the site visit?
- No. Twenty minutes on the property tells us more than an hour on the phone. We agree the required views and prepare an itemised proposal, with a coverage drawing where the site needs one.
- Can I buy the cameras myself and have you install them?
- Often, yes — but talk to us before you buy. The most common problem we see is hardware bought for the wrong position: a camera with the wrong lens for the distance, or one that will not survive where it is going. We would rather advise first than replace it later.
Getting a real number
A site visit settles it.
Twenty minutes on the property establishes what each camera must capture. You get a price per position, with a coverage drawing where the scale or complexity of the site makes it useful.