Two quotes for four cameras can differ by a thousand dollars, and the reason is almost never the cameras. Here is what to check before you pick one, starting with the two registration numbers every Queensland installer should be able to give you.
Anyone can buy a camera kit and a drill. The difference between an install that still works in ten years and one that fails in two is mostly invisible from the driveway, which is why it pays to check a few specific things before you book.
A Queensland security provider licence. Installing security equipment for another person is licensed work under Queensland law. The installer, or the business they work for, must hold the appropriate licence, and you are entitled to ask for the number. An unlicensed installer is cheaper for a reason, and if something goes wrong you will find your insurer takes an interest in who did the work.
ACMA cabler registration. Cabling that connects to or can contact the telecommunications network has to be installed by a registered cabler. Security camera cabling regularly falls within this, and the registration is also a decent proxy for whether the person knows how to run and terminate structured cable properly.
Ask for both numbers by text or email before booking. An installer who has them will send them without any fuss.
Public liability cover matters because the work involves ladders, roof spaces, power tools and other people's houses. Ask what the cover is and who holds the policy. If the answer is vague, that is your answer.
While you are asking, check whether the installer will be in your roof space and whether they are comfortable doing that. A surprising number of cheap quotes assume surface mounted cable precisely because nobody wants to get into the roof.
A quote that is one line and one number tells you nothing and can change on the day. A real quote sets out:
Once two quotes are set out like that, the price difference usually explains itself in about a minute.
Will the cable be concealed? Through the roof space and down the cavity is the standard. Cable clipped down the outside of the brickwork is faster, cheaper and looks like it, and it can be cut by anyone who wants the cameras off.
Will you aim the cameras with the live picture? The correct answer involves holding the camera up and looking at the view on a phone or a screen before drilling. Cameras mounted at a standard height and angle without checking are the main reason systems record a lot of footage and identify nobody.
What retention will I get? A number in days, at the resolution the system will actually run at. If the installer cannot tell you, the drive was picked by price rather than by requirement.
What happens if a camera fails in two years? You want to know who you call, what is covered, and whether a service call costs anything under warranty.
Who sets up the app? It should be done on the day, on every phone in the household, with a walk through of finding footage from last week rather than just live view.
The install is one day. The next five years are service calls, adding a camera, a drive that needs replacing, or a question about how to export a clip. An installer based half an hour away is a phone call. One who subcontracts from the other side of the city, or sells through a call centre, is a ticket number.
We are based in Brendale and work the surrounding Moreton Bay suburbs, which is why there is no travel surcharge and why coming back is not a production. Before you book anyone, it is worth reading what installation actually costs so you know whether the numbers in front of you make sense.
Yes. Installing security equipment for someone else is licensed work in Queensland, and the installer or their business must hold the appropriate security provider licence. You can ask for the number and check it.
Cabling that connects to, or can come into contact with, the telecommunications network is regulated by the ACMA and must be done by a registered cabler. It is also the difference between cable run to a standard and cable stapled to a fascia.
An electrician is licensed for electrical work, which is not the same as security installation or data cabling. Plenty do a fine job, but check they hold the security and cabling credentials too rather than assuming.
Camera count and model, the position of each one, the cable type and route, recorder model, drive size and the retention that gives you, warranty terms on both hardware and labour, and the licence numbers.
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Local pages covering what we typically install in each suburb.
What we install on Strathpine properties.
4500What we install on Bray Park properties.
4500What we install on Warner properties.
4035What we install on Albany Creek properties.
4501What we install on Lawnton properties.
4037What we install on Eatons Hill properties.
Our numbers are QLD Security Provider Licence 4930731 and ACMA Registered Cabler A058225, with $20 million public liability. Ask every quote for the same two and see what comes back.