CCTV Installation Cost UK 2026: Prices from £400 to £2,100

CCTV installation in the UK averages around £500, but MyBuilder's guide (updated 21/08/2026) shows quotes ranging from £400 to £2,100, because installers are often pricing very different jobs. The spread comes from labour, cable runs, access and making good, not from the cameras alone. All figures here are in pounds sterling for UK jobs. A headline price therefore only means something once you know which of those costs it includes, and the sections below show how to price each line.

How much does CCTV installation cost in the UK?

UK CCTV installation cost splits into kit you can price yourself and labour that only an installer quotes, so no single figure fits every property. The best public anchor is the average in MyBuilder's CCTV installation price guide. It is a marketplace average of what installers quote through that site, not a Clear Security price, so check the figure and its update date on the page before you budget.

The two halves of the bill

• Kit: cameras, an NVR or DVR, a hard drive, a PoE switch, cable and accessories. You can price all of this yourself, and our prices include 20% VAT.
• Labour and access: drilling, cable runs, working at height, aiming and commissioning. Only an installer can price these, because they depend on the building. Clear Security sells equipment and does not fit it, so your own electrician or installer does the work.

A working budget is therefore the kit total plus the installer's quote for labour and access. For cctv installation cost for home, that quote is often the larger unknown.

Regional pricing and scope

Cctv installation cost near me searches return different numbers because labour rates vary by region. We sell nationally, so the kit side doesn't change with your postcode.

This guide covers UK pricing only. Ireland, India, Kenya and the Philippines have different labour, voltage and import costs, so don't extrapolate from UK figures.

What are the line items on a CCTV installation quote?

A CCTV quote splits into five line items: labour, cable runs, hardware, access and mounting, and make-good for the building. Anything missing from the quote is usually charged as an extra later.

Labour

Labour is billed either as a day rate or as a fixed price for the job. No day-rate figure is quoted here, so ask each installer for theirs in writing.

A day rate with no stated hours or number of fitters is not comparable. One fitter for eight hours and two fitters for six hours are very different products. Ask for the installer-days to be stated per job. An 8-camera job means more cable routes than a 4-camera one, so expect more days, though not necessarily double.

Cable runs

Cable is priced either per metre or folded into a per-camera price. Check which, because a per-camera price usually assumes a short run.

Coax (RG59-type) suits analogue and HD-over-coax systems, but each camera normally needs a separate power lead. IP cameras on Cat5e or Cat6 carry power and video down one cable via PoE, within the usual 100 m copper Ethernet limit. For the differences between the two grades, see our CAT5e vs CAT6 Cables guide.

Hardware

Hardware covers the cameras, an NVR (IP) or DVR (analogue/HD-over-coax), a PoE switch if the recorder lacks enough PoE ports, and a hard drive. Specs and sizing are covered in What Is an NVR Recorder and Best PoE Switch for CCTV UK 2026.

Clear Security sells this equipment but does not fit it, so installation is quoted separately by your own installer or electrician.

Access and mounting

Ladders are normally included in the labour price. A tower or scaffold for higher fixings is often a separate hire line. Brackets and junction boxes are small items, but ask whether they are itemised or absorbed into the camera price.

Make-good

Make-good covers cable chasing, drilling through masonry, and filling or redecorating afterwards. Surface-mounted trunking avoids most of it but is more visible. Ask whether making good is included or left to you, since it can change which quote is cheaper.

Which cable and hardware choices change the installed price?

Cable type, termination method, switch PoE budget and recorder storage are the four hardware choices that move the installed price most.

Coax or IP

Analogue/BNC systems can reuse existing coax, which avoids pulling new cable. Where the old run is UTP instead, a passive video balun pair (BALUN-RJ45-TO-BNC-T-TYPE-8MP) lets analogue video travel over it. That simplifies installation and can reduce cabling costs. A new IP build needs network cabling to every camera, so the cable run is often the larger cost.

Pre-terminated cable

The 40m BNC CCTV cable with integrated power (RG59P-CABLE-40M) arrives pre-terminated, so there is no crimping or cable assembly. That can cut the time your installer spends on terminations. Its current price is on the live product page at Clear Security, and the datasheet or installation guide is the reference for whoever fits it.

PoE budget

Work through it in three steps:

1. Add up the wattage of every camera, taking each figure from its datasheet.
2. Compare that total with the switch's stated PoE budget, leaving some headroom.
3. Check each run's length against the cable's rated distance.

An undersized switch or an over-long run forces a second switch or an extra cable route, and that is where quotes jump.

Storage

Recorder storage is a formula, so the drive size follows from your settings:

storage (GB) ≈ cameras × bitrate (Mbit/s) × 86,400 × retention days ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000

Take the bitrate from the camera or NVR settings. Motion-only recording typically needs less than continuous recording. A longer retention period means a larger drive, which adds to the hardware cost.

What does a 4-camera and 8-camera job look like, line by line?

Both jobs follow one formula; only the camera, cable, port and day counts change between four and eight cameras.

Total = (installer days × day rate)
      + (cameras × unit price)
      + recorder
      + PoE switch
      + drive
      + (cable metres × per-metre price)
      + mounts and boxes
      + access hire
      + make-good

Every price in that formula is a live figure from your installer's quote or the product page, so none is filled in here.

What scales and what doesn't

Four lines grow with the camera count: the cameras themselves, cable metres, recorder channels and switch ports, and install days. Mounts and junction boxes also rise per camera.

Three lines largely stay put. There is one call-out, one recorder location and one set of signage whether the site has four cameras or eight.

A worked example

Take a 4-camera job with two long runs to a rear yard. The camera line stays at four units, but cable metres and install days climb. If those runs need a ladder or tower, access hire appears, and drilling through brick adds make-good.

Moving to eight cameras on the same site repeats the per-camera lines. The single call-out and the one recorder position do not repeat.

Sanity check

MyBuilder's CCTV installation cost guide gives a range of £400–£2,100 for multi-camera installs. A quote far below it usually means a line is missing, often the drive, cable or make-good. One far above deserves an itemised breakdown against the formula.

Kit bought separately is dispatched the same working day on orders placed before 4pm, and your own installer fits it.

What pushes a quote up or down, and how do you read one?

Long or hidden cable routes, solid walls, high fixing points and a distant recorder push a quote up. Short runs, reusable coax and buyer-supplied kit bring it down.

Pushes the price up

• Long or concealed cable routes, especially where cable must be chased in or fed through ducting
• Brick or solid walls that need core drilling rather than a simple hole
• Fixing points high enough to need a tower or scaffold
• A recorder sited far from the router, which adds cable and network work
• Make-good requests, such as plastering and repainting after concealed runs

Brings it down

• Short runs between camera and recorder
• Existing coax in sound condition, if the recorder can use it
• Kit supplied by the buyer. Confirm in writing that the installer accepts it and will still warrant their workmanship.
• Loft or soffit routes that avoid drilling through finished walls

A checklist for reading any quote

Whether you are pricing a home job or a commercial one, or comparing installers near you, put the same questions to each quote:

1. Is labour a day rate or a fixed price, and which hours does it cover?
2. Are cable lengths itemised?
3. Is access equipment included?
4. Is there a make-good line?
5. Is a datasheet or spec named for every camera and the recorder?
6. Is the hard drive size stated, and does it match the retention period you need?
7. Does it cover signage and the paperwork the law requires?

Compliance costs

Compliance is usually a small line on the quote, but it should not be missing. Business systems, and domestic cameras that capture public space or a neighbour's property, fall under UK GDPR and the ICO's CCTV guidance, so expect signage, a documented purpose and possibly a data protection fee. Check the current ICO fee on the ICO's own site.

Planning permission is not usually required for ordinary domestic cameras. Listed buildings, conservation areas and leasehold or tenancy terms can change that, so ask your local planning authority or landlord before fixing anything.

Related products

Related products from our own range:

• Hikvision Video Intercom Kit, 2-Wire Analog, Surface Mount — Hikvision 2-wire analog video intercom kit: see and speak to visitors from an indoor monitor and release the door. IP65 surface-mount station, powers a 12V 1A lock.
• Hikvision 3K Two Way Audio Fixed PT Turret for Coax CCTV — 3K HD-TVI turret camera with built-in mic and speaker, 2960 × 1665 video and 2.8 mm lens. Audio over coax needs a compatible Hikvision DVR. IP67 rated.
• Hilook 4 MP Fixed Mini Bullet Camera THC-B140-R — 4MP Turbo HD mini bullet camera for home and business CCTV, with a fixed view for entrances and corridors. Prices include VAT. Free UK delivery over £100.
• Hilook 3 MP Fixed Mini Bullet Camera THC-B230-R — 3 MP Turbo HD bullet camera for entrances and corridors. Needs a compatible Turbo HD DVR to record. Prices include VAT. Free UK delivery over £100.