Domestic CCTV


What is CCTV?
CCTV means “Closed Circuit Television”. A CCTV system is used to monitor and or record the activities in an area for the purpose of safety and protection of property.

Why do I need CCTV?
CCTV helps to protect your business and staff; it is a visible deterrent against theft and vandalism. CCTV can also be useful in home security to monitor and protect the driveways and gardens. CCTV footage can be invaluable in the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators of crimes.

What are the features of a CCTV system?
The principal features are monitoring and recording. CCTV monitoring is the real time viewing of images from CCTV sent to one or more CCTV monitors. CCTV recording is the process of recording and storing of images from CCTV sent to a VCR, Digital Video Recorder or Computer.

How do I choose the right CCTV?
The choice of a CCTV system will depend on your needs and your budget. You would need to consider the and recording media suitable to your requirements.

How long will the system record for?
The length of time the hard Drive of the recorder will store the recordings for will depend on the size of the Hard drive,The bigger the hard drive the longer it will store the recordings.

Can I add extra cameras to my CCTV package?
YES. You may add more cameras to your CCTV package for additional costs & pleaseContact us for details

What guarantee do you give on the CCTV system?
Your CCTV system will come with our standard 12 months minimum parts and labour warranty. After the 12 months warranty has expired you can buy an additional 12 months maintenance/service package,please click here for details.

Will my CCTV camera see in the dark?
Day/Night Cameras and IR Cameras are capable of seeing in the dark at monochrome(Black & white)mode

What are the benefits of Digital CCTV?
Some of the benefits of digital CCTV are better recording and playback pictures; continuous recording on hard disk eliminates the trouble of changing tapes every day. Remote access via vthe internet is another feature of digital CCTV.

Can I pay in instalments for my CCTV?
Yes, subject to status and conditions. Please Contact us for more details.

Security Tips:

Perimeter Security – ensure your doors and windows have good quality locks and are not left open, even when you are at home.
CCTV security cameras – Note that some CCTV cameras are ineffective in the dark, and as such you should consider day/night cameras which allow your CCTV system to be effective in the lowest of light conditions. Day/Night security cameras automatically change from colour during the day to black and white at night.
Security systems – Good security systems are not cheap in the short term, if you invest in quality security systems now which will deliver good service for you for many years ,this will become cheaper in the long run.
Security Lighting – Improve your exterior lighting without blinding the neighbours. Ensure that exterior lights (500W and above) are installed at high level to look downwards and give a larger area of coverage rather than pointing directly at persons or other peoples property.
Dummy security doesn’t provide protection. Dont be fooled into thinking that dummy CCTV camera’s and dummy alarm boxes can protect your property replacing the need for a working CCTV/Alarm systems. The weakness is there to be exposed when the burglar calls!
Neighbourhood watch – Be a good neighbour and enjoy the benefits of good neighbourhood. If you see anyone acting suspiciously in your neighbourhood, call the police.

Q. I was interested in having a CCTV system installed how would I go about doing it?
A. Telephone us on 01582 412000 and we will arrange a survey visit of your premises. This is totally free of charge and there is no obligation whatsoever to have the installation carried out.
Q. Why should I choose your company over someone else to give me a quotation for a CCTV system?
A. We are a well Established and a well know trusted company that has 100% customer satisfaction, we have proved ourselves as a reputable and reliable installation company with a vast knowledge of the industry, we have a friendly highly knowledgeable team we are always prepared to go that “extra mile” for our customers.
Q. Are an approved installer?
A. Yes we are fully NSI approved company.

NSI is the national security inspectorate which was previously known as NACOSS (National Approval Council of Security Systems), NSI is highly recognized by all insurance companies and Police authorities.
Q. Do you use sub-contractors?
A. No, ALL our installation engineers are full-time employees of .
Q. How do I know the engineers who will install my CCTV system are trustworthy and work for ?
A. It is a requirement of our NSI approved that all members of staff are screened  to BS7858 which  means they have had a 10 year history check (including employment & financial history) and have had a PNC check by the Police
Q. What size of CCTV systems do you fit?
A. We can install all types of systems from small 1-4 camera systems and  larger systems up to any quantity that is required
Q.              What types of cameras are there?
A.               There are 2 main types of cameras “Body cameras” & “Dome cameras”

“Dome cameras” can come in internal & external versions and be installed onto walls or ceilings, they give a perception of a 360 view as it hard for a potential thief to see where the dome camera is looking so these can be quite a good deterrent.

“Body cameras” can be used internally fixed to a wall or a ceiling bracket and can only be used outside if they are installed into a weatherproof housing. Unlike the dome cameras these body cameras are a more overt as any potential thief will be able to see exactly where the camera is facing.

Q.                 What is the difference between internal & external cameras?
A.                 Internal cameras can only be used inside they come as colour only cameras or day/night cameras ,they generally have plastic outer casings but vandal resistant versions are made of metal which are more robust and weatherproof.

External cameras can be used internally or externally as they are weatherproof and are generally vandal resistant.

They are usually day/night cameras and may have IR LED’s which provide the camera with light at night in very low light conditions to enable the camera to see.

Q.               What does colour & Day/night mean?
A.               Colour cameras produce only colour pictures, colour pictures can only be produced when there is sufficient light source for the camera, if a colour camera was put into a dark room where there is no light there would be no picture.

Day/night cameras are a camera that is colour during the day or when there is sufficient light  and will then switch to black and white when the light level gets too low ie at night ,the camera will then produce a picture in black and white.

Some day/night cameras have IR LED’s built into the camera which give the camera an extra light source in very low light levels or total darkness so the camera will still produce a black & white picture.

Q.              What does TVL mean?
A.              TVL is TV Lines, this is what the camera resolution is measured by, the higher the TVL the higher the resolution of the camera for

Example a high resolution camera will have a TVL of 520TVL and above with a low to medium resolution camera having 320-420TVL
Q.               What angles of view will the camera be able to see?
A .              This will all depend on what lens is on the dome/body camera and depending on what you wish to see will depend on the type of lens you will need.

A 2.8mm lens will give you a wide angle of view of  approx 81 degrees

A 3.6mm lens will give you a medium angle of view of approx 68 degrees

A 4-8mm lens will give you a wide to medium angle of view of approx 35 – 85 degrees

A 12mm lens will give you a narrow angle of view of approx 20 degrees
Q.               What type of camera should I have?
A .              This will all depend on what you want to see and where the camera is going to be but we can suggest the perfect camera for you upon us site surveying your premises
Q. What is a DVR?
A. A DVR is a Digital video recorder, this is the recording unit for the system. All our DVR’s have a built in hard drive which stores the recordings for viewing.
Q. How long will my recordings last for?
A. This will depend on the size of the hard drive and the number of cameras on the DVR.

We can provide DVRs that are capable of providing 31+ days recording
Q. There has been an incident, how do I get record the pictures to give to the police?
A. All of our DVR’s come with a CD/DVD writer or USB backup, images can easily been taken from the hard drive and burnt onto a CD/DVD or downloaded onto a USB stick which can then be given to the police to be used as evidence.
Q. Do I own the system or is it rented?
A. All CCTV systems are owned outright by you, the customer once full payment for the system has been received, we can also arrange for leasing packages for the system upon acceptance by one of our approved leasing companies.
Q. Is the CCTV system covered by any warranty?
A. Yes. All parts and labour for items that fail due to normal day-to-day operation of the system will be covered for the first twelve months, after this service & maintenance packages are available .
Q. How long is the installation likely to take?
A. This will depend on the size of the system, for a 4 camera system this can take approx 1 day, for larger systems this can take 1-2 days plus.
Q. Is there going to be much disruption to my premises?
A. We make sure there is absolutely minimal disturbance, and often there is none at all. We endeavour to leave your premises exactly as we found them and this means we even vacuum up after ourselves!
Q. Will there be any wiring visible?
A. We aim to hide all cabling wherever possible. We may encounter certain conditions where this is difficult, but when this is the case, it will normally be pointed out to you at the time of the survey.
Q. What if the CCTV system goes wrong outside working hours?
A. All our customers have access to our out-of-hours emergency telephone number to call in an emergency outside working hours. This telephone number is always answered by a member of our team & not a call centre who will be able to deal with the call immediately.
Q. Does the CCTV system need any sort of maintenance?
A. Yes all CCTV systems should be inspected & serviced once a year.
Q. Why do we need maintenance?
A. Maintenance is very important for maintaining the reliability and performance of the system.
Q. What sort of things are checked?
A. The system is fully checked to ensure it is still working to its full potential, we clean & check the cameras & recording equipment to make sure they are free from dust ect and all power supplies are checked .