A straightforward IP PoE CCTV system typically costs roughly £350-£600 per camera installed, according to our own CCTV Installation Cost for Business UK 2026 guide. That figure shifts more with the system type, cable runs, storage and labour than it does with the camera itself. Kit prices you see online usually cover hardware only, so budget for the installed job rather than the box.
What does a CCTV system price actually include?
A straightforward IP PoE system costs roughly £350-£600 per camera installed, according to CCTV Installation Cost for Business UK 2026. That figure bundles kit and fitting, which makes it the useful one for sizing commercial CCTV system cost.
One regional installer's published range gives a second benchmark. It quotes a professionally installed 4-camera system at about £1,200-£2,500, and 4-16 cameras for South Wales and the South West at £2,500-£8,000 installed. These are regional installer prices, not a national average, so use them as a cross-check rather than a quote for your site.
Hardware price vs installed price
- Hardware price: the figure on a kit listing, covering cameras, a recorder and whatever cabling or power is bundled. UK kit pages from online specialists show equipment only, with no labour line.
- Installed price: that hardware plus a site survey, cable runs, mounting and setup. The regional installer above lists survey work and setup under labour.
CCTV Master sells equipment only, so fitting is quoted separately by your own electrician or installer. The product datasheet or installation guide tells them what the job involves. Even small sundries are priced individually, such as the BASE-DH30-MG connector at £9.65.
Why US shop prices mislead
Dollar prices from US retailers are not a guide to UK installed cost. Zosi, for instance, lists a 4K 8-channel PoE system with a C225 dome and C296B PTZ camera at $539.99, which is hardware only, in dollars, with no UK labour. The same regional installer warns that US-based averages and cheap DIY kits are what confuse people budgeting for UK business CCTV.
PoE, analogue or wireless: where does the money go?
PoE costs most in switch and recorder hardware, analogue in coax cabling, and wireless in power provision and the app or storage plan.
|
Cabling |
Power |
Recorder |
Labour exposure |
Best for |
| PoE |
One network cable carries data and power, with runs of up to 330 ft quoted by Zosi |
Delivered over the same cable by the switch or recorder |
PoE NVR, or an NVR plus a separate PoE switch |
Pulling and terminating network cable; one cable per camera |
Business CCTV systems and new installs with accessible cable routes |
| Analogue |
BNC video+power cable |
Carried in the same lead from a power supply |
DVR |
Long coax runs, reduced if suitable existing coax is reused |
Upgrading a site that already has coax |
| Wireless |
Often no video cable |
Still needed at each camera: mains or, on some models, battery |
App or cloud plan, memory card or NVR, depending on model |
Fitting power points and checking signal at each position |
Awkward spots where running cable is impractical |
The analogue cabling cost is easy to pin down. The 40m BNC CCTV Cable with Power is £13.79 and comes pre-terminated, so it needs no crimping. US suppliers also say existing suitable coax can be reused where compatible, so have your installer check the old cable before you throw it away.
A wireless CCTV system is rarely wire-free. Budget for a power point or battery routine at every camera, then add the ongoing cost of the app or storage plan. Wireless CCTV systems vary widely on this, so read each model's datasheet before comparing totals.
Whoever fits the kit, whether your own electrician or installer, should work from the product datasheet or installation guide. For the hardware itself, you can shop at CCTV Master or ask about trade pricing.
What is the real cost per camera over five years?
The real cost per camera over five years is every purchase and running cost across that period, added together and divided by the number of cameras.
TCO per camera = (cameras + recorder + switch or PSU + cabling and connectors + storage + installer labour + subscriptions or maintenance over the period) ÷ number of cameras
Each variable is a separate line on your quote. Labour is whatever your own electrician or installer charges, because we sell equipment and do not fit it.
Shared items spread across channels
The recorder, switch or PSU, and drive serve every channel, so their cost is divided by the cameras actually connected. As a general rule, a half-empty NVR makes each camera look dearer than a fully used one. Buying headroom for expansion is reasonable, but count it honestly.
Storage and consumables
The Zosi C290 ships without a hard drive, so storage is a line you add yourself. Size it as channels × retention days × daily data per camera, which varies with resolution, codec and continuous versus motion recording. Our hard drive guide covers the sizing in more detail.
Consumables get forgotten. A single BASE-DH30-MG connector is £9.65, and a multi-camera install uses several, plus spares for re-terminations over five years.
Compliance costs for a business
A business should budget for these as well, as they are easy to miss:
- Signage at each monitored area.
- A written retention policy.
- Staff time to handle subject access requests.
- Possibly an ICO data protection fee, depending on your circumstances.
Check the current ICO guidance for what applies to you.
Budget, mid-range or premium: what does each tier buy?
Each tier is defined by what the hardware does (camera type, recorder size, analytics and switching), not by a £ band that would date within months. Check live listings for current prices.
Budget
- Fixed cameras, a small-channel recorder and continuous local recording.
- Camera count matched to the entrances rather than the floor area.
- Suits a small shop with a front and back door, where the goal is a clear record of who came in.
Mid-range
- A PoE NVR with person and vehicle detection, which Zosi and GW Security both list on their business systems.
- More resolution and storage headroom, so retention isn't squeezed as cameras are added.
- Suits a multi-unit office, where searching footage for people rather than scrubbing through it saves real time.
Premium
- PTZ and auto-tracking cameras. The Zosi C290 is listed with 355° pan and 140° tilt, and the range is sold as a 64-channel business system.
- Larger channel counts and several switches. Zosi's 40-camera package includes 2×24-port and 1×16-port switches, so switching cost scales with the site, not just the camera count.
- Suits a yard or multi-building site, where one operator needs to follow movement across a wide area.
PoE keeps cabling simple at every tier, since each camera needs a single Ethernet run, as Zosi's 8-channel PoE listing describes.
If you searched for the best CCTV system for small business or affordable CCTV systems, start at budget and step up only where detection is needed. Our Best CCTV System and Business CCTV guides cover those buying decisions in full. You can also shop at cctvmaster.co.uk or ask about trade pricing.
How should installers and trade buyers use this to quote and win work?
Standardise on a small set of kit and quote line by line, so the customer can see where the money goes. Fewer part numbers also make your quotes quicker to build and easier to compare.
CCTV Master sells equipment and does not install. The customer's own electrician or installer fits it, so check each product's datasheet or installation guide before you price the labour.
What to put in the quote
- Survey: the site visit, camera positions and any views that need privacy masking.
- Cable route: lengths, containment and making good. On analogue jobs, the 40m BNC CCTV Cable with Power is listed at £13.79.
- Storage and retention: the number of retention days you are promising, and the drive size chosen to meet it.
- Signage: notices that tell people CCTV is operating, in line with the ICO's CCTV guidance.
- Handover: default passwords changed, recorder access explained, and a named contact.
- Maintenance: a separate, priced line for periodic checks.
Where the return comes from
A drive sized against the retention target, and a PSU or PoE budget checked against the camera load, should mean fewer call-backs. A visible maintenance line also gives the customer a reason to keep you on after handover.
Orders placed before 4pm are dispatched the same working day. Shop at https://cctvmaster.co.uk or ask about trade pricing.
Related products from our own range:
- BASE-DH30-MG Price & Specs — Buy the BASE-DH30-MG CCTV connector at CCTV Master for just £9.65. High-quality component perfect for home, DIY, and small business security setups.
