Cost of Home Surveillance Systems – Pricing Guide for Top Solutions
The cost of home Surveillance Systems can go far beyond what you see on a price tag.
When you hear this, you may have questions. What is the hidden cost of home Surveillance systems? Are you really getting your money’s worth when it comes to cameras as well as key features? Are home surveillance systems worth the investment?
We’ve come up with some info to help inform you about the fees that can add up the overall cost of home surveillance systems as well as the most important factors to keep in mind when searching for the right kit!
What is the Cost of Home Surveillance Systems: Beyond the Equipment
When we look at home surveillance system costs, we consider more than just the cost of the units and hardware. One also has to consider the cost of installation, potential monitoring service fees, and other tacked on service charges.
Across the market, the common cost of a home Security Camera system ranges from the lower hundreds all the way up to a few thousand dollars. This is before factoring in fees for installation (ranging from $50-$200 per unit), monitoring services ($15 – $35 per month) and storage subscription plans (up to $20 per month). When you decide to go outside of the DIY, non-monitored route, your total cost can add up quickly.
1. Equipment Cost
The main components of a home surveillance system consist of the camera units, plus the NVR or DVR. Often times, there are the extra fees of correct cabling, additional surveillance-grade hard drives, and other add-ons that can be part of the equation.
The total price of these components account for the base cost of your setup. As mentioned above, this can range anywhere from $250-$2,000. This can go even higher depending on the resolution level, number of cameras and level of storage within the NVR or DVR.
Interested in looking closer at the equipment you can choose from with LaView? Click below to learn more!
2. Installation Price
The next big factor when we are adding up your total cost is installation. This can range anywhere from free to $3,000 (or more) when all is said and done.
If you choose to go with a DIY home surveillance system, your cost will be $0.
In contrast, if you pay for a professional to do your installation, they could charge you upwards of $50 for each security camera as well as recorder.
Surprisingly, the average cost of installing a home camera system is just over $1,500 based on recent reports.
In some scenarios, installers may require you to pay activation fees to get your equipment up and running. Your best course of action is always asking installers what their total fees are up front, so you aren’t surprised by added on fees in the end. Or, you can install the system yourself if you want to reduce the cost of home surveillance systems overall. This is easy with a LaView system!
3. Monitoring Fees
If you have a professionally monitored security camera system, you have to take into account the monitoring service fee.
Generally, monitoring companies are looking to have you sign a service contract that could be anywhere from 1 to 3 or more years. Average fees for these types of contracts range from around $15 to $30 per month.
Many people see the upside to this in having eyes on your property at all times. The same can be said for a DIY system with mobile alerts, like our systems. This would eliminate the monitoring fees altogether.
Another thing to consider is that if you try to terminate your monitoring service early, they may charge you a hefty cancellation fee. This is something big to research as well as consider when you are trying to make your choice.T
Thinking that you want to invest in your security as you read? Learn about how you can protect not only your home but also your vehicles below!
4. Subscription Costs
The cost of home surveillance systems also entails other services like cloud storage, third-party software to manage your system and even automation plans.
Make sure you don’t just let a company talk you into a subscription plan for storage or anything else without researching. If there is an added fee to tack on, companies as well as installers are often looking to prey on your lack of knowledge with the technology. Always look into these extra services, see if they are necessary and see if they fit your needs!
Other Elements that could affect the Cost of Home Surveillance Systems
Beyond the big costs that we’ve already mentioned, there are more elements to consider that could leave a big mark on your final cost of home surveillance systems.
Read on to learn more about these potential costs:
Buy or Rent a Home Security System
If you are on a tight budget and don’t want to commit to buying a home security camera system, you may think about renting a system to protect your home.
On the surface, renting a system may seem like a solution for a tight budget.
However, you may want to think twice about this. Let’s take a look at the numbers:
The average month reoccurring cost of renting a security camera system is between $20 and $50 a month. This scales up to between $240 to $600 per year.
Renting services are usually looking for more of a commitment from their patrons. Just like renting apartments or houses, generally this means a minimum of a 1-year contract. This can scale up to 3 years or more depending on the provider. On the top end of these calculations, you are looking at a total investment after 3 years of around $1,800 without anything to show for it afterwards. This price would buy you an exceptional IP security camera system.
Along with that, if you decide to move, you can easily remove and reinstall a purchased security camera system. This may not be true if you are in a renting contract. There could be costly termination fees tacked on if you decide to end this early.
We generally recommend purchasing your own system rather than renting. This is the best option for the long run.
See our top-of-the-line IP cameras in action below!
Should You Install A Fully-Wired or Wireless Home Surveillance System?
Installation is the 2nd biggest cost when it comes to security camera systems.
If you want to install a fully-wired system on your own, you may need a little bit of wiring knowledge. With most of our kits, you can get by without much experience. But if you hire professionals, be prepared to pay for their expertise.
To lower your overall costs, you may want to look into a WiFi system. In particular, you may want to go fully wireless. The less cables there are, the less you have to worry about installation at all.
Take, for example, our ONE Link Wireless Battery Camera System. This comes with fully wireless HD 1080P cameras that feature rechargeable 5500 mAh batteries and magnetic backing for flexible placement anywhere!
This is one of the best ways to go if you are trying to keep costs down and don’t feel comfortable drilling and running wires. Check our the ONE Link in action below!
That sums up our cost of home surveillance systems guide for now. Check back for more tips and pricing guides as we expand your knowledge base for educated security camera shopping!
The post Cost of Home Surveillance Systems – Pricing Guide appeared first on LaView.
