Security & low voltage
Security Camera Installation Cost Calculator
Prices camera installation, where the cable route is the job.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials and the call-out. Mounting a camera takes minutes; getting cable to it takes the day. Labour scales with how far each camera is from the recorder and what the cable has to pass through, so a new build with open framing is a fraction of the time of a finished building where every run means fishing walls, crossing floors and patching afterwards. Power over Ethernet simplifies it by carrying power and data on one cable, which is why it is now the normal approach.
What moves the number
- Cable run length and what it passes through.
- Whether the building is finished, which determines whether walls are opened.
- Exterior runs, which need weather-rated cable, glands and penetration sealing.
- Whether Power over Ethernet is used, which halves the cabling.
Where this one goes wrong
Seal exterior penetrations properly, because a hole drilled through a wall for a camera cable is a water entry point and one of the more common callbacks in this trade is water tracking down a cable into a wall cavity. Drip loops and sealed glands cost minutes. Outdoor cable also has to be rated for it, since indoor cable degrades in sunlight and moisture. On a finished building, agree the route and the patching before starting rather than discovering mid-job that the customer did not expect holes in a ceiling, and keep cable away from mains runs to avoid interference.
Before you quote
- Seal and drip-loop every exterior penetration.
- Use outdoor-rated cable and glands outside.
- Agree routes and patching with the customer before cutting.
Questions
About this calculator
Why is camera installation mostly labour?
Because mounting the camera takes minutes and getting cable to it takes the time. In a finished building every run means fishing walls, crossing floors or ceilings and patching afterwards. The same camera count in a new build with open framing is a fraction of the hours.
What is Power over Ethernet and does it matter?
It carries power and data on one cable, so each camera needs a single run rather than data plus a separate power supply. That halves the cabling and removes the need for a power outlet at each camera, which is why it has become the standard approach for wired systems.
Can water get in around a camera cable?
It is a common callback. A hole drilled through a wall is a water entry point, and water can track along a cable into the cavity. A sealed gland and a drip loop below the penetration prevent it and take minutes, which makes skipping them a poor trade.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 8 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $115.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 8 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $115 |
| Parts and materials | $900 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $1,915 |
| Labour | $920 |
| Before tax | $1,915 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $1,915: $920 of labour, $900 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $58 | $1,459 |
| $86 | $1,683 |
| $115 example above | $1,915 |
| $173 | $2,379 |
| $230 | $2,835 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 8 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $115.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.