Question 1

What areas do you cover?

Accepted Answer

We cover Shropshire, the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Cheshire — including Telford, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester and surrounding towns. Free site surveys throughout our service area.

Question 2

Are you accredited and insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We hold £5m public liability insurance and our engineers work to BS EN 50131 (intruder), BS EN 62676 (CCTV), BS 5839 (fire), BS 7671 (electrical) and BS 7858 vetting standards. ICO registered as a data controller for CCTV/personal data work.

Question 3

How much does an installation cost?

Accepted Answer

Every site is different, so we don't publish fixed prices. Typical residential CCTV systems start from around £900 + VAT; commercial systems are quoted after a free site survey. You'll always receive a fixed written quote with no hidden extras before any work starts.

Question 4

How quickly can you install?

Accepted Answer

Most residential installs are booked within 1–2 weeks and completed in a single day. Commercial projects are scheduled around your operations — we offer evening and weekend installs where required.

Question 5

Do you offer monitoring and maintenance?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We offer 24/7 ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre) monitoring with police-response options, plus annual service contracts for CCTV, intruder and fire systems with priority call-out for contract holders.

Question 6

Will my system work with my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every modern system we install is smartphone-ready. View cameras, arm/disarm alarms, unlock doors and receive instant alerts from anywhere via iOS or Android apps.

Question 7

Do you service or take over existing systems?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We service, repair and upgrade systems installed by other companies — including Hikvision, Dahua, Pyronix, Texecom, Honeywell, Galaxy and most major brands.

Question 8

Are your CCTV systems GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We design every system to the ICO's CCTV Code of Practice — proportionate camera placement, signage, secure recording, retention policies and DPIA support for commercial sites.

Question 9

What warranty do you offer?

Accepted Answer

All new installations come with a 2-year parts and labour warranty as standard, and we only specify manufacturer hardware that carries a 3–5 year warranty so cover continues beyond ours.

Question 10

Do you provide a free site survey?

Accepted Answer

Yes — free, no-obligation site surveys across our coverage area. We'll walk the site with you, identify vulnerabilities and design a system around your priorities and budget.

Question 11

Can you integrate CCTV, alarms and access control?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Integrated systems are our speciality — one app, one engineer, one point of contact. Trigger cameras from an alarm event, lock down doors from a panic button, automate gates from number-plate recognition.

Question 12

What happens if my system fails out of hours?

Accepted Answer

Maintenance contract holders get priority 24/7 emergency call-out. For non-contract customers we aim to attend within 24 hours during business days.

Question 13

What CCTV resolution do I actually need?

Accepted Answer

For identification (faces / number plates) you need 4K (8MP) cameras at the right focal length. We model camera angles at survey to guarantee identification-grade footage where it matters, and detection-grade elsewhere to keep costs sensible.

Question 14

How long is CCTV footage stored?

Accepted Answer

We typically configure 30 days of continuous recording, but you can specify anywhere from 7 to 90+ days depending on your DPIA and storage budget. Footage can be encrypted and access-logged for GDPR compliance.

Question 15

Can I view my cameras when I'm away?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every system we install includes free mobile and desktop remote viewing. View live and recorded footage from anywhere with end-to-end encrypted streaming, multiple user accounts and event alerts.

Question 16

Do I need an internet connection for CCTV?

Accepted Answer

No — recording happens locally on the NVR and continues even if your internet drops. You only need internet for remote viewing, push notifications and cloud backup.

Question 17

Will CCTV interfere with my Wi-Fi or network?

Accepted Answer

No. We install IP cameras on a dedicated VLAN with PoE switches, so they don't share bandwidth with your business or home network.

Question 18

Do you install ANPR (number plate recognition)?

Accepted Answer

Yes — we install ANPR for gated estates, car parks, commercial yards and access control triggers. Plates can drive automatic gate opening, visitor logs or alarm exceptions.

Question 19

What types of access readers do you install?

Accepted Answer

Fob, card, PIN, mobile credential and biometric (fingerprint, face). We specify the right mix for each door based on traffic, security level and budget.

Question 20

Can I manage access remotely?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cloud-managed systems (Paxton Net2, Salto, Akuvox, Suprema) let you add or revoke users, change schedules and run audit reports from your phone or browser.

Question 21

Does access control integrate with my alarm and CCTV?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's the point. A forced door triggers an alarm, an alarm activation locks down sensitive doors, a denied access event bookmarks the CCTV recording. One unified system.

Question 22

What happens in a fire or power cut?

Accepted Answer

Doors fail-safe (unlocked) on fire alarm activation as required by BS 7273-4, and battery backup keeps the system live for several hours during a power cut.

Question 23

Can I issue temporary access to contractors or visitors?

Accepted Answer

Yes — time-limited PINs, QR codes or mobile credentials can be issued in seconds and expire automatically.

Question 24

What grade of alarm do I need?

Accepted Answer

Most homes need Grade 2; commercial premises and insurance-driven specifications usually need Grade 3. We confirm the right grade against your insurer's requirements at survey.

Question 25

Can I get police response?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We commission alarms with an NSI/SSAIB Alarm Receiving Centre that holds a URN (Unique Reference Number) with your local police force for verified response.

Question 26

Will I be charged false-alarm fees?

Accepted Answer

We commission systems to current standards specifically to minimise false activations — sequential confirmation, pet-tolerant detectors, dual-tech sensors. Police forces only escalate after multiple false alarms, which is extremely rare on a properly engineered system.

Question 27

Can I arm and disarm from my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes — all modern panels (Pyronix Enforcer, Texecom Premier, Honeywell Galaxy) come with free smartphone apps for arming, disarming and notifications.

Question 28

Do you install wireless or wired alarms?

Accepted Answer

Both — wireless for retrofit and minimal disruption, wired for new builds and the highest reliability. Hybrid systems combine both where appropriate.

Question 29

What's the difference between conventional and addressable systems?

Accepted Answer

Conventional systems indicate which zone has activated; addressable systems identify the exact device. We recommend addressable for any premises larger than a small shop or for life-critical environments.

Question 30

Do you certify fire alarm installations?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every install is BS 5839 commissioned and certified. We provide the log book, design certificate and commissioning certificate required for landlord, insurance and licensing inspections.

Question 31

How often does a fire alarm need servicing?

Accepted Answer

BS 5839 requires service inspections at least every 6 months for commercial systems. We offer fixed-price service contracts with reminders, so you're always compliant.

Question 32

Can you integrate fire alarms with door release and lifts?

Accepted Answer

Yes — fire activation can automatically release magnetically held doors, recall lifts and shut down ventilation, all to BS 7273-4 / BS EN 81-73.

Question 33

What category of cable should I install?

Accepted Answer

Cat6 is the sensible minimum (1Gbps to 100m). Cat6a (10Gbps to 100m) is recommended for new offices and any cable likely to live longer than 7–10 years. We'll spec to your application.

Question 34

Do you Fluke test and certify?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every drop is Fluke channel/permanent-link tested and you receive a PDF certification pack signed off by the engineer.

Question 35

Can you work around live offices?

Accepted Answer

Yes — we routinely install out of hours, weekends and overnight to avoid disruption. Most installs happen with zero downtime.

Question 36

Do you install cabinets and patch panels?

Accepted Answer

Yes — wall and floor cabinets, patch panels, cable management, PDUs, switches and PoE injection, all neatly labelled and documented.

Question 37

Single-mode or multi-mode fibre?

Accepted Answer

Multi-mode (OM3/OM4) for shorter in-building runs up to a few hundred metres; single-mode (OS2) for inter-building, campus or any run that needs to scale beyond 10Gbps. We'll specify per project.

Question 38

Do you fusion splice on site?

Accepted Answer

Yes — fusion splicing, mechanical splicing and field-terminated connectors. Every fibre is OTDR tested with results documented.

Question 39

Can you find a fault on existing fibre?

Accepted Answer

Yes — OTDR fault finding, visual fault locators and OLTS testing to pinpoint breaks, bends or contamination, with same-day repairs where possible.

Question 40

What Wi-Fi brands do you install?

Accepted Answer

Ubiquiti UniFi, Aruba Instant On, Cisco Meraki and TP-Link Omada — selected per project based on coverage, density and budget. We site-survey before quoting to guarantee coverage.

Question 41

Can you segment guest, IoT and corporate traffic?

Accepted Answer

Yes — VLAN segmentation is standard. Guest Wi-Fi, CCTV, access control and corporate data each live on their own VLAN with firewall rules between.

Question 42

Do you provide ongoing network support?

Accepted Answer

Yes — managed support contracts include remote monitoring, firmware updates, configuration backups and priority response.

Question 43

Can you replace BT/Openreach routers with business-grade kit?

Accepted Answer

Yes — we install Draytek, Ubiquiti and Cisco firewalls/routers with proper QoS, VPN and failover. The ISP router becomes a simple modem.

Frequently asked questions.

About our service.

CCTV Installation FAQs.

Access Control FAQs.

Intruder Alarms FAQs.

Fire Alarm Systems FAQs.

Data Cabling FAQs.

Fibre Optic Cabling FAQs.

Networking FAQs.

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