Images you can actually use
We frame cameras at entry routes and mount them for facial identification, then check night performance on site to see the datasheet actually holds up in practice.
Derby · Hikvision & Ajax partner
CCTV, Alarms And AccessControl In Derby ThatTalk To Each Other
We fit cameras that give you usable evidence, alarms that alert the right person, and door entry you can answer from your phone. It's all wired by us as the electrical contractor and built into the same system that runs your lighting.
Hikvision and Ajax partner installations · £10m public liability · 6-year NAPIT-backed workmanship guarantee on qualifying installations
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16+ years
Domestic, commercial and industrial experience
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Full Scope
NAPIT registered for all aspects of electrical work
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6-year
NAPIT-backed workmanship guarantee on qualifying installs
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£10m
Public and employers' liability cover
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Free
Initial consultation, no obligation
The service
Security that actually gives you evidence
There are three parts to this. CCTV that records identifiable images at the points people actually enter. Intruder alarms that detect a break-in and notify you without going off every time the wind picks up. And access control, which might be a video doorbell on a house or fobs, keypads and gates on a commercial site.
Camera position matters more than camera choice. A high-resolution camera mounted high on a gable wall gives you a clear picture of the top of someone's head. The same camera at the right height across an entry route gives you a face. We survey entry points, light levels and sightlines first, then pick equipment to suit.
As Hikvision and Ajax partners we fit professional-grade hardware rather than consumer kit off a shelf. We're also the electrical contractor, so power, cabling and integration into your automation system happen as one job, not three separate ones. A camera event can raise the exterior lighting. An alarm going off can change what the heating does.
Who this is for
- Homes in Derby and Derbyshire wanting proper coverage of entrances, driveways and outbuildings
- Properties with detached garages, workshops or stables that need monitoring and lighting
- Commercial premises needing recorded coverage, door control and staff access records
- Landlords and holiday-let owners needing remote access without handing over keys
- Anyone whose existing camera system produces footage too poor to identify anyone
What it costs to leave it
Footage you can't use is worse than having no camera at all
You usually only find out what's wrong with a system when something happens and you go looking for the footage. Cameras aimed at the middle of the driveway instead of the entry point. Night images washed out by a security light sitting in frame. Retention set to a few days when the incident happened last week.
Alarms fail differently. False activations from poorly sited detectors train everyone to ignore the alerts. Notifications go to one phone that's on silent overnight. Sensors cover the hallway but not the patio doors that were the obvious entry point.
Access control is where the cost adds up over time. Keys get copied by former staff or tenants with no way to know, so the lock gets changed every time someone leaves. There's no record of who entered a building and when. Gates and entry systems end up wired as their own little island, so a delivery still means walking to the door wherever you happen to be in the house.
Mistakes we get called out to fix
- Cameras mounted as high as possible, capturing hats and missing faces entirely
- Recording retention left on default, overwriting footage you eventually need
- Security lighting placed directly in a camera's field of view, blinding it at night
- Detectors sited where pets, heat sources or draughts cause repeated false alarms
- Alerts sent to one phone with no secondary contact
- Cameras and alarms on consumer cloud services with no local recording if the line drops
How the job runs
A fixed sequence, so nothing
gets decided on the fly
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01
Free site survey
We walk the property with you, work out the genuine entry routes, check light levels and sightlines, and agree what each camera and detector actually needs to do.
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02
Design
We work out camera positions and lens choices, detector layout, recorder sizing and retention, the cable schedule, access hardware and how it all ties into your automation.
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03
Installation
Cameras, detectors, recorders, panels, door hardware and gate controls fitted on correctly protected circuits, with structured cabling run back to the rack.
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04
Configure and verify
Every camera gets framed and focused on site. Detection zones are tuned to cut down false alarms, notifications are tested to every recipient, and access credentials are issued.
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05
Hand over and support
We walk you through the app, the recordings and the arming routines, hand over documentation of the system, and remote maintenance is available afterwards.
What you actually get
Measurable outcomes, not adjectives
Alerts you trust enough to act on
We tune detection zones and sensitivities during commissioning, so notifications mean something instead of getting muted after the third false alarm.
Security drives the whole building
A camera or alarm event can raise the external lighting, switch on interior scenes and change what the heating's doing. It all sits on one system.
Access without keys
Fobs, codes and app entry get issued and revoked individually, so a member of staff or a tenant leaving never means changing a lock.
Local recording that survives an outage
Footage records locally on site, so a broadband outage doesn't cost you the evidence.
Guaranteed installation work
Qualifying installation work is covered by a 6-year NAPIT-backed workmanship guarantee, with a minimum one year on everything else.
In detail
Cameras, detection, door hardware and integration in detail
Security hardware is only as good as where it's sited, how it's cabled and how it's configured. Here's what we specify and install across homes and commercial sites in Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
CCTV systems
We install Hikvision as a partner and size the system to the site rather than fitting the same four-camera kit to every property. Resolution, lens angle, mounting height and infrared or white-light performance get chosen per position.
- Turret, bullet and dome cameras selected per position and lighting condition
- Number plate and facial identification positions designed around approach angles
- PoE structured cabling back to a central NVR, avoiding local power supplies at every camera
- NVR storage sized for a retention period you actually agree
- Motion and line-crossing zones configured to ignore roads and trees
- Remote viewing with local recording maintained if the internet drops
Intruder alarm systems
As an Ajax partner we install wireless and hybrid alarms with encrypted communications and long battery life. That suits occupied homes and retrofit commercial premises where you don't want extensive rewiring.
- Ajax wireless and hybrid systems with encrypted device communication
- Perimeter door and window contacts alongside internal movement detection
- Pet-tolerant detector selection and siting to reduce false activations
- External sounders, strobes and multi-recipient app notification
- Part-set modes so upstairs stays live while downstairs is occupied
- Smoke, leak and environmental sensors reporting through the same system
Access control and door entry
Access hardware ranges from a video doorbell to a full commercial door controller with audit trails. Which one's right for you depends on how many people need access and how often that list changes.
- Video door entry with call routing to phones, keypads and internal panels
- Fob, card and keypad access with per-user credentials issued and revoked centrally
- Maglocks, strikes, door controllers and correctly interfaced emergency release
- Automatic gate control with intercom, safety edges and vehicle detection
- Access event logging for commercial sites needing a record of entries
Residential versus commercial
Domestic systems are about simplicity, discretion and alerts that actually mean something. Commercial systems add compliance, record-keeping and the ability to manage a lot of users without calling an engineer every time.
- Residential: entrances, driveways, outbuildings, garden zones and parcel deliveries
- Commercial: perimeter, yard, loading, stock and staff-only areas with retained footage
- Multi-site remote viewing and centralised user administration
- RAMS issued on request, works planned around occupied trading hours
Before you enquire
CCTV, alarms & access questions,
answered straight
How much does a CCTV or alarm installation cost in Derby?
It varies with the number of positions, the cable routes and the retention you need, so we don't publish prices. The site survey is free and you get a written quotation before you commit to anything.
How long does installation take?
A domestic camera and alarm installation typically takes one to two days. Commercial sites with gates, door controllers and longer cable runs take longer, and we work around your trading hours.
Will you install cameras on a finished house without damage?
In almost all cases, yes. Cable routes go through lofts, eaves and external containment, and we agree every visible route with you before we drill anything.
How long is footage kept?
That comes down to the recorder storage we specify. Tell us the retention period you want and we'll size the system to it.
Do the cameras keep recording if the internet fails?
Yes. Recording happens locally to the NVR on site. Remote viewing pauses until the connection comes back, but nothing gets lost.
Can I stop getting false alarms from my current system?
Usually, yes. Most false activations come from where the detectors are sited or how the zones are set, and both can be corrected. We'll assess the existing system before recommending you replace anything.
Can security be linked to my lighting and automation?
Yes. It's one of the main advantages of using a single contractor for both. Camera and alarm events can trigger external lighting, interior scenes and away modes automatically.
Do you offer emergency call-outs?
It's available on request for commercial and automation clients. We don't sell it as a standard guaranteed service, but ask us and we'll tell you what we can do.
What guarantee applies to the installation?
Qualifying installation work carries a 6-year workmanship guarantee backed by NAPIT, with a minimum one year on other work. We hold £10m public liability, £10m employers' liability and £1m professional indemnity.
Which areas do you cover?
Derby, Duffield, Belper, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Ripley, Ashbourne, Matlock, Burton upon Trent, Nottingham, Chesterfield, Sheffield and the wider East Midlands.
Related services
Where we work
Derby · Nottingham · Duffield · Belper · Burton upon Trent · Sheffield · Ilkeston · Long Eaton and the wider East Midlands. See areas covered, read more about the company or return to the homepage.
Find out what your
cameras are really seeing
Book a free site survey and we'll tell you straight which positions give you usable evidence and which are just for show, even on a system you already own.
NAPIT Full Scope · Official Loxone Partner · 6-year workmanship guarantee on qualifying installations · £10m public liability