28/08/2026
5 THINGS YOUR CCTV INSTALLER SHOULD TELL YOU BEFORE COLLECTING YOUR MONEY
I have been in this industry for over a decade, I have seen what happens when clients are kept in the dark, not maliciously always, sometimes installers genuinely do not think to explain these things but the result is the same.
You spend good money and end up with a system that either fails you quietly or fails you loudly at the worst possible moment.
So let me tell you what your installer should be telling you before you hand over a single rand.
1. HOW MANY DAYS YOUR FOOTAGE ACTUALLY STORES.
This one surprises people every time.
Most clients assume their camera is recording and saving everything indefinitely, it is not. Depending on your hard drive size, resolution settings, and number of cameras, your system might only be storing between 7 and 30 days of footage.
After that, it overwrites itself automatically. If something happened three weeks ago and you are only checking now, that evidence might already be gone, Your installer should tell you this upfront and help you configure storage to match your actual security needs.
2. WHAT YOUR CAMERA CANNOT SEE AT NIGHT.
Daytime footage and night footage are two completely different conversations. A camera that looks sharp and clear in sunlight might be almost useless in darkness if the infrared range is limited or the positioning is wrong.
Your installer should walk you through what each camera sees after dark before the job is finished.
Not after, before.
If they are not doing this, ask them directly, the answer will tell you a lot about how much they actually know.
3. HOW TO VIEW YOUR CAMERAS ON YOUR PHONE.
You would think this is obvious, it is not.
We have met clients who had cameras installed for six months and never knew they could watch live footage from their phone while sitting in traffic or traveling abroad.
Nobody showed them.
The mobile app setup, the remote viewing configuration, the username and password, all of this should be demonstrated to you before the installer packs his tools and leaves your compound. If you cannot operate your own system, what exactly did you pay for?
4. WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMETHING STOPS WORKING.
Equipment develops faults.
Cameras go offline.
Hard drives fill up.
Power issues happen.
This is normal and not always the installer's fault but what is the installer's responsibility is making sure you know the basic troubleshooting steps for common issues.
✓ Which light should be blinking on your DVR.
✓ What it means when a camera shows a black screen.
✓ When to restart the system and when to call for help.
A ten minute explanation at the end of installation can save you three weeks of panic.
5. WHEN TO SERVICE THE SYSTEM AND WHAT SERVICING ACTUALLY INVOLVES.
CCTV is not a set and forget investment.
Dust accumulates on lenses.
Cable connections loosen over time.
Hard drives degrade.
Software needs updating.
A properly maintained system can serve you faithfully for eight to ten years but a neglected one starts causing problems within eighteen months.
Your installer should give you a basic maintenance schedule before leaving.
Every six months minimum and they should be reachable when you need them, not a disconnected number six weeks after they collected payment.
These are not complicated things, they take maybe thirty minutes of honest conversation at the end of an installation but some installers skip them either because they are in a hurry, or because they are hoping you will not notice the gaps until it is too late to complain.
Now you know what to ask.
🤝🏿
