The questions every homeowner asks first.

Our 4-camera packages start at $999 fully installed and go up to $1,999 for the top tier. 6-camera systems run $1,499 to $2,599, and 8-camera systems $2,149 to $3,500. Fully installed means exactly that: cameras, cabling, NVR, hard drive, install labour, app setup, and walkthrough are all in the price. No separate line for labour, no surprise charge for an extra metre of cable. The NVR and hard drive that record your footage are included in every package — not optional add-ons you buy separately. The quote you receive is itemized so you can see what each component costs, but the total at the bottom is the total you pay. Commercial jobs are quoted on-site because no two spaces are the same: ceilings, access points, wiring paths, and hours available to work all affect the price. If you want a breakdown before booking an assessment, the packages page shows the full tier comparison.

No. The systems we install are owned by you outright. Footage records continuously to a physical hard drive inside your home — not to a cloud server somewhere else. You view it through the manufacturer's mobile app, which is free with no subscription tier. There's no premium plan to unlock motion alerts or two-week history — those features are built into the NVR and app at no extra cost. This is a deliberate choice. Cloud-based systems like Ring and Arlo build monthly fees into the business model — typically $10–$20 a month — because the hardware margin is thin and cloud storage is where they recoup the cost. Our model is the opposite: you pay once at install and the system is yours. The only ongoing cost is the electricity to run the NVR, a small always-on device that draws about the same power as a phone charger — a few dollars a year on your hydro bill.

No. Our quotes itemize every part (cameras, cable, mounts, NVR, hard drive, install labour, walkthrough) and the total at the bottom is the total. The only thing that can change after a quote is if you ask for more (extra camera, longer cable run, paint-matched faceplate). We tell you the cost before we do the work.

We ask for 50% to lock in your install date, balance due on completion. E-transfer, debit, or credit card all fine. Quote prices are held for 30 days from the day we email them.

Sometimes, and it's worth a 5-minute call to your broker once we're done. Most major Canadian insurers offer a 5–15% discount on the homeowner's portion of your policy when you have a hardwired surveillance system installed professionally. Intact, Aviva, and TD Insurance have all publicly listed recorded security systems as a qualifying factor for home protection discounts. The discount applies to the dwelling and contents portions of your coverage — not the total premium, which also includes liability and other components, so the actual dollar savings depends on your specific policy. When you call, ask your broker specifically about a hardwired CCTV or NVR system installed by a contractor. We'll email you a system spec sheet listing the camera models, recorder model, and install date — exactly what most insurers ask for to apply the discount. Some insurers may also want to see the installation invoice, which we provide.

Most 4-camera home installs are done in 4–6 hours on a single day. 6-camera installs typically run 6–8 hours. We always finish what we start in one visit unless we hit something unexpected like aluminum siding or a finished basement that needs fishing.

We try very hard not to. We hide cabling in soffits, attics, and basements wherever possible. Where we have to drill, the holes are small (3/8") and sealed weatherproof on the outside. We always show you the planned cabling route before we drill anything. If you don't like it, we re-route.

Yes for the start (so we can walk the plan) and the end (so we can do the walkthrough and pair your phones). The middle 3–4 hours you can come and go. Most people work from the kitchen table or pop out to run errands.

We install year-round in Durham. Below about -15°C we'll pause exterior drilling because the silicone sealant won't cure properly, but we can still do interior work (NVR, network, cabling). We just rebook the outdoor part for the next mild day.

Brick: yes, cleanly. We use a long carbide bit and seal weatherproof. Stucco: yes but slightly more delicate; we drill from inside out to avoid cracking the surface. Aluminum siding is the trickiest because it can buzz; we'll show you what we're going to do before we do it.

No. The cameras record continuously to a network video recorder (NVR) inside your home, not to the cloud. Internet only matters for viewing remotely on your phone. The footage is safe locally on a 1–2 TB drive that holds 30–60 days of continuous footage at 4K.

Depends on drive size and how much motion your cameras see. A 2 TB drive on a 4-camera home typically holds 30–45 days of continuous 4K footage. After that the NVR overwrites the oldest files first. You can flag any clip as "protected" in the app and it'll never be overwritten.

All viewing traffic is end-to-end encrypted between the NVR and your phone. We change every default password during install (cameras, NVR, app account), disable the cloud peer-to-peer features that have caused issues with cheaper Wyze and Reolink systems, and put the NVR on its own network segment if you have a managed router.

Yes, with caveats. Our cameras speak the standards (RTSP and ONVIF), so Google Home and Alexa work out of the box for live view on smart displays. HomeKit needs a small bridge (a Raspberry Pi running Scrypted) which we can set up for you. Ask during the quote and we'll price it case-by-case.

Genuinely excellent on the Premium tier: full-colour at night down to about 0.0005 lux (basically moonlight), which is what you actually want to identify a person or a vehicle. Black-and-white IR is a fallback for total darkness, e.g. inside a detached garage.

Almost nothing. Cameras are hardwired (PoE Cat6) so they don't touch your wifi at all. Live remote viewing uses about 4–8 Mbps per camera, but that's only when you're actively watching from the app. Day-to-day it's invisible on your network.

3 years on parts and labour. If a camera, the recorder, or anything related to our install fails inside that window, we come out, diagnose, and replace it at no charge. What's not covered: damage from things outside our control (a tree falling on a camera, lightning strikes, a contractor cutting a cable during another job, vandalism, or theft). After the warranty period we still come out. You pay for the replacement part at cost plus our service-call fee for the visit.

Inside our 3-year warranty we come out, diagnose, and replace at no charge. Outside it, you pay for the replacement part at cost plus our service-call fee. We stock the most common camera models we install so we usually have a spare on the truck.

Often, yes. If you have a recent NVR-based system already we can usually add cameras to it. Other brands (Lorex, Reolink, Swann) we can sometimes work with, but it depends on the model. Cheapest path is honestly a fresh install, but we'll always be straight with you.

Yes. We'll come uninstall, patch the holes (interior only), and re-install at the new property. Typical move-and-reinstall is half a day's labour, no new gear required if you're staying in the same kind of home. We quote that separately when the time comes.

Yes, and free. You get our cell number on install day. Text us with any question, anytime. Most issues we resolve over text in under an hour. If a service call is needed inside the 3-year warranty window it's free; outside it, you pay parts at cost plus our service-call fee.

Yes. Shops, restaurants, offices, warehouses, and rental properties across Durham. Commercial jobs are quoted on-site because every space is different. We look at access, network, ceilings, and what hours we can work without disrupting customers. Reach out and we'll come walk it with you.

Technically yes. Most of our cameras have built-in mics. Legally in Ontario it's fine to record audio on your property if at least one party (you) consents, but we strongly recommend disabling audio at the NVR and posting visible signage. We default to video-only for residential and walk you through the rules for commercial.

Not legally, but it's the right thing to do, and a 5-minute conversation now avoids a complaint later. We'll help you angle cameras so they don't pick up neighbouring driveways or windows. Privacy zones (digital black-out areas) are built into the NVR and we configure them for you on walkthrough day.

Yes. Our NVRs export H.265 video with verified timestamps, which Durham Regional Police accept routinely. We can show you exactly how to clip and export evidence from the app. The export process is simple and we walk you through it during the install walkthrough.