Alarms and CCTV
Security alarms and CCTV in Herne Bay
Security alarms and CCTV in Herne Bay need to do their job without spoiling the look of a character house or upsetting the neighbours. We install and wire alarm systems, security cameras and sensor lights for houses, apartments and commercial premises, with the cabling kept out of sight and the cameras pointed at your property, not theirs.
Alarm systems
An alarm system is a control panel, one or more keypads, a set of detectors and a siren, all working together. Motion detectors watch the rooms people would have to cross, door and window sensors catch a door or sash being opened, and the keypad is placed where you can reach it as you come in without the alarm sounding first. A good layout covers the ways into the house rather than putting a sensor in every room.
The panel needs a permanent power supply and a backup battery so it keeps working if the power goes off, and every detector needs cabling back to it or a wireless link that reaches it reliably. Where there is access under the floor and in the ceiling space, cables can usually reach sensors and keypads without surface trunking. If the house is due for new wiring anyway, the alarm cabling can go in during a rewire, which makes it almost invisible.
Security cameras, and keeping the neighbours on side
Cameras over the front door, the driveway and the back of the house are the usual starting point, recording to a recorder in a cupboard or to the cloud, with the footage on your phone. On a Herne Bay street, though, houses can sit close together, and a camera that looks straight into the house next door can sour a neighbourly relationship quickly.
The Privacy Commissioner's guidance on CCTV at home is practical. The Privacy Act does not usually cover a private person's home cameras unless what they do is highly offensive, but other laws can still apply. The Commissioner suggests talking to your neighbours before putting cameras up, putting up signs, considering lights and alarms first, never pointing a camera directly at a neighbour's property, doors or windows, and not keeping footage longer than you need. We set camera angles with that advice in mind and show you what each one sees before we leave.
What we install
Alarm panels and keypads
Wired into the house supply with battery backup, with keypads placed by the doors you actually use.
Detectors and sensors
Motion detectors for the rooms on the way in, and sensors for doors and windows.
Security cameras
Cameras for entrances, driveways and yards, cabled back to a recorder or connected to your network.
Sensor lights
Lights that switch on when someone approaches, part of our outdoor lighting work.
Shops and offices
Alarms and cameras for commercial premises, wired to suit how the business opens and closes.
Security on a character house
Fretwork, finials and painted weatherboards are not improved by a tangle of grey cable. On older houses we run camera and sensor cables through the ceiling space and under the floor where there is access, choose mounting spots that sit neatly against the trim, and use small, plain housings. It keeps the outside of the house looking as it should, which matters all the more in the parts of Herne Bay covered by the Unitary Plan's special character rules.
If an alarm starts going off by itself, or a camera system loses power, call us. Fault finding on security wiring is part of the work of our around-the-clock electricians.
Alarm and CCTV questions
Should I put up a sign about my cameras?
The Privacy Commissioner suggests it. A sign tells visitors that cameras are in place and is a deterrent in itself.
Wired or wireless cameras?
A wired camera gets its power and data through one cable and does not depend on Wi-Fi reaching the far corner of the section. Wireless cameras are quicker to place but still need power and a strong signal. We will suggest what suits each spot.
Can you add cameras to an existing alarm?
Usually, yes. We look at what is already there and whether it can be extended before suggesting anything new.
Will the alarm still work in a power cut?
For a time, yes. The panel switches to its backup battery when the mains supply goes off. How long the battery lasts depends on the system, so ask us about yours, and have the battery checked if the alarm is getting old.
Do you install security systems for businesses?
Yes. We do commercial work as well as residential, including alarms and cameras for shops and offices.
Talk to us about security
Call 021 156 4005 or describe the property and what you want to protect in the form below.
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Contact us
Call 021 156 4005 at any hour of the day or night, or leave the details below and we will get back to you.
021 156 4005- Auckland
- Call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week