How we chose
We started from the thirty-seven access control firms Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the SSAIB provider search and the NSI company finder, guarding approvals from the SIA register of approved contractors, and locksmith credentials from the MLA directory [4] [5] [6] [7]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Twelve firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the tradesperson to the job first. An access control installer fits fobs, keypads, door entry panels, intercoms and automated gates, usually alongside alarms and CCTV. A locksmith opens doors, changes cylinders and repairs multipoint mechanisms. A guarding firm supplies keyholding, alarm response and patrols, while an IT firm sells CCTV as an add-on to computer support. When you first enquire, say which doors, how many users, and whether you want a standalone keypad or a system you can manage from a phone.
Check competence before you book. For alarms, CCTV and access control, search the SSAIB provider search and the NSI company finder for the business name and check the listing yourself rather than taking a badge on a van at face value [4] [5]. Either listing points to a firm inspected against industry standards. Ask for the certificate or approval number behind the badge and confirm it appears on the register, then keep a note of what you found.
Guarding has a legal edge other security work does not. Anyone supplying key holding or guarding under contract generally needs an SIA licence, and the firm itself can seek SIA Approved Contractor status, which you can check on the public register [8] [6]. For locksmiths, the Master Locksmiths Association directory lists inspected members you can search by postcode [7]. For automated gates, the Gate Safe register lists installers trained in gate safety [9]. If the name is missing from every list, ask why before you go further.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same written scope, so you compare like with like [11]. Each quote should name the doors and users covered, the exact kit with makes and models, cable routes and power, the start date, how making-good is handled, and payment stages. A deposit for ordered kit is normal, while full payment before completion is not. Treat an outlier, far above or below the rest, as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what is included or excluded.
A serious installer surveys before quoting fitted work. Expect a walk round every door, a look at power and cable routes, and questions about who needs access and when. Push back on any quote for a multi-door system given sight unseen over the phone. For monitored alarms and CCTV, the quote should state the recorder and storage, how you view footage, the response arrangements, and the yearly service and monitoring fees, since those subscriptions run for years after the fitting [1] [2].
On handover, collect the paperwork and keep it filed. An approved installer issues a certificate of compliance for the installation, which is your evidence for your insurer and the police if they ever ask [10]. You should also hold user guides, admin codes for adding and removing users, the service and maintenance terms with response times, and the monitoring contract where one applies. Test every fob, code and camera with the engineer present, and do not pay the balance until each one works.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a bell-only wireless alarm from £525 supplied and fitted, a smart alarm system from around £650, and a monitored system with keyholder or police response at roughly £1,200–£2,500 to install plus £15–£45 a month in monitoring [1]. An annual service visit typically costs around £90 [1]. These are national guide prices, and Telford usually sits below London and South East rates.
For CCTV, a four-camera wired system with a recorder runs about £700–£1,500 supplied and fitted, while a four-camera wireless kit costs roughly £450–£750 plus VAT with lower fitting time [2]. An eight-camera wired system climbs to around £1,200–£2,500, and a yearly check-up starts from about £100 [2]. Roughly half of a wired quote is cable routing and the recorder rather than the cameras themselves.
Locksmith work is smaller money: around £65 an hour in normal daytime hours, with call-out fees of £50–£150 and regaining entry at about £110 [3]. Changing a Yale-type lock costs around £100 a lock, a standard uPVC cylinder around £125, and an anti-snap upgrade around £150 [3]. Evenings, nights and weekends carry a premium, so agree the out-of-hours total on the phone before anyone sets off.
What moves the price most is scale and wiring: more doors, sensors and cameras, longer cable runs, working at height, and whether monitoring or storage subscriptions follow for years [1] [2]. Ask whether each figure includes VAT, since published guides generally exclude it, and whether the call-out fee is separate [2] [3]. Get the scope in writing before work starts — exactly which doors and cameras, which kit, which certificates you will receive, and what changes the price if the installer finds worse wiring than expected.
Red flags
Quotes a multi-door access system or a wired alarm without visiting or asking for photos and a door list.
Cannot give a scheme or approval detail you can check yourself on the SSAIB, NSI, SIA or MLA search [4] [5] [6] [7].
Offers keyholding or guarding but cannot show an SIA licence or an Approved Contractor listing [8] [6].
Gives one fixed price for a large job with no breakdown of kit, labour, monitoring and VAT.
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [11].
Hands over with no commissioning certificate, no user guide and no admin codes [10].
Names no aftercare: no service terms, no fault number and no response time.
Fits an automated gate with no safety devices mentioned and no record of force testing [9].
The bottom line
For most Telford homes and small firms, start with Archer Security: one certificated installer for alarms, CCTV and door entry, with free no-obligation quotes and a round-the-clock contact line. Its site publishes no prices or insurance amounts, so ask for proof of cover and an itemised quote first. If you want gates and automation in the same package, SSAFE is a close alternative.
Match the firm to the job: Phoenix around Newport, LockFit for lock-outs and lock changes, Business Watch for guarding and keyholding, and Ace where a lock needs repair rather than replacement. Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, and file the commissioning certificate with your house or business papers before you pay the balance.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.