How we chose
We started from thirty CCTV firms Google Maps shows across Telford, matched each at Companies House and read its own website for services, areas and terms. Scheme memberships were sourced from the SSAIB and NSI directories, each firm's own website and platforms such as Checkatrade, with aerial-side entries on the CAI consumer site [1] [2] [3]. 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. No mandatory registration applies to fitting cameras, so that requirement passes with nothing to enforce and stated schemes are recorded as found. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then two years or more of trading and stated cover, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Start with the job, not the kit. A home after a break-in needs a few cameras over the doors and the driveway with viewing on your phone; a shop or yard needs wider cover, lighting and often someone watching the feed. Several firms in this ranking pair cameras with alarms, electrics, aerials or IT support, so decide which half matters more to you. Commercial sites needing monitoring belong with a firm built for that work, not a domestic installer stretched upward. Write down every area you want covered before you call anyone.
Check the schemes that fit your job. For alarms and cameras, search the SSAIB directory by company name and service to see whether the claim holds [1]; the NSI company finder lists its firms with Gold and Silver grades [2]. Where cameras ride along with aerial work, the CAI consumer site lists its member installers [3], and where electrics are involved, check the NAPIT or NICEIC registers for the business name [4] [5]. Ask for the registration details and check them yourself rather than taking a logo at face value. For commercial monitoring, the SIA register is the equivalent check [11].
Know the rules on pointing cameras. If your system records beyond your boundary, such as a neighbour's garden, the pavement or a shared drive, data protection law applies: fit a sign saying cameras are running, capture no more than you need, store footage securely, delete it regularly and answer footage requests from people you record [6]. Ask the installer how each camera will be angled and whether privacy blockers can mask what is not yours. A good survey talks about this before it talks about resolution.
Ask for an itemised quote. Each quote should name every camera position, wired or wireless, the recorder and how many days of footage it holds, cable routes and power, remote viewing setup, and the labour and materials split. It should state plainly whether VAT is added on top, since published ranges usually exclude it, and what guarantee and maintenance terms come with the system [7] [8]. Firms in this round mostly offer free quotes but publish almost no rates, so the written quote does the talking.
Compare two or three quotes on the same written scope so you compare like with like. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what is included or left out. A deposit for kit is normal, while full payment before completion is not, and Citizens Advice publishes plain guidance on dealing with traders if anything goes wrong [9].
Agree the handover before you pay the balance. The installer should walk you through live and recorded viewing on your phone, change every default password, show you how to export a clip, and leave the guarantee terms and any maintenance offer in writing. Keep the quote, invoice and handover notes with your house papers, since you will need them for insurance queries and when you sell. If the picture, the positions or the paperwork feel wrong, pause and get it fixed before the final payment.
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this. Checkatrade puts a basic four-camera wired system from £800 plus VAT supplied and fitted, an eight-camera wired system around £1,000 plus VAT, and a four-camera wireless setup between £450 and £750 plus VAT, with yearly maintenance from around £100 [8]. A 2026 companion guide lands in similar territory, with an average near £500, typical jobs spanning £400 to £2,100, and a standard four-camera system between £800 and £1,100 [10]. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices.
Camera count moves the price most, then wired versus wireless: wireless kits go up faster so installation costs less, while wired systems cost more in labour for cabling and the recorder [8]. Long cable runs, cameras mounted high on eaves, hard-to-reach positions, higher resolution and longer storage all push the figure up, as does pairing cameras with an alarm in one project. Cloud storage or a monitoring plan adds a monthly subscription on top.
Ask whether each quote includes VAT. The standard rate is twenty per cent on most goods and services, and published cost ranges almost always exclude it [7]. The firms in this round publish next to no example rates between them, so treat any single fixed price for a large job with no breakdown as a question, not an answer.
Get the scope in writing before work starts: exactly which cameras, positions, recorder and storage days are included, what changes the price if the installer finds awkward access, and what guarantee and maintenance follow. Agree payment stages and keep every quote, invoice and handover note together [9].
Red flags
Quotes a multi-camera system without visiting or asking for photos and measurements of the property.
Cannot give SSAIB or NSI registration details you can check yourself on the scheme directory [1] [2].
Sends a four-figure quote with no breakdown and no statement of whether VAT is included [7] [8].
Hands over with default passwords unchanged and no demonstration of viewing or exporting footage.
Aims cameras over neighbouring windows or gardens without discussing positioning or privacy blockers [6].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [9].
Will not put the scope, price, guarantee and start date in writing before lifting a tool.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with HC Electrical: one local firm for cameras, alarms and the electrics behind them, with cover stated and no call-out charge. Its camera offering is a listed service rather than a deep specialism, so describe your property in the enquiry and ask for an itemised quote that names every camera position.
Match the firm to the job where needs differ: Archer where alarms and cameras must work as one system with police-response options, Diamond where aerial and camera work can share a visit, HPS where cameras and security lighting go in together, and DeterTech where a commercial site needs monitoring rather than cameras alone.
Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope and compare them line by line. Keep the quote, the invoice and the handover notes together once the work is done.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.