From Quote to Install Day: What to Expect With an Alarm or CCTV Job

Before people book, they ask me the same handful of questions: do you need to come out, do you want a deposit, how soon, how long, and do I need to be home. This page answers them in the order the job actually runs, so you know what happens and when.

1. Getting a quote: do you need a site visit?

Tell me what you want to protect. The quickest way is to build it yourself: the Ajax configurator for an alarm and the CCTV system builder for cameras, both of which send me your list. A phone call or a text describing the house works just as well.

Do you need to come out first? It depends on the job.

• A wireless Ajax alarm: no. The devices are wireless, so I can quote from your list, or from a description and a few photos of the house.
• A wired Ajax Superior system, or an upgrade of an existing alarm: yes, a free site visit first. I need to see the cabling and what is already installed.
• Cameras: I prefer a free site visit, because the price depends on the roof space and how the cables can run. If you can answer my questions about the house and the roof, I can sometimes confirm the price without one.
• Commercial sites: always a site visit. See business alarm and CCTV.

Do you need to issue a formal quote? Yes, every installation gets one. It lists every device and camera, where each one goes, and the total price including GST. It is a fixed price: what is on the quote is what you pay, unless you ask for changes. The quote shows its expiry date and links to my terms. [A]

2. Accepting the quote and the deposit

When you accept a quote over $1,000, I invoice a 20% deposit, and the balance is invoiced when the job is finished. [A]

3. Booking the day

Installation is usually one to two weeks after you accept. Installs run on weekdays from 7am to 3pm, and on Saturday mornings by appointment. I do not work Sundays. You can call or message me on weekdays from 7am to 7pm, and on Saturdays from 8am to 12pm.

Need to change the date? You can move it once, free, with at least three business days’ notice. With less notice than that, a $330 rebooking fee applies, because by then the day is usually too late to fill with other work. If I do manage to fill it, I waive the fee. The same applies if nobody is home to let me in on the day. [A]

Building a new home?

A customer asked whether the system could go in after handover. It depends on what you are installing and how the house is built:

• Ajax alarm: any time, before or after handover. It is wireless, so there is nothing to run through the walls.
• Cameras on a single-storey home with a timber roof frame: after handover is fine. The cables run through the roof space.
• Cameras on a steel roof frame, an apartment or a double-storey home: the camera cables should go in during construction, while the walls and ceilings are open. Getting cable in afterwards is much harder and costs more.

If you are building, contact me while the house is still at the frame stage, not after the plaster is up.

4. Install day: how long it takes, and do you need to be home?

Do I need to be home? At the start and at the end. At the start we walk through the house together and confirm where every detector, siren and camera goes. In between you can go out, as long as I have access. At the end I need you back for the handover.

How long does it take? A typical Ajax alarm takes about half a day. A four-camera system typically takes 6 to 8 hours. A larger job, or an alarm and cameras together, can run over two days. On a recent South Perth job the alarm went in on the first day and the cameras on the second.

Will there be a mess? Ajax devices are wireless and screw to the wall or ceiling. Camera cables run through the roof space. If old alarm sensors come out, the new ones usually cover the marks. When they do not, I patch the holes, and the touch-up painting is left to you.

Where does the recorder go? Near your modem, because the recorder needs a network cable to it to send the cameras to your phone. Where a cable to the modem is not possible, as in some apartments and double-storey homes, I use a range extender with a network port instead. If you change your modem later, see what to check after a new modem.

Can you do the electrical work too? Yes. I am a licensed electrician as well as a security installer, so a new power point for the recorder or any other electrical work can be done on the same visit. Ask about any electrical work you have in mind, from safety switches to smoke alarms and switchboard upgrades.

5. Handover

Before I leave, every device and camera is tested, and the apps are set up on your phone: the Ajax app for the alarm and the Dahua app for the cameras. I show you how to arm and disarm, how Night mode works, and how to find and save camera footage. I also email you the Ajax user guide afterwards, so you have it to refer back to.

The balance is invoiced on completion. My workmanship is warranted for as long as the manufacturer’s warranty on the equipment I install, from a minimum of 12 months up to 5 years, and the equipment I supply has a 12-month on-site service warranty. For prices, see what an alarm or CCTV system costs in Perth.

Common questions

Sources

1. Dextel terms and conditions: clause 1 (validity of quotation), clause 5 (deposit), clause 6 (payment terms), clause 16A (postponing a booked job). dextel.com.au/terms.php