A wireless doorbell and a four-camera wired system are both security installs, and they share almost nothing in time. Price each device with its own install time, add each cable run by length and access, and do not forget the hour it takes to set up the recorder and the customer's phone.
- Price per device plus per cable run. Attic and two-story runs take longer.
- Fixr puts surveillance camera installation at $400 to $800, about $600 on average.
- Wired CCTV systems of four cameras run $600 to $2,000 installed in Fixr's guide.
- Fixr puts a home security system at $750 to $2,000, about $1,400, with installers at $60 to $150 an hour.
- Sell a yearly service visit. It brings you back before something fails.
Setting your labor rate
Start with the wage. The closest group the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes is security and fire alarm systems installers. In its May 2025 wage survey, that group's national mean wage was $29.31 an hour and the median was $28.88 (BLS OEWS 49-2098).
Add your labor burden on top: payroll taxes, workers' comp and any paid time off. If burden in your state comes to 20% of wages, a $29 an hour tech costs you $34.80 an hour. That loaded number is what goes into the job cost.
Published security prices
| Job | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Surveillance cameras, typical | $400 to $800 | Fixr |
| Four wireless cameras, installed | $500 to $650 | Fixr |
| Four wired cameras, installed | $600 to $2,000 | Fixr |
| Home security system, typical | $750 to $2,000 | Fixr |
| Installer labor | $60 to $150 an hour | Fixr |
| Activation fee | $25 to $100 | Fixr |
A worked example: a four-camera wired system
Every input is an assumption for the example.
- Scope: four PoE cameras on a one-story house, cable through the attic, a recorder in a closet, the app set up on the owner's phone.
- Equipment: cameras at $120 each and a recorder with a drive at $250, from your distributor.
- Cable, connectors, mounts and boxes: $35 a camera.
- Time: one tech, eight hours, at $34.80 an hour loaded.
- Driving at 76 cents a mile, the IRS business rate for the second half of 2026 (IRS standard mileage rates).
- Overhead 20% of the price and profit 15%.
- PoE cameras: 4 x $120 = $480
- Network video recorder with drive: $250
- Cable, connectors, mounts and boxes: 4 x $35 = $140
- Labor: 1 tech x 8 hours x $34.80 = $278.40
- Drive: 2 trips x 20 miles x $0.76 = $30.40
- Direct cost: $480 + $250 + $140 + $278.40 + $30.40 = $1,178.80
- Overhead plus profit: 20% + 15% = 35% of the price
- Price: $1,178.80 / (1 - 0.35) = $1,178.80 / 0.65 = $1,814
Check it: 35% of $1,814 is about $635, and $1,814 minus $635 is about $1,179, the direct cost of $1,178.80. The profit and overhead are inside the price, not added on top of a cost you guessed.
Fixr lists four wired cameras at $600 to $2,000 installed, so $1,814 lands in range.
Good, better, best for cameras
- Good: four wireless cameras on the owner's Wi-Fi.
- Better: the $1,814 wired system above.
- Best: six or more wired cameras, higher resolution and a yearly service plan.
Send them with Koira's estimates. The customer picks one, signs and pays the deposit on the same page. On Front Office, maintenance plans bill the service plan and book its visit.
Common security pricing mistakes
- Runs priced as equal. A two-story run through finished walls is not an attic drop.
- Setup free. The recorder, the app and teaching the customer take an hour.
- No license check. Some states and cities license alarm and low voltage work. Price the permit where needed.
- Monitoring promised. If you resell monitoring, the monitoring company sets those terms, not you.
Sources
Every published figure on this page was read on the source page itself on the date shown. Worked example inputs are assumptions, labeled as such.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (49-2098), checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Video surveillance camera installation cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Home security system prices, checked October 9, 2026
- IRS: Standard mileage rates, checked October 9, 2026
Questions contractors ask
How much should I charge to install security cameras?
Build it per camera and per run from your equipment cost and hours. Fixr lists $400 to $800 for most jobs.
What does a wired camera system cost installed?
Fixr lists four wired cameras at $600 to $2,000 installed.
What do security installers charge per hour?
Fixr lists $60 to $150 an hour.
What does a home security system cost?
Fixr lists $750 to $2,000, about $1,400 for a basic monitored system on a three-year contract.
