CCTV installation
CCTV cameras for recording and live viewing at businesses, estates and homes.
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Most homes in Gauteng have a camera somewhere. Many of those cameras view and record a wall or a bright light. Some record the top of a hedge grown into the view two winters ago.
Nobody notices until the night they need the footage. Then they find twelve hours of a hedge, moving in the wind.
What is CCTV?
CCTV, short for closed-circuit television, is a set of cameras recording to a private recorder on your property instead of broadcasting anywhere. Modern systems show live and recorded footage on your phone, and some cameras use AI analytics to tell a person from a passing car or a tree moving in the wind. The footage stays yours.
CCTV works when the cameras look at the right places, and someone can see the footage when it counts. We supply, install, maintain and repair CCTV for homes, businesses and industrial sites.
Cameras for every kind of property
The right camera depends on what it must see, and how far away. A driveway camera needs to show a face at the gate. A yard camera needs to cover a wide space at night.
- Analogue cameras for straightforward home and small-business cover
- HD digital cameras for clearer footage of faces and number plates
- IP cameras you can view from your phone
- Number plate recognition cameras for gates and car parks
- Facial recognition cameras for sites needing to know who is on the premises
Planned around the dark
A camera looking fine at noon can be blind at 10pm. Headlights flare it. A security light behind the gate turns every visitor into a shadow.
During the site visit we look at lighting, angles and the places people walk. We stand where a stranger would stand, and we check what the camera would see from there.
The goal is simple: a face you can recognise and a number plate you can read, at the hour you need it.
Security lighting →IP cameras you can view from your phone
An IP camera sends its picture over your network. The footage reaches your phone wherever you are, at work, in a queue or away for the weekend.
Setting it up takes more than plugging it in. The recorder, the network and the phone app all have to agree, and we set them up so they do.
- Higher image quality, so a face or a number plate is readable
- Remote viewing from your phone or computer
- Alerts when something moves where it shouldn't
- Room to add cameras later without rewiring the house
Cameras working with your alarm
An alarm tells you something happened. A camera shows you what. Joined together, a trigger sends you the picture as well as the noise.
At 2am, the detail decides what you do next. You can see whether it is the neighbour's cat or a person on the wall before you decide what to do.
We plan the cameras and the alarm together, so each camera covers a zone the alarm already watches. The footage stays on the recorder, so you can look back at what happened.
Alarm systems →When the power goes off
Cameras, the recorder and the router all need power. During load-shedding, a system without backup goes dark at the same moment the street does.
We look at backup power on the site visit: what must keep running, and for how long. A battery backup can keep the recorder and the key cameras recording through an outage.
A camera going off at 7pm every second night is a camera with a schedule anyone can learn.
Solar and battery backup →CCTV: our gallery
We offer service level agreements and finance for your CCTV. Each one is a service contract with 24-hour support at night and on weekends.
Planning your security from the start? Read our home and business security guide, covering gates, access control, cameras, alarms and fencing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I watch my cameras on my phone?
Yes. With IP cameras or a recorder set up for remote viewing, you can watch live and recorded footage on your phone from anywhere with signal. You open an app, choose a camera and see what it sees, whether you're at work, on holiday or upstairs in bed. Many systems also send an alert to your phone when a camera picks up a person, with a clip of what it saw. Some cameras with AI analytics can tell a person from a car, a dog or a branch moving in the wind, which cuts down false alerts. We set up the recorder, the network and the app when we install, and test them with you before we leave. It should work on the first night you need it, not after a weekend of trying.
Do you service cameras someone else installed?
Yes. We service, repair and upgrade CCTV systems installed by other companies. Send us a message with what you have, and photos of the recorder and a few cameras if you can. On the visit, we look at the cameras, the recorder, the hard drive, the cabling and the power supply. Then we tell you plainly what can be kept, what needs fixing and what needs replacing. Many systems need new angles, better lighting or a new hard drive more than they need new cameras. A camera pointed at a wall or a bright light can often be moved instead of replaced. If the system is too old to connect to your phone, we explain the options and the costs. Every recommendation comes with a written quotation before any work starts.
Can CCTV work with my alarm?
Yes. CCTV can be linked to an alarm system, so when the alarm is triggered you get an alert with footage of what set it off. At night, this means you can see whether it's a person, a cat or the wind before you go outside or call for help. Some systems send the clip to your armed response company too, so they know what they're driving into. We plan the cameras to cover the same zones the alarm watches, so every trigger has a picture. The link also works the other way on some systems, with cameras using AI analytics to trigger the alarm when a person crosses a set line. On the site visit, we check your alarm panel and what it can connect to, and list the options on the written quotation.
Do IP cameras need Wi-Fi?
IP cameras need a network connection, but it doesn't have to be Wi-Fi. Many IP cameras are cabled to the recorder with a network cable, which also carries their power. A cable gives a stronger, steadier connection, doesn't drop when the Wi-Fi is busy, and is harder to interfere with. Wi-Fi cameras suit spots where a cable is hard to run, such as a far corner of a garden or a building across the yard. They still need power at the camera, from a plug or a solar panel. Your internet connection is only needed for watching from your phone, not for recording. If the internet goes down, cabled cameras keep recording to the recorder. We recommend the mix suiting your property and list it on the written quotation.
What happens to CCTV during load-shedding?
CCTV keeps recording during load-shedding only if the recorder, cameras and network have backup power. Without backup, the system stops recording the moment the power goes off, and many break-ins happen during outages for this reason. With a battery backup sized for the job, the key cameras keep recording through the outage, and you can still watch them on your phone if your router and internet are backed up too. Cameras with built-in infrared keep seeing in the dark even when the outside lights go off. On the site visit, we check what needs to keep running and for how long, and size the backup to suit. Where a property needs more, solar power or a battery backup system can keep the cameras, alarm and gate running together through long outages.
How long does the recorder keep footage?
How long a recorder keeps footage depends on the size of the hard drive, the number of cameras and the picture quality. A typical home system keeps between one and four weeks before it records over the oldest footage. A bigger drive keeps more days. Higher resolution and more cameras use space faster, while recording only when there's movement makes the drive last longer. We size the recorder to keep enough footage to look back over, usually at least a couple of weeks. If something happens, you need time to notice, find the clip and save it before it's recorded over. We show you how to search by time and camera, and how to save a clip to your phone or a flash drive, before we leave the site.
Where we work
Our teams work from our Kya Sands workshop, for homes, estates and businesses in Randburg, Fourways, Sandton, Midrand, Waterfall, Centurion, Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Bedfordview, Edenvale and the West Rand. See all the areas we serve.
Talk to us about your home and business security needs
You shouldn't have to sit at the bottom of your own driveway, wondering whether the gate will close. With Paul's Gates you won't. Send us a message or chat on WhatsApp, and we will come and look.