What security and smart home devices can you fit?
Cameras, doorbells, alarms and the smart controls that link them to your phone. Because Norman is an electrician, we can also add the sockets, spurs and cable runs these devices need, without a second trade.
The main jobs are:
- CCTV cameras
- Wired or wireless, with a recorder or cloud storage, viewed on your phone.
- Video doorbells
- Ring and other smart doorbells, wired or battery.
- Smoke and heat alarms
- Mains-linked and interlinked, for homes and rented properties.
- Carbon monoxide alarms
- Where there's a gas boiler, fire or other fixed appliance.
- Smart controls
- Smart switches and lights linked to your app or voice assistant.
Should I choose wired or wireless CCTV?
For most homes and businesses, wired cameras are more reliable. They take power and data through one cable, don't need batteries charging, and keep recording if the Wi-Fi drops.
Wireless and battery cameras are quicker to fit and suit rented homes or spots where cable is hard to run, but they rely on a strong Wi-Fi signal and regular charging. We look at where each camera needs to point, how far it is from the router or recorder, and how cables can be hidden, then recommend what fits. Send photos of each spot and we'll price the system as a whole.
What are the rules on home CCTV?
If your cameras only cover your own property, the rules are light. If they capture anything beyond your boundary, such as the street, a shared path or a neighbour's garden, UK GDPR data protection rules usually apply to you.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) publishes guidance for domestic CCTV users. In short, it suggests pointing cameras at your own property where you can, using privacy masking, putting up a sign, and only keeping footage as long as you need it. We'll angle cameras with this in mind, but how you use the footage is your responsibility, so check the ICO's current guidance.
Do I need mains-linked smoke alarms?
Mains-powered alarms that are interlinked, so they all sound when one detects something, are the safest option and are usually required when you rewire, extend or convert a home. Battery alarms are allowed in many existing homes, but they're easy to forget about.
Landlords in England must have a working smoke alarm on every storey used as living space, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler. We fit mains-linked alarms with battery backup, smoke alarms for hallways and landings, and heat alarms for kitchens, where smoke alarms tend to go off from cooking.
- Smoke alarms
- Hallways, landings and living rooms.
- Heat alarms
- Kitchens, where steam and cooking trigger smoke alarms.
- CO alarms
- Rooms with a boiler, fire or other fixed combustion appliance.
Can you fit several devices in one visit?
Yes. Put everything on one request, such as a video doorbell, two cameras and new smoke alarms, and you get one fixed price and one visit. If something unexpected turns up, like a doorbell transformer that won't power the new bell, we stop, show you and price it separately.
Norman also does general electrical, plumbing and handyman work. That means a landlord in Wigston can have alarms upgraded, a camera fitted and a dripping tap fixed between tenancies, all on one visit.