Hiring an installer means letting a stranger into your home to drill into walls, run cable through your ceiling and set up equipment you will depend on.

Most people ask about price and availability and nothing else. These are the questions that matter more.

Are you licensed for this specific work

Different work carries different licensing requirements, and holding one does not cover the others.

Security work, installing or servicing CCTV, alarms or access control for someone else, is licensed work in New South Wales under the Security Industry Act 2003. The business needs a master licence and individuals need the relevant class licence.

Telecommunications cabling connected to the network must be carried out by a registered cabler under the Cabling Provider Rules.

Electrical work requires a licensed electrician.

An electrician is not automatically licensed for security work. A security installer is not automatically a registered cabler. Ask specifically about the work you are having done.

For reference, AVsion holds Security Master Licence 000103421, Security Operator Licence 000233371, and ACRS Master Cabler registration A036841.

A good answer includes actual numbers. A vague one is worth following up.

If you are arranging a CCTV system installation, these licensing requirements are particularly important because security installation is regulated work.

Who is actually doing the job

Ask whether the person quoting is the person installing.

This matters because the quote is based on a judgement about your specific home, and if it is handed to someone else the understanding does not always travel with it. It also matters for accountability. When the person who assessed the job is the person who did it, there is nobody to point at afterwards.

At AVsion, Yariv does the installs himself. No subcontracting.

Are you insured, and for how much

Public liability insurance covers damage caused during the work. Drilling into a water pipe, damaging a ceiling, cracking a tile.

Ask for confirmation of cover. Any established business will provide it without hesitation.

What is covered by warranty, and for how long

There are two separate things here and they get confused.

Manufacturer warranty covers the equipment and comes from the manufacturer.

Labour warranty covers the installation work itself, and comes from the installer. It is the one that matters if a bracket comes loose or a cable run fails.

Ask specifically about labour, ask how long, and get it in writing. AVsion provides a 12 month labour warranty.

It is also worth knowing that under Australian Consumer Law, services must be provided with due care and skill, and that guarantee cannot be excluded regardless of what any contract says.

What does the quote actually include

The gap between a cheap quote and a fair one is usually in what is left out.

Ask directly:

  • Are brackets, mounts, cabling and fixings included, or extra?
  • Is patching and making good included where walls are opened?
  • Is device setup and configuration included, or just physical installation?
  • Is there a callout fee, and is it in this figure?
  • What happens if the job takes longer than expected, or the wall turns out to be different than assumed?

That last one is worth asking. Walls surprise people. What matters is how it gets handled and whether you are told before extra cost is incurred.

For work involving structured network cabling, the same questions are worth asking before arranging network and data cabling, particularly who will perform the cabling and whether they hold the appropriate registration.

For physical AV work such as TV mounting, it is also worth establishing upfront what the quote includes for brackets, fixings, cable concealment and any making good.

Who controls the accounts and passwords

Particularly relevant for cameras, networks and anything with an app.

Accounts and admin passwords should be in your name, and you should have them. If an installer sets everything up under their own account, you depend on them for every future change and can be locked out entirely if the relationship ends.

Ask upfront. Change any default passwords before they leave.

What does the handover involve

A good installer walks you through the system, shows you how to use it, tests it with you, and answers questions.

Ask what happens at the end of the job. If the answer is that they pack up and go, that is worth knowing before rather than after.

For security systems, our CCTV handover checklist covers what to test at the other end of the process before you sign off on the finished installation.

None of these questions are unreasonable, and how someone responds to them tells you a fair amount. Anyone doing this work properly will answer all of it without hesitation.

Frequently asked questions

What licences should a CCTV installer have in NSW?

Installing or servicing security equipment for others is licensed work in New South Wales under the Security Industry Act 2003. The business needs a master licence and individuals need the relevant class licence. If network cabling is involved, the installer also needs registration as a cabler under the Cabling Provider Rules. AVsion holds Security Master Licence 000103421, Security Operator Licence 000233371 and ACRS Master Cabler A036841.

Can an electrician install security cameras?

Only if they also hold the required security licence. An electrical licence covers electrical work and does not by itself authorise security installation, which is separately regulated. The same applies in reverse, since a security licence does not make someone a registered cabler for telecommunications cabling. It is worth asking specifically about the type of work you are having done.

What is the difference between manufacturer warranty and labour warranty?

Manufacturer warranty covers the equipment itself and comes from the manufacturer. Labour warranty covers the installation work and comes from the installer, so it is the one that applies if a bracket comes loose or a cable run fails. Ask specifically about labour warranty, how long it runs for, and get it in writing. AVsion provides a 12 month labour warranty.

What should I ask about an installation quote?

Whether brackets, mounts, cabling and fixings are included or extra, whether patching and making good is covered where walls are opened, whether device setup and configuration is included or only physical installation, whether there is a callout fee, and what happens if the wall turns out to be different than assumed. The gap between a cheap quote and a fair one is usually in what is left out.

Should the installer keep control of my system passwords?

No. Accounts and admin access should be in your name, and you should hold the passwords, with any defaults changed before the installer leaves. If everything is set up under an installer’s own account you depend on them for every future change and can be locked out of your own system if the relationship ends. It is worth raising this before work begins.

Does the person who quotes the job usually do the installation?

Not always, and it is worth asking. The quote is based on a judgement about your specific home, and that understanding does not always transfer when the work is handed to someone else. It also affects accountability, since there is nobody to point at when the same person assessed and completed the job. At AVsion, Yariv does the installs himself and the work is not subcontracted.

Written by Yariv, Owner and Lead Installer at AVsion. 14 years installing AV, WiFi and security systems across Sydney’s eastern suburbs.