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Security & Surveillance

Security and surveillance equipment protects a building by watching it, detecting intrusion and controlling who comes in. This is the whole security range in one collection: CCTV cameras, recorders and storage, intruder alarms and detectors, access control and door entry systems, with the brackets, junction boxes, cable and power supplies an installation needs, from Hikvision, Ajax, Hanwha Vision, Dahua, Axis, Videx and others.

Choosing Security & Surveillance

Use this page as a map of the range and a route into its parts.

Cameras and recording

Camera forms include bullet, dome and turret, in HD analogue and IP. Analogue cameras record to a DVR and IP cameras to an NVR, whose channel count must match the cameras, and the recorder takes surveillance-rated drives sized for how long footage is kept. Hikvision ColorVu cameras give colour images at night.

Intruder alarms

Alarm panels, keypads, PIR detectors, contacts and sirens come from Ajax, Pyronix, Texecom and others, wired and wireless, with EN50131 Grade 2 and Grade 3 stated where a product is certified.

Access and entry

Access control covers readers, keypads, controllers and locks; door entry covers audio and video panels and monitors from makers such as Videx, BPT, Aiphone, Comelit and Fermax.

NeedStart with
CamerasCCTV cameras
RecordingNVRs, DVRs
StorageCCTV hard drives
Intruder alarmalarm panels
Entrydoor entry and intercom

Camera types

For moving coverage see PTZ cameras; for number plates ANPR cameras, and for body-worn and panoramic views speciality cameras; for detection by heat thermal cameras; and the full Hikvision camera range. Footage is viewed on CCTV monitors, and the install hardware is in camera mounts and brackets and CCTV cables and connectors.

Brands we stock in security

Hikvision, Videx, Comelit PAC, Dahua Technology, Ajax, Axis Communications, Hanwha Vision, i-PRO, Bell System, Aiphone, Fermax, BPT, ESP, Texecom, Aritech, Pyronix, Teledyne FLIR, Bosch, Honeywell Commercial Security, CDVI, Haydon, CIE Group, GJD, OpenEye, Optex, Eaton, CQR, RGL Electronics, Paxton Access, DMP, Altron, Elmdene, HiLook, Genie, Verint, B-Tech, Codelocks, EZVIZ, Acre, TDSi, Kantech, Hoyles, Knightsbridge, Folk Safe, TP-Link, Takex, STP, Urmet, WEC, Dantech Electronic Engineering, CAME, Klaxon, Ruijie, Videofied, Safety Technology International, Vanderbilt, ACTpro, Avigilon Unity, Scope, 3E Security, Magosys Systems, Abloy, Adams Rite by ASSA ABLOY, Protect, Voltek, Xtralis by Honeywell, Arecont Vision, BTicino by Legrand, JCI Visonic, Nitek, SFX Cables, Union, C-TEC, Cranford Controls, HID Global, Kingston, Mercury, Nortech, Vimpex, Winland Electronics, ASSA ABLOY, Advanced, Dynamic, Hochiki, IDP, Kentec Electronics, Kidde, Knight Fire & Security, LiftMaster, Milestone Systems, Optimus, Opus Technologies, Penton, Power Sonic, Rhino Guard, Seagate, Trimec and dormakaba. Hikvision supplies the most products.

Related categories

For the alarm and entry side see smart alarms and sensors and smart access control. Complete single-manufacturer systems are in Ajax alarm systems, and a single smart bell in video doorbells.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need for a complete CCTV system?

A working system needs cameras, a recorder with enough channels for them, surveillance-rated hard drives, mounts or junction boxes, cable and connectors, and power. Many IP cameras here, such as Hikvision ColorVu turrets, take power over the network cable by PoE, which saves a separate supply.

Should I choose a DVR or an NVR?

Choose by the cameras: a DVR for HD analogue cameras on coaxial cable, an NVR for IP cameras on network cable. The recorder's channel count should match or exceed the number of cameras, with spare channels if the system is likely to grow.

What does EN50131 Grade 2 or Grade 3 mean on an alarm product?

EN50131 is the European standard for intruder alarm equipment, and the grade reflects the level of risk the product is designed for. Grade 2 suits homes and small businesses, and Grade 3 higher-risk commercial sites; some products, such as the Pyronix KX10DP detector, state their grade in the title.

Can one supplier provide cameras, alarms and access control?

Some manufacturers here cover more than one area. Hikvision supplies cameras and recorders, AX PRO wireless alarms and IP door stations, and Ajax supplies alarms with KeyPad keypads that read DESFire cards. Paxton and CDVI concentrate on access control and door entry, and brands can be mixed across areas.

Which cameras see in colour at night?

Hikvision ColorVu cameras are built for colour images at night, some with an F1.0 lens and some with Hybrid Light, and the range includes 3K ColorVu bullet, mini bullet and turret cameras. Cameras without ColorVu normally switch to black and white infrared in darkness.

Where do I find brackets and junction boxes for cameras?

Wall, ceiling and pole mounts and junction boxes are listed in camera mounts and brackets. Pick the bracket or junction box made for the camera model, since fixing patterns differ between manufacturers and camera series, and the product page names the cameras it fits.

What is the difference between a wired and a wireless intruder alarm?

A wired alarm connects the detectors to the panel by cable, while a wireless alarm links them by radio, so less cable is run through the building. Ajax, Pyronix, Texecom and others supply wired and wireless alarms here, including hybrid kits such as the Pyronix Enforcer that combine wired and wireless devices.

Which brands make the door entry systems in this range?

Door entry brands here include Videx, BPT, Aiphone, Bell System, Comelit PAC and Fermax, which make panels, monitors and kits, with Hikvision IP door stations alongside. Kits cover single dwellings and modular panels scale to larger buildings; the door entry and intercom collection holds the full range.

  • Established 1975
  • Birmingham trade counter
  • UK-only supply

Written by the West Midlands Electrics technical team

Updated

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