24/7 CCTV Monitoring Services for Businesses

Our CCTV monitoring services put trained operators behind your cameras 24/7, or for the hours you choose. When something happens on your site, it is seen and dealt with while it is happening, rather than found on a recording the next morning. We monitor new and existing camera systems remotely, check every alert on live video and follow a response plan agreed with you in advance.

We work with businesses across Sussex, Surrey and London from our base in Crawley. Based in or near Crawley? See our page on CCTV monitoring in Crawley.

Free, no-obligation site survey

Reliable & Vetted Security Staff

How Remote CCTV Monitoring Works

Remote monitoring links your cameras to a monitoring centre over a secure internet connection. Instead of someone reviewing hours of footage after an incident, operators are alerted as soon as a camera detects activity in a zone you want protected, such as a perimeter fence, a yard or a loading bay.

Each alert follows the same sequence. The operator checks the live images, decides whether the activity is genuine and then takes the action set out in your response plan. That might be a spoken warning through on-site speakers, a call to your nominated contact, sending a mobile patrol or keyholder, or calling the police when a crime is in progress.

Checking alerts on video is what makes monitored CCTV more useful than a recording system. A fox crossing the yard or a branch moving in the wind is recognised for what it is and logged, so nobody is called out for nothing, while a genuine intruder gets a response.

Survey, installation, monitoring and response under one arrangement

Who CCTV Monitoring Suits

Monitoring makes most sense where a site is valuable, exposed and empty for long periods. The businesses we work with include:

Construction sites: plant, tools and materials left out overnight and at weekends. Rapid-deployment camera towers with 4G connectivity can be monitored without mains power or broadband. See construction site security.
Warehouses and logistics: large yards, loading bays and perimeter fences that are hard to cover in person.
Retail: shops and retail parks that are unattended once trading ends. See retail security.
Offices and business parks: car parks, entrances and plant areas out of hours.
Hotels and car parks: open through the night, with large areas to watch.
Vacant and residential property: empty buildings at risk from squatters, vandalism and metal theft, and residential estates with shared areas to oversee.

Monitoring Options

Cover is built around when your site is most at risk, and can be out-of-hours, weekends only or full 24/7. Options include:

Out-of-hours monitoring, for example from close of business until opening time
Weekends only, with bank holiday cover if you need it
Event-triggered monitoring, where cameras or your intruder alarm raise an alert
Full 24/7 monitoring, with continuous 24/7 surveillance for higher-risk sites
Virtual guard tours, with operators checking your cameras at set times
Multi-site monitoring under one set of contacts and one reporting format

Many businesses combine local recording during the working day with remote monitoring when the site is closed. That keeps a full recording while paying for active monitoring only when it is needed.

Cameras and Systems We Can Monitor

Most commercial camera systems can be monitored remotely. The main types are:

Analogue HD: cameras cabled to a digital video recorder (DVR). Modern analogue HD gives far sharper images than older analogue kit and can reuse existing cabling, which suits smaller shops and units upgrading an old system.
IP cameras: digital cameras on your network, recording to a network video recorder (NVR). They offer higher resolution, remote access and links to access control and alarms, and suit larger premises and multi-site businesses.
Wireless cameras: useful where cabling is impractical, such as temporary or construction site installations, though they work most reliably alongside a wired system.
PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras: operators can move and zoom them, so one camera can follow activity across a car park, yard or loading bay.
Thermal cameras: they detect heat rather than light, so they work in darkness and poor weather, which makes them effective on long perimeters.

If you are not sure what you have, the free site survey will tell you, and our CCTV installation team can fill any gaps.

Where Your Footage Is Stored

On-site recording to a DVR or NVR has no subscription fee, keeps recording if the internet drops and leaves you in full control of retention. Its weakness is that a recorder stolen or damaged in a break-in takes the evidence with it.

Cloud storage keeps footage off site, so it survives theft or damage, and lets you view it from anywhere, which helps multi-site businesses. It costs a monthly subscription, needs a reliable connection with enough bandwidth, and has to be set up in line with UK GDPR.

Many businesses record on site and back up their most important cameras to the cloud. Video analytics such as line crossing, loitering detection, object detection and number plate recognition can also cut false alerts, so operators spend their time on genuine activity.

How Working With Us Goes

1. Free site survey. We look at where your cameras point, what they miss and how they connect, and confirm whether your existing system can be monitored as it is or needs upgrading. If new cameras are needed, our CCTV installation team can fit them.

2. An agreed response plan. Together we set the monitoring hours, the zones that should raise an alert, who to contact and in what order, and when to send a patrol, a keyholder or call the police.

3. Connection and testing. Your cameras are connected and tested before live monitoring starts, so you know alerts arrive and the plan works.

4. Live monitoring and reporting. Operators review each alert on live video, take the agreed action and log what happened. You get a clear record to share with your insurer, the police or your own team.

Response on the Ground

Monitoring works best when someone can attend. Because we also provide mobile patrols, keyholding and alarm response and manned guarding, the next step after an alert can be an SIA-licensed officer who has been briefed on your site, rather than a phone call to one of your staff in the middle of the night.

If you have an intruder alarm, linking it to your cameras lets operators check activations on video before anyone is sent. See intruder alarm monitoring.

Sites in and around Manor Royal and the Gatwick area can see how this works locally on our page about monitored CCTV for Crawley businesses.

What to Look For in a CCTV Monitoring Provider

Whoever you choose, it is worth asking the same questions:

Who watches the cameras? Ask whether monitoring is done in-house or by a third-party monitoring centre, and where that centre is.
Which standards does the monitoring centre work to? In the UK, detector-activated remotely monitored CCTV is covered by BS 8418, and monitoring centres are usually certified by an inspectorate such as the NSI or SSAIB. Insurers and the police may ask about this, so ask to see current certificates.
What happens after an alert? A good provider writes down a response plan for your site and can show you what was done and when.
Who attends? Check whether the provider can send a patrol or keyholder, and that the officers hold a valid SIA licence.
Does your equipment really need replacing? Many systems can be monitored as they are. Ask why if a quote assumes everything must go.
How is footage handled? Monitored CCTV must comply with UK GDPR and the ICO's guidance, including signage and retention periods.

For the legal side in detail, read our guide to CCTV monitoring standards for UK businesses.

What Affects the Cost

There is no single price for CCTV monitoring, because it depends on your site. The main factors are:

The number of cameras and zones to be monitored
Hours of cover: out-of-hours or weekends-only monitoring costs less than full 24/7 cover
Your existing equipment: whether it can be used as it is, or needs upgrading or replacing
Connectivity: a reliable internet connection, or 4G for sites without broadband
The response you want, from audio warnings and phone calls to patrol or keyholder attendance
Extras such as video analytics, cloud backup or maintenance visits

We provide an itemised quote after a free site survey, so you can see what each part of the service costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about our CCTV monitoring services.

What is the difference between monitored and unmonitored CCTV?

Unmonitored CCTV records footage for someone to review later, so it tells you what happened but rarely stops it. With monitored CCTV, trained operators are alerted when cameras detect activity, check the live images and act straight away, for example with an audio warning, a patrol or a call to the police.

Can you monitor the CCTV system I already have?

Often, yes. During a free site survey we check your cameras, recorder and internet connection, then tell you whether the system can be monitored as it is, needs some upgrades or would be better replaced. If new equipment is needed, our CCTV installation team can fit it.

What happens when an operator sees an intruder on my cameras?

The operator follows the response plan agreed for your site. That typically begins with a live audio warning through on-site speakers, while the operator contacts the police and can send a mobile patrol or keyholder to attend. Every step is logged.

How much do CCTV monitoring services cost?

It depends on the number of cameras, the hours of cover, whether your existing equipment can be used and the response you want. We give you an itemised quote after a free site survey, so you only pay for the cover your site needs.

Does monitored CCTV need to comply with GDPR?

Yes. Businesses operating CCTV must comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, and follow the ICO's guidance. That means clear signage, a documented reason for recording and footage kept no longer than necessary. Our guide to CCTV monitoring standards covers this in detail.

Can CCTV monitoring work with my intruder alarm?

Yes. When the alarm is triggered, operators can view the cameras covering that area to check whether the activation is genuine before anyone is sent. See intruder alarm monitoring for how alarm signals are handled.

Is CCTV monitoring suitable for construction sites?

Yes. Sites are most at risk overnight and at weekends. Rapid-deployment camera towers with 4G connectivity can be monitored remotely without mains power or broadband, and moved as the build progresses.

Get a CCTV Monitoring Quote

Tell us about your site and your current cameras, and we will arrange a free site survey to check what can be monitored and how. Quotes are free and itemised.