Count more than cameras.
Compare buying and maintaining a camera system with having it managed by Darkfield. Count equipment, recording, network support and site visits — then turn the cameras into alerts, actions and useful data.
Total cost
of ownership.
Count the whole system.
Thirty-two cameras, twenty-four monitored views and a separately managed recording server and three network devices. Two planned service visits per 12 months.
Equipment includes cameras, recording and network hardware. Edit the site budgets when you change camera count; they do not scale automatically.
Equipment is counted once; services are spread monthly. Billing terms and scope are confirmed in your quote.
Estimated savings with Darkfield
£20,368
Estimated reduction in managed camera-system costs.
At 24 months: Darkfield costs £15,736 less.
Darkfield includes equipment and upkeep, from network to alerts. Conventional ownership includes buying equipment upfront.
Optional patrol call-outs and keyholding are priced separately.
Conventional ownership
- Equipment & installation
- £25,000
- Average monitoring & upkeep / month
- £947
- Running costs over 12 months
- £11,368
- Total over 12 months
- £36,368
Less upkeep. More useful cameras.
Agree the equipment, support and full price for your site.
Discuss your deploymentAdjust costs & assumptions
Own the system, or have it managed. The conventional example combines equipment, event monitoring, physical servicing and remote IT support. Darkfield includes setup and upkeep of the agreed camera system, including network and recording equipment.
These fields apply to conventional ownership. Count each cost once: if a maintenance contract includes visits, repairs or IT support, set the covered items to zero before entering the contract fee.
Site visits. The 32-camera example allows two visits per 12 months, one engineer-day each, at £500 per day. Duration and rate are editable planning assumptions. Two engineers for one day count as two engineer-days.
Network and recording support. The 32-camera example allows £264 per month: one recording server at £162 and three network devices at £34 each. Smaller examples use an embedded recorder with upkeep during site visits and no separate remote IT budget. Adjust for your system.
Repairs and parts. Extra repair days and replacement parts start at zero. Add an allowance from your service history or quote, including camera, drive, recorder or switch repairs. Exclude work covered by warranty or another contract.
Compare the same scope. Installation is a whole-site budget, charged once. Set equipment already paid for to zero. Preset monitoring covers selected views, not a dedicated person watching every feed; service levels differ.
See the full cost breakdown
| Cost | Conventional ownership | Darkfield |
|---|---|---|
| Installed camera system (once) | £25,000.00 | Included |
| CCTV monitoring | £7,200.00 | Included (AI alerts) |
| Camera-system IT support | £3,168.00 | Included |
| Planned on-site maintenance | £1,000.00 | Included |
| Extra repair labour | £0.00 | Included |
| Uncovered parts allowance | £0.00 | Included |
| Other camera-system costs | £0.00 | Included |
| Darkfield managed camera service | £0.00 | £16,000.00 |
| Total cost | £36,368.00 | £16,000.00 |
Darkfield covers the agreed managed-system scope. Extra archive capacity, custom hosting and integrations need a scoped quote. The “Other camera-system costs” input applies only to services included in that Darkfield scope.
Calculation and UK sources
Conventional cost = equipment and installation + months × monitoring, IT support and other camera-system costs + the selected share of planned visits, repair labour and parts. Maintenance allowances are spread across 12 months; actual visit and payment dates vary.
Darkfield cost = cameras × £500 × months ÷ 12. This is an ownership-cost allocation, not a short-term contract or payment schedule. A lower total appears as estimated savings; a higher total appears as additional cost, never a negative savings figure.
Figures exclude VAT. Costs stay constant; no finance, resale value, inflation, avoided incidents or insurance savings are assumed. Period costs are rounded to pennies; headline figures use whole pounds. The default benefit mainly comes from avoiding an equipment purchase.
Equipment and event-monitoring allowances come from the 26 September 2026 UK CCTV research. The revised upkeep assumptions were checked on 12 October 2026. These are editable examples, not one supplier’s package quotes.
- Alpha IT — server and network management rates
The IT allowance uses published ex-VAT rates. The example device count is a planning assumption; confirm suitability and contract terms.
- SPS — camera, network and recorder maintenance
Offers servicing every six or twelve months. Visit duration depends on your site.
- ISL — on-site attendance and repair rates
Published hourly rates illustrate how visit costs vary. £500 per engineer-day is our editable planning allowance.
- Axis — keeping the whole camera system working
Covers cameras, network connections, recording and software upkeep. No fixed failure rate or automatic equipment replacement is assumed here.
- Eagle Security Protection — event monitoring reference
Confirm monitored views, hours and service scope against your quote.
Alarm and fire monitoring, police registration, patrols and keyholding are outside both totals. Site electricity, broadband and unrelated business IT are also excluded. Add any deployment-specific costs to both quotes before deciding.
Put your cameras
to work.
Tell us what you have and what you need it to do. We’ll scope the equipment, upkeep and full deployment price.
Discuss your deployment