Commercial security installers

What commercial security installers do

• Access control. Key cards, fobs or phone credentials, door controllers and schedules, so you can add or remove a person in minutes.
• Security cameras. Indoor and outdoor cameras, recorders or cloud video, and remote viewing for owners and managers.
• Alarm systems and monitoring. Intrusion detection with 24/7 professional monitoring by a central station, and alerts to your phone.
• Visitor management and intercoms. Video intercoms, visitor check-in and badges for front desks and gates.
• Fire alarm integration. Tying door access and alarms to the fire system where the fire code requires it (often done with a licensed fire alarm contractor).

Who they work for

• Offices: Door access, visitor check-in and after-hours alarms.
• Retail stores: Cameras at registers and doors, and alarms with monitoring.
• Restaurants: Back-door access, cameras for the cash office and remote viewing.
• Churches and houses of worship: Scheduled door access for services and events, and cameras for parking lots.
• Schools and daycares: Visitor management, door access and lockdown-ready systems.
• HOAs and multifamily: Gate and amenity access, package rooms and common-area cameras.

What to ask before you hire

1. Have you installed systems for businesses like ours? Can we call a similar client?
2. Who monitors the alarms, and is it a UL-listed central station? What does monitoring cost per month, and for how long is the contract?
3. Who owns the equipment and the system's admin accounts when the contract ends? Can another company service it later?
4. How long is video kept, where is it stored, and who can see it? Do you follow our state's rules on camera notices and audio recording?
5. What is the warranty on equipment and labor, and how fast do you respond to a service call?
6. Are you licensed as an alarm or security contractor in our state, and are your technicians licensed or registered where that's required?

Licenses and permits

Many states license alarm and security system contractors, and some also require each technician to be licensed or registered. Some cities also require an alarm permit, and police may fine repeated false alarms.

Fire alarm work is often licensed separately from burglar alarms and cameras, and changes to doors on an exit path have to meet the fire code. Ask your installer who pulls permits.

Where a state publishes license records, our listings show the license and the date we checked it. We don't check insurance, bonding or the quality of work: ask for a certificate of insurance.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your state's licensing board, your city and your fire marshal have the rules that apply to your building.