Zenith Security Co. · Trade counter and showroom, Dudley Road, Wolverhampton · Updated 23 September 2026
CCTV, an alarm, or both? Here's how to decide before you order.
CCTV and an intruder alarm protect against different things. CCTV records what happens, and can deter someone or help identify them afterwards. An alarm detects entry and raises an alert as it happens.
Some properties only need one. Many need both. Hikvision's AX PRO alarm range shares the Hik-Connect app with Hikvision's CCTV cameras and recorders, so running both means one app, not two.
What does CCTV protect against?
CCTV gives you visibility and evidence. It doesn't step in.
A camera records all the time or when it sees motion. So if a vehicle is broken into overnight, stock goes missing, or someone loiters by a fire exit, you have footage for the police or your insurer. The cameras also put people off trying.
What CCTV alone doesn't do is tell you, there and then, that someone has got in. Unless the system is monitored or you're watching the app at the time, a camera records the event rather than announcing it.
What does an intruder alarm protect against?
An alarm detects and alerts. It doesn't record.
Detectors on doors and windows, or covering open floor space, sense entry or movement the moment it happens. The panel sounds on site and can send an alert to your phone. You, or a monitoring station, know within seconds, not the next morning.
What an alarm alone doesn't give you is a record of who it was or what they did. It tells you something happened, not what happened, unless you pair it with cameras.
Do I need CCTV, an alarm, or both for my property?
It usually comes down to two questions. Is the property occupied or empty when it matters most? And do you need a real-time alert, or a recorded account afterwards?
CCTV alone often suits a yard, a car park, a shop counter or a driveway. You want a visible deterrent and footage to review, and nobody needs alerting the instant someone steps on site.
An alarm alone often suits an empty office overnight, a holiday let with nobody watching a live feed, or a stock cupboard inside a building that's already monitored. Knowing the moment someone gets in matters more than footage.
Both together is common for an empty house at night, a shop holding stock and cash, or anywhere you want an alert when someone enters and a record of what they did. The two jobs complement each other.
So you arm or disarm the alarm, check a live camera and review an alert from one login.
Kits such as the Hikvision AX PRO alarm kit 1 and AX PRO alarm kit 2 are built around this. The wireless panel, detectors and keypad add straight into the Hik-Connect account your Hikvision camera or recorder already uses. Nothing new to learn.
Can I get advice before I buy?
Yes. First, check who can buy what, because availability differs by range:
A lot of what's listed here is open to anyone, trade or retail.
A few are only for installers trained and qualified under that manufacturer's own scheme.
Not sure which applies to a product? Ask before you order.
We supply the kit rather than fit it, which helps while you're deciding. Compare CCTV and alarm kit side by side in the Dudley Road showroom, or talk it through at the trade counter, with no fitting quote shaping the advice.
Want it fitted once you've chosen? Our CCTV installation in Wolverhampton page explains how we recommend a qualified local trade installer.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need CCTV, an alarm, or both?
It depends on what you want to happen. CCTV records what takes place and can deter or help identify someone after the event; an intruder alarm detects entry as it happens and raises an alert in real time. A yard, car park or till area often only needs CCTV; an unoccupied office or a holiday let benefits more from an alarm; many houses and businesses use both together, so there's a real-time alert and a recorded account of what happened.
Can Hikvision CCTV and Hikvision AX PRO alarm run in the same app?
Yes. Hikvision's AX PRO wireless alarm range and Hikvision's CCTV cameras and recorders both connect through the Hik-Connect app, so a customer running both systems checks cameras and arms or disarms the alarm from one app and one login rather than two.
Which should I install first?
There's no fixed order from Zenith's side; it depends which risk matters most first. If knowing the moment someone enters is the priority, the alarm goes in first; if a recorded account of who came and went matters more, CCTV goes in first. For a full refit most customers plan camera and detector positions for both systems together, then have them fitted in whichever order suits the job.
Do you supply both from the same order?
Yes. CCTV and intruder alarm equipment can be ordered together, collected together from the Dudley Road trade counter, or delivered together nationwide in 1-2 working days.
For the general CCTV range and local showroom details, see CCTV Wolverhampton; for alarm panels, detectors and kits specifically, see intruder alarms Wolverhampton. Trade customers sourcing a mixed job can read more at the trade counter page, and anyone wanting to see equipment running before they choose can visit the Dudley Road showroom. Questions before you order? Contact us or call us on 01902 902251.
