CCTV Builder: Why Building Your Own Kit Beats Buying a Boxed One
Our CCTV builder lets you design a complete CCTV system in a few minutes, and makes sure every part works with every other part. You choose the cameras you actually want. The builder then matches the recorder, hard drive, power and cables, using live prices and stock from our Wolverhampton warehouse.
Open the CCTV builder. It's free and needs no account. This article explains how it works, step by step, and why it is a better way to buy CCTV than a fixed boxed kit.
Most CCTV kits come as a fixed bundle: four identical cameras, one recorder and one hard drive. That's fine if your property happens to need four identical cameras. Most don't. A typical house has:
a front door, where you want a clear face,
a drive, where you want colour at night to see a car,
a back garden, where a discreet infrared camera is better,
maybe a side passage or a garage that needs a wider view.
Buying cameras separately solves that, but then you have to work out which recorder handles them, how big a hard drive you need, whether you need a PoE switch, and what cables to order. Get one of those wrong and the system doesn't work on the day it's fitted. The CCTV builder does that checking for you.
How the CCTV builder works, step by step
Pick a brand. Dahua, HiLook by Hikvision, Hikvision or Uniview. Each kit stays within one brand, so the cameras, recorder and app all talk to each other.
Choose the system type. IP for a new installation, with one network cable per camera for power and picture. HD over coax to reuse cable from an old analogue system.
Say how many cameras you need. Anything up to 64, depending on the brand.
Choose your cameras. Mix turrets, bullets and domes, 2MP to 12MP, colour-at-night or infrared. Type in a quantity or tap the + buttons.
Pick a recorder. The builder only shows recorders with enough channels for all your cameras that can record your highest-resolution camera. Anything that can't handle your mix is hidden, so you can't pick the wrong one.
Power. For IP kits, if the recorder can't power every camera, it adds PoE switches. For coax kits, it suggests power supplies.
Storage. Tell it how many days of footage you want to keep. It sizes the hard drive for your exact cameras and adds a second drive if one isn't enough.
Cables. It adds cables for each camera.
Monitor. Add a screen if you want live view on a desk or wall.
Review. See the whole kit and the total, then add it all to your basket in one click, or send it to our team to check first.
Why use the CCTV builder?
1. It works first time
The builder only offers parts that work together. You won't end up with a 4K camera on a recorder that can only record 4MP, or eight cameras on a four-port PoE recorder with nothing to power the other four.
2. You buy the cameras your property needs
Colour at the front, infrared at the back, a wide panoramic over the yard: mix and match in one kit. Our HiLook cameras guide explains which camera suits which spot.
3. The storage maths is done for you
Hard-drive size depends on how many cameras you have, their resolution, how many days you keep footage and whether you record all the time. The builder works it out. For a deeper estimate, try the CCTV storage calculator.
4. Real prices, real stock
Prices and stock load live from our warehouse every time you open the page. The total you see is the price you pay, and anything out of stock isn't offered, so there are no back-order surprises.
5. Nothing forgotten
Switches, power supplies, cables and drives are the parts people forget, and they hold up an installation. The builder adds them, and you can still remove anything you already have.
6. A human check if you want one
Not sure? Send the kit to our Wolverhampton team instead of checking out. We'll look it over and tell you if something would work better, or if a cheaper option will do the job.
Example: a 4-camera HiLook home system
Here is how a typical home build might go:
Brand: HiLook. System: IP. Cameras: 4.
Cameras: two 4MP ColorVu 3.0 turrets for the front door and drive (IPC-T249HAA-LU), and two 5MP infrared turrets for the garden and side (IPC-T250H-MU).
Recorder: the builder offers 4-channel and larger HiLook NVRs that record 5MP and above, such as the NVR-104H-D/4P. Its four PoE ports power all four cameras, so no switch is needed.
Storage: 30 days of continuous recording means a drive of around 4 TB. The builder picks a surveillance drive.
Cables: one per camera.
Review and add to basket.
Want room to grow? Pick an 8-channel recorder such as the NVR-108H-D/8P, and you can add four more cameras later without replacing anything.
For installers and trade customers
Installers use the builder to price a job in minutes while on site or on the phone with a customer. Send the list to us to check or add it to your basket. Hikvision is trade-priced: register a trade account to see your prices. You can also call 01902 902251 or visit our Wolverhampton trade counter.
CCTV builder questions
Is the CCTV builder free?
Yes. It's free to use, and you only pay if you buy the kit.
Can I mix different camera types?
Yes, within one brand. Mix turrets, bullets, domes, resolutions and night-vision types in a single kit.
How many cameras can I add?
Up to 64, depending on the brand and the largest recorder in stock. HiLook IP kits currently go up to 16 cameras.
What if I already have some of the parts?
Remove anything you don't need, such as cables or a hard drive, before adding the kit to your basket.
Can someone check my kit before I order?
Yes. Send it to us from the review step and our team will check it.
