R-01Resource / Cost Guide

What does a commercial security system actually cost?

Real ranges, honest variables, and the line items that drive the number. No "starting at" pricing, no hidden monitoring contracts, no salesman math.

DC · Maryland · Virginia·Updated quarterly·~10 min read
01 / TL;DR

Three buckets. Honest ranges.

Most commercial security projects in the DMV land in one of three bands. Where you fall depends on building geometry and integration scope — not square footage alone.

01

Small office

4–8 cameras · single-door access · 1 site

$5,000 – $23,500
  • 4–8 Turing IP cameras (mix of fixed dome + bullet)
  • PoE switch + on-prem NVR or cloud VMS
  • Single-door access control with 4 credentials
  • Cabling, install labor, project management
Bumps the numberLarger camera count, 4K resolution, AI analytics licensing, after-hours install.
02

Mid-size commercial

16–32 cameras · 4–8 doors · 1–2 sites

$20,000 – $115,000
  • 16–32 Turing IP cameras across building zones
  • Redundant NVR or enterprise cloud VMS licensing
  • 4–8 doors of access control, integrated badging
  • Structured cabling pull, switch upgrade if needed
Bumps the numberMulti-tenant cabling, fire-rated penetrations, after-hours-only windows, intercom integration.
03

Multi-site enterprise

100+ cameras · integrated access · 3+ sites

$150,000+
  • Centralized VMS with site-level redundancy
  • Enterprise access control with SSO / directory sync
  • Fiber backhaul where required, managed switching
  • Dedicated project management + commissioning
Bumps the numberAsbestos abatement, custom integrations (PSIM, SIEM), 24/7 monitored handoff, custom analytics.
02 / Cost breakdown

By the line item. No bundling.

Most quotes come back as a single number with a "system price." That hides the variables. Here's what's actually inside.

ComponentTypical rangeWhat drives it
01IP cameras$350 – $1,800 / cameraTuring 1080p fixed dome at the low end; Turing 4K multi-sensor + AI at the top. Axis available where specified.
02Recording (NVR or cloud)$800 – $14,500On-prem NVR is one-time spend; cloud VMS is recurring per-camera licensing.
03PoE switches$200 – $4,500Sized to camera count + headroom. Managed switches start higher.
04Structured cabling$120 – $450 / dropCat6A is the standard. Conduit, fire-rating, or asbestos drives this up fast.
05Access control panels$1,800 – $4,500 / panelPDK and Avigilon Alta are typical. Multi-door panels reduce per-door cost.
06Credentials + readers$140 – $480 / readerMobile credentials cut card cost, but require licensing.
07Install labor$95 – $145 / hrStandard hours. After-hours, weekend, and union sites are higher.
08Project management5 – 12% of project totalLarger projects shift toward the upper end.
09Ongoing support$199 – $1,500 / moManaged plan tier — see Managed Services for what's included.
03 / 04 — Drivers

What moves the number up and down.

↑ Drives up

4K vs 1080p

Higher resolution = larger storage footprint, more VMS licensing, and more bandwidth at multi-site sync.

AI analytics licensing

Per-camera or per-server licensing for object classification, license-plate recognition, and behavior analytics.

Multi-site VMS

Centralized recording across 3+ sites usually means enterprise tier licensing and dedicated headend hardware.

After-hours-only install

Live-occupied buildings push install into nights and weekends. Labor uplift, plus a slower per-day pace.

Asbestos / fire-rated walls

Penetrations through old or rated assemblies need certified contractors. Adds days to the schedule and dollars to the bid.

Complex cabling runs

Long pulls, conduit, plenum-rated cable, exterior runs, and fiber transitions all bump per-drop cost.

Custom integrations

Tying access control into HR systems, alarm panels, elevator control, or building automation always carries integration labor.

↓ Drives down

Bundling cameras + access

One project, one mobilization, shared cabling and cross-trained labor.

Single-site scope

Avoiding multi-site VMS licensing keeps recording cost predictable.

Standard business hours

Daytime install with building access cuts labor uplift.

Reusable cabling

Existing Cat6 in good condition that tests clean can stay. We always test before assuming.

Longer cloud commitment

Multi-year cloud VMS contracts typically cut per-camera licensing 10–20%.

Standardized hardware

Sticking to one or two camera models simplifies sparing, training, and future replacements.

05 / Worked examples

Three real-world budgets, line by line.

Numbers below are illustrative ranges for typical DMV scope. Final pricing depends on site walk and scope confirmation.

EX-01

Small professional office

12,000 sq ft · 1 floor · 1 entry/exit · 1 server room

6 × Turing 1080p fixed dome cameras$1,800 – $4,200
1 × 4-channel NVR + 4TB storage$600 – $1,800
8-port PoE switch (unmanaged → managed)$150 – $700
6 × Cat6A drops + termination$600 – $1,800
1 × PDK access control panel (1 door)$1,800 – $2,200
1 × HID multiClass reader$220 – $380
10 × mobile credentials$180 – $320
Install labor (30 – 60 hrs)$2,800 – $6,200
Project management$500 – $1,400
Commissioning + training$350 – $750
Project total range$9,000 – $19,750
EX-02

Multi-location retail

3 storefronts · 2,500 sq ft each · POS coverage required

18 × Turing cameras (6 per site, dome + bullet)$5,400 – $14,400
3 × 8-channel NVRs (one per site)$1,800 – $5,400
3 × 8-port PoE switches$450 – $2,100
18 × Cat6A drops + tooling$1,800 – $5,400
3 × access panels (1 door each)$5,400 – $6,600
6 × readers + 30 × mobile credentials$1,800 – $3,200
Cloud VMS licensing (3yr term)$2,400 – $8,100
Install labor across 3 sites (90 – 150 hrs)$6,150 – $18,000
Project management$1,800 – $4,500
Commissioning + handoff$1,000 – $2,000
Travel + per diem (multi-site)$1,750 – $3,000
Project total range$29,750 – $72,700
EX-03

Healthcare facility

32,000 sq ft · 2 floors · HIPAA scope · 6 controlled doors

28 × Turing cameras (4K at sensitive areas)$12,600 – $35,000
1 × redundant NVR cluster + 24TB$4,500 – $12,000
2 × 24-port managed PoE switches$1,400 – $4,800
28 × Cat6A drops + plenum cable$3,360 – $11,200
6 × PDK access panels (multi-door)$13,200 – $18,000
12 × readers + 200 × mobile credentials$4,800 – $8,400
Intercom at controlled entry (2 stations)$2,800 – $4,400
VMS with HIPAA-compliant audit logging$3,600 – $7,200
Install labor (180 – 240 hrs, after-hours)$21,300 – $33,600
Project management + compliance docs$5,000 – $9,000
Commissioning + staff training$2,000 – $4,400
Project total range$74,560 – $148,000
06 / Read the fine print

Why "free system" pitches are a trap.

The pitch sounds great: free hardware, free install, just sign a 5-year monitoring agreement. The reality is that hardware cost gets amortized into the monthly fee — usually at 2–3× retail — and the contract is engineered to be hard to exit.

We've audited dozens of these systems for clients ready to leave. The pattern is consistent: proprietary recorders, locked-down VMS, no admin credentials given to the customer, and an early-termination clause that buys back the hardware at a number that makes leaving uneconomical for years.

What you actually pay

Total cost of ownership over a 5-year monitored contract often runs 2–3× the costof buying the equivalent system outright with month-to-month support.

What you don't own

In many of these contracts, the hardware stays the property of the monitoring company. When the term ends — or you try to leave early — the cameras, NVR, and access panels go with them.

What we do instead

You own the hardware. You own the credentials. Support is month-to-month or annual, your choice. When you walk away, the system stays.

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Call 202·212·9730support@wizertechnology.com
After we hand over the keys

The system is only as good as the team supporting it.

When the install is done, the system has to keep working — through firmware drift, staff changes, ISP outages and the day someone unplugs the wrong thing. Wizer Managed Site Operations keeps it that way.

  • 24/7 monitoring on cameras, doors, AV gear and network.
  • One number to call. We answer it.
  • Lifecycle planning so nothing surprises your budget.