Security Cameras
Security Camera Installation in Burbank, CA
Cameras that are actually pointed at something useful, wired so nothing dangles, and set up so you can pull footage from your phone in ten seconds when you need it — which is the only moment any of it matters.
- Homes, storefronts, offices, warehouses and apartment buildings
- Wired PoE and wireless systems — you'll be told which one suits your building
- Placement walked with you before a single hole is drilled
- No monthly monitoring contract required, ever
Most camera systems fail at the planning stage, not the technical one
I get called out to plenty of existing systems, and the failures are almost never about camera quality. They're about aim and coverage. Four expensive 4K cameras all pointed at the middle of the driveway will tell you a car was there. One camera at face height by the front path will tell you who it was.
So every install starts with a walk. We look at where people actually approach the property, where packages get left, where the fence is low, where the light comes from at 7 AM and 7 PM, and where a camera will be looking straight into the sun for two hours a day. Then we place cameras to answer specific questions — who came to the door, who came down the side yard, what happened at the register, who parked in the alley.
Two principles that matter more than megapixels:
- Identification vs. observation. A camera high on a wall covering a wide area observes. A camera at 7–8 feet covering a narrow choke point (the front path, a gate, a doorway) identifies. You want at least one identification camera at every entry, and observation cameras for everything else.
- Every property has a funnel. There are only so many ways onto a lot. Cover those and you've covered the property. Cameras aimed at the middle of a yard mostly record cats.
Wired or wireless?
| Wired (PoE) | Wireless / battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Very high — power and data on one cable | Depends on Wi-Fi strength at each camera |
| Recording | Local NVR, continuous 24/7 if you want it | Usually motion clips, often cloud-based |
| Ongoing cost | None | Often a subscription for useful retention |
| Maintenance | Essentially none | Battery charging every 2–6 months |
| Install effort | Cable runs through attic/eaves | Mount and pair |
| Best for | Owned homes, any business, anywhere footage matters legally | Renters, condos, quick coverage, hard-to-cable spots |
My honest bias: if you own the building, go wired. It costs more up front and it never asks anything of you again. If you rent, or you need coverage on a detached garage with no path for cable, wireless is a perfectly good answer and I'll install it without trying to talk you into a bigger job.
Residential camera installation
- Doorbell cameras — Ring, Nest, Eufy, Reolink, Aqara — including the transformer and chime work that trips up most DIY attempts in older Burbank homes with 10V transformers
- Front, side-yard, rear and driveway coverage with proper identification angles at entries
- Package-theft coverage aimed at where deliveries are actually left, not at the street
- Detached garages, ADUs, back houses and RV/boat parking
- Local NVR or SD-card recording with no subscription, or cloud if you prefer the convenience
- Phone and tablet access set up and tested with you, on your phone, before I leave
- Motion zones and schedules tuned so you're not getting 40 alerts a day from a tree
- Night vision, spotlight and two-way audio configuration
- Discreet cable runs through eaves and attics — nothing stapled across stucco
Business & commercial camera installation
Retail on Magnolia and San Fernando, offices in the Media District, restaurants, auto shops, warehouses, medical and dental offices, apartment buildings and HOA common areas.
- Point-of-sale overhead coverage that captures the transaction and the face
- Entry, exit, stockroom, loading dock, alley and parking coverage
- License-plate-capable angles at driveways where the geometry allows it
- Multi-site setups viewable from one app
- Retention planning — 30, 60 or 90 days, sized honestly against storage cost
- Cameras on their own VLAN, isolated from POS and staff networks
- Manager training and a written procedure for exporting footage for police or insurance
- Signage and employee-notice guidance for California compliance
Audio is the trap. California is a two-party consent state (Penal Code §632). Video recording in areas without a reasonable expectation of privacy is broadly permitted; recording audio of confidential conversations without consent is not. Most camera systems ship with microphones enabled by default. For businesses, I disable audio unless you have posted notice and a specific reason, and I'll flag it for homes too.
Never point a camera into a neighbor's window, yard interior, or any bathroom, changing area or bedroom — including in your own rental property. For businesses, employee-monitoring rules apply and notice is expected.
Licensing. I install within California's §7048 exemption: jobs under $1,000 total, no permit required, no employees. Larger commercial systems require a licensed C-7 low-voltage contractor, and where your project needs one I'll tell you up front and hand you names rather than take the job I shouldn't.
What a camera system really costs
Nationally, professionally installed camera systems average around $1,290, with most falling between roughly $590 and $2,040. That tracks with what I see locally. The split is usually about 40% equipment and 60% labor for wired systems, and the reverse for wireless.
Where money is wasted: buying 4K on every camera (you need it at identification points, not on the side yard), paying for cloud storage forever when a $90 hard drive in an NVR does the same job, and buying a big-brand ecosystem that locks you into a subscription to see your own footage. Where money is well spent: good low-light performance, a camera at the right height by the front door, and proper cable so nothing fails in three years.
Security camera installation costs
Labor pricing. Equipment billed at cost — I'd rather you own good hardware than rent mediocre hardware.
| Service | Typical price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Site walk & camera placement plan | Free | With any install quote |
| Doorbell camera install | $140 – $260 | Includes transformer check and chime wiring |
| Single wireless camera mount & setup | $95 – $160 | Mounted, aimed, app configured |
| Wired PoE camera, per camera | $160 – $280 | Cable run, terminated, mounted, aimed, tested |
| 4-camera wired system (typical home) | $700 – $1,200 | Labor including NVR setup and app access |
| 8-camera business system | $1,400 – $2,600 | Labor including switch, NVR, monitor and staff walkthrough |
| NVR / recorder setup & remote access | $180 – $320 | Retention configured, secure remote viewing |
| Existing system repair or expansion | $120 – $240 | Dead cameras, lost footage, forgotten passwords |
How a job actually goes
- 1
Tell me what's wrong
Call, text a photo, or fill in the form. Photos of the model plate or the problem area cut the guesswork enormously.
- 2
Get a real price range
You get a range before I drive out, not after. If it's a job that needs a licensed contractor, I'll tell you that on the phone instead of wasting your time.
- 3
I show up in the window
You get a text when I'm on the way. Shoe covers, drop cloths, and the work area left cleaner than I found it.
- 4
Pay when it works
Flat price agreed up front. Card, Zelle, cash or check. Parts I install carry the manufacturer warranty and my labor is guaranteed for 90 days.
Questions people actually ask
How much does security camera installation cost in Burbank?
Labor runs $160–$280 per wired camera and $95–$160 per wireless camera. A typical four-camera wired home system is $700–$1,200 in labor plus equipment; nationally the all-in average for a professional install is about $1,290. An eight-camera business system generally lands at $1,400–$2,600 in labor. The site walk and quote are free.
Do I need a monthly subscription?
No. With a local NVR or a camera that records to an SD card, you own your footage and pay nothing monthly. Subscriptions buy convenience — cloud backup, longer retention, smarter alerts — and for some households that's worth it. But you should choose it, not be defaulted into it, and I'll set up a no-subscription system happily.
How many cameras do I need?
For a typical Burbank single-family home, four covers it well: front door at identification height, driveway, side-yard access, and rear/patio. Corner lots and homes with alley access usually want a fifth or sixth. For a small retail space: entry, register overhead, stockroom, and rear exit. More cameras poorly placed beat fewer cameras well placed almost never.
Can you install cameras I already bought?
Yes, and I'll tell you honestly whether they're any good for the spot you have in mind before mounting them. If one of them is wrong for its location — a camera with no low-light capability aimed at an unlit alley, say — you'll hear that while it's still returnable.
Will you drill through my stucco?
Only where necessary, and always sealed properly. Most Burbank installs route through the attic and out through the eave or soffit, which leaves no visible penetration in the wall face and keeps cable out of the sun. Where a wall pass-through is unavoidable, it's drilled at a downward angle, sealed with exterior-grade sealant, and finished with a proper gasket plate.
Is it legal to record my neighbor's property?
Incidental capture of a public street or a sliver of adjacent property is generally acceptable. Deliberately aiming a camera into a neighbor's windows, private yard interior, or any area with a reasonable expectation of privacy is not, and it creates real legal exposure. During the site walk we'll aim cameras and set privacy masks to keep coverage on your property. Audio is the bigger risk — see the California note above.
Can I see the cameras on my phone when I'm out of town?
Yes, and it will be set up and tested on your actual phone before I leave — including logging in from cellular data rather than your home Wi-Fi, which is where most DIY setups turn out to be broken. You'll also get the admin credentials in writing so you're never locked out of your own system.
Can you fix or expand a system somebody else installed?
Regularly. Dead cameras, an NVR nobody has the password to, footage that was never actually recording, cameras knocked out of aim, or a system that needs two more cameras. If the existing hardware is decent I'll work with it rather than sell you a replacement.
What neighbors say
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“Our Samsung fridge stopped cooling on a Friday. Armen came out the same afternoon, found a failed evaporator fan, and had it running before dinner. He showed me the old part and explained exactly what happened. No upsell, no drama.”
“Three-story townhouse with Wi-Fi that died on the top floor. He ran a hardwired access point instead of selling me another extender, and now I get full speed in every room. He labeled every cable in the closet too.”
“Four cameras around the house plus a doorbell, all on my phone. He walked the property with me first and moved two camera positions based on where our packages actually get dropped. Clean cable runs, nothing hanging.”
Security Camera Installation across Burbank and 25 miles
Based in Burbank, on the road every day across the east Valley, the Verdugos and the west San Gabriel Valley.