The short answer
A video doorbell and a CCTV system do different jobs. A doorbell shows you who is at the door and lets you speak to them. CCTV records what happens around a property, including the places a doorbell cannot see. For many London flats the doorbell is the right first step. For a house with a side passage, a rear garden or a shop front, cameras usually earn their place as well.
This guide explains how to choose, what each option covers, and where the two work best together. All prices inc. VAT.
What a video doorbell does well
A doorbell sits at the one spot every visitor and delivery driver has to approach. That makes it ideal for flats, where the front door is the main point of entry and a full camera system would be more than you need.
Our Video Doorbell Pro is £399 inc. VAT. It gives you 2K HD video with night vision, two-way audio via the app, smart person detection and an indoor chime. You can answer a delivery from the office and see a caller after dark.
There are limits. A doorbell sees a narrow slice of your property. It will not show a bike being taken from the front garden or someone trying a side gate. It is also only as good as the Wi-Fi signal at your front door, which in a brick-built London terrace or a concrete block of flats can be weak.
What CCTV adds
A recorder and fixed cameras give you continuous coverage and a footage history you can go back through. Our Home Starter package is £899 inc. VAT and includes two 5MP turret cameras, a 1TB drive holding around two weeks of footage, live viewing from your phone and motion detection alerts, all fitted in a single visit.
Typical camera positions for a house are:
- the front door and approach, so you have a recorded view of every arrival
- the side passage or gate, a route to the back of the house that the street cannot see
- the rear garden or back door, which is often the least visible part of the property
Two cameras will not cover every one of those. That is why the layout matters more than the camera count, and why it is worth planning before you buy. Our CCTV installation cost guide and wired vs wireless CCTV guide go into more detail.
Flats and houses: a simple way to decide
Ask three questions.
- How many ways in are there? One front door on a communal landing points to a doorbell. A house with front, side and rear access points to cameras.
- Do you need a record or just a view? A doorbell answers "who is there now". Recorded CCTV answers "what happened last Tuesday".
- Can you drill? Many leasehold flats restrict what you can fix to communal walls. Check your lease or ask your managing agent before anything goes on a shared corridor. Our guide for renters who cannot drill covers the options.
If the answer is a flat with one door and a need to see callers, start with the doorbell. If it is a house, or a ground-floor flat with a garden, a camera system is worth pricing alongside it.
Do not forget the alarm
A doorbell and a basic camera system record and notify, but they do not sound a siren when a door is forced. For flats, our Flat/Apartment alarm is £699 inc. VAT: a smart hub and keypad, one door contact and two motion sensors, with app control and instant notifications. It is fully wireless, so there is no drilling and no mess. It pairs sensibly with a doorbell for a flat that wants both a view of the door and a response if someone gets in. For wider options, see our CCTV and security services, and for shared entrances our intercoms and door entry page.
Already bought your own doorbell?
Plenty of people buy a doorbell online and then stall at the wiring. Our Video Doorbell Fit is £129 inc. VAT. The doorbell is fitted and wired to your existing chime or transformer, the app and alerts are set up, and an angle bracket is added where needed. It works with any major brand. We cover the wider picture of fitting your own kit in our guide to professional fitting of your own CCTV kit or video doorbell.
Where a survey helps
If you are unsure which way to go, a Home Survey & Design is £99 inc. VAT. An engineer visits, plans camera and device placement and gives you a written recommendation and a fixed quote. The fee is credited in full against any booking of £500 inc. VAT or more, so the visit counts towards the work if you go ahead.
It suits communal entrances, shared gates and unusual layouts, where placement problems are cheaper to spot on paper.
Choosing sensibly
Start with the weakest point of your property. Put a doorbell where the door is the weak point, cameras where the access is spread out, and an alarm where you want a response rather than a recording. Keep the layout simple and check your Wi-Fi at each position before fitting.