How much does CCTV tower hire actually cost?

Guide

"From £X a week" headlines are everywhere in this industry, and they're not wrong exactly — they're just usually the price for the cheapest possible configuration, not the one most sites actually need. Here's what genuinely drives the cost.

The platform matters more than the provider

A compact tower with wireless motion sensors and a siren costs a lot less to build and run than one carrying four full CCTV cameras, a mast, and a 4G connection. Any honest pricing structure should reflect that difference rather than charging one flat rate regardless of what's actually fitted.

On our own range, that looks like:

• Compact, motion-sensor platform (photo-verified wireless detection, no camera): from £89/week
• Mid-size platform (four CCTV cameras, extending mast): from £149/week
• Full-solar, higher-capacity platform (four CCTV cameras, extended off-grid autonomy): from £199/week

Adding 24/7 professional monitoring roughly adds £50–£100/week on top, depending on the platform — see our full pricing page for the current rates on every tier.

What's usually included, and what isn't

The weekly rate typically covers the hardware, its connectivity, and remote configuration. What's commonly charged as a separate line item:

• Delivery and collection — usually priced by distance from the depot
• Professional monitoring, if you want it rather than self-managed alerts
• ANPR configuration, where a site needs number-plate capture on top of general coverage
• Mid-hire relocation, if the tower needs moving to a different spot on site

Ask any provider to itemise these before you compare their headline rate to anyone else's — a "from £X" figure that excludes delivery isn't directly comparable to one that includes it.

Minimum hire periods change the real cost

A lot of tower hire in this industry runs on a 4–8 week minimum, whether or not you need the tower for that long. If a two-week job gets billed for six weeks because of a minimum tie-in, the effective weekly cost is a lot higher than the advertised rate suggests. Worth asking directly: is there a minimum, and what happens if the job finishes early?

The cheapest option isn't always the right one

A motion-sensor tower is genuinely a good fit for a low-risk site that just needs a visible deterrent and an alert if someone's there. It's the wrong choice for a site that needs actual recorded footage — if something happens, a siren-only unit gives you nothing to hand a solicitor or insurer afterwards. Match the platform to what you actually need the outcome to be, not just the lowest weekly figure.

Compare the full tower range →