CCTV Camera Inspections, Repairs and Maintenance in Pretoria
Your CCTV cameras have stopped working, the footage looks terrible, the app no longer connects, or you are getting endless false alerts. We diagnose it, quote you honestly, and fix it, on any brand. Serving Waterkloof, Brooklyn, Monument Park, Faerie Glen, Garsfontein, Moreleta Park, Lynnwood, Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg.
Quick Answer
A CCTV inspection from Easy CCTV costs R750 in Pretoria East including the first hour, or R950 in Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg. After-hours callouts are R1,200. The fee is credited against any repair work booked within 30 days, so if you go ahead with the fix the inspection effectively costs nothing.
- What it covers: every camera checked physically, recorder diagnostic including hard drive health, network and mobile app test, detection zone audit, power supply audit, and a written report with an itemised repair quote
- How long: 30 to 60 minutes on site for a 4 to 8 camera system, 1 to 2 hours for larger sites
- Booking: 1 to 2 working days in Pretoria East, 2 to 3 elsewhere, with same-day callouts for urgent commercial sites
- Brands: we inspect and repair any brand, including systems we did not install
Most faults are fixable. The common ones are detection misconfiguration, app or network problems, hard drive failure, power supply failure and weathered cameras. Roughly a quarter of inspections conclude that upgrading is cheaper than continuing to repair, and we say so plainly when that is the case.
“My CCTV Cameras Aren’t Working” – We Hear That a Lot
If you have landed on this page, something has gone wrong with your CCTV. The cameras have stopped recording, the picture has gone dark or blurry, the app keeps dropping the connection, the hard drive is making odd noises, or your phone buzzes every few minutes with false alerts you have long since learned to ignore. These are the exact problems we deal with across Pretoria East, Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg every week.
The good news is that most are fixable. Some need nothing more than a fresh configuration. Some need a part replaced. Some need a full upgrade because the system has run its course. The only way to know which one you are looking at is a proper CCTV camera inspection: a hands-on diagnosis by someone who knows the equipment, the configuration software and the faults that come up in South African conditions.
Easy CCTV is an owner-operated CCTV installer based in Pretoria East, installing Hikvision and TP-Link security cameras across Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg since 2013, and repairing and maintaining systems of every brand. With more than 7,500 cameras installed, walking into a property where the cameras have packed up and working out why is something we have done many, many times.
Common CCTV Camera Problems We Diagnose
If any of these sound familiar, what you need is an inspection, not a whole new installation in most cases. The diagnosis takes 30 to 60 minutes on site and gives you a straight answer on what is wrong and what it will cost to put right.
Cameras Show “No Signal”
The recorder shows “Video Loss” or a black screen instead of footage. Usually a cabling, power or connector issue, and now and then the camera itself has failed.
Mobile App Won’t Connect
Hik-Connect, VIGI, Tapo, IMOU or another app says the device is offline, or remote viewing stopped after the router was replaced or the network changed. Usually a port-forward, cloud registration or DDNS configuration issue.
Constant False Alarms
Your phone buzzes every five minutes from cats, leaves, headlights and shadows, and you have learned to ignore the app. Usually a detection zone, AI classification or motion-sensitivity misconfiguration.
Night Footage Is Useless
Daytime is fine, but night footage is pitch black, washed out from IR overexposure, or too noisy to show anything. Usually an IR illuminator, lens or camera-positioning issue.
Hard Drive Failure
The NVR or DVR is beeping, showing “HDD Error”, or playback only goes back a few days when it used to go back weeks. Surveillance-grade hard drives typically last 3 to 5 years and need scheduled replacement.
System Slow or Won’t Boot
The recorder takes ten minutes to start, hangs on the loading screen or restarts itself. Usually a hard drive, firmware or power supply issue, sometimes heat from blocked ventilation.
Footage Quality Has Degraded
Cameras have weathered, lenses are misted, focus has drifted, or the system was never high-resolution enough to be useful. Sometimes fixed with cleaning, sometimes a camera replacement.
Original CCTV Installer Has Vanished
The company that installed your system has closed down, changed numbers or stopped answering. You need someone to take over support of a system you did not buy from them. We do this often.
What Does a CCTV Camera Inspection Include?
A proper inspection is more than a quick look at the screen. We work through the whole system in order, cameras, cabling, recorder, network, mobile app and configuration, and hand you a written diagnosis with a clear recommendation at the end.
Physical Camera Check
Every camera checked at the unit: physical damage, weather seals, lens cleanliness, focus, IR illuminator function, mounting integrity and cable terminations.
NVR and DVR Diagnostic
Recorder boot test, firmware check, hard drive health from SMART data, channel verification, recording schedule audit, and a configuration backup so settings can be restored if needed.
Network and Mobile App Test
Router connectivity, port-forward and cloud registration checks, app login on your phone, a push notification test, and a remote viewing test from outside the network.
AI Detection Audit
Detection zone review on every camera, sensitivity check, schedule verification, false-alarm pattern analysis, and an AI classification audit where the cameras support it. This is the main fix for “constant false alerts” complaints.
Power Supply Audit
Power supply voltage and current checks, PoE switch port tests, UPS battery condition, load shedding resilience and surge protection review. Power issues cause about 40% of CCTV failures.
Written Diagnosis and Quote
Every inspection ends with a written report listing every issue found, the fix for each one, and a quotation for repair or upgrade. No verbal-only diagnosis and no vague “you probably need a new system” upsell.
How Much Does a CCTV Inspection Cost?
Standard callout and diagnostic fee in Pretoria East, including the first hour. Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg R950. After-hours callouts R1,200.
- Full physical inspection of every camera
- NVR or DVR diagnostic with hard drive health check
- Network and mobile app verification
- AI detection and detection zone audit
- Written diagnosis with itemised repair quote
- Inspection fee deducted from any repair work booked within 30 days
Why we charge for CCTV inspections: a thorough diagnostic takes 30 to 60 minutes on site and another half hour to write up properly. “Free” inspections advertised elsewhere are almost always followed by an inflated repair quote built to claw back the time given away. Our fee is fixed and upfront, and it comes off any repair you book, so if you go ahead with the fix the inspection effectively costs nothing. Site inspections ahead of a brand-new installation are a different thing entirely, and those are free: book a free site visit for a new system.
How a CCTV Maintenance Visit Works
From the first call to a working system, here is exactly what happens.
A quick description of the problem: what is happening, how long it has been down, and what brand of cameras you have. We give you our availability and confirm the fee for your area.
Most Pretoria East inspections happen within 1-2 working days, and Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg within 2-3. Same-day callouts are available for urgent commercial sites.
30 to 60 minutes on site. Every camera checked, recorder tested, network verified and configuration audited. You are welcome to watch, and most people do.
You receive a fully itemised written quotation for any repair or upgrade, with hardware and labour quoted separately. No verbal-only estimates.
Once you accept the quote, repairs are scheduled at your convenience, and most are completed within the same week. Workmanship warranty applies to any new work.
After repairs, every camera is tested live, the app is reverified, and you receive a fresh test notification before we leave. The job is done when the system genuinely works.
How Much Do Common CCTV Repairs Cost?
Most inspections lead to one of the repairs below. Knowing what each typically costs helps you decide whether to fix or upgrade.
| Repair Type | Typical Symptom | Fix Time | Indicative Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection and AI reconfiguration | Constant false alerts | 1-2 hours on site | R950-R1,500 |
| Mobile app reset and reconnection | App offline after router change | 1 hour on site | R750-R1,200 |
| Camera replacement (single unit) | One camera dead or damaged | 2-3 hours on site | R1,800-R5,500 incl. unit |
| Hard drive replacement | Beeping NVR, short playback | 1-2 hours on site | R1,800-R3,500 incl. 2TB drive |
| Power supply or PoE switch replacement | Random camera drop-outs | 1-2 hours on site | R1,200-R3,200 |
| NVR or DVR replacement | Recorder boot failure | 2-4 hours on site | R4,500-R12,000+ |
| UPS sizing and installation for load shedding | System down during outages | 1-2 hours on site | R3,000-R8,000 |
| Full system upgrade (existing coax reused) | System past useful life | 1-2 days | From R8,000 |
Genuinely unfixable systems are rare. Most “broken CCTV” complaints are resolved with one of the repairs above, and we will always tell you honestly when a system has reached the point where replacement is cheaper than repair.
When Should You Upgrade Instead of Repair?
About a quarter of our inspections end on the same note: this system is past its useful life, and carrying on repairing it costs more than starting fresh. That is especially true of analogue systems installed before 2018. The cameras are low resolution, the DVR has no AI, the app no longer gets meaningful updates, and the hard drive has been running on borrowed time for years.
In these cases we present both options honestly: keep repairing the old system at R3,000 to R8,000 per intervention every 12 to 18 months, or upgrade to a modern system that will deliver for the next 5 to 10 years. The upgrade usually keeps the existing cable infrastructure where possible, which significantly reduces the cost compared with a new build.
For the upgrade route, all five of our fixed-price tiers are available, from the lowest entry price:
- TP-Link Tapo WiFi specials from R5,900: the cheapest route back to working cameras and the only one needing no data cable to a recorder, which suits rentals and complexes with modification rules
- Hikvision Turbo HD specials from R8,000: a like-for-like upgrade of an older analogue system using the same coax cable runs
- TP-Link VIGI AI specials from R11,500: AI human and vehicle detection, colour night vision and two-way audio at roughly half the cost per camera of the Hikvision AI range, on a 2-year warranty
- Hikvision AcuSense AI specials from R19,900: deep-learning detection that ends the false-alarm problem, on a 3-year South African warranty
- Hikvision ColorVu AI specials from R24,900: the flagship tier, with full-colour night vision, AcuSense and active deterrent, and our most-installed upgrade in Waterkloof, Brooklyn and Monument Park
Which tier is right depends on what the inspection finds and what you want the system to do. If the existing coax is sound and the budget is tight, Turbo HD is the sensible call. If false alarms drove you to phone us, you need AI detection, and TP-Link VIGI gets you there for considerably less than Hikvision. Full pricing is on our CCTV installation prices guide.
CCTV Camera Inspection and Repair FAQs
How much does a CCTV camera inspection cost?
R750 in Pretoria East including the first hour, R950 in Centurion, Midrand and Johannesburg, and R1,200 for after-hours callouts. The fee covers a full 30 to 60 minute on-site diagnostic and a written report with an itemised repair quotation. If you go ahead with any repair within 30 days, the fee is deducted from the repair invoice, so the inspection effectively becomes free.
How long does a CCTV camera inspection take?
30 to 60 minutes on site for a typical 4 to 8 camera residential system. Larger commercial sites or systems with 12 or more cameras can take 1 to 2 hours. The written report is delivered the same day or the next morning, depending on when the inspection finishes.
Do you repair CCTV systems from brands you do not install?
Yes. We install Hikvision and TP-Link, but we inspect and repair systems from any brand, including Dahua, Uniview, Provision-ISR, AVTECH, Bosch, Ezviz, IMOU and unbranded budget systems. For systems past their useful life the inspection often leads to an upgrade recommendation, but we repair other brands wherever it makes economic sense.
Can you fix my CCTV cameras the same day as the inspection?
Sometimes, depending on what we find. Configuration fixes such as detection zones, app resets and mobile viewing setup are usually completed on the spot. Hardware replacement (cameras, recorder, hard drive) needs the part sourced, which typically adds 1 to 3 working days. We tell you immediately whether a same-day fix is possible.
My CCTV system is not working: how urgent is it?
That depends on your situation. For commercial sites where uninterrupted recording matters for compliance or operations, we offer same-day callouts. For homes where you have lost recording but still have other security in place, such as an alarm, electric fence or beams, 1 to 2 working days is typical. Tell us the urgency when you call and we will work around it.
Do you offer CCTV maintenance contracts?
Yes. For commercial sites and large estates, we offer scheduled maintenance contracts with quarterly inspections, hard drive health checks, firmware updates, detection zone re-tuning and priority response on faults. Pricing depends on camera count and contract length, so contact us to discuss what you need.
What brand do you recommend if my old system needs upgrading?
It depends on the property and budget, and we recommend after the inspection rather than before. Hikvision is our primary range and the recommendation when budget allows: the deepest range, the strongest low-light imaging through ColorVu, and a 3-year South African warranty. TP-Link VIGI is the wired value option, with AI detection and two-way audio from R11,500 installed on a 2-year warranty. TP-Link Tapo covers properties where running new cable is not practical, from R5,900. We never put two brands on one system.
Do you carry out CCTV inspections in Waterkloof, Brooklyn and Monument Park?
Yes. These established Pretoria East suburbs are where we run the most inspection-to-upgrade jobs. Homes in Waterkloof, Brooklyn, Monument Park, Lukasrand, Menlo Park and Hazelwood typically have 10 to 15 year old DVR-era systems reaching end of life: weathered cameras, recorders that no longer support reliable mobile viewing, and false alerts that have made the system unusable. The inspection diagnoses the real state, and the upgrade quote reuses existing cable runs to keep the cost reasonable.
Will you take over support of a system another company installed?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. Installers close down, change numbers or stop answering, leaving clients with hardware nobody will touch. We inspect the system, document what is there, correct the configuration and take it on from that point. You do not need to have bought anything from us for us to maintain your system.
What happens if the inspection shows nothing is fixable?
That has happened maybe twice in 13 years. In both cases the system was a no-name budget brand with no firmware support, no parts available and physically failed cameras, and we were honest that replacement was the only path. For any branded system and most budget brands, there is almost always a fix, and the inspection gives you the information to decide.
Ready to Get Your CCTV Cameras Working Again?
Itemised quote within 24 hours of the inspection. Repairs are typically scheduled within the same week.
Rates last reviewed 10 October 2026 by Easy CCTV, CCTV installation and maintenance specialists in Pretoria East since 2013.