When people talk about “monitored CCTV,” they usually mean one of two different things: a system that sends alerts to your own phone, or one connected to a professional monitoring centre that watches footage and dispatches a response. They’re not the same, and it’s worth knowing the difference before deciding what you need.
Self-monitoring: alerts to your phone
This is what we install. Cameras connect to an app, and you get a notification with a clip or snapshot when something triggers motion detection. You check it, decide whether it’s worth acting on, and view live or recorded footage whenever you want. There’s no ongoing monitoring fee, and no third party watching your property.
Back-to-base monitoring: a staffed centre watches for you
Some providers offer professional monitoring, where trained operators watch camera feeds (or respond to alarm triggers) and can dispatch a response — security patrol, police, or contact you directly. This typically comes with an ongoing monthly fee on top of the equipment. Interested in professional monitoring? Contact us and we’ll help you work out the right setup for your property.
Which suits you better
Self-monitoring works well if you’re comfortable checking an alert yourself and deciding what to do — most homes and small businesses fall into this category. Back-to-base monitoring suits situations where nobody’s realistically going to check an alert promptly, or where a guaranteed response matters more than cost — larger commercial sites are the more common example. Most of the time, the real question isn’t which monitoring type sounds more impressive — it’s whether you or someone else is actually going to be the one checking the phone when an alert comes through, or whether you’d rather that responsibility sat with a monitoring service instead.
What a self-monitored system actually gives you
A decent self-monitored setup isn’t a downgrade — it’s motion-triggered recording, a notification the moment something happens, live viewing from anywhere, and playback of recorded footage whenever you need it. For most homes and small businesses, that covers what actually matters: knowing something happened, and having footage of it. If you’re starting from scratch rather than comparing monitoring options, our home security guide covers choosing the system itself.
Costs
Self-monitored systems cost less to run than monitored ones, since there’s no ongoing monitoring fee — just the equipment and installation.
How Saint George Group can help
We’re a licensed NSW security installer (NSW master licence ML000111327). Our CCTV system covers a straightforward self-monitored setup, or get a CCTV and alarms quote if you need something bigger. If professional monitoring is what you’re after, get in touch and we’ll talk through the options for your property.
Quick answers
Will I miss an alert if I’m busy or asleep? With a self-monitored system, the notification will be there when you check your phone, but there’s no guaranteed response the way a monitored centre would offer — that’s the trade-off with self-monitoring.
Can I upgrade to back-to-base monitoring later? Get in touch and we’ll talk through what’s possible for your setup.
Most homes and small businesses get what they actually need from a self-monitored system — the alert, the footage, and the decision in your hands.
