What does a commercial security system installation include?

Typically the hardware, the cable and mounting labour, the door hardware that makes each door lock and release properly, the tie-in to the fire alarm, the network and power work, and commissioning. Only the hardware has published prices, so ask for the rest as separate written lines.

Is monitoring included?

Sometimes, and it is worth reading closely. Verkada publishes an alarm site licence at $600 a year for Basic with professional monitoring included, or $1,500 for the Video Alarms version, one licence per site. Other vendors bill monitoring separately, so confirm which model your quote uses.

Why do quotes for the same building differ so much?

Usually because the door list is different, or because one bidder has priced the door hardware and the fire alarm tie-in and another has left them out. Hand every bidder the same written list of doors and ask for model numbers, and most of the gap turns out to be scope rather than price.

How much does commercial security system installation cost?

Published August 23, 2026

No manufacturer publishes an installed price for a commercial security system; Verkada publishes hardware MSRP and Kisi a $99 monthly platform floor.

That is an unsatisfying answer and it is the true one. A business owner reading five articles about this will find five different ranges and no source behind any of them. What follows is the part that can be checked, separated from the part that cannot, so you can tell which half of a quote you are able to verify.

The published half

Verkada publishes an MSRP for every piece of hardware it sells, and read on August 23, 2026 that catalogue included access controllers at $899 for one door, $1,999 for four and $5,999 for sixteen; door readers at $349 and $599; alarm panels at $799 and $899; an alarm keypad at $399; wired motion sensors and door contacts at $99; and a wireless hub at $599. Those are list prices, not what an integrator will bill you, and they are the only numbers in this whole subject you can look up yourself.

Source: Verkada

One recurring figure is published too, and it is worth knowing because monitoring is usually sold as a mystery. Verkada's alarm site licence is $600 for a one-year Basic licence with unlimited sensors and professional monitoring included, or $1,500 for a Video Alarms licence that adds camera-triggered alarms. One licence is required per site. Kisi separately publishes a platform plan starting at $99 a month for the admin dashboard, with hardware on top.

Sources: Verkada, Kisi

The unpublished half, which is most of the bill

Labour. Cable runs, mounting, terminating, commissioning and testing. Nobody publishes a rate for it.
Door hardware. Electric strikes, maglocks, closers, and repairs to doors that will not take them.
Fire alarm interface. Locked doors on an egress path have to release on an alarm, and that is separate work with its own inspection.
The access control software licence. Verkada prints additional licence required beside every controller and publishes no price for it.
Network and power. Switches with the right power budget, backup power, and somewhere dry and secure for the equipment.

Ask for hardware, labour, licences and monitoring as four separate lines on every quote. Three quotes in that shape can be compared. Three lump sums cannot.

How to make three quotes actually comparable

Write the door list yourself, before anyone visits: every door, what it does, and whether it locks now.
Give every bidder the same list. A quote for seven doors and a quote for five are not two prices for one job.
Ask each one to name the model numbers. A published MSRP exists for some of them, which means you can check part of the quote in a browser.
Ask what happens in year two: licence renewals, monitoring, and what a call-out costs.
Ask who owns the credentials and the recorded data if you move to another vendor.

Why there is no price range on this page

Because we would have to make it up. A published number for the labour half of this work does not exist, and a range assembled from anecdotes would look exactly like a real one. The board this page sits on exists to publish measurements rather than impressions, and that rule does not get an exception because a number would be convenient.

This is general information, not a quote and not a code ruling. Fire and life-safety requirements for locked doors are set locally and enforced by your fire marshal.

Questions people ask next

What does a commercial security system installation include?: Typically the hardware, the cable and mounting labour, the door hardware that makes each door lock and release properly, the tie-in to the fire alarm, the network and power work, and commissioning. Only the hardware has published prices, so ask for the rest as separate written lines.
Is monitoring included?: Sometimes, and it is worth reading closely. Verkada publishes an alarm site licence at $600 a year for Basic with professional monitoring included, or $1,500 for the Video Alarms version, one licence per site. Other vendors bill monitoring separately, so confirm which model your quote uses.
Why do quotes for the same building differ so much?: Usually because the door list is different, or because one bidder has priced the door hardware and the fire alarm tie-in and another has left them out. Hand every bidder the same written list of doors and ask for model numbers, and most of the gap turns out to be scope rather than price.

Written for business owners by Most Recommended Commercial Security, which measures which commercial security companies AI assistants actually recommend. Nobody can pay to be on those lists. How we measure.