Camera hire and security guards cover different jobs. Cameras provide a view and a record of activity; a guard provides an on-site service within agreed duties. Decide what response your site needs before comparing the cost.
Our camera hire is customer-managed. It does not include a person watching the feed or attending an incident.
What should a security guard quote include?
Request a quote for your actual dates, hours and duties. Specify whether you need access control, patrols or another agreed task, and ask how attendance and reporting will be managed.
Check the total for the period you need covered, including any applicable additional charges and GST. A quoted hourly rate alone does not establish the cost of covering an entire build.
What does camera hire cost?
Use the current solar bundle price, together with its minimum hire and delivery charges. Our available package contains two cameras on a dedicated pole; it is not priced as separate camera-only hires.
The solar bundle records continuously, 24/7, with 10-day playback. You use the app to view footage and decide how to respond. Download recordings you need before they are deleted.
Compare the same period and the service included
Choose one planned start and finish date for both quotes. For cameras, include the minimum hire, any extension and delivery. For guards, include the required attendance hours and agreed duties.
Keep GST consistent across the comparison. Record who receives alerts, who can attend the site, and when that response is available. A lower equipment cost does not mean it includes the work of an on-site person.
What each option can do
Camera recording and app access
A camera can show activity within its view and provide footage for later review. Our fixed spot camera covers a chosen priority area; the pan/tilt camera lets you look across the site.
Views can be obstructed, and app access depends on a working connection. Continuous recording does not mean a person is continuously watching. Cameras cannot physically control access or intervene.
A guard on site
A guard can carry out the duties agreed in the service contract while present. Those duties may include checking access or patrolling. Ask the provider to explain the scope and limits of its response instead of assuming every guard quote includes the same work.
A guard's presence also does not replace a camera recording if you need footage for later review. The services may be used together where the site calls for both.
When might you need an on-site person?
If the task requires someone to manage an entrance, perform a patrol or provide an agreed physical response, include that requirement when obtaining security quotes. Our camera hire does not supply those services.
When might camera hire fit?
Camera hire can fit a project that needs a record of selected areas and app access for someone who has responsibility for checking it. Agree a response plan before relying on alerts, including what to do when the usual contact is unavailable.
Do not assume cameras replace a guard on every residential build. The decision depends on the task, site conditions and response required.
Our available package
The solar camera bundle includes its own pole, solar panel and battery, a fixed spot camera and a pan/tilt camera. It needs suitable sunlight and 4G signal.
The fixed camera attached to a Poles & Holes hired temporary power pole is coming soon and will record events only. It is not yet bookable.
Use the total hire cost checklist to prepare comparable quotes, or the buying guide to review the camera setup.
About the author
Doug, Owner & Director
Doug and Deb purchased Poles and Holes in 2002 as its third owners. Doug is the owner and director of the Capalaba business, which was established in 1960 and supplies temporary power poles, portable toilets and site security cameras.
