An alarm power supply with battery backup keeps your alarm panel, beams, cameras and recorder working when the power fails, because an outage is no time for the security system to go dark. Most security systems already have a small battery somewhere; the questions are whether it is healthy and whether it covers everything. This page covers alarm panel batteries, 12 V DC camera supplies, putting the NVR and PoE switch on a UPS, and electric fence energisers. Send one request and local security installers will quote you for free, with no obligation.
Alarm panel batteries
An alarm panel carries a sealed 12 V lead acid battery, often 7 Ah, kept charged by the panel. It powers the panel, keypads, PIRs, beams and siren during an outage. After a few years it weakens. The signs are a low battery or AC fail warning that will not clear, a keypad that dies early in an outage, or a siren that sounds weak. Replace it with the same size, or a bigger one if the box and charger allow. Outdoor beams often have their own small batteries too, and the communicator that reports to the armed response company should be on backup as well. The gate uses similar blocks: see gate motor batteries.
12 V DC supplies for cameras
Analogue cameras and many older IP cameras run on 12 V DC from a central power supply. A power supply with battery backup is a metal box with a 12 V output, a charger and a sealed battery inside, so the cameras keep recording when the mains goes. Size it by adding up the current of each camera, including the infrared lights at night, which draw more.
- A 12 V 3 A supply with a 7 Ah battery suits a few cameras or an alarm extension.
- Bigger systems use 5 A or 10 A supplies with larger batteries.
- Fused outputs per camera stop one fault from taking out the lot.
NVR, PoE switch and the router
IP camera systems power the cameras over Ethernet from a PoE switch or a PoE recorder (NVR). That box, the recorder and the router for remote viewing all need to be on a UPS, or the cameras go dark even though each camera is fine. Add the PoE load to the recorder's draw and choose a pure sine UPS with enough watts to spare. Larger estates use bigger units or link to the main battery backup system. Keep a router UPS in mind so alerts still reach your phone.
Electric fences and estate security
Electric fence energisers run from a 12 V battery with a charger, and keep pulsing during an outage as long as the battery holds. Long fences, many zones and high output energisers drain it faster, so the battery must suit the energiser and be tested regularly. For estates and complexes, the guard hut, boom gates, intercom and camera room each need a plan, and body corporates often ask for one quote that covers all of them.
What to include in your request
- Number and type of cameras: 12 V or PoE
- Alarm panel and battery size, if known
- NVR, PoE switch and router to back up
- Electric fence energiser and its battery
- Hours of backup you want
CCTV & Alarm Battery Backup for different clients
- Homeowners: a healthy alarm battery, backup for the cameras and the recorder on a UPS
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: backup for the guard hut, boom cameras, the perimeter fence and the control room
- Offices and home offices: alarm and access control batteries plus a UPS for the camera recorder
- Shops, restaurants and salons: the camera recorder on a UPS and alarm backup so the shop stays covered overnight
- Farms and smallholdings: electric fence energiser batteries and backed up cameras at the gates and stores
- Clinics, surgeries and care homes: alarm and camera backup for pharmacies, clinics, surgeries and old age homes
- Factories, warehouses, schools and churches: camera rooms, perimeter beams and alarm panels backed up across warehouses and yards
- Electricians, installers and security companies: security installers buying power supplies, alarm batteries and small UPS units in bulk
Frequently asked questions
How long should my alarm battery last in an outage?
How do I add battery backup to my CCTV cameras?
What does an alarm power supply with battery backup cost?
Who will quote for my security backup?
CCTV & Alarm Battery Backup by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg