How Can CCTV Installers Add AI to Customers' Existing Cameras?
- Written by
- Agentinosaurus Team
- Published
- Reading time
- 3 min read
Sell AI monitoring to customers you already serve, on cameras that are already on their walls. What to offer, how to run a pilot and what to check on site.
Can installers offer AI without selling new cameras?
Yes. Any customer camera with an RTSP stream (and almost every professional camera has one) can be given AI tasks: watch for a specific situation, follow a schedule and alert the right person. Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Hanwha Vision, Uniview, ANNKE, Amcrest and Reolink systems all qualify, and ONVIF discovery usually finds them automatically.
For an installer, that turns every past project into a new service opportunity, with no hardware to stock.
What exactly can an installer sell?
Sell an outcome, not software: “you’ll know within a minute if someone is in the warehouse after closing.” Most installers package it in three steps.
| Package | What you do | How you charge |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | One camera, one Event, tested together on site | One-off setup fee |
| Site setup | All relevant cameras, Events per area, schedules, alert recipients, handover | Setup fee per site or per camera |
| Ongoing care | Monthly review of alerts, Event wording, new cameras, Station health | Your own monthly service fee |
Who gets paid for the installation?
You set your own installation and configuration fees and keep 100% of that service revenue. The customer pays Agentinosaurus directly for the software subscription. Cloud AI usage is a separate cost through the customer’s chosen provider, billed to their own account.
Which existing customers should you approach first?
Start with customers whose cameras already show something they regularly check by hand, or something that would be costly to miss.
| Customer | Event | Why they care |
|---|---|---|
| Shop | A person is inside the shop (after closing) | Break-ins and staff left behind |
| Warehouse (safety) | Boxes are blocking the fire exit | Safety inspections and fines |
| Warehouse (work at height) | A person is on a ladder without anyone nearby | Work accidents |
| Care home | Someone falls and stays on the floor | Response time after a fall |
| Construction site | A person is on the site at night | Theft of tools and materials |
| Home | The garage door is open | Peace of mind, easy upsell |
What should the first customer pilot include?
Keep the pilot small enough to finish in one visit and convincing enough to sell the rest.
- Site survey: confirm the camera’s RTSP stream works (test it in VLC) and that a computer can stay on next to the network.
- Install Station on that computer (Windows, macOS, Linux or a Raspberry Pi 5) and pair it to the customer’s workspace.
- Add the camera, write one Event with the customer and set the schedule.
- Set up the customer’s AI provider key and push notifications on their phone.
- Act out the situation together and read the alert in the app.
- Agree what success looks like after two weeks: alerts received, false alerts, response time.
Can you offer ongoing support?
Yes, and it’s where recurring revenue comes from. A monthly check-in to review alerts, adjust Event wording, add cameras and confirm Station is healthy is valuable to customers who don’t want to manage it themselves. Set the scope and fee yourself.
- Monthly: review incidents and false alerts with the customer.
- Quarterly: re-check camera views after layout changes.
- When needed: new Events for new risks, new cameras, new alert recipients.
How do you get started as an installer partner?
Pick one existing customer with a clear need and one camera you know streams over RTSP. That’s enough for a pilot. The partner program helps with your first setup and with how to present the service.