I’ve wanted to build HIK Installer since around 2016. Back then it was just an idea scribbled down after one too many conversations with customers who had no way of finding a properly certified, insured Hikvision installer near them, they just Googled “CCTV installer” and hoped for the best. I knew what I wanted to build. I just didn’t have the time, and honestly, I didn’t have the tools or the technical depth to pull it off properly. So it sat there for years, one of those ideas I’d mention to people every so often and never actually start.
This year that changed. Not only did I finally build HIK Installer, I built a second, sibling site alongside it: Ajax Installer, covering the Ajax wireless security ecosystem the same way HIK Installer covers Hikvision. Both are live now, both built to my own spec, and both are getting genuine time and attention going forward rather than sitting as another abandoned side project.
What they actually do
Both sites work the same way. A homeowner or business enters their postcode, picks the service they need (CCTV, access control, alarms, intercoms and monitoring on HIK Installer; intrusion, video surveillance, fire and life safety, and home automation on Ajax Installer), and gets matched with verified, insured installers covering their area. Installers get a profile, a listing, and a route to genuine local enquiries instead of competing purely on ad spend.
CCTV Aware is already listed as a Pro Member on HIK Installer, which felt right given the whole idea started from years of first-hand experience running a CCTV installation business and seeing exactly where customers got stuck. Ajax Installer is younger and still building up its featured installer list, but the framework’s there and ready to grow.
Why now
I won’t pretend this was some grand nine-year plan finally executing on schedule. Realistically, the idea just sat waiting for the right combination of time and the right tools to come together, and this year that finally happened. I was able to sit down and actually build both platforms properly, to the exact structure and flow I’d had in my head for years, in a fraction of the time it would once have taken me. I’ll leave the finer details of how for another post, partly because it’s still a bit of a competitive edge I’d rather not hand over on a plate.
What matters more is that it’s done, it’s live, and it works the way I originally pictured it back in 2016.
What’s next
Building the sites was only ever the first half of this. The real work now is promoting both directories, onboarding more certified installers, and building up the kind of local coverage that makes them genuinely useful rather than just two more listings pages. If my own website rebuild taught me anything recently, it’s that shipping is only step one, the follow-through is what actually counts.
If you’re a certified Hikvision or Ajax installer and want to be listed, both sites have a Register page. And if it’s taken me this long to finally ship an idea, don’t be surprised if you hear a lot more about where these two go next.