Why Project Costs Are Up Significantly Since Q3 2026

Had a Wi-Fi, CCTV, or network project quoted recently? You may have noticed prices are quite a bit higher than they were a year ago.

A lot of the reasons come back to AI.

AI is driving up hardware costs

Across CCTV and Wi-Fi, chips and memory are used everywhere. AI is pushing up demand, and prices are following.

Take Nvidia’s 50-series GPUs. The RRP is around US$2,000, but limited supply means some resellers are asking around US$5,000.

Now that’s inflation.

The same pressure is flowing through the hardware supply chain, affecting the equipment used in network and CCTV projects.

You can see it in project quotes

It’s not just one piece of equipment getting more expensive.

We’re seeing increases across the hardware that goes into these projects:

• Wi-Fi access points.

• Switches.

• Cameras.

• Network video recorders.

• Hard drives.

Some hardware has even doubled in price.

Labour, freight and fuel add to it

Labour is up. Freight is up. Fuel is up. Put it all together, and 20–30% increases on technology projects aren’t surprising.

The exact increase will depend on the site, the equipment, and the scope of the project.

Price is not likely to come down soon

If you have a Wi-Fi or CCTV upgrade coming up, it's a good reminder to start working on the planning now.

The earlier you plan, the more options you have when selecting equipment, scheduling labour, and managing freight costs.

Plan early, you will save money.