A low-voltage technician puts in and fixes the cable and devices that run on low-voltage power: network drops, cameras, door access, alarms and smart-home gear. They work in homes and businesses. They check the plans, test each cable run, set up each device and show the customer how it all works.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, security systems companies · BLS, May 2025
The Technician is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of security and low-voltage systems, ensuring reliable performance and customer satisfaction under direct supervision.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Install and configure security, surveillance, access control, and low-voltage systems according to industry standards and client specifications.
Diagnose and resolve service issues in a timely manner to maintain system performance and customer safety.
Follow detailed work orders, safety protocols, and company-approved procedures during installations and repairs.
Collaborate with team members and supervisors to ensure quality service delivery and streamlined operations.
Communicate effectively with customers regarding system usage and troubleshooting tips.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review work orders and system schematics before beginning installations or repairs.
Conduct on-site assessments and perform diagnostics on security and low-voltage systems.
Perform routine maintenance checks and update system software or firmware as needed.
Provide clear, instructional support to customers during system handover and post-installation troubleshooting.
Document work performed, parts used, and any service recommendations accurately.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
System Installation Accuracy: Achieve a 98% error-free installation rate.
Service Response Time: Complete onsite visits within 4 hours of request.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain an average customer rating of >4.8 stars.
First-Time Fix Rate: Resolve issues on the first visit in at least 90% of cases.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; technical certification preferred.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience in installing and troubleshooting security or low-voltage systems.
Strong problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail.
Excellent verbal and written communication abilities for clear customer and team interactions.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience with modern access control, CCTV systems, and home automation technologies.
Previous work in the home services industry or related field.
Familiarity with relevant safety and regulatory standards in electrical and low-voltage installations.
Demonstrated ability to work independently within a dynamic team environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
Comfortable working in varied environments, including confined spaces and outdoor conditions.
Stamina to perform tasks that require frequent bending, kneeling, or climbing.
Manual dexterity to handle small tools and components with precision.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, with occasional overtime as needed.
Must be available for on-call assignments and emergency service calls.
Work performed at residential and commercial sites under various environmental conditions.
Occasional travel within the service territory is required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate ranging from $22 to $28 per hour depending on experience.
Performance-based bonuses and commission opportunities.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
Eligibility for a 401k plan, paid time off, and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative, innovative environment where every team member is empowered to grow and excel.
Our company values continuous learning, quality workmanship, and exceptional customer service.
We are committed to sustainable business practices and creating positive community impact.
Join our team to be part of a forward-thinking company that celebrates success and rewards dedication.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
This tech is the all-rounder of the crew, moving between cable, cameras, doors and smart-home gear in a single week. Standards, state licenses and building codes shape that work in ways a handyman or office IT tech wouldn't expect.
Cable work follows TIA-568
TIA's 568 series sets out how network cable and its parts are built and tested. Its twisted-pair part, ANSI/TIA-568.2-E, came out in November 2024. It's a trade standard rather than a law, so it binds your crew when a job's specs name it. Teach one way to terminate, label and test every run, and keep each test report for the closeout package. Source: TIA: ANSI/TIA-568.2-E published.
BICSI cards show cabling skill
BICSI, the cabling trade's own association, offers Installer 1 for new installers and Installer 2 in copper or in fiber. Installer 2 Copper checks both knowledge and hands-on skill: placing, terminating, testing and troubleshooting copper cable. These are trade credentials, not licenses. Treat one as proof of skill, not as a must-have for every hire. Source: BICSI: Installer 2, Copper certification.
Washington licenses limited energy work
Washington's 06 limited energy specialty covers low-voltage circuits such as telecom and data, fire alarm signaling and intrusion alarms. The card takes 4,000 hours of supervised work. An 06 tech may reconnect the line-voltage feed inside the cabinet of the gear they service, on circuits up to 120 volts and 20 amps, but may not change that circuit. Other states draw these lines elsewhere. Source: WAC 296-46B-920: Electrical specialties, including (06) limited energy system.
Holes in fire-rated walls get sealed
Pulling cable through a fire-rated wall leaves a gap that fire and smoke can follow. The International Building Code, as states and cities adopt it, says those holes must be sealed. Most often that means an approved firestop system, put in just as it was tested. Match the listed system to the wall and the cable bundle. Take a photo of each seal before the ceiling closes. Source: International Building Code 2021, section 714.4.1, as adopted in Illinois (UpCodes).
Homes one day, offices the next
On Monday it might be cameras and a smart lock for a homeowner. By Wednesday it's data drops and card readers in an office. The homeowner needs a slow, patient tour of the app. The office manager wants labeled ports and a neat rack. Either way, change the default passwords on cameras and recorders before you leave.
How much low-voltage technicians make
The closest BLS group for low-voltage technicians is security and fire alarm systems installers. Security and fire alarm systems installers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $28.95 an hour ($60,220 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $60,070 median for security and fire alarm systems installers in all industries. About 55,660 of the 86,340 security and fire alarm systems installers in that survey work for security systems companies.
BLS counts this work under security and fire alarm system installers and doesn't split the group by level, so its median blends new and senior techs. The template's hourly range sits below that median, which fits a tech who still works under direct supervision. The template adds bonuses and commission on top of the hourly wage.
Security systems companies
$60,220$60,220 median Middle half $48,090–$72,820 10th–90th $38,630–$79,350
All industries
$60,070$60,070 median Middle half $47,820–$73,690 10th–90th $38,800–$81,150
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Security systems companies
$38,630
$48,090
$60,220
$72,820
$79,350
All industries
$38,800
$47,820
$60,070
$73,690
$81,150
BLS doesn’t publish pay for low-voltage contractors on their own. These figures cover security systems services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Terminates and tests copper cable to the wiring scheme your jobs use
Mounts and aims IP cameras and sets up a recorder or cloud account
Wires card readers, door contacts and exit buttons to an access panel
Troubleshoots with a meter, a cable tester and a laptop before swapping parts
Reads plans and work orders and marks up what changed in the field
Teach these on the job
Programming software for the camera, access and alarm brands you sell
Fiber termination and testing, if your jobs include it
The firestop products and listed systems your area accepts
Your labeling scheme and closeout photo steps
The smart-home hubs and locks on your price list
A low-voltage tech carries a fish tape, a punch-down tool, crimpers, a multimeter, a cable tester or certifier and a laptop for setting up cameras, panels and network switches. Tell applicants whether your techs certify each run with a certifier or only check it with a basic tester, since that shows what kind of cabling work you sell.
Low-voltage technician interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Customer password safety
A customer asks you to set the admin password to their house number so they won't forget it. What do you do?
A strong answer: Explains the risk, helps them set a strong password and save it somewhere safe, and never keeps a copy.
Behavioral · Teaching customers
Tell me about a time you taught a customer to use a system. How did you know they understood?
A strong answer: Had the customer do it themselves while they watched and answered questions.
Pull these from your job and service records, and look at each tech over a month or more so one hard job doesn't skew the picture.
System Installation Accuracy
Jobs closed with every device working and every cable run passing its test, with no callback in your set window. Count rework the field supervisor finds at the walk-through too.
Service Response Time
Time from the service request to the tech's arrival, taken from dispatch time stamps. Keep emergency calls apart from routine ones so the average means something.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey ratings for the tech's own visits. Watch comments on the handover, since a customer who can't work the app will call back.
First-Time Fix Rate
Service calls closed on the first visit, against all of the tech's service calls. Track repeats caused by missing parts apart from repeats caused by a wrong diagnosis.
In some states, yes. Washington wants its 06 limited energy card, or a trainee card while the tech works under supervision. Other states split this work up in their own ways, sometimes across more than one agency. Check your state's electrical board first, then any alarm license, and put the card the job needs in the posting.
How much does a low-voltage technician make?
Security and fire alarm systems installers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $28.95 an hour ($60,220 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $48,090 and $72,820 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Is a low-voltage technician an electrician?
Not usually. Washington's 06 card stops at low-voltage work and the cabinet connections described above. When a camera power supply or gate opener needs a new outlet, plan for a licensed electrician to run it, or hire a tech who holds both licenses.
Should I require BICSI certification?
Treat it as a plus, not a gate. If you bid on jobs whose specs ask for certified installers, paying for a tech's course can pay off. BICSI's cards also give a good tech somewhere to grow: Installer 1, then Installer 2 in copper or fiber, then BICSI's Technician card.
How is a technician different from a security technician here?
The two templates differ. The technician works under direct supervision in homes and businesses, on security, camera, door access and home automation systems, and needs two years on the job. The security technician needs three years, works on commercial systems, has a faster response target and runs scheduled maintenance visits. Many techs move from the first job to the second.
How should a low-voltage technician ad describe the physical work?
The template's physical list asks for stamina for bending, kneeling and climbing, which describes the person more than the job. Your posting can name the work instead: pulling cable through attics and above ceiling tiles, working from ladders, kneeling at wall plates and lifting gear that weighs up to 50 pounds. EEOC guidance says an employer may state physical requirements like these and ask applicants if they can meet each one.
