Use one cost formula
Hardware + installation + cabling and electrical + network work + software + maintenance = total cost of ownership.
Ask every vendor to fill the same cost sheet. A quote with a low unit price may leave out software, switches, lifts or installation. A higher battery-unit price may still cost less in a tiled room where a new cable run is hard.
Published hardware prices
Zeptive lists wired USB/Wi-Fi and PoE/Ethernet detectors at $995 and battery Wi-Fi and cellular models at $1,195 as of August 21, 2026. Its product pages say software fees are billed apart. HALO, Triton, FlySense and AURA tend to use quote pricing, so request an itemized bill.
Do not assume one unit per room. Coverage changes with airflow, stalls, ceiling height and response-time goals. Ask vendors to price against the same marked floor plan.
Installation can change the winner
For PoE, count cable, conduit, switch capacity, patch panels, network setup, lifts, wall repair and contractor time. For battery units, count Wi-Fi surveys, charging or swaps, spare batteries and staff rounds. For cellular, count signal tests and the data plan.
Worked five-year example
A 12-room plan with one $1,195 unit per room starts at $14,340 in hardware. Add $250 per room for setup and $250 per unit per year for software and upkeep, and the five-year planning total becomes $32,340. These are sample inputs, not a market quote.
Questions for a clean quote
- What does the price include and exclude?
- Is the cloud license required? What happens when it ends?
- Who installs, tunes and tests each unit?
- What replacement, support and warranty labor are included?
- Does the quote cover all five years and every planned room?