OEM on a security camera works in five levels: logo on the unit, retail packaging, firmware defaults, modification of an existing housing, and new tooling. Logo, packaging and firmware defaults all start at 300 units on a first order. New tooling is a separate project with its own deposit and its own clock. A stock model carrying your logo ships on the standard 7–14 day lead time; a new-tooling project is quoted once the drawings are signed off.
Two words get used interchangeably in this industry and they are not the same thing. OEM means our product carrying your name. ODM means a product that does not exist yet, built to your specification. The difference between them is several months and a tooling deposit, so it is worth establishing which one you are asking for before anyone quotes.
This guide sets out the five levels, what each one costs you in minimum quantity, how the timeline actually runs, and the three things that most often push a project off its date. For the pricing logic behind the tiers, see our OEM pricing guide.
1. The five levels of customization
Working from the cheapest to the most involved, these are the five things you can change.
| Level | What changes | First order from |
|---|---|---|
| Logo on the unit | Silk-screen on the housing, plus the rating and identification label | 300 units |
| Retail packaging | Colour box, manual, inserts, your barcode | 300 units |
| Firmware defaults | Boot logo, default language, preset parameters | 300 units |
| Existing housing, modified | An existing mould in a new colour, or with a different bracket | Quoted per project |
| New tooling | A new housing, internal layout or mould | Quoted per project |
The first three are a printing and configuration job. The last two are an engineering project, and that is where the deposit and the calendar come in.
2. MOQ, stated plainly
Minimum quantities are where suppliers are vaguest, so here they are without decoration.
- Sample: 1–2 units, at sample pricing.
- Trial order: 3–100 units, on its own price tier.
- First order: 300 units minimum, which is where OEM branding starts.
- 1,000+ units: a separate tier — ask for it on the models you are serious about.
The 300-unit line is not arbitrary. It is roughly where a logo print run and a printed carton order stop costing more per unit than the saving is worth. Below it, we can still build and ship — just without your branding.
3. The timeline, step by step
Every step below is a place a project can lose a week, and only one of them is on us.
| Step | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Spec and quote | Model, quantity, target market | Answered within 24 hours on business days |
| Sample | 1–2 units built and shipped to you | On the standard lead time |
| Artwork sign-off | Your logo and box files approved by you | Your call — and the most common cause of a slipped date |
| Production | Assembly, ageing, testing, packing | 7–14 days |
| Balance payment | 50% deposit with the order, 50% before shipment | — |
| Shipment | FOB Shenzhen or CIF your port | Per your booking |
Read down that list and it is obvious where the schedule is really decided. Production is a fixed number of days; artwork sign-off is not, and it is the step you control.
4. New tooling: when you need it, and what it costs
You need new tooling when the housing you want does not exist — a shape we do not make, a bracket arrangement nobody stocks, or an internal layout that has to move to fit a different board.
Our tooling deposit for a custom housing is USD 3,000, and it is not a sunk cost: accumulated orders of 1,500 units against that tooling are credited against the goods. In other words, the deposit is recovered by the volume it was built for, which is the only sensible way to structure it.
Tooling is quoted together with its own timeline, once the drawings are signed off. Do not expect it on the standard lead time, and do not expect us to quote it before we have seen what you want to build.
5. Payment and terms, plainly
Payment is T/T: 50% deposit with the order, 50% before shipment. We quote FOB Shenzhen or CIF your destination port.
Everything past the destination port — import duty, clearance and inland delivery — is yours, and your broker is the right person to price it. If you are unclear on what has to be filed before the goods move, our import and certification guide covers the country programmes and the documents each one needs.
6. Three things that slow an OEM project down
- Artwork that arrives late. A vector logo and a box dieline, sent once, at the start. Raster logos redrawn later cost you a week and sometimes a colour match.
- Changing the model after the sample is approved. The sample exists so you can approve the app, the image and the mounting. Deciding afterwards that you wanted the four-lens version resets the clock.
- Leaving the import paperwork until the container is packed. Conformity programmes and type approvals run on their own clocks, and none of them start when you ask.
7. What to send us to get an accurate quote
Four things, and the quote you get back will be one you can act on:
- The model or models you intend to sell, not a category.
- Your target quantity — first order and, if you know it, the one after.
- Your market and port, because it decides what has to be filed.
- The files you already have: vector logo, box dieline, manual text, barcode.
Send those and the rest of the conversation is short. Then it is a question of which models you register, in which quantities, and on which vessel — which is the conversation worth having.
Frequently asked questions
What is your MOQ for a private-label order?
300 units on the first order, which is where logo, packaging and firmware defaults start. We also ship samples of 1–2 units and trial orders of 3–100 units on their own price tiers, without branding.
Can I get a sample before I commit?
Yes — 1–2 units of the model you intend to sell, at sample pricing. It is the fastest way to check the app, the image quality and the mounting before you commit to printing a box.
How long does a new-tooling project take?
Longer than a stock order, and it depends on the drawings. We quote the tooling and the timeline together once the housing is signed off. The deposit is USD 3,000, and accumulated orders of 1,500 units against that tooling are credited against the goods.
Can you put our brand on the app as well?
We can set firmware defaults including the boot logo and default language. A fully branded app under your own developer account is a different scope, and what is feasible depends on the platform your model runs on — tell us what you need and we will tell you straight whether it can be done.
What files do you need from us for the logo and box?
A vector logo in AI or SVG, the box dieline if you have one, the text for the manual and inserts, and the barcode you want printed. We send templates for anything you do not have.