Physical security incidents in Nairobi — break-ins, theft, unauthorised access — are common enough that most business owners eventually consider CCTV. The problem is that the installation market is crowded with providers offering very different levels of quality, and most buyers can't easily tell the difference until something goes wrong and the footage they need isn't usable.
Start with what you're actually trying to protect
Before discussing camera specifications, define your actual security objectives: deterrence, evidence collection, remote monitoring of staff or operations, or some combination. Each objective points toward different camera placement, resolution requirements, and storage needs. A generic "we'll put four cameras up" proposal, without this conversation happening first, is a sign the installer hasn't actually assessed your premises.
Camera types and what they're actually for
- Dome cameras — discreet, harder to tell which direction they're pointed, good for indoor general coverage.
- Bullet cameras — more visible, stronger deterrent effect, typically used for entrances and perimeters.
- PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras — active monitoring of larger areas, usually paired with a monitored control room rather than passive recording.
- Low-light/IR cameras — essential for any area without reliable lighting after dark, which in practice means most perimeter and parking areas in Nairobi.
Five things that separate a good installation from a bad one
1. Coverage planning, not just camera count
Four well-placed cameras covering genuine blind spots beat eight cameras with overlapping coverage and gaps elsewhere. Insist on a site walk-through and a coverage plan before installation, not after.
2. Adequate storage retention
Many cheap installations default to a storage window of just a few days. If an incident isn't discovered immediately, footage may already be overwritten. Confirm your retention period explicitly — 30 days is a reasonable minimum for most businesses.
3. Network security for IP cameras
Modern IP-based CCTV systems are connected to your network — which means a poorly secured camera system can become an entry point for a broader network compromise. Cameras should sit on a separate, secured network segment, not directly on your main business network.
4. Remote access done properly
Remote viewing from your phone is a major convenience, but it needs to be configured with proper authentication — not a default password left unchanged, which is a more common vulnerability than most business owners realise.
5. A maintenance plan, not just an installation
Cameras get knocked out of position, lenses get dirty, storage drives fail. A one-time installation with no maintenance check-in tends to degrade in coverage quietly over months, until you discover the gap during an actual incident.
What a proper quote should include
A trustworthy CCTV proposal should specify: number and type of cameras, coverage diagram, storage capacity and retention period, network security approach, remote access setup, and an ongoing maintenance arrangement. If a quote skips most of these and just lists a price per camera, treat that as an incomplete proposal rather than a final one.
Our Security & Access Control team designs CCTV and access control systems specifically for Kenyan business environments — including the network security considerations most installers overlook entirely.