--- title: "Business CCTV Buying Guide Kenya | Qyvea Limited" url: https://qyvea.co.ke/business-cctv-buying-guide-kenya description: "What to actually look for when buying CCTV for a business in Kenya -- resolution, low-light performance, storage, PoE vs analog, and buying by business type." updated: 2026-10-09 --- > Markdown copy of https://qyvea.co.ke/business-cctv-buying-guide-kenya for AI assistants. Prices and stock change; check the live page. CCTV Guide # Business CCTV Buying Guide Qyvea Limited Resource Centre · Updated September 2026 Camera spec sheets are full of numbers that don't all matter equally. This guide focuses on what actually affects real-world performance for a Kenyan business, and what tends to be marketing noise. ## What actually matters - **Resolution** -- higher resolution means more detail for identifying faces or number plates, but also more storage used. 4MP is a reasonable default for most business entrances; higher resolution suits wider areas like a parking lot where you need to zoom in later. - **Low-light / night performance** -- check the effective IR or white-light range in metres, not just "night vision: yes". A camera rated for 30m IR range is very different from one rated for 60m. - **Color night vision (like ColorVu)** -- worth it for entrances and areas where identifying colour (clothing, vehicles) at night matters, not necessary for every camera on site. - **IP rating** -- IP66 or IP67 for any outdoor-mounted camera. An indoor-rated camera used outdoors will fail faster from moisture and dust ingress. - **Compression (H.265 vs H.264)** -- H.265 roughly halves storage requirements at similar quality. Worth prioritizing if storage cost matters. - **PoE vs separate power** -- Power over Ethernet (PoE) cameras run power and data over one cable, simplifying installation versus needing separate power runs. ## What matters less than the spec sheet suggests - **"AI" branding** -- most modern cameras include some form of smart motion detection (person/vehicle detection). It's genuinely useful for reducing false alerts, but isn't a reason alone to pick one camera over another with similar core specs. - **Extremely high resolution everywhere** -- an 8MP camera on a narrow corridor is often overkill; the same budget is better spent on more cameras or better low-light performance where it matters. ## By business type | Business type | Priority | | --- | --- | | Retail / shopfront | Entrance and till-point coverage, colour night vision for identifying customers after hours | | Office | Entrance, server room and reception coverage; internal cameras less critical | | Warehouse | Wide-angle coverage of stock areas and loading bays, higher resolution for reading labels/plates | | Restaurant / hospitality | Entrance, till point and kitchen coverage; audio-capable cameras sometimes useful for dispute resolution | ## A real example See our [Hikvision ColorVu camera page](https://qyvea.co.ke/hikvision-colorvu-cctv-camera-kenya) for a worked example of a real, currently-stocked camera and what its specific features actually mean in practice. ## Don't forget the recorder Camera quality is only half the system -- the NVR/DVR determines how much footage you can actually keep and how reliably it records. See our [storage calculator guide](https://qyvea.co.ke/cctv-storage-calculator-guide-kenya) to size this correctly before buying. FAQ ## Questions Is a more expensive camera always better for a business? Not necessarily -- match the camera to the specific area it covers. A high-spec camera on a low-priority internal door is often a worse use of budget than a mid-range camera plus better recorder storage. Should every camera on site have the same specification? No -- entrances and high-value areas usually justify better night vision and resolution than internal corridors or low-risk areas. What's the biggest mistake businesses make when buying CCTV? Buying cameras without planning the recorder and storage together, then discovering footage is only being kept for a few days instead of the retention period they actually needed. ## Get camera recommendations for your business Free site survey -- we recommend cameras matched to each area of your property, not a one-size-fits-all package. [Call +254 113 301 244](tel:+254113301244) [WhatsApp Us](https://wa.me/254113301244?text=Hi%20Qyvea%2C%20I%27d%20like%20CCTV%20recommendations%20for%20my%20business.) Related ## Related pages [### CCTV Installation The full installation service.](https://qyvea.co.ke/cctv) [### Hikvision ColorVu Camera A real camera example with full specifications.](https://qyvea.co.ke/hikvision-colorvu-cctv-camera-kenya) [### CCTV Camera Prices Compare real camera prices.](https://qyvea.co.ke/cctv-camera-prices-in-kenya) [### Resource Centre All Qyvea guides and checklists.](https://qyvea.co.ke/resources) Chat with us — 30 min response --- **Qyvea Limited** · Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya (delivery only, no walk-in pickup) · serving all 47 counties Phone/WhatsApp: [+254 113 301 244](https://wa.me/254113301244) · Email: info@qyvea.co.ke · Shop: [qyvea.co.ke/products](https://qyvea.co.ke/products) · Facts: [qyvea.co.ke/qyvea-facts](https://qyvea.co.ke/qyvea-facts)