CCTV Installation in Dakar: What You Need to Know

Keeping an eye on a family house in Almadies from abroad, securing a shop in Plateau, seeing who is at the gate in Sacre Coeur: CCTV has become affordable in Dakar, but installation quality varies a lot. Here is how to pick the right equipment, understand real prices and avoid the usual traps.

IP cameras or analogue

HD analogue cameras run over coaxial cable and cost less. They are fine for a small shop that just wants a record of what happened.

IP cameras run over network cable and deliver a much sharper image, usable zoom and genuinely helpful features: person detection, colour night vision, two way audio to speak to whoever is at the gate. Choose these if you want to recognise a face or read a number plate.

What to check:

• Resolution: 2 megapixels is enough for a courtyard, aim for 4 MP at a gate or a till.
• PoE power: one cable carries video and power, so fewer failure points.
• IP66 rating minimum outdoors, essential during the July to October rains and in the salty air of Ngor, Yoff and the Corniche.
• Field of view: one well positioned fixed camera beats a motorised one pointing the wrong way.

The recorder is the heart of the system

A camera without a recorder is useless the day you need footage. The NVR (IP cameras) or DVR (analogue) stores everything on an internal hard drive. Expect roughly one to two weeks of history from a 1 TB drive with four cameras recording on motion detection, considerably less in continuous mode.

Three points installers often skip:

• Insist on a surveillance grade hard drive, not a desktop one. It runs around the clock.
• Put the NVR somewhere locked and out of sight. A burglar who takes the recorder takes the evidence.
• Add a UPS. Power cuts are routine, and a cut during a write can corrupt recordings.

Remote access, the diaspora priority

The NVR connects to your internet box and a mobile app links the two. Ask the installer to prove it works with no computer switched on and from a foreign mobile network, not just on local wifi. Run that test in front of them before paying the balance.

Fibre covers much of Plateau, Point E, Mermoz, Liberte 6 and Almadies. Further out, in Parcelles Assainies, Pikine, Guediawaye, Keur Massar or Rufisque, a 4G router is usually enough if the remote stream is set to a lower resolution.

Two rules that are never optional: change the default passwords on the NVR and every camera, and refuse any setup where the installer keeps administrator access.

Realistic price ranges

Market orders of magnitude, equipment and labour included. They shift with brand, cable length and how hard the walls are to work with.

• 4 HD analogue cameras, DVR and 1 TB drive, installed: roughly 250,000 to 450,000 FCFA.
• 4 IP cameras at 4 MP with PoE, NVR and 2 TB drive, installed: roughly 500,000 to 900,000 FCFA.
• 8 IP camera setup for a shop: often 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA.
• One extra camera on an existing system: 60,000 to 150,000 FCFA depending on quality.
• Annual maintenance: commonly 10 to 15 percent of the installation cost.

Always ask for a written quote listing equipment references, cable length, warranty and labour separately. Very cheap offers usually hide cameras that are unusable after dark.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Do not film the public road or your neighbour's yard. Frame your own property.
• Tell household staff that cameras are present.
• Run cables in trunking, never bare along an exposed facade.
• Provide some lighting: no camera works miracles in total darkness, infrared included.
• Keep the invoices, useful for any home insurance claim.

If something happens, call 17 for the police, 18 for the fire service and 1515 for the ambulance service.

Recommended addresses on SeneFinder

• AFRICADEX : Scat Urbam
• Globo Equipment & Security : Almadies
• SECURITIS SA : Almadies

More security providers are listed on the platform, so you can see all addresses before requesting quotes.

Useful tools

• Route planner to line up several quote appointments across neighbourhoods in one trip.
• Currency converter to make sense of FCFA prices from abroad.
• Practical guide with emergency numbers and day to day information.
• Also worth reading: settling in Dakar, the diaspora guide and the best insurance options in Dakar.

Frequently asked questions

How much does CCTV installation cost in Dakar?

For a house, a 4 camera IP system installed with recorder and hard drive typically lands between 500,000 and 900,000 FCFA. An equivalent analogue kit starts around 250,000 FCFA.

Can I watch my cameras from abroad?

Yes, using IP cameras linked to an internet connected NVR and a mobile app. Test the connection on mobile data, away from the home wifi, before signing off on the installation.

What happens during a power cut?

Without a UPS the system shuts down and records nothing. A correctly sized UPS keeps it running for several tens of minutes and protects the hard drive from abrupt shutdowns.