# Home CCTV installation in Dubai: cameras, intercoms, alarms and smart locks > Home CCTV in Dubai explained: the cameras, intercoms, alarms and smart locks we fit, where footage is kept and what works offline. Source: https://staging.avario.ae/articles/security-cctv/ Updated: 2026-11-05 For home CCTV installation in Dubai, we plan and fit cameras, door intercoms, alarms and smart locks as one system that you check from your phone. Your recordings stay in your home, and the locks and keypads keep working if the internet drops. Cameras, intercoms and alarms run on UniFi Protect, the security system made by Ubiquiti. Your smart locks link to it too. You can see who is at the gate and let them in from the same screen. This guide covers what we fit, where footage is kept and what happens during an outage. It also explains how a villa differs from an apartment, and there is a short section for interior designers and architects. ## What can you see and control from your phone? You can see and control all of it from one app. Everything links to UniFi Protect, so you do not need a separate app for each device. Alarm alerts go to your phone through the app. We do not run a monitoring centre in Dubai, so nobody is sent out when an alarm goes off. If you want someone to respond in person, you need to arrange that separately. - Cameras: live view and recordings of your gate, doors, garden or parking. - Door intercoms: see and speak to a visitor at the gate or front door. - Smart locks: let a visitor in from the same screen you used to see them, and manage the codes your family uses. - Alarms: an alert on your phone when something is triggered. ## Where are your recordings kept? Your recordings are saved on equipment inside your home, and you decide who can see them. If you also want a copy stored online, you can add cloud backup. Either way, the footage stays under your control. ## Which brands do we install? For cameras we work only with Ubiquiti's UniFi Protect, because it handles cameras, intercoms and alarms in one place. For intercoms we fit UniFi Protect or Akuvox, and both link to the same app. For smart locks we fit Tedee, Yale, Aqara and Oji. The right one depends on how the door is used and how much direct sun it gets. A shaded apartment door and a villa door in full afternoon sun can need different locks. Our [smart door locks buying guide](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/smart-door-locks/) explains that choice in more detail. The locks also link to Symphony, our own automation platform, designed to make large, complex homes easier to manage. Opening the front door can then switch on the hall lights or set the AC for when you walk in. ## What still works if the internet goes down? Inside your home, almost everything keeps working. Cameras still save recordings in the home, and your locks still open with the keypad or fingerprint reader. While your home Wi-Fi is working, you can still use the app from inside the house. What stops is remote access. Until the connection comes back, you cannot let someone in or watch the cameras from outside. Phone alerts also need a connection, because they reach you through the app. The keypads on your walls work even if your home network is down. If a lock's batteries run flat, the locks we recommend have a physical key or an emergency power option. What the alarm siren does during an outage depends on how we set up your system, so ask our engineer at the home visit what yours will do. ## Why does your home network matter for CCTV? Cameras and intercoms are only as reliable as the network they run on. So we plan them together with your home network, rather than adding cameras to Wi-Fi that was never designed to carry them. At the home visit, our engineer checks your coverage with UniFi's own network tools. In a villa, thick concrete walls and the distance to the gate both make the network harder to plan. If you are building or renovating, have cables run to the camera positions before the walls are closed. Adding them later is far harder. Our guide to [Wi-Fi networks for villas and apartments](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/home-wifi/) explains how we plan this. ## Who fits the cameras? Licensed partners that specialise in CCTV planning and installation fit the cameras. In Dubai, SIRA (the Security Industry Regulatory Agency) regulates the security industry under Law No. 12 of 2016. Installation of security devices and equipment is one of the activities it licenses. Our own team then programs the system and links the cameras, intercom, alarm and locks so they all work from one app, alongside the rest of your smart home. Depending on the job, you deal only with us or with our CCTV partner as well. We are flexible about this. If you are comparing companies, ask each one who will actually install the cameras and whether they hold a SIRA licence. ## Villa or apartment: what changes? The equipment is the same. What changes is how much there is to cover and how far the cables and signal need to reach. Many apartment buildings have their own lobby intercom, and we usually cannot connect ours to it. Most built-in systems do not allow a third-party system to connect, because doing so would void their warranty. Your Akuvox or Ubiquiti intercom then works on its own at your front door. - Villa: usually the gate, front door, garden and parking, often with a gate intercom and several doors with smart locks. Long distances and doors in full sun need more planning. The outdoor products we fit are IP rated (graded for how well they keep out dust and water) and tested in Dubai heat. - Apartment: usually the front door, an intercom and perhaps a few cameras inside. There are fewer devices, and on a shaded corridor door the lock choice is often simpler. ## What affects the cost? The cost depends on how much you want covered and what your home already has. Our engineer works this out with you at the home visit, and you get a written quote. If you only have floor plans, for example for an off-plan home, we can prepare a budgetary estimate from those first. - The size of your home, and how many cameras, doors and gates you want covered - New build or retrofit (adding to a finished home), since cables are easier to run before the walls are closed - Whether your home network needs upgrading to carry the cameras - Which locks suit your doors - How much else you want linked in, such as lighting or the rest of your smart home ## What support do you get after installation? You report faults through the support chat in our app. From Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm, we can respond straight away, and callouts are within 4 hours. Many faults can be fixed remotely. Our team connects only when you approve each session, and you can switch remote access off completely. For a security system that matters, because nobody looks at your setup without your say. Warranties come from the equipment manufacturers. If another company installed your system and you do not have our app, call us on +971 4 458 2205. - Maintenance plans are built around what you need. - They can include smart lock checks: batteries, firmware updates and user codes. - They can also include network monitoring and updates. ## Can you see our work first? Yes. Our Dubai smart home projects page is where we show homes we have finished. If you are comparing companies, we can also put you in touch with a past client, with their permission. ## For interior designers and architects Fix the positions of cameras, the gate intercom and the door hardware while the design is still on paper. A smart lock has to suit the door you specify, and camera points need cables before ceilings and walls are finished. We work from your drawings, and the earlier we join, the easier this is. For switch panels and keypads we have products from 18 high-end suppliers, so the controls can match your finishes. We deliver samples to you. Our [partner programme for interior designers and architects](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/interior-designers-architects/) explains how we work together. ## Questions people ask Can I watch my cameras from my phone while I am abroad? Yes. You see live video and recordings in the UniFi Protect app, as long as your home has an internet connection. Can you connect to my building's lobby intercom? Usually not. Most built-in building systems do not allow third-party systems to connect, as it would void their warranty, so your own intercom runs separately. Do you offer 24-hour alarm monitoring? No. Our alarms send alerts to your phone through the app, and we do not have a monitoring centre in Dubai. Can other family members get alerts too? Yes. Several people can use the app and receive alerts, each with their own permission level. How soon do I get a quote? Usually 2 days after the home visit. ## Next step [Book a home visit or engineering survey](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/book-survey/). Tell us which doors, gates and areas you want covered. Our team gets in touch the next business day to arrange the visit, and our engineer looks at those areas while there.