Video intercoms · door phones · gate entry
We install video intercom systems in Kenya for apartment blocks, gated estates, offices and homes. Visitors press a button at the gate, a resident or guard sees and talks to them, and the door or gate opens only when someone chooses to let them in.
A gate guard who cannot see a visitor clearly has two bad choices: open the gate and hope, or keep someone waiting while he phones a tenant. A good door phone removes that guesswork. It shows a clear face, lets the resident speak to the visitor and opens the lock with one button. That simple routine is why video intercom systems in Kenya have become standard in new apartment blocks and offices.
This page explains the main types, how we size a system for a building, how intercoms connect to locks and barriers, and what installation involves.
CCTV
Every system has the same basic parts, whatever the brand. So once you know them, quotes become much easier to compare.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Door station (entry panel) | Camera, microphone, speaker and call buttons at the gate or door |
| Indoor monitor | Screen inside the flat, office or guardhouse to see and talk to the visitor |
| Lock release | Relay that opens a magnetic lock, electric strike or gate motor |
| Phone app (optional) | Lets a resident answer calls on a smartphone away from home |
| Power supply and backup | Keeps the system running, ideally with a battery or UPS |
When a visitor presses a button, the door station calls the chosen monitor. The resident sees the visitor, talks, and presses an unlock button if they want to let them in. Many systems also take a snapshot of every caller, which is useful when something goes missing.
Intercoms
There are three broad families of video intercom systems in Kenya, and the right one depends on the size of the building and the cabling already in place.
For new apartment buildings, we usually recommend IP. Although the parts cost a little more, the system grows with the building and the cabling serves other uses too.
CCTV
Multi-unit buildings need more planning than a single home. Here is how we approach them.
First, we decide where calls should go. In some estates, every visitor calls the guardhouse, and the guard calls the resident. In others, visitors call flats directly through a keypad or name list, while the guard only watches. Many estates combine both, so residents can let in known visitors and the guard handles deliveries.
Next, we plan the entry points. A typical gated estate has a vehicle gate, a pedestrian gate and a lobby door for each block. Each point gets its own door station, and residents see which entrance is calling.
| Building | Typical setup |
|---|---|
| Single home | One door station at the gate, one or two indoor monitors |
| Small block (up to 12 flats) | Gate station with name buttons, monitor in each flat |
| Large block (12 to 100 flats) | IP keypad station, monitors or app per flat, guard master station |
| Gated estate | Stations at each gate and block, guardhouse console, CCTV link |
| Office | Reception station, app calls to staff, link to access control |
Access control
An intercom only becomes a security system once it controls the entrance. Therefore, we wire each door station to the lock or gate motor, with a short release time so the door closes again quickly.
On pedestrian doors, we normally use a magnetic lock or electric strike with an exit button inside. For vehicle gates, the intercom can trigger a sliding gate motor or a boom barrier. In larger estates, residents use cards or tags for daily entry, and the intercom handles visitors only. Our access control team plans both parts together, so a lost tag never means re-wiring the gate.
Letting visitors in from your phone
With an IP or cloud intercom, a resident can answer the gate from anywhere with mobile data. The app shows the caller's video, and the unlock button works just like the indoor monitor. We set this up with separate accounts per resident, so access can be removed when a tenant moves out.
How it works
Clean installation decides how long video intercom systems last, because most faults start at a poor joint or a sunny door station. Here is our usual sequence.
For a single home, this takes a day. For a 40-flat block, plan on one to two weeks, mostly for cabling inside occupied flats.
Video Intercom Systems
With these five numbers, we can give a fairly accurate budget even before a full survey.
When the intercom and cameras share one network, guards gain a lot, since video intercom systems and CCTV then show the same picture. A call from the gate can pop up the gate camera on the guard's screen, and recordings show every visitor with a time stamp. Our CCTV installation service plans camera views around entry points for exactly this purpose. We also offer guidance for apartments and estates that need cameras, intercoms and barriers together.
Gates and intercoms must keep working during outages, especially at night, so we design video intercom systems with backup from the start. We add a battery backup or a small UPS for the door stations, the network switch and the locks. In addition, we plan what happens when that backup runs out: pedestrian escape doors should open, while a vehicle gate usually stays shut and switches to manual operation. You can read more about backup design on our UPS power backup page.
Video Intercom Systems
We install and support video intercom systems in Kenya from established manufacturers, choosing models with outdoor-rated door stations, good night images and reliable local spares. Communications equipment sold in Kenya should carry type approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya, and we only supply approved models. For buildings with an older system, we check whether the existing cable can be reused before suggesting new wiring.
Intercoms
If you already have a system that frustrates residents, the cause is often simple. In fact, most older video intercom systems we visit share one of these faults:
We can repair, upgrade or replace these systems, and we offer maintenance visits under our IT annual maintenance contracts.
Why choose us
We are a security and network installer, so we treat the intercom as part of the whole entrance. You get clean cabling, correct lock hardware, CCTV links where they help and a clear handover record. To plan video intercom systems in Kenya for your building, request a site survey and tell us how many units and entrances you have.
For a broader view of entrance and perimeter security, see our security systems overview.
Get started
Tell us about your site and an engineer will call you back within one working day to discuss your needs and arrange a visit.
Prefer to talk? Call +254 184 379 590
Analogue two-wire systems use a simple pair of wires and suit houses and small blocks, especially when old cable can be reused. IP intercoms use network cable, support phone apps, scale to hundreds of units and link easily with CCTV and access control. For new apartment buildings and offices, IP is usually the better long-term choice.
Yes. A keypad or name-list door station at the gate can call every flat, and each flat answers on its own monitor or phone app. A guard master station can also take calls and transfer them. We size the system around the number of units, entrances and guard positions on your site.
Yes, with an IP or cloud-connected video intercom. The resident's app shows the caller's video and has an unlock button that works like the indoor monitor. We create a separate account for each resident, so you can remove access instantly when someone moves out.
Without backup, it stops working. That is why we fit a battery or small UPS for the door stations, switch and locks. We also agree how each door behaves once the backup runs out, so pedestrian escape doors open and vehicle gates switch safely to manual operation.
Tell us about the site. We will arrange a survey, give you a clear written quote and explain the options in plain language.