How to Choose a CCTV Company in Ras Al Khaimah: 7 Checks Before You Sign
Short answer: Choose a CCTV company in Ras Al Khaimah that is currently GRA-approved (verify it with GRA yourself), surveys your site before quoting, gives you a written design with a storage calculation for 90 days, names the exact equipment and warranty in the quote, handles the Hemaya submission and inspection, offers maintenance after handover, and has a real local premises and reviews. A cheap quote that skips any of these usually costs more later.
Ras Al Khaimah has many companies offering CCTV — local installers, electricians, computer shops and firms from other emirates advertising in RAK. For a home, almost any competent installer will do. For a business that needs a Hemaya certificate, the choice matters: a system that fails inspection means rework, delays and, if your certificate lapses, a blocked trade licence renewal.
Use these seven checks to compare any CCTV company, including us.
The 7 checks at a glance
| # | Check | What a good answer looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRA / Hemaya approval | Current approval you can verify with GRA | "We're approved" with no proof, or approval in another emirate only |
| 2 | Site survey first | Free visit before any price | A firm price over the phone |
| 3 | Written design + storage | Camera layout and a storage calculation for 90 days | "One 2 TB drive is enough" without calculating |
| 4 | Equipment in writing | Brand, model and warranty named per item | "HD cameras" with no models |
| 5 | Paperwork handled | They submit the design and attend inspection | "You can do the approval yourself" |
| 6 | After-sales | Maintenance plan, response times, records for renewal | No contact after handover |
| 7 | Local presence | A real premises, phone that answers, reviews | Mobile number only, no address |
1. Is the company currently GRA-approved — for Ras Al Khaimah?
For regulated premises, installation and maintenance must be done by a provider approved by RAK Police and the General Resources Authority (GRA). Approval is specific to the emirate: a company approved in Dubai (SIRA) or Sharjah is not automatically approved in Ras Al Khaimah.
How to check: ask for the company's current approval and confirm it is valid today, then verify independently with GRA on +971 7 235 7779 or gra@gra.rak.ae, or on the GRA Hemaya portal. Do not rely on a logo on a website — including ours.
2. Do they survey the site before giving a price?
Hemaya approval is based on coverage, not on a fixed number of cameras: entrances, exits and emergency exits must be covered with images clear enough to identify people. Two shops of the same size can need different systems. A company that quotes a firm price without seeing your premises is guessing — and the guess is usually corrected later, upwards.
A good installer visits first, walks the site, and records entry points, blind spots, lighting and cable routes. Site surveys should be free.
3. Will you get a written design with a storage calculation?
Recordings must be kept for at least 90 days. This single rule drives more of the cost — and more failed inspections — than the camera count. Some quotes meet a low price by quietly sizing storage for 30 days, or by dropping resolution and frame rate. The system looks fine at handover and overwrites footage after a month.
Ask for:
- A camera layout showing every position
- A camera schedule (each camera and what it covers)
- A storage calculation for the full 90 days at the resolution and frame rate you will actually record
Then ask one direct question: "How many days will this recorder actually keep?"
4. Is the equipment named in the quote?
A professional quote lists the brand, model and quantity of every camera, recorder and hard drive, plus cabling, power and installation. Vague lines like "HD cameras" or "NVR system" make quotes impossible to compare — and easy to downgrade.
Also check:
- Genuine stock with manufacturer warranty, and who handles warranty claims locally
- Outdoor cameras rated for RAK conditions — heat, dust and, near the coast, salt air (the Hemaya specification Version 4.1 requires IP66 or IP67 outdoors, full-colour cameras, true WDR and at least 1080p)
- Faces at the entrance: entrances facing bright glass or the street need cameras with strong backlight handling (WDR)
See our guide to outdoor cameras for UAE heat.
5. Who handles the Hemaya paperwork and inspection?
The approval path is: confirm your premises category → survey and design → submit through the GRA Hemaya process → install exactly the approved design → inspection and certification. The most common reason systems fail inspection is an installation that does not match the approved design — a camera moved, a model swapped, a camera added.
Choose a company that submits the design for you, installs only what was approved, and attends the inspection. Ask who pays government fees — these are normally paid directly to GRA or RAK Police and are separate from the installer's price.
The full rules are in our GRA CCTV requirements guide.
6. What happens after handover?
A dead camera or a failed disk is a compliance problem, not just a technical one — cameras and recorders must run continuously. And your Hemaya certificate must be renewed: an expired certificate can block your trade licence renewal, and the 30-day grace period after expiry is not automatic and does not avoid a penalty.
Ask what support is offered: scheduled maintenance visits, response times, firmware updates, storage checks — and whether they keep the maintenance records you will need at renewal. Under the Hemaya specification Version 4.1 an annual maintenance contract is mandatory for the facility owner, so compare plans on what is included, not just the price. See the official specification (PDF) and the list of approved integrators.
7. Do they have a real local presence?
Check for a physical premises you can visit, a landline or business number that is answered, a Google Business Profile with genuine reviews, and a track record in Ras Al Khaimah. When a camera fails on a Friday night before an inspection, a company down the road is worth more than a cheaper one two emirates away.
Questions to ask every CCTV company
- Are you GRA-approved for Ras Al Khaimah today? Can I verify it with GRA?
- Will you survey the site before giving the final price?
- How many days will the recorder keep at the resolution you are quoting?
- Which exact camera and recorder models are in this quote, and what warranty do they carry?
- Will you submit the design and attend the inspection?
- What maintenance do you offer after handover, and how fast do you respond to faults?
- Where is your shop or office, and can I see recent reviews?
Comparing quotes fairly
Put the quotes side by side and check they cover the same things: number of cameras, resolution, storage days, equipment models, cabling and installation, submission and inspection, and what is excluded (civil works, electrical upgrades, government fees, internet). The cheapest quote is often cheapest because one of these is missing.
As a guide, a basic 4-camera system for a small shop in Ras Al Khaimah starts from AED 1,500–2,500, and a GRA-approved 8–16 camera system for a warehouse or hotel ranges from AED 4,000 to 12,000+. See what CCTV installation costs in RAK.
Frequently asked questions
Can any electrician install CCTV for my shop in RAK?
Not for a system that needs Hemaya approval. Installation and maintenance must be done by a provider approved by RAK Police and GRA.
Is a company approved in Dubai also approved in Ras Al Khaimah?
No. Approval is emirate-specific. Dubai uses SIRA and Sharjah its own police approval; in Ras Al Khaimah it is GRA / Hemaya. Verify RAK approval with GRA.
How do I check if a CCTV company is GRA-approved?
Ask for the current approval, then confirm with GRA on +971 7 235 7779 or gra@gra.rak.ae, or check the approved-provider list on the GRA Hemaya portal.
Why are some CCTV quotes so much cheaper?
Usually storage that does not really hold 90 days, lower resolution, fewer cameras than the coverage needs, or an installer who cannot get the system certified.
Note: RADON COMPUTER follows the rules and regulations of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah's General Resources Authority (GRA). This guide is general information. For further details and clarifications, please contact the authority directly at gra.rak.ae.
About RADON COMPUTER
RADON COMPUTER is a GRA-approved CCTV integrator with a shop and service centre in Al Nakheel, Ras Al Khaimah — Shop No. 5, Al Safa Building 3, behind Day to Day & Gulf Hypermarket, Al Muntasir Road. We survey for free, give you a written design and storage calculation, name every item in the quote, handle submission and inspection, and offer maintenance plans after handover. Hold us to the same seven checks. Book a free site survey or WhatsApp +971 56 566 5529.