Can I Install CCTV Outside My Shophouse?

One of the unique factors about shop houses is that these are shops and houses rolled into one, as evident from its name. Singapore is dotted with these hybrid buildings. A typical shop house has shop or shops on the ground floor while the residence area is above the shops. Since this kind of structure is both a place where one earns one’s livelihood and a place of residence therefore its security is extremely important and something that the owner should take seriously. Apart from employing typical security measures like sturdy door and window locks, watch dogs, etc, it is also important to consider installing CCTV (Close-Circuit Television) cameras at the shop house.

Why Install CCTV Outside Shophouse in Singapore
Considering the fact that Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, Singaporeans often wonder why they should install CCTV cameras at their shop houses. While violent crimes are a rarity in Singapore, petty crimes such as pick pocketing, shop lifting, snatching of mobile phones, street theft, etc are quite common. Therefore there is a need to install CCTV cameras for all shop house owners in Singapore. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to look after your employees or shop house staffs and the customers.

This is a target that can easily be achieved if you have a CCTV camera because these cameras offer physical, financial and legal protection. The footage or recordings captured on CCTV cameras can be produced as evidence in case of court cases and police investigations. Also, in case your customer or staff is attacked then you can produce the footage on camera to use as evidence for helping the victim apply for compensation or press charges against the attacker. In addition to preventing the occurrence of small and petty crimes, having these cameras installed outside your shop house would also automatically reduce the chances of crimes, small or large, taking place at your shop house. This is because thieves and criminals generally avoid places having CCTV cameras in order to not get into trouble or get caught.


Outdoor CCTV Cameras
In addition to having security cameras installed inside the shop house, it is also important to have outdoor CCTV cameras installed too. These could be pointed at the main entrance to the shop, garage area or the parking lot area. If your budget is flexible then you can consider purchasing night vision cameras or cameras with infrared functions. Keep in mind that the quality of the footage recorded by the CCTV camera depends on the camera itself. In other words, the quality of the camera is determined by its price.

A cheap security camera will have poor light sensitivity and will produce poor quality images whereas a high quality camera will be able to produce good quality footages since its picture resolution or sharpness is higher. Since these are available in wired or wireless models therefore there is no restriction as to where these can be placed. These can also be integrated into an existing interior security system of the shop house and subscribed to a monitoring service so that the shophouse owner and emergency services can be alerted at the first sign of alarm. The footages of these cameras can be stored in a DVR or Digital Video Recorder so that one can retrieve them for use as evidence when a crime occurs.

Different Options to Select From
No doubt the demand for outdoor CCTV cameras is growing in Singapore because of the sheer number of benefits they offer. As a result, more and more companies are coming up with cutting edge security cameras in a vast array of models. There are so many options to choose from that shophouse owners can become baffled and utterly confused! Some of the popular types of outdoor CCTV cameras that are recommended for shophouse owners would be wired, wireless, color, black-and-white, dome, bullet, wide-angled lens, discreet, night vision or infrared cameras and PTZ or Pan-Tilt Zoom cameras. If you want to capture a large area then you can opt for the PTZ camera whereas weather-resistant cameras can be adopted in order to protect the cameras from rains, heavy winds and high temperatures during summers, which is common in Singapore.