Closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems have become more than ubiquitous in Malaysia, with CCTV being used in shopping malls, eateries, retail outlets, banks, and areas where ATMs are installed, even in public spaces in the city centres. You will encounter CCTVs along the highways, city streets, car parking areas, and various transportation hubs such as airports, bus/train stations, and the like. CCTV systems are typically installed for deterrence and crime prevention purposes, and to help in investigating crimes that do occur. For example, in 2007, the installation of surveillance CCTVs in Kuala Lumpur saw a reduction in the rate of snatch thefts by 50%.
The use of CCTV systems within the home as part of an overall home security system has also been gaining traction both locally and internationally, and for essentially the same reasons. In 2019, throughout the United States, over 3,000 burglaries occur every single day, with property crimes in general happening once every 4.4 seconds. Many of these burglaries happened during the daytime, and 72% of them happened when nobody was home. Homes without security systems were 300% more likely to be burgled. In Malaysia, meanwhile, house break-ins and theft increased by over 9% from 2022 to 2023, declining slightly by 1.8% in 2024, with 77.6% of cases happening at night.
CCTV surveillance also has its uses beyond home security. Such systems, depending on how they are set up, can act as high-tech baby and pet monitors, or to keep an eye out on older children while the parents are at work. They can also be used for aged care, checking up on elderly relatives in the event of falls or other medical emergencies. In addition, CCTVs can be used as smart doorbells and to look out for your food and online shopping deliveries.
For those who are interested in setting up home CCTV systems but may have been put off by the price or the potential complexity and headaches of maintaining their setups, Unifi’s recent launch of the Unifi Home Shield service may yet come to the rescue. Starting from RM89/month for a 100Mbps broadband line and an AI indoor camera, the Unifi Home Shield service has 3 different subscription tiers (see Table 1), with each tier including more equipment. Additional equipment can also be added on, depending on your specific requirements.
Beyond the Unifi Home Shield Essential pack (i.e. the Advance and Premium packs), subscribers will also get solar-powered outdoor cameras, smart door/window sensors, smart motion sensors, a Smart Hub that connects all the equipment together and allows you full access and control via the Unifi Smart Home App. All packs come with 7-day video cloud storage per camera installed, securely hosted on TM’s own Alpha Edge Cloud Platform.
The cameras can also save recordings locally to microSD cards (not included), allowing them to continue recording and functioning in the event of a server or Internet outage. In fact, while the cloud-powered services (such as remote monitoring and push notifications) will likely fail in such circumstances, many core features and functions that only rely on LAN connectivity will continue to work.
For those who are security- and privacy-conscious, Unifi confirms that all data is encrypted at rest and in flight, and no user recordings are shared with third parties without proper legal processes or the subscriber’s knowledge and consent, except where legally mandated). Unifi Home Shield services are also not proactively monitored by Unifi personnel or contractors, nor integrated with emergency services; all alerts and notifications are sent directly to the users via the app.
Upon request, and for a one-time payment of RM120, Unifi offers professional installation of the CCTV system, including end-to-end installation and testing, tailored placement recommendations for the various equipment, user training for the whole family, and ongoing 24/7 technical support and maintenance. As long as the subscription remains active, all equipment remains covered under a lifetime warranty.
Alternatively, users who want to get their hands dirty can opt to follow step-by-step instruction video guides at https://unifi.com.my/smarthome/devices-specs instead and do it themselves. While the solar-powered external cameras come with a battery backup (5200 mAh, enough for a few months), other equipment may require mains power, and thus should be paired with a UPS to ensure continuous operation even when the power is out.
Under a new proposal in Budget 2026, taxpayers can claim up to RM2,500 for expenses related to (amongst other things) home CCTV systems. Customers who subscribe to the Unifi Home Shield plan are eligible to claim this tax relief, specifically when it comes to the AI cameras and solar outdoor cameras.
For more information, or to start subscribing to the Unifi Home Shield bundle, visit https://unifi.com.my/smarthome. Terms and conditions apply.
