Most people in Hong Kong shop for a home CCTV camera in the wrong order: they pick a model first, then discover there is no way to run a cable to that corner, no socket beside the front door, or a concrete wall nobody is allowed to drill. The camera ends up in a drawer.
So this guide works through two questions instead — how the camera gets power, and where the footage is stored. Answer those two and the hundred-odd models on the market narrow down to a handful.
1. Check power and connectivity separately
| Power / connection combination | How it works | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PoE (power over Ethernet) | One network cable carries both power and video, back to a PoE NVR or PoE switch | Village houses, detached homes, shops and offices that need 24/7 recording | The most reliable option, but cables have to be run; exterior runs in a building usually need management-office approval |
| Mains-powered Wi-Fi | Plugged into an adapter, video travels over Wi-Fi | Indoor spots with a socket — living room, bedroom, till area | Smoothness depends on Wi-Fi coverage; a badly placed router shows up as a stuttering camera |
| Battery (solar panel optional) | Built-in rechargeable battery, topped up by a solar panel if you add one | Rentals where you cannot drill, back alleys, rooftops, outside the front door | Usually records on motion detection rather than continuously |
| 4G LTE | SIM/mobile-data connection; still needs a battery or other approved power source | Car parks, construction sites, warehouses, the outer edge of a village house | Data usage adds up — live viewing and downloads are the expensive part |
Examples of each: PoE — Reolink RP-PCB8M 4K bullet, EZVIZ H4 PoE turret; battery — Reolink Argus 3 Ultra, SpotCam Solo 3; 4G — Reolink Go Ultra, EZVIZ EB3. The full range is in security cameras.
2. Where does the footage live? Three options, very different running costs
Memory card, inside the camera
For a model that supports a card, check format, capacity and speed against its manual. Continuous/loop recording and motion-event recording have different workloads. Consider an endurance or surveillance-rated card for repeated recording, but V30/U3 is not a universal minimum and A2 is not a universal CCTV benefit; both depend on the host and recording mode. For example the Kodak Endurance microSD, Reolink surveillance microSDXC or SpotCam Extreme card. What V30, U3 and A2 actually mean is unpacked in our memory card guide.
Network video recorder (NVR)
Once you pass two or three cameras, or you want to scrub back through days of footage, a recorder makes sense. A PoE NVR powers the cameras and records at the same time — for instance the Reolink NVS8 8-channel with 2TB drive. For supported Wi-Fi cameras, the EZVIZ X5S wireless NVR is a possible recording route. Check the exact camera/NVR compatibility list, firmware, channels and power requirements first. Recorders, switches, adapters and junction boxes are in NVRs & accessories.
Cloud
Successfully uploaded footage can remain in a supported cloud account if the camera is removed, subject to access and retention terms. All three brands run their own plans (Reolink Cloud, EZVIZ CloudPlay, SpotCam Cloud NVR); they differ in how many days are kept and how many devices are covered. Plan terms change, so check the product page before ordering.
The combination most households land on: local recording as the backbone, plus cloud on the one or two cameras that matter — front door and till.
3. What actually works in Hong Kong homes
Flats, public or private
Two spots matter: the front door and the living room. For the door, a battery video doorbell (Reolink Video Doorbell Battery, EZVIZ EP3x) or, if you would rather not drill the door, a smart door viewer. Confirm door thickness, hole dimensions, fixing requirements and any fire-door or management restrictions before replacing a peephole. Indoors, a pan-tilt model (EZVIZ H6C Pro, Reolink E331) can show different parts of a room from one position; check blind spots and remember that a single pan-tilt view does not record every direction at once. Keep the door camera off your neighbours' doors and the common corridor — more on that below.
Village and detached houses
Several floors, a larger perimeter and exterior surfaces you can actually run cable on: this is where a PoE system earns its keep — four to eight cameras on one recorder covering entrances, parking and the garden. If you need to recognise faces or plates after dark, choose floodlight or full-colour night vision models such as the Reolink ColorX, and put an optical-zoom camera on the driveway.
Small shops and offices
Till, entrance and stockroom cover most of what you need. Dome cameras indoors look less confrontational; bullet cameras outside. Commercial premises also need proper signage — see the next section. A cloud-only setup (SpotCam) skips the recorder entirely, which is easier if you may relocate.
Car parks, sites and anywhere without broadband
Go straight to 4G plus solar — something like the Reolink Go Ranger PT with Solar Panel 2 uses its battery/approved solar supply and a compatible mobile network instead of mains wiring and fixed broadband. Check sunlight, charging conditions, signal and SIM compatibility. Keep an eye on the SIM data plan; live viewing is what burns through it.
4. The privacy rules in Hong Kong
The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data publishes guidance on CCTV surveillance. Several points apply directly to households and small shops:
- Ask whether a camera is warranted at all. The guidance asks data users to consider whether a less privacy-intrusive method exists, and says the data collected should be necessary and adequate but not excessive.
- Places you must not record. CCTV should not be installed to record in places where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as changing rooms, and should not capture activities in toilets or private rest areas.
- Put up a notice. It should identify who operates the system and how to contact them, and state the specific purpose of the surveillance. This matters most for shops and offices.
- Do not keep footage indefinitely. Personal data should not be kept longer than necessary, and recordings should be destroyed reliably and regularly.
- Secure what you keep. The guidance suggests encrypted storage, keeping recording hardware in a locked location, and logging who has viewed or transferred footage.
Common corridors and a neighbour's door are where disputes start in Hong Kong. In practice: narrow the camera angle to your own doorway at installation, use the privacy-mask feature in the app to block out a neighbour's entrance, and draw the motion-detection zone around your own area only. A detection zone controls triggers and may not mask recorded video; confirm how the camera's privacy mask works for live view and recordings. Audio is more sensitive than video — if you do not need it, switch it off.
5. Install it yourself, or hire a technician?
Simple indoor setup: some battery or Wi-Fi models can use an approved freestanding or magnetic support. Follow the exact model's fixing and pairing instructions, and confirm secure placement and required permissions. Drilling, exterior mounting or changes to a fire door need assessment by a suitable installer.
Worth hiring out: PoE systems. They involve Cat5e/Cat6 runs, drilling concrete, weather-sealing wall penetrations and trunking along exterior walls. When you get a quote, ask which cable grade is used, how wall penetrations are sealed, at what height the cameras will sit (too low and they are easy to rip off), and whether re-aiming later is chargeable.
Not sure what combination you need? WhatsApp +852 9847 9793 with your layout and the spots you want covered and we can work out the camera count and whether a recorder is worth it.
6. One more angle: cameras make surprisingly practical gifts
When people buy a camera as a present, the reason is rarely security — it is being able to see. Parents who want to check on the dog (SpotCam Mibo pet camera), new parents watching the nursery (SpotCam BabyCam Pro), or a pan-tilt camera in a grandparent's flat. Agree the purpose, viewing permissions and placement with the recipient first. Help them set up compatible power, network and storage, then check app access and recording; remote viewing still depends on a working connection. More ideas in our Christmas gift guide.
FAQ
Does it keep recording if the internet or power goes out?
During an internet outage, supported local recording may continue if the cameras, recorder and local network still have power; remote viewing and cloud upload may stop. A UPS on an NVR covers cameras only if they are powered through its backed-up PoE ports. A separate PoE switch also needs backup, and remote access needs a powered router and working upstream connection. Battery cameras retain their own power, not an unpowered Wi-Fi network.
Is a monthly subscription compulsory?
A supported local card/NVR recording route may avoid a recurring cloud charge. Confirm that your exact camera supports it; any free cloud retention and optional paid features depend on the model, region and current plan.
4MP or 8MP (4K)?
Recorded detail depends on lens, distance, lighting, exposure, compression and placement as well as resolution. Compare the intended face or plate size in the image; 2K, 4MP or 4K alone does not guarantee identification. Storage duration depends on actual bitrate and recording mode, not megapixels alone.
Infrared versus full-colour night vision?
Infrared gives a black-and-white image and needs no ambient light. Full-colour night vision relies on a brighter aperture or a built-in light, and keeps clothing and vehicle colours visible — worth it at doors and driveways where identification is the point.
Can I watch on a TV instead of a phone?
Check the exact model's phone-app support and, for a TV, the recorder's video output and camera compatibility. EZVIZ's SD7 touchscreen monitor is another possible route for supported cameras; confirm its compatibility list first.
Ordering and warranty
Reolink, EZVIZ and SpotCam are all Hong Kong licensed stock with brand warranty. Confirm current stock, delivery timing and collection arrangements before ordering; our Kwun Tong location is for stock and collection. If you are unsure about the combination, WhatsApp +852 9847 9793 with your floor plan and the spots you want covered.
To compare the three brands on apps, cloud and ecosystem, read Reolink vs EZVIZ vs SpotCam. If weak Wi-Fi is what makes your cameras stutter, start at the router instead — see our router and mesh Wi-Fi guide.
