If you run an independent shop — a bakery, a pharmacy, a garage, an optician, a tobacconist, a small clinic — you already know the math. One break-in costs you a smashed window (€800), a stolen till (€300), three days closed for repairs and police paperwork, an insurance excess, and a week of sleep. The alarm guys offered to fix it for €40 a month. You said you’d think about it.
You don’t need a 36-month contract. You need eyes on the shop between closing and opening, an alert the second something moves, and a way to verify before you call the police. That’s what RECAM does — using a phone you already own.
Why the Danger Window Is Between 9pm and 6am
Most break-ins at small businesses happen during the hours you’ve always feared — the ones where no one is watching, the street is empty, and a police patrol is statistically minutes too far. The shop is unattended for 10 to 14 hours a day. That’s the window you need covered.
What you don’t need: a system that tells you about it the next morning. By then the till is gone, the stock is gone, and the door is unhinged.
The Problem with Monitored Alarm Contracts
Traditional small-business CCTV and alarm packages typically charge €30–50 per month — sometimes more — and lock you into 24- or 36-month commitments. You pay for:
- A box on the wall whose footage lives on someone else’s server.
- A call center that phones you (eventually) when sensors trip.
- A contract with an early-termination fee that quietly becomes part of your fixed costs.
Multiply €40 by 36 months and you’ve spent €1,440 before the contract ends. For a one-person bakery or a two-person garage, that’s a real number.
How RECAM Watches Your Shop After Closing
The setup takes about three minutes:
- Place a spare iPhone inside your shop — counter view, back room, or aimed at the door. Plug it in so it runs all night.
- Connect to your shop Wi-Fi. No router config. No port forwarding. No installer.
- Open RECAM on both phones — yours becomes the viewer, the spare becomes the camera.
- Lock up. Walk home. RECAM is awake.
The moment motion or human presence is detected after closing, your phone — wherever you are — gets an instant alert with a live, encrypted feed. You see what’s happening in real time, in your bed, in seconds. If it’s a stray cat, you go back to sleep. If it’s a person, you call the police with verified video proof.
Built for Bakeries, Pharmacies, and Garages
The shop changes; the night fear doesn’t. RECAM is used by:
- Bakeries — a phone aimed at the till and ovens. Catches early-morning intruders before staff arrive at 4am.
- Pharmacies — high-value stock, regulated medication, frequent target. RECAM watches the prep area and back stock room.
- Garages and repair shops — open forecourts, expensive tools, vehicles left overnight. A single phone covers the workshop or the parking gate.
- Opticians, jewelers, tobacconists, wine shops — small, dense, high-value inventory. A second iPhone in the storage room is all you need.
- Independent clinics and dental practices — sensitive equipment, after-hours quiet, zero tolerance for footage on a cloud server.
Cost Comparison: RECAM vs. Monitored Alarms
Same outcome — eyes on your shop overnight. Different math:
- Monitored alarm contract: €30–50/month · 24–36 month commitment · €720–€1,800 over the life of the contract · footage stored on a third-party server.
- RECAM: €1.99/month · no contract · cancel anytime · uses an iPhone you already own · footage stays on your devices.
You’re not paying for a call center. You’re paying for a smarter camera that talks straight to your pocket.
Deterrence First, Evidence Second
The cheapest break-in is the one that never happens. Two things help:
- A visible iPhone in the window. Most after-hours intrusions are opportunistic. A camera in plain sight changes the math for whoever is walking past.
- An on-device alert that triggers a loud siren the moment motion is detected. RECAM can sound the alarm directly from the camera-side phone — the kind of noise that ends a break-in before it starts.
If deterrence fails, you still have what insurance and police want: a clean, time-stamped, encrypted clip of exactly what happened.
Lock Up Tonight with Confidence
You shouldn’t need a contract, an installer, or a €1,440 commitment to know your shop is safe between 9pm and 6am. You need a phone, a plug, and three minutes.
Turn your spare iPhone into your shop’s after-hours watchdog.
Download RECAM on the App Store and sleep through the night.
FAQ
How does RECAM work after my shop closes?
Place a spare iPhone inside your shop, plug it in, and connect to your shop Wi-Fi. RECAM uses on-device AI to detect motion and human presence. The moment something moves after closing, your phone receives an instant alert with a live, encrypted stream — so you can verify and call the police in seconds.
Do I need a monthly cloud subscription?
No. RECAM costs €1.99/month on the App Store and runs entirely on your devices. Traditional monitored alarm contracts cost €30–50/month with 24- to 36-month commitments. RECAM has zero cloud fees and no contract.
Will burglars know I’m watching?
RECAM can trigger a loud siren on the camera-side iPhone the moment intrusion is detected, scaring off most opportunistic break-ins. Combined with a visible camera in the window, it acts as a strong deterrent.
Is the video private?
Yes. Streams are end-to-end encrypted directly between your two iPhones (peer-to-peer). No third-party server, no cloud upload, no one else watching your shop.
What kinds of small businesses is RECAM best for?
Any independent shop that closes at night: bakeries, pharmacies, garages, opticians, hairdressers, tobacconists, wine shops, repair shops, dental practices, and small clinics. If you lock a door at 7pm and worry until 6am, RECAM is built for you.