Within the past two weeks my car has been broken into, and someone broke our gate trying to get into the back yard. So I’m considering getting a video surveillance system. Have any of you done this? If so, do you have any advice about it?
One thing I’m wondering about is getting the camera cables through the exterior wall (stucco outside, drywall inside). Should I put a short length of conduit through the wall, and run the cables through that, or what?
Ray,
$9000 of vandalism was done to my almost new car 3 years ago: All the wheels stolen, the hood and sides of the car key scratched, the rear window and one tail light smashed. The only such happening in the 45 years I’ve lived in the house. I had ADT install a break-in alarm system throughout my house, I installed a solar powered, motion sensing floodlight over my car and truck, and I had an installer put a wireless video camera that can be controlled by computer keys to monitor my front yard and driveway. Be careful about the terms of a security contract for the alarm system. It will probably be for 5 years and that may not suit you after a year or two. The solar powered floodlight is great - I don’t think it cost me more than $60 or a $100 and after 3 years, it is still going great. The video camera maybe should be viewed more as a deterent rather than something that will catch the bad guys. It works in the dark, black and white, color during the day. When the solar powered flood light goes on (it stays on only 20 seconds at a time), the video camera doesn’t see anything. The daytime picture is good, the nighttime picture is grainy. I find that I have to reset the video camera fairly frequently, such as every time we have a power outage. Be sure to have a back up battery on your computer and one for the video camera. The only wire drilled through any walls is the power cord to the video camera. The computer software for the video camera will take images as frequently as you wish - every 5 seconds or 15 minutes - and it will store up to a week or so of imaging. Be careful there, however, or you will quickly soak up all the available memory on your computer. After a few weeks or a few months, you may get tired of looking through several hours of nothing happening, unless you do have a theft or break in. If none of this sounds so good, get a big dog with a ferocious bark - and the solar powered flood light.
I’ve had my house broken into. No fun at all ! However, it seems to me that people install all of this security stuff AFTER they have a problem. The likely-hood of having a repeat break in (at lease in my neck of the woods) is highly unlikely. Of course if you can afford it, and it gives you peace of mind, go for it. It also just makes it harder to get in and out of your own home on a daily basis.
Del is correct. I installed mine after the fact, but it sure did give us peace of mind. I don’t have trouble going in and out of the house.
Is there a dobie down at the local pound?
While I sympathize with your desire to add protection I can relates some of my experience. At my PT job I manage video surveillance systems that cover three restaurants and a housing complex. Over the years there have been many incidents caught on video; everything from theft of materials, armed robbery, assaults, property damage and more. In not one single case where the perpetrator was not already a known person did having video help in making an arrest. In the case of the armed robbery the perp was caught on 4 different cameras but only a few frames on each as the entire robbery took less than 20 seconds. Caps and hoodies protect faces and most surveillance cameras are of such low resolution that vehicle license plates can not be read. Don’t believe the enhancement technology you see on CSI. If there is nothing there to start with you can’t enhance it.
What I’m trying to say is don’t spend a bunch of cash on a video system expecting to be able to apprehend those who do crimes against you. They work well against employee theft or damages done to properties by tenants, but these are all cases of known persons where the perp can be recognized by staff. Unless you have e neighbor attacking you the best you can hope for is that obvious cameras deter the criminals.
I think the Redneck Security System (a joke going around) has just as good or perhaps better chance of deterring crime than video systems.
Ray,
Another camera option is a game camera that hunters use. They are designed to work in the dark and only take pictures when there is motion in the area. I am not real familiar with them, but one of my coworkers is a big time hunter and he has brought pics in of some really nice bucks in the dark. Worth a look into if nothing else.
Bob C.
Big powerful motion controlled floods…Cheap.
I have those, and a big dog that barks only when someone comes up to the house…If they broke in she’d likely lick them to death, but they don’t know that!
RAY… Take some to talk to a professional, Go to the local Police Department, Talk to a detective about what you want to do, Listen to what they say is the best thing, Dog, Video, Cameras, Lights, etc. They do this for a living.
Ray I would have to agree with Jon on this. You also have to think about police responce when an alarm goes off. In my area it can take over 40 minutes for State Police because they cover a large area and I have no local Police Dept. A large flood light would be your best bet with some fake cameras and a sign. Most robberies are drug related. The person is looking for easy cash, thats why they tend to go for cars and grab things that can be sold easily. Thats what it sounds like in your case. Its very difficult to catch these types of robberies even with cameras. The ones that do get caught is usully the local druggy or troubled teen.
I installed a system with 2 cameras last year and have expanded it to 4, front, side, back and garage doors. Motion activated, infrared cameras. Is it gonna stop a determined crook? Probably not. Would I pay for a monitored (ATF type)? No. Every burglar knows to cut the phone line, follow your ears to the indoor alarm and cut it’s wires. The neighbors will think it was a car alarm. Does my system give me peace of mind? Yes, I can monitor every door at all times. Don’t even get up for anyone with a clipboard or flyers at the front door. And I can always tell when the meter readers make their rounds.
That said, false triggers and real triggers for animals must be considered. Every night I get to keep track of the neighborhood cats that should be inside or on a leash. And that damn possum is frequently including my bird feeder on his rounds . oh, don’t forget raccoon’s on garbage night.
My initial intention was to monitor my cars and the front door. Can’t point the camera at the cars because it picks up everything that goes down my street… cars, kids, pet walkers, etc. And you can’t set them to cover a wide area. Every time the wind blows the bushes, you get alarms.
Jon Radder said:
While I sympathize with your desire to add protection I can relates some of my experience. At my PT job I manage video surveillance systems that cover three restaurants and a housing complex. Over the years there have been many incidents caught on video; everything from theft of materials, armed robbery, assaults, property damage and more. In not one single case where the perpetrator was not already a known person did having video help in making an arrest. In the case of the armed robbery the perp was caught on 4 different cameras but only a few frames on each as the entire robbery took less than 20 seconds. Caps and hoodies protect faces and most surveillance cameras are of such low resolution that vehicle license plates can not be read. Don't believe the enhancement technology you see on CSI. If there is nothing there to start with you can't enhance it.What I’m trying to say is don’t spend a bunch of cash on a video system expecting to be able to apprehend those who do crimes against you. They work well against employee theft or damages done to properties by tenants, but these are all cases of known persons where the perp can be recognized by staff. Unless you have e neighbor attacking you the best you can hope for is that obvious cameras deter the criminals.
I think the Redneck Security System (a joke going around) has just as good or perhaps better chance of deterring crime than video systems.
Jerry
i have recently installed the second surveilance system for my store.
first council: don’t try to go cheap! (you will pay again)
i first installed small wireless cams, that could be hidden well.
but they had no infrared facility and the lights outside are not bright enough.
the quality was not good enough to identify persons.
now i got a H264 network DVR from AVTEC
that gives me 8 cameras with infrared, that record individually from four secs before movement till some minutes after last movement.
the instalation is with coxial cable plus 12V dc cable. enough holes in the walls.
the images are good enough for identification.
next step on the security ladder would be some alarms, that call the police, when set off.
I would go with a motion detector with 2 50-75 watt halogen spotlights. There cheap enough. That’s what I installed over the garage doors. Granted, I didn’t do it for security reasons, but as a way to have some light in the driveway when I got back from driving at 2 or 3 in the morning. One points down in front of the doors and one into the back. I just made sure it wasn’t directed toward a neighbors house. And it comes in handy when I have to shuffle on out to the wood pile at 10 at nite for more firewood…
Crooks like to work when it’s dark and having it suddenly lite up would probably be enough of a deterant.
Sorry to hear Ray.
I have aften wondered about this problem. I live in the country and work is 30 miles away. My nearest neighbor is a mile away. Although i lockup the house before I leave everyday, I cant help but feel if a crook wants to get he will and he will be able to rob me blind and I wont know until I get home at night. I looked at a security system at Sam’s club that includes 4 wireless cameras and also an option to montior remotely.
As for the game cameras, I have a couple and they could work. But the problem is if the subject is just a small distance away, they you loose resolution pretty quickly.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!
I’m not worried about anyone breaking into the house – we already have bars on all the ground floor doors and windows. My biggest concern is someone getting into the backyard and stealing or vandalizing the railroad. I agree that motion-activated lights would probably be enough. Ironically, they would be much more difficult to install, and maybe more expensive too, since I’d have to hire a contractor to put in conduit, wiring and switches. I’m not even sure it can be done without access to the interior walls, which is not an option. But I’ll look into it. At the very least, I want to get a light over the corner of the garage where the gate is, which would also light up the “shadow” side of my car.
The video surveillance systems I’ve been looking at, I could probably set up myself and it would only cost a few hundred bucks. Still, it sounds like maybe it would have limited potential as a deterrent, and even less use for actually catching a crook. On the other hand, it might be helpful for identifying problems with four-legged intruders on the layout.
No matter what is installed, the effectiviness boils down to the effectiveness of loacl law enforcment. A few years ago thee was a rash of breakin on our road (we got hit 4 times in six months). neighborood meeting resulted in no much could be done as most were needed for traffic control thus response for 911 call was often 2-4hours. The business owner accross the street noted “the next 911 call will be for an ambulance.” 6 weeks later when he made that call, response was immediate and the purpetrators caught, no more breakins.
Years ago we built a new shed to house all the lawn equipment. Within a month that was broken into. The door was practically destroyed and they stole everything with a gas engine.
We fixed the doors, new hasp and new lock…. 6-8 months later we were broken into again. The cops said the first one was a setup. The bandits would come back about 6 months later to steal the brand new replacement equipment. I had to laugh.
We now leave the shed open with a big chain running through all the gas equipment.
No more wrecked doors.
Contrary to the recommendations of local police, we also now leave the cars open. I make sure to hit the unlock button when I park. I just don’t leave anything in the car.
Result: no more broken car windows and if a pro wanted the car a door lock wouldn’t stop him.
We do have a central station alarm system and signage around the house. I purchased the equipment and had it hard wired. The yearly charge is significantly less than the big national companies that “give” you the equipment and “free” installation. BTW, that equipment from those companies is usually a wireless system requiring regular battery maintenance.
If you are going to install a surveillance system forget about PC based systems, go for an embedded DVR with a minimum 500 gig hard drive - much better quality picture and takes up less space. There are a lot of affordable systems on the market nowadays - go for one which can record in D1 H.264.
Connect the DVR and the cameras to a UPS as crooks often cut the power to properties with surveillance systems. The new DVR’s even let you hook up to your mobile smart phone. The more TV lines the cameras have the better your picture.
The fact is, they are only a deterant and many crooks know that it is really difficult to positively identify anyone anyway and so they often don’t care if they are recorded; where we live surveillance material seldom is admissible in our courts. We have a huge problem with metal theft in Africa and garden rails are a prime target; especially if they are brass! I find it best to install 6 foot pencil beams across access points linked up to a 24hr armed response company, I use ADT who installed a Caddex 8 alarm system with external and internal passive pet proof beams.
If someone really wants to steal or vandalize your stuff they will do so irrespective, just try make the guy living next door appear to be an easier target! Surveillance systems give you some peace of mind and after an incident a better idea of what went on.
Drug related crimes have been on the upswing for some time in my area. The nice thing is they go after the easy money so locked garages and cars usually keep them out. Plus, the buildings on my layout have no significant resale value and wouldn’t be easy to fence so they have been left alone. The best security system I ever had was a 110 pound german shepard. I know dogs aren’t practical for everyone but this ole boy kept everyone at bay and he was smart. He wouldn’t just bark to make noise he knew who was coming and going and kept watch over the kids well, like a shepard!