So…we had an incident here. Here meaning our house. Good news: the people (or person) did not gain entry to the house. We have a security system and “our” officer was cruising by and someone got nervous and left. He did suggest a few security cameras would be an excellent idea.
What I know about security cameras is from television where the cameras didn’t work. So…we are a corner house, on an alley. Access can be gained from the back door, front door, interior courtyard door, and servants’ door. Second floor access can be gained from the bedroom doors onto porches. We also have a courtyard that leads to the front door.
Any suggestions? Placement and/or cost?
Thank you to all! I really appreciate input.
And yes, there is a servants/workmen’s door. I didn’t call it that…thats what it is. We have a milkbox, package delivery box (very small) and an iron gate on the door. NO One can get in there.
So sorry you had that experience. It’s unsettling to say the least. Our sheriff’s dept. loves our camera system since we can provide good quality video clips to them when needed.
We bought our first Lorex system from Costco and were pleased with the value for money ( < $2K.) Recently, dh upgraded to a new Lorex system. I think he bought it directly from the maker and I’m not sure of the cost. We can have up to 16 cameras and currently have a dozen installed. Dh did the work himself. The cameras have pretty good night vision, but we also have lights on timers/photo cels in some locations. A couple of the cameras have pan/tilt/zoom features, but most are fixed. The system has its own dvr. Recording sensitivity and time can be adjusted.
We have a long view of the driveway, views by the upper and lower garages, views of the front walkway, and several views of the back yard. We still lack direct coverage of the front porch and a basement patio, although the approaches to those areas are well covered. There’s no easy way to run the wires to those spots.
Our previous camera systems have paid for themselves many times over. They provided proof of unscrupulous delivery people who lied about delivering expensive items. They provided proof that service personnel were goofing off instead of doing their job (pest control techs, termite bond co. inspectors, painters, yard care, roofer, etc.) We would not have known about most of those problems without the camera systems and would have been ripped off for tens of thousands of dollars.
I’d cover as many access points as you can, and where you can’t get a camera directly on a door then at least cover the approach(es) to it. In your case, half a dozen cameras may be enough. Also, you may want to post a sign alerting people to the cameras. In some states that may be required (it isn’t where we live), but we do it anyway.
Just asking because you’re in CA. Do you have a pool? We used to, and our back patio door camera was positioned so that we could catch on camera anyone entering the pool that wasn’t supposed to - we had a fence and gate, so only one way in. I realize that’s different than the kind of security camera you’re looking for, but as long as you’re going to put some cameras up, if you have a pool, you might want to consider this.
First, thank you both for your input. We don’t have a pool. Fountains…yes…pool no. The “thing” is that our home is generally occupied 24/7. But the “delivery guy” wouldn’t have gotten any interest…save for the empty package. This holiday has wrecked havoc on some friends of ours. More than one set of friends. Real pros got them. They cut out the doors…I am not anxious to go through that again. Yes, we have been (during the 38 years of our marriage) burglarized and robbed. So cameras it is.
You should probably get professional advice but I will mention that our camera has an almost perfect 180 degree view. You can capture a LOT of real estate in that view if you position it correctly.
@bevhills, sorry for the attempted burglary. It’s disconcerting and frightening when something like this happens. We’ve had a security system and cameras for several years. As far as positioning, you should really ask a security expert. They will know where the cameras should be placed. I think we have 8-10 and a system inside that stores the recordings for an extended period of time. The images are very good and we were able to provide a recording when a neighbor had a bike stolen from their front yard, probably 150 ft away. Our house is set back probably 100+ ft from the street and the images are still identifiable.
I think it’s always a good idea to have an expert do the installation and if you already have an alarm system, the company should be able to do this for you, as well as service them. We have an annual check for the alarm and camera system, which I believe is fairly standard.
I have purchased and configured security cameras for my home and the community for several years. Along the way, there were successes and failures, so I can say I am experienced security camera specialist.
Security camera can priced from few thousand dollars to less than $50 each, like those sold in Harbor Frieght, Lowes, HD or CostCo. I always go for top of the line because I am a camera buff. Not sure what kind of camera/DVR/NVR you have, so cannot make suggestions. To pull wires to the camera some times is the most expensive part, without a configuration of your home, its hard to tell, but you can get some quotes from electricians. Basically, I have three in the front and one in the back taping the videos 24/7 by a dedicated NVR, because my home configuration, I was able to get all the cameras working off my garage except one. The one on the far side of my house is connected to internet from my living room.
Anyway, in addition to the camera system, I’d suggest a security system like ADT for inside of your house. I stopped using ADT because they are too expensive. I have been using different companies with good results. I also have an outside siren system that if anyone try to approach my garage door it will sound.
My view on security is that you need local monitoring. Hire people who live in your community to assess your needs, install your cameras, and monitor your system. Ask about their background checks of employees. Too many companies outsource this stuff.
Sorry this happened to you. If you have a burglar alarm I would contact the company that installs/maintains that system – it is likely that they also have expertise in outdoor security cameras.
We don’t have cameras but I have a few suggestions:
It seems that cameras are always placed high and get a great view of the top of someone’s head, or the hoody or baseball cap they are wearing to cover their face. Talk to someone about hiding a camera that is maybe waist height and angled upwards to capture a better view of a face.
There are motion detector flood lights and barking dog machines. Someone walked by our house, our little dog started yapping, and H overheard them saying, “oh, they must have one of those barking dog alarms”, lol. Might as well.
Where I live you can get cameras that feed into a neighborhood network so that LE can access them at any time. It provides coverage in case of a crime or getaway in the neighborhood and you don’t have to do the monitoring yourself.
Having a few visible cameras will be a deterrent. We have two that are mounted near the front door and one at the garage. We also have a couple in the backyard.
Since you already have an alarm system exterior cameras are helpful.
I used to have indoor motion activated cameras but they were too sensitive because they activated every time my timer lights turned on and off. When I am traveling I have lights on timers in each room and a radio blaring loudly on a timer also.
Doschicos: We have a dog. She barks…We always had big dogs until I became ill. I couldn’t walk them…they would drag me down the street. So we have r King Charles. She would point to the silver. When we were burglarized and robbed the big dogs barked…and showed them where the silver was.
Alwaysamom: If I waited for Mr. Ellebud to install anything…I chuckle at the thought. It’s not that he can’t…he won’t.So, yes, it will be for professionals to do.
We’ve had alarms at our houses since I walked into a newly closed house to find a homeless man living there. Yikes! We had monitoring for years, but decided it was pretty much useless since most burglars will either leave when the alarm sounds or be long gone by the time police/security shows up (low priority for police because of false alarms).
We now live in a low crime area and DH just thought it was another gizmo. But I like gizmos and we’re traveling a lot this year so may just go with it so I can “answer” my door from across the country/world. They have a floodlight camera due out in April this year.
I am looking forward to an exterior motion activating speaker that can say “Hello, can I help you?”.
I also have had one break-in over 30 years ago and I still remember the nauseous feeling of being violated.
How scary, @bevhills ! And, may I ask - are you in Beverly Hills? I live about 30 minutes west of you, if so, and our towns have seen a small increase in B&E lately. Usually opportunistic stuff that an obvious security system or dog would help prevent.
We have the Nest system and we love it. We were away for two weeks, really really far away (New Zealand) and could open the Nest app even there and see what, if anything, was going on with our house. I recommend Nest for peace of mind.
