INSTALLING HOME SECURITY CAMERAS LIKE A PRO

Published By Blog Breed

We have all heard stories where a burglar entered a person’s home and took valuables like gadgets, jewelry, or even treasured family heirlooms. That is where home security cameras can be a great deterrent. Surveillance technology has come a long way in the past two decades. In fact, it has become a home electronic that is both more sophisticated and accessible to the general public.

The majority of 2019’s crimes in the United States were property crimes, accounting for the FBI’s estimated 7 million total offenses. However, the good news is that the number has been steadily declining for the last three years. While many factors contribute to this pattern, it is undeniable that the widespread use of surveillance cameras and the increase of electronic stores selling these devices has had a positive impact on decreasing the frequency and severity of crimes like burglaries.

That said, it bears worth mentioning that just buying a home security camera and haphazardly placing it will not cut it. If you want to make the most of this technology, you should be well-versed in the ins and outs of its installation. To help you nail the installation of security cameras, we have compiled a list of tried-and-true tips from industry pros:

Also Read:  TIPS FOR A MEMORABLE FAMILY VACATION

Figure Out The Best Places To Install Cameras    

Instead of settling on a fixed number of security cameras, think about where you may install them to get the best overall coverage. While every house is unique in its layout, most have easy-to-access soft spots. Having cameras in as many of these spots as possible will increase your security. Some of these areas are as follows:

• Front door: You might think that burglars always use the back door. However, well-documented statistics suggest that a whopping 34% of robbers get entry through the front entrance. That is also a prime spot for package snatchers to operate. By installing a camera at the front door, you can monitor everyone who enters and exits your home, from relatives and babysitters to service technicians, delivery persons, and more.
• Parking space: Due to their relative vulnerability, robbers frequently target garages. A camera pointing at your garage can keep a close eye on the bicycles, tools, barbecues, sporting goods, and automobiles. The camera is particularly useful for detached parking spaces.
• Off-street windows: Intruders feel more comfortable breaking in through windows that do not directly face a public thoroughfare. These windows can either have outside cameras installed above them or inside cameras pointed at them.
• Backyard: Our gardens often house numerous expensive objects that make them tempting to criminals, such as a shed stuffed with costly gardening machines or a garden full of play equipment for the kids. Put a few surveillance cameras in strategic locations around the area, and complement them with some well-placed security lights. That way, you will have a much more secure and risk-free environment.
• Common areas: Installing cameras in common areas of the home, such as the kitchen or living room, is an excellent way to monitor cleaners and maintenance specialists when you are away. It also enables you to see whether or not the babysitter is paying attention to the children, what the pets are getting into, and so on.

Place Cameras At Optimal Distance And Height

Homeowners who visit online electronics stores to find outdoor cameras with wide-angle lenses may be tempted to place the device strategically to monitor the broadest possible area. For example, they may place the camera in a backyard corner to see both the backyard and the side yard. That said, this will impair its power to detect motion and capture close-up footage at access points. You must remember that passive infrared has an optimal detection range of 5 to 20 feet. For the most accurate results, place the camera as close as possible to the area you wish to monitor.

Mounting your security cameras 8 to 10 feet up and tilting the lenses 15 to 30 degrees can maximize their motion-detecting capabilities. Another typical faux pas is a consumer pointing a camera horizontally out onto the street. Due to the infrared radiation emitted by their engines, moving vehicles can set off alarms even when they are out of view of exterior cameras. Mounting your cameras high up and aiming them down at a busy area makes it more difficult for intruders to sneak past them or reach up and pull them down to steal or disable them.

Hide Your Cameras

In recent years, thieves have become smarter. They have learned to either spray paint cameras or hide in blind spots. That is why hidden security cameras are good at foiling criminals’ plans and capturing them red-handed.

Finding a good place to hide a security camera is not as dull as you may think. If you are up for a tough weekend DIY project, it will be a lot of fun. In order to get your creative juices flowing, we have listed some of the most effective strategies for concealing home security cameras:

• Artificial foliage: When decorating a home, artificial plants and flowers are a quick and easy way to boost the space’s aesthetic appeal. Lucky for us, they also make excellent covers for hiding cameras. Get your artificial plants set up in a container first. The more lush and green the plant, the better. Place this plant among a dozen other planters to give your trickery a little more punch.
• Birdhouse: Despite their rarity, birdhouses provide excellent camera hiding places. If you have ever considered purchasing a treehouse to adorn your landscape, it is about time to do so. The modern-day security cameras at online electronic stores are so small that they could easily fit inside a birdhouse. Go for a wireless camera to prevent the wire from revealing the camera’s location. To get a clear shot, you will need to check that your camera’s lens can pass through the hole in the birdhouse.
• Doorbell: Incorporating a camera into a doorbell has become quite a trend. It is a great way to keep an eye on who is coming and going from the house at all times. The camera’s wide field of view lets you see every detail of the individual who knocks on your door.

Ensure A Solid Internet Connection

While many security cameras are 1080p, several home electronics manufacturers offer higher-resolution options up to 4K. More pixels translate to more actionable footage of questionable individuals when assessing recordings. Although upgrading to a higher resolution may seem like a no-brainer, you should ensure that your internet connection can manage the increased data load.

The higher data transfer rates required by 4K streams can be problematic for those with limited online storage space and upload speeds, especially if they use many cameras or enable continuous recording. Therefore, you should compare your network’s Mbps to the requirements of your cameras.

Know Your Legal Boundaries

While security cameras are a terrific investment, it is important to respect the personal space of your neighbors. Wide-angle exterior security cameras are legal for homeowners. And it is often OK to film your neighbor’s publicly accessible property in the background. However, you may run into legal trouble if the recording is used for anything other than security purposes or if the cameras can spy on private areas where your neighbors have a reasonable expectation of privacy. As a result, you should research local regulations to be sure you will not have to remove the cameras after installing them. 

Conclusion

Home security cameras are all the rage at the moment. Their popularity is marking a rapid uptick with no signs of slowing down in the foreseeable future. But unfortunately, many homeowners are not maximizing the potential of these extraordinary devices. Reason? They lack knowledge about installing them. We have put together this guide to address this issue. When it comes to installing your home security cameras, you cannot go wrong as long you walk the tight line of the above-mentioned tips.