Deter burglars with outdoor security cameras

Everybody wants to make their home and, if you have one, business premises, as safe and secure as possible and do as much as possible to prevent themselves from becoming victims of crime. Over the years people have done more and more to secure their homes. Of course everybody has always had locks on the doors but now many people also have locks on windows, and one of the main selling features of double glazing was the extra security that came with it.

As time went on alarm systems became cheaper to afford and more popular. One of the great things about alarms is they act as a deterrent. A clearly visible alarm box placed in a prominent position in front of the property is a clear warning to potential burglars that you have extra security in place.

A more recent development is the advent of outdoor security cameras. Historically these were for business premises but now home security cameras are becoming more widespread.
If you're a burglar it is one thing to consider robbing a house where an alarm might go off (and you can quickly run away) but it's an extra powerful deterrent if you will be recorded in the act. This makes home security cameras the best deterrent on the market at the moment.

Unfortunately surveillance cameras can be expensive, especially if you want to position cameras at the front and back of the house, covering all entrances. But there is an alternative. It is possible to purchase very convincing fake security cameras. The key word in that sentence is convincing. If the burglar can tell the camera is not real then he knows you as a property owner are bluffing about the level of security on your house. This could make you more likely to become a target. If buying a fake camera make there are sure the fake lens is made from glass and not just plastic. It is very easy to tell the difference between glass and plastic by looking at the way the light reflects from it. The casing needs to look real and study. Sometimes a broken real camera makes the best cheap deterrent. Some manufacturers will let you purchase a hybrid system that includes real cameras and some fake ones which look exactly the same.

If you decide to implement a home security camera and use an IP camera, and is a camera that can be hooked up to your own computer network, then you have many options to how you process the picture that comes from the camera. ZoneMinder is a free Linux the programme for this purpose. I haven’t used it myself but it looks excellent allowing you to have multiple camera inputs via video, USB and IP cameras and provides a web interface so you can monitor your cameras from any Internet connected computer.

These are some of the things we need to consider when looking at outdoor security cameras. If you want to put the camera outside make sure you purchase a weatherproof once it sounds silly but it’s easy to think you’ve found a great deal only to discover it’s actually an indoor camera.
If you’re mounting the outdoor security camera on your house then it is easy to wire it up with power and the cables for the picture. If you want to mount it on your garage or elsewhere then a wireless camera might be a good option but you still had to address the issue of getting the mains power to it if you don’t want to be changing the batteries every few weeks. If you do go to the wireless option consider the transmission distance and remember the distances quoted by the manufacturer are measured in ideal conditions. You’ll seldom get the same distance in a real-world situation. Other electromagnetic devices can interfere with the signal, electric motors go home WiFi network and microwave ovens can degrade the signal. Remember for night-time viewing your need cameras with infrared support.