Our tires were slashed in our driveway. Felt so weird someone would do that. Have no idea who vandal was. Need suggestions for security camera with lights motion activated easy diy install and use and reliable. And CHEAP. Anybody using one you'd recommend? Josie
Trail cameras also work quite well and can be cheaper than camera security systems. They start around $35 retail and up at Wal-mart. Battery life runs close to one year. They have the same motion range as security systems and are quite rugged in severe outdoor weather conditions.
They are more mobile than home based security systems and run independently of each other so if one suffers a failure, it has no effect on any others you may have. They can be placed in stealthier locations and easily camouflaged to be undetectable.
You can set them and forget them for a year unless you have reason to check them.
Trail cams come in many configurations and with many options. Work indoors and outdoors. Resistant to extreme weather. They can upload to the cloud as well as send images and text alerts to your mobile phone instantly. Some even sweep up to 360 degrees.
Being in the security business for 30 years..... I often tell folks to buy those inexpensive trail cameras. Put several around and have them looking at the area you want to observe as well as a few just looking at the obvious cams. People will steal the cameras and you can often get really good pics of them if you place a few in hidden places.
There's been a lot of really low cost consumer grade stuff coming on the market that works well enough for most cases like yours. I don't deal with those so I'm not up to speed on the low end gear. What I install is higher end commercial grade high resolution IP cameras and is cost prohibitive to most homeowners.
Hopefully, that vandalism was a once and gone thing. Tires are expensive.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Just to comply with forum rules, make it ‘music-related’. For example, you need surveillance because someone left an accordion in your unlocked car.
The trail cam is a great suggestion, including as a way to protect the more expensive cameras. Good thinking.
Arlo, in case other readers do not know, is the kind of device that syncs to your WiFi. I can look at my house door, yard and dock from afar. I keep my Arlo base station and my Internet modem and router on an uninterruptible power supply.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
This morning I was starting out on a walk with the dogs. 6 AM. Someone thought I was breaking into my own house. Dogs are small so they did not see them. All they saw was skinny little me fuddling with the keys.
Matt, are the Arlo cams hard to zero in on the exact amount of movement before the capture is triggered? I have Foscams and they are a NIGHTMARE to get just right. I go back and forth from no captures to 100 a night from leaves blowing across the yard. Level 7 is too soft, level 8 is too hard.
Josie is your driveway where the crime happened in a very dark place or is it well lit? I have 4 solar powered motion detecting light on my property, 2 of them aimed at where the trailer is parked. When I leave the car in the driveway in front of the garage I want a lot of light on it should there be movement (and for topic compliance I'll add) because sometimes there may be an amp or something left in it if I am too lazy to unload it.
Herb, is that not the ultimate in irony when someone steals a camera that is put in place to deter theft?
Although maybe not as bad as a guy who hoards guitars and rarely plays guitar anymore... (That would be me...)
Either way Josie, it sucks that you had to go through that. I hope either your homeowner or car insurance covered it. I don't know your area but it sounds like punks with nothing better to do likely did it. Mainly because they did all 4. Someone revenge motivated hits one and runs because they know whatever they are getting revenge for makes them an immediate suspect. Two at most because they know people carry ONE spare...
Just to comply with forum rules, make it ‘music-related’. For example, you need surveillance because someone left an accordion in your unlocked car.
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Thank you so much guys. My driveway is too dark. I really appreciate all the great info. I knew y'all would point me to the right path.
Josie
Motion sensor security lighting might be a very good deterrent (in case someone also attempts to place a banjo alongside the accordion... ).
The units come complete with bright low-power LED lighting and integrated motion sensor, adjustable timing - typically a few seconds to 10 minutes, and an adjustable light sensor so that they can be set to only work after sunset.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Thank you so much guys. My driveway is too dark. I really appreciate all the great info. I knew y'all would point me to the right path.
Josie
Get cameras that have IR illumination built in. They will say that in the specs. IR is invisible to the human eye so the perps think they're working in the dark.... as a result, they are less cautious about showing their faces and the IR lights them up like daytime.
Get the highest MP ( megapixel ) rated camera you can afford. You will not regret that. Better pic quality when you digitally zoom in.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
No one messes with me after I got BIG TINY LITTLE JUNiOR
No lights in the world can compare with a well-trained Dobe.
Sorry, you have to deal with low-life genetically defective humanoid garbage.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Good advice Herb. Most all security cameras offer that as a default option these days. The Arlo ones that Matt and I use have it as well. Mine have an option to turn on a spotlight when motion is detected too.
I use both. Motion detecting lights (multiple) and camera. The camera also sends a notice to phone in case I am not home and sends the most recent video to phone if requested so I can see what's going on before reacting.
We also have dogs, one that is old enough to be helpful and bark, and a couple pups that are still learning <grin> Won't be long before they are bigger than the old guy though.
I used to work construction in Chicago many moons ago, and had a few rough guys that were 'ex' gang members under me (though I am sure at least one still had a lot of pull observing how the others respected him). Anyway .. he once told me, when a thief is looking for a house to break into and there are 10 houses on the block .. if four of them have a dog, you got 6 to pick from. That stuck with me
Last edited by rharv; 10/27/2101:09 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Josie. My suggestion is that if you are going to light the area, put the lights on a motion sensor. The light turning on will startle the vandal, and the appearance of the light will provide a warning to you and/or your neighbors that something is going on outside.
Also, don't make the light shine on your neighbors' houses. Don't be guilt of light trespassing.
I have a rude neighbor across the street and back from the road about 300' who has multiple very bright lights aimed outward, and 3 of them are shining into our bedroom window. He says it's a theft deterrent.
I say I can make hand-shadow puppets on the opposite wall inside my house at night.
I've planted some Downy Jasmine bushes, hopefully by next summer they will be tall and dense enough to block the light.
Yep... motion activated lights are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to deter criminal activity. No one wants to be seen while doing their nefarious deeds.
Light shows them and light attracts attention. They want neither.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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