Could I end up with "too many" cameras? Consequences?

[ipmania]

Just a beginner here with a naive question: could I draw unwanted attention simply by having too many cameras visible on my home?

I currently have zero cameras. But as mentioned in another thread, there's a good chance I could get caught up in all this and have a variety of them mounted on my house.

What could my neighbors think of this? Some things that come to mind: What's he hiding or worried about? Is he doing something illegal? (e.g. running a grow-op). Is he spying on his neighbors?

What could random bad guys think? e.g. is there something very valuable in his house? Maybe they'll start plotting...

Background: I live in a middle-class suburb that is a regular neighborhood with many houses on the street (i.e., I don't live on acreage or out in the country). People will notice that suddenly I have cameras.

I will say that people DO have cameras in my area. Maybe a single consumer-grade camera above their main door perhaps. Maybe a 2nd one also in view.

But knowing my own tendencies, I will likely get carried away and at some point, there'll be cameras everywhere on my house and property.

 

[JNDATHP]

Most people, and I mean, almost everyone, will not notice your cameras. In our case, I used turrets and they really blend in to the house.

 

[Boethius]

My next door neighbor didn't understand the paranoia behind the cameras. and thusly we dont have ANY lenses on his yard or house, plus his family gathering outdoor picnic area is close to our lot line. see picture. But house mate has lived in crime ridden areas with the full array of crimes of the ghetto, and wanted them. But I told her it wasn't that kind of neighborhood.(yet)
But i do want to see who is parking on the street between my house and the apartments because sometimes people sit out there and smoke weed. and when that happens, the statistical probability of stupid bullshit is elevated.

View attachment 156673

I've seen a lot of people complaining about people smoking weed here. I used to smoke as a teen / young adult, and I can't imagine I'd stay around a spot that had a polite sign saying something to the effect of "Dear Marijuana Enthusiast(s): We kindly ask that you do not smoke on this section of the street, as a member of the household as a severe allergy to cannabis. Thank you."

I'm sure that will deter 90% of them. Make sure to have a marijuana leaf on the sign.

 

[Boethius]

Lurks for 7 years, then takes a stance on weed on somebody elses post.
This is why helping motherfuckers on here is so beneficial to my mental health.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize your mental health was so delicate as to be bothered by my join date and 2cents worth of advice.

I understand not wanting opportunistic thieves smoking weed to be on your street. I didn't say don't bother with cameras. I suggested to put a sign if there is a particular spot on your street where they tend to pull up to smoke.

And btw, you have a nice house and lawn. I'm not trying to stir shit up, I was just sharing my observations and suggestions. I was browsing the other day and saw several posts about weed, didn't mean to put that all on you.

To OP: There are a few houses around my neighborhood with cameras. Sure enough, the one house with them very obvious (like, a pole in the front of the house with the wire strung bare to some window) and shitty install, well, the dude is a weirdo. If you install them with no care as to how they look, people will think you are mentally unwell. If you install them professionally, and don't have like, more than 8 visible from the front, I doubt anyone is going to suspect anything other than someone concerned about their safety. When you start getting into the range of 14-20+ cameras all visible from the front while someone is walking by with their dog, some people may begin to think you're a little crazy or doing something sketchy no matter how well they are installed, if they are all visible and conspicuous.

I don't think there are too many situations where a practical and thorough install, done well, is going to have anyone thinking anything negative. And if they do, that's on them.

 

[looktall]

you have a nice house and lawn

...be a shame if someone were to smoke weed near it.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Do you have any doritos?

 

[wittaj]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize your mental health was so delicate as to be bothered by my join date and 2cents worth of advice.

I understand not wanting opportunistic thieves smoking weed to be on your street. I didn't say don't bother with cameras. I suggested to put a sign if there is a particular spot on your street where they tend to pull up to smoke.

And btw, you have a nice house and lawn. I'm not trying to stir shit up, I was just sharing my observations and suggestions. I was browsing the other day and saw several posts about weed, didn't mean to put that all on you.

To OP: There are a few houses around my neighborhood with cameras. Sure enough, the one house with them very obvious (like, a pole in the front of the house with the wire strung bare to some window) and shitty install, well, the dude is a weirdo. If you install them with no care as to how they look, people will think you are mentally unwell. If you install them professionally, and don't have like, more than 8 visible from the front, I doubt anyone is going to suspect anything other than someone concerned about their safety. When you start getting into the range of 14-20+ cameras all visible from the front while someone is walking by with their dog, some people may begin to think you're a little crazy or doing something sketchy no matter how well they are installed, if they are all visible and conspicuous.

I don't think there are too many situations where a practical and thorough install, done well, is going to have anyone thinking anything negative. And if they do, that's on them.

@Flintstone61 is a sarcastic person and I doubt his mental health is that delicate....it was simply a commentary that why does someone that has been here for so long with only two prior posts decide to hijack and talk about a one off thread someone posted about weed LOL and why didn't you let your opinion on the weed subject be known in that thread and not hijack this one...

 

[wittaj]

One can never have too many cameras LOL.

Install them to blend in - paint them. Put them in trees and landscaping and birdhouses, etc.

Most don't realize you have them. My neighbor has them on his fence at the public sidewalk and they have never been noticed or touched. Like literally you can be standing on the public sidewalk and touch the cameras they are that close.

Usually the ones that do notice it and make some snide comment are the first ones to come to you to see if you captured anything when something happens to them LOL.

 

[samplenhold]

I have six covering my front porch. Four are behind the glass on either of the front door but really can't be seen from the street. One looks along the length of the porch and is hard to be seen from the street. One is on the backside of a porch pillar looking back at the front door and can only be seen from the door looking bac towards the street.

I have two LPR cams in a box in the front garden. If you are inspecting the garden, then you could see them from the street.

I have two turrets looking down the driveway that can be seen from the street.

I have one bullet pointing to the intersection from the front porch. This cam is the only obvious one. People doo look at it as they walk by.

I have three in the second story windows as overview cams that can be seen from the street but only if you stand there and really try.

I had one Amazon delivery guy ask me if I was a 'spy or something' due to all the cams at the door. I just smiled and thanked him for the delivery.

My neighbors did not know I had cams for over a year until I was telling them that I had given video of a door checker that had hit cars along the street.

Most people are oblivious to the world around them.

 

[Rob2020]

The Dahua 5442 is a small and highly recommended turret camera, compare the size to other offerings. Mounted on the Dahua PFB mount it practically disappears once you are about 25' away.

 

[ptzman]

I have twenty-two plus cameras including PTZ’s installed on my property, they can be seen from the street all over my property. Since I installed my cameras, the drug traffic on my street is almost zero. Love making “at the darken of the street” is gone, that was good video. Drivers turn around in other driveways before they pass my property. I have signs posted stating video and audio are being recorded.

When something happens on my street the neighbors come running to me for video, this is where you have to be careful what you provide to them, if anything.

I enjoy watching the cameras when it is snowing. One neighbor said to another, “why does he have so many cameras.” I have more cameras to install.

 

[Sammyf]

In my experience people don’t usually notice cameras, even some friends coming for a visit didn’t notice some cameras though they know I have some. Though once I heard some kids passing by and wondering why I have so many cameras

People mainly notice the cameras if they’re not sure about the address and try to look for the house number. But I also have active deterrence cam by the front door at face height. It seems to make people feel uneasy and to look to the other direction, getting captured by another camera. Some of the cameras I have painted with rubber paint to match the house and those blend in pretty well.

 

[wtimothyholman]

Just a beginner here with a naive question: could I draw unwanted attention simply by having too many cameras visible on my home?

I have 13 outdoor PoE cameras, and I'm about to add number 14. That doesn't include the Wyze cams that I play around with as a low-cost alternative to demonstrate to my neighbors on a budget.

As @JNDATHP pointed out, most neighbors won't even notice them. I think many automatically dismiss mine as some sort of porch or landscaping lights.

Of those who do notice them, any criticism or clever comments will vanish the instant you provide them with high-resolution images of the criminals who broke into their homes or vehicles. Now I routinely have people ask if I recorded something after they were victimized. And as the awareness of my cameras has grown, most of the door checkers now make a point of avoiding my block.

Buy and install as many cameras as you want. Yes, you may get some attention, but that's not a bad thing.

 

[looney2ns]

I have a 5442 camera at my front door 7ft high from the pad, that is almost at arms length to anyone standing at the door, 99.5% never notice it.

 

[Mike A.]

Yeah, with 20+ cams and 7 8 (eta: forget myself lol) visible in front, I'm "that guy" in my neighborhood. As above the vast majority (high 90%) of people never even notice them even when right in their face. The ones that got most attention are two that I put in a tree at the street above the sidewalk. The cams are hidden pretty well and very few notice them either but the red IR gives them away at night. Had a couple of neighbors ask me about those. Guy next door was happy that I put them up since his car was hit and run not long before. Another after I explained LPR said "Ahhh, I get it... Thanks!" I'm sure some of the rest think it's a little odd but whatever. I think some of the things they do are odd too so... ; )

 

[wittaj]

Let's be real....those with lots of cameras end up spending too much time in the nude or undies and when they go out to confront a perp, the neighbors get weirded out by that more than the cameras LOL

Crazy guy hops my fence!

Only got a Deepstack alert for the shot where he was near the AC's, I've just expanded my DeepStack setup to include the back cameras too. I'll have to work out some kind of schedule for them when I'm away/sleeping Looks like he notices the cameras near the AC and tries to hide. At this point...

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[saltwater]

Yep, can't have too many cameras. I've got my driveway covered, not sure if the neighbours have noticed.

 

[JDreaming]

I have 4 cameras on the front side of the house and most strangers walking pass by don't notice the cameras, but the delivery guys
and people living on the same block usually notice them.

And 3 of the neighbors living on the same block have ask me for help with video footage of suspected people or incidents in the past
few years. I think around 70% of the houses got security cameras installed in my neighborhood, but usually only 1-2 wifi type cameras
on the front side of the houses.

I should add that since I installed the 4k-X more people notice it because it's much bigger than other 3 cameras.

 

[Smilingreen]

I've seen a lot of people complaining about people smoking weed here. I used to smoke as a teen / young adult, and I can't imagine I'd stay around a spot that had a polite sign saying something to the effect of "Dear Marijuana Enthusiast(s): We kindly ask that you do not smoke on this section of the street, as a member of the household as a severe allergy to cannabis. Thank you."

I'm sure that will deter 90% of them. Make sure to have a marijuana leaf on the sign.

 

[garycrist]

Still fogged up from the drive-in movie?