Have the Cameras. How Do You Run Yours?

[essjay]

So I'm just wondering what other peoples home security strategy is and whether they run with IR or not.

I have 6 of the Hikvision 2CD2335-I's and 4 are mounted so far. The other two will be going in this week. I'm using BI for recording. But I'm wondering how others are running their security cameras. Some general questions I'm thinking:

• Do you solely rely on IR?
• If not, do you use flood lights? Motion detected or permanently on when it's dark? (In Ireland we have about 16 hours of darkness in winter)
• Do you run the cameras on motion detection only
• Or do you permanently record 24/7 and save what you need?

I had a visitor at 3.30am the other morning that checked out the back of my house. As soon as he saw the CCTV IR light he immediately turned and left. On his way out he took a look in my shed and "borrowed" my two Makita cordless drills. I got off lightly as he could have been thinking of breaking into the the house but the cameras put him off. So I'm just thinking of what else I could do/run to improve the system. I also have a German Shepard puppy on the way......

 

[f46power]

I rely on good lighting, a combo of CFL and led bulbs. Dusk to dawn. A well lit place is a way to deter crime in the first place imo.
I also record 24/7. Why take the chance that something gets missed or mis-interpreted?

 

[mando209]

Yup 24/7 plus 7 dogs.well 9 total.taking care of my sisters little ones.


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[jesseallen]

We haven't installed any sort of additional lighting for outdoor recording. The surveillance cameras alone do a very good job. They are on at all times 'cause you can't really miss anything. I have to add that it does add to the overall cost but it is worth it. It does keep you safe, you know.

BTW, you might wanna keep a check on who that dog bites.

 

[PSPCommOp]

24/7. Had additional IR Illuminators but replaced them with new cameras so that covers that. They record 24/7 and but also trigger alerts on motion. A lot of false alarms but I'm not too concerned, I still have a good amount of recordings saved. If you're having "visitors", might be beneficial to invest in some motion lights to deter them. You're visitor got scared but still managed to take some stuff. That would be unacceptable to me.

 

[essjay]

Yes it's unacceptable but also a learning process I believe. I now have extra, better quality, cameras up, getting a dog and looking at lighting. My only concern with motion lights is the time it takes for the camera to switch from night mode. 24/7 recording seems to be popular so I'll investigate the HDD capacity required for that.

 

[Kawboy12R]

Mix of builtin IR, external IR, and white light here. Both dusk til dawn and motion lighting are used for white light, all of it LED. Three of my cams have either no internal IR or have it turned off though. Internal IR is usually only used on the PTZ and the crittercams.

 

[PSPCommOp]

Yes it's unacceptable but also a learning process I believe. I now have extra, better quality, cameras up, getting a dog and looking at lighting. My only concern with motion lights is the time it takes for the camera to switch from night mode. 24/7 recording seems to be popular so I'll investigate the HDD capacity required for that.

I didn't mean motion lights so the cameras can get good picture/video, I meant motion lights that activate and the mere presence deters theft. At least for most. Some are just brazen assholes who won't care.


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[essjay]

Another question.....

How do you guys set up for continuous recording? I presume continuous with motion detection but how do you have your clips chopped up?

Will I still receive alerts on the Blue Iris iPhone app as if I was just running motion detection and view them as normal also?

 

[nayr]

Ive almost never seen a video capture of a Thief even responding to motion lights coming on, at best they save your electrical bill when nothing is out there.. but they are hardly effective at deterrent, perhaps that magical idea worked back in 1980's when most people had never encountered a front porch light capable of turning its self on.

depending on where you are total darkness is also added security, make them use there own light.. a couple well placed bright ass flood lights is sure to ruin anyone's adjustment to moonlight and they wont be able to see anything w/out pulling out the pocket flashlight they use to rummage through mailboxes and gloveboxes.. someone outside w/a flash light is pretty much guaranteed to upset even the laziest guard dog... but this works best in very rural areas, in the city with street lighting and everything your just making your self a target being too dark.. but in remote areas a person with a flashlight can be seen from a very long ways off so dont give them free static light to work by..

 

[essjay]

Ive almost never seen a video capture of a Thief even responding to motion lights coming on, at best they save your electrical bill when nothing is out there.. but they are hardly effective at deterrent, perhaps that magical idea worked back in 1980's when most people had never encountered a front porch light capable of turning its self on.

My folks went to the local community alert meeting recently which was attended by a police representative and he swore blind that the biggest deterrent was dusk to dawn lighting. Not sure I buy into it that much!

That said I can see a real benefit if there's enough lighting to disable IR on the cameras. I'm considering putting in dusk to dawn lighting supported by motion detected high power floods and switching off the IR to see how good it might be.

 

[nayr]

i switch profiles from day to night externally at sunrise/sunset, and while day mode is set to automatic switch from color/bw the night mode is fixed to b&w only.. had to do this to keep my dualbright security lighting from flipping a couple cameras to color when the wind blew.. cant have day profile forced to color either because stormy evenings it gets darker sooner than sunset.

 

[essjay]

i switch profiles from day to night externally at sunrise/sunset, and while day mode is set to automatic switch from color/bw the night mode is fixed to b&w only.. had to do this to keep my dualbright security lighting from flipping a couple cameras to color when the wind blew.. cant have day profile forced to color either because stormy evenings it gets darker sooner than sunset.

Stoopid question maybe. Why not colour at night if you have external lighting? Want to record when the lights are not on also?

 

[nayr]

its nosier and less detailed, plus its capability to detect anything off in the distance is greatly reduced..

 

[camsmith]

how about motion activated sprinklers https://www.amazon.com/Hoont-Powerful-Outdoor-Repeller-Activated/dp/B01JGZY76W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473962074&sr=8-2&keywords=motion+activated+sprinkler

 

[nayr]

Ive got something like that in the back yard on my garden, has done a great job keeping the coons, rabbits, cats and other plant eating pains in the ass away.. I have to imagine if anyone hopped my fence and got confronted by that sprinkler it'd make em stain there pants..

this is the model I've had, iirc this is the end of its 3rd or 4th season and its still running fine.. just a little mineral buildup after all this time, should probably soak it in some vinegar or something when I go to take it down in a couple weeks.. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CD3UWPA/ref=twister_B00CMN4Q1C