Improving street coverage

[Tygunn]

I've got a number of cameras set around my house; they are mainly the venerable Dahua IPC-HDW5231R-Z.

My placement philosophy has always been to position them so that they get a clear right view of people who come ON to my property. So tight views around windows, the side gate, the car, people coming up the sidewalk, etc. The footage I get if someone comes up close is quite good.

E.g. Sketchy guy who came to the door looking for keys under the mat a few years back (have tweaked lighting and settings since so it is even better).



Lately our street has seen a rash of mail thefts and catalytic converter thefts. For example, here's some footage of a cyclist zipping off after looting the neighbor's mailbox. I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on whether I could improve visibility onto the street for shots like this. More IR illumination at the curb to light up the street more perhaps? I guess unless I put a dedicated camera along the street this may be as good as it gets:

May 27, 2023

6 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[wittaj]

Looks like you have decent illumination.

You would need a camera with higher focal lengths and optically zoom in to some pinch points like one on your sidewalk, one on the street, and one for the other side.

 

[bigredfish]

Yep, you're gonna need more cameras. Worst thing many do is try to do too many things with a single camera.

 

[Mike A.]

Yeah, don't really have great angles if that's what you're going for. Good for covering the car, etc. but don't get much of the street. Can you get off to the side of those shots with more of a longer angle along the road? As above, probably would need a cam with a little more zoom than the 5231 gives you.

The small illuminators like the Tendelux will light things up across the street. Don't need anything 'at the curb.' Generally pointed toward the curb would be more than plenty.

 

[Parley]

You need to put a couple of cameras out in that tree.

 

[mat200]

I've got a number of cameras set around my house; they are mainly the venerable Dahua IPC-HDW5231R-Z.

My placement philosophy has always been to position them so that they get a clear right view of people who come ON to my property. So tight views around windows, the side gate, the car, people coming up the sidewalk, etc. The footage I get if someone comes up close is quite good.

E.g. Sketchy guy who came to the door looking for keys under the mat a few years back (have tweaked lighting and settings since so it is even better).
View attachment 164211


Lately our street has seen a rash of mail thefts and catalytic converter thefts. For example, here's some footage of a cyclist zipping off after looting the neighbor's mailbox. I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on whether I could improve visibility onto the street for shots like this. More IR illumination at the curb to light up the street more perhaps? I guess unless I put a dedicated camera along the street this may be as good as it gets:

May 27, 2023

6 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

Good to see you back @Tygunn

definitely I think now that people need to put more cameras out to capture details from the sidewalk and street .. critical imho to get info on any vehicles used ..

I like the mailbox / birdboxes people have been putting out closer to the street to get better image captures.

Try one of the better varifocal 4MP cameras to see what you can do that works for your home ( if in a HOA .. iirc @bigredfish or another posted a few ideas recently to hide cameras .. )





update:

thanks @ctm My z12e LPC camera is hidden, mostly because it is only 3ft off the ground and aimed away from the house that I felt leaving it in plain sight would draw a complaint from the HOA.




ref:

Hidden in plain sight

Replaced one of my old outdoor HIKs with a 5442. Decided to get some more life out of the old one and placed it inside my garage. Painted it the same colour as my tool board. Nobody seem to notice it :)

ipcamtalk.com

 

[looney2ns]

I've got a number of cameras set around my house; they are mainly the venerable Dahua IPC-HDW5231R-Z.

My placement philosophy has always been to position them so that they get a clear right view of people who come ON to my property. So tight views around windows, the side gate, the car, people coming up the sidewalk, etc. The footage I get if someone comes up close is quite good.

E.g. Sketchy guy who came to the door looking for keys under the mat a few years back (have tweaked lighting and settings since so it is even better).
View attachment 164211


Lately our street has seen a rash of mail thefts and catalytic converter thefts. For example, here's some footage of a cyclist zipping off after looting the neighbor's mailbox. I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on whether I could improve visibility onto the street for shots like this. More IR illumination at the curb to light up the street more perhaps? I guess unless I put a dedicated camera along the street this may be as good as it gets:

May 27, 2023

6 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

What is the distance to the street?

 

[Tygunn]

Looks like you have decent illumination.
You would need a camera with higher focal lengths and optically zoom in to some pinch points like one on your sidewalk, one on the street, and one for the other side.

I've got a couple 12 LED illuminators pointing out at the street from the house to try and provide general illumination. These ones:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G6EDOO2

One is on a tree in the left side of the lot (marked green in pic), the other is above the front door shining down into the yard. The cameras are marked with red.

Yeah, don't really have great angles if that's what you're going for. Good for covering the car, etc. but don't get much of the street. Can you get off to the side of those shots with more of a longer angle along the road? As above, probably would need a cam with a little more zoom than the 5231 gives you.
The small illuminators like the Tendelux will light things up across the street. Don't need anything 'at the curb.' Generally pointed toward the curb would be more than plenty.

I suspect more cameras is likely the answer. The camera on the left side of the house is somewhat obstructed by the tree, but and potentially the car depending where it gets parked. The middle camera doesn't have an amazing long shot in either direction due to the car and the fact there is usually a neighbor's car parked in front of the house.

You need to put a couple of cameras out in that tree.

I've considered this; I'll have to do something stealthy though as the WAF for my current setup is already pushing it.

 

[Tygunn]

Good to see you back @Tygunn

definitely I think now that people need to put more cameras out to capture details from the sidewalk and street .. critical imho to get info on any vehicles used ..
I like the mailbox / birdboxes people have been putting out closer to the street to get better image captures.
Try one of the better varifocal 4MP cameras to see what you can do that works for your home ( if in a HOA .. iirc @bigredfish or another posted a few ideas recently to hide cameras .. )

As you can see in my house pic above; outdoor illumination has become another hobby which has consumed much time. Ha ha. Street view got me in the middle of setup.

I originally thought just to cover what was happening AT my house, but I get asked a fair amount by neighbors for footage about various crimes. I know it's not really my job to be the "street cop" but I always worry that something will happen to my place and I wont have useful footage.

I like how you were able to hide yours; that is not something a passerby would notice at all. I'm surprised the HOA doesn't complain about the sign! Seems like the HOA thing to do. Thankfully no HOA to worry about -- the quantity and brightness of my holiday lighting would definitely raise some hackles at an HOA.

I'll have to look into the newer cameras and see what the options are. I saw a neat Dahua 180 camera posted on here; that might work at on the tree to get a pano of the street. Though I imagine that I'd still need dedicated plate readers on top of that.

 

[Tygunn]

What is the distance to the street?

Distance from house to street is not very far; 20-30ft.

 

[Parley]

Your distance is good. Also you need to be aware of any parked cars on the street that may obstruct the view.

 

[Tygunn]

Your distance is good. Also you need to be aware of any parked cars on the street that may obstruct the view.

That is my concern; someone parked in front of my house could easily obscure a camera on the tree. I guess I'll just have to experiment with temporary camera placement and see what works best.