Hi there. Newbie here. Wifi cam user in recovery.
Four years ago, we moved to a gated community (with an unarmed guard at the gate). Generally very quiet and safe. A couple of years ago, I was cleaning the outside of my windows and noticed a BB-size hole in the outer pane of a double pane window. It was on a front porch window and it's recessed from the front of the house. If someone shot a BB gun, they would have to have been right in front of the porch. I cleaned the windows again in spring of 2023, not finding any more holes. A few weeks ago, I was cleaning the inside of the windows and noticed another BB-size hole, this time in a front bedroom window. My wife thinks it's rocks being blown by the yard guys, but I doubt that.
When we first moved here, we found out to our dismay that our neighbors across the street liked to have parties in their driveway until 4:00 AM. Why no one complained or call the police is a mystery to me, although there may be a racial factor involved. After a few disturbing weekends, we finally called the police who came out and sent everyone home. A bit milder parties ensued, and they moved them inside, but you could still hear music pounding at 3:00 AM, so we called the HOA and the parties finally became quieter. We had never confronted the neighbors directly, so they didn't know for sure that we had reported them, but we were the new people on the block. Several months ago, they were in the driveway again at 3:00 AM, so I walked over in my PJs to the group and asked if they wouldn't mind moving things inside. Of course they had been drinking, but the neighbor was very gregarious and they moved inside (the looks I got from his friends were less than friendly.) When I saw my neighbor the next day, he apologized for making so much noise.
Sorry for the long explanation, but I'm thinking the holes in my windows might have come from someone at his house. He does have a teenage son, and the man still has a few friends over. I've started inspecting my front windows when I get our mail daily. I want to set up a cam or two so that if another window is broken, I can check recordings and see where it comes from. So I think the focus should be on his house across the street, but I'm also thinking I need something with a broader view. This seems like a different scenario than most residential security cam setups because I'm trying to identify a more distant threat rather than the area immediately around my house.
There's about 50 feet from the front of my house to his. I don't think I need super-sharp images to be able to identify a face - or maybe I do if I want to see someone with a BB gun? The area is fairly well lit as we all have driveway floodlights that come on automatically at night. There's usually a car parked in the driveway and a pickup in the street at night.
I was wondering if I'd be better served by a dual-lens camera like the EmpireTech T180 or a single lens camera with a 3.6 mm focal length (or the 2.8 mm?) Or some other cam or combination of cams?
Please see my attached pics and thanks for your help!
Four years ago, we moved to a gated community (with an unarmed guard at the gate). Generally very quiet and safe. A couple of years ago, I was cleaning the outside of my windows and noticed a BB-size hole in the outer pane of a double pane window. It was on a front porch window and it's recessed from the front of the house. If someone shot a BB gun, they would have to have been right in front of the porch. I cleaned the windows again in spring of 2023, not finding any more holes. A few weeks ago, I was cleaning the inside of the windows and noticed another BB-size hole, this time in a front bedroom window. My wife thinks it's rocks being blown by the yard guys, but I doubt that.
When we first moved here, we found out to our dismay that our neighbors across the street liked to have parties in their driveway until 4:00 AM. Why no one complained or call the police is a mystery to me, although there may be a racial factor involved. After a few disturbing weekends, we finally called the police who came out and sent everyone home. A bit milder parties ensued, and they moved them inside, but you could still hear music pounding at 3:00 AM, so we called the HOA and the parties finally became quieter. We had never confronted the neighbors directly, so they didn't know for sure that we had reported them, but we were the new people on the block. Several months ago, they were in the driveway again at 3:00 AM, so I walked over in my PJs to the group and asked if they wouldn't mind moving things inside. Of course they had been drinking, but the neighbor was very gregarious and they moved inside (the looks I got from his friends were less than friendly.) When I saw my neighbor the next day, he apologized for making so much noise.
Sorry for the long explanation, but I'm thinking the holes in my windows might have come from someone at his house. He does have a teenage son, and the man still has a few friends over. I've started inspecting my front windows when I get our mail daily. I want to set up a cam or two so that if another window is broken, I can check recordings and see where it comes from. So I think the focus should be on his house across the street, but I'm also thinking I need something with a broader view. This seems like a different scenario than most residential security cam setups because I'm trying to identify a more distant threat rather than the area immediately around my house.
There's about 50 feet from the front of my house to his. I don't think I need super-sharp images to be able to identify a face - or maybe I do if I want to see someone with a BB gun? The area is fairly well lit as we all have driveway floodlights that come on automatically at night. There's usually a car parked in the driveway and a pickup in the street at night.
I was wondering if I'd be better served by a dual-lens camera like the EmpireTech T180 or a single lens camera with a 3.6 mm focal length (or the 2.8 mm?) Or some other cam or combination of cams?
Please see my attached pics and thanks for your help!
