Getting vandalism so I need .....

[recycled sixtie]

surveillance cameras that scan about 20 yards/ 60 feet to the front of our yard and to the rear of the yard. I have had good success with Blink indoor cameras and there is no monthly fee. I am not that confident that their new outdoor cameras have the range I need. Any ideas on surv. cameras without the monthly fees and have good range.

In addition does the surveilled area have to be floodlit?

Damage done is salt sprayed on our front lawn killing the grass and on the veg. garden.
Loose garbage dumped on our property . Thanks in advance!

[id10t]

I've set up sneak units for our college police - would send email to a specific officer when motion was detected, wtih a link to whatever was recorded. Used to run them off old computers, last one I did (2 years ago or so) was run off a raspberry pi

Linux + "motion" + shell scripting

[rusnak]

Who the hell would do that!??

Cameras need a lot of light or no go.

I'd shoot them with poison darts or club them with a spud wrench.

[KFC911]

Have you considered a "trail/game camera"? Self contained, totally flashless at night...I set mine in 90 second video mode....fantastic video and audio....pretty cheap these days.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by KC911

Have you considered a "trail/game camera"? Self contained, totally flashless at night...I set mine in 90 second video mode....fantastic video and audio....pretty cheap these days.

An excellent option - $75-100 at wally world. Also will have IR so no/low light...

[Tidybuoy]

I have the older version of Costco cameras and I caught a guy breaking into my maibox at 4:30am. The newer version that they have at Costco are 1080p and look to be a lot better. I think that the only way to get perfect night vision is to have a commercial system that will also be expensive. However, even my lower level setup was enough to catch this identity thief.

By the way, warning to all people: my identity thief took my new credit card from my mailbox and charged 32 backround reports (presumably for identity profiling), 60 prepaid cell phones, bailed someone out of jail, and also used an online service for sending care packages into prison. I don't know how he activated my card but maybe they gather info and slowly get the info they need. This guy was a pro.

[jorian]

No offence but what good is a camera that isn't monitored? Even if you happen to catch an image of the a-hole, unless you recognize them, your just taking pictures. It may serve as a deterrent to some who see the camera but a determined perp won't get caught. Seems like a big expense for little value.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by jorian

No offence but what good is a camera that isn't monitored? Even if you happen to catch an image of the a-hole, unless you recognize them, your just taking pictures. It may serve as a deterrent to some who see the camera but a determined perp won't get caught. Seems like a big expense for little value.

The vandalism sounds like it's personal, so I suspect there would be recognition.

[Bill Douglas]

A Moultri trail/hunting camera may work for you. They are very hard for the "bad guy" to see and they switch on with movement or body heat. They do either high res' still shots of video.

With a big capacity SD card you can eave it for weeks without looking after the camera.

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by jorian

No offence but what good is a camera that isn't monitored? Even if you happen to catch an image of the a-hole, unless you recognize them, your just taking pictures. It may serve as a deterrent to some who see the camera but a determined perp won't get caught. Seems like a big expense for little value.

My system is not monitored but it does give me some peace of mind. I have 14 cameras on my house and most people can see them so I believe it is a deterrant. In fact the thug that stole my mail saw one of the camera's and then stole it off the house. I guess he did not realize that he was being recorded.

With the photos of this guy, I made a laminated flyer and posted 75 flyers in the neighborhood. Approximately two weeks after I posted the flyers, the guy was caught by the sherriff who told me that he recognized the guy from my flyer. He had shaved his head and when the sherrif asked what he was doing out at 3am, he said he was going to a job interview. The sherrif found him with several other people's mail.

So professionally monitored? no. monitored by me and my neighborhood? yes. Had my system been monitored, would the cops have shown up in time to nab the guy? I doubt it.

I have a monitor in my utility closet with all 14 camera's displayed. I like to show this friends and friends "kids".....everyone knows their on camera.

These are just screen shots. The actual video captures a lot more and having the second camera enabled me to get the guy's height and approximate weight. Bottom line, the guy got caught.

[Tidybuoy]

one more comment. In the first photo above, it shows the guy starting to hang from the camera and pull it off my house. It looks like there is a light on him but h is actually in total darkness. The illumination is from the infrared on the camera. This is the only camera on the house that is reachable without a ladder but it monitors my fron walkway and is noticable by anyone walking up to the forn porch.

Besides security, I also used my system when the UPS package I was expecting was nowhere to be found even though tracking showed it as delivered. When I checked the camera's I saw the UPS driver ring the doorbell and when nobody answered, he walked to the side of the house and launched the package over the fence. I've also discovered I have racoons with this system

[Geary]

Our little neighborhood store was held up by 3 guys a couple nights ago. Thank goodness for cameras, as it took police 30 minutes to respond .. with the police station a quarter mile away!!

[cstreit]

For something like vandalism I'd go get a few game/trail cams.

It's one of your neighbors. Who did you piss off?

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by cstreit

For something like vandalism I'd go get a few game/trail cams.

It's one of your neighbors Who did you piss off?

I know it is pretty much the work of neighbors. But which one? The game/trail cams look removable if they are discovered and where is the sd located? In the camera?

I like the look of the Blink outdoor cameras so far. No monthly payments, No wiring as they have double A batteries and a sync module. I have the indoor Blink system and I like it so far.

Thanks all for your suggestions!

[Icemaster]

Recently upgraded to one of these. No fees, 1TB drive and much better UI than the last one (Swann). Good options on configurable alerts.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M3UZ10Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[wildthing]

For me Arlo does the trick. Saves 15-second clips online for 7 days. Alerts my phone when motion is detected. Of course, even insects flying towards the camera is counted as motion. But still, better than no alerts (like my old FOSCAM).

[Gogar]

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

I also used my system when the UPS package I was expecting was nowhere to be found even though tracking showed it as delivered. When I checked the camera's I saw the UPS driver ring the doorbell and when nobody answered, he walked to the side of the house and launched the package over the fence.

Into your backyard so there would be less chance of it being stolen?

If that's what you meant, I applaud UPS, but I've never heard of that being done.

Perhaps there has been so much theft in recent years, UPS is getting tired of dinging their insurance.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

I know it is pretty much the work of neighbors. But which one? The game/trail cams look removable if they are discovered and where is the sd located? In the camera?

I like the look of the Blink outdoor cameras so far. No monthly payments, No wiring as they have double A batteries and a sync module. I have the indoor Blink system and I like it so far.

Thanks all for your suggestions!

Sounds as if you're gonna Blink, but to answer your questions....yes, the SD is inside the camera, and there are ways to secure the trail cams to prevent theft...I don't however. So cheap I'd just write it off...

[KFC911]

I'd opt for multiple cams....one right in plain sight just begging to be messed with, and another one more discreet monitoring it. Then you have something to actually pursue when they take the bait. If the obvious camera deters them....problem solved, if they mess with your camera....even better