Trailcams for home security

[Quick_Draw_McGraw]

After having my car broken into a few weeks ago I've been looking at options for security cameras.

I've got several trees in my front yard, all of them are within 50 ft or so of the house, and I was thinking that maybe a trail camera might be a nice low cost option.

So two questions.

A. Do you think I could get images with enough detail to be of use? If it's just seeing bodies moving in the yard there isn't much point to it.

B. How "invisible" are these night time flashes? I'm assuming they are probably some form of red light? Is it something that a human could easily see and it's just animals that can't make out the color spectrum?

In particular I was looking at this unit....

http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Trophy-Collector-Trail-Camera/dp/B004MC0P7K/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header

 

[T34r1tUp]

i too have been thinking of something similar. i know i had seen a post a while back about other cheap alternatives. if i find i will post.

heres an idea though. dont leave things in your car that people can steal. i leave my cars unlocked all the time because they dont have anything in them anyway.

 

[Quick_Draw_McGraw]

I know I either brought it up or I was part of the conversation about this idea, but it was a fear years ago and cameras have come a long ways since then.

It definitely was my own fault on the car. I had a GPS in clear view. I also live next door to a regional sales rep for a lawn equipment company, and he always has a trailer loaded with equipment in his driveway. So I know I'm in a prime "shopping" area for thieves.

 

[dlbleak]

i picked up a cuddyback at a pawn shop for $40. damn that thing will do it all. it has a home security setting, time lapse ability as well as a bunch of other stuff. i think using game cams for home security id a good idea.

 

[Brandi]

As long as the bad guys don't know they're being photographed (flashes or loud clicks) you should be okay. I would suggest securing them VERY well because otherwise you may lose those too. I'm curious to hear how well it works. I would also supplement them with actual cameras. Basic systems these days are really affordable and often just the presence of cameras will cause would be thieves to look for a different and easier target.

 

[rhodesbe]

You might check this out instead:



It's no replacement for legit video surveillance equipment, but the combo of motion tracking lighting and video makes it a cheap solution for detecting & deterring bad guys.
I've hung two of these around my house, and a few months in they are still working great. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=nightwatcher+camera

 

[Kiyot]

Never thought about using a trailcam but don't have any trees in my yard. But I'm sure it's proly not that difficult to put it up on the house. I do like tha deal Rhodesbe posted. Looks like it comes in a light only version too. The issue I've had in my neighborhood has been more of a turd that lives in the same neighborhood and he likes to go around yanking on door handles and getting into garages. I've seen him walking around cars in other people's driveways several times and have had to get out and yell at him to get his ass back home (he's supposedly mostly deaf but think he understands my sign language and understands why I'm yelling at him) Wish it recorded on a computer inside the house in case someone tried to damage it, or would let you know it's been triggered in the house. Otherwise unless like in my situation where I can ID the person myself it doesn't help in a totally random theft, I would think you would have trouble getting anything out of having a picture of the thieves. But as a deterrent it would work well. I have thought about getting one of those driveway sensor deals, cheap and let you know if someone is around your cars, can look out the window and see if you see anything and call the police.