Game Camera for Security

[mtheo]

I'm looking for a game camera for home security

Has anyone had a good experience w/ any particular brand or model?

I want something with infrared flash, uses sd cards, uses only one size battery and has good enough resolution that individuals can be identified.

My plan is to strategically place one to obtain photos of individuals "snooping" around my home. I plan to leave this camera in place year round and service it with rechargeable batteries and swap out sd cards for perusal on my computer at my leisure.

 

[JohnR7]

I have a Primos 35 that was easy to set up and does not cause me any problems. Although the sensor does not pick up everything. I do not know why because I have a driveway alert system that was only $20 and it picks up everyone. I bought three trail cameras on Ebay and the price was very good on them. They were difficult to set up. Better to buy direct from Amazon then you can send it back a lot easier. Amazon cost more though. If you only buy one and do not mind playing around to try to get it to work then Ebay maybe ok. I also got a very nice wifi Foscam. They will set that up for you. I use it though a window so the motion sensor and IR does not work. Also I have to use a lower resolution or the wifi will jam up. Still it is nice because it is live and I can watch that on my smart phone. People come and go all day long. An alarm goes off as soon as their car is in range and I can see them on the foscam live. Then the Primos gets a photo of them. I get maybe 200 photos a day and I can see very quick who has come and gone and with the time stamp. For example my son had a girl over at 7:45 am and she left at 3 pm. So someone must have dropped her off on the way to work and picked her up when they went home. If anyone asks one camera is pointed at my car to keep an eye on that. The other cam is pointed at the front door to keep an eye for the deliver man when he drops off a package. They do a lot more then that though. All for under $200 and a special thanks to Foscams very good tech support and a 15 year old son that can also set up a wifi cam connection. Primos never even returned my email so I would not count on them for any sort of support. I could move the cams around all I want, but now that I have them set I think I will leave them they way they are. They may not be the best photos, but they tell a story and that makes them interesting. Also I finally did get a photo of the racoon that was getting in the garbage. My wife wanted to see what was getting into her garbage can and tearing the bags apart. I think I got that photo with the Bushnell 6MP Trail Camera.

 

[CajunBass]

I can't recommend any particular brand, but I will give a thumbs up to the idea.

When I worked security at a members only "campground" we recommended them to members. They worked well enough to get positive ID off a number of people who were trespassing (and worse).

Most people who had them said they just went to Wal-Mart and got them.

 

[Steve in Vermont]

A question for those using trail cams. Do you take any special precautions in placing them? Do you have any techniques for disguising them? I'd be concerned that if they were easily spotted they could just as easily be stolen.

 

[taxifolia]

Foscam security

Googled "Foscam" - things to be aware of:

Wireless Camera Flaws Allow Remote Exploitation - Security -

Foscam.us ? Wireless Network IP Cameras » Blog Archive » Securing Your Foscam Camera ? Important Notice

FOSCAM IP-Cameras Improper Access Restrictions | CORE Security

'Baby Monitor Hack' Could Happen To 40,000 Other Foscam Users - Forbes

Foscam FI9821P Baby monitor hacked: hacker cursed at 2-year-old through baby monitor

 

[jgh4445]

Be sure to get one that doesn't "glow or flash" when it takes a night time picture. Otherwise, if its a bad guy, that will show him the camera and he'll just steal the cam too.

 

[Trooperdan]

I've also been interested in game cams for this application. Which ones don't reveal themselves with IR flash? Seems like a difficult thing to find out in advance!

 

[don5]

Well guys I can tell you a few tips as I have had 2 stolen from me, while in the middle of my 45 acre piece of ground out in the woods. I also have a pic of a guy standing in my field at 9:45 on wed night dressed in camo and carrying a rifle. Oh yeah I forgot, he is standing in the headlight glow of his vehicle. The deer that I had been watching was never seen again as he shot it. No, I did not get him either.

So anyways here are a few tips. You want the blackout IR camera with no flash and noise. You do not want to strap one to a tree. The strap sticks out like a sore thumb even if the camera is camo. You want to use a ladder and mount the camera up about 10-15 feet in the air. High enough so no one can reach up and steal it. You want to bolt it to the tree and use a metal security box. Make sure the box is camo as well. I used camo duct tape, it works real well. Just make sure that the camera is high enough out of reach but not too high that it is unsafe to access. You want to place the camera where it won't be noticed so don't stick it out on a lone tree in the middle of a field. You can place a cheap camera at ground level to use as bait and then put your good camera up high and some distance away to get the pics of anyone trespassing. They will key in on the cheap one and never notice the good one. Make certain you engrave your name on the inside of the camera and put your last 4 digits of your SS number as ID. Just be aware that if your camera is spotted, more than likely the offender will shoot the **** out of it. So hide it good. I prefer to place it where I can see something/somebody walking away if I can. Also, remember, you can place these cameras under a rock or pile of rocks to hide it. Nobody thinks to look at or under a rock. I hope this helps.