I'm tired of stuff being stolen from my deck...
May 11, 2005 3:26 PM Subscribe
The back of my house faces an alley. There is no fence or gate.
Someone loves to take my hanging flower baskets or even vegetables from my garden boxes.
I would like to get a weather-proof wireless camera to start snapping away when someone enters the field of view.
What brands or technologies should I look at?
-I'd also like to beam the images to my home PC which would be about 50-75 feet away from where I want to put the camera.
Do you have aluminum siding? It's a moderate hassle for me and small wireless devices.
posted by gimonca at 3:53 PM on May 11, 2005
posted by gimonca at 3:53 PM on May 11, 2005
Could you use bike locks and/or padlocks to lock your stuff down? Does anybody make a theft-proof plant hanger thingy? Might be worth a trip to the Home Despot.....
posted by elisabeth r at 4:52 PM on May 11, 2005
posted by elisabeth r at 4:52 PM on May 11, 2005
I recently asked a similar question.
Google infrared bullet cameras.
They have arrays of infrared LEDs for night vision. Black and white is cheaper and more sensitive in dim light. You'll need a video capture card if the camera is not digital. The software, such as WebcamXP, Supervision Cam, or Digi-Watcher will detect motion, save the pertinent sequence, and even upload it or notify you with an audio file or phone your cell.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:34 AM on May 12, 2005
Google infrared bullet cameras.
They have arrays of infrared LEDs for night vision. Black and white is cheaper and more sensitive in dim light. You'll need a video capture card if the camera is not digital. The software, such as WebcamXP, Supervision Cam, or Digi-Watcher will detect motion, save the pertinent sequence, and even upload it or notify you with an audio file or phone your cell.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:34 AM on May 12, 2005
I saw a neat idea recently at a landscape supply business, which is in an industrial area (dark and deserted at night) and has lovely landscaping around the front of it. Apparently, they had huge problems with people stealing the plants until they put signs in the gardens saying that the plants had been electronically tagged due to theft. The thefts stopped immediately. I am not sure if they actually have tagged the plants or not, but suspect that the sign alone would do the trick.
Not quite the answer you are looking for, but perhaps a similar sign saying that the area is under surveillance, with or without a dummy camera, would do the trick?
posted by dg at 2:59 AM on May 12, 2005
Not quite the answer you are looking for, but perhaps a similar sign saying that the area is under surveillance, with or without a dummy camera, would do the trick?
posted by dg at 2:59 AM on May 12, 2005
Can you hang the baskets higher? I love my plants so I know how it must be to have them damaged, but video surveillance? It's probably a kid. What are you going to do when you find out who it is?
posted by recurve at 3:03 AM on May 12, 2005
posted by recurve at 3:03 AM on May 12, 2005
Would something like this work instead?
It's not video surveillance, but it might be enough of a deterrent for small time theft. As long as you can set it up so that you can access it from behind to turn it on and off, it might be worth a shot.
posted by shinyblackdog at 10:03 AM on May 12, 2005
It's not video surveillance, but it might be enough of a deterrent for small time theft. As long as you can set it up so that you can access it from behind to turn it on and off, it might be worth a shot.
posted by shinyblackdog at 10:03 AM on May 12, 2005
maybe a simple motion-detector floodlight would be enough to drive off the vandals/thieves? Pretty inexpensive at your local hardware store.
posted by anadem at 2:11 PM on May 12, 2005
posted by anadem at 2:11 PM on May 12, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
this is the 2nd time I got burned by the description box... :(
posted by phredhead at 3:28 PM on May 11, 2005