who watches the watchmen?
December 6, 2020 11:26 AM Subscribe
I'm moving out of my Panopticon of a duplex (landlord-neighbor is really into cameras, surveillance, and general micromanagement) and into my very own rental house. But I'll have to leave my apartment by itself for a bit, and my landlord will be entering when I'm not there to do some landlord-things. Is there a camera I can use to make sure he doesn't mess with my possessions while I'm away?
Is there a discreet, affordable camera I can buy and install without drilling holes that will last for 2-3 weeks without being charged or needing batteries changed, that can connect to my wifi and store the footage remotely so I can access it and view it? Bonus points if it's wide-angle and I can easily install two of them to be able to see the whole apartment.
Is there a discreet, affordable camera I can buy and install without drilling holes that will last for 2-3 weeks without being charged or needing batteries changed, that can connect to my wifi and store the footage remotely so I can access it and view it? Bonus points if it's wide-angle and I can easily install two of them to be able to see the whole apartment.
Well, assuming he doesn't know you're on Metafilter, there are motion detecting clocks and clock radio's (that will only activate with motion, thus saving battery power) with cameras you can place around your house. They can be wifi enabled and they use SD cards you can eject and download video from. Anything that he can see, esp. if he's as tech savvy as you say, is going to attract his attention. A common household device with a camera isn't going to alert him. That is, unless he uses a wifi signal scanner to help him find wifi enabled devices, in which case, you might be busted.
Otherwise, the Alexa enabled BLINK cameras have a reputation for a 2-year battery. Of course, they have to be mounted and they look like cameras.
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:39 AM on December 6, 2020
Otherwise, the Alexa enabled BLINK cameras have a reputation for a 2-year battery. Of course, they have to be mounted and they look like cameras.
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:39 AM on December 6, 2020
if he can see the camera, I don't think that's a bad thing? it'll probably deter him from messing with your stuff in the first place. which is a better goal than catching him. you're on your way out, after all.
posted by changeling at 12:03 PM on December 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by changeling at 12:03 PM on December 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
How do you feel about security theater? There are some cheap but convincing "security cameras" that are really just a plastic shell and maybe a blinking red LED.
posted by kickingtheground at 1:40 PM on December 6, 2020
posted by kickingtheground at 1:40 PM on December 6, 2020
Before I get into cameras: check your lease and local laws: most places in North America and presumably other locations that're even a tiny bit renter-friendly, your LL must give notice (usually 24h) before entering. Hold him to that.
The main weak point for wifi-based solutions is that the LL can cut your power or just disable your wifi (power off the router) for the duration of whatever he's doing. The only independent cameras out there, really, are trail cameras, and they are really built for your purpose: independent, battery-run with a power-usage aiming for long weeks between battery changes, local storage on SD cards, and work great in the dark.
The two problems is that they're more expensive and they very much look like camera systems because wildlife doesn't know what cameras are, whereas your LL is a security camera enthusiast. (On Amazon I found cheap trail cams just above $100, which is more than the more expensive outdoor Blink cameras.) You might have to play around with mounting them because they're generally made to be strapped to trees or poles, I'd think.
That said, I'd presume in most places in the world you're entitled to install cameras in the common areas of your own home (local laws vary on whether they can record sound, and while you can obviously consent to filming yourself in your bathroom, your LL wouldn't).
And you can try the old trick of overt-camera+covert-camera, where you have an obvious camera that can be avoided and a hidden camera that someone's less likely to look for because of the obvious camera.
There's no perfect solution, which is fine, because perfect is the enemy of good. Get a few indoor Blink or Wyze cameras ($20-25/camera), make them obvious in every room (they run off wall power). (Use Command Strips or similar easily-removed double-sided adhesive.) Set them to report motion on your entrances, and you can watch your LL enter.
Not sure if either service will let you know that your cameras went offline, but if they do, enable that-- that's when your power or wifi just went out, and which means either the power's really out, or LL's being underhanded. You can probably check outage maps on your utility, or call them and ask about outages at your address. But if you called your LL right away, he will know that you get alerted when he does that sort of thing, and that could dissuade him.
Do you have a friend who can check the house? That friend can change SD cards for you, check network, check that your private stuff hasn't been disturbed, etc. That last thing is what we did before cameras; an occasional (preferably unpredictable by your LL) house-sitter.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:40 PM on December 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
The main weak point for wifi-based solutions is that the LL can cut your power or just disable your wifi (power off the router) for the duration of whatever he's doing. The only independent cameras out there, really, are trail cameras, and they are really built for your purpose: independent, battery-run with a power-usage aiming for long weeks between battery changes, local storage on SD cards, and work great in the dark.
The two problems is that they're more expensive and they very much look like camera systems because wildlife doesn't know what cameras are, whereas your LL is a security camera enthusiast. (On Amazon I found cheap trail cams just above $100, which is more than the more expensive outdoor Blink cameras.) You might have to play around with mounting them because they're generally made to be strapped to trees or poles, I'd think.
That said, I'd presume in most places in the world you're entitled to install cameras in the common areas of your own home (local laws vary on whether they can record sound, and while you can obviously consent to filming yourself in your bathroom, your LL wouldn't).
And you can try the old trick of overt-camera+covert-camera, where you have an obvious camera that can be avoided and a hidden camera that someone's less likely to look for because of the obvious camera.
There's no perfect solution, which is fine, because perfect is the enemy of good. Get a few indoor Blink or Wyze cameras ($20-25/camera), make them obvious in every room (they run off wall power). (Use Command Strips or similar easily-removed double-sided adhesive.) Set them to report motion on your entrances, and you can watch your LL enter.
Not sure if either service will let you know that your cameras went offline, but if they do, enable that-- that's when your power or wifi just went out, and which means either the power's really out, or LL's being underhanded. You can probably check outage maps on your utility, or call them and ask about outages at your address. But if you called your LL right away, he will know that you get alerted when he does that sort of thing, and that could dissuade him.
Do you have a friend who can check the house? That friend can change SD cards for you, check network, check that your private stuff hasn't been disturbed, etc. That last thing is what we did before cameras; an occasional (preferably unpredictable by your LL) house-sitter.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:40 PM on December 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
If your goal here is to deter behaviour rather than collect evidence (which you’d use how?) a hidden camera won’t do that. I’d say your best bet is actually to box up all your stuff and tape it all shut, which I’d bet you’re going to need to do anyway if you’re moving. Otherwise, any old Android camera you can leave lying around plugged in with a big memory card will work, I think the software you want is called “ip camera” and has motion-sensor options.
posted by mhoye at 3:43 PM on December 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 3:43 PM on December 6, 2020 [6 favorites]
Yeah its unclear what "mess with your stuff" means because I get where you're coming from but they're either illegal entering your apartment or stealing. In either case security cameras have signs notifying people of their presence to help in the deterrence effort. What you're looking for is a "motion activated security camera" and they can last as long as you like. They make them all the time for monitoring wildlife so your request isn't like it isn't feasible it just depends on how much you want to spend.
For the price of a good security camera you can for the same price just move your stuff into storage for the same time period.
Reading between the lines a bit, don't let their paranoia impact you. This might be hard and I don't know the full situation but it sounds like they're micromanagey and controlling and now you're responding in kind. This is a normal response but just think to yourself what is the worst they can do to your stuff? If your things really did get tampered with, police aren't stupid and it'll be really obvious that a security obsessed neighbor landlord who just so happens to NOT have your stuff on his security tapes will probably be a prime suspect and most likely have a ton of other illegal stuff going on too.
posted by geoff. at 11:17 PM on December 6, 2020
For the price of a good security camera you can for the same price just move your stuff into storage for the same time period.
Reading between the lines a bit, don't let their paranoia impact you. This might be hard and I don't know the full situation but it sounds like they're micromanagey and controlling and now you're responding in kind. This is a normal response but just think to yourself what is the worst they can do to your stuff? If your things really did get tampered with, police aren't stupid and it'll be really obvious that a security obsessed neighbor landlord who just so happens to NOT have your stuff on his security tapes will probably be a prime suspect and most likely have a ton of other illegal stuff going on too.
posted by geoff. at 11:17 PM on December 6, 2020
I have several sorts of camera, including the Wyze (which are very cheap), that power from usb. If you want it to be battery backup rather than power independent I think charger -> usb power bank -> camera would probably last you for an outage caused by work on the electrics.
He could, of course, cut the power for days at a time, but Occam's razor says he probably won't unless you have some really interesting stuff.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 3:38 AM on December 7, 2020
He could, of course, cut the power for days at a time, but Occam's razor says he probably won't unless you have some really interesting stuff.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 3:38 AM on December 7, 2020
The Arlo cameras are wireless, store to the cloud (and alert your phone)-- they run off an internal battery so they last a few months between charges. The Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera might be ideal for you $99-- 6mo. battery.
posted by Static Vagabond at 7:09 AM on December 7, 2020
posted by Static Vagabond at 7:09 AM on December 7, 2020
I came to recommend Arlo as well. I get several weeks off a charge, but it's highly dependent on how long it's actually recording.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 8:20 AM on December 7, 2020
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 8:20 AM on December 7, 2020
Wyze cams are pretty small, but they need to be powered.
I had a pair of Blinkz cameras and a control base. They are tolerable, and pretty unobtrusive if you really hide them in corners.
posted by kschang at 6:38 PM on December 10, 2020
I had a pair of Blinkz cameras and a control base. They are tolerable, and pretty unobtrusive if you really hide them in corners.
posted by kschang at 6:38 PM on December 10, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Most security cameras are pretty wide-angle. You can totally get ones that upload to the cloud, and many can be put on shelves or something without drilling holes in the wall*. But I don't think you'll find something that works totally wirelessly for what you describe.
* Repairing holes in drywall is very easy and IMO is a skill totally worth having (full instructions: buy a little play-dough tub of spackle, and put it in the hole with a putty knife, let it dry, sand it, and paint it). Every landlord I've asked has been thrilled to give me a small can of wall-colored paint so I can do my own minor repairs.
posted by aubilenon at 11:35 AM on December 6, 2020