Trail cams

[rico903]

Not sure if this is the right section but here goes. Do trail cams give off a visible flash when activated? Reason for asking is that some people have been throwing things like mattresses etc in our condo's trash corral which the association has to pay extra to remove and we'd like to know who.

 

[justsand]

They make low glow no glow ones. Mount it high up looking down

 

[Stevie Boy]

For the IR (infrared) ones, you can see the LEDs light up if you're looking at it when they go off but I wouldn't call it a flash. At least that has been my experience. But, as just sand said, they make black led units.

 

[Minuteman]

Not sure if this is the right section but here goes. Do trail cams give off a visible flash when activated? Reason for asking is that some people have been throwing things like mattresses etc in our condo's trash corral which the association has to pay extra to remove and we'd like to know who.

Yep, what they said.


There's basically 3 types that are most popular today.

- visible led flash of light, ok for hunting, good for security if you have several and want an intruder to know they are being photographed.

- IR type, but glows red for a second when it goes off, can be seen if looking in the direction of the camera. best for hunting

- IR type with blackout. Some use filters, the better ones use IR LED's that are at a wavelength that the eye can't see. These generally are a little more expensive, but best for security purposes.

 

[rico903]

Yep, what they said.


There's basically 3 types that are most popular today.

- visible led flash of light, ok for hunting, good for security if you have several and want an intruder to know they are being photographed.

- IR type, but glows red for a second when it goes off, can be seen if looking in the direction of the camera. best for hunting

- IR type with blackout. Some use filters, the better ones use IR LED's that are at a wavelength that the eye can't see. These generally are a little more expensive, but best for security purposes.

Cool, I'll be looking for a blackout unit.

 

[Minuteman]

Cool, I'll be looking for a blackout unit.

I have considerable experience with trail cams for security, though both protection of my properties and as part of my HOA's comprehensive security solutions. We employed around a dozen cameras over approximately 600 acres, in collaboration/cooperation with the police and legal review (so the HOA didn't get sued). Honestly, because most of the cameras were disguised (camo, concealed, etc.) I don't believe they provided much deterrent effect, other than a small percentage of people (including criminals and vandalizing teens) that knew we used hidden cameras, but didn't know where they were. A few cameras were damaged or stolen over the years, but our HOA replaced and upgraded cameras with better ones over time. Today the resolution, reliability, battery life, storage, simplicity, security, and size have all improved. I've also employed cameras that would 'flash' in an aray to protect property during specific periods for specific purposes. If an intruder were to go through that portion of private property (trespassing), they would be under video surveillance, activate several motion sensing lights, dogs barking, a voice recording saying they are trespassing, and several flashing trail cams.

check out this video, its a good introduction:

 

[Minuteman]

The biggest problem I found with trail cameras is that they can be stolen. If you put them up high, out of reach, the camera angle isn't so good for actually identifying the person. And we've had people actually hit them with sticks. One was a kid (maybe 10 years old), he did a number on one camera, and it barely held on by one strap, so we were able to recover the badly damaged camera and images of him attacking it. We also saw where he stopped attacking it when an adult came into the area (tot-lot), and resumed his attack on the camera when they left. After this we used metal boxes and chains for the more 'overt' cameras in public areas.

Typically if they steal the camera, they steal the evidence. So a steel box and chain helps if they don't have tools. Even if they destroy the camera inside the box, you generally will be able to recover the (now almost all of them use) sD card and get some evidence. A newer solution is that some cameras will send images/video via cellular service near real time from the camera to a server, email or even your smart phone. Also, last I inventoried what was a valuable, there was a model that would store images/video inside the camera, AND transmit to a battery powered storage box where is was redundantly stored. So if they stole your camera, you could still recover the images from the remote (much better hidden) box some distance away from the camera.

If I spent time reviewing the latest technology for trail cameras for security purposes and put on a 2 hour lecture/demo with Q&A do you think we could get 10 people to attend and be willing to pay $100 each? I think I could talk ADS into letting me use their facility (they train people using simulations in their shoot-house), its in Odenton/Crofton area on the other side of Fort Meade. We could have a mini meet up after at The Hideaway which is a short walk up the street from ADS.

Thoughts, suggestions, interest? How about in June, on a Saturday around noon?

 

[traveller]

If this is on the property, a wireless IP camera tied back to a cloud based recording service may be the better option.

 

[rico903]

If this is on the property, a wireless IP camera tied back to a cloud based recording service may be the better option.

If I only knew WTH you are talking about.

I'm looking for a fairly inexpensive camera that does not have a visible flash.

 

[traveller]

If I only knew WTH you are talking about.

I'm looking for a fairly inexpensive camera that does not have a visible flash.

A game-cam is great if you have no utilities and no access to Internet. At an apartment building, where you may have power and the ability to get an internet connection to the camera, you can use an actual video camera that uploads to the camera companies service continuously. Many different companies offer this. This allows you to view the video off-site and if someone vandalizes or steals your camera, the off-site videos are still available.

 

[rico903]

Internet connection is no problem but power would have to be battery.

 

[outrider58]

They make low glow no glow ones. Mount it high up looking down

^^^This is what I do. Deer seem to be less bothered by them. They(some) also have an audible shutter sound.

 

[traveller]

Internet connection is no problem but power would have to be battery.

Get a WiFi gamecam that sends an email with a pic every time it triggers.

If you mean you have actual network wire in that area, you can power a video camera over the network wire.

 

[Orthogonal]

Thinking about buying an IR led no/low glow, 8-12 MP with wifi, preferably with security mount options. Can anyone recommend any brands ?

 

[rico903]

Get a WiFi gamecam that sends an email with a pic every time it triggers.

If you mean you have actual network wire in that area, you can power a video camera over the network wire.

No wire. Have wifi in my condo and area has an Xfinity hot spot.