Every homeowner’s wish is to keep the home and the entire family safe. There is nothing more dreamlike than coming home knowing that the whole family is intact, most notably your belongings.
I’ve had my fair share of close calls from burglars. If not for my dog, I would’ve lost some really valuable things. However, sometimes having a dog as protection is merely not enough. You need more than a handful of sets of eyes to oversee everything.
From the main entrance, back doors, off-street windows to the air vents and garage entryways, it’s hard to stay on top of everything. Hence, a hidden camera fits the bill. Some homeowners might be hesitant when it comes to security camera retail prices and installation expenses, but who says you have to hire someone to install it?
Doing the installation yourself could give you a good workout, more so achieving what you want out of your hidden cameras. If you don’t have some handyman skills, don’t fret. Here are five useful tips for installing hidden cameras yourself.
- Choose Strategic Hidden Camera Locations
What good is a hidden camera if it doesn’t do its purpose? First and foremost, picking the right spots to install the security cameras is essential. Think about all your home’s entrance and exit points and start from there.
If you think a burglar will likely try to break in your front door, then keep the camera hidden somewhere. Air vents, chimneys, or even the balcony on the second floor could welcome crooks are right spots for cameras.
Hidden cameras aren’t only used to protect the home from crooks. What people don’t sometimes know is that the impostors are already given access to the house. Nannies, your neighbors, and even your husband could be impostors!
If you smell something fishy inside the house, place some hidden cameras to catch the nanny if she’s abusing the baby. Put it somewhere that points to the baby’s crib or where your baby and nanny frequently play. If you suspect your husband of cheating on you, place the security camera in the bedroom or below the car’s compartment pointing to the passenger seat.
- Position Cameras in Well-Lit Places
When installing hidden cameras, you’d want to make sure the spot is well-lit, so the camera captures everything clearly. A well-lit location means there is good lighting in front of the camera. However, the camera must not be directly pointing in front of the primary light source.
For cameras without a night vision feature, make sure that there’s at least an overhead light, so it brightens most of the area in front of the camera.
- Think like a Crook
Position cameras where crooks would least expect such as mundane day-to-day objects. Instead of putting cameras behind paintings or picture frames, try to put them in things that people would least suspect like a tissue box, a teddy bear, or a portable speaker. Make sure that these objects are positioned correctly, so the camera has a good vantage point of the entire area.
For outdoor security cameras, you can put them in an outdoor wall sconce or a near eye-level flower pot.
- Install Cameras near an External Power
If you’re using battery-operated cameras, then you need not take this advice. Otherwise, ensure that the outdoor hidden cameras are near to a power supply, so it’s convenient. Wall sockets should also be hidden so crooks won’t suspect anything.
- Install Necessary Applications
Most DIY hidden cameras might not require a monitoring device subscription. For instance, if the camera software sees something unusual, it then reports directly to local authorities. However, this could be a hassle, especially if your area is infested with wild animals who frequently visit your front door.
You can have the power to report to local authorities yourself. Just make sure that the camera has connectivity and that you install the necessary software or applications, so you’re not missing anything.
Author Bio:
Evelyn Paulson is an ardent blogger and frequent traveler who writes about home improvement, travel, and the latest trends on emerging technologies. She is currently working with EyeSpySupply, which offers a wide range of spy equipment and tracking device, including spy wireless hidden camera, nanny cams, GPS trackers, and voice-activated audio recorder and more.
