The amount of money that people spend on security nowadays is well justified given the rise in crime many neighborhoods face; we all want peace of mind. Outdoor cameras have become a necessity to protect your home from any potential intruders.
There is a large amount of security systems available on the market today, and not all of it is well-tailored to your home. There are numerous cases whereby people purchased expensive motion detection gadgets, and after coming up against outside elements, it is either damaged or stolen.
This can happen through a variety of different things, such as insects, animals, or dust. In this way, you can understand why people are looking for tips to protect their outdoor security light systems. In this article today, we will be looking at some of the top things you need to guard against and how you can do so.
Hopefully, by the end of the article, you will have an idea about the best outdoor home security cameras for you and where to place them to keep it safe from any hazardous elements.
Safeguarding against the weather
The weather is one of the biggest problems that can affect security equipment on the outside. When you purchase a security camera that you expect to be useful guarding the outside of your home, it is essential that you buy one that can survive different extremities when it comes to the weather in your area.
You will notice many different climates that come with various seasons throughout the year, including profound polarization between heat and cold temperatures. There will also be cases where there is extreme wind and water, possibly even snow and ice. In such conditions, it is expected that cables within and outside the camera will begin to expand and contract as the weather cools down and heats up.
You will need to ensure that your camera can operate within a certain bracket of temperature depending on the area you live in. If you live in a primarily cold area, you will need to have a camera that can sustain a lower temperature. It should also not be then easily affected by hot temperatures. Otherwise, you will receive inaccurate data.
Usually, when they design such cameras, they weatherproof, meaning that they can survive anywhere.
To tell the difference between a regular camera and one that comes with a solid capacity to withstand inclement weather is the ingress protection rating number it has. This number comes written on the box and will indicate how well the camera can survive different weather environments. If you live in an area with a constant climate, you will not need to pick one with a high ingress protection rating.
Safeguarding against animals and insects
The second biggest challenge that most homeowners of security equipment face are the constant intrusion by animals and bugs. You will find that security cables are very popular amongst animals like to climb trees, such as squirrels and raccoons.
It can become very frustrating when you put out a new security cable onto the camera, and it gets chewed out the very next day. To prevent this, you must add an extra layer to the security cable or cover it with a plastic mount. In this way, your lines are not directly exposed to the outside world and the elements that come with it.
You will find that bugs are also a severe problem because the world is their habitat. Spider webs are a common problem in outdoor security cameras that are not consistently maintained. Suppose you let a spider web get out of control and eventually stop the camera from seeing very clearly. And this affects your security experience.
Bees and Wasps can also be very dangerous for the camera and any people in the area because they like to build their nests on cameras. Therefore, you must schedule a camera cleaning at least once a month to spray it with an anti-insect repellent. This is a spray that will protect the camera and not damage it. You must remember to spray and wipe to avoid any unnecessary glare on the camera lens.
Safeguarding against theft and vandalism
A good number of security manufacturers today have begun to add self-defense mechanisms to their outdoor security equipment. With the cost of security equipment, many people are looking to buy secondhand options even if they were stolen. This works very well to deter potential robberies, but there are other things that you can do.
The first option that I would recommend is to put the camera in a very public and open place, making it difficult for someone to mount a robbery that would take some time. Doing so removes the camera’s secretive aspect and puts the onus on the robber to be extremely brave. The second option you could consider is hiding the camera in a place where it is difficult for someone to notice it. We talk about this in our article on burglar proofing the garden.
In this way, you would be putting your camera at less risk of being stolen or vandalized, although if someone does discover the camera, it is much easier for them to get it. The last option that you can do is to keep the camera indoors. Putting the camera behind a windowpane will add a hindrance to the robber taking the security equipment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are looking to protect a mobile device that enables video recordings outside, it is vital to make sure that it is well hidden, even the wires and cables. You have taken steps to prevent bugs and animals from hindering their performance.
To do so, you can place the security equipment in high places and ensure that a plastic sheath covers all the cabling. After this, you can spray the camera with some insect repellent and then try to cover it with some camouflage. Another option could be to put it inside the house but close to a window whereby insects and robbers cannot quickly get to it.