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Mitigate Vandalism to Your Outdoor Security Camera

John Wolfe — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:27:14 +0000

by John Wolfe

We can use an outdoor security camera to catch vandals in the act if they are defacing private property. But how do you protect the camera itself from vandalism? While there are no 100% vandal proof solutions, we can reduce the risk greatly by considering these four key factors when installing our outdoor security camera.

The first consideration the camera/housing design, this will determine how much physical abuse the camera can take, as well as how well it is hidden from being noticed. Second we can strategize our mounting of the camera. The next consideration is the placement. And as a final safeguard the implementation of intelligent video alarms can help keep our cameras safe.

When it comes to the housing or casing of a camera, one made of metal is better protection against vandalism than something made of plastic. Also, a boxy traditional camera that sticks out of a wall or ceiling is much more susceptible to being damaged than a dome shaped encasement. It helps to be hidden and disguised as part of the environment, since the chance of being recognized is minimized.

The way mounting can be used to protect the camera is by mounting the housing or camera flush with the wall or ceiling. This way only the transparent part of the housing or camera is visible. Also, we want to cables protected as well so the best way is to pull the cables directly through the wall behind the camera, or use a metal conduit tube.

Camera placement is also an important factor in deterring vandalism. By placing a camera out of reach on high walls or in the ceiling, many spur-of-the-moment attacks can be prevented. The downside may be the angle of view, which to some extent can be compensated by selecting a different lens.

Installing alarms is a more costly but very effective measure. It can alert operators if there is some level of tampering on the camera. This prevents redirection or obscured viewing from going unnoticed. Active tampering alarm features are very useful in a large installation with many cameras and keeping track to make sure all the cameras are working properly can get complicated. This way someone will be alerted if one of your outdoor security cameras aren't working as it should.

About the Author:

Visit Outdoor Security Camera Resource for more information on outdoor security cameras, wireless security cameras, network cameras, entire security camera systems and more.

Tags: camera, electronics, gadgets, home, Home Security Camera, monitoring security video, network camera, outdoor camera, security, Security Cameras, surveillance, technology, video camera, wireless camera

Protecting Your Outdoor Security Camera From Vandalism

John Wolfe — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:03:08 +0000

by John Wolfe

The purpose of an outdoor security camera is to monitor an area that is prone to criminal activity or otherwise undesired activity. For this reason the camera itself is put at risk of physical destruction from the very vandals we are protecting ourselves from. There are, however, a few things we can control to minimize the risks.

The first consideration is the camera itself, or the housing that the camera will be in. How the camera is mounted will play a big role as well as the placement of the camera. One of the most reliable ways is to install an intelligent video alarm on the camera itself.

The material of the casing makes a difference since metal provides better vandal protection than a plastic casing. Another big factor is the shape of the housing or the camera. A traditional fixed camera that protrudes from a wall or ceiling is easier to attack than something that is more discrete such as a dome shaped housing or camera.

A housing or camera that is mounted flush with the wall is much safer than something mounted on the surface of a wall or ceiling. When flush in the wall, the only part left sticking out is the transparent covering. It is also important that the cables are protected and that depends on the mounting. Ideally we want to pull the cables through the wall or ceiling directly behind the camera. If that is not possible, use a metal conduit tube to protect cables from attack.

The placement of the camera is a big factor in deterring vandals. If the camera is placed high on a wall or ceiling it will eliminate the on-the-spot vandals. Vandalizing a camera out of normal reach requires some contemplation and that is enough to deter the non-serious vandals. The only trouble might be the effect of desired viewing angles.

Axis' active tampering alarm feature helps protect cameras against vandalism. It can detect if a camera has been redirected, obscured or tampered with, and can send alarms to operators. This is especially useful in installations with hundreds of cameras in demanding environments where keeping track of the proper functioning of all cameras is difficult. It is also useful in situations where no live viewing takes place and operators can be notified when cameras have been tampered with.

About the Author:

Visit Outdoor Security Camera Resource for more information on outdoor security cameras, wireless security cameras and more.

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Mitigate Vandalism to Your Outdoor Security Camera

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