Securing your home does not end with owning a surveillance camera. It is also about knowing how to hide a trail cam for home security. Owning a trail cam is surely half of the way, but it is in properly installing and hiding it that takes the cake.
What are we talking about? You see, the essence of having and installing a trail camera is for it to be undetected. The purpose behind this is so that no one will be aware that they are being captured in an image or video. The same goes for capturing wild animals.
Let us talk within the perspective of home security. If people or possible intruders can see your trail camera, then they might avoid going through that specific place. The worst case scenario is that they were able to get into your house undetected, and when you check back the footage of your trail camera, it did not catch anything.
Yikes! To prevent situations like this, you should know how to hide a trail cam for home security. For that, we’ve got you covered. First, we are going to discuss some factors to consider when choosing a trail cam for home surveillance. Then, we are going to share with you the five locations where you can hide them properly.
Are you ready to have a safer home? Then read on for more information.
Factors to Consider When Using a Trail Camera
Here are some things you should think about when using a trail camera for home surveillance:
- Ideal Placement
- Range
- Technologies
Ideal Placement
We are going to talk about this in detail later, but it is important to consider the points of ingress and egress. Also, it is good to take note of places where there are no lights around. At the same time, it is good to make way for possible wires that your trail camera came with.
It is a different story for trail cams that are wireless because it means that you do not have to think of ways to hide the wire. So, ideally, it is much easier to use a wireless one.
Range
This is where you need to be a bit technical. To know the exact range of your trail cam, you have to check the box or the manual. It is usually stated there, and if it is not, then you have to contact the place where you bought it from because, without the specific range number, you will not be able to place the trail cam properly.
Accordingly, this range number is important because you have to make sure that the trail cam covers the area that you need to cover. For this, you should also have the measurements of the surrounding area. Once you have all the measurements, you can then test the motion detectors of the trail cam.
Technologies
You have to know some features of your trail cam. Some trail cams can take videos in night vision, while others cannot. Also, some trail cams continuously record videos, while others do it intermittently. Figure out which feature is the most important to you.
Moreover, it is also good to note that whether your trail cam produces a bright flash or not. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. It is an advantage because it can scare away burglars, but it is a disadvantage because it can also distort the face of the person.
Similarly, if a potential home intruder sees the flash before they trespass, they will know that there is a trail cam there. As a result, they will have second thoughts about trespassing onto your property.
How to Hide a Trail Cam for Home Security: The Five Ways
Let us now move on to the different ways on how to properly hide a trail cam. Keep in mind that these are just five of the best ones; there are still other ways to hide a trail cam wherein it can still work effortlessly.
Home Attachments
It is best to place a trail cam in places where it is attached to the home. A good example is in the garage. Most likely, intruders will come in from this area because it is not the main part of the house. Greenhouses can be a point of entry as well.
Nearby Plants
Alternatively, you can place the trail camera at a nearby tree or bush that is directly facing the door or at least the driveway. Just make sure that the leaves are not obscuring the view of the lens, and it is placed in such a way that the wind will not always bother with its motion detector.
Inside the Home
This is for trail cameras that have a flash. If your purpose is to scare away potential intruders, you can place one near a window that is near the point of entry. Accordingly, you can place it at the upper left or upper right of the window pane.
Grounds
You might think that it is weird to do, but it is actually a very effective way to catch intruders. You can place the trail camera on the ground, with its lens facing at an upward angle. To hide it from view, you can put a decorative item around or beside it.
Come to think of it; no intruder would even think that a person will place a trail camera on the ground. Hence, you have the element of surprise on your hands!
Light Post
This is a good preventative measure, especially because it also looks like a warning. A lot of people might see this, and they will not go into your house. Then again, if you really want to hide it, you can attach a trail camera near the lights of your front porch or garage. Just make sure that the light is not too much on the lens of the camera.
Final Words
And, there you have it! Those are the five ways on how to properly hide a trail cam for home security. We also gave three factors to consider when using a trail cam for home surveillance. Just do not forget these things and you are well on your way to having a much safer home.
Lastly, it is also important to remember not to rely on these trail cameras alone. In general, they are only for surveillance, but again, prevention is key. So, lock your doors and always be aware of your surroundings.