Dummy CCTV cameras - domestic use

[Newportnobby]

Dies anyone have any experience, advice, recommendations regarding 'fake' CCTV cameras please?

[Ian Morton]

We put some up when we had some troublesome neighbours and they stopped any further incidents.

When they moved out the next neighbour was an electrician who clocked them as dummies straight away. The same for the policeman who lives over the road.

In short - sparkies, coppers and hardened criminals will spot them straight away, the casual tea-leaf and mindless yob may well think again about disturbing you.

[emjaybee]

Working on the previous information, you can get genuine working CCTV cameras for £30/£40, stick one of them up. Should you need to go further you've already got a camera.

[The Q]

I fitted a few in supermarkets, they were Identical to the working ones. so you couldn't clock them.. However these days with the real camera being so much cheaper, I would bet all supermarket ones work.

It's  quite easy to make a dummy look like a real one. the main thing is to make it look like the cables are going somewhere. if the cable just looks like it disappears into it's own mounting then there's a good chance it's a fake..

just putting some camera stickers up  might work.. just claim you have hidden cameras..

[guest311]

got some a few years ago, and fitted on sheds etc.

made sure
1. to feed 'cable' into wall below cameras
2. to keep charged batteries in them for the 'blinking red light'
3. big sign, ok 'borrowed' from work, re 'CCTV OPERATES IN THIS AREA'

not really sure if due to them, or various german shepherds, and now husky, but touch wood no problems.

[Malc]

Have a look at https://www.banggood.com/search/cctv-cameras.html?from=nav
I have bought stuff from them with no problems.

[guest311]

while a CCTV camera is ok, ......

a shepherd will make you feel good ...
will give you affection ....
will encourage you to exercise ....

so overall, I'd go for a shepherd over a CCTV camera any day ...

of course  .....

CCTV cameras don't  in your garden , but what the hell.....

a shepherd is not just for christmas, and don't even think about changing the batteries 

[Lawrence]

while a CCTV camera is ok, ......

a shepherd will make you feel good ...
will give you affection ....
will encourage you to exercise ....

so overall, I'd go for a shepherd over a CCTV camera any day ...

of course  .....

CCTV cameras don't  in your garden , but what the hell.....

a shepherd is not just for christmas, and don't even think about changing the batteries 

Having been to Mick's I can assure you he doesn't have room for a shepherd, well not so much the shepherd but he has nowhere to put all the sheep  (unless they are N gauge), he may make an exception for a cute shepherdess though 

[exmouthcraig]

I have assisted a few friends, simply because I have a big ladder and not scared to climb it, in putting up proper working cameras and helping them set them up and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them is OBSESSED by watching footage and almost attempting to create drama to justify having them.

We are currently looking at various set ups that we can set up to pick up 3 road gates including our own house drive because of fly tipping and armed clowns getting in the fields shooting. None will be visible from the road as they will be mounted to the nearest building with a power supply. The footage will be saved straight to hard drive and only IF an incident occurs that we need to see something will I bother even looking at what they collect . I cant rewind at watch what happens now so no interest in doing it when I do have the ability

[Newportnobby]

while a CCTV camera is ok, ......

a shepherd will make you feel good ...
will give you affection ....
will encourage you to exercise ....

so overall, I'd go for a shepherd over a CCTV camera any day ...

of course  .....

CCTV cameras don't  in your garden , but what the hell.....

a shepherd is not just for christmas, and don't even think about changing the batteries 

Having been to Mick's I can assure you he doesn't have room for a shepherd, well not so much the shepherd but he has nowhere to put all the sheep  (unless they are N gauge), he may make an exception for a cute shepherdess though 

My cat, Hookey, would have such a shepherd for breakfast

[Bealman]

I have three dummy dome cameras around my place, they used to have flashing red leds, but the batteries went flat ages ago.

Tank told me real ones don't have flashing lights anyway.

We had a major break in back in 1994, after which, I installed a wired alarm system myself, major job which I could never hope to achieve these days.

Second time was the garage in 2016 where I was relieved of a lot of tools. I documented that on this forum at the time.

To be quite honest, I think that once you're targeted, all the deterrents don't make a jot of difference.

[The Q]

My precautions, (some of)
Move to an area with a low crime rate,
Make that move to a low crime rate area within the low crime area.
Have high fences and thorny hedges,
Have a beware of the dog sign in the front fence.
Have a dog that barks if someone approaches the house..

Using this site https://www.adt.co.uk/crime-in-my-area
We have no burglery / arson / vandalisum /shop lifting in our post code last year.
Losing the last letter off the post code still no crimes.
Losing 2 letters off of the end of the post code, 6 crimes all in one village 15 miles away.

[Gizzy]

I have one of those RING doorbells which also doubles up as a CCTV camera.

I can view it in real time from my mobile 'phone if I have a signal, but if I don't (often the case), I can check who has called at the door (postie), or any scrote that has been sculking around the front garden.

It even spots the neighbour's moggie coming up the path!

I pay £2.50 a month for the images to be kept on the cloud should I need to refer to them later....

[Newportnobby]

That (or similar) crossed my mind but I don't have a smartphone as the mobile networks deem my area of Leyland as a 'no signal' area

[Tank]

Not meaning to be a smartie pants, but I have fitted CCTV systems for over 10 years as a part time job, but now work for a worldwide security company.

As Emjay said above, just buy genuine cameras that are cheap and fit them.  Don't buy fake ones as they're easy to spot, and many have flashing red lights......how many real ones have flashing red lights?! 

I live in an area with the lowest crime rate in Croydon, but, I have 11 cameras on my house.  It's amazing how many times I've been asked by neighbours near and far for footage, even the police numerous times.