Editor & Article Writer for Outdoor Wilds
Best Game Camera For Home Security
It’s one of the worst feelings you can have when you discover that your property has been broken into by thieves.
Unfortunately almost all of us have had property taken from us at some point, whether it be our valuable tools we’ve spent years collecting stored in the garage or our house broken into with treasured family items being stolen.
Game cameras offer an excellent solution for the security of your home. They have some of the following advantages;
- Great versatility with being able to place them anywhere on your property
- Long battery life, plus the option for solar panel connection in most cases
- High quality video and pictures, both day and night
- Some models will send almost instant feedback to detected movement via a cellular signal
- Fully waterproof in most cases, IP66 rated
- “No Glow” illumination at night making the camera “covert” while operating
As you can see there are many reasons why a game camera makes a great choice for property surveillance.
Here I’m going to give a brief overview of some of the best models on offer and the benefits that each type has for different situations and properties.
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Receive Pictures Via a Cellular Data Dignal To Your Smartphone
If you have a large property covering several acres of land or perhaps spend a lot of time away from your home, the cellular game camera makes the ideal choice for surveillance.
This type of camera will send a picture to your smartphone almost instantly, alerting you to any activity that it’s PIR sensor detects as a heat source or movement up to 100 feet away.
The Commander 4G LTE game camera made by a company called Snyper has a great reputation for being arguably one of the best cellular cameras out there for home security.
This camera is about as close as an alternative to hiring a full time security guard to watch over your property.
It comes supplied with an AT&T SIM card and will only work using this network and the T Mobile network, so make sure you have a reasonable signal on your property. To activate the SIM card visit the AT&T website.
You’ll receive on your smartphone pictures of any movement in front of the camera in less than one minute from the moment of detection. The setup allows you to receive both text alerts and emails or both at the same time.
Free downloadable app
There is also a free downloadable app that you can use to receive pictures. The app lets you add multiple cameras to it as well. So it’s a great way to collate all your surveillance data.
The specification makes this ideal for home security. It has 54 “No Glow” LEDs for illuminating pictures at night coupled with the 100 ft detection range.
The camera is powered using 12 x AA batteries. Snyper strongly recommend using lithium batteries only and I would concur with this as I only use lithium with all my trail cams. Snyper also provide a solar panel option as an extra, plus there is a 12 volt input jack on the camera.
Lastly I’ll mention the actual camera itself. The image sensor is 12 megapixels and does take high quality pictures and video both day and night. So if you do catch someone on your property, this will help greatly in identifying them to the law enforcement.
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A Complete Game Security Camera Kit
If your looking for a complete “no hassle” out the box solution then this makes a great option at an affordable price. The only extra you’ll need to buy in addition is an SD card.
The My Command Security Trail Camera, to give its full name is not a cellular camera, so you will have to remove the SD card from the camera to see who has been entering your property.
You may have a land boundary that you want to monitor or perhaps a local anti social problem next to your yard. This camera will record all of this actively and provide evidence if needed.
The camera comes with the following.
- Solar power battery pack
- Mounting bracket for camera
- Mounting bracket for solar panel
- All required cables
- Instruction manual
Not only does this camera come with all of the above. It also has a quality 12MP camera for pictures and HD video with sound. All housed in a fully waterproof IP66 rated case.
If your looking for an easy to set up complete package out the box the My Command Security Trail Camera makes a great choice as a surveillance camera.
Last update on 2024-04-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
A Compact Solution With Built In Solar Panel
If you don’t like the idea of having to fix an additional solar panel next to your camera then the Spypoint Link-Micro Trail Camera is an suitable alternative option.
It’s also a cellular camera so it will send pictures to your smartphone.
However a word of note: Please make sure you have the latest firmware installed, you can see details here. Its essential for cellular trail cameras that the firmware is up to date, and this also applies to any trail cam.
The Spypoint has a built in lithium battery that is charged using the solar panel located at the top of the camera. This will make great cost saving over a period of a year or more.
Read further Spypoint trail camera reviews here.
The camera has a decent specification too.
- 10 MP camera
- 0.4 trigger speed
- HD video
- 2 inch viewing screen
- Comes with a mounting bracket, tree strap, plus quick start guide.
- 2 year warranty (Check before you buy)
For the price this camera makes a great value option security camera, having the built in solar panel. The pictures both day and night are good quality allowing for easier identification of potential suspects.
Last update on 2024-04-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Licence Plate Capture Camera
You may have people parking their vehicles on your land as a regular problem.
The Reconyx licence plate capture camera will record the number plate on the vehicle whether its during the day or night.
It doesn’t do a lot more than that. But it will give clear readable images of number plates. At the time of writing in late 2020 it’s the only camera on the market that offers this feature.
Of course a standard trail camera will do the same but their pictures won’t be enhanced and will lack blur reduction technology to ensure vehicles travelling at up to 50 mph will still be identifiable.
If you really need to have number plate evidence that is easily legible to law enforcement then this is about the only option available, but at a price. It has to be said it’s a bit eye watering the cost of this camera.
How to Hide a Trail Cam for Home Security
Thieves are always looking to see where traditional security cameras are located when entering a property.
This is where you can be a bit more creative with a trail camera. I’ll give a brief outline below of some of the things to consider when placing your camera and how to make it less noticable to thieves.
Line of sight
The old saying “Out of sight, out of mind” springs to thought here. The first places you should consider is somewhere high up, at least 12 feet off the ground and facing at an angle around 45 degrees below.
All game cameras come with a tree strap, so a tree on a boundary for example would make an ideal location for a surveillance camera.
Conceal your game camera
You can get really creative here. I’ve seen people hide cameras in bird boxes, plant pots and so on.
Of course you’ll have to make sure the PIR sensor, the camera lens and the LED emitters aren’t covered otherwise it won’t operate as desired. So it’s a matter of getting the drill out and a set of hole cutters to match the profile of the front of the cameras essential working components.
Liquid nails
This is a big old favourite. If your going to place a game camera on a tree for example you can make a bark mould of the bark 3d pattern and then paint it to match and apply it to the camera. It’s a bit old school.
However you can easily cover the outside of the camera with real natural bark shavings and small pieces that have fallen on the ground. This is very effective and done well, it will be almost impossible to spot from only a few feet away.
Security boxes
If your placing the camera on a wall you may want to place the camera in a metal security box. This will stop thieves interfering with the camera or ripping it off the wall with a pole or such like.
Summary
I hope I’ve covered all the bases here for helping you find a suitable game camera as a use for security purposes. Power is always a big part of keeping a camera operating and with the solar options I have outlined this should make life a lot easier in this regard.
The Snyper cellular camera will use a far amount of batteries if it’s taking 1000s of pictures so an external power source such as a 12 volt battery may be an option or the Snyper solar panel.
Whatever option you decide to go with I hope this article has helped you to make an informed decision.
Stay safe out there and keep your property secure.
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Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
