How to pick the right home security camera system
More Wichita residents are putting security cameras on their homes, according to Wichita Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Nikki Woodrow.
Here are six factors, according to Mike Green of Greenbuilt Security, to think about:
1. What kind of camera is best? Some cameras record events triggered by motion; others continually record.
The drawback with so-called event-driven cameras is they often get activated by storms or something harmless, so there can be a lot of false alarms, and the view is often limited to a certain zone within several feet of the camera. The recording time is also limited. Event-recording cameras are for places where the weather can’t trigger them and where the wrong person shouldn’t be – like in a garage, Green said.
The advantage of a continually recording camera is it can offer a wider view, so it can capture the burglar when he pulls up across the street a half block away and before he puts on his mask. You get more information with a continual recording, and it’s the kind that is helpful to police because, for example, it might provide a vehicle description.
The system isn’t so much designed to stop criminal activity as it is occurring as it is to record evidence that can be used to catch a serial burglar and bring him to justice. Still, the presence of live cameras or even dummy cameras can help to deter a thief who thinks he’s being recorded, Green said.
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