Hey everyone, my friend is dealing with someone harassing them by putting troll stickers and fake dollar bills on their car. It’s been happening for months, always between Friday night and Saturday morning. No Ring cameras around since they live in apartments, so I’m looking for a battery-powered camera that could be hidden inside the car, like in the backseat under some clothes. Has anyone tried something like the Flex-M game camera? Our budget is $120, any suggestions would be great!
I’d suggest looking into a dash cam. Some can record continuously or only when they detect motion or sound. Many have internal batteries that keep working even when the car’s off. I can’t give you a specific brand, but a little research should point you in the right direction. Just be careful with cheaper game cameras, as they might start recording too late to catch the person.
@Ricky
That’s a great idea, thanks! A dashcam would definitely be more reusable in the long run. Once they catch the person, they could move it to the front window. I’ll look into how to set them up. Do you know if it’s possible to have two wires, one for the back window and one for the dash?
@Jeremiah
Most dashcams charge with simple USB cables, so you could easily move it around. Some even come with two cameras already. It’s always a good idea to have one in your car for accidents or stuff like this. Plus, the person might see the camera and just stop messing with the car altogether.
A trail camera might work if it’s hidden well and pointed in the right direction. Parking close to a wall might help reduce the angle they could approach from. You could also look into smaller, more hidden cameras like button cameras, but you’d need to make sure they have decent battery life and recording time.
You could check Cabela’s for trail cameras, but also consider something like this motion-activated sprinkler. Might scare them off before they can mess with the car.
Have you tried using a regular security camera inside the car or sitting on the window ledge? I always wonder why they’re only placed on doors, but never inside windows or cars.
Wade said:
Have you tried using a regular security camera inside the car or sitting on the window ledge? I always wonder why they’re only placed on doors, but never inside windows or cars.
Unfortunately, none of their apartment windows have a view of the street, so that won’t work.
Wade said:
Have you tried using a regular security camera inside the car or sitting on the window ledge? I always wonder why they’re only placed on doors, but never inside windows or cars.
It’d only work during the day. At night, the camera’s night vision would reflect off the glass, blinding the camera. You’d need something with zoom to catch faces clearly, but that’ll cost more than $120. At your price point, you’ll probably only get a blurry image, unless you can get the camera really close.
I’d definitely go with a dash cam. Look into the Rove R2 4K Pro—it has a kit for 24-hour recording, though it’s mostly for if the car gets hit. Still, it’s a solid camera worth checking out.
Alice said:
I’d definitely go with a dash cam. Look into the Rove R2 4K Pro—it has a kit for 24-hour recording, though it’s mostly for if the car gets hit. Still, it’s a solid camera worth checking out.
Keep in mind that dash cams usually rely on the car’s headlights to capture good footage at night. If there’s enough street lighting, it might work. You can test it by placing a sticker on your car at night and reviewing the footage. Also, many dash cams will only start recording after detecting motion, so you might miss the person entirely.
@Jefferson
This video compares dash cam footage at night. It might help you get a better idea of what to expect, especially if your budget is tight.
If this is a one-off problem, you might want to hide a phone on the dashboard. Park under a streetlight to make sure you can see their face clearly. Plug the phone into a power bank to keep it running. Test it out by placing a sticker on the car yourself and checking the footage to see if it’s clear enough.