Someone has been coming onto my property repeatedly, and it’s really scaring me. First, they stole packages, but now it’s gotten worse, and they’re trying to come up to my back door. I have cameras facing both ways in the driveway, but they’re not picking anything up because the license plate light (not sure what it’s called) is too bright at night for the cameras (they came by after dark last night).
So, my question is: is there a way to fix this? My current cameras are Reveal. They’re great for daytime, but not for night. Is there a way to get better details for the license plate so I can hand that info over to the police? I don’t want this to get worse. Every time they show up, they get closer to my home. I’ve got self-defense options if they try to break in, but I’d rather just get their plate number and call the cops before it escalates. Any advice on what cameras I should get or how I can fix the license plate brightness issue?
Get some flood lights with sensors. You’ll want the area around your house to be lit up like a ballpark. On Amazon, there are small outdoor cameras that can be attached anywhere. Place a couple near where the car enters your property. If your camera is good, it should alert you when it detects motion. Or, you can get a driveway sensor that will notify you when the beam is broken. If the lights work well, you should have enough time to see the car, and your cameras should be able to record it. Even just getting the car’s make, model, and color can be enough for the police. But a well-placed camera should be able to catch the license plate too.
Make sure you’ve got strong door locks. You might also want to consider getting a FlipLock to stop someone from kicking in the door. A dog would be a good idea too. German Shepherds make great guard dogs. There are also signs on Amazon you can put up to say your property is protected by a gun. You don’t actually need a gun to use those signs. Bright lights and cameras will help a lot.
You should set up motion-activated flood lights and have multiple cameras.
I’m not sure what steps you’ve already taken, but threats to your safety can lead to serious consequences—someone getting hurt or someone going to jail.
Lights and cameras that are very visible can work as a deterrent.
Faith said:
Large dogs with loud barks. We have a Cane Corso and a Staffie mix, and I’ve never seen people run so fast when both of them start barking.
Yep, they’re definitely great to have around. I’ve got a St. Bernard that’s more like Cujo than Beethoven and a Great Pyr mix. Both are super protective, but I’d rather they (and I) not be in a situation where I have to use them for defense. Plus, I’ve got geese that scream at anything, so they’re a great alarm system.
Faith said:
Large dogs with loud barks. We have a Cane Corso and a Staffie mix, and I’ve never seen people run so fast when both of them start barking.
Or you could at least play a loud recording of a dog barking! Sounds pretty convincing.
You need an LPR or ANPR camera to catch license plates at night. There’s no other way unless the car turns off its lights or parks nearby with a good color night vision camera (something like good quality IP/PoE 8MP cameras should be able to read plates from a distance, like Reolink for example, or Dahua/Hikvision with their Darkfighter or Colorvu models, etc.). A 4MP camera could work for closer distances. You’ll need decent lighting too.
The cheapest camera that will actually allow you to catch license plates with moving cars at night is the IPC-B52IR-Z12E S2, or you could look at something from Dahua/Hikvision. Keep in mind that this camera is mainly for reading license plates, so you have to zoom it in to focus on the plates.
You need PoE cameras with a larger image sensor. They’ll capture details better during the day and at night with low light. Most home security cameras are cheap and don’t capture good motion details. You want at least a 1/1.8" image sensor for a good setup.
Profit how? Or are you a Prophet waiting in the shadows? 
