With home robberies on the rise, do you trust your current camera or security system to keep intruders away before any harm happens? Are you concerned about someone entering your home when the system is unarmed? How effective do you think it is at preventing intrusions, even when you’re not fully alert?
If you’re targeted by professionals, there’s not much that can truly stop them. Even having 24/7 security may not be enough if someone is really determined.
Quick thieves like porch pirates or smash-and-grab types know they can get away before anyone can react, and low-value crimes don’t often get a fast police response.
Some mid-level burglars do care a bit more, though. They might use jammers or other ways to mess with your system, while others could be deterred if they see security in place.
There’s a saying about outrunning a bear—you don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the person next to you.
For those mid-range burglars, making your property harder to rob than your neighbor’s could mean they’ll move on to an easier target.
At the end of the day, cameras mostly tell you what happened rather than stopping things from happening.
@EvansBrown13
You make a good point—cameras may not stop crimes directly, but they could make intruders think twice compared to other houses. That’s why a lot of advice suggests putting cameras in visible spots. If a camera is in plain view, it might be enough for basic deterrence.
@Micahel_Luo
I noticed a lot of houses now have doorbell and security cameras. Ten years ago, people thought it was odd if you had cameras; now it’s pretty standard.
My own checklist includes:
- No subscription fees.
- Power over Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi.
- Local storage, not cloud.
- Free app.
- On-camera AI detection to cut down on false alerts.
Knowing your priorities helps because it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the options.
Cameras don’t prevent break-ins; they just record them. There’s a misconception that seeing a camera will make people go away, but studies don’t back that up. All the porch pirate videos on YouTube show that cameras aren’t a strong deterrent.
Think about big retailers like Target or Walmart—they spend tons on cameras, but shoplifting is still a huge issue.
@millan
lol yeah, so what do you think actually works?
Micahel_Luo said:
@millan
lol yeah, so what do you think actually works?
Physical barriers are the way to go. For homeowners, things like security strike plates make it harder to kick a door in. Window bars or security film help prevent window break-ins. And definitely don’t leave keys hidden in obvious spots like fake rocks.
The goal is to make your home hard enough to break into that burglars decide it’s not worth the effort.
We keep our outdoor lights on all night.
For actual intrusion prevention, you might want a proper alarm system with loud sirens and automatic alerts to law enforcement. Cameras are better for recording evidence than for stopping someone in real time.
In high-stakes situations, cheap cameras may not be useful in court without watermarking or anti-tampering features. They’re fine for everyday home security, though.
@Winston
Not sure where you heard that video evidence isn’t usable in court—it definitely is. The defense has to prove tampering if they want to discredit it.
millan said:
@Winston
Not sure where you heard that video evidence isn’t usable in court—it definitely is. The defense has to prove tampering if they want to discredit it.
I worked in a police tech unit and dealt with high-stakes cases. A good lawyer can pick apart video evidence with questions about chain of custody or potential tampering. That’s why high-end equipment has watermarking and tamper-proof features. But for everyday use, it’s usually not an issue.
@Winston
I’m a licensed security consultant and have testified in court about video evidence. I know a few forensic experts in this area. The real challenge for defense is usually image quality and clarity, not tampering.
Chain of custody issues can be a problem, but that’s more about sloppy police work. Video tampering is rare and hard to prove.
@millan
Fair point. I’ve been an alarm contractor for 45 years, so I’ve seen my share of cases where attorneys question everything about the video evidence. They ask about where the DVR is located, who has access, if footage was ever deleted, and so on. But I agree that video evidence is pretty reliable overall.