Trail Cams

[3Roosters]

Greetings!
I am researching either buying a trail cam or doing a home(lake lot park model)security system for when we are away from our somewhat remote lake lot. So far in the 3 yrs we have owned the lake lot there has been no thievery going on and the neighbors are year rounders so that helps. I'd still like to be able to see who may drive down our long gravel driveway to the camper...in case I need proof if something is stolen/damaged. How much info is captured/retained and for how long on a nicer trail cam? I mean..we visit the place like every other weekend. Does it store info that long or just loop over and over. I know ADT has a monthly fee for their security system so just weighing the pluses and minuses.
So..if a trail cam..what kind/style and why... I might add I really wouldn't use it other than at the lake...ie..I pretty much hunt strictly pheasants so I wouldn't need to multipurpose it during deer season for example.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[bigbrad123]

Not up much on security systems, but with the trail cam I guess it depends on if you want still pics or video. A trail cam will take still pics anytime there is a movement (you can set it for lots of different options as to amount of pics taken and how long between pics) and store them on an sd card. You can get 1500+ pics on a small 2 gb sd card. Video is a different story. Most cams will take video for a period time you set (ie: 10 or 15 seconds every 30 seconds or a minute). You won't be able to store as many videos on a small sd card, but if not many people are coming down your driveway and you go to your cabin every weekend, its probably not a big deal to set the trail cam on video. Some trail cameras nowadays take up to 32 gb cards which will store a lot of pictures and videos. Just make sure your trail cam points in the direction of the car coming so you could get a make, model, license plate number. Police use trail cams a lot to get pics of people tagging (spraypainting) places, etc. May also want to try to hide the camera so they can't see it or access it. Some cameras will flash and some of the newer cameras don't flash at all. Some cameras also have a small ride light that goes on when a pic is taken. You will get a wide variety of cameras ranging from $50 to $500. If money isn't an object, you might even consider getting a camera that you can check pictures remotely from your home computer. Most of those run about $400 or more and then you need to have a monthly cell type plan. You will get a lot of different opinions on brands and quality. I prefer the small Bushnell Trophy cams. Great pics, long battery life (if you use lithium), easy to use, etc. Some cameras don't work well in the extreme cold, however, so keep that in mind as well. However, lots of guys leave them out all winter long without a problem.

 

[3Roosters]

Thanks for the response! Good points.

 

[pluckem]

Tell us a bit more about the setup you have.

1.) What specific area do you think you want it to monitor? Driveway/garage? Front Door? Gate?

2.) To get reliable performance and clear pictures and video it is best to face the cam to the north, is this possible?

3.) Is there an area you can hide it well? trees, rocks, side of a building?

4.) Would you be worried about it getting stolen? This goes hand in hand with how well you can hide it, you cant steal what you don't know is there.

Lots of options out there, getting answers to above should help decide.

 

[3Roosters]

pluckem, here are some answers for you.
1. I would like to see both my camper area and the driveway..or part of the driveway as it is long.
2. Facing north isn't a problem. That is good to know that is the best direction to point it. Our driveway is pretty much north/south. Our camper is darn near exactly on the northern most part of driveway.
3. No building(garage) yet..but plenty of trees to hide it.
4. Yes, I would worry about it getting stolen and thus would want to make sure it is in a concealed location. I will check it out this weekend when I am there but think I know a great location for it that would pick up the last part of the driveway and camper both.

Thanks for the tips. Let me know what you think after hearing my answers above.

Edit..camper is on the northern most part of driveway..not southern.

 

[bigbrad123]

Something like this would be a good option:

http://bushnell.com/all-products/tr...ce-cam/black-led-cordless-surveillance-camera

Pick a cam with the black LED's and then anyone coming in at night shouldn't see a flash of the camera or anything showing the camera is taking a picture or video (more and more brands have black LED's now). You can also buy lock boxes and stuff for cameras, but if you put them in a good spot, most won't even see them. As pluckem said, you need to face the camera away from the sun. Also be careful what is in front of the camera as a tree branch or tall grass moving in the wind close to the camera will trigger it to take a picture so all you will get is a bunch of pictures of nothing. With the recent wind we've had, its inevitable you will get some false pics. Ultimately testing the camera in a few different spots is your best bet some weekend when you are at the camper. Drive up and down your driveway at different times and then check your camera to see what types of pics you are getting. Your night pics won't be quite as good (mostly black and white), whereas your day pics will be color. Bushnell's also have a nice quick trigger speed which is important. And as you can see, all cameras have a different length of feet they will detect movement during the daytime and night hours (30 to 60 ft).

 

[pluckem]

pluckem, here are some answers for you.
1. I would like to see both my camper area and the driveway..or part of the driveway as it is long.
2. Facing north isn't a problem. That is good to know that is the best direction to point it. Our driveway is pretty much north/south. Our camper is darn near exactly on the northern most part of driveway.
If the cam is facing E, SE, S, SW, or W there will be times during the day that could be washed out (sun shining into the lens).

3. No building(garage) yet..but plenty of trees to hide it.
4. Yes, I would worry about it getting stolen and thus would want to make sure it is in a concealed location. I will check it out this weekend when I am there but think I know a great location for it that would pick up the last part of the driveway and camper both.

Reason I asked this was to figure out what price range you would be comfortable with. Cams range from $100 to $700. If I was serious about security and wanting reliable performance that would give me a license plate and/or face I would lean toward the higher end.

Thanks for the tips. Let me know what you think after hearing my answers above.

Edit..camper is on the northern most part of driveway..not southern.

The black flash or Black LED cameras will give you the most security from anyone noticing the camera. The IR models will have the LEDs glow red when being used and of course the white flash models will be your typical camera flash. Unfortunately you give up nighttime performance (distance and clarity) when you move to the black flash versions. I would still recommend the Black Flash types for your application. However, it might be difficult for most or all black flash cams to get a clear license plate # at night while the car is in motion.

If you are only buying one camera, I am still not a fan of the cams that can send pics or videos to your cell phone, mainly because it really slows the trigger speed and the recovery time (time between pics or videos) is also a lot longer than the models who just save to SD card. You could get one of both, that way you feel comfortable with knowing you will have one camera that wont miss any action and one camera that would send files to your phone.

IMO the clear consensus in the industry is Reconyx is the most reliable and longest lasting cams. They have a couple cams specifically designed for security and getting license plate #'s. Take a look and see if they are in your budget.

http://www.reconyx.com/shop/Security_Series:_Surveillance_&_License_Plate_Capture_Cameras/96