I'm crapping myself because twice two men (different people each time) have drawn up in a car outside my house late at night, and both times they've used a similar script.
What budget cctv would you recommend?
There's gotta be more to this...
Ring seems to be the most common
I bought two budget cctvs due to similar reasons..near useless at night. Kind of useful daytime.
I'd recommend a Google nest IQ camera , just completely different level of resolution (havent seen it at night though). 4k is where it's at, lower than that I find it difficult to identify facial features unless you actually know who it is which kind of defeats the purpose. Unless you're mainly using it a deterrent which does work (my perps in learned to look away from the camera. ) Positioning is also important...you don't really want it high up.
It's certainly got me spooked, somebody must have a grudge 🤔
Does ring work as cctv? I need something which can view the street to catch reg numbers as well as faces at the door, I'd like a camera to cover the rear of the property too (as well as an alarm and a couple of security guards with big dogs)
That's a good point swedishmatt, it will have to work in the dark
I’ve never really seen the point, if they want what you’ve got, then they will come and get it, they’ll just wear a balaclava or keep their heads down and to be honest most don’t either bother doing that!
Get cctv if you want to watch a bit of your prized possessions getting nicked. Other than that stick up a cheap fake camera
What budget cctv would you recommend?
Depends. Can you describe the men?
Yeah, I gave a good description of them to the police as they get out of the car to knock on the door. It's the car registration that I really need to identify them, although it's been a different private hire cab each time. They park so that the car is in the shadows of the street lights, with the headlights on full so that I've not been able to get a decent photo from my phone (probably because I was shaking so much too)
My nest hello gives a great image w
At night but a doorbell is only really good as a doorbell. You want a proper cctv system. 4K as a minimum as you may want the increased definition to identify reg plates or something. My normal cameras are 8k..
Also you should only aim at your own property. Neighbours won’t appreciate the fact you can watch their comings anf goings and spy on them. If people are being suspicious off your property not much you can do... jydt take some photos next time, but aim your cctv on your own property boundaries, you might see outside your property in the periphery of the frame but shouldn’t be focusing on it.
Give CCTV direct a call. They can advise. I got a great 2 camera system for about £400 which can easily be expanded on.
A friend of mine has recently installed, I think, the Ubiqiti camera setup at his place. The image quality on it seems pretty good in low/no light.
You don't own an Audi S3/Golf R or similar, do you?
What do you want it to do?
Catch/identify them or deter them?
I would put a wildlife style remote camera in the bushes pointing to where they usually park to get number plates faces etc. If you can.
I think a better deterrent would be a proper alarm system with a box on the outside wall. It would look like you've upped your security game anyway so could have cameras, but would be much greater peace of mind for when you aren't at home.
Not fitted it yet, but a few on here have the Amazon Blink XT2 which I've just bought.
If you buy a 2 camera pack, an add on camera and an Echo show 8 separately, it works out a bit cheaper than buying the bundled three pack with an Echo show 5
I never thought I'd want an Alexa thing, but having fun telling her what to do - only using it to turn my WiFi oil filled radiator up and down in the garden office at the moment and listen to the radio. The speaker is pretty decent to be fair, but it connects easily to my active speakers also. Will be handy to be able to watch the front door when I'm down the garden too if expecting deliveries. I'll add some plugs and lights for it to control at some point, might get another for in the house
Sounds unnerving. Hope you are ok.
As for cameras, how about a dash cam with night mode left running in a car parked close but not outside. Maybe that could get the number plate before the car was hidden and lights put on bright.
Other than that, I second the comment above that a night vision wildlife camera off property would also help with ‘evidence’
Neither of them would help with prevention though and it sounds like you need both
Nestcam Outdoor is very good. Works fine at night. I have the under £150 version and there is a £300ish 4k version if you have the bandwidth on the hub. Simple to install, go down the plug into laptop set up, far easier. Installed a few now. Put a Dayglo "CCTV" sign in your window. Let local plod know about sus circs.
Reg plates in daylight are viewable, not tried at night, might also be dependent on street lighting.
Security light might be a better first option, Shady Characters don't like light especially flicking on and off.
Might help if we know the back story!?!
Thanks for the advice and bentandbroken for the concern, I feel like I'm in a lockdown soap opera and I'm now wondering who I know has the capacity to hold such a grudge against me. The guys do knock on the door and reply to me, so I don't think they're after my diamanté earing but someone is out to give me a fright, the people coming sound just as confused as I am.
I've been looking online at reviews and I'm going to try and measure up the distances that I need to be able to view. I've picked up similarities in behaviour as they approach which are unusual, so I know where I need to focus the camera on but the angle is awkward.
You're still being quite vague - what do they say when they knock on the door?
That Landlord putting on the frighteners???
TheArtist, that's where it gets all obscure. When I ask who it is, they ask if this is [address]; when I ask why, they say that someone sent them here; when I ask who, they won't tell me. They then return to the car. It's happened twice, on a similar date at a similar time.
Hmmm - you're possibly being mixed up with the local drug dealer - mistaken address. I'd be letting the police know
Ginsterdrz, the landlord is on the list 😂
I wondered if it could be something to do with drug dealers the first time, I don't think they'd make the same mistake twice. The organised crime unit is aware
Have you been involved with some kind of dispute with a public body, no matter how minor? The men are simply following orders and you're unlikely to get any sense out of them. Beefing up security sounds a good idea and also replacing all of your locks. May be an idea to remove any important paperwork or documentation to a safe place.
LOL WTF!
It has been a taxi both times? Has someone simply got their postcode wrong when ordereding taxis?
Flash photo of the car and visitors needed, tell them the Police asked you to do it for their investigation of a local murder.
Kahl, you'd be surprised at what goes on when you upset the powers that be and that Cinnamon_girl may be on the money. Yes, I have upset a public body and they have used shady tactics before, I dismissed it as paranoia but my lawyer confirmed that that sort of thing does happen. However, I have been inactive on that front for a while and it seems odd that they would choose that sort of intimidation now. Unless it's my landlord, but they could easily take me to court. Personally, I only know one person unhinged enough and has MO of this sort of random crap, but it seems like an awful lot of effort for him to go to.
@faerie that really is miserable for you and can empathise. People who've experienced this are starting to speak out on social media but clearly not an easy thing to do especially as one can guarantee that these channels are being regularly monitored. No lie is too big for public bodies I'm afraid.
Do take care and stay alert.
Ah, so now we are digging deeper.
You upset people, don't freak out when they try and upset you back 😉 - or as they say, snitches get stitches
I'm not entirely serious btw, hope you stay safe
Tinfoil hat!
This is a bizarre thread.
you’d be surprised at what goes on when you upset the powers that be and that Cinnamon_girl may be on the money
Or perhaps you're both conspiracists? Incompetence throughout the civil service makes it impossible for something like this to be feasible.
. . . "but it seems like an awful lot of effort for him to go to"
Not necessarily. Maybe they've simply advertised your address as the local "Miss Whiplash" 😉
So when potential clients turn up, they're shocked and disappointed to find you dressed in old jogging pants or sweaty cycling gear . . . and therefore don't know what to say.
(I'm sure there's a demand for the sweaty lycra, but it'll be for more "specialised" tastes . . . )
Nah, I'm no conspiracist and this would be an obscure method of intimidation for them. I've experienced the wrath of the corrupt before and they leave you with no doubt what will happen if you don't wind it in, the Rotherham social worker who blew the whistle is an example. I'm looking at all the possibilities no matter how minor, as Cinnamon_girl and the police have suggested.
It could be an extremist group, but I'd have thought they'd be more upfront and aggressive about their objectives. So that leaves the unhinged guy doing it for thrills. Anyway, it's all just speculation until I can get more evidence and not good for my mental health when I'm wondering whether it was something I said on here, or if I looked at someone the wrong way in the supermarket, or did I steal a Strava Kom...
I know I'm outspoken but I do always endeavour to be considerate and this has left me feeling quite vulnerable.
I'm looking at the recommendations above and making comparisons so that the next time someone comes the police can track them, thanks.
Lol Esme, that's what this guy did to someone else before and I wondered if they were expecting some lockdown lowdown 😂
If it was your own place and you were sufficiently worried I would suggest a chain and a London / Birmingham bar but as it’s rented maybe a removable bar for extra piece of mind
I’ve not kicked a door in with one in place so can’t judge them but a London bar does actually work
Are you Dominic Cummings?
Im absolutely none the wiser after reading this slow drip by drip tale of veiled menace from official entities.
Anyways just get a big dog if you feel threatened , no-ones put off by cameras these days.
Im absolutely none the wiser after reading this slow drip by drip tale of veiled menace from official entities.
Probably tv licence people!
What about a floodlight with motion sensor Set high up to begin with? They might be deterred if they’re lit up from the pavement.
I’ve just seen a roundup of various security cameras that’s popped up on Flipboard, which goes through the details of what each offers, and levels of security, there’s only one that has local storage, but it’s fairly cheap and might be just what you need.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/security-camera-scorecard-feature-comparison/
I've got a wired Lorex system, with 4 cameras. HD recording onto a recorder, and web access from anywhere. A 1TB drive stores about 8 days of video from 4 cameras. Daytime and night vision is excellent. OK - you'll need to wire it up. Local access by either a Laptop or direct with a spare monitor. Web access via mobile app. We fitted a mic on the garage camera, but you can add more.
No point getting anything web enabled. They'll only hack into it.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I've ordered door bars and almost made a decision on cameras.
A neighbour has come forward with more information and to check if we are ok. It's getting even more bizarre, he noticed two women with not much more than suspenders on walking about appearing lost in the afternoon. There was a couple of other things he saw that were out of place, but didn't really catch his attention until later. The same car also came to his door earlier in the evening, he noticed that it wasn't welcome at mine but hadn't connected the dots at the time. The police are now doing regular patrols and the organised crime unit are back in touch.
Did you speak to these people through the door or actually answer it? I’d just open the door and confront them or push straight past them and take loads of photos of them and the car with my phone. I’m still not following what’s happening and what threats if any have happened.
