Outdoor Security Cameras

Most security cameras that were built for the outdoors can be used indoors as well. But the reverse is absolutely not true. Outdoor security cameras are a very different breed, and they’ve been built with features and considerations that indoor cameras just don’t have. This is a guide to help you choose the right outdoor security camera for your needs. The following are the three major questions you need to ask of any camera that you’re considering for your outdoor security needs.

Is it weatherproof? Unless you’ll be using it in a very peculiar outdoor place where it never rains or snows and the wind is calm and gentle, weatherproofing is essential for every outdoor security camera. Weatherproofing should include protection from water, wind, storms, you name it. Anything that mother nature can throw at a security camera she very likely will, and you need to be prepared. Only buy weatherproofed security cameras, and make sure that you install them properly and very securely.

Does it have night vision? Not all outdoor security camera installations are meant to work primarily during the night, but all of them would benefit from night vision capability. Most crime occurs after night falls, and a good, sharp night vision camera is often your best defense against this kind of transgression. Night vision is not one size fits all. There are different levels of night vision excellence, and different capabilities. One of most powerful night vision cameras, the Prowler, can see with perfect clarity up to 120 feet away in the blackest night. Others can only see as far as 45 feet (no that that’s anything to sneeze at). Other cameras are not truly night vision at all, but “low-light” cameras meant for places that are dim, but not completely dark. Be careful when you’re choosing your outdoor camera with night vision - think about your priorities (like distance) and then make an informed decision.

Is it vandal proof? Vandal proofing isn’t only important for outdoor security cameras, but is certainly more important for them indoor models. Because outdoor cameras are so exposed they come under much more fire from vandals. Often the vandalism is completely random, other times it’s more serious and focused. Either way, it’s important to buy cameras that come with vandal proof shells and casings so that you can continue to get the shot you need even in the face of willful interference. Vandal proofing is never a bad idea for any camera you buy, but for an outdoor camera it is often essential. An outdoor security camera with all of the above is going to be powerful and secure. And those are the two most valued adjectives for any security camera on the market.

The following is a testimonial from a real customer who was kind enough to write up their experience purchasing, planning, installing and using their outdoor security camera system.

Our business is located in the center of our downtown area, and that means it can get pretty rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights. We have a problem with people using our parking to lot to drink, carouse, leave their cars overnight (and longer) and the full roster of general weekend debauchery. Needless to say this presents a problem for us not only in terms of safety, but also in terms of liability for any kind of injury that might occur. To compound this issue, we recently had several cars broken into in our second parking lot - in broad daylight. It was becoming clear to us that we needed security, and specifically we probably needed some outdoor security cameras.

We reached out to EZWatch and they gave us a few options we liked. In the end we went with a 16 channel Platinum TurboView DVR and a good mix of 8 outdoor security cameras. We provided the monitor ourselves.

The first camera we installed was the EZBULLET Watchman, which is weatherproof, has a great wide angle lens, is night-vision enabled, and records at 600 lines of resolution. That’s not quite high definition, but it was certainly enough to serve our purposes. We could clearly identify faces, the makes of cars and the general flow of conversations and groups from 30-40 feet away. We installed this particular outdoor security camera on the roof of an adjoining building (we went in together with some of our neighbors when we purchased the system) and trained it on our parking lot facing our door. That way we would have a clear shot of any break-ins, and of most of the parking lot. Adjusting the camera to be just right was easier that I thought it would be. Zoom, focus, and the width of the frame are all easily adjusted with a few knobs underneath the camera.

We made sure that the camera was as obvious as possible. Because it’s so high up in the air, we were confident that even if people saw it they couldn’t do much to interfere with it. Just having the camera there, even if we weren’t recording any footage, is probably nearly as effective as a fully functioning system - even dummy cameras act as a solid deterrent to anybody with an eye to cause trouble.

We used Google Maps, our own understanding of where crime was most likely, and a lot of back and forth with one guy on the roof and one down below to get the right coverage for our business. We also used a few EZDOME VPIR models - they were vandal proof and waterproof as well, and offered a few interesting angles and gave us a little more flexibility in terms of where we could hang the cameras.

All in all the process of buying and installing these cameras was easy (and pretty fun to be honest). So far we haven’t caught anything truly egregious - but then again, that means our parking lot has been incident free since we installed these cameras. Not bad.