# How can I hide my security cameras but still get a good picture? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945 "2013-07-08T15:42:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/21 "2013-07-09T12:47:04Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > I’m curious who you think is going to view the footage? What good is cinematic-quality high-def 3-D footage of _a person whose name you don’t know?_ To prove to the police you were burgled? To identify the miscreant. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/22 "2013-07-09T13:03:39Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > I’m curious who you think is going to view the footage? What good is cinematic-quality high-def 3-D footage of _a person whose name you don’t know?_ To prove to the police you were burgled? Police may a) recognize a repeat offender or b) publicize the perp’s image so that the general public can help identify him/her. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/23 "2013-07-09T14:45:34Z")
Wow. What kind of crime-free hamlet do you live in that the police would put out wanted posters for a mere burglary? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/24 "2013-07-09T15:30:14Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Wow. What kind of crime-free hamlet do you live in that the police would put out wanted posters for a mere burglary? I’ve not seen wanted posters, I’ve seen pictures on TV and web sites. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/25 "2013-07-09T15:39:32Z")
Our counties and local towns often include stills of suspects in weekly newsletters to the neighborhoods. Our local TV stations pick them up all the time, so it’s not unusual to see burglary suspects on TV almost every night around here. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/26 "2013-07-12T09:40:53Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions. To answer some replies, I live in Thailand and cameras would not be a deterrent, I only put them in to identify the crims, which are probably local kids, should they be stupid enough to climb in without a mask. I don’t think monitoring is even an option in the backwater where I live. Certainly the police won’t be turning up. Wiring is inside the house, a big hammer drill and a long drill bit make that easy. My problem is that the cameras can be easily moved or covered. Hiding the cameras in a bird cage or flowers would seem to be the best solution, thanks to those that suggested that. ---
**Author:** ![stanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/27 "2013-07-12T22:03:08Z")
Many house some sort of external flood lamps on their house - something that looks more for lighting a backyard so you can take out the garbage than for security purposes. The bulbs are pretty exposed and don’t look like anything special. A burglar may check to see if they light up from motion detection at night, but otherwise look like something that is just for lighting. You can buy bulbs that screw into a standard socket that look like a regular glass bulb, but have a camera inside and transmit a signal to a remote receiver through the electrical wiring of the house. They even have infra-red built into them for night vision. A burglar would expect to see such lighting outside a house, and if it isn’t night, or the lamps don’t light up when tripped, would probably not think them to be anything more than a standard glass lamp. A camera out in the open that doesn’t look like a camera, but does look like something that is normally there anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/28 "2013-07-12T23:15:39Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > \I live in Thailand and cameras would not be a deterrent, I only put them in to identify the crims, which are probably local kids And the authorities would pick them up on the basis of your images? ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/29 "2013-07-14T05:05:16Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > And the authorities would pick them up on the basis of your images? I take it that you don’t know Thailand! More likely what would happen is that if we could identify the culprits to the locals, and they knew them, a bit of “social justice” would occur. These crims aren’t just stealing from me. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/30 "2013-07-14T05:25:54Z")
Are the laws regarding lethal booby traps more …greasy or perhaps abesnt than here in the US? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/31 "2013-07-14T18:31:18Z")
> [@deltasigma](#): > > However where pets are involved, if you’re relying solely on PIR sensors, that could potentially be an issue. However there are specialized units that restrict sensitivity to eliminate areas close to the floor for example. If you combine this sort with careful placement, you should be ok. They can also be tuned to know how many ‘pixels’ your dog is on the sensor. If you have a competent alarm integrator, they may even be able to set the alarm so that it knows what size dog you have. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/32 "2013-07-14T18:46:21Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Most security cameras don’t record well in low light. So, invest in motion detectors… lots of them and bright. They are a deterrent, and if they don’t deter, then you have a good picture of them. You can actually get cameras with a bunch of tiny IR LEDs on them for as little as $50 if you want. Bright light is a great deterrent, of course, and I’d suggest it. > [@moriah](#): > > Also, if you want to get a bit more high tech and psychological, attach to the motion detectors spinning yellow lights or a strobe light with a slow pulse to make the criminals think they set off an alarm or are getting their picture took with a flash. A visual and audio deterrent, if you can avoid annoying the neighbors with falses, is probably a much better idea than the cameras themselves. You don’t have to stop the bad guys, you just have to make them choose nextdoor. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/33 "2013-07-15T09:21:55Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > You can actually get cameras with a bunch of tiny IR LEDs on them for as little as $50 if you want. Bright light is a great deterrent, of course, and I’d suggest it. > > A visual and audio deterrent, if you can avoid annoying the neighbors with falses, is probably a much better idea than the cameras themselves. You don’t have to stop the bad guys, you just have to make them choose nextdoor. That wouldn’t work for me. Although I am by no means rich in a western sense, where I live, I’m the rich guy, and the neighbours don’t have anything worth stealing. One time, they even stole the yoghurt out of my fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/34 "2013-07-15T09:24:47Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Are the laws regarding lethal booby traps more ..greasy or perhaps abesnt than here in the US? The consequences of using a booby trap would depend on how much money I have to pay off the relevant people. If I was really rich, I could just pay someone to shoot them, but that isn’t an option I can afford. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945/35 "2013-07-15T22:07:34Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > One time, they even stole the yoghurt out of my fridge. [I know what you mean](http://www.katv.com/story/22784616/benton-man-allegedly-stole-jewelry-sausage-biscuits). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-hide-my-security-cameras-but-still-get-a-good-picture/662945.md?page=1)