How to Prevent Theft & Blind Spots
As we approach the holidays and prepare for the hustle and travel of the season, it’s important to have your home surveillance system in tip top shape to make sure it’s ready to capture any events that may occur on or around your property. CBSNEWS.COM reports Indeed, nearly 260 million packages were reported stolen in the last 12 months alone and 26% of american’s holiday packages stolen from their front porch or doorstep, one study last year found. As Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst at InsuranceQuotes, which commissioned the findings, put it: “During the holidays, certain crimes and home hazards increase.”
We want to offer this guide as some helpful pointers to make sure you’re getting the most out of your cameras system in the event you need it. In the holiday season there’s increased traffic on and around your property, including package deliveries, people driving through to view Christmas lights and decorations, neighborhood holiday parties, and unfortunately, package thieves.
Tips on Hanging Christmas Lights
Cleaning your Security Cameras
If you’re going to be up on a ladder hanging lights, this is an ideal time to check the positioning and cleanliness of your cameras. If they’re in reach it is easy to wipe them down and clean the face of your cameras. Mild soap and water works great to give them a quick cleaning. Cameras can build up water spots from rain, or may have spider webs over and around the cameras. If the face of your cameras are made of glass, spraying Windex on a rag will be a good choice. If you’re not sure of the material of the front of your camera lenses, or of the dome housing, it’s best to use a mild soap and water solution.
After your cleaning is complete be sure to dry the camera to ensure you do not leave behind new water spots or soap residue. Most cameras are IP rated for outdoor use (IP67 weatherproof). Optiview never recommends using a pressure washer or any form of pressurized water for cleaning your cameras. Vandalproof cameras, also known as Armor Domes, may be made of acrylic or other polycarbonate material that may not be able to handle chemical cleaning solutions. We recommend you check with the manufacturer to make sure you don’t damage your camera housing.
Avoid Creating Blind Spots
Don’t sacrifice your camera views or performance with either Christmas Lights or Yard Inflatables. As some of us get carried away with Christmas lights, blow up yard decorations, and laser lights, it’s important to think about how these decorations and lights may affect the performance of your cameras system. Most models offered from Optiview offer true Wide Dynamic Range (120db) which helps with objects or people that may be backlit from lighting and decorations.
It’s still good practice to try not to blind your camera and have Christmas lights mounted behind your cameras rather than in front of cameras. When lighting is coming from behind the cameras, this should boost it’s performance rather than hinder it. Laser lights aiming toward your home or business front can blind cameras especially if the laser is aimed directly towards the cameras. The cameras typically have an auto-iris lens or electronic shutter. If the camera senses too much light coming into the CCD or CMOS sensor the iris or shutter will close itself down thinking there is too much light. This may cause you camera to show a much darker image or may cause the camera to offer you only a black screen image.
Icicle lights hanging in front of your cameras will affect the performance of your cameras during the night but they will also be an obstacle during the day that your camera not see through. Customers have reported to us in previous years that they experience package theft or trespassing and have mentioned issues with Christmas lights and other decorations being in the way to capture some or all of the unlawful events.
Inflatables in the yard are huge obstacles that the cameras can not see through. It’s important to think about your overall camera views and make sure you’re not sacrificing your safety and overall view of your surveillance system.
Access your Cameras from Anywhere
Doorbell Camera
With 2022’s holiday season already in full swing, now more than ever people are shopping for holiday gifts online. Over 64% of people have said in a recent study that they will be doing almost all of their holiday shopping online. With so many packages being delivered throughout the day, and more employees being back in the office in post a COVID era, keep your packages safe at your front door. Doorbell cameras are easy to install solutions that offer residential and commercial entrances the peace of mind with entrance protection. Video monitoring software even helps you know who arrives at your door from anywhere in the world!
Stay Connected
Optiview’s DVR’s, NVR’s, and Doorbell Cameras all allow for remote access from a PC or Mac using the Optiview VMS software allowing the user to keep an eye holiday theft at your home or the office while you’re away traveling or while you’re at work. Optiview knows our users are always on the go so the Optiview APP is a free application to keep you connected to keep an eye on things 24/7. Being sure your Optiview equipment is configured properly for local recording and remote notification will ensure that you’re getting event notifications while you’re on the go.
REMOTE MONITORING HIGHLIGHTS
LIVE VIEW
View cameras live without needing to be on-site. Access remotely from anywhere with Optiview's Mobile App, VMX, or VMS platforms.
VIEW PLAYBACK
Access recorded video 24/7 from your recorder or edge based recording on compatible IP cameras. Back-up video to your local device when events occur.
MOBILE ALERTS
Get notifications pushed to you through SMS (text) and view events live or in playback from the Optiview Mobile App, VMX-M.
EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
Get custom notifications sent to your email so you know when events may have occurred that need to be reviewed.
ANALYTIC REPORTING
Optiview's Remote Viewing software supports heat map, people counting, ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) license plate capture, attendance and access control reporting.
SCALABLE
Add multiple DVRs and NVRs from multiple sites with ease. Create custom views to watch cameras live or in playback from multiple locations.
RESIDENTIAL SURVEILLANCE SOLUTIONS
Greatly expand your reach by enabling remote monitoring on your surveillance system. Remote monitoring provides real-time access to your live camera view so you can check up on your site anytime and from anywhere. To learn more about the benefits of remote monitoring call Optiview today at 904 805 1581. Our technical sales team will assist you to take advantage of remote surveillance for your home or business.
Better Together
Whether it’s a big installation or small project, Optiview is your complete CCTV, Access Control, and Data Comm provider. With over 20 years of professional expertise, our US-based staff can help you design each project to your individual specifications and our in-house Tech Support team will assist both during the set-up phase, and well after!
To learn more about any of our product offerings or to request a quote, view our website, call us at (904) 805 – 1581, or email us at sales@optiviewusa.com.