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Remote Video Surveillance for Vacation Homes

Topic: Vacation Homes

Vacation homes are wonderful places to get away to when you have time off from work to spend with your family. Most of the time, however, vacation homes lie unoccupied, making them highly susceptible to burglary and vandalism. One important tool in protecting your vacation home for the times you're away is through the use of a video surveillance system.

Vacation Home Video Surveillance Benefits

Just because you spend much of your time away from your vacation home doesn't mean you can't keep it protected. By using a video surveillance system, you can keep a record of everything that occurs to your property no matter where you are. If you use a network video surveillance system you can even access live feeds as well as recorded feeds from anywhere in the world via the internet.

Network video surveillance can keep you informed at the precise moment of an event occurring, should someone commit an act of vandalism or break-in to your home. This helps to keep down theft, and be able to contact the proper authorities should a crime occur. A video record also helps authorities to identify the perpetrators.

Not all damage done to a vacation home is caused by intruders or vandals. Mother Nature can also take her toll on a house, should a major storm, earthquake or other event occur. Video cameras keep you informed of the damage as well as providing a video record for use in insurance claims.

Potential Problems with Vacation Home Video Surveillance

Although a video surveillance can be of great benefit to keeping your vacation home secure while you're away, problems can also occur. Acts of nature can on occasion damage video cameras, rendering them inoperable. Vandalism and tampering of cameras can also render them inoperable. Vandal-resistance cameras as well with tampering alarms can help mitigate this threat.

Power outages and surges can also damage your cameras. Using devices such as surge protectors and uninterruptable power supplies can be used to mitigate these concerns. It is also a good idea to have someone check out the security system on a regular basis, such as once a month, while your away to ensure continued and efficient operation.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Setting up a Video Surveillance System

There are many questions you should ask yourself before setting up a video surveillance system in your vacation home. The answers to these questions will help you to identify your specific video surveillance and security needs.

Is your vacation home in an isolated area or a high-traffic neighborhood?
Is there a history of crime in your vacation home's neighborhood?
Have any of your neighbors had problems with vandals and/or burglars?
What part of your vacation home do you feel is the most vulnerable?

Setting Up Your Vacation Home Video Surveillance System

Placement of cameras is a key element in any video surveillance system. When setting up a video surveillance system for a vacation home, there are certain key areas that you should focus on for camera placement for maximum security. These areas will vary of course from home to home, but these are some general guidelines.

Entrances and exits should be effectively monitored. This includes all outside doors as well as any large, ground-level windows which an intruder might use as a means of entry. Outdoor cameras are also useful in identifying intruders before they enter the home. Any valuables which are on display in the home should be kept under constant video surveillance. Any valuables located outdoors, such as golf carts, boats, sporting equipment, etc. should also be kept under surveillance.