Quote:
Posted By NpB on 04/29/2023 6:40 PM
I obtained a bid from a security company for security cameras at our HOA's entrance and exit lane. There would be 2 poles (one for each lane) with 2 cameras mounted on each pole. It would also include remote access. I will not mention the amount of the bid, but suffice to say it was very expensive.
There are some owners in my community with security cameras mounted on their roof and other parts of the exteriors of their units and they look like cameras you can purchase at a big box store.
Is installing a security camera outdoors something a tech person could do, or does one really need a security company to do this work?
You should definitely shop around. And, to be blunt, when I say "you", I mean "someone who is not you, that knows a thing or two about technology".
My neighborhood leases a video setup with 16 cameras around the pool area; I just checked, we're paying about $60/month. That includes password-protected internet access to the cameras and a comfortable amount of video storage (2-3 weeks, it varies depending on how much activity was actually recorded). We probably payed something for installation (before my time), but it's all set up on an existing structure (the pool house) that has electricity and telephone/network access.
The cameras and electronics are probably the cheapest part of such a system. Setting up pole-mounts, getting electricity and Internet to them, having it all 'hardened' and secure enough to handle bad weather, temperature extremes, vandals, and just general environmental wear and tear - that stuff's expensive{1}. There's also going to be a server somewhere, and it costs money to buy it, keep it running, make sure it's backed up properly. And I have no doubt that many companies who do this kind of work know that they're dealing with unsophisticated customers and will charge accordingly. Again: 'you' really need to shop around.
Could a "tech person" do this? Like, can you find a neighbor who is intelligent enough to know how to do it, but dumb and inexperienced enough to offer to do it for free?
Finally: I question the utility of this setup. I gather you want to record the license plates of all cars that enter and exit the neighborhood? Do you really have a big crime problem? How much money is actually lost each year due to theft and burglary? (I'm assuming you don't have a problem with violent crime because in that case you'd be asking about security guards and such).
How's it going to work, in practice? Someone notices that their catalytic converter is gone; how do they report it? How do the police get involved? Who has access to the video? Given that you can get the police to care about it, how does the video get to them?
And is the neighborhood all on-board with this? In theory anyone could sit near the entrance and watch cars come and go and write down license plates. In practice, you'll almost certainly find that some people aren't entirely comfortable with the concept ("Hey Bob, I notice your wife leaves the neighborhood every weekday at about noon and comes back just before you get home from work ...").
Bill
(Computers been beddy beddy good to me)
{1} I once knew a guy who had a Porsche. One day he's all glum - he needs a new headlight, and it costs $5000. It seems that no-one makes cheap Porsche parts and sells them at Walmart for Walmart prices. An HOA is kind of like a big ugly expensive Porsche that doesn't move.
HOA Board ex-President
Austin, Texas USA
âYou canât put too much water in a nuclear reactorâ