Can security cameras work through windows?

Can security cameras work through windows?

Sometimes we can feel like setting up security cameras on the window ledges to secure our home and its surroundings, but would it be efficient?

A lot of people wonder whether mounting the security camera to see through the window or glass will work out. Well, it depends on many things.

If your security camera has an outstanding night vision with 1080p HD video quality like HD Mask Noir has, then it might work.

Read on to see what features your security camera needs:

You might be interested in reading: Top 5 Best Indoor Home Security Cameras Of 2019

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    Benefits of Placing Your Security Cameras On The Window Ledge

    Why would people install an indoor security camera pointing outside of their window? – I know what you’re thinking and it’s not to spy at their neighbourhood, but to prevent a burglary from the inside of their house!

    Indeed, there are certain benefits attached to mounting your security camera inside while it points outside and sees through the window.

    • Firstly, instaling an outdoor security camera can be quite tricky. With this method, you do not have to worry about getting the electrical connection or circuitry right or having to set them up on the walls or corners of your house.
    • Secondly, you wouldn't have to worry about weather conditions. Whether it is a sunny day or quite stormy, your camera will keep on functioning without a glitch that could be caused by bad weather.

    With these benefits in mind, there is also a flip side to this. The indoor cameras might have a bit of a problem with functioning properly when the sun goes down. You could say that they were to perform as a day time security measure because they tend to experience some issues when it starts to get dark.

    Problems You Could Face With Mounting Security Cameras Behind The Window

     

    Before going through the process of placing your security camera on the window ledge, there are a few factors you should take into cognizance. These security cameras have advanced immensely over time, but this does not imply that everything will work perfectly or without a hitch as when compared with external security cameras.

    Window glare is the number one issue you might have to face while making use of outdoor USB cameras. Causes of this could include:

    • Ambient lights.
    • Status lights
    • Infrared LEDs.

    The reflection caused by the window makes the images to whiteout or washout as a result of overexposure of light rays at night. This, in turn, makes deciphering details of the video a difficult task. The camera performs better during the day as there are little or no reflections.

    On the other hand, motion detection could be a problem when you mount your security camera behind the window. The motion detection gets to trigger recording when it notices movements, but placing your camera behind the glass will mar this functionality because sometimes it won’t work through the window.

    How To Make A Security Camera Work Effectively Through A Window

    Even with the problems you could encounter with these security cameras, there are little hacks you could use to get around them and get the best recordings

    Consider Installing An External Lighting

    The initial thing to do if you want to get a perfect picture quality for your recordings is to eliminate the in-built infrared lights. Making use of normal light is a more natural way to achieve this. Assuming you have an external lighting point in your home, it is best to leave it on. After that, you can turn off the night vision on your camera. The result got from this might vary.

    For security cameras like HD Mask, turning the light on or off doesn’t have much effect on its performance. The video may be in a red color format or RGB format. With this, you can be able to see a clear picture of whatever is happening outside your home at night.

    There is also a flip side to this. When there is a case of a power outage, your outdoor USB camera will not be able to pick up any clear pictures because the night mode is turned off. A solution to this problem could be making use of floodlights.

    Put Off Or Cover The Infra-red LEDs

    Cameras make provision for you to turn off the infra-red lights and stay in a monochrome mode.

    When you have the type of security cameras that cannot function without the lights, you could use electric tape to mask it. Having external lights will be useful when you do this; plus, the monochrome mode gives you a better recording, especially when there are many lighting points. The excessive light will dampen the reflection from the camera.

    Move Your Camera A Little Bit Closer Or Turn It Slightly

    Light reflection is a challenge you will have to face if you are seeking to place your camera at the window. Setting up the camera in a dark room will be helpful, but you have to place your security very close to the window to get better results.

    Certain cameras like HD Mask can perform better in dark environments. But in the vent that you can’t place the camera very close to the glass, changing the angle slightly will keep light from reflecting. An angle as little as five degrees will have an excellent impact. When reflection is not in the equation, nice picture quality won’t be difficult to achieve.

    These tips mentioned above are the most important, but there are other things you can do to improve the performance of your camera

    • You can use window-mount cameras when setting up behind a window.
    • Find a different spot to mount your camera outdoor, eg. Walls.
    • Open the window a bit if possible
    • Ensure your room is dark than the outdoor environment
    • Try to keep your security cameras out of reach

    Final Thoughts

    Have you been questioning if it’s possible to place security cameras on windows? The answer is yes, but you will have to do a few tweaks to make it work correctly. Keeping our homes secure is one of the most important tasks to undertake daily. Technological advancements have made that easy as we can monitor movements within or outside our home without stress.

     

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