Hidden Cameras or Visible Security Cameras? Which Are Best?

One main component of security is prevention, and security cameras are a chief player in this equation. They need to be seen. What good would hidden cameras be if you’re trying to prevent a crime from happening in the first place?

The image above shows a visible exterior security camera.

If you’re going to make your security cameras visible by others, position them up high enough and/or use vandal resistant security cameras and housings.

One could argue that having signs posted that announce that you’re using video surveillance may help, but there’s nothing like someone seeing the cameras themselves. And of course a mixture of the two is ideal.

And what about “dummy” security cameras? Are these effective enough to use as your visible cameras? Be careful, many thieves can see right through these. They often know a real from a fake and it may not deter them.

A common giveaway that a security camera is a dummy is that its red light flashes several times once you walk by, or maybe it pans. This is just a reaction to motion but no viewing or recording is taking place.

If you have hidden cameras, and they end up doing their job by capturing quality video footage of criminals, those people still need to be found and prosecuted after-the-fact. And hopefully then, maybe you can still get your property back or have restitution paid to repair any damage. This isn’t always the case.

This is not to say that hidden or covert security cameras don’t have their place. If an employer is trying to capture bad behavior by an employee on video as evidence to fire him or her, for example, they certainly are very effective.

If your security cameras are hidden, one way to make them more effective is to use remote video monitoring--sending you email alerts real time. This can help prevent the difficulty of pursuing the offenders after-the-fact as mentioned above. It allows the owner to be alerted real-time so he or she can contact the authorities and respond.

The best solution of course is to have a mix of the two types of video surveillance. We’re not trying to straddle both sides of the fence in answer to the title of this blog post—it really is a great way to go if you have covert cameras and visible security cameras together.

But if you had to choose one type, as detailed in the beginning of this article, you may want to consider visibly posted security cameras in and around your property. This is the best way to prevent crime from happening in the first place.

All the headaches of filling out police reports, insurance paperwork, dealing with the emotional distress and repairing the physical damage may never happen if you are able to prevent the crime from happening from the outset.

Thanks for spending some time with us today.