Car theft is one of the most common forms of theft across the country. According to recent national statistics, a car is stolen every 27 seconds, and approximately 1 out of every 200 cars will be stolen every year, costing individuals and insurance companies billions upon billions of dollars.
The goal of most security camera systems is to monitor items that are worth a lot to you. Inside of your home may be pieces of artwork or jewelry that carries some financial and sentimental value, but most likely the most valuable thing that you own is going to be your automobile – and it may also be the easiest item to steal. That is why while watching your house with security cameras may be valuable, using a specialized car security camera may be equally as beneficial, if not more so.
What Types of Specialized Car Security Cameras Are There?
Car cameras are designed to be smaller, more secretive, and able to operate under various lighting conditions. Some of these camera styles include:
· Motion Detection – There is little benefit to recording car theft if there is no movement inside your car, so these cameras are set up to only record when there is motion inside of the vehicle.
· Broken Window Detection – A more advanced specialty camera, these are designed to only turn on when a window has been broken – the most common form of breaking into a car.
· Intermittent Images – A running camera can take up a lot of space, while only an image is necessary to identify a culprit. Some cameras take images at regular intervals without running video, so that more space is left on the memory card.
· Infrared Cameras – Designed to take photos and video in complete darkness, with visibility as much as 10 feet away or more.
· DVR/No DVR – Some cameras come with internal storage, allowing the cameras to be more easily hidden. Other cameras come with their own separate and wireless DVR systems so that you can save the recording in an easily hidden area.
There are a variety of car security cameras that are designed to help you catch someone who has stolen your car and brought them to justice.
Most Common Criticism of Car Security Cameras
Despite their benefits, the most common criticism about car security cameras is that they are generally only effective once the car has already been stolen and if (unless you have an external memory component) the car is found, so that the tape can be viewed. For these reasons, it is best to not use car security cameras as the only form of car security – but rather as a complement to other crime stopping methods, like car alarms, garage cameras, motion sensitive flood lighting, etc. That way you can prevent your car from being stolen, but also bring to justice those that still take your vehicle.
The ultimate goal with car security cameras is to aid police enforcement in capturing these criminals and bringing them to justice. Not only will this take car thieves off the street, but it will help you get damages back from the individual and ensure that they pay for their crimes.
Types of Car Security Cameras
Most basic forms of home security are designed to be deterrents as well as crime fighters. Security cameras are most often placed in very blatant and visible locations so that any potential intruder sees that you have security measures in place to stop them, and that the risk is high enough to ignore the reward.
Car security cameras, on the other hand, operate with a different philosophy. Their ultimate goal is to help law enforcement capture criminals after the car has already been stolen, so that the thief can be brought to justice and you can collect all relevant damages. As a result, these cameras can differ considerably from standard CCTV cameras in terms of size, function, and capabilities.
Modern Car Security Cameras
· Wireless With DVR Receiver
Perhaps the most useful type of camera for catching car thieves is a small wireless camera with a DVR recorder. What makes these cameras preferable is not necessarily the quality of the imaging, which is questionable and based mainly on brand and price, but rather the ability to record to a portable DVR outside your car. One of the main problems with car security cameras is that the car must be found in order to watch the video, but the external DVR can be inside your garage or home, and save the images separately. The flaw with this design is that you will be unable to maintain video if your car is more than 300 or so feet from a DVR, as will often be the case when you are out of the house.
· Motion Detection Camera
Designed to only record video when there is motion inside of the car, the motion detection camera saves battery life while instantly recording persons of interest when there are people near or inside your vehicle.
· Glass Break Sensor Cameras
A glass break sensor can also be purchased separately and hooked up to a video camera. These are designed to only activate when the glass has broken, implying that someone is breaking in to your vehicle. The systems themselves can be a little pricy, but unlike almost every other type of car recording device, they are easy on data collection because they only record when your car is very likely being broken into.
· Standard Self Recording Camera
Basic cameras that record at all times are also available. These can be tough on data collection (many are designed to only capture intermittent images) but generally less expensive. They also run the risk of being removed from a car after it has been stolen, as they tend to be in plain view of the driver.
Car security cameras are designed to be added to other security systems already in place, as they do little to deter people from stealing your vehicles. Still, they are a great way to bring car thieves to justice, and to help law enforcement help you get back any damages that may occur as a result of the theft.
