While security systems are easily capable of catching crucial images needed for making sure justice is served properly, they are often set up in places which get the best possible image and field of view. Often times this can leave security cameras quite easy to spot, and depending on how aggressive the future criminals that target your business will be, there is a good chance your security cameras may be the target of a few good swings throughout their lifetimes.
Just like the majority of things in life, there are multiple ways you can combat vandals trying to smash your cameras. Here are three methods you can help vandal proof your security system:
1. Vandal Proof Camera Housings
The phrase “vandal proof” does not necessarily guarantee that your cameras will not be broken by vandals. To determine how vandal proof something is, we have to see how it handles differing levels of impacts. To do this, a European system called the EN 62262 was developed to provide a scale for impact energies and how certain materials (such as steel) handle impacts delivered through hammers.
The lowest ranking on this scale is IK01 and the highest is IK10, if your camera can survive an IK10 it’s probably going to survive whatever your vandal can throw at it, however it should be noted that cameras that survived IK10 level impacts have been damaged by IK10 impacts that are delivered by free-fall hammers, which brings us to our next way of preventing criminals from breaking your cameras:
2. Camera Elevation
It would not be easy to hit a baseball with a baseball bat if it is currently flying 20 feet above your head. We should think of how we position our security cameras with a similar thought process, unless you actually want criminals to hit your security cameras with baseball bats that is.
Protecting your cameras by having them in an elevated position is not always feasible though. This rule will mainly apply to outdoor cameras more than anything unless you have a building with a relatively high ceiling. If you don’t have a 15+ foot indoor ceiling, which let’s face it, not all businesses do, just focus on putting your cameras in an elevated position which captures images suitably.
3. Clever Camera Placement
Not all criminals are buffoons. A clever vandal will attempt to find ways to avoid or disrupt your security systems, which means you’ll need to implement your security cameras in a clever manner to thwart their efforts. Security camera placement is a scenario in which being paranoid can really pay off. Don’t misinterpret paranoia for secrecy, you still want customers and criminals alike to know that your property is monitored, but you may want to have a few hidden cameras alongside an obvious one.
Even though the quote “you can’t hit what you can’t see” is not a true fact, in many scenarios it is a whole lot harder to hit something you don’t currently see, and a criminal may slip up enough to properly identify them if they have a false sense of security if they attempt to disable any obvious cameras.
If you are getting a business security system, try to implement these methods while installing your security system. If you have residential security cameras, or are just thinking of getting a home security system, keep these methods in mind if you want to have vandal proof security cameras. These three methods are by no means an exhaustive list of ways to prevent vandals from breaking your cameras, but I hope that they have helped you in some way.
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