Latest news with #motionDetection
CNET
11-05-2025
- CNET
Don't Mess It Up: 7 Places to Never Install a Security Camera
If you're ready to set up a security system at your home, the good news is that it's cheaper and easier than ever to add security cameras to protect yourself, your loved ones and your property. Home security cams are simple to install, with a wide variety of wireless, battery models and practical video doorbells to watch over your home, porch, packages, pets and much more with only a quick DIY setup. These cameras are equipped with motion detection, two-way audio and object recognition so you get notifications and control no matter where you are. The bad news is that putting a security camera in the wrong spot won't just prevent it from working, it could even cost you time with false alarms or land you in legal trouble with a neighbor. That's even more annoying if you're out of town and can't immediate address the problem. Follow a few easy guidelines when installing your new cameras to avoid huge headaches down the line. Read more: 5 Places to Never Put Your Amazon Echo Spot 1: Places with the 'expectation of privacy' You need your security camera to protect your home, but the last thing you want it to do is infringe on the safety of others. Don't risk breaking the law (and inviting lawsuits) by placing a camera where people have what the law calls a reasonable expectation of privacy. In practice, don't place a security camera in a bathroom, bedroom or similar area with a very strong expectation of privacy. If you have to place a camera in one of these areas (for instance, to monitor your bedroom in a multi-rental situation), make sure the camera is visible and everyone in the house knows about it. Outside cameras are allowed to capture public spaces, like the sidewalk or street that runs past your home because there's a low expectation of privacy in these areas. Remember, your camera helps provide a sense of security and serves as a tool to keep you and your home safe. Make sure your cameras aren't in places that will render them ineffective or, worse, actually undermine someone's safety. The second-gen Arlo Essential indoor cam is a useful camera but place it carefully for the best effect. Arlo/Amazon Spot 2: Looking directly at a neighbor's property In addition to protecting all the private places on your property, be careful about positioning security cams so that part of their view captures a neighbor's windows or backyard. Legally, those are spots where your neighbors also have a right to their own privacy, and lawsuits have resulted from much less. That's also why you should try to avoid even the appearance of cameras that are pointing toward a neighbor's lawn or peeking into their windows. Many modern security cams come with the ability to create "privacy zones" that block out certain areas in the camera's live view or recording. If a neighbor complains, you may be able to show them your privacy zones to prove that no part of their home is being recorded. Spot 3: Difficult-to-see locations You might be tempted to point cameras at the spots around your home that are difficult to see. There is an intuitive reason for this: If you can't see a location from your windows or doors, it feels possible that someone might be lurking there. You might think these hidden areas are a burglar's preferred place to break and enter. Generally, burglars will enter a home through the most obvious paths. According to data collected by security company ADT, 34% of burglars enter through the front door and 22% use a first-floor window. The clearest access points are the most common routes for break-ins. Pointing a camera at these spaces can deter a break-in and can help identify anyone who attempts to get in. Placing a security camera in a side alley or the back of your home might seem like it will catch someone sneaking around but it's more likely to miss the action. If you really need to watch the hidden spots, look for a bundle that includes several cams to install in multiple locations, like this pack of Arlo Pro 4 spotlight cameras which comes with built-in motion sensor lights to serve as an added deterrent to intruders. Lorex offers free object detection with its cams, so make sure they have a good view. Lorex/Amazon Spot 4: Behind obstructions This might sound like a no-brainer, but camera obstructions aren't always so obvious; outdoors, this might mean allowing space for tree branches to swing in the wind. Be careful of quick-growing plants that will require you to move your camera every year or two, or tree limbs that get a lot heavier when loaded with spring leaves/flowers and will block a view. A quick trimming session may help your installation. Consider your camera's range of view inside too. Will your cam see everything you want it to when interior doors are opened and closed? You'll also want to avoid placing the camera in a spot where a pet might interact with it. If you place it on a shelf, will your cat knock it off? Will an energetic dog barreling through the house send it tumbling or change its angle? The same applies to racing toddlers. Find a spot that has good views of the space you want to watch and is also unlikely to be bumped by you, a guest or your four-legged friend. Spot 5: Through a window The Blink Outdoor 4 has an adjustable mount that's sturdy enough to stay at the right angle. Tyler Lacoma/CNET We know it's tempting to pay less for an indoor-only cam and think about putting it by a window so it can get a good look outside. There are two big problems with trying this. First, windows have a glare problem. Even when the camera is pressed close against the glass, the view often doesn't work when the sun is at a certain angle or when it's dark outside. Over time, dust on the window causes similar issues. Second, the angles and areas you can view through home windows are very limited. Cameras are unlikely to get a good view of key access points or a broad view of a yard or driveway. Spot 6: Facing the sky We don't mean intentionally angling a cam up so it captures only the great blue beyond -- we're talking about cams with wide fields of view that include a significant portion of the sky. This can create problems when the sun passes overhead and blinds the cam with glare or blocks out details with brightness. Also, frequent, direct sunlight increases the risk of UV damage and wear over time. To prevent these problems, work to angle your cam away from the sky and focus on views below the roof/tree/hill line. Also, try to place cameras in an area where they're at least partially protected by shade. Spot 7: Near vents or heaters We've run into this problem during some of our tests and sample experiments and we're here to warn you: Don't put a camera near or above any kind of exhaust vent or heat source. That includes space heaters, fireplaces, fire pits, exhaust vents from gas heating and dryer exhaust vents. Vents and open heat sources tend to make the camera and its lens dirtier, while the higher temperatures are bad for the battery on wireless models. The result is worse performance and a shorter lifespan for your cam. If you're using adhesive connections for your camera, a nearby heat source can ruin the adhesive and lead to a fallen and damaged camera (another reason to avoid direct sunlight). Installing the Arlo Pro outdoors. Arlo Bonus tip: How high to place your camera Most security cameras have no right or wrong height, although many recommendations exist online and from the manufacturer. A higher vantage point will give a better view of a driveway or large yard, but we find that a broad field of view (greater than 130 degrees at least) works just as well, if not better. A rechargeable cam should usually be placed in a spot that's easy to reach when the battery needs attention, although we also recommend using a solar-powered home security camera if you can. Video doorbells are typically installed about 4 feet from the bottom of the doorframe. For more, read up on other home security mistakes you can make. Learn how to stop porch pirates, reduce the risk of car break-ins and what you should keep in a safe. FAQs How do I avoid legal issues when installing a security camera? When you install a security camera, you need to respect the "expectation of privacy." That means you can't film places where people have a reasonable expectation that their actions will remain fully private. In your own property, this includes rooms like the bathroom and the bedroom -- although you can still install a camera if you don't hide it and make it readily apparent that there's security equipment installed. Outside of the house, it would be best if you were careful about installing cameras that point into strangers' properties, and especially their backyards. What are the biggest obstructions to a security camera? If you want to make sure your security camera is able to get an obstructed view, make sure to avoid installing it near tree branches. You're also going to want to avoid facing the camera toward the sun or through a window, as both of these locations are going to cause a lot of glare and interfere with what you're able to see.
CNET
11-05-2025
- CNET
4 Effective Tricks to Stop Getting Too Many Home App Alerts
As smart home and home security technology gets more intelligent and packed with AI features, an interesting problem has developed: We're all getting too many alerts. From joggers and cars to falling leaves, approaching friends and even weird sounds, devices are pushing a barrage of notifications at us. It's exhausting and frustrating to find what you're really looking for. So if your security device is barking a little too often, quiet it down with these simple, highly effective settings changes for your camera or system. Read more: The Best Home Security Cameras, Expert Reviewed Set motion or activity zones You can set motion zones for your home camera to focus on and decrease random alerts from elsewhere. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Motion, activity or detection zones are a way of telling your security camera what to pay attention to. Many camera apps have ways to set these zones, often by taking a live view from the camera and drawing boxes around the areas you want it to focus on. This is a very effective way to help your camera focus on walkways, porches and entryways and pay less attention to roads, sidewalks and common areas. As a result, you get more notifications about the things you want to know and fewer random alerts about people walking their dogs. Lower motion detection sensitivity Many camera apps have options to adjust motion detection sensitivity. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Head into your camera app settings and look for an option to lower motion detection sensitivity. Even cameras that don't have activity zones often have the option to decrease sensitivity so the camera won't fire off alerts at everything that goes by. However, you can still get notifications about large, close-up movements like someone approaching a door. Disable specific events and alert timeframes Blink app showing notifications to disable. Tyler Lacoma/CNET A number of camera apps have a "notification" or "alert" section in settings where you can see what types of events cause an alert and even disable them. Blink, for example, allows you to disable alerts like a video doorbell ring, a motion detection clip, an automatic system arm/disarm and a low-temperature warning. Turn off the notifications you don't want to receive to make things less stressful. You may also be able to arrange when you get notifications: Google Nest has an option that works with devices like its smart thermostat and only sends you alerts when no one is at home. Eufy cams typically have a "snooze" option to turn off alerts entirely for a period of time and so on. Disable types of AI recognition Tapo's app showing the ability to disable notifications. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Your camera app settings may also have an option to turn off certain kinds of AI recognition (you may need a subscription to enable some kinds of object detection). For example, many home security cameras allow you to turn off notifications about cars and animals so you don't get inundated with alerts about Fido running around the yard, etc. If you have facial recognition features on your camera, you probably also have an option to turn off all notifications about familiar faces. So, if family or friends frequently come and go, your phone won't pester you every time if you disable alerts for those specific people. For more info on managing your security cameras take a look at our recommendations for the best outdoor cameras, the spots you should never put your home camera and the cameras you can get without paying any subscription fees.
