Home Security Cams (photos)

I decided I needed to install a few home security cameras in my house to watch outside into the parking lot.

Several days ago someone kept putting an empty aluminum can in my parking spot and when I moved it, they placed it directly behind a wheel of my car. I would roll over it when I drove out of my parking spot. Finding it again in my parking space and after several days of this, I wanted to find out who the person was.

Obviously it was someone who watched my apartment at the back of the apartment complex that I live in because on one occasion they moved the can within the time it took me to drive to the store and back which was under an hour.

Because they had done this so many times I ordered a HomeHawk camera that attaches to the living room window by a sturdy suction cup that looks right out onto my car outside. It worked really well and I like being able to watch my car periodically all during the day while working from home to keep an eye on anyone who may come close to it.

I bought this one that costs a reasonable amount for the clarity and brightness of the video, even at night.

It’s easy to see any movement outdoors and even a moth flying in camera range will set off the chime to let me know something moved outside with it’s motion detector.

Here’s a photo of what a HomeHawk camera video looks like at night:

I run my HomeHawk camera on a cheap 10″ notepad and it runs just fine. Every so often the notepad screen goes to sleep. I’m still searching for instructions on how to prevent my notepad from going to sleep because the screen shuts down during the night even though it is still recording. I think if the notepad goes to sleep I won’t hear a chime when the camera detects motion. I’m not sure if I want to hear this at night but I keep it in my living room, so I’m not disturbed by the chime sound at night when I’m sleeping.

I’ve learned that for every home security camera you have, you need to have it’s own, independent streaming device like a phone, Notepad, or even Amazon Kindle Fire. I wouldn’t spend much money on whatever you choose but knowing what I know now I would use Amazon’s 7″ Kindle Fire because it’s cheap and the screen is a good size to watch what’s going on outside.

You have to plug each camera into a wall socket and they run on your home wifi. You also must download their application software on each of your streaming devices to watch the videos.

While at BestBuy a few days ago I picked up a super cheap Wyze Cam v3 for my other living room window that looks out on the side parking lot. I stream the video on a 7″ Amazon Kindle Fire that works just fine. Since the Fire goes to sleep every 30 minutes you can follow these instructions to keep it from going to sleep. Due to my window having a screen on the lower portion of it, I have to tape the Wyze cam onto the top portion of the window to avoid the camera from viewing through a window screen to interfere with getting a clear picture. I get a surprisingly very clear picture, even clearer than what is shown here.

Hopefully if you want home security cams for your home you might consider buying the same brand in the hopes of running all the video on one device, instead of having a device for each security camera you have. I have not yet found an app that works that will stream more than one cam on one device. Maybe with more research you will be able to find such an app.

I would highly suggest you get some microSD cards to insert into either your streaming devices or your security cameras because they give your devices more memory to record and save your videos on as well as more room to run your security camera apps on.

Here are the items that I bought for my security cam systems. I’m including both streaming devices I already owned that I use:

1. Panasonic HomeHawk Window Home Monitoring Camera for Outdoor Monitoring

2. Generic 10″ tablet (mine is a Coopers brand similar to this one)

3. HomeHawk app on Google Play

4. Wyze cam v3

5. Fire 7 tablet

6. Wyze Cam v3

7. Samsung microSD memory card & adapter, 256G microSDXC (I bought two, one for each camera streamer)

Have fun setting up your security system if you decide you need one. I feel safer having them, and enjoy knowing I am recording whatever activity and whoever may be wanting to harm my car or me, even.

In closing, let’s remember these words:

The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
 the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
 the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.

~Number 6:24-26