Protecting Your Outdoor CCTV System.

Outdoor CCTV systems are vulnerable to vandalism. They can be easily stolen, dismantled or blinded. So how can you keep your CCTV system safe? The obvious first solution is to put the camera out of reach. Screwing your camera high up on a wall or on a ceiling will help keep it out of the way of natural hazards and vandals.

To avoid insects dying and spiders making webs all over the lens of your camera, natural insect repellent like eucalyptus or lavender can be placed near the camera. Alternatively, compressed air can be used to blow away any dirt from your lens.
It is a good idea to check the IP rating and working temperature of your camera. They will both need to be quite high so that they do not stop working in high temperatures or heavy rain.

Sun glare and reflections can render your camera useless, so it is important to angle it down and away from strong light sources. If the camera is placed inside looking through a window, glare on the window can stop the camera from recording what is going on outside. Be sure to choose the location of your camera carefully.

Camera lenses conduct heat which can lead to cloudiness and condensation obscuring your view. Generally, this problem solves itself as the glass acclimatizes. However, a small packet of silica gel can be placed in the camera housing to speed up the process.

Thunder and lightning are the harshest conditions your camera will face regularly. Aside from the heavy rain, you will need to use a strong method of holding your camera up. Strong winds will try to blow your camera away so place your camera somewhere that is sheltered from winds and secure it tightly. Also, don’t fix your camera to anything that conducts electricity. On the off chance that the thing your camera is fixed to is struck by lightning, you don’t want that thing to conduct electricity because your camera will be frazzled.

Harsh conditions can also cause power outages. For cameras that are plugged in to the mains, an uninterruptable power supply ensures there will be no lapse in recording. Some cameras will have lightning surge protectors to channel any surges in voltages down the ground line of the outlet.

Make sure the network your security camera is on is locked down with a WPA2 password to stop external users breaking in and viewing your recordings. Also, using a long and complex password makes it difficult for the unwanted user guessing your password and gaining access. Using a whitelist is a good way of denying access to any device that you do not wish to be on the network.

If there are still lapses in connection or moments of lower resolution, it is a good idea to check the cable lines to and from your camera. A fray or break in the cable can cause the image to break up.

Overall, there are many ways to keep your CCTV systems safe. Having spent vast amounts of money protecting your home, it is important to protect your cameras so that they are up and running when you need them most.