I think my house sitter is stealing my things, how can i set up a hidden camera? I want to catch my house sitter in the act! how can i set up a hidden camera that is wireless that i can watch live from a computer that is at a friends house?
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market samurai ~ marketsamurai ~ marketsamurai.com
hidden camera
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barthaxy - Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 5:34 am
hidden camera
Last edited by barthaxy on Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Semper Vaporo - Posts: 331
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:51 am
Re: hidden camera
You have a few options, depending on your particular circumstances.
1) Just fire the house sitter and cut your loses.
2) If your friend's house is close enough you can use their wireless router to map a wireless camera to it as part of that system's Local Area Network (LAN) and watch their computer monitor. Your friend would have to live pretty close (next door, maybe) as wireless is not a long distance means of connecting. You might have to put the camera and the friend's router on walls nearest to each other or maybe near a window, if the walls have any metalic content (aluminum siding or vapor barriers, or even metal stud contstruction). There are also different routers that have more power or better antennas to gain some range.
3) If your friend's house is too far away to use the wireless LAN, then you will need to connect it to your LAN and then tie that to the internet via a service that makes your camera visible to the outside world of the Internet. There are several different services that will allow this to be done. Do a web search for terms like, "Internet Video" and see what you can find. It requires setting your LAN router to allow the camera to be accessed from, and transmit to, the Internet and buying space on the Internet to put the video for viewing. Some companies that sell Webcams also sell this service.
None of the above requires any sort of special softare other than what might be necessary for the internet connection.
4) Use something like Vitamin D Video (VDV) to record what is happening in the video scenes and review it later for illegal actions by the house sitter. If there is an area that contains items you are concerned about and the house sitter is not supposed to be in that area, VDV could be configured to watch for motion in that area and send an e-mail to your account to alert you to something going on. If there is no area that you can isolate then you might get LOTS of e-mails as the house sitter just wanders in and out of the view of the camera and it would be up to you to decide if somthing is going on that you need to investigate. The e-mail alert can have a single snapshot of the scene and I suppose you MIGHT be able to tell that they are handling something in a manner that they should not or whether they are just innocently looking at something. You could then use VDV later to review what else they did at that approximate time. I suppose that if you are monitoring the e-mails and see the house sitter pick something up that they should not be near, then you could rush to the house and catch them carrying it out to their car or stashing it elsewhere. Then the VDV recorded video could be used to show that they picked it up and took it out of the scene (or put it in their bag or something).
No matter what you decide to do, check with a lawyer about your State's (or country's) laws about video recording. Some require that you post signs saying that there is video surveillance in use and some don't. Some would not allow surveillance video to be admitted as evidence, but most do. Audio recording is an entirely different matter as there are (U.S.) Federal Laws that govern that. (Strange that Audio is treated differently than Video, but it is!)
1) Just fire the house sitter and cut your loses.
2) If your friend's house is close enough you can use their wireless router to map a wireless camera to it as part of that system's Local Area Network (LAN) and watch their computer monitor. Your friend would have to live pretty close (next door, maybe) as wireless is not a long distance means of connecting. You might have to put the camera and the friend's router on walls nearest to each other or maybe near a window, if the walls have any metalic content (aluminum siding or vapor barriers, or even metal stud contstruction). There are also different routers that have more power or better antennas to gain some range.
3) If your friend's house is too far away to use the wireless LAN, then you will need to connect it to your LAN and then tie that to the internet via a service that makes your camera visible to the outside world of the Internet. There are several different services that will allow this to be done. Do a web search for terms like, "Internet Video" and see what you can find. It requires setting your LAN router to allow the camera to be accessed from, and transmit to, the Internet and buying space on the Internet to put the video for viewing. Some companies that sell Webcams also sell this service.
None of the above requires any sort of special softare other than what might be necessary for the internet connection.
4) Use something like Vitamin D Video (VDV) to record what is happening in the video scenes and review it later for illegal actions by the house sitter. If there is an area that contains items you are concerned about and the house sitter is not supposed to be in that area, VDV could be configured to watch for motion in that area and send an e-mail to your account to alert you to something going on. If there is no area that you can isolate then you might get LOTS of e-mails as the house sitter just wanders in and out of the view of the camera and it would be up to you to decide if somthing is going on that you need to investigate. The e-mail alert can have a single snapshot of the scene and I suppose you MIGHT be able to tell that they are handling something in a manner that they should not or whether they are just innocently looking at something. You could then use VDV later to review what else they did at that approximate time. I suppose that if you are monitoring the e-mails and see the house sitter pick something up that they should not be near, then you could rush to the house and catch them carrying it out to their car or stashing it elsewhere. Then the VDV recorded video could be used to show that they picked it up and took it out of the scene (or put it in their bag or something).
No matter what you decide to do, check with a lawyer about your State's (or country's) laws about video recording. Some require that you post signs saying that there is video surveillance in use and some don't. Some would not allow surveillance video to be admitted as evidence, but most do. Audio recording is an entirely different matter as there are (U.S.) Federal Laws that govern that. (Strange that Audio is treated differently than Video, but it is!)
Semper Vaporo,
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Andrew Philips - Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 2:38 pm
Re: hidden camera
Great tips.I would catch her in the act rather that fire her.
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janejing89 - Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 3:07 am
Re: hidden camera
I don't think U have the right to use a hidden camera to watch over Ur house sitter. U'd battter comfirm Ur suspect through other method or simply fre her.
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Semper Vaporo - Posts: 331
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:51 am
Re: hidden camera
janejing89 wrote:I don't think U have the right to use a "hidden camera" to watch over Ur house sitter. U'd battter comfirm Ur suspect through other method or simply fre her.
Interesting how you say there is no right to use a hidden camera, yet your posting is actually an advertisement for selling hidden cameras... isn't that kind of Contradictory if not counterproductive?
Laws and regulations do vary from state to state and country to country, so it is best to consult with a lawyer before attempting to use a hidden camera as proof of wrong doing. Given the present news about the conviction of a student that posted a video of his roommate engaging in homosexual activity, the use of surveillance video in just any manner that embarasses an individual could cause legal difficulties. But there are cameras all over in public places that go un-noticed and pose the question of whether they are "hidden" or not. Recording what is happening wholly within your own property is still a somewhat iffy situation legally in some areas, so best consult a lawyer before using the video other than to confirm suspicions. I have a sign on my front door that states that video surveillance is in use... I can't help it if nobody reads the sign.
Semper Vaporo,
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janejing89 - Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 3:07 am
Re: hidden camera
First,just as what you've said, before the use of hidden cameras, he should consult with a lawyer to see if he has the right to use it as a proof. I did say he has no right, but the situation I talked about is he use a hidden camera without the consulation.
Second,the example of a student using the surveillance video as proof of his roommate engaging in homosexual activity you'ed given does help the student to some degree. However, actually,the news about the hidden cameras that related infringement are more common to see.Don't you think so?
Third, you've said the hidden cameras in public place. I do agree with that kind of application, for it can do good to the public and sometimes even provide sense of security. But, what I disagree is the man's individual implmentation, because no one can do anything to violate other's right causally just for his own suspection.Of course I do agree the protection of one's own right through lawful approach.
Last,the link I've posted and I am posting is my parttime job, but waht I've said and what I am saying now is my own opinion.
Second,the example of a student using the surveillance video as proof of his roommate engaging in homosexual activity you'ed given does help the student to some degree. However, actually,the news about the hidden cameras that related infringement are more common to see.Don't you think so?
Third, you've said the hidden cameras in public place. I do agree with that kind of application, for it can do good to the public and sometimes even provide sense of security. But, what I disagree is the man's individual implmentation, because no one can do anything to violate other's right causally just for his own suspection.Of course I do agree the protection of one's own right through lawful approach.
Last,the link I've posted and I am posting is my parttime job, but waht I've said and what I am saying now is my own opinion.