How to Hide an Outdoor Surveillance Camera

Setting up an outdoor surveillance camera is an excellent way to monitor your property while you're away. If you're concerned about someone tampering with or damaging the camera, you may need to hide it. Fortunately, there are many products and methods available that can help you camouflage the camera.

Place the camera inside a birdhouse or a bird feeder. Position the camera so that the lens faces through a small hole at the front of the birdhouse or feeder.

• Position the birdhouse or feeder in the direction you wish to monitor.

Conceal the camera in a bush or a tree trunk. Dense foliage and bushes can effectively hide the camera. Place the camera within the bushes or on the tree and check the footage to ensure the lens isn't obstructed.

Hide the camera in a decorative rock or garden statue. You can purchase hollow garden statues or fake rocks online. Use a drill bit the size of the camera lens to create a hole in the rock or statue, insert the camera, and position the lens through the drilled hole.

• You can also place the camera inside a flower pot.
• Use electrical tape to secure the camera inside these objects to keep it steady.

Buy a camera disguised as a light or doorbell. Some cameras are designed to look like other objects, such as lights or doorbells. Search online for light-style cameras or spy cameras that fit your budget and meet your needs.

Place the camera inside a mailbox. You can hide the camera inside the mailbox in front of your house. Drill a hole through the mailbox so the camera can capture events happening outside the mailbox.

Use a PVC pipe to conceal the wires of a wired camera. Exposed or visible wires can easily reveal the camera. If you're using a wired camera, you’ll need to dig a trench to bury the PVC pipe to hide the camera’s cables.

• You may need to install a metal conduit to hide the cables for cameras mounted at higher positions.

Install a fake camera to mislead and divert attention from the real one. You can purchase fake surveillance cameras online or at household stores. These cameras serve to draw attention away from the real one. Place the fake camera in a location where people are likely to notice it.

• Fake surveillance cameras usually cost between 200,000 and 600,000 VND.

Purchase a small-sized surveillance camera. Large and bulky cameras are more difficult to hide, especially in places with limited cover. The smaller the camera, the easier it is to conceal. When considering options, look for cameras that are more compact in size.

• Some small-sized cameras include the Netgear Arlo Pro, LG Smart Security Wireless Camera, and Nest Cam IQ.

Opt for a wireless surveillance camera. With a wireless camera, you won’t need to hide any cables as you would with wired cameras. Wireless cameras tend to be more expensive but are significantly easier to conceal.

• Popular wireless camera brands include Netgear Arlo Q, Belkin Netcam HD+, and Amazon Cloud Cam.

Choose a camera with cloud storage upload capabilities. A camera that automatically uploads footage to cloud storage ensures that you don’t lose important videos in case the camera breaks or gets destroyed.

• Popular surveillance cameras with cloud upload features include the D-Link Day/Night Network Cloud Camera, Logitech Alert 750n Indoor Master System, and Netgear VueZone Video Monitoring System.