Outside surveillance - options please

veryintrigued

Hi there

Firstly not sure if this is the best place for this so apologies if not.

Secondly I'm not exactly the most up to date with gadgets so please go easy on me!

Here's the issue - irresponsible dog owner(s) are allowing their dogs to leave faeces on the path, our front lawn and drive. Often a daily occurrence we haven't been able to 'catch' them at it. It's been reported to the local council - but without evidence I guess there's little they can do.

So…..we need an outside camera to capture them in the act.

The area outside the house isn't too badly lit (street light opposite - which does seem to have had its brightness dimmed).

So the camera is really only temporary, ideally wireless, have 'outside protection' and also something to capture the 'act' on - obviously as cheap as possible please.

I'll also be asking the local authority if they have such equipment.

Any (sensible) advice much appreciated - thanks in advance.

bod1467

Your search term for today is pir external wifi camera.

PIR = Passive Infrared, which means it activates when it detects motion. The other terms should be obvious.

veryintrigued

bod1467 wrote: »

Your search term for today is pir external wifi camera.

PIR = Passive Infrared, which means it activates when it detects motion. The other terms should be obvious.

Appreciate the reply bod.

Hopefully a forumite will recommended a model with the loose criteria I've listed - and also how to store images i.e. internally or to somewhere else.

PS - on supplying power to the device - surely there are some on the market which dont need an external power source (i.e. cables). I'm thinking of those used by local councils in rural areas to catch fly tipping.

So criteria now seem to be:

Battery operated
Motion sensitive
Must work at night
Range of 5M
Internal memory
Outisde IP protection
Cant be easily seen.
Cheap!!

Thanks again Bod for helping me flesh the requirements out.

Any models out there that people would recommend?

Cheers

S0litaire

Maplin usually has a deal or 2 for CCTV equipment. I keep getting their "sale" emails. They usually have a CCTV offer running...

Pick up a wired camera for around £20:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/c/cctv-and-security/wired-cameras?sort=%3DMaplinProduct.price|0#

Then a DVR to record the dirty deads! ^_^
This is a used one. So I think you'll need to get a HDD to stick in it! (£50)
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/sentient-4-channel-network-dvr-with-dvd-rw-backup-used-b85lz

or pick up a CCTV kit for £80-£90
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/sentient-160gb-4-channel-cctv-kit-with-1-bullet-camera-n09kt

But check eBay you might find the same stuff a bit cheaper. ^_^

greyteam1959

www.spycameracctv.com

womble12345

Isnt prevention better than cure? Cant you put a sign on your lawn saying 'CCTV in operation' and buy a fake CCTV camera that is very visible... I very much doubt that a cheapo CCTV camera would have a good enough image to actually convict the offenders....

veryintrigued

womble12345 wrote: »

Isnt prevention better than cure? Cant you put a sign on your lawn saying 'CCTV in operation' and buy a fake CCTV camera that is very visible... I very much doubt that a cheapo CCTV camera would have a good enough image to actually convict the offenders....

I could if I wanted the front of my house to look frankly daft.

You're right about prevention though - hence the post and hopefully a prosecution.

For those of you who've answered - thank you.

This is looking ok so far:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B00873DB5S/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_2?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

DeltaWhiskyHotel

Hi
Just a couple of thoughts before you spend any of your hard - earned.

Have you checked with your local council whether they will accept any of your recordings as 'evidence'?

Also, I don't know what the legislation is in other parts of the country - but here in sunny Scotland, the relevant Act , the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, only creates an offence if the fouling takes place in a "public open space" (or common areas: closes, courts, stairs gardens etc).

Specifically, private gardens are not caught. (You mention that the fouling occurs in your path, front lawn and drive).

So, in Scotland at least, the Council would not be able to issue a penalty notice if the fouling is taking place on your own property (the street outside would, however, be caught).

Their enforcement officers may be able to have a word with the offenders if they can be identified (and an address is known).

Of course, if you know their address, you could always post the poo back to them through their letterbox- it's their property after all!

veryintrigued

DeltaWhiskyHotel wrote: »

Hi
Just a couple of thoughts before you spend any of your hard - earned.

Have you checked with your local council whether they will accept any of your recordings as 'evidence'?

Also, I don't know what the legislation is in other parts of the country - but here in sunny Scotland, the relevant Act , the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, only creates an offence if the fouling takes place in a "public open space" (or common areas: closes, courts, stairs gardens etc).

Specifically, private gardens are not caught. (You mention that the fouling occurs in your path, front lawn and drive).

So, in Scotland at least, the Council would not be able to issue a penalty notice if the fouling is taking place on your own property (the street outside would, however, be caught).

Their enforcement officers may be able to have a word with the offenders if they can be identified (and an address is known).

Of course, if you know their address, you could always post the poo back to them through their letterbox- it's their property after all!

Interesting post - thanks for that.

The offending dog(s) are making a blight of 50metres of street so hopefully the local council will be interested.

I've asked them to get back to me regarding loaning one of their cameras - I'd hope that they would be able to advise if this is possible.

TBH we just want this mess to stop - prosecution or no prosecution. As dog owners ourselves we walk each night to unwind after stressful days - to encounter mess like this doesnt help this process!

I'd suspect the council would accept such footage (but not 100% sure). Their website is very set up to reporting such matters and asks if you have informed the police, have evidence etc.

Thanks for taking the time for replying - it is appreciated.

DeltaWhiskyHotel

For what it's worth, I'm told that a solution of biological washing powder brushed around an area will discourage dogs from stopping to lift their legs (something to do with getting rid of the smell of previous urine deposits).

Might be worth a try if it helps move dogs away from your own property before doing their other, messier business.

Not much use for the rest of your street unfortunately, but persist with your local council.

Might help if you could gather information about the culprit(s).

Ask neighbours etc. - someone may have more info on the identity of the dog owner(s).

We find the problem always gets worse in winter, with longer, darker evenings and mornings. Irresponsible dog owners will tend to leave their dogs doos behind if they think no one is watching.

Pass all info to your council - it can only help.

I would be surprised if a council has spare cctv cameras lying about - in these days of cutbacks, dog fouling, although a nuisance, doesn't generally merit a big budget.

If there is more than one witness to a fouling incident then it may be possible, for the enforcement officers to issue a penalty notice based on statements - again depends on the wording of the legislation applicable to your neck of the woods. But it may need several neighbours working together to catch the offender(s) 'in the act'.

Best of luck

veryintrigued

DeltaWhiskyHotel wrote: »

For what it's worth, I'm told that a solution of biological washing powder brushed around an area will discourage dogs from stopping to lift their legs (something to do with getting rid of the smell of previous urine deposits).

Might be worth a try if it helps move dogs away from your own property before doing their other, messier business.

Not much use for the rest of your street unfortunately, but persist with your local council.

Might help if you could gather information about the culprit(s).

Ask neighbours etc. - someone may have more info on the identity of the dog owner(s).

We find the problem always gets worse in winter, with longer, darker evenings and mornings. Irresponsible dog owners will tend to leave their dogs doos behind if they think no one is watching.

Pass all info to your council - it can only help.

I would be surprised if a council has spare cctv cameras lying about - in these days of cutbacks, dog fouling, although a nuisance, doesn't generally merit a big budget.

If there is more than one witness to a fouling incident then it may be possible, for the enforcement officers to issue a penalty notice based on statements - again depends on the wording of the legislation applicable to your neck of the woods. But it may need several neighbours working together to catch the offender(s) 'in the act'.

Best of luck

Your bang on the money regarding it increasing during shorter days!

Thanks again - fingers crossed