Have CCTV at your home (exterior)?

B0bbyEwing

I can see the potential for the term "CCTV" to become a sticky point but I'm pretty sure we all know what I'm on about - camera on your exterior wall recording your driveway, garden, whatever. 

I've actually bought one (not got round to fitting it yet) but I'm a little apprehensive about mounting it after recently coming across a number of social media videos of people moaning about their neighbours 'recording them'. 

I've had a camera at the REAR of my house (I know the law doesn't differ for front & rear before anyone points that out) for a couple months now. There's been a number of reports in the local Facebook group of pillars of society breaking in to folks sheds, having a snoop around, trying back/side doors & even just walking in to the house of someone who didn't lock their door (they were in!) .... so I got a camera. 

Now my camera, like the social media videos I've seen, LOOKS LIKE it's recording the house at the back, except it's not. It's not even in shot. We have a Tapo camera as well for wildlife which you can even put in black out areas too (not sure I can do that with my back door cam - AOSU). Point is, if someone wanted to make a video about me 'recording them' then sure it would LOOK LIKE I am, except I could show video footage that proves I'm actually not.

Front of the house has a lot more traffic (and by traffic I mean people) & so the potential for "uuuhhhhhhhhhh you're recording meee that's illeeeeeeegal I'm going to tell the police about you" is increased. It's like no, I'm not recording you at all & unless you step on my property I couldn't give a stuff about you. 

Any of you installed cameras at the front & can comment on your experience? Obviously your neighbours aren't my neighbours but still.

I want to get a camera on the front for obvious reasons - anyone tries the car, the door. We're also told by our neighbour that people use our driveway to turn around in so if anyone clips the car that's left on the drive & just drives off then hopefully a camera would pick up their reg because I'd wager that it's more likely they'd do a runner than it is they'd leave a note owning up to it.

hareng

Depends what you go for, the limiting factor will be at night where most cameras require an additional light source and still not very good then compared to below. Yes you can get a kit for around £100, most of them are as good as chocolate fireguard would not be able to identify within a few feet, have a look on youtube. 

The better ones are 4K Colour Night cameras that dont need any extra light. However even with these and a lamp post almost opposite it wont pick up number plates in middle of the road 24 yards away but will at 22 yards. Have 2 of these at front pointing in different directions, however you can get 180 degree 4k night cameras. These are plugged in to an NVR with hard drive/s where if plugged in to a monitor or tv you can play back and setup. I use the Guardian Vision app on phone whilst out, its ok for watching but cannot do much to setup like change the time. 

Fittings easy from upstairs eves through loft, down a wall and down again internally, no cables seen. Hardest part would be configuring the Guardian Vision software for the NVR.

As for complaints, no ones said a thing in 4 years, the one with link below is under left eaves firing to drive on the right diagonally 2/3 down length of drive. I can see 7 houses to the right, 4 further if zoom in about 140 yards away. Even this wouldnt identify a person on pavement the other side of road about 30 yards away in good light. I would be worried if a next door neighbour had a camera at their rear able to view ours, luckilly i dont theyre just there for the neighbour with dementia so her kids any where in the world can monitor.

Link here is the bullet colour night camera, i have the dome also plus 8ch NVR 4Gig that was on offer just over £520. A mate had exact same installed professionally but one camera £2150 install.

https://uk.annke.com/products/nc800

NVR https://uk.annke.com/products/8ch-32mp-4k-non-poe-nvr?variant=42557307027668

WIAWSNB

Hi Bob.

What I'd suggest is to mount your rear camera at just below fence height, so it cannot look 'over' the fence unless someone peers over. 

Ditto at the front if you can, tho' usually not so critical.

If you buy a camera with a built-in SD card that over-records every couple of weeks or so, then that is the majority of the regs taken care of - you aren't storing any footage that doesn't serve a legal purpose. Data protection doesn't apply.

No-one can legitimately complain about a camera that captures them as they come to your door, or walk past your driveway. If there is a house opposite you which has uncovered windows, then they may have a legitimate complaint, either legally or statutorily. If there is any risk of this, then you could aim the camera down to avoid their windows, and then take a 'still' over to them to reassure them. Add that if they have any incident occurring involving their property, to ask you to see if you have captured it. 

A fixed camera at the back could cause complaints from folk who may think they are being overlooked, so the answer there is to, again, set it to not overlook anyone, and to take a 'still' around to any concerned folk to reassure them.

Then, you don't store any clip unless it could have a legitimate purpose - intrusion, vandalism, theft, etc - and you keep these clips secure until required by an authority - your council or police, for example. 

If you have any doubts, have a 'chat' with ICO. 

I currently have a CCTV camera aimed directly at my neighbour's window. Why? Because it's a non-conforming window (Planning and BC wise), and it's from that window he sprayed a herbicide on to my trees. It's there for a specific purpose - to guard against, or capture, further illegal behaviour. It overwrites every couple of weeks, so no data protection issues, and any significant clip would be stored securely by me for legal purposes. I've confirmed all this with the ICO.

vic_sf49

I've not long since put Tapo C310s up (recording to memory card), but mostly so I can see where my cats are; whether they're in or out. 

Both are mounted low for this reason (a few feet up), but as I'm in a bungalow, I couldn't mount them out of reach of humans anyway, in the places I would also get a view of my front and back doors.

The front one does cover bits of the street, but as it's just members of the public passing by, I'm not bothered.

If my neighbours were ever concerned about what it could record, I'd happily show them that it's not recording them in their property.

If that was unreasonable, then too bad. 

One thing I'd consider, depending on your property layout, is can you get an indoor camera sited by a window, to give you the same coverage.... cos spiders + webs + recordings/notifications* of all that, are annoying.

* Depending on set up. 

WIAWSNB

Internal cameras aiming through a window to the outside is an option, but would require an external light source, as the built-in IR or floods would simply reflect on the glass and cause glare.
If you have a constant outside light source, then it should work. 

rowan222

As previously mentioned just make sure your camera is only focused on your property. Not the neighbours or the public footpath. If looking down your drive make absolutely sure coverage does not include the public pavement or road. If you dont do this and someone complains you could be in deep trouble on data protection grounds.

We have a neighbour whose CCTV covered our patio area. We involved the police who were happy to come around and order him to remove it. He did very quickly!

Section62

rowan222 said:

As previously mentioned just make sure your camera is only focused on your property. Not the neighbours or the public footpath. If looking down your drive make absolutely sure coverage does not include the public pavement or road. If you dont do this and someone complains you could be in deep trouble on data protection grounds.

We have a neighbour whose CCTV covered our patio area. We involved the police who were happy to come around and order him to remove it. He did very quickly!

On what grounds?  Did you have an existing harassment situation?

rowan222

Section62 said:

rowan222 said:

As previously mentioned just make sure your camera is only focused on your property. Not the neighbours or the public footpath. If looking down your drive make absolutely sure coverage does not include the public pavement or road. If you dont do this and someone complains you could be in deep trouble on data protection grounds.

We have a neighbour whose CCTV covered our patio area. We involved the police who were happy to come around and order him to remove it. He did very quickly!

On what grounds?  Did you have an existing harassment situation?

Basically privacy as whenever we sat out on our patio we were on camera! That said he had been harassing us in various ways for some time. eg starring at us at times. But the police were happy to intervene just on the privacy alone

rowan222

By the way the camera was not externally mounted. It was place in an upstairs window pointed at us.

marcia_

 My swan cameras allow you to block out areas you do not want to film as does the ring doorbell. 

One neighbour complained and i invited them in to view what I could see which was solely my property. Was most amused when they came knocking when their parcels kept vanishing 

WIAWSNB

rowan222 said:

As previously mentioned just make sure your camera is only focused on your property. Not the neighbours or the public footpath. If looking down your drive make absolutely sure coverage does not include the public pavement or road. If you dont do this and someone complains you could be in deep trouble on data protection grounds.

We have a neighbour whose CCTV covered our patio area. We involved the police who were happy to come around and order him to remove it. He did very quickly!

I would suggest that the road and pavement are not at all of concern. 
If you were to use such footage in an inappropriate manner, however, that would be very different.
Hence best to have a camera with a built in overwriting SD card, and with your own remote monitoring. Download and keep secure any justifiable clips for correct use, but allow the rest to disappear.
A camera covering your patio area is unacceptable, and I'm pleased - impressed - the police sorted it quickly.