Beefing up security

Intruder detected.

Iinstalled a video doorbell. Unlike my last foray into video surveillance, this one was pretty easy. Much clearer, too. So far, we’ve been able to review our arrivals and departures in 2K clarity. Every time I step outside I get a notification on my phone. I feel more secure already.

It’s not perfect. Reviewing the footage, I see that while the camera is nicely situated for a doorbell, it’s kind of in the wrong place to keep an eye on our cars. One porch column occludes the precise location where a thief recently gained access to my aging RAV4. 

Oh well. It’s still a step up from the four-camera setup I had in Jacksonville. That system did record a number of incidents over the years: 

• a guy stealing a bike from a nearby coffee shop.
• a shadowy figure pilfering beer from a rental home across the street.
• a hooded dude rifling our Prius in the middle of the night.
• a dramatic auto collision on our corner.
• a rich tapestry of beggars, drunks, idlers and loons.
• countless cats and occasional opossums on their nocturnal rounds. 

 The highlight was when a Jacksonville police officer checked our footage to see if a reported carjacking had actually occurred. She left unable to tell – possibly because yours truly had not accounted for Daylight Saving Time and she was looking at the wrong hour.

Those videos all had one thing in common: they were of such poor quality that they were quite useless for bringing anybody to justice. The collision footage did help a nice lady get an insurance settlement, but that’s pretty much the only return on my $350 investment. And none of the money came to me. 

This new camera will see much less of life, but what it does see will at least be recognizable. And the next time I’m upstairs when some rando knocks, I’ll be spared the inconvenience of having to see who it is.