subject: Getting The Most From A Fake Security Camera [print this page] Dummy security cameras (or CCTV cameras as they're still often called) aren't as dumb you might think. Faking it and getting away with it is not quite as simple as just bearing a passing resemblance to the real thing.
A generic plastic housing that vaguely resembles a security camera is not going to fool anyone. And fooling people is exactly what a dummy camera is intended to do. If the camera seems to be genuine then very few would be intruders are going to take the risk that it might not be all it appears and come any nearer.
Good quality fake cameras are nearly identical in outward appearance to authentic ones, for a good reason. They often are real, but empty, camera bodies that therefore exhibit the same badges, same build quality, realistic lens and cabling. Identical in every external detail.
But to complete the disguise you have to set up a fake the same way you would a real camera, with the power and image wires disappearing indoors. Battery powered LED indicator lights might also prove necessary if the original has such features. But among the main factors determining whether a camera seems fake or real is its placement.
There's no doubt that deterring intruders is as much the point of a security camera as recording them. For this reason, even completely functional cameras are invariably sited where they can clearly be seen. But they are also always in an excellent spot to monitor activity, not somewhere highly visible but otherwise obviously pointless.
Other details that it is important to pay attention to are external housing to protect the camera in locations exposed to the elements, and the mounting brackets. Real (and expensive) cameras aren't left exposed to the weather or attached to cheap supports - don't give the game away by missing these details.
Things best avoided are functions that cannot be emulated convincingly on the cheap - such as movement, for example. Cameras that are actively monitored or use sophisticated motion tracking software will accurately follow people around. A camera that seems to be panning and tilting at random is therefore almost certainly a fake.
In the end though, the most effective way to complete the illusion is to put a real camera in among the fakes. Not only will this add to the level of uncertainty for any would be intruder, but it also means that in the event that they remain undeterred, they will at least end up caught on camera.
