Most people agree that wireless technology is great. Not only is it more versatile but it’s also more user-friendly, at least in most cases it is. This applies to indoor security cameras too. Having no wires to connect between units means there is less Do-it-yourself (DIY) involved in the setup procedures. This means you shouldn’t need to pay for someone else to setup your camera hardware or configure its software. Although there are many Do It Yourself wireless security camera systems, most of them are set up in a similar way. The simplicity and effectiveness of these systems now makes this a multi-million dollar market, and one that’s growing.[1]
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Table of Contents
The DIY Home Security Camera Kit
It’s quite possible to customize your setup by mixing and matching a system that meets your needs. For the sake of simplicity, though, I will focus here on the DIY wireless home security camera kits. These are simple because everything is good to go out of the box, and that’s just what DIYer’s demand. Even though most of these systems are simple, you still need to go through all the instructions before you even try to put everything together. You only have to miss a word or a line of text somewhere and the whole thing becomes a complicated nightmare. Remember to keep things simple to maintain the easy approach. Follow everything you’re supposed to do—everything. I find that if you turn the assembly into a ‘box ticking’ exercise, the whole process becomes a walk in the park.
The Battery Issue
Some indoor cameras are powered by batteries. Not all batteries are equal, and the better your batteries are, the less you have to worry about them. My recommendation is to use alkaline batteries at all times.[2].
- Alkaline batteries have a long shelf life
- High performance
- Last longer
- Affordable
There’s good reason why the majority of battery powered home monitoring systems use alkaline batteries. In fact, they’re the most widely used of all the battery types in the world.
The Windows and Door Sensors
Most indoor security camera kits provide sensors that come with sticky, double-sided tape. This is fine as long as the surface area is free from dirt or oil. When exposed to hot or humid conditions, they may lose some stickiness and eventually come loose. My advice is to always make the sensors as secure as possible. It’s a simple enough process to secure them better using screws. At least this way, once they’re in position they will stay that way, whatever the conditions happen to be. Remember, the whole idea of a good home security camera setup is to give you more peace of mind. You don’t want to always be checking to see if the adhesive on the sensors is holding up. If you rest (sit) your cameras somewhere, as opposed to attaching them, you don’t have to worry about sticky tape and screws.[3]
The Indoor Security Camera Placement
Placement is fundamental to the success of your indoor security camera arrangement. Be sure to read our article on the most effective indoor camera positions. In brief, they need to be out of the way, but not so much that they’re unable to catch intruders in their field of view (FOV). A good guide is to have the cameras around 7ft up (no more) and pointing down slightly. You will need to play around a bit until you have the perfect position and angles, but it doesn’t take long.
Become Familiar with the Troubleshooting Section
A lot of the time, though not all of the time, blips and setbacks occur as a result of user error, more so than actual problems with the camera systems. Become familiar with the troubleshooting section in the user’s manual even before you have issues. Understanding your system from the outset can save you a lot of time and frustration later on. Put your manual in a safe place so that you can reach for it quickly if you need to. Better still; download the user’s manual to your computer if you have that option. It’s much quicker to do a computer search than it is flicking through pages and scanning the index of a hardcopy.
Take Your Time
One of the biggest problems with setting up a DIY home security camera system is impatience. Everyone takes their kit home and can’t wait to get everything set up and running. The secret with this—and any type of DIY assembly—is patience. The slower you go through the setup, the faster you’ll get everything done. It’s a bit of an oxymoron, I know, but it’s true all the same. They really are quick and easy to get operational as long as you take your time.
Resources
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelwolf/2014/05/21/heres-why-diy-home-security-will-soon-be-a-billion-dollar-market/#248ba0fa123b
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_battery
- http://www.genfab.co.uk/acatalog/Frequently_asked_questions_.html