Whether you’re a homeowner association or you rent out multiple homes in a given neighborhood, neighborhood security cameras are one of the most effective tools at your disposal to keep the area safe. When set up correctly, they efficiently act as an extra set of eyes that allow any given person with remote access to keep tabs on their property, an ongoing situation, or whoever might be passing by.

However, while security cameras provide several benefits to a given location, setting up neighborhood security cameras and an overall system might seem daunting. For that reason, A1 Security Cameras has written this article to help provide an overview of what a security camera system for a neighborhood looks like, what it can include, factors that can help it, and best practices to enhance it. By the end of this post, you should have a basic understanding of where to start the process when looking to have a neighborhood security camera system implemented.

How to implement a neighborhood security camera system?

It is generally assumed that those looking for security cameras will want remote access and streaming capabilities. That means the system will require an internet connection in whatever form you choose. While a given surveillance apparatus can provide base function without the internet, as explained in “Can IP Cameras Work Without Internet?”, they will not be capable of anything more than recording and providing an avenue to review the gathered video footage. Therefore, a neighborhood security camera system that includes cameras and a recorder can be implemented in one of two ways.

The first is as straightforward as possible, with an installation consisting of each household featuring its own recorder and neighborhood security cameras. Each recorder would then connect to the router inside the same home and the homeowner can port forward their cameras or provide recorded data as needed.

The second and far more extensive solution for a neighborhood security camera system is to implement surveillance apparatus for the entire neighborhood. While potentially more effective than surveillance on a smaller scale, the system itself requires a devoted high-speed internet connection; at minimum, the internet should feature a 400 megabit internet speed with a download and upload of at least one gigabyte. Additional equipment will also include enclosure boxes with power over ethernet switch and power supply equipment. In addition, the A1 Security Cameras professionals recommend considering Ubiquiti UISP, which allows more advanced attention to connected devices.

Best Neighborhood security cameras

When it comes to choosing the type of neighborhood security camera that will benefit your neighborhood, A1 Security Cameras offers a selection to choose from. However, our top choice for the vast majority of installations, including this scenario, is IP security cameras. These cameras present a prospective homeowner or homeowner association with far more capability through the multiple functions they are known to feature. Some of these functions include:

Individual remote streaming

Internal storage (with Surveillance SD card)

Power over Coaxial

Wireless capability

A homeowner or HOA can easily enjoy a more modern neighborhood security camera system with internet protocol or IP cameras. These devices feature far more flexibility than any option in modern surveillance while still retaining a more durable yet sophisticated design.

Furthermore, the above features allow homeowners or a managing homeowner association to plan for possible unfortunate circumstances. For example, while the internal storage does not have to be actively used, it comes in handy when the connection fails for whatever reason. It should be noted that the internal storage only lasts for so long and should not be solely relied upon.

Individual remote streaming works differently as a capability perfect for larger neighborhood security cameras. This feature allows for singular cameras to be selected out of a network for remote streaming, making the system more manageable for a person or group of people. These both and more provide for a far more capable system through the cameras alone!

Do license plate readers deter crime?

License plate recognition (lpr) security cameras provide an entirely effective tool for homeowners or homeowner association to implement into their neighborhood security camera system. Whereas normal security cameras might have some minor capacity to detect license plates and deliver quality video footage, they are not designed to do so. Standard examples will not produce results that are effective unless up close and will entirely have no use for accurately depicting license plates in low-light environments.

That is where license plate recognition or LPR cameras come into play. Using sophisticated infrared illuminators and working with specific software within the central recording system, these cameras capture each instance of a license plate coming within its view, then note it in the video footage. Some will even digitize the digits and letters on a given license plate, allowing for efficient records to be kept when monitoring who passes through the neighborhood.

Also used by law enforcement and federal entities, these devices are a proven tool implemented among neighborhood security cameras.

What enhances neighborhood security cameras?

It should be noted that there is one distinct feature a neighborhood can implement to enhance its neighborhood security cameras. While most brands have implemented some form of infrared, the technology varies in effectiveness while also being limited to distance. However, with sufficient lighting, a given security camera can have a similar range of quality during low light conditions as it does in the daytime. Whether it means adding street lights or encouraging homeowners to add lights to their front yard, neighborhood security cameras are easily able to see better at night with better lighting.

Best recorder for neighborhood surveillance

When it comes to a neighborhood security camera system in every home or one for the entire neighborhood, we recommend a network video recorder. This recorder is the most modern surveillance recorder at the time of writing and is designed to pair effectively with IP cameras. Like other recorders, NVRs vary in multiple aspects like:

Channel capacity

Compression

EPOE

Number of available ports

Storage space availability

4K support

Each of these factors is important depending on the size of the system and the quality of video footage you are expecting. Fortunately, A1 Security Cameras also features a tool anyone can use free of charge with our Security DVR and NVR Storage Calculator. Because most recorders do not come with hard drives, you can calculate how much space you will need for your neighborhood security system and order the hardware with the system.

A quality that is also especially effective in neighborhoods is motion detection. This feature serves to provide your neighborhood security camera system with several benefits, but we will mention two of the most important in motion detection recording and remote alerts. When configured through the central recording system, motion activated recording activates the camera upon detecting motion in its view, saving storage space only for events or when something passes the camera. This capability can be further configured to activate based on specific circumstances, like proximity. Remote alerts are a much simpler concept, sending a user or users an alert when noticing movement. However, these capabilities are only possible through added software.

Connecting neighborhood security cameras

Whereas transmission in a given household is fairly straightforward, connecting security cameras in a neighborhood security camera system is far more complex and extensive. While there is more than one method for doing so, one of the most effective is the use of the light poles to house the equipment needed to connect each camera to a switch and power what is directly implemented to the light source. However, for such a measure, the necessary components would include:

Cloud key

Enclosure boxes

Radios

Power over Ethernet switches

An overview of the setup would be that a central network video recorder would be expanded to the street lamps via a wireless signal, which in turn would both power and house the equipment used to connect each neighborhood security camera. While highly effective for covering a large area, this method is also expensive and requires an electrician due to it running through heavy electricity. Furthermore, if the light poles are not owned by neighborhood, permission must be granted before implementation. Generally, that permission is given by the city.

What is neighborhood security?

Neighborhood security generally means any measure taken by the community to keep the neighborhood safe. This tends to include several measures, both active and static, to deter criminal activity. It can truly be anything as small as sharing feeds from neighborhood security cameras to organizing neighborhood watches to implementing gates at the entrance or more.

As discussed in another article, “Property Crime, Burglary, and Surveillance,” there are multiple measures a given neighborhood can take that will benefit security and safety. While the linked article goes into far more detail about what homeowners and a community can do to deter crime, it also provides in-depth information about what certain measures bring. For example, neighborhood security cameras in plain sight can statistically reduce property crime by at least half and have an effect on removing criminal activity entirely from a given area. Part of the reasoning is that most crimes are those of opportunity and easy to commit. Surveillance makes it much harder and provides an avenue for police to gather detailed evidence.

Are neighborhood watches effective?

Statistically, neighborhood watches are an effective and cost effective measure against local criminal activity. the measure has a proven effect in reducing property crimes like burglaries and robberies. As noted by several studies, while most crimes of this nature are of opportunity, they are also most often prevented by societal expectations. A person in a given community runs the risk of being outcasted when wronging another they know and will be less likely to do anything bad if they run the risk of getting caught. Neighborhood surveillance increases that chance and provides a neighborhood watch with an effective tool to use when looking for areas to patrol.

How do I secure my neighborhood?

Simply put, communication is key. When having a good relationship with each neighbor and becoming familiar with everyone in the neighborhood, each homeowner is more likely to look out for each other. Combined with the measures mentioned throughout this article, a given neighborhood can easily become a safe environment for everyone residing within it.

Building a community within a neighborhood is ideally the most effective way to secure a given neighborhood. Neighborhood watches, gates, extra lighting, and neighborhood security cameras are tools that are proven tools that can be used by the community. With these at your disposal, maintaining a safe neighborhood and overall environment will never be easier.

How do I secure my neighborhood?

How to help police keep your neighborhood safe

One factor that helps keep a neighborhood safe that has only been referenced until now is a good relationship with the local police department. When maintaining constant and positive communication with the police officers, they will be more likely to come over quickly in the case that something goes wrong. Neighborhood security cameras can be an effective measure that helps both the residents and police in this regard. Providing detailed evidence through quality footage will help police officers catch pranksters and criminals far more quickly.

How can you promote safety in your community?

Adding surveillance to any community provides amazing benefits in reducing crime and building trust between residents. A neighborhood security camera system not only provides extra eyes to keep watch for criminal activity, but it can also help monitor the safety of residents as well. Such a measure can help keep the elderly and children safe throughout a given neighborhood while providing everyone with peace of mind.