New technology is reinventing the way residents protect their home
New technology is reinventing the way residents protect their homes.
Over the past couple of years, an evolution of do-it-yourself security systems hit the market. One of the most popular categories is home surveillance cameras.
Dale Jag, a Cathedral City resident, has built a fortress over the years.
"I have about 32 (cameras) at the house," Jag said.
Jag keeps an arsenal of surveillance cameras surround his home to keep the crooks away.
"I have them at the mailbox and at the other end of the property on the front, and here on the walkway," Jag tells News Channel 3. "A lot of people are just calling me the neighborhood watchdog because I do always take care of that."
It's a problem worth taking seriously.
The neighborhood has been hit with several criminals. Most recently an alleged mail thief.
Home surveillance cameras in the same neighborhood captured a woman lurking around on January 13. The woman has not been caught but the video has been turned over to police.
Others weren't so lucky.
"We've had quite a few people that we've actually went to court with and they prosecuted," Jag said.
Jag is like so many others in the Coachella Valley, just trying to keep intruders away. Make no mistake, home surveillance cameras come in handy.
One example of this happened just last month. A home surveillance camera captures a thief breaking into a house in Palm Springs. The homeowner was notified the break-in was happening, contacted police, and minutes later the suspect was arrested.
Details: Live surveillance video leads to arrest of would-be burglar
"It's definitely a useful tool," said Sgt. Mike Casavan of the Palm Springs Police Department.
Casavan says home surveillance videos can ultimately assist in investigations like this.
"With video surveillance, we might have a chance of identifying somebody, which could later lead to prosecution," Casavan said.
The whole process to get a system could be a little daunting.
Nowadays, the consumer market is overflowing with an abundance of surveillance cameras. You also have to take certain aspects into account like pricing, features, quality, data privacy, video quality, response time, data privacy, and smart IQ.
News Channel 3's Shelby Nelson took a look at some of the top brands on the market.
Based on popularity, overall performance, and ranging up to $300.
Arlo Pro 2 comes in with the highest marks. It receives "excellent" ratings for 4 out of 5 categories but slightly dips for data privacy. The system costs about $300 for a two-camera kit.
Then there's Nest Cam IQ Indoor, which also comes in with excellent ratings in all but one category. The going rate, also about $300 but for one camera.
Coming in as the top brands after those two is Nest Cam Indoor and Amazon Cloud Cam.
The popular Ring Doorbell Device scored lower compared to this group of cameras, partly due to video quality and smart features.
The systems all offer different combinations of features but as long as they do the job, that's really all that matters for neighbors.
"You don't want to mess with the Cove. I mean, just face it. You are going to get hit with a camera somewhere along the line," Jag said.
Other factors to consider if you are thinking of buying a home camera surveillance system are weather resistance, motion sensors and wireless connectivity.
