Why Putting a Round-the-Clock Car Surveillance Camera is not Convenient?
You are a proud car owner and want to keep your car safe from threats. Do you park your car in the streets due to space crunch? Or do you keep your car in an open space instead of a covered garage? In such scenarios, Car vandalism, car theft and burglaries are your worst nightmare.
Even though most car models have cameras nowadays, some models don’t have such advanced facilities. So, installing a round-the-clock car surveillance camera seems to be the best idea for you.
But is installing surveillance cameras inside the car possible? Well, you need to read on to know more!
Can you Install a Surveillance Camera inside your Car?
Well, you can, but it is not that easy. Even a wireless surveillance camera has some system requirements to work. The cameras need round-the-clock access to electricity or power and a functioning network connection. While offering a network connection is possible, offering round-the-clock power to the camera is impossible unless you keep the car engine on start 24*7.
This is impossible, so you cannot install a regular security camera. But thankfully, there are alternatives for car surveillance.
The dashcams offer you surveillance when you are driving your car.
Similarly, the Owl camera is also a good alternative. It is a two-way camera that allows you to record live video footage inside and outside the car.
Difference Between Dash Cam and Wireless Surveillance Camera
Even though the dashcam and surveillance camera seem quite similar, they are different.
A dash cam offers real-time driving footage and internet alert systems. It also has a voice command feature. But, it does not transmit the footage. Hence, you need to insert an SD card inside the dashcam. Besides that, you also need to replace the SD card at regular intervals. You can check out the footage by putting the SD card into your PC, laptop, or mobile.
While a dash cam offers real-time surveillance, it needs a constant power supply. Since this camera needs power from the 12V electrical system of your car, you need to keep the engine on always. In other words, a dashcam can only monitor the car and its surroundings if your car is on running or left in the run mode.
But, a security camera and a surveillance camera have a few fundamental differences. Such cameras always record their power supply(electric or battery power). Modern security cameras also have wireless connectivity to transmit real-time footage to your smartphone or smart TV. On top of that, such a camera also alerts you during an intrusion.
Why can’t you Install a Security Camera in Your Car?
So, why can’t you install a security camera inside your car? Well, the first cause is the power supply. You must ensure the camera gets power round the clock to install it. For this, either you must keep the car on run mode or install different electrical wires or batteries inside the car, which is inconvenient.
After all, the car battery can die early if you keep the battery turned on. A camera(conventional security camera0 may start in only hours with a car battery.
On top of that, you also need to connect the camera to a wifi network to transmit data. It is possible if you have the car parked outside your home. In such a scenario, you can connect the camera to your home wifi network. But that is not always possible. While you drive your car, getting a stable and secure wifi connection is an issue. You cannot always have a portable wifi device in your car. Hence, most of the time, the car will be out of range of the network to transmit data.
Overall, all the required systems look complicated. Hence, installing a regular security camera inside your car is impossible.
The OwlCam
The best possible solution you can use is the Owl Cam. It is a two-way car surveillance camera that records everything – from inside or the car or outside of the car; that too round the clock.
It uses your car’s OBD-II connector and sensors to alert you in case of break-ins or stealing attempts.
The smart AT inside this owl cam software automatically turns off recording if the car battery has a lower than 5% charge. You can also store the recorded footage on your smartphone for future retrieval.
But, the owl cam is not being released regularly as the company that made it is now sold off. Hence, you need to find alternatives.
Alternative ways to Monitor your Car
So, is there any car monitoring option that allows you to monitor your car when parked? Well, there are a few options. But, you will have to use a dash cam and other alternatives simultaneously to ensure the car is under monitoring 24*7.
You can use an outdoor surveillance camera if you park the car outside your home. Modern cameras come with AI and software, and you can check the footage live from your smartphone. Such wireless cameras also are easy to install and maintain. You can install a camera in your backyard or near the place where you can monitor your car properly, if possible, just above your car’s parking space.
But, you need to ensure the camera doesn’t point towards your neighbours. Otherwise, that can create a big problem for you.
On the other hand, the best possible idea is to use a car tracking device or a tracking tile with an in-built GPS facility. This way, you can check the live location of your car in case of theft. But, such gadgets do not offer live footage of what is happening inside or around the car.
If you have an old phone, like an old iPhone or an android phone, you can use its front cam or rear cam for live recording. For this, you will need a solar charger to ensure the phone gets round-the-clock power. But, this solution is also complicated and requires extensive technical knowledge.
Conclusion
Setting up a car surveillance camera 24*7 is difficult due to multiple issues, including the power supply and the battery drainage. So, you need to find alternatives for this.
It is ideal that you install a dashcam inside the car and record everything while it is running on the streets. While parking in public, park in a parking zone with surveillance cameras or near a public surveillance camera. In your home, park it near where you can install a surveillance camera.
