Everybody knows that security cameras increase the security of your house. Keeping your house under a watchful eye of the camera is a good way of ensuring that people will not mess with your property. A proper security system will have motion activated cameras and an alarm system which lets you know if there is any suspicious activity. People who are worried about the security of their home or offices end up installing security cameras to keep burglars away.

Some people saw that burglars and other bad characters tend to stay away from houses with security cameras. They came up with an idea – why not fake security cameras? If the main purpose of security cameras is to act as a deterrent, then a fake security camera and a real one will deliver the same protection. Thieves will look at the camera and avoid the home/office, resulting in increased security.

This idea has spread so much that you can now go and buy fake security cameras to set up around your home. However, before you entrust the security of your home to fake security cameras, let’s look at them and their effects in detail. Let’s see the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Fake Security Cameras

The fake security camera sounds very dumb but the reality is that it does have a few advantages. Here are the benefits you can expect if you have fake security cameras.

Savings

If you choose between fake and real cameras, you will end up saving a lot of money on the fake cameras, for obvious reasons. A real camera can connect to the internet, to your home security system, has actual camera parts inside, while a fake security camera is just the body of the camera with no internals.

Ease of installation

Since these are fake cameras, you don’t have to worry about installing them either. With real cameras, you have to set up a whole system. You need connectivity and power to ensure that your cameras can run and broadcast the video to the security system which saves the video. With the fake cameras, you just have to nail them to the wall and you are done.

Amateur thieves will be deterred

Fake cameras are great at deterring small time or amateur thieves. If there is someone around your house who you think may be the one stealing things from your house, a fake camera will probably keep them away. They will look at the camera and realize that they will be in trouble if you take the video to the police, so they will stay away and not mess with your stuff.

Disadvantages of Fake Security Cameras

So fake security cameras do have some advantages, but now let’s look at the other side of the coin. Here are the disadvantages of fake security cameras.

Encourage professional thieves

Fake cameras will end up deterring small time thieves but on professional thieves and other criminals, they have the opposite effect. If they detect that you have a fake security camera, it basically gives them carte blanche to do as they feel around your house. At that point, not having a fake security camera will make your house safer.

Easy to Detect

Wondering how professional thieves will even find out that the security cameras are fake? The reason is that it is quite easy to tell. It isn’t easy to tell for you or for your neighbors – but for anyone who has dealt with security cameras, it is. It will only take professionals a few seconds to realize that a security camera is fake. There are little imperfections in the fake security cameras which give away the truth. Then, there’s the fact that you can just look at the lens of the camera and instantly differentiate between a fake camera and a real security camera.

Increases workplace liability

You should never install a fake security camera in a workplace. It opens you up to major liability issues. If everyone in the office thinks that they have security, but in reality they do not, they can take legal action against you. The false sense of security given by fake security cameras is basically a fraud. Sure, at home you won’t face this problem, but never think of using fakes in a professional setting.

As it must be plain by now, the disadvantages of fake security cameras easily outweigh the benefits.

Alternatives to Fake Security Cameras

Thinking about what you will do now that you know fake security cameras don’t work? Here are some alternative solutions.

Real Security Cameras

Yes, the obvious alternative solution is to get real security cameras. Security cameras are no longer prohibitively expensive. You should be able to pick a good one from a store near you or a website at very reasonable rates. Installing a whole home security system is an investment, but simply getting a camera or two is not a major expense.

Get a Dog

If you are truly worried about security and don’t want to get a home security system, you should get a dog. You get great companionship and security at the same time.

Motion Activated Lights

Motion Activated Lights are also great at making your home more secure. They don’t record the culprits but if anyone is doing anything suspicious around your house, these lights will lit up. It immediately puts a spotlight on whoever is outside your house which will make them run away. It also brings your house to the attention of anyone around – they’ll be curious what caused the lights to turn on.

The real solution is to get a full home security system. Yet, it is an investment but a home security system genuinely makes you and your family safer. Plus, if you ever sell the house, you can add the cost of the security system to the price you are asking for your house. Don’t spend money on security theatre – get the real deal instead.