A system of outdoor security cameras can really be used to your advantage for marginal costs by selectively installing fake security cameras throughout your property. This is to take advantage of the idea that there are security cameras in the area and anyone with malicious intent will be on the lookout for a camera. They will try to perform their unruly activity somewhere where they believe is not under surveillance. Adding fake security cameras to your system will make people believe that more areas are being monitored than there really are.
Managing Risks
Of course, keep in mind that only low traffic areas or places where you do not have high vulnerabilities are candidates for fake cameras. You do not want to install a fake camera over something valuable that you cannot afford to have stolen or damaged. Ideally the current security cameras in the system are already monitoring high risk areas and the fake cameras are just extra. That is the premise of selective installation of fake cameras.
Another word of warning is not to use too many fake cameras because that increases the chances of it being discovered and the fallout could be worse than not have the fake surveillance cameras at all. In the mind of the offender, the integrity of your security system has been compromised and there is no respect for real cameras. They will think that it is fake just like the others and go on damaging or stealing things. So the question becomes how to make the fake security cameras appear real enough that no one would assume or question the validity of your monitoring system?
Fake Appearance
In a system of real cameras we want all cameras to appear real. This means that they look like real outdoor cameras built tough to withstand some physical stress. There are cheap flimsy plastic fake security cameras for sale that look like toys and will not make the cut. It might be enough to scare the cashier from taking money out of the register but a sophisticated burglar will know right away if the camera is too small or cheap looking.
The appearance is everything with a fake camera so if the current system has visible cameras, then it is a good idea to put up fake cameras in very visible places such as on a wall. If there are visible wires coming out of the camera, then make sure the fake camera has the same type of wires exposed. This should rarely be the case with outdoor security cameras in many situations because exposed wires are a very vulnerable weak point in the system.
Fake Security Camera with LED and Motion Sensors
Get a camera that matches the model of your real cameras. This means that if your real cameras have an LED light when powered on, you will want a fake security camera with LED lights that match your real live security cameras. If you use fixed position cameras, then you can get away with fixed fake cameras. Otherwise you will want a camera that matches the movement of your real camera. There are fake security cameras that have motion sensors to either turn on an LED or even follow the moving object. This can seem very real and scare most intruders.
Just make sure the fake security cameras look and act like the real cameras and install them in areas where the risk does not warrant the cost of buying and maintaining a real camera.