DIY surveillance camera casing. Options for cheap DIY video surveillance. Surveillance video camera from a smartphone

Explaining the reasons why citizens of a vast country purchase and install home video surveillance systems is just a useless waste of time, everything is already on the surface. Today, even a schoolchild understands the importance of video monitoring and recording information. The main reason preventing the mass installation of video cameras is associated with the considerable cost of the equipment, so the problem is not how to make home video surveillance. Most of us would like to make the system as efficient as possible and at the same time for little money.

What you need to know to organize video surveillance at home

Installation of any video surveillance system to obtain information within households does not require special permissions or documentation of actions. But this does not mean that a video surveillance system can be made anywhere and anyhow; there are certain organizational difficulties.

Before you make video surveillance yourself, you need to consider the following features of using such systems:

• If possible, locations for CCTV cameras should be selected so that the perimeter around the house is completely covered by the shooting field. The best option would be a rokada - the location and body of each camera will be within the field of view of the neighboring video camera, while some of the video recorders are made in a hidden format;
• Planning home video surveillance at a dacha or country house in real time only makes sense if there is a communication channel with a capacity of at least 1 Mbit/s for one camera, which is quite problematic for rural areas, so for a dacha, garage or parking lot, the principle of planning video surveillance radically different from the home version;
• When planning the layout of CCTV cameras at home, you need to take into account that the cameras should only film the home area. If the lenses of street video cameras are aimed at protected objects, for example, a bank, the entrance to a police station or a neighboring parking lot, then sooner or later you will have to explain things to law enforcement agencies.

Advice! Choosing the right location for placing home video surveillance cameras is the most difficult task; the technical part of the work, installation and installation of equipment is quite possible to do with your own hands.

You should not copy standard diagrams, which are a dime a dozen on the Internet and specialized publications. All of them have long been known to the criminal element, therefore they are extremely vulnerable. In our case, the lack of resources and equipment has to be compensated professional approach and ingenuity.

The second problem is purchasing high-quality and cheap equipment for home video surveillance. The task is not easy, making the necessary purchases is quite possible, you just need to look at the maximum number of reviews about such systems and not take the recommendations of the selling companies to heart.

Double approach

Professional design of home video surveillance involves the use of two independent network segments. The first segment is built from 4-5 cameras around the perimeter, at the entrance and inside the house; it is imperative to make video surveillance with recording and periodic uploading of the archive to the cloud on the Internet. For a DVR with a hard drive, you will need to make a protected fire-resistant box, and the monitor or computer through which home CCTV cameras are controlled should be placed away from the eyes of guests and visitors.

The second segment consists of one hidden IP camera connected through a separate router channel to the cloud and, preferably, to a smartphone. It is clear that the camera needs to be pointed at the home video surveillance control system and positioned in such a way as to make it impossible to block it.

This solution allows you to make your home system as fault-tolerant as possible, despite the fact that the total cost of the video surveillance project will increase by only 20%, but it is worth it.

Building a home video surveillance system

The diagram of the simplest video surveillance complex is shown in the figure below. In fact, this is a standard solution that answers the most asked question - how to make video surveillance from a computer. Essentially, this is a home desktop computer or laptop to which USB cameras are connected. Any person more or less familiar with computer technology can make such a home surveillance system.

This system has several disadvantages:

• High energy consumption, if the system is made on the basis of a regular desktop computer, then this is at least an increase in energy consumption by 100 kW/h;
• If the cameras are connected to the USB1 connector, the cable can be extended 15-50 m, but the quality at best is 352x288. For USB2, the video camera can be installed at a maximum distance of 5 m, but the image can be taken at 704x288;
• To organize home video surveillance, you will need to purchase expensive vandal-proof outdoor cameras or think about how to make a video surveillance camera for the street at home.

Advice! As an option, you can install the IP video camera body in a metal box with safety glass, for example, from a powerful halogen lamp.

Installation in a protective case will make the camcorder resistant to impacts, bird landings and winter weather. If you correctly orient the lens relative to the protective glass, the loss of image quality will not exceed 10%. This is a small loss, given the fact that the video camera can operate successfully at air temperatures from -16 o C to +45 o C.

Home video surveillance will work even longer if you provide a rain shelter and a heating system for the equipment. To avoid being “shot” from a slingshot or crossbow, the body is often covered with a sheet of cast polycarbonate, and “horns” made of an aluminum profile are installed in the upper part above the lens. A simple device protects against attempts to throw a rag over the lens using a fishing rod or put a garbage bag on it.

The cameras are connected to the router, but you can only view the image from them remotely one by one or look for a way to connect a cheap Internet channel with throughput up to 400 MB.

Typical version of a video surveillance system at home

You can make video surveillance of the first segment as effective as possible by simply including a separate DVR in the scheme. Rough plan The construction of the equipment is shown in the diagram.

The equipment set will include:

• Four HiWatch DS-T101 CMOS video cameras with a coverage range of daytime up to 50 m and 20 m at night. Today this is one of the best options for inexpensive home video surveillance systems in terms of price-quality ratio. Cost -1350 rub.;
• DVR model HiWatch DS-H104G. Hybrid version designed to work with video images High Quality in 720 lines. Works with four analogue video cameras and saves images to an additional hard drive. Cost 4000 rub.;
• Cable with BNC connectors, for RUB 1,600;
• A video monitor, any old one, with the ability to work in multi-screen mode, preferably with a diagonal of at least 22 inches to “squeeze in” four pictures, the price has not been determined.

For your information! As a result, you can make a home video surveillance system for a minimum of 8-10 thousand rubles. Buying a ready-made kit, without installation, will cost at least 35-40 thousand.

The system can be connected to a home router or you can make an independent connection through a separate modem and a closed channel; in principle, this does not affect the quality, but will require additional rental costs.

The model listed is optimal for making a reliable and effective video surveillance system. Despite its Chinese origin, the T101 camera turned out to be of very decent quality; it’s not for nothing that the manufacturer was able to provide a 2-year warranty on the product. HiWatch T101 demonstrates a good resolution of 1.3 megapixels, with a viewing angle from 97° to 30°, an increased viewing area and the ability to produce a color image. This is enough to do home surveillance of the entrance and problem areas of a house with an area of ​​80-100 m2 and, even more so, to do video surveillance in the apartment.

First of all, the home video surveillance system must be made noise-resistant. If you plan to install video surveillance equipment in a normal wooden house, then you will need to lay out metal corrugations or cable channels that will not be cut by intruders, chewed by mice or accidentally damaged during home repairs. In an apartment, the coaxial cable can be hidden in grooved niches in the walls under the baseboard.

Nuances of planning the coverage area of ​​a CCTV camera

Before choosing a particular camera, it's a good idea to know about its practical capabilities. The range and coverage area of ​​a home video surveillance system largely depends on the viewing angle of the lens. As a rule, two shooting options are used - wide-angle and narrow-angle.

In the diagram above, you can see and draw a conclusion about how a home video camera will “see” the same landscape. With a large opening angle, the video surveillance system will capture a huge width, but with a short shooting range. The optimal sharpness and depth of the image is within 90-45 o, this is enough to clearly see the picture at a distance of 6-7 m. To monitor home entrance doors or gates, 2-3 m is enough, so for such a video surveillance camera it would be optimal 90-120 o.

Second segment home video surveillance system

To organize home video recording of one fixed object - a computer, the entrance to a house, a safe or an alarm remote control, it is not necessary to purchase expensive specialized equipment; the issue can be solved by installing a suitable web camera. One option is Hikvision DS-2CD2412F-IW. Thanks to the built-in network interface, it can be directly connected to the router using an Ethernet cable.

After installing the appropriate software, the image can be saved on the card and subsequently transferred to storage on the Internet cloud. There is no humming hard drive or rustling of the optical adjustment mechanism, which allows you to make your home video surveillance system completely hidden. Even if an attacker wants to damage it, he is unlikely to be able to do so, and the video files will still end up in cloud storage.

After registering an account in the storage, usually in such services it becomes possible to view saved video files in personal account. It is clear that this can be done from almost anywhere where there is Internet, using a smartphone or tablet.

Often you need to quickly make home video surveillance using improvised means. The easiest way to solve the problem is with a camera on a smartphone, especially since in modern models the level of optics and matrices allows you to shoot at home at a fairly high resolution.

Before you make a video surveillance camera from your phone, you will need to complete a simple procedure for installing special software:

• Download and install the IP Webcam application on your smartphone;
• We register an account in a cloud service, for example, Ivideon, and connect the account to the installed application;
• In the video settings, set the bitrate parameters to -1200 Kbps and resolution to 1280x720.

The result is a miniature home video surveillance system that, using a phone server application, will send a video stream in a secure format to the service cloud. As a bonus, you can configure the receipt of push notifications for specific markers. For example, when a picture changes or a sound signal occurs at a video surveillance location.

How to make a video surveillance archive

If a home video surveillance system uses 4 high-resolution analog cameras, then the DVR will produce at least 10 GB of information per week. The most reliable versions of 500 GB discs will be full in a week or two; making copies is also not an option; there is no point in storing such a number of DVD discs. Dumping such a volume into the Internet cloud is quite problematic, especially since you will have to pay for storing large volumes.

You will need to make a personal archive of home video footage. Typically, video files are viewed in accelerated mode and mercilessly cut empty frames where there is no movement or events. So, from 100 GB you can make 1 GB in a couple of hours. As a result, instead of 1 TB of monthly information, you can make 10 GB, for a year 120 GB, which can easily fit on a backup disk.

Conclusion

Competent construction of a home video surveillance system will require great patience. As the first months of observations are filmed, it will gradually become clear what the shortcomings of the video camera system are and how to make them work more efficiently. Therefore, before installing the equipment and cable in a permanent manner, you can work for the first month according to a temporary scheme, for example, on wireless structures.

Despite the complexity of the design of modern cameras, the camera has only two required elements: a light-tight body with means of controlled light transmission and a photosensitive medium.

The main difference between a pinhole camera and conventional cameras is the use of a tiny hole instead of a lens.

Back in the 10th century, the Arab mathematician and scientist Alhazen discovered that light, passing through a tiny hole in the wall of a dark room, is projected onto the opposite surface. Before the advent of photosensitive media, artists used this optical effect. Projecting an image onto a wall opposite the light source made it possible to quickly and easily reproduce paintings with photographic accuracy.

The simplest devices for transmitting an image to the opposite surface are pinhole cameras. They helped not only artists, but also astronomers. The first documented use of this optical effect during the observation of a solar eclipse dates back to 1544.

A pinhole camera uses the optical effect achieved by a pinhole camera. A hole is made in the front of the camera body, through which the image is projected onto the film.

What do you need to make a camera with your own hands?

• A large piece of foam board 5 mm thick. It can be found in art stores and framing workshops.
• A piece of thin metal 2 × 2 cm (can be cut from a tin can).
• Three spools of 35 mm film (can be pulled out from exposed and expired films).
• Ballpoint pen of cylindrical shape.
• Black acrylic paint.
• Universal glue for creativity.
• A sharp knife for cutting foam board.
• Ruler.
• Thin needle. It is better to take a needle for airbrushes or intradermal injections. The diameter of the resulting hole should not be more than 0.4 mm.
• Fine-grit sandpaper.
• Flashlight.

How to make a pinhole camera?

Components of a pinhole camera

Assemble the outer shell

The camera body will consist of two parts: the outer shell and the hole side. Start by assembling the outer shell. Cut out the necessary elements from the foam board: the back surface, the top, the bottom, two side parts and the slot for the rewind head.

Outer shell details

Secure the cut parts with glue. The outer shell is ready.

Outer shell

Assemble the rewind head

To do this you will need to connect the handset ballpoint pen with part of a film reel. Remember that the rewind control should not be glued. It is fixed only when the outer shell and the side with the hole are connected.

Rewind head made from a reel and a ballpoint pen

Assemble the side with the hole

Cut out a front with a hole in the center, a top with two holes, a bottom, two sides, two spacers, a take-up spool spacer, and two film blockers.

Camera front parts

Connect all the resulting parts using glue. The side with the hole is ready.

Front part of the camera

Install the take-up reel

Glue two film spools together by passing one of them through the hole in the top of the housing on the right side. Please note that the connecting parts of the coils must be sanded so that the gap between the discs is 11 mm. Do not overdo it with glue; the spool should rotate.

Take-up reel made from two reels of waste films

Make a hole in a piece of metal

Use an airbrush or intradermal injection needle for this. If you only have sewing needles, choose the thinnest one and make a hole with its tip. Place something underneath the metal and use a hammer to make a hole. Many people recommend another method: place the needle in the eraser of a pencil and screw it into the metal.

Sand the edges of the hole with sandpaper. Glue the resulting plate to the front side of the camera from the inside between the spacers. The hole in the foam board must be completely covered with metal.

Fabricate and install the shutter

Cut two curved gaskets, a ring and a valve from foam board. The valve and gaskets can be cut from a circle that matches the size of the ring.

Shutter parts

Glue the gaskets and ring to the body. Once the glue has dried, try inserting the shutter. If it is too tight, sand the edges.

Camera shutter

Finish the pinhole chamber

Go into a dark room and use a flashlight to check if there are any cracks where light can pass through. Use black paint to fill gaps.

Film is a fairly sensitive medium that is easily scratched even in . If you want to avoid defects in the frame, then stick strips of soft cloth on those parts of the camera that come into contact with the film.

Pinhole camera assembled and ready to use

Now take out a roll of film and get ready to take pictures with your first pinhole.

How to refill the film?

To load the film, place the pinhole with the hole down, with the bottom facing you. Insert the film so that the protruding part of the spool fits between the spacers and the flat side of the cassette is on top. Pull the film to the take-up spool and secure with . Don't forget the tape when you wind the film back into the cassette.

Film fixed in a camera

Check if everything works by winding the take-up reel a couple of turns. The rewind head must rotate. Connect the front panel to the outer shell of the camera. Pinhole is ready for shooting.

How do you rewind the film?

The pinhole lacks a frame counter and a lock that allows you to rewind a frame based on its size. You will have to count the limit of remaining pictures manually, and rewind by eye. Rewinding a frame is approximately equal to one and a half turns of the take-up reel. For convenience, you can put a mark on it.

How to determine exposure?

Anyone familiar with photography knows that the size of the aperture directly affects the shutter speed of the photo. The smaller the hole, the longer the shutter speed. When dealing with a pinhole, you should prepare for a long wait: the exposure time will be much longer than usual. The exposure time is also affected by the sensitivity of the film.

Be prepared to spend the first film measuring the ideal exposure time. You will need a light meter (you can use the light meter built into another camera or an app on your smartphone), film (ISO 200 or ISO 100), a visual landscape to experiment with, and patience.

You can install one of these applications:

• PinholeMeter. Light meter designed to work with a pinhole. Select the film speed and aperture value and point the camera at what you want to photograph. The application will calculate the amount of time required to create a high-quality photo.

• LightMeter. A simple and convenient exposure meter. It won’t calculate the shutter speed for a pinhole, but it will help to make analogies.

If you followed the instructions and managed to maintain all the dimensions (the distance from the front wall to the film and the diameter of the hole itself), then the aperture value of your pinhole camera will be f/75–f/80. Knowing this, you can use a pinhole calculator to calculate the exposure time. Use the light meter and the table provided on the website to find matches.

If the calculated exposure time turns out to be incorrect, then double-check all the original data and recalculate the aperture value. Aperture value ( F stop) is the distance from the hole to the film ( Focal Length), divided by the hole diameter ( Pinhole Diameter). The unit of measurement for all values ​​is millimeters.

How to get clear footage?

The exposure time, calculated in minutes, suggests that the camera will have to be placed on a hard surface or attached to a tripod. Remember that camera shake when the shutter opens. Therefore, close the hole with your hand until the camera is fixed on the selected surface.

Every year, video surveillance becomes more and more accessible, and those wishing to install it are also growing exponentially. Someone is tired of fighting with petty hooligans in their yard or someone constantly has their tires punctured or their car scratched, and they simply want to know the face of this scoundrel, while others are thinking about the additional security of their home and property.

And in general, you can name countless situations where video surveillance can be useful, but if everyone’s budget allows them to purchase components, then obviously not everyone will want to pay for installation, and in this case, installing video surveillance yourself will be the best way out of the situation.

Our article will tell you about 5 options for its installation, or rather about 5 types of video surveillance that are available to everyone and have the greatest relevance today, and will help you understand this seemingly difficult question - “how to make video surveillance with your own hands?” Each of these types of video surveillance can be easily installed independently, but if you have already decided which option is most suitable for you, then the text of the article will provide useful links to articles that tell in detail about the installation of each type. So, read on.

DIY IP video surveillance

IP video surveillance

Today IP video surveillance is perhaps the most the best option, of course, in cases where it is possible to connect to the Internet. Its main advantage is its absence, which allows you to both save on purchasing it and not have to entangle everything with wires.

This also allows you to install an IP camera almost anywhere in the local area/apartment/entrance, etc. But for relatively remote objects (dacha, garage, etc.) this type of video surveillance is clearly not suitable, since it is not suitable for transmitting images from the camera your computer needs good coverage wi-fi networks, which means that all cameras should be a short distance from the router. But an option in such cases is an additional purchase of a 3G/4G modem with wi-fi (however, it is better that there is reliable 4G coverage at the site where the cameras are installed, otherwise you will have to limit yourself to analog cameras), then connecting CCTV cameras to it and transmitting the image in Internet. IP cameras will be good option providing, if necessary, a clear and detailed picture. The cost of a set of one camera starts from 2000 rubles.

Let's start installing IP video surveillance with our own hands.

Step 1: Software. As a rule, IP cameras come with a free disk with software, and first we need to install it on the computer.

Step 2. Connect the router. If you already have a router connected to your computer via Wi-Fi, then proceed to the third step; if not, then read on. The router must be connected to the computer via Wi-Fi. To do this, connect it to the power supply and insert the network cable. After that, we connect the router to the computer, and go to the settings - enter a standard IP address, such as 192.168.1.1, into the browser search window. Enter the login and password (usually the login is admin, and the password is also admin or four or eight zeros - 0000 or 00000000). Then we configure the wi-fi settings and connect to the router via a wireless network by unplugging the network cable from the computer connector.

Step 3. Connecting cameras. Having installed the program from the disk included in the kit, we connect our camera to the power supply and connect it to the router via a network cable. Next, directly in the package installed on the computer, we configure the wi-fi network parameters (enter the key, encryption type, etc.), and disconnect the network cable. After the camera reboots, it will automatically connect to the router via a wireless network, and you will be able to observe the image transmitted by the camera. In this article we will not analyze all the intricacies of connecting an IP camera; for this purpose, the site has detailed description all steps.

Wireless video surveillance via radio channel

Connection diagram for a wireless video surveillance camera via radio channel

To install wireless video surveillance with your own hands, we will need to mount video cameras in the intended locations and connect them to a power source - this is done using a power supply.

Some cameras have the ability to be powered via a battery – “Krona”, and the operating time can be from 4 to 6 hours. You can also use a battery as an additional power source.

Next, we power the digital recorder from the network, to which we connect a TV or regular monitor. Most video cameras have a built-in microphone, so in addition to the image, it can also transmit sound. When you turn on the DVR, images from all installed cameras should appear on the monitor screen. The entire video stream from the cameras is recorded on a memory card or external hard drive - if desired, you can set recording by motion, according to a schedule, or continuous recording.

Also, if necessary, it is possible to connect a fire alarm sensor and a siren to the recorder, which turns on for a certain period of time when a signal is received from the sensor. If you want to receive an alert when a sensor is triggered directly to your mobile phone, you will have to additionally install a special GSM alarm system in the form of a separate unit with a built-in GSM module and SIM card.

Video surveillance in the apartment via web camera

Video surveillance in the apartment via web camera

Due to the limited cable length, this type of video surveillance is only suitable if it is located in close proximity to the computer, but however, this issue is partially resolved by purchasing a USB extension cable. Using a web camera, you can do video surveillance in the entrance with your own hands, in the apartment, or from the window of the apartment behind local area or a car in the yard. This kind of video surveillance is perhaps the simplest of all those proposed in this article, since connecting a web camera to a computer is within the capabilities of anyone who knows how to use it. Among other things, it is also the most economical - the cost of a web camera starts from literally a few hundred rubles. So, let's look at how to install video surveillance with your own hands using a cheap web camera.

As usual, it all starts with connecting the camera to a PC and installing the program from the disk included with the camera. Once you launch the program, you will immediately see the image transmitted by the camera. After that, install it in the intended location, set up motion recording if necessary, and use your mouse to paint over the area, if motion occurs in which an alarm will sound from the computer speakers, and a message with an image from the camera will be sent to your email. To prevent false alarms, you need to adjust the sensitivity.

Video surveillance via the Internet

Video surveillance online

Video surveillance via the Internet can be carried out in the following way. A regular or DVR video recorder is purchased, and several analog cameras are connected to it. The cost of a DVR depends on the connectors for surveillance cameras - as their number increases, the price increases exponentially, because processing signals from a large number of cameras requires a more powerful processor.

The simplest and cheapest option for such video surveillance is analog cameras. But if you don’t want to bother with wires, you can also connect wireless ones. If you plan to record from CCTV cameras and store an archive, you will need to additionally purchase a hard drive for these purposes.

So, let’s install video surveillance via the Internet with our own hands. First of all, you need to place the cameras in their places and connect them to the power supply, as well as connect the wires to the recorder if analog video cameras are installed. Next, we power the DVR itself from the network, and connect a monitor to it to monitor what is happening. In addition, the monitor may need to be connected to local network and setting recording parameters. Then we need to connect the DVR to the router, or simply insert a network cable into it. Now we configure the network parameters and access via the Internet, and enjoy the result.

Also, recently more and more manufacturers are creating video surveillance systems for their systems, and by purchasing one, you can simply insert the network cable into the connector of the DVR, which itself will connect to the manufacturer’s service. And you, without additional dances with a tambourine and various dedicated IP addresses, will be able to safely view the video stream from cameras on any device connected to the Internet.

Hidden video surveillance

Mini camera ambertek-rs101 with internal Micro SD storage, ~ 2500 rubles

There are cases when the need arises - for example, to avoid damage to cameras by ill-wishers, if they are installed away from home, for example, in a country house. But in any case, the law does not allow us to video monitor other people without their knowledge, so it is worth taking additional care of organizing warning stickers or signs in the area where CCTV cameras are installed - it will still be difficult for attackers to guess the location of the cameras, and you will protect yourself from breaking the law.

So, we buy cameras and a recorder - there are special ones for covert video surveillance purposes, secure them, and carefully disguise them. You can also try to disguise and regular cameras video surveillance. We must install all equipment in a secluded and hard-to-reach place, and protect cameras from exposure environment.

Next, we connect all our cameras to the recorder via wires, or by wireless connection, we set up the system - if remote video surveillance is necessary, we set up transmission via the Internet (in this case, you need to purchase an additional router and 3G/4G modem to transmit the video stream to the Internet). If there is no need for video surveillance via the Internet, then we simply set up recording from cameras to the hard drive, and to save space we set up motion-based recording. On your next visit to the dacha, we simply look through the recorded material, and finally recognize the faces of those who like to profit from the results of your work - who knows, maybe it’s just your neighbor, who, when talking about the fact that your strawberries have been harvested again, every time he makes a surprised expression faces and throws up his hands?

So, this is where we end the story, we hope that this article will be useful to you, and will help you make video surveillance with your own hands, or simply lead to some useful thoughts regarding this issue that concerns you and help you choose the video surveillance option that is suitable for your case. Good luck!

Someone periodically rummages through your things, but you don’t know how to catch this person? Whether it's a friend, family member, colleague or blood enemy, you can use hidden camera to stop unceremonious interference in your personal space.

Steps

Place the camera in a piece of furniture

Buy an inexpensive webcam. You can find a suitable model for a price of several hundred rubles. Do an online search for the phrase “inexpensive webcam.”

Disassemble the camera body. Inside you will find a board with optics attached to it. This will make the camera much smaller and easier to hide.

Select a location to install the hidden camera. Let your imagination run wild! The camera will not be so noticeable if you place it inside some ordinary object. It must be something that is usually present in your room or office. If an object appears in a room that should not be there, it may arouse suspicion.

• For example, find an old electric pencil sharpener that no one uses. You can take out its internal parts and place the camera eye into the pencil hole. Simply unscrew the sharpener body, remove the motor from it, remove the wires and power cord. Don't forget to unplug the sharpener first!
• Try using a cardboard shoe box or tissue box. Cut a small hole in the side of the box through which the camera can “peek” out. It should not be too large so as not to arouse anyone's suspicion!
• Consider mounting the camera on a bag or gift box. Again, make a small hole on the side of the bag. It will be less noticeable if the surface of the bag has a 3D texture or pattern. On a black or dark bag the camera will be even less noticeable.
• Consider placing a hidden camera among the leaves of a houseplant or in a secluded corner of a bookshelf where no one is likely to look. Make sure the camera is pointed in the direction you want to shoot.

1. Place the camera inside an object that disguises it. Point the camera eye into the hole prepared for it. Make sure the camera is well hidden in the item and is not conspicuous.

   • If you expect the camera item to move around, consider supergluing the camera securely to it. Apply glue to the outer ring of the camera optics to adhere it to the hole. Do not apply glue too close to the lenses themselves, as this will cause the lenses to form a coating from the drying glue fumes, which will be very difficult to remove, so the quality of the photo may become blurry.

2. Secure fishing weights inside the item with tape or glue to prevent it from appearing unusually light. This is especially important when installing the camera inside equipment (sharpeners, watches and similar weighty objects).

   • If you don't have fishing weights, any heavy enough piece of metal will do. Be careful with metal objects that have sharp, jagged edges.

3. Pass the USB cable (the cable for connecting the camera to the computer) through the back of the object masking the camera. If the wire is not very long, you will have to place this item close to the computer.

   • Cover the USB cable with something. Carelessly laid out papers or an abandoned jacket are suitable for this, but everything should look natural. If it is clearly visible that a pencil sharpener is connected to your computer, then an attacker will probably suspect something is wrong.

4. If you hide a camera inside a device, consider creating a sign for it that says "out of order" so that no one would think of using it. If someone tries to turn on this device, they will most likely detect your camera.

   Point the camera at the desired location. Think of yourself as a filmmaker setting the scene: think about what you want to prove with the footage and how you might capture the suspect's face.

   • If you just want someone to stay away from your room, say a pesky sibling, point the camera at the door so you can capture the person entering the room.
   • If you want to stop certain unwanted behavior from other people, such as getting a sibling to stop taking your clothes without permission or stopping a co-worker from stealing office supplies from your desk, aim the camera to capture the events that interest you.
   • If you want to film a range of criminal activities indoors, position the camera further away so that the image captured covers a wide enough area of ​​the room. Consider installing two cameras at once, just hide them in different objects.

   Use your phone as a hidden camera

   1. Buy a smartphone. Any old model of Android phone, iPhone or iPod with network access will do - anything on which you can install the application and connect to the Internet.

      • Remember that the phone itself will be a hidden camera housing. Therefore, you will not be able to use it for any other purpose while shooting. It's best to use a phone that you won't need on a regular basis; You can purchase an old phone from a friend or from a used phone store.
      • You must have a charger for your phone. Taking continuous video shots is a power-intensive process, so you'll have to keep your phone plugged into power.

   2. Remember the network address (URL) provided by the video recording application. You will need it when connecting your phone to your computer.

      Connect your phone to your computer. Make sure both devices are connected to the same wireless network. You can remotely monitor what is happening on your computer and record a video stream from your phone. Use any video player with the ability to display streaming video for this purpose, for example, VLC or Windows Media Player.

      • If you're using VLC, click Open Streaming Video in the Media menu and enter the URL provided by the video app installed on your phone. After entering the URL, you will be able to connect to your phone camera.
      • Free programs like VLC and Windows Media Player are great for watching webcam video streams on your computer, but they won't provide high-quality recording. If you want to get serious about organizing video surveillance, consider using more expensive software to work with streaming video from webcams.

   3. Place the camera in the desired location. The phone will need to be charged, so plan your location accordingly. Point your phone's camera at the area of ​​the room you want to capture, being careful not to drop the phone.

      • It will be quite enough to casually lean the phone against a wall or a stack of books, especially if it lies on its side.
      • You can hide your phone in a piece of furniture. To do this, refer to the information contained in the section “Place the camera in a piece of furniture.”
      • Turn off sound and vibration on your phone, especially if your phone is not set to receive calls and messages. A loud call at the wrong time can completely ruin your plans.

   4. Secure your network connection. Consider installing a secure, password-protected wireless network. If you connect the camera to an unsecured or public network, then anyone logged into this network will be able to connect to it and see the scene being filmed.

      • Ask your Internet service provider about secure network options. If you use wireless Internet, you should be able to set a password for the network connection through the router.

   5. Watch the video stream through your computer. If you need to leave the house, you can connect to a public wi-fi network in a cafe, restaurant or library.

   Take a Shoot

   Familiarize yourself with the laws regarding video recording. If video recording is made inside your own home or in a public place, then it is usually considered legally acceptable. Every citizen has the right to privacy protection, so installing video devices in office premises, toilets and fitting rooms violates the rights of citizens and is not recognized as legal, even if carried out to prevent theft of personal property.

   1. Download a webcam video recording program. Enter the search query “free webcam video recording program” and install the found program on your computer.

      • You can use Windows Movie Maker or iVideo if you already have them installed on your computer. Look at the list of programs in the Start menu (the button in the lower left corner of the Windows desktop) to see what programs are installed on your system.

   2. Connect the USB cable to your computer. When you leave the room or just to start recording video, launch the appropriate program and click the “Record” button in it.

      • Cover the USB cord with something so that it does not give an obvious indication of the location of the hidden webcam. Books, papers, and even an abandoned jacket are quite suitable for this.

   3. If you already have a computer webcam, consider using it for video recording purposes. This will be quite cunning on your part only if your video camera is usually always located near the computer.

      • Keep in mind that while this method is straightforward, an attacker will be more wary if they notice a camera facing in their direction, even if they are unaware that it is filming.
      • Don't forget to turn off, hide, or disable the LED that indicates the webcam is operating. The presence of a “recording light” will inform the attacker that he is being watched.

   4. Remember to turn off your computer monitor screen. If it is turned on, the attacker will immediately see the image sent from the video camera to the screen, which will reveal information about the ongoing video surveillance. To catch the intruder, you must maintain stealth mode.

      • If you have a desktop computer, you can turn off the monitor and leave only the system unit running.
      • If you are using a laptop, you can enable the screen to sleep while the recording program is running. You can also try covering the laptop a little before the screen turns off, but not until it closes completely. It will appear to be turned off, but will still continue to work.

   5. Continue video surveillance until you receive the necessary recordings. Leave the camera on when you think the event you're interested in is most likely to happen. If you cannot confidently determine the appropriate time for this, then leave the camera running as often as possible.

      • If over time you still haven’t managed to capture anything, reconsider the situation. Was the violation of your personal space an isolated incident? Could an attacker find a way to trick your video camera?

   Use footage evidence

   1. Use a program with video editing functions to trim a specific moment of the crime. Your computer may already have a program pre-installed with these features (Windows Movie Maker or iVideo); otherwise you will need to download from the Internet free program for video editing.

      • Make sure that the prepared video file proves your case. Whether it's witnessing your brother stealing your things or a co-worker stealing office supplies from your desk, the video should start a few seconds before the specific event and end a few seconds after it ends.
      • Save the trimmed evidence video as a separate file, but do not delete the original. Sometimes additional evidence can be obtained even at a moment when you do not expect it at all. You may find something else interesting as you watch the rest of the video.
      • There is no need to immediately report the installation of a hidden camera. It may still be useful to you in case the person does not stop his actions even after talking with you. If he decides to continue his inappropriate behavior, then you should not show him the evidence you have.
      • If an attacker knows that you have installed a hidden camera and finds out its location, he will probably find a way to avoid being captured on video. Therefore, do not reveal your trump card to him.

   2. Forgive the attacker, but do not forget what happened. Some people don't immediately learn from their mistakes after being caught red-handed the first time. You should be well aware of the kind of person you are dealing with; even if you catch him in the act, it may not stop him.

      • Consider turning on the camera at a time when you think the attacker will return to shady dealings. It never hurts to play it safe.
      • If the problem continues, report it to an authorized person. If we're talking about about your brother or sister, tell your parents. If a co-worker is the source of the problem, notify higher-ups. If it is a criminal offense, contact the police.
   • If your camera's LED turns on while recording, turn it off.
   • If the camera is equipped with a microphone, make a small hole in the object hiding the camera to capture sound and cover it with a “out of order” sign.
   • If you have a Macintosh, download Macam from . This is a great program as it will allow you to create both videos and photos. However, remember that many webcams are not compatible with Macintosh computers.

   Warnings

   • When disclosing information about the evidence you have, tell your sibling and parents that you left a regular video camera on in the room. Don't reveal your secret weapon.
   • Keep in mind that it is generally illegal to film people without their consent in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as bathrooms or their private quarters.

Not so long ago, fishermen did not even know about the existence of such a device as an underwater camera. Now many fishing enthusiasts have been able to correctly evaluate all the advantages of such a device in the conditions of a reservoir with fish. At the same time, there are many fishermen who have a negative attitude towards such a modern device. Manufacturers of the device assure that it will bring a large number of benefits to the owner. Making an underwater camera for winter fishing with your own hands is not so difficult.

A homemade underwater video camera for fishing in winter helps you save money on purchasing a device from a store. The device allows you to examine the bottom topography in detail, find a suitable place for fishing, and also prepare all the necessary gear. Every professional and ordinary fisherman will need such an underwater camera in their arsenal.

Before you start making a video camera with your own hands, it is important to consider in detail all the advantages of such a device. Most often it is used in winter. To obtain specific information about the fishing area, the camera must be submerged under water. It will give the fisherman information about the presence of fish under the ice layer.

Also, an underwater camera helps to fully assess the general condition of the reservoir. When examining the water, it will be much easier to identify the depth and amount of vegetation underwater. Based on all the results, you can choose the more correct type of fishing and bait.

In addition, the camera gives the fisherman the opportunity to carefully observe the behavior of the fish. different types, its preference for a specific bait. This helps to take complete control of the fishing process. Such a device will help to clearly track the life of the inhabitants of the depths.

This device has some special features. The camera is the same as simple ground-based devices, but for shooting at depth it is important to equip it with additional illumination. Otherwise, the space under water will be very poorly visible on the screen.

The housing of the device must be waterproof. Therefore, when creating a device from a smartphone, it is very important to think through this issue. Today in stores you can find devices that can remain in a body of water for a long time. But for a smartphone it is important to create special protection against water penetration.

The optical device is placed in a body of water. Information from the camera is supplied to the screen via a special cable. Purchased devices also have an additional rotation function, but DIY devices are slightly limited in functionality.

A large number of functions are built into purchased models. In this case, the cost of the device plays a role. You can find cameras on sale, the price for which will vary from 6 to 45 thousand rubles.

A homemade camera for underwater photography must have all the distinctive parameters of purchased products. To begin with, it is important to consider the immersion depth of the surveillance device. To achieve this, it is important to create a completely sealed enclosure. The camera will have to withstand a lot of pressure.

The sensitivity of the optical device will determine its use under water. Sensitivity should be quite high level. It is also important to install the correct lighting. It should not be dim, otherwise the camera will not be able to catch every movement underwater. The strong brightness of the built-in flashlight also disrupts the operation of the device. The fish will be frightened by such a strong light and simply swim away.

As practice has shown, there is nothing difficult in creating a homemade camera for ice fishing. In this case, it is important to first prepare all the important parts for work, without which the shooting device simply will not work fully. To make an underwater camera with your own hands, you will need:

It is also very important to choose the right parts to create an underwater USB camera. Eg:

• It is important to choose small video cameras or film cameras. They will be most practical for use under water. It is important to remember how good their shooting mode is;
• The Riola underwater box in which the camera will be located must be completely sealed so that even a minimal amount of water does not enter the internal cavity. Also, the dimensions must fully correspond to the dimensions of the device.

A good image in a body of water and an overview of the space can only be obtained if you purchase a higher quality camera. When choosing, it is important to pay attention to the following parameters:

Assembling an underwater camera will consist of certain actions:

There is also a certain sense in buying a factory camera, since not every fisherman can independently create and configure such a device. Purchasing a ready-made device in a store has its advantages:

If we talk about creating a video camera for fishing, then there are both advantages and disadvantages in this process. The disadvantages include the overall dimensions of the product. Most often, factory models have small size and consume little energy. For their normal operation, you do not always need to carry a battery with you, which is heavy. main reason, why many fishermen go to create underwater devices - this is the high cost of store-bought products.

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