Michael started his professional career as a security-camera technician. Later, he started his own business of security-camera service, and it's been a decade that he’s...Read more
The first choice of burglars and thieves to enter a house is the door. And the second is the window. People secure the door very tightly but leave the windows weak, and they take advantage of that.
This is why having a security camera on the window can help you see what’s happening or happened there. A security camera that’s visible will grab attention and intruders will find a way to dodge that.
Which they can’t do, if they don’t know where the camera is! And that’s exactly why you should hide your security camera. Don’t stress yourself, if you don’t know how to hide a security camera in a window, because this article is all about that.
Check it out!
3 Important Things to Consider:
- Since you will be hiding the security camera, make sure to pick a small-sized camera that will fit anywhere and is less likely to draw attention. It would be best if you pick a camera that doesn’t have any light that might grab attention.
- And another most important thing is to pick a camera that is completely wireless so that you don’t need to work extra to hide the wires.
- Make sure the camera is battery-powered and gives backup for days. Otherwise, it will get very irritating to take the camera out from the hidden place after every while to charge.
5 Creative Ways to Hide a Security Camera in A Window
When it comes down to hiding a security camera in the window, there aren’t many options but a few of them. And if carried out well, they are hard to trace. Check out 5 creative ways to hide your security camera in the windows below!
1. Spy Screw Camera
Using a spy screw camera will be the best option if you want a camera hidden in your window. Screw cameras look like actual screws, they are very small, and obviously, they are wireless which makes them very easy to hide.
Normally window frames come with a bunch of screws, what you are going to do is take out a screw that isn’t mandatory. And you are going to put the camera inside that screw. Sometimes, the camera might be slightly bigger than the actual screw holes, in that case, you’ll have to drill a hole that can accommodate the camera.
There are drill machines coming with different-sized drill bits, it won’t take more than a minute to drill a hole. And make sure to drill a hole where it makes sense. It would be best to pick the top side of the frame, preferably the middle portion.
After placing the camera inside the frame, check if the angle is right.
2. Window Frame
Another effective way to hide a security camera in a window frame is to plant it inside the frame. And the best position is the top. When you put a security camera on the top of the window frame, you will get a clear record of the face of intruders. However, doing so requires a little effort.
To put a security camera on the window frame you will need a hole saw or a hand saw and a bit of woodworking experience. It is okay if you don’t have woodworking experience, there are a lot of tutorials out there good enough to teach you what you need within a few minutes.
Follow the instructions to be able to plant a security camera on a window frame…
- Measure the size of your security camera
- Mark the size with a marker on the window frame
- With a hole saw, cut the entire marked area (If you find it hard, take the expert’s help, or you might ruin the frame)
- Once you have made space for the camera, put the camera inside
- Check if the angle is right
- When everything seems good, put a glass or crystal clear plastic sheet to cover the camera
- Do not seal the cover, you can use screws to attach that
- Paint the entire window frame with a color same as the security camera to make that as invisible as possible
3. A Tissue Box
Is there any harm in keeping a tissue box on the window frame? No, right? And it doesn’t look awkward either. And that’s a good option if you want to hide a security camera in the window.
But one downside of that is, that most people keep tissue boxes at the bottom of the window frame which is not a good angle for a security camera.
Having that said, if your camera can capture wide angles, in that case, it is an option worth choosing.
Here’s what you’re going to do…
- Pick a big tissue box and take out all the tissues
- Make a hole big enough to fit the camera lens on the wide size of the box
- Put the camera inside and make sure the lens is placed well
- Check if the camera is recording and the angle is right
- Then put back as many tissues you can on top of the security camera
And that’s it! Now it is just a tissue box guarding the window!
4. Outlet Close to Window
Having an electric outlet outside the house is very common and for flexibility, many people place electric outlets near the windows. And it is an incredible place for hiding security cameras.
If you already have an electric outlet that doesn’t work, remove all the insider things and place a security camera inside that. And make a small hole on the cover for the lens to fit and capture properly. And if you don’t have one, set a fake one, that will be even easier.
5. Birdbox Near Window
If you are planning on hiding a camera outside the window, then a bird box will be an excellent idea. Bird Boxes can be anywhere and intruders are less likely to anticipate that there is a camera inside the bird box instead of birds. Having that said, if the intruder is reading this guide then that will be a different scenario.
To place a camera inside the bird box, you will obviously need a bird box and a water-resistant outdoor camera. You’ll have to make sure that birds can’t get inside the house, otherwise, that can cause changes in the camera angle or damage the camera.
Place the camera inside the birdhouse at a good angle and make sure to fit the camera firmly so that it doesn’t move from its position even when the bird box move. And set the bird box at the top of the window area which will get you a wider and clear angle.
Hold On! Do Night Vision Cameras Work Through Window Glass?
What’s the point of having a hidden security camera that won’t give you any clear data that will help? No point at all! When you are hiding security cameras, you need to be very wise about night vision coverage.
If you have a glass cover sealing the camera or you have placed a camera inside the window at an angle that covers the outdoor area, then the night vision won’t work. In those cases, the camera will record fine during the daytime but in dark, you will get blurry, messy, light-reflected recordings that are of no good.
Why is that? To understand that, you’ll first have to have a clear idea about how night vision cameras work. Have you ever wondered how the camera gets the light in dark? Well, they use IR lights which are invisible to humans. These IR lights work like a floodlight, they lighten the entire area, just our human eyes can’t see it.
These IR lights are like any other lights, they reflect. And when you put a camera across the glass, the lights will reflect which will lead to blurry and messy images or videos.
So, How Can You Make a Camera Night Vision Work Through Glass?
The only thing that can help is setting up lights outside at night. You can use any kind of light, it could be IR light or just regular exterior lights. But the light needs to be high enough for the camera to record clearly.
After you have installed an exterior light, the next thing you would do is to turn to the monochrome mode where you will be allowed to turn the camera’s light off. Not every camera’s monochrome mode allows you to turn the IR light off, but now most of the latest cameras come with that function.
And one more thing you would want to do is, keep the camera as close as possible to the glass. In that way, there are high chances that there won’t be any blur or color, or reflection on the records.
Read More: How To Hide A Wyze Camera?
Conclusion
That’s all about hiding a security camera in windows. As long as you make sure the camera size is small, and it is totally cordless, then there is very little to no chance at all that someone would anticipate the hidden camera. And also be very careful with the camera lights. Turn off all kinds of lights, otherwise, that will grab attention.
With that said, time to wrap this article up. If you didn’t know how to hide a security camera in a window, hope this article was good enough to guide you.
Michael started his professional career as a security-camera technician. Later, he started his own business of security-camera service, and it's been a decade that he’s been doing it. There is simply nothing that he doesn’t know about security cameras and their accessories. He created this site Aimprivacy, to share his knowledge and decade of experience with people who don’t have any prior knowledge about security and spy cameras.
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