/lightcatch/images/image-5a9e0.png "Lightcatch Logo for menu")
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Shopping for home security cameras reminds me of my Uncle Howard describing his work as an operator at a gas plant in the late 80’s.
When someone asked my uncle how he liked his job, he would say something like ‘Its usually easy, even boring, with the occasional moments of sheer panic.’
When things went wrong, and something could explode at the gas plant, those were the moments of fear he was talking about.
He even had this joke how the very best operators were smokers.
The story went that when the alarms started going off and people were at risk of getting hurt, the smoker would still find a reason to step outside and have a puff or two!
While trying to calm his nerves, those few minutes of pause gave the smoker clarity on how to stop the plant from turning into an inferno.
Others who saw an alert and panicked might start closing valves and pressing buttons.
At times, this kind or a reaction could make a small problem become even worse.
The same kind of thing happens with home security. Slower, thoughtful decisions, can work in your favor.
Statistics Canada says only 5% of people experience a crime over $5,000 in value in any one year.
This means most of us go years never having to worry about a criminal on their property.
The complacency that can build up over years, can lead to serious problems where a victim can not report fast enough or clearly enough, to protect their property and their loved ones.
Many times its because they simply can't remember what to do.
Other problems build up over time as well. Cameras turn out to be not working, people miss seeing the alert on their phone, or the video footage isn’t any good.
I’ve seen hundreds of cases where people just accept these situations after the fact, feeling like there was nothing they can do and it was somehow their fault. It wasn't.
While we are all responsible for our own actions, I will introduce how some of the biggest companies in the world have protected their own interests by promoting misleading information.
This guide is so you can avoid experiencing what the majority of crime victims experience.
Complacency is also deeply connected to the assumption that “We haven’t had any problems lately, what we are doing must be working.”
I’m hoping you will see clear steps to know your home security will work when you need it the most.
If a criminal does strike, the risks to your safety and property can escalate in seconds.
At that point, when our loved ones safety is on the line you should have confidence your security cameras and everything else protecting your property will really work when it needs to.
During a crime, or just after the stress of dealing with a crime, communication errors are really common. All the adrenaline of a high pressure situation as it is unfolding, makes it easy to miss details in the moment.
Missing details can also come from stolen items being too familiar to us.
For example, over 50% of truck theft victims miss describing if the stolen truck is even a regular cab, extended cab, or crew cab.
/lightcatch/3FordF250s.jpg "Example of three Ford 2017 F250 trucks")
Examples of how different a crew cab, extended cab and regular cab silver 2017 Ford F250 appear.
et the type of side view mirrors on the vehicle or even something like decals, are often the things that gives the police or the public that extra connection and confidence they just spotted the right vehicle.
(One victim of truck theft in Red Deer Alberta had their stolen truck recovered about 40km away, even though it had been completely repainted from white to black. The RCMP officer who had enough confidence to investigate it and then get it recovered did so based on the unique side view mirrors in the photo and description. In less than 7 days the thieves lost the use of their repainted truck, plus the cost of the paint job, all because of a little detail like this.)
These errors immediately compound as weak information turns into indifference among first responders and the public.
The attention span of people can be very short, and if you don’t reach them in the right way, you become ‘just another crime victim.’
What you may hear is something like 'this is an insurance matter.' What this often means is that your situation in police speak means 'We can't do anything with this right now, next.'
Technically, communication errors shouldn’t stop professionals and the public from helping. In the real world, people are busy, and misinformation and communication errors are like pouring cold water on the people that see it. They freeze up and put their attention somewhere else, where it feels better!
I will provide data that shows proper clear communication will at least double your results and may increase results 500-1000%.
The emotional and mental stress of a crime often causes another kind of over reaction similar to panic. This stress leads to over reacting.
Security companies have told me that they see many occasions where a recent crime victim comes in and now wants to buy ‘everything’.
This leads to being willing to overspend on items that don’t work.
Our data has pointed to numerous misconceptions people have about home security. Spending a lot of money for home security doesn't guarantee anything except that you have less money.
I hope this guide will help you avoid all of these panic related problems.
A typical conversation from someone walking into a store asking about security cameras goes like this.
Sales rep “What kind of security cameras do you need?”
Buyer “I want the one that works the best, and the best deal.”
The sale rep is now boxed into a corner. If they don’t show a camera that is their best price, the buyer will compare their price to someone else’s and think ‘These guys are too expensive, I’m going to go somewhere else.’
Buying on price creates a massive conflict of interest for the seller.
The cheapest camera is not what works the best.
In fact, a cheap camera may give you less than a 1% chance of success. A camera that is hardly any more money to purchase can give you over a 90% chance of success.
Online it happens the same way. Online retailers KNOW the camera that sells will either be the lowest priced and or the highest rated.
These two criteria dominate online sales and every other camera sold at higher prices pick up the crumbs of what is left over.
This dynamic has caused ADT, Alarmforce, Vivint, Fluent and many other regional based security businesses to either fully or partially withdraw from selling residential security services in Canada. These companies can’t easily compete on price alone in the residential market as they use professional installation teams and have support services that online retailers don't provide.
A low cost online camera provider that relies on others to do the installation, without any quality controls, doesn't have these two cost drivers.
Property owners and real people are the ones who are hurt if the wrong security camera is used. The level of risk someone is exposed to by being a possible victim can be life changing.
The seller of the camera doesn’t risk losing a dime if the camera they sold fails when someone is a crime victim.
The Most Common Security Camera Mistakes shows how to avoid the conflict of interest problem.
First, I will show The Most Common Mistakes people make with security cameras.
Next I'll cover the Most Important Things to Consider With Security Cameras.
Next, I will show a Case Study How 16 Cameras All Failed in This Famous TV Commentators $7 Million Home
Finally, I will point to a much better way.
I believe the facts are now pretty clear.
Your home can be 10X times safer by automating protection using a matrix of systems.
As that matrix grows across a community, crime drops and people enjoy an even higher level of safety.