1) Purchase at least two cameras!

We love the doorbell camera but it is just not enough for fighting porch pirates.
By the time the doorbell sees the pirate it is too late because the theft can take less than 5 seconds.

We highly recommend a Ring Stick up cam Battery because it is weatherproof, relatively low cost, and can be installed anywhere.  Check it out by clicking https://patrolio.com/store 

2) Point the second camera back toward your house to detect only people who break your perimeter 

Most cameras get mounted on your house pointed out towards the street or the backyard.  This inherently has a problem because it will trigger alerts even when people are just walking down the sidewalk past your house.  You get alerts when people are walking the dogs which isn’t very useful.

By installing the camera near your mailbox, on a tree, in a bush, or on a light pole, and having it look back towards your front door, you gain several advantages:

1. Almost no false alerts:  Motion alerts are ONLY triggered when somebody is approaching your front door.  Almost no false alerts
2. Faster Response: The doorbell camera will be ready to respond to any suspicious activity because it is linked (or triggered) by the second camera.

If it is not possible to install it looking back at your house, the next best option is to install it on your garage so motion only triggers when somebody is ascending your walkway or driveway towards your door.  Example below in the pic:

 

3) Connect your camera to your in home smart speaker (like Alexa or Google home)

This is really powerful because sometimes your are in your house and your phone is not on your person.  You can setup Alexa to announce motion events using the SECOND CAMERA.  Why this second camera? Because it is looking back at your house so the alerts should be very accurate when somebody is coming up your driveway or walkway. 

4) Decide to answer every single alert OR Subscribe to a remote guarding service 

Porch pirates happen so quickly that there is a very high chance you will miss the motion alert when it happens.  So really there are a couple choices -- you can either commit to watching every single event, even at night, or, you can contract with one of the new remote perimeter guarding services to protect your property.  Of course we recommend www.patrolio.com because they work with your existing cameras.

More about Patrolio

This has happened to me:  3am camera alarm goes off.  I run downstairs with no phone, no weapon, no pepper spray in my underwear.  Adrenaline pumping.  I was totally caught off guard and unprepared for the drunk man actively trying to get in my house.  It changed my perspective about how to be prepared.

Cameras by themselves are not enough!  They are just a sensor that detects something.  We recommend creating your own response plan, which may include a weapon, your phone, and your spouse/partner.  We highly recommend doing a drill just like the fire drills you do at work to test your response and even your family’s response.

We also recommend choosing a remote guarding service that can respond for you so you are not on your own.  A service like Patrolio can directly receive the motion alert and actively scare away the trespasser using the siren or two-way audio on the camera.  These services are brand new to homes but have been around for businesses for awhile.  Check it out at www.patrolio.com