This might not be a common area of interest. But we still think it is a valuable lesson. For various reasons, you might want to know the difference e between a real and a fake security camera. Thieves excel in this lesson. Our aim is to make you smarter than them. Hence we have compiled detailed information on how to spot a fake security camera.
How To Spot A Fake Security Camera – Steps To Follow
Here are some quick and sure shot ways to identify a real camera. There are many reasons why you might need to expose a dummy camera. Sometimes, companies trick you by giving you artificial cameras. There can be many personal reasons why you need to identify a real camera. In this article, we will find out how to expose fake cameras. Just keep an open mind. The following steps require you to think of a criminal.
1. Check For The Lights
If you have ever seen a security camera, you will know that it has a blinking light. What does this light stand for? This light usually represents the night vision. This can be thought of like night vision goggles. However, the light does not blink during the day. The LED lights function only in dark areas. If you visit a dimly lit place and see a camera, it should blink. If it does not, it means its fake. Unfortunately, many companies have found an antidote for this. Now, many companies install LEDs in fake security cameras.
These blinks, regardless of the ambiance. This is to mask the public’s opinion about the camera. Check for the color of the LED light too. Night vision LED lights will always have a red light. During too dim lighting, the colors alternate. The shades jump between green and red. A real camera will have dim lighting.
This is so that the camera does not catch anyone’s attention. Dummy cameras can have two possibilities. One, they might not blink at all. Now, this is a good giveaway. Even modern cameras have LED lights for dim-vision. Secondly, if a dummy camera has LED lights, it will be brighter than usual.
These cameras are battery operated. As long as the batteries are fresh, the light will be brilliant. This means that the light will blink all the time, even during bright daylight. But in reality, the light should not blink during a well-lit ambiance. An interesting factor is that criminals are quick to call out fake cameras.
They are highly experienced. They know that if a camera blinks fast, it is probably fake. One interesting notion is that LED camera lights take up excessive power and battery. Therefore, the original LED lights are dim. The fake security cameras have brighter lights. The trick is that the more glowing lights seem more intimidating. However, these are the fake ones.
2. Camera Covering
If you notice, all cameras will have a protective shell. Cheap cameras are identifiably fake. This will intersect with the point on materials that we will cover next. Real cameras will have a heavy cover. The square cameras are long and have a sheet of aluminum protecting it. A round or dome camera will have the dome-shaped covering. This makes it look like a mushroom. Fake cameras will not have additional coverage. Since they are cheaply made, the covering is usually eliminated.
3. The Location
This is a smart way to catch a fake camera. If a camera is legitimate, the materials protect it from external factors. This means that the camera is resistant to water, humidity, and wind. These are real cameras and can be placed in any location.
They are long-lasting and not easily destructible. Dummy cameras are made of very cheap materials. The wires might be damaged by the wind and other factors. Needless to say, they are more prone to damage. These cameras have a very short lifespan and need to be protected.
Therefore, good quality and real cameras can be placed literally anywhere. Whereas, a dummy camera will need cover. It will need protection from the wind and rain. For this reason, such cameras are placed below leaves and under a protective ceiling.
For better identification, real cameras will be doors, porches, and open spaces. Fake security cameras will be in hiding. They will be in well-protected areas. These include Once again, and these are the minor things that help a thief get better at his ‘job.’
4. Audio
This is a tricky criterion. Please note that audio does not mean sound recording. Every state has very strict laws about sound recording. In some places, it is even illegal to record sounds. Therefore, hereby ‘audio,’ we mean the sound emitted by the camera. This is a significant difference, so pay attention to the details. A real camera will always need to be incognito. This means that it has to be low-key. These cameras will not beep or make any sound.
The truth is that movies have given us an unreal perception of cameras. They portray cameras as continually beeping. But in reality, this is not true. A camera is always silent until someone is damaging it. A fake camera will want its presence to be felt. It demands the intimidation. Therefore, these cameras are constantly beeping. They make a beep at an average of two to three times every minute. If a camera is beeping, it is definitely fake. You are welcome for this hack!
5. The Materials
Of course, you cannot say a lot about the materials of a CCTV from far. But our website has a few tricks that you can use to expose a fake security camera. Usually, a real CCTV or security camera looks very sleek. It has a smooth finish. They have covers and layers that are made of good copper or waterproof aluminum. As you can predict, this is not the case for the fake security cameras. Fake cameras use makeshift covers.
These are made of plastic instead of quality materials. Therefore, as the subtitle suggests, they are cheap. These things can be identified from a mile if we have the knowledge for the same. In most cases, the material is not always the best way to identify a fake security camera. If you have excellent eyesight, you can use this method. Criminals and thieves can discriminate between materials very easily. They have these tricks engraved at the back of their mind.
6. Cable Quality
This goes well with the next point. However, it deserves particular attention. Older cameras had extensive wiring. Newer cameras will have a single wire for connection. If you can see the cable, you can analyze it. If the camera has a single, thin cable, it means the camera is not real.
Cheap cameras do not invest in thick and long-lasting cables. Just like Wi-Fi and internet cables, a good security camera needs a thick wire. Cameras with dual wiring are usually fake. This is just a strategy for make-belief cameras.
7. Wiring
This might not always the best way to tell the difference. At least not in modern times. Earlier all cameras had wires, so it was easy to tell. Bullet cameras are wireless. Some cameras have wires; some might not. The older security cameras have a lot of cables. But as technology, as developed, the wires have been eliminated. If it is wireless you can use a bug detector to find it.
The modern cameras do not have these wires. The newest dome-shaped cameras are wireless. They have inbuilt wires. Out of all the previous steps, this is one thing that can confuse criminals. Many dummy cameras usually add a lot of cables to prove its authenticity. The downside of this is that sometimes companies overdo this. They add a lot of wires so much that the fakeness is identified.
8. Motion And Tracking
You must be aware that all cameras have motion sensors. Motion sensors are the components in a camera that track movements. Once the camera identifies a human or any moving object, the sensors get activated. Once the sensors get started, the motion gets recorded.
The camera does not move frantically if a person is walking too fast. The pace remains constant. When someone comes too close, like fidgety children, the camera sensors get heightened. The clarity is improved when an object comes too close.
This is in anticipation of potential danger. The dummy or mimic cameras try to imitate this. Like we said, sometimes fake security cameras overdo this. A mimic CCTV camera will make a lot of movements to seem real. It will move rigorously. Sometimes, to imitate the motion of a real camera, a fake one will move to and fro. One more thing to keep in mind is that sometimes even highly active motion seekers do not move.
They stay put. They activate the sensor and start recording. This means that sometimes the camera might just not move. These are slightly cheaper cameras. A good camera with motion tracking is very expensive. Therefore, it is not a usual feature for all real cameras. But the bottom line is that newer cameras do not necessarily move. So next time you spot a fake security camera rotating furiously, it is mostly a mimic or dummy camera.
9. Brand Names And Logos
This is, hands down, the best way to spot a fake security camera. Firstly, if you invest in reputed and famous brands, there is no question of dummy cameras. These brands are well-established and are one hundred per cent authentic.
They have a brand label and logo too. A fake camera will not have a name label. Even if it does, the name is usually unknown. Another sure shot way to call out a fake camera is to Google the name on it.
An internet search will tell you if the brand is legit or fake. This means that Google has a list of some dummy cameras. The good part is that as and when fake cameras are identified, they are recorded in a database. This makes dummy cameras establish branding. But do not worry, Google will tell you if the branding is fake. Real cameras put in a lot of effort and marketing to seem authentic.
10. Type Of Camera
The key is to have knowledge about fake security cameras. There are not too many types of cameras. You should go the extra mile and learn about a few fake security cameras. You can go online and check this out for yourself. On sites like amazon.com, type ‘fake cameras.’ Notice the top results that pop up.
You will see that most of the cameras listed are either bullet cameras or the dome ones. These are highly common. The reason is that they are also very easy to imitate. These cameras come with wires too. Good-quality and real cameras have very different designs. Companies do this deliberately so that they cannot be replicated.
11. Colors
This is another way to check fake cameras. It might not seem viable, but in reality, it is. You might think this is a weird trick, but it works. So we are aware that all cameras, in general, are either grey, black, or white. Yes, that is the universal law. Nowadays, you get cheap multi-color cameras too like maroon, indigo, etc.
These colorful cameras are most likely fake. The reason that cameras are in monochrome shades is for professionalism. Monochromatic shades do not catch the eyes that much. Therefore these cameras go unnoticed.
Final Thoughts
As we mentioned, there are many reasons you might want to identify a real camera. You cannot use any one of these tricks alone. They need to be used together. The first way is to learn all you can about fake camera companies. Then you can read our article to enhance your identification skills.
Whether you use cameras or no, it is always good to spot a fake security camera. It might not be a life-skill, but it is definitely a boost. This is important for security reasons and for additional knowledge.
Now if you spot a fake security camera, you can boast your CCTV-knowledge in front of your friends. We hope this article helped you! Moreover, if you want a real one, check the best wireless security cameras in the market, we have reviewed the Swann 8 Channel 4 Camera Security System and ANNKE 5MP Lite Home Security Camera for you to know about them in detail.
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