Greetings, First of all let me briefly explain my situation. Where I camp there is no cellular service at all in the mountains. Several years ago I was burglarized and the thief got away with one of my handguns as well as many other items from my 5th wheel RV. Luckily with a little detective work we were able to catch the thief and put him in prision.Just yesterday I was left my camp in the mountains for a ride on my side by side and when I returned I found fresh pry marks on the back door to my Voltage 5th wheel. Do you fellow RVers have any suggestions of a battery operated camera system that would also work in the dark? I do have a couple of game cameras but they are just to large t hide inside the RV.RegardsS

If they are really determined to get in, you really cant stop them. Your game cameras are a great idea, but they arent much of a deterrent unless you tell them there are several there and lie about the number. Tell them there are 3 when only one or two are there, maybe they give up since they cant find anymore, I have used electric fence chargers quite a few times, against animals and people, Your 5er is sitting on rubber wheels, putting a rubber pad under each jack or other point that touches the ground to insulate the body can make the visit fun. Cost is dirt cheap and units can be had that are solar powered.About the only thing you can really do is make it more hassle than its worth, and on your game cameras, if possible put one on whatever is the primary approach, if you can get a photo even from somewhere before they expect the camera to be, it can help. It wont stop them , but it can give you a chance at later capture.

Years ago I read an article in our local newspaper about this very problem. Owner had multiple break-ins. Owner wired a 12 gauge to the door. Open the door more than a foot and BOOM! Result, thief dead. Owner acquitted. I probably wouldn't suggest you try this in todays liberal society but it worked well 30 years ago.

It may not be your whole answer but could you place the game cams in a tree etc. I have a black flash game cam in a metal box with a chain that I place in various areas around my camps. I have placed it under my rig near a tire and chained to the axle. A person who is approaching usually cant look around enough to pick out all the possible places a person could hide a camera. Years ago I had a tiny cam that was connected to a dvd. It was about 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/2 thick. I had it wired up in a tool box with the cam looking out a tiny hole about 1/4 or less in diameter. What area are you camping in? It may not hurt to have a couple small signs saying "Video surveillance in use" out on a tree near camp.Search spy shop type stores.

Thanks for all the answers, I just camp here in the mountains in Southern Utah and Eastern Colorado. I have been looking at brick house black box cameras, they are about the size of a pack of cigarettes I understand that you can't stop a determined thief, but a few good pics of him or his vehicle sure helps. To bad booby traps are illegal otherwise it would be easy to find the guy that has checked in at the ER with one limb missing.

ncognet0 wrote:Thanks for all the answers, I just camp here in the mountains in Southern Utah and Eastern Colorado. I have been looking at brick house black box cameras, they are about the size of a pack of cigarettes I understand that you can't stop a determined thief, but a few good pics of him or his vehicle sure helps. To bad booby traps are illegal otherwise it would be easy to find the guy that has checked in at the ER with one limb missing.Theres a few guys on here that could , no doubt help you take that electric fence idea up a notch or two, but I know its over my head when you start playing with all the different sized capacitors. Deterrence is a matter of making the "prize" cost more than the hassle it will take to defeat it.Glitter bombs, stink bombs, anything non lethal but unpleasant should be allowable.

HELP Security Camera Ideas suggestions? | Good Sam Community

beemerphile1
Explorer
Aug 15, 2017
Dash cams operate on 12vdc. With a larger memory card they will record for eight hours or more Many dash cams can also be set to motion activate.
K_and_I
Explorer
Aug 15, 2017
I travel a fair amount for work, and stay in hotels. After having some prescription medicine stolen from my toilet kit at one hotel, I bought a motion activated camera and left it set up in my hotel room to monitor anyone who came in. The one I got is a Foscam FHC790, which apparently is no longer made. It works quite well, only operating when it detects motion and takes very good video. If I remember correctly, it cost somewhere in the $50 range. It works off of both 120 and 12v dc and records to a SD card. It could be easily hidden to prevent theft. You may want to look into something like this. I think the company makes a newer upgraded model.
mobeewan
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
Try rearviewsafety.com. They have 12V camera system for towing. They also have 12V DVR's that record from up to 4 cameras at the same time. Some can be accessed by wifi. They can be hidden inside the hard to reach areas inside the trailer or in a secure area or compartment in a automobile. I haven't looked lately but they used to have mini cameras that could be mounted in a vehicles head liner. I was looking at adding a system for towing plus a couple extra hidden cameras and a DVR. Because I work nights in a bad part of town I was getting stopped frequently by the local cops after leaving work. They were making up reasons to stop me just to see what I was up too. I want a camera system for towing and was thinking about adding a DVR and couple hidden cameras to record the cops just for my safety. I was also thinking about using the tow cameras and a couple extra hidden cameras with a second DVR in the trailer as well for a security system for the trailer when it is unhitched.
Gonzo42
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
Squad of Security Wasps?
DiskDoctr
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
GordonThree wrote:
How about some anti personnel mines?

^^ Where's the LIKE button? ^^

LOL ;)
GordonThree
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
How about some anti personnel mines?
DiskDoctr
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
Invest in one of these: Long range solution

LOL.

But seriously, investing a few "remote camping days" where you can watch and wait to catch them (to turn into authorities of course) may prove invaluable!

Disabling a vehicle is not always frowned upon :p And it sounds like you are quite a ways off the beaten path. The walk alone could be a good lesson...until the Sheriff shows up and they beg for a ride ;)
tdiller
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
ncognet0 wrote:
Greetings, First of all let me briefly explain my situation. Where I camp there is no cellular service at all in the mountains. Several years ago I was burglarized and the thief got away with one of my handguns as well as many other items from my 5th wheel RV. Luckily with a little detective work we were able to catch the thief and put him in prision.

Just yesterday I was left my camp in the mountains for a ride on my side by side and when I returned I found fresh pry marks on the back door to my Voltage 5th wheel. Do you fellow RVers have any suggestions of a battery operated camera system that would also work in the dark? I do have a couple of game cameras but they are just to large t hide inside the RV.

Regards
There are many security camera setups available. I would suggest you get some sort of wifi to cellphone base in the camper if you have cell phone access where you are. Then buy yourself any of the inexpensive cameras that can connect to the wifi. I have used guardzilla cameras and they are easy to setup and can send information to your cell phone or you can pay to have stuff stored on the internet. I just use whatever the sd card captures. The Guardzilla cameras provide pretty detailed pictures when not in night mode. Even in night mode the picture is pretty good.
S
mgirardo
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
Getting back to the question at hand - I've never seen 12 volt camera systems, but you should be able to run cameras off of a couple 12 volt batteries and an inverter. If you get an IP camera, all you need to do is run a Cat 5/6 ethernet cable to the camera. The Power Injector would be near the inverter. You can get IP Cameras with SD cards to record onto so you don't need a DVR/NVR or computer to record video on. You probably wouldn't need more than a 200 watt inverter to power the camera. If you can add a solar panel to charge the battery bank, you should be set.

I have 8 Reolink IP Cameras (some bullet and some dome) and they work very nicely day and night. I have mine hooked up to a PC, so no SD card, but they do sell models with SD Cards. I bought mine for about $75/each. The ones with SD cards are a little more expensive.

-Michael
Lynnmor
Explorer
Aug 14, 2017
Funny story. I had a customer that noticed that the semi-valuable scrap metals were disappearing behind his shop. He went to the hardware store and bought a cheap dummy camera with a blinking LED and mounted it next to the scrap. Then he posted a small sign warning that they were on camera. It wasn't long before the idiots returned and started loading and then noticed the camera. The next day, here comes mamma begging that her darlings not be turned in because one would be a repeat offender and would be locked up. The owner said that they should apologize to each employee and return the scrap and/or cash. I suggested that the older brother do some community service by cleaning up the entire property along the weedy and extremely littered interstate. It was great, he was bleeding from the briers and was dirty from head to toe. As promised, we never did turn over the "tapes."

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