Subscriber Discussion

Cameras In The Home: 'Til DVR Do Us Part?

JH
Jim Hall
Mar 15, 2014

The other day my neighbor asked me to help him get a security system rigged-up, 'cause he knows I dabble a bit. I told him to set down on paper what it is exactly that he wants it to do. Frankly, what he gave me shocked me, so I told him I wanted to look into the legalities and what not. Here, in his own words, is what he gave me:

“[My wife] and I are constantly fighting and accusing the other of lying, or more like ‘rewriting history’. I remember her clearly telling me one thing, but later she will claim she said something entirely different (and vice versa – she says I say ‘that’s not what I said’ more often than she does). We have succumbed to using our cell phones to record heated conversations, but that usually isn’t thought of until most of the way through a fight. I got to thinking if we had a system in our house that we could ‘go back and listen’, it could solve a lot of disputes around here. [My wife] has agreed to this and any such system will not be hidden nor secret. We have a pretty small house, so I’m thinking if we could have one camera upstairs and one downstairs, it should be able to capture most of what goes on. What the camera sees is not as important as what it hears. Ideally, it would record all the time, keeping about a week’s worth of footage at a time (I assume it would then overwrite as it goes?). “

While back I went to a seminar where the speaker’s motto was “act as if the camera is always rolling”… as a matter of course, anyone would be at their Sunday best when 'on the record', wouldn't they? Anybody ever heard of somethin like this? Any advice at all much appreciated...

MN
Mark Nicol
Mar 15, 2014
IPVMU Certified

Interesting, I would say that there is a good possibility that you will have new neighbors within the year after they sell the house. I would make a quick recommendation to one of the big box stores and then stay out of the picture while they record the demise of their marriage. I had a friend who is a fantastic criminal investigator and is also certified in voice stress analysis which he would use in private practice from time to time. The suspected cheating partner cases were the worst and often had lingering effects.

Good luck to you.

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Brian Rhodes
Mar 15, 2014
IPVMU Certified

The worst thing that could happen is getting roped into a situation like this, only to find out later the system didn't work right, or have one of the spouses claim they didn't know the cameras were working, or whatever.

Not to say it's bad idea, but would a camera system fix the root problem here?

JB
James Brown
Mar 15, 2014

Really cameras w/audio in the boudoir? Remote access?

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Marty Major
Mar 16, 2014
Teledyne FLIR

If all these two want is proof of what was said by each combatant, why use cameras at all?

Wire the house for sound, place signs at the entrances so as to avoid recording visitors without their knowledge, and then they would have extra money to divide between their individual divorce lawyers.

TG
Tedor Gligorich
Mar 16, 2014

+1 audio only, +1 entrance signs, maybe exiting signs "You have been recorded, for copies goto www..." .

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