The only problem with a trail camera would be he could just climb up and take it, and there goes your evidence.
Something like this might be better if your wifi router is close enough.
For nighttime video, get 4K. Lower quality cameras won’t give you a detailed image.
I would go with spike strips, but hey, that’s just me.
There are many trail cameras with wifi or cellular now. Look for a camera with “no glow” IR illumination.
I have owned a lot of trail cams they don’t make good security cams.
It is really tough to get a good enough picture from them to be able to use in identifying or for prosecution.
I would suggest more then one place to capture the area from different angles hopefully to get enough identifying formation.
Set them to take a series of picture at one time like 3 every time they are tripped every 30 seconds or so.
WE use trail cams on construction sites
use several,,, tasco are cheap and take lots of pics and hold lots of batteries to last months , caught thieves red handed
and the sheriff had them in a day with the pics .
I would hang one where is is seen at 6 ft and another higher for when the jack wagon trespasses and steals it, post a no tress passing sign that can be seen in the pic of the one at 6 ft .
My daughter gave me a Spy Point trailcam for Father’s Day. I use it to identify critters on my property. Image quality is excellent - even in unlit nighttime situations. I believe that, depending how far away from the target, you would be able to capture a readily identifiable image.
The only drawback to it is having to manually access the SD card in order to retrieve images.
I use the Browning HD cellular cameras for the same thing as your intended use. Caught a guy last Month and has now for fill any theft charges against him.
Whatever camera you choose to install, a key point is to have redundant cameras. One camera that is obviously a security camera with a legal warning notice like “Smile, You are being recorded, Your permission is being granted by remaining.” and two others hidden with a vision of the first obvious one. So in the event of destruction of the obvious camera, which shows malicious intent in addition to whatever damages he incurs, you still have multiple sources of information. Much stronger evidence than you just correctly stating that your neighbor is an azzhat.
I’ve used Bushnell. The locked steel case prevents theft or vandalism. Confirm the camera stores photos in a format your local PD can use/play with the images to increase resolution. Make sure you have the date/time stamp set correctly. That said, they do work and the police have an awful lot of facial recognition databases at their disposal. If they get a hit and can confirm by secondary means such as a cell phone with location turned on, makes a nice strong case.
I have a Blink home security camera. Runs for at least a year on two Energizer AA Lithium batteries. As long as it is in range of its base pod, it will wirelessly send video clips to the cloud for storage, alert your phone when it senses motion, and provides real time video on demand with two way audio. Under $100 and no monthly fees.
Bkmk
1) Get a sign like this.
https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/ba118fef-8283-41a8-94ac-eb70553d4f13/svn/everbilt-stock-signs-31104-64_1000.jpg
I down loaded the image and printed it on photo paper and put it in my window by the front door.
2) you can improve your camera features by using better software like ISpyConnect https://www.ispyconnect.com
3) To find out how people like it.
Go down to “Play It Again Sports” Buy an aluminum 32 oz used ball bat. Get a dark colored lawn chair and don dark clothing. Get in the shadows and wait. Wear a head mounted Light Stream spot light. When said AHole arrives blind him with the lamp, use the bat to remind him he’s an asshole. While he lays there urinate in his face and tell him to have a nice day. If he shows up again place the ball bat in his rectum and shoot him. He’s crapping up the gene pool. IMO
I went with a Nest IQ outdoor camera to secure the back doors. Not cheap, but great facial recognition, works excellently in night conditions and cloud storage so tampering with the camera isn’t going to keep me from seeing the miscreant in action. But no amount of technology may be able to help with a neighbor from hell - you have my sympathies.
bump for security camera reference
I realize you’re asking about video, but in the long run, it’s cheaper, time and aggravation and future neighbor-revenge-wise, just to quietly put up a three or four-foot picket fence just inside your property line to protect your yard. If he tears that down, you’ve got a property destruction case instead of a ‘he stepped on my petunias’ case.
