Is it CREEPY to have a security camera pointed at the pool area?

[nlindelldc]

I guess I am the lone dissenter on this one
Hubby had installed same in our pool area for all the reasons cited and I immediately ripped it out...

I just felt -- and still feel -- it's essentially bad manners to photograph/record people in situ without possible consent and it would be socially weird to me to inform people in advance of surveillance. The last thing on earth a guest needs in my private little paradise is to feel in any way "on camera."

Perhaps its a former-mediaphile thing, or an aversion to reality TV, or I'm just a Luddite out of step. Or maybe its just because I swim naked a lot and don't feel anyone needs historical covert access to that footage Don't wanna traumatize future generations

I'm with Swampwoman on this one.

I have a friend that has a hot tub and the outside camera is VERY CLOSE to the tub. I think it's weird and my wife finds it extremely creepy. And at our house, my wife's favorite pastime is swimming in the nude. So it's not even a consideration for us.

 

[Soundy]

For those of you who do have a camera set up any advice for a good system?
Don't need the zoom feature but feel having it recorded and available on the iPhone would be good. Any way to set it up without running a bunch of wires and set up?

If you only want a single camera, most current IP cameras can record internally to SD card, and are viewable via an app or web browser. There are also the kinds like Nest, Dropcam, Foscam, etc. that have cloud recording available.

Pretty much anything other than a game/trail cam is going to need external power, so there's not really any way to get away from having at least one wire.

 

[TexasDeano]

I have a camera pointed right at my pool and at every entrance to my yard. All cameras record to a DVR at my house and none of the feeds are accessible from outside. The DVR records to an internal hard drive and overwrites itself every 8 days. I did this on advice from my insurance company. If anything ever happens (someone jumps the fence and gets hurt in my pool for example), I'll have a video of it.

 

[Veccster]

OP here....I installed my backyard cam last night. It's high up on the house so it's not immediately noticeable but it's also not hidden. It is a fixed angle dome camera so panning, tilting or zooming. I don't think it's close enough to be "creepy".

My dig starts in 3 days so it'll be nice to have the entire process documented.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

As a matter of courtesy to your PB and their subs, you should inform anyone working on site that video surveillance is active. At the very least you should post a sign. Doing so alleviates you of being accused of "spying" if someone should think about doing something stupid. Not everyone will see things from your point of view regarding the propriety of a running video camera and so being honest and open about its operation gives everyone involved fair warning and sets reasonable expectations.

 

[Lykly]

I agree with JoyfulNoise, you should let them know. It will avoid any uncomfortable circumstances since nobody will do anything inappropriate knowing their on video, it will also probably ensure a better job on quality of work. Better nothing bad happens, then to catch it and have to deal with it. JMHO


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[Veccster]

Good points...thank you Joyful. I will be working with the PB tomorrow to layout the design in the yard. At some point, I'll find a way to reference the camera.

I'll be flexing my schedule and will be home for most of it. Me onsite is probably worse for him than me sitting across town and watching from my computer

 

[rdy2fly]

I have hard wired, fixed cameras all over, including the pool area. No one has ever said anything about it but most likely hasn't even been noticed by anyone either. Not that we entertain a lot, but the few times we've had people in the pool no one has ever said anything. I guess if someone did, I would just explain that they are not live monitored (could be but I don't) and that they are there just in case something happened. We had a situation happen next door to us that was pretty scary, which prompted the camera Install. Now it's just there for peace of mind, and very nice to have when we are away.


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[zed88]

Does anyone have a way of turning their motion alerts on via keypad or something similar in the pool? Ideally I'd like to get alerts whenever the camera is "armed" for motion, and have it off when authorized guests are over? Running hikvision turrets and dedicated server software. Good thread!

 

[Lykly]

I can disable any of my cameras if I choose to. I have a camera that I can look at anytime via an app, it also saves clips when it catches motion. I have them all around my house including in my house. The only time I even think of them is when I read about them here. I've never had any guest even ask about them. I guess I just don't know why anybody would care, but then I'm not 19 either... lol

 

[PoolGate]

I have an older generation 8 camera DVR system with a web interface. The cameras are fairly large and obvious with the night vision UV bulbs. They are not wonderful quality pictures either (not HD). I bought this system almost 10 years ago but never got around to installing it anywhere it is all sitting in the new boxes. I have already started placing cameras pointing at the pool and surrounding areas as another way to monitor the area for unauthorized access or in case of some event (system is not turned on yet or even close - hopefully during the off-season I will get it installed). I have no plans for looking at any of the footage unless there is some sort of incident or other reason to review it. I think it prudent to take advantage of modern technology. If a guest had some sort of issue with the cameras I would be more than happy to turn them off for that swim.

 

[BMK]

This is a question I've been kicking around recently. We often have preteen and teenage girls using the pool, sometimes when we're not there. I know in theory it's strictly a security issue, but the dad in me still feels a little uncomfortable knowing that I'm capturing them on video. The kid's families certainly trust us, but that doesn't mean the kids themselves wouldn't be a bit uncomfortable thinking they were being 'watched', even if they weren't.. I do not want to put up any "under surveillance" or "smile, you're on camera" signage (not very warm and fuzzy or inviting in my humble opinion), but I do think it's important that they know it's there.

Just because no one personally comes up to you and says something about being videotaped at your residence, doesn't mean they may not have felt a little uncomfortable.

I think the answer for me is to find a system that has some sort of indicator at the camera that shows when it's active (green led?) and when it is inactive (red LED?). I know they all can be controlled remotely, the key for me, is that invited guests know it's off and uninvited guests know it's on.

 

[PoolGate]

This is a question I've been kicking around recently. We often have preteen and teenage girls using the pool, sometimes when we're not there. I know in theory it's strictly a security issue, but the dad in me still feels a little uncomfortable knowing that I'm capturing them on video. The kid's families certainly trust us, but that doesn't mean the kids themselves wouldn't be a bit uncomfortable thinking they were being 'watched', even if they weren't.. I do not want to put up any "under surveillance" or "smile, you're on camera" signage (not very warm and fuzzy or inviting in my humble opinion), but I do think it's important that they know it's there.

Just because no one personally comes up to you and says something about being videotaped at your residence, doesn't mean they may not have felt a little uncomfortable.

I think the answer for me is to find a system that has some sort of indicator at the camera that shows when it's active (green led?) and when it is inactive (red LED?). I know they all can be controlled remotely, the key for me, is that invited guests know it's off and uninvited guests know it's on.

We have a rule in our pool that no one under 18 is allowed to swim without an adult present.

 

[cowboycasey]

I tell everyone that I have security camera's going at all times.. they are motion detection so they do record when the camera "see's" something.. I think it kind of bothered some of my neighbors until there were thieves in the neighborhood then my camera's became a great help

I do have a camera pointed towards the pool but not over it, I am worried about security going on around the pool...

here is a clip of the cats this morning

Dropbox - Backporch-20171022-072246-072303.mp4

 

[blakeusa]

I was thinking of putting up a wireless camera for my pool.

What brand or kind looks good?

Would want to access from a PC or phone and keep some history..

 

[iain42]

I live in an urban area and cameras have been indispensable. They have captured lawn mower thieves, identified vehicle that damaged my fence, people casing my yard, and owners not picking up their dog doo. I have had cameras up for years. I have migrated to the ring products and won't go back. The doorbell pro cam and flood cam are amazing. If I have people over for grill outs I just turn them off. That being said my friends know the cams are there as do we but we just forget about them. The pool is going in this year and I will be adding another flood cam with a motion zone set on the pool only so we will know if there are fence jumpers. I'm more worried about accidental drowning of an uninvited guest than me or the wife being caught on cam. I get the sensitivity... George Orwell was an optimist

 

[Kfox77]

I have 2 on mine. One pointed each direction. So when some random kid decides to pool hop at night, bangs his head on the coping because he is high, and his parents sue me, I can prove he jumped my fence and his injury is due to his lack of intelligence. Other than that, great for checking in daily to see if anything is appending in my yard. I originally installed to watch the builders.

 

[Veccster]

I have 2 on mine. One pointed each direction. So when some random kid decides to pool hop at night, bangs his head on the coping because he is high, and his parents sue me, I can prove he jumped my fence and his injury is due to his lack of intelligence. Other than that, great for checking in daily to see if anything is appending in my yard. I originally installed to watch the builders.

Well, you're probably still liable....even with proof. Check out the Attractive Nuisance tort.

Is Your Swimming Pool an Attractive Nuisance? - Injured

 

[bmoreswim]

Life has many risks. Choose wisely and insure properly (read high limit umbrella policy).

 

[Geebot]

This is a question I've been kicking around recently. We often have preteen and teenage girls using the pool, sometimes when we're not there. I know in theory it's strictly a security issue, but the dad in me still feels a little uncomfortable knowing that I'm capturing them on video. The kid's families certainly trust us, but that doesn't mean the kids themselves wouldn't be a bit uncomfortable thinking they were being 'watched', even if they weren't.. I do not want to put up any "under surveillance" or "smile, you're on camera" signage (not very warm and fuzzy or inviting in my humble opinion), but I do think it's important that they know it's there.

Just because no one personally comes up to you and says something about being videotaped at your residence, doesn't mean they may not have felt a little uncomfortable.

I think the answer for me is to find a system that has some sort of indicator at the camera that shows when it's active (green led?) and when it is inactive (red LED?). I know they all can be controlled remotely, the key for me, is that invited guests know it's off and uninvited guests know it's on.

Our camera is at the second floor level and overlooks the section of the yard where the pool is located. We have a motion sensor that alerts me on my phone when people are present, We live in a residential neighborhood and I feel much better monitoring pool use when I'm at work. I can barely make out any details of individuals, so I couldn't tell you who I was looking at or what they were doing, but I can see if there are people using my pool.

They're outdoors with a non-privacy fence on the street side, so I don't think anyone has expectations of privacy, but it's my pool and my liability, so I feel more comfortable knowing when it's in use.