Video Surveillance — What’s Your Opinion?

[campermatt]

I’ve spoken with management about him before, as have others, regarding his blatant disregard of others and of the campground rules, and I know management has confronted him about many of these things, but he continues to do what he wants and management seems to have just given up and allows him to carry on.

If that's the case, then I would try and get a group of like minded people and try approaching management again. If everyone voices their disapproval at once, they're more likely to listen. If they don't, probably your only option is to leave. The law hasn't kept up with the advances in things like cameras, and there's likely nothing illegal about what he's doing.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

That's sounds like some weak management.

You hit that nail on the head, but I’ve got to give it to her; she really does the best she can with the little bit of support she gets from upper-management. I know the manager would boot somebody out of this campground in a second if it was solely up to her and she had good reason to, but she is limited by what the corporation will allow her to do. In this case, I imagine corporate would look at this guy as money in the bank for years to come, regardless of how much they might increase his rates annually. He has the largest park model in the campground — it is really more like a large cabin. It is not an RV by any means. He had to make major adjustments to the (camp) site, which aren’t “allowed” to be done, so it would fit and he has done many things that would be impossible to undo or move. He is there to stay. There is no other campground I know of east of the Mississippi that could accommodate his setup. Corporate wouldn’t want to lose this sure thing for them for many years to come.

Bruce

[A32Deuce]

Sounds like time for an infrared spot light!

[old40ford]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

I would walk around buck naked. Let him view that a while!

X2 I think that would either make him turn off the Ring or sell tickets!! But, us Delaware boys are a little strange anyway.

[PenJoe]

We have a series of trail cams on our property and when we travel, have someone checking on the property. It is not advertised, including the overseer.

While we were away, we got a call from the overseer. He was reporting that someone had thrown eggs on the front of our house. On our return, we reviewed the captured photos, narrowing to a specific date. The first camera documented our 65 yr old neighbor entering the property on foot, with an egg in his right hand and a carton of eggs in his left hand. Very clear pictures. Other cameras followed his moves on the property. We then filed a report with the local law enforcement. They followed up and the neighbor embarrassingly admitted to the prank. In lieu of charging him, he agreed to pay a $100 to refinish the front door of our home. The egg residue had attacked the paint on the steel door, peeled the paint and started rusting. He got away pretty cheap.

We had had more serious problems with his relatives and were a bit surprised that he was the chosen one to do the damage. His transgressions were family inspired because of a dispute over an easement and property boundaries actually not concerning him. We were friends before the incident and are now on speaking terms. We have also document other lesser damage by his relatives, documenting ongoing harassment. The greatest benefit was to put the rest of the family on notice that we were watching and will follow through as we had done with the law suit and an aggravated assault. They have tamed considerably though they will never be friends.

We have another property. Residents in that community have had thefts, including boats and attempted auto theft. I have installed motion lights and asked the neighbors if the lights offend them. They welcome them because they feel safer when walking past our property and do not object to camera monitors. Cameras will be next. It is not our neighbors that concern us in this setting. Cameras can be a deterrent and of great value to the neighbors as well. When a criminal event happens in a neighborhood, law enforcement looks to private surveillance to solve crime. As a proponent of cameras, my only concern is the bad guys, no matter whom they are.

The averages are 50/50. In the first scenario, the neighbors don't like cameras. In the second scenario, they are welcome. Look at it this way, the neighbor feels it necessary to protect their property. If the neighbor was there, they would see what the camera sees. The neighbor really doesn't care what's cooking on your BBQ.

[ependydad]

Are you sure that the neighbor can see into your rig? I have had tinted windows on both rigs now and you can’t see in at all from the outside during the day. At night, we close the blinds up so we aren’t on display in a fish bowl.

[bobneal69]

I’m going to give a different opinion than those that have so far been posted. I am referring to my sticks and bricks home, not my RV. I am researching a similar setup for my RV. I have my house surrounded with nine HD cameras, both inside and out, that are recorded 24/7. In the background of the cameras are all my neighbors houses and yards. The house on my West side is only 20 feet from my camera, both houses being the required 10 feet from the property line. On the East side the house is about 30 feet from my camera. I also have Ring doorbells and inside Ring cameras. I get instantly notified by movement at my doors or inside my house. The Ring cameras instantly upload the video to the cloud so if someone destroyed or stole them I would still have the video record, whereas if someone stole my device recording the nine HD cameras, the recordings would be gone. I also have a temperature monitoring system that notifies me if the temperature inside the house goes out of range. I can check in on any of these with my cell phone at any time. Why do I have the cameras? The first reason is to keep an eye on my house when I am away. I can look in my basement and see if everything looks alright. If traveling I can look into my living room to see if anything has been disturbed. If I’m out for dinner I can look in and see what my dogs are doing. Usually they are asleep on the chairs and couch. I can look into my garage and see that all is normal. I can view my house and yard to check for problems such as limbs down, wind damage, broken windows, or see if the yard needs mowed. As far as privacy I can see my neighbors far better from my home windows than I can from my cameras. If I truly wanted to spy on my neighbors, I’d use binoculars looking out my windows. The only time in the last month I have looked at a recording from my HD DVR was to check on a package that Amazon said they had delivered, but wasn’t here when I got home a couple of days later. I saw that my neighbor had put it in her garage for safekeeping, and then she left for a few days. I was grateful she did so. Another reason I have the cameras is to deter any possible thieves or vandals. Although I live in a very safe neighborhood with little to no crime, it never hurts to take precautions. If someone is out looking to steal something they will usually pass by houses with cameras, and usually avoid nearby houses as they realize they have been recorded driving by. Many times someone has rang my doorbell and I could both see them and talk with them from over 1,000 miles away.

I do have a suggestion to prevent your neighbor from being able to see into your RV window. We have a large picture window in the front of our house. We enjoy the view and do not want to close it off with curtains. I contacted a window tinting company. They put a film over the picture window. From the inside we have a normal view. From the outside it looks like a mirror. The only thing you can see from the outside is a dim view of our 70” wall mounted TV if it is on. Otherwise you would not know if I was standing right in front of the window, or if the house was empty. After dark people outside can see shadows moving inside my house but do not get a clear view. I’d recommend something like this for your RV. I understand it’s possible your neighbor is a weirdo who wants to spy on you, but it’s also possible he just wants to keep an eye on his RV. His cameras are actually making his neighbors property a little safer.

[NMWildcat]

Cameras are everywhere, but I agree, if they bother you, they bother you.
Tinting the windows seems like a good solution.
Also, most CGs have limited bandwidth, so I'm betting his camera doesn't always work, or impacts the CGs network. Talk to them about that, maybe they can limit/block his usage by IP or usage quota.
My neighbor does the same thing at his home. Loves video cameras. He knows more about our outside house activities than I do. But we get along great and after awhile, I don't even think about the cameras anymore.

[CurtPutnam]

My worry would be about the bandwidth all those cameras consume since they are connected to the park wifi system - a shared resource.

[waybeck2018]

Originally Posted by 007matman

I like that one.. LOL

Duct tape works too.

Totally agree with the flag, and light it up good to over shine into his Park Model. I would use Gorilla Tape over duct tape though!

[valleyduo]

I don't know that a security system has been built that a smart enough thief hasn't found a way to defeat. Locks, cameras, and whatever other theft deterrents you can think of may work to keep honest folks honest, but thieves always seem to find a way to keep up with technology. I'll save that security money and opt for some good microbrew instead.

[D W]

I don't see the difference of a camera or that person physically sitting outside of his RV with your RV in plain sight. I have never seen a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in a campground unless you create it, i.e. blacked-out windows, shades drawn, etc.

I wouldn't worry about it, and I would not like to become "that guy" that starts a neighborhood war.

I have been camping out in the bush at least 100 miles from anything, and usually within a couple hours a Wildlife Trooper shows up at our campsite.

I have nothing to hide.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Put up a Game Cam and point it right at camera. The IR will cancel each other out. Ran into that when I mistakenly set up two cams that were pointing at each other. Every image had a BRIGHT Halo from the other cams IR bouncing off it. That's mostly in the evening when the IR is active to enhance the image.

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by D W

I don't see the difference of a camera or that person physically sitting outside of his RV with your RV in plain sight. I have never seen a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in a campground unless you create it, i.e. blacked-out windows, shades drawn, etc.

I wouldn't worry about it, and I would not like to become "that guy" that starts a neighborhood war.

I have been camping out in the bush at least 100 miles from anything, and usually within a couple hours a Wildlife Trooper shows up at our campsite.

I have nothing to hide.

X2. All he can see is the outside of your camper, just like everyone else who walks or drives by.

[Retired JSO]

He isn’t watching your window. I have cameras in and out of our home and only check the video feed when something in the neighborhood happens. I also have a drone I launch in my back yard, at travel overlooks and in many campgrounds. I could care less what you are doing behind your windows.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Are you sure that the neighbor can see into your rig? I have had tinted windows on both rigs now and you can’t see in at all from the outside during the day. At night, we close the blinds up so we aren’t on display in a fish bowl.

This is a very good point that I didn’t even think of. While I can see the cameras from inside of my RV, I cannot see inside of my RV through any of the windows until it is dark outside.

However, the window isn’t my only concern.

And to those who ask me what the difference is between this guy just sitting outside, how would you feel if this guy was just sitting outside as you describe, but he also had a video camera in his hand recording everything you were doing? Do you really feel there is no difference?

Bruce

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by nomad297

This is a very good point that I didn’t even think of. While I can see the cameras from inside of my RV, I cannot see inside of my RV through any of the windows until it is dark outside.

However, the window isn’t my only concern.

And to those who ask me what the difference is between this guy just sitting outside, how would you feel if this guy was just sitting outside as you describe, but he also had a video camera in his hand recording everything you were doing? Do you really feel there is no difference?

Bruce

Good point.

[oldsmasma]

Although interesting this thread makes me sad. It’s a shame one pushy entitled idiot is allowed to diminish the enjoyment of others. Your situation would make me very uncomfortable. His surveillance would not make me feel safer. I am reminded how very lucky I am to live in a part of the world where my doors, windows and vehicles are still left unlocked. I hope you are able to find a solution.

[Flybob]

Not taking any side here, but rather pointing some facts.

There are all kinds of people in the world so there will always be someone who will do something you would not. It is best sometime to just ignore them and live your life.
Like it or not cameras are a part of everyday life. You are probably being recorded way more than you ever know. Most stores have video recording and many are equipped with facial recognition so not only do they know you are there, but they know who you are and quite possibly where you just came from.

Using some of the suggestions to defeat the neighbors cameras will only aggravate him an escalate the situation.

Most security cameras are motion activated and as such should be off if you are inside your RV.

I assume you spend time at the campground to relax and enjoy yourself. I would focus on that an not the neighbor. If you life is exciting enough that he enjoys watching it, feel sorry for him that his is not.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Not taking any side here, but rather pointing some facts.

There are all kinds of people in the world so there will always be someone who will do something you would not. It is best sometime to just ignore them and live your life.
Like it or not cameras are a part of everyday life. You are probably being recorded way more than you ever know. Most stores have video recording and many are equipped with facial recognition so not only do they know you are there, but they know who you are and quite possibly where you just came from.

Using some of the suggestions to defeat the neighbors cameras will only aggravate him an escalate the situation.

Most security cameras are motion activated and as such should be off if you are inside your RV.

I assume you spend time at the campground to relax and enjoy yourself. I would focus on that an not the neighbor. If you life is exciting enough that he enjoys watching it, feel sorry for him that his is not.

Flybob,

I do my best to ignore things and people that bother me. I am actually very good at it. I always try to look at things from the perspective of the the other person and how I am not always right, and the way I do things is not the only way to do things. This usually results in me understanding why somebody or something isn’t the way I think it should be and often makes me realize I am actually the person with the problem. Then I quit dwelling on it.

Believe me when I tell you I am very aware of being on camera just about all day long. I live and work in the Washington, DC area, so I see surveillance cameras everywhere. I can only imagine how many more there are that I don’t see. This is one of the reasons I enjoy getting away from there to enjoy the relative privacy afforded by camping.

I’m still not decided on how I should approach the surveillance situation at my campsite, but the last thing I want is conflict — especially with somebody who is going to be at the site next to me forever.

I’m thinking that I might just stop worrying about it until, or if, something happens with it that gives me reason to begin worrying.

Bruce