Two security cameras mounted on a pole, positioned in front of a modern glass building.

Surveillance cameras come in many different types and with lots of different features. One of the most useful features is motion-activated filming, which can help to save power, extend the life of the device and make reviewing footage much easier. Here are just 10 of the many examples of times motion-activated cameras can come in very handy indeed:

  1. Alerting you when a burglary/crime is in progress. A camera that starts filming the very second an intruder comes within range can trigger alerts straight to your laptop or mobile device, meaning you can immediately take action. You can call the police, return to the property and hopefully, stop the crime and catch the perpetrators before too much damage/loss can occur.
  2. Protecting your business. It can give business owners tremendous peace of mind knowing they can lock up at night and leave motion-activated cameras to watch over the property until the following morning.
  3. Ensuring restricted access areas stay restricted. Suppose you want to ensure that restricted areas remain protected. In that case, you can install a camera that will notify you immediately if anyone gains unauthorised access and get their face or vehicle registration on camera.
  4. Monitoring care home and childcare standards. Installed in the right room, a motion-activated camera can help give you peace of mind that your family member is being looked after properly. As the camera only activates with movement, there won't be hours of blank footage to trawl through either.
  5. Gathering evidence for legal cases. For example, if you are going through a divorce, you can use the evidence from a motion-activated camera to prove adultery or undeclared business or financial activity.
  6. Sniffing out a thief. If you suspect theft within a particular area of your business (i.e. a stock room), a discreet surveillance camera can help you prove it.
  7. Catching fly-tippers. Fly-tipping repeatedly happens in the same spots because the perpetrators think the area is unwatched and their activity will go unnoticed. If you have identified a hotspot, you can use motion-activated cameras to catch fly-tippers red-handed or record video evidence to ensure enforcement action is taken.
  8. Reviewing lots of fixed location footage. Reviewing the footage can be a nightmare if you are filming a location and waiting for a specific thing to happen (i.e. a vehicle or person appearing on the scene). Instead of wading through hours or even days of footage where nothing happens, you can use motion-activated devices only to record when something is happening.
  9. Monitor young children when you're not in the room. Motion cameras can act as baby monitors, alerting you to unexpected movements (i.e. at night) when you're not in the room.
  10. Protecting empty properties and construction sites. These sites are prime targets for burglars and vandals, but surveillance cameras can act as a visible deterrent and vital record evidence for the police if something should happen.