Security Cameras in a Maine Winter: What to Check Before the Snow

Cameras that looked fine in August can be close to useless in January. Snow reflects infrared light at night, plows bury low mounts, short days mean more hours on night vision, and an outage takes the whole system down exactly when it is most likely to matter.

Here is what to check on a business camera system before winter.

Check the night picture, not the day picture

From November on, many cameras spend more than half the day in night mode. Pull up footage from last night, not this afternoon. Watch for washed-out glare where infrared bounces off snow, a wall or the camera housing, and for spider webs on the lens, which glow in infrared and trigger constant motion alerts.

Re-aim for snow and plow banks

• Make sure piled snow will not block low-mounted cameras over doors and lots
• Angle cameras slightly down so less sky and snow glare fills the frame
• Confirm the outdoor cameras are rated for the weather (look for IP66 or IP67)

Keep recording through outages

A recorder that loses power loses footage. Put the recorder (NVR) and the network switch that powers the cameras on a battery backup, so a storm outage does not leave a gap in the recording. Solar camera systems keep working without grid power, but shorter days mean less charge, so check the battery is sized for December, not June.

Check storage and phone access

• Confirm how many days of footage the recorder actually keeps; it is often fewer than people think
• Make sure you can view the cameras from your phone and that the app still signs in
• Remove access for anyone who no longer needs it, like former seasonal staff

Need a second set of eyes?

We install InVid HD and solar camera systems for Southern Maine businesses and can check over an existing system. Book a free on-site survey or call (207) 819-8229, and you will talk to the person who does the install.