Are dummy alarm boxes and fake cameras worth putting up?

Deterrence works on a quick judgement made from the pavement, so appearance genuinely counts for something. The problem is that fakes are recognisable, and a fake that is spotted actively tells someone that the household chose the appearance of security over the substance of it.

Step by step

1. Be clear what you are buying.A dummy changes one thing: the impression from outside. It records nothing, it warns nobody in the house, and it produces no evidence afterwards.
2. Judge how it will read from the street.Stand where someone would stand. A box mounted crooked, low enough to reach, with no cable entry and a constantly flashing LED reads as a dummy at a glance.
3. Know the giveaways on fake cameras.A visible blinking red light, a swinging cable that goes nowhere, a plastic body with no weatherproofing, and a lens that is obviously an ornament. Real cameras rarely blink at you.
4. Compare against a real device at similar money.Battery cameras, standalone door alarms and PIR floodlights have all become inexpensive. For the price of two convincing dummies you can usually have one thing that genuinely works.
5. Do not put up warning signs for a system you do not have.A CCTV warning sign with no cameras is easily read as bluff, and it can complicate matters if you later fit a real camera and someone asks about the period the sign claimed to cover.
6. If you do fit one, fit it properly.High, level, weatherproof, on the front elevation where it is seen from the approach, and either an unlit or a very discreetly lit indicator. Fit a real one at the back if you fit anything there.
7. Keep the rest of the picture consistent.A bell box above an overgrown hedge, an open side gate and no lighting does not read as a defended house. Deterrence is the whole impression, not one prop.
8. Prefer a real bell box on a decommissioned system.If a house already has a genuine alarm box from a dead system, leaving it in place is free and reads correctly. Consider having the system revived instead of replacing the box with a fake.

Tips

• If you are away often, timer switches on lamps in two rooms do more for the look of occupancy than any box on the wall.
• A neighbour who will move your bin and take a parcel in is worth more than every deterrent product combined.
• Never claim a house is alarmed in a conversation with a stranger at the door. Say nothing about your security arrangements to anyone doorstepping you.

Common mistakes

• Choosing the cheapest flashing box — The constant blinking LED is the single most recognisable dummy feature, because a real bell box does not usually behave that way.
• Mounting it low so it is easy to fit — Real bell boxes go high and out of reach. A box at head height reads as a decoration and is trivially removed.

If it doesn't work

Alternatives

• A standalone door or shed alarm: Ten to twenty pounds, battery powered, adhesive fixing, and it makes real noise at the moment it matters. Better value than any dummy.
• A PIR floodlight: Light on an approach removes the cover an opportunist needs and it is useful to the household every day. This is usually the best value single purchase.
• A battery video doorbell: Genuinely records, genuinely notifies and looks exactly like what it is. Note the data-protection duties if it sees beyond your boundary.

Questions people ask