Do you want to know how to freeze a security camera? Then you have come to the right place.
Many homeowners search for effective ways to freeze their security cameras to keep their security footage as safe and secure as possible.
The main reason for doing this is they want to protect their monitoring devices from unauthorized access and tampering from hackers or bad neighbors.
Not only that, There are many reasons why someone might want to freeze a security camera.
Maybe the person is concerned about privacy and doesn’t want the footage of his home or office to be accessible to anyone who might hack into the system. Or maybe he’s just curious and wants to know how it’s done.
No matter what your reason, this article will show you how to freeze a security camera using a few simple steps.
Why Do People Need to Freeze Their Security Camera footage?
In most cases, privacy is the primary concern. People may not want others to be able to see the footage of their home or office for privacy reasons.
By freezing the security camera footage, they can help ensure that only authorized people have access to it.
Additionally, there’re some people who have naughty kids and want to monitor them while they’re away.
So, the parents pick a security camera and install it in their rooms with the intention of focusing or freezing the camera footage on kids for 24-hour monitoring to see what they are doing.
Now
How to freeze a security camera? (Tested Methods)
You don’t need to be a professional or have any experience to freeze a security camera, you can do this in a few ways.
All you have to do is get a security camera connected to one of the controlling devices whatever mobile app or PC viewing software, and also have access permission for these devices.
Method1: Playback Mode Freezing
Each security camera system offers a wide variety of options for customers to allow them to view or playback the recorded videos of their cameras.
The good news is you can use the Playback option to freeze a security camera footage for a short time which allows you to notice the hidden details in the video clips.
The majority of surveillance cameras support this option by inserting a stop button on the viewing screen and sometimes there’s a snapshot button also for freezing the camera footage in playback mode.
Anyway, to do this, you must get your camera turned on and also have access to the control panel of the surveillance system as we mentioned above.
The following steps will show how to freeze a security camera from playback mode:
1. Open the “PlayBack” mode of your surveillance system.
2. Choose the footage you wish to freeze.
3. Ensure the footage in the frame is the one you want to freeze.
4. Next, Click on the “Freeze” or “Stop” button.
5. The frame will now be frozen on your screen.
6. You can now take a screenshot or save the footage to your computer, or mobile for future usage.
Choosing the freeze a security camera footage in the playback mode is the perfect option especially when there’s something important happens and you want to watch it with details.
Method2: Use App or Software For Freezing
Sometimes when you open your mobile phone or PC viewing software from anywhere around the world you watch suspicious things that make you want to freeze a security camera footage in the live view immediately.
In that case, you have more than one option to stop the security camera on the same footage, you can use the “Stop” or “Snapshot” button as we mentioned in the first method.
The second option is installing one of the monitor recording apps on your mobile or PC.
So when you notice something strange on the live view feed and you want to take it as evidence, you can launch the monitor recording app to record what is displayed on the PC, or Phone screen.
While this method is good for capturing what is happening in the live view of the CCTV camera but sometimes you miss important details because of the software issues of these applications.
Also, there’s a short delay comes from the terminating camera app to starting the monitoring app.
Method3: Freeze Frames Through Connections
The third method used to freeze a security camera is by changing the camera’s main connections.
In some cases, there’re some professionals who use the connections of the camera to freeze the camera footage on a specific event and then make the camera complete recording normally.
They do this by disconnecting the camera signal for a few seconds and then reconnecting the cam again.
The reason for doing this is when the camera is disconnected from the source of the signal it shows the camera feed for a short time until the “No connection” message appears.
Another alternative way to stop the camera footage on the desired video clip is by using a device with a strong signal for the purpose of making electromagnetic interference on the camera signal.
Turning on the device, then turning it off in a fast way will make the signal between the camera and the video recorder not able to reach which make the camera in the freezing position for the video feed it displays.
How to Stop or Freeze a Spying Security Camera
Invasion of personal privacy is considered one of the main topics these days for homeowners who have annoying neighbors directing their security cameras on others’ property, and homes.
Although there’s a law in each state that punishes everyone who tries to invasive others’ privacy there are large numbers who do mount their cameras near others’ property and explain it as it’s for the protection of their houses and children.
In similar cases, homeowners couldn’t remove or damage their annoying neighbor’s camera but the good news is they can stop it or freeze a security camera footage on a specific video and keep the camera displaying it repeatedly in legal or illegal ways.
Anyway, For freezing the security camera of your neighbors who are spying on your house and family, you have 2 ways and each one depends on what cloud you do.
The first one is by stopping the camera from recording by disconnecting the camera’s main power cable or the signal cable that is used to link the camera with the video recorder of the system.
While this method disabled the camera immediately from capturing and recording videos for your property but unfortunately using this way can expose you to legal liability.
The second way is to use one of the signal jammer devices that are able to object the camera signal and make it disconnected from receiving or sending new updates for the display screen or NVR/DVR.
They’re more available ways to disable security cameras but all of them depend on where the camera is installed is it near you and you can reach it easily or it’s far away from you?
Benefits of Freezing Security Camera Footage
As we know, having a security camera installed on your property gives us peace of mind concerning family and home protection and safety.
The idea behind this is security camera provides us with clear footage of the events that happen while we’re away from home.
So, whatever happens, we can know everything in detail as we existed in the event, and that will unable to happen without the help of surveillance cameras.
Aside from the above-mentioned benefits of having a security camera, there’re some hidden benefits to freezing camera footage.
Let’s see some of them
1. Keep a copy of any security footage in case of theft or vandalism:
If your security camera footage is ever stolen or vandalized, you will still have a copy of it if you have frozen it.
This can help identify in detail the thief or vandal and get your property back also it shows you which spot the thieves use to enter your house.
2. Evidence in insurance claims:
If your property is ever damaged or destroyed by strangers or intruders, you can use the frozen footage as evidence in your insurance claim.
In this way, you will get compensation for the damages that happen to your house, car, or any other place.
3. Help law enforcement :
Law enforcement can use security footage to help identify suspects in criminal investigations.
If you have frozen your footage, you can provide it to them and help with the investigation.
4. Improve security measures at your home or business
Security footage helps to improve security measures at your home or business.
By identifying vulnerabilities in your security system, you can make changes to help prevent future incidents.
What do you need to freeze a security camera?
The most crucial thing you will need to do is full administrative access to the concerned camera.
It makes no difference how you have access, whether you are seated close to the surveillance system’s control panel or utilizing your wireless connection to control the camera.
The built-in defenses of surveillance cameras stop outside sources from freezing their video.
Therefore, you have no chance of freezing a CCTV camera without complete administrative access.
If there are numerous cameras in a facility, you can utilize a manual or a layout plan.
You can determine which camera you need to freeze using the method. When operating numerous security cameras while at the control panel, this can be useful.
How can I know if my security footage has been frozen?
The most obvious way to tell if your footage has been frozen is by looking at the video. If the footage appears to be stuck on one frame, it has been frozen.
Another way to tell is by looking at the time stamp on the footage. If the timestamp stays the same for an extended period, it is likely that the footage has been frozen.
How long can security footage be frozen?
How long the footage can be frozen depends on how it is being stored. If the footage is being stored on a DVR, it can be frozen for an indefinite amount of time.
On the other hand, If the footage is being stored on a computer, it can only be frozen for as long as the computer is on.
Can security footage be edited?
The short answer is Yes, security footage can be edited. However, it is important to note that editing security footage can alter its evidentiary value.
Conclusion
Freezing security camera footage is a useful way to capture a specific image from the footage. It can be done in both live view and playback mode.
In the guide, we have shown you how to freeze a security camera using a few simple steps.
If you are concerned about the privacy of your footage or just want to experiment with this nifty trick, follow these instructions and see for yourself what happens when you try to unfreeze a frozen security camera.
We hope this guide has been helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below. Have fun!
Resources: Quora