Tips to Prevent Package Theft with a FLIR FX

The holidays are a favorite time of year for most of us – egg nog, time with family, sleigh rides and of course, the presents.

Do you know who else loves the holidays and especially presents? Thieves (aka Porch Pirates)! 

With the increase in online shopping in recent years, more packages are being shipped to our front doors, providing an easy way for criminals to steal them. One way you can help prevent thieves from stealing packages is by purchasing a home security monitoring camera like the FLIR FX. 

The FLIR FX Wi-Fi Security Camera lets you keep an eye on what matters most to you wherever you are. Available in both an indoor version to place inside your home and an outdoor version to mount around your home, the FLIR FX security camera allows you to stream live HD video to a smartphone or tablet.

If you already have a FLIR FX or are considering purchasing one before any more porch pirates steal that Barbie you got for little Sally, here are a few tips for you to help you ward off or catch the bad guys in the act:

1. - Turn it on and keep it on. We’ve seen many customers that have purchased a FLIR FX but neglected to connect it. If you want to protect your home and personal items, this is critical first step. If you have one, plug it in, power it up and connect to your Wi-Fi. It will only take a few minutes? Do it! Now!
2. - Make it Visible. Making sure your camera can be seen by anyone who comes to your front door may be the single most critical thing you can do to deter a thief from stealing from you. Position the camera in plain view at your front door. Whether it’s the FLIR FX Indoor that you show through a window near the front door or the FLIR FX Outdoor mounted above your porch, make sure the thief sees it! If anything, they’ll think twice.
3. - Motion Alerts On. The FLIR FX sends motion alert notifications to your smartphone or tablet. This is a great way to be aware of things that are happening when you’re not at home. Using the FLIR FX’s SmartZone settings, you can specify an area you want to monitor. So, if you want to capture just movements that happen on you front porch rather than the passing dog walker, you can select the area around the porch and record an objects anytime they moves around the porch. This will enable cloud recording and record only those motion events to capture the moment. With our RapidRecap feature, you can review these events.
4.  - Review your Motion Alerts. With many competitive home monitoring cameras you’d have to sift through hours of footage to find movements. With the FLIR FX’s RapidRecap feature, you can review your day in a minute. The FLIR FX compiles cloud-recorded, timestamps motion-activated events into a condensed video, allowing users to save time by reviewing a day’s worth of video events in a short clip. With the free FLIR FX app and free FLIR Cloud Basic video storage, you can quickly see when someone approached your porch and steals your package.
5. - Save your RapidRecap. After reviewing your RapidRecap, if you found someone walking off with your packages, save the video because it is now your evidence in a crime. Once in the FLIR FX app on your smartphone, after creating a RapidRecap video, hit the “Send” button in the top right corner of the app to email or save the video.
6. - Contact Law Enforcement. With video evidence of the criminal act in hand, you should contact local law enforcement immediately. Before you do, check with your local law enforcement to determine the appropriate crime reporting processes. In some cities, this may be 911, but some cities have created special crime reporting phone lines to report non-violent crimes such as package thefts. 

 
To learn more about the FLIR FX, visit: http://www.flir.com/flirfx/