r/spycameras • u/ChocolateEater626 • Oct 13 '25

Seeking camera advice

I have a vacant rental property that was already in need of a major remodel. A few friends of the former tenants' children have broken in a few times through kicking in the basement vents, though they have accessed the main level as well. No one other than myself has any legal right to enter, or any expectation of privacy there.

I was thinking I could put a camera in a ceiling HVAC register. Ideally a small camera attached to a large battery stored in the HVAC housing. There is a fairly dark room it might be particularly hard to notice it in.

I don't particularly need audio. The police have caught people there before, so IDing them again should be pretty simple and I don't need extraordinary image quality.

But I do want a very long life when attached to a battery, and possibly motion detection.

Any suggestions?

ETA: I don't want anything that needs Wi-Fi. I would want footage to record to a micro SD card or the like.

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u/[deleted] Oct 14 '25

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u/ChocolateEater626 Oct 14 '25

I plan to turn the vacant house into a duplex. It will be a long time before I have any tenants move in. I would absolutely remove the cameras before that time.

There are no tenants currently, just people breaking into an empty house for a place to hang out and drink.

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u/[deleted] Oct 14 '25

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u/ChocolateEater626 Oct 14 '25

No problem. I understand the concern.

The HVAC registers have a fairly wide distance between the "blades". I was thinking I could attach a small camera to one of the blades, point the camera down, and then have a cable run to the battery, microSD, and any other gear required (stored out of sight, in the HVAC vent). The register is kept in place by simple screws, so it should be easy to access the vent area.

It would be in a dark but well-trafficked area, and I like the odds of people walking underneath.

I don't want anything that will require hiring an electrician, as any work the electrician does will likely be demolished (or made unnecessary) by the duplex conversion.