Advantage: Deterrent

• Just the presence of security cameras will deter some would-be thieves or vandals from entering a condo illegally because the cameras will give a predator cause for concern about being seen or caught. Criminals typically seek out the easiest targets possible so they can go in and out quickly without fuss. Security cameras add an element of safeguarding that most homes and apartments don't have; for this reason, a condo with security cameras could be less likely to be victimized by robbery. Even a fake camera, hooked up to nothing, can provide this effect so long as it looks realistic and condo residents aren't telling others that the camera is fake.
  
  

Advantage: Identification

• Security cameras are useful for determining who entered the property of a condo within a certain time frame. For example, if a person is suspected of wrongdoing, police can check the cameras at the condo entrance to see if that person entered or exited the property around the time a crime was committed. This is useful if one tenant of the condo is being disruptive or doing something bothersome like dumping garbage. Cameras help identify this behavior and who is responsible for it to prevent it in the future.
  
  

Disadvantage: Monitoring

• Aside from the deterrent factor, a camera is useful only if someone is monitoring it. If the condo has a security officer on duty, that officer needs to be regularly checking the camera monitors to look for signs of suspicious activity. If the cameras are not being checked for extended periods of time, residents and other people can become wise to that fact, and the cameras will lose their deterrent ability. Likewise, cameras usually have only so much tape or video memory available, so a human monitor must review footage quickly after an incident; otherwise an incident will get deleted or recorded over.
  
  

Disadvantage: Limited View

• There are two types of security cameras: stationary and PTZ cameras. Stationary cameras can monitor in only one direction; they cannot be moved mechanically. PTZ cameras are capable of panning, tilting and zooming while being controlled from a remote location. PTZ models are more useful for overall security, but they are more expensive; so many condos simply use stationary cameras at their entrances. If a stationary camera is knocked askew of its intended view line, the device becomes effectively useless. While a security camera becoming impaired may itself raise suspicions from an attentive security professional, who should investigate, a stationary condo-entrance security camera that's pointed the wrong way makes that entrance to the condo susceptible to compromise.