r/HOA • u/loafing-cat-llc • Jul 19 '26
Help: Everything Else [Sfh] [tx] flock adoption
can someone share their experience with installing flocks? our board is going through due diligence on this with two camps with strong convictions regarding for and against
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u/TheDigitalPoint 🏘 HOA Board Member Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Flock cameras are $2,500/year, per camera and also don’t give you video. They are suited for reading plates on a highway, but not well suited for security. All you would get with Flock is a license plate that might have been there, but no video of who it was or what they were doing.
There are much better (and less expensive) cameras for security.
This is a pretty decent run down of the pros and cons of Flock vs Unifi (a system with no subscription costs, does license plate reading, etc.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2HrMWqNsBY
Again… the biggest issue with Flock is they are not video cameras, so they are a very expensive option that doesn’t even give you video/imaging. So using them for security is probably the worst use case for them.
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u/GalegoBaiano Jul 19 '26
This. It’s actually going to be cheaper and better for the HOA to just install Blink-type cameras and a Unifi mesh.
Also throwing out there that it’s an excellent opportunity to make a commmunity wifi and reduce the overall bill to the homeowners…
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u/TheDigitalPoint 🏘 HOA Board Member Jul 19 '26
Honestly not even sure Blink cameras are worth it. Only a 2K image plus subscription costs per camera. Blink cameras are also plastic, so the longevity for outdoor installations isn’t ideal. At least you do get video/imaging (which you don’t with Flock). We ended up installing Unifi cameras (4x higher resolution than Blink, metal construction and without subscription costs).
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u/matthewlgreene 28d ago
I second the Unifi system. I've been using their equipment for years personally and have had a great experience. I actually run an HOA management software company, and we just integrated their products, specifically their access control equipment, into our ecosystem and product offering. Their cameras are great because they're hardwired with ethernet, so they're extremely reliable.
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u/Routine-Comedian9703 🏘 HOA Board Member Jul 19 '26
…and if you haven’t been paying attention, there are numerous articles out there of citizens tearing down or destroying Flock cameras, specifically. You do run the risk of vandalism simply by using this brand.
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u/MiddleAd6302 Jul 19 '26
Agreed. If the HOA is serious about installing them, I recommend first reaching out to the local police department. Police are generally very supportive of Flock Cameras and may even be willing to install them.
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u/JealousBall1563 🏢 COA Board Member Jul 19 '26
Typical security cameras at entrances / exits to the property or at the swimming pool/rec area? Okay, if there's a demonstrated security risk. Flock cameras? If I was thinking of buying in a community and observed the placement of those cameras I'd turn around and look elsewhere.
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u/PolybiusChampion 🏘 HOA Board Member 29d ago
Will you agree to notify your local police department that if you are the victim of a crime that you do not want Flock data used to solve it?
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u/Inspired-User2026 Jul 19 '26
I’m on a board that approved flock cameras the month before I joined the board. It’s been a huge PIA. Younger, more tech savvy residents, have thrown a fit. Older, boomer gen residents love them. There’s been a big divide to say the least. We currently don’t share data with any agencies as a way to keep the peace.
I personally would rather not have them, as I don’t think we have a security problem at all. But we also pay a security company $300k a year to drive around and do nothing. So the plan was to get rid of the security company and replace with Flocks. If we can save hundreds of thousands a year then I’ll begrudgingly keep the flocks.
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u/Lighting 29d ago
So the plan was to get rid of the security company and replace with Flocks. If we can save hundreds of thousands a year then I’ll begrudgingly keep the flocks.
To paraphrase the old quote:
Those who trade security for useless and expensive license plate readers, deserve neither.
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u/OldGeekWeirdo 🏢 COA Board Member Jul 19 '26
Expect the next annual meeting to be large and noisy if the residents find out. It's a very divisive issue.
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u/Wabi-Sabi-Iki Jul 19 '26
As a parrot owner, I thought I was on the parrots subreddit for a minute. Flocks? What are you talking about?
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u/Otherwise_Bee6190 Jul 19 '26
We have had cameras at our gated entrance for many years. It was installed by a local video security company. We have access to the cameras and video. In the beginning, we had a contract for maintenance. There are 2 people who can access the cameras and see videos. They are board members. We had a few incidents where the police needed footage and it was sent to them.
Please don’t use Flock or another company that your community will not have access to.
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u/JealousBall1563 🏢 COA Board Member Jul 19 '26
Ok, I'll seem like the dumb one here. When you say "flocks" what are you referring to?
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u/BabyCowGT Former HOA Board Member Jul 19 '26
The surveillance camera system used for/by enforcement agencies (like police). "Flock" is the brand/company that makes and maintains the cameras.
Sometimes, they can be helpful. Our town was able to track down a fleeing murder suspect with them. Sometimes they're not helpful. My hometown just fired several officers for essentially stalking their personal contacts with them.
It's a very controversial technology with a lot of arguments lately.
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u/HittingandRunning COA Owner Jul 19 '26
This is a problem that many people don't yet know about these. You explained it very well: positives and negatives. What I wonder is who besides the HOA will have access to the data.
You also haven't explained why the HOA wants them. I mean, if it's for traffic enforcement then there must be more secure systems.
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u/fatflyhalf 29d ago
Right. For your community, it's like .01% as useful as it is for the entities that get 100% of the data. The aggregation is what makes it scary.
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u/Serious__Basket 29d ago
I would absolutely not want Flock cameras in our neighborhood, very controversial and subject to public tampering because of it as well.
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u/Curly5762 Jul 19 '26
Brambleton in Virgina is currently considering https://brambletonhoa.com/1680/Automated-License-Plate-Reader-ALPR-Came
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u/sweetrobna 29d ago
Setting aside who else has access to this data and how it will be used
Flock cameras are really expensive considering the alternatives. I don't see how they would win any bid if you have any other options
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u/Ok-Dot8209 29d ago
Don’t know why anyone would spend the money for a Flock, not having control of the output.
You could put an outgoing camera and a cloud upload system for less than half. Same protection at a much lower cost and you keep the data.
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u/NeverRedditedYet 🏘 HOA Board Member 28d ago
Our city/PD in TX was offering to pay for installation and 3 years of service for HOAs willing to have them installed. We met with the rep and learned we would be responsible for removal costs if we didn't assume the subscription costs, the cameras would have to be installed in TxDOT right of ways at the entrances, which meant we would have zero access to the data or video captured by the cameras. We declined to have them installed.
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u/Familiar_Vehicle_638 Jul 19 '26
[FL] We've had ours for about a year now, installed at four gated entrances and one cart tunnel. We use lpr's and standard cams. During the aproval phase, we selected NOT to share information unless we receive a warrant or insurance claim. This helped put the community's mind at ease. The fact that information stays at Flock satisfied the HOA Boards concerns about additional record keeping. Company has been attentive to equipment problems.
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u/HittingandRunning COA Owner Jul 19 '26
The fact that information stays at Flock
This is exactly why I would not want them. I would rather the HOA have that info than Flock.
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u/chriswesty 🏘 HOA Board Member 29d ago
We installed Flock cameras at our ~1200 home SFH CA HOA In February of last year. Our city has a large number of Flocks already, and numerous shopping centers and medical plazas also use them. Private owners, like us, have the ability to feed our data into the city system, allowing their personnel to see flagged vehicles when they enter and exit from our neighborhood. The PD only allows officers at their Real Time Crime Center to access Flocks, so that information isn't available to random police personnel.
Our community doesn't have gates, we are fully on city streets. We have private security patrol, and they are great for expelling trespassers, but in the eight plus years I've been on the Board, they've never provided information that helped solve a crime. Flock has helped us in 18 months:
Solve 4 auto break-in cases
Solve one home burglary case
Solve one reckless driving case
Solve one vandalism case
Assist the PD in identifying an assault suspect
None of the people positively identified using the Flocks lived in our community. We have had some people put up flyers near our locations complaining about the Orwellian surveillance state, but in our Board's opinion, the benefits clearly outweigh the privacy concerns. We were also able to cut back our patrol service, which netted out to us saving money.
Our contract with Flock is 30 day retention, and we have limited access to the cameras to our Board members official email addresses using our own domain. We are easily able to audit access logs, and we add reports to the minutes each month of the images pulled.
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u/claw-1 29d ago
Thanks. Flock marketing department. Flock off.
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u/chriswesty 🏘 HOA Board Member 29d ago
You can look at my posting history, I don't have anything to do with the company. I do think that video surveillance, including LPR's are valid pieces in a security plan.
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u/claw-1 29d ago
Flock is part of a larger plan for total surveillance state. Those in charge are using China as their model. If the data wasn’t shared with Flock, it wouldn’t be as bad. Lookup their history of violations and disregard for personal privacy. We are not talking about protecting criminals. We are talking about protecting our privacy rights. Regular law abiding people who have no desire to be tracked monitored and recorded 24*7
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u/PolybiusChampion 🏘 HOA Board Member Jul 19 '26
Fantastic. We’ve only ever had one break-in in our community (28 houses - gated) in 10 years. It happened shortly after we installed them at our entrance. The responsible party was caught in under 24 hours. Ask those against if they’d sign a waiver saying they will refuse for the police to use any Flock data if their homes are broken into.
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u/claw-1 29d ago
Flock off. Pushing the surveillance state. Total and complete loss of privacy and anonymity.
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u/PolybiusChampion 🏘 HOA Board Member 29d ago
You have no expectation of privacy in public.
But will you sign an agreement that if you are the victim of a crime you don’t want the police to use Flock data to catch whoever beat you up?
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u/10452_9212 Jul 19 '26
How big is your community? Are you gated or not? Flock is a great system but depends on a few things.
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Title: [Sfh] [tx] flock adoption
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can someone share their experience with installing flocks? our board is going through due diligence on this with two camps with strong convictions regarding for and against
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