Security Systems

[exsdgal]

svelte, thank you for the informative post. I take you purchased off the shelf products and built the security system on your own. Would you be able to share the specific models and software used?

It was interesting to read about your camera installation. I think especially for residences an outside camera (though a deterrent) makes it aesthetically less appealing. I am curious to find out the type of camera that worked well for your installation.

Thanks a bunch.

[svelte]

[quote=exsdgal]svelte, thank you for the informative post. I take you purchased off the shelf products and built the security system on your own. [/quote]

That is right.

[quote=exsdgal]
Would you be able to share the specific models and software used?
[/quote]

Will PM specifics to you. Since security is a cat and mouse game, I’d prefer not to share that info in a general public forum.

[FlyerInHi]

Has anyone used Dropcam? it’s $199 + annual fee for cloud recording.

It’s for my small condo, I don’t have the inclination or the space to setup a whole security system.

BTW, svelte, just curious, how much did you spend on your security system?

[spdrun]

Why the bleeding fornication would anyone voluntarily use a device that uploads pictures of the inside of their own home to a third party that they don’t personally know? Dropcam feeds are encrypted in transit. They’re NOT encrypted at rest on their kloudkrap servers. Having several cameras using your WAN link all of the time would also probably hog bandwidth nicely.

If 1984 comes, it will be with the sheepsumers’ consent in the name of security. Jeebus H. Dancing Xhrist — it’s not that hard to set up a hidden digital DVR that doesn’t have the same level of creepiness as something like Dropcam.

Wireless cams are under $100. A Mac Mini or similar with big HDD can be had for $250 used, and can be easily hidden. You don’t even need bespoke DVR software. Newer Trendnet cameras will dump directly to an SMB share!

Lastly, is there really a point in putting cameras in a condo? Judging by some friends’ experience with San Diego police, they probably have better things to do than look for housebreakers. Their response was “tell it to your insurance company.”

[FlyerInHi]

spd, I have vacation condo that I rent out to people. I want to record the comings and goings of the front door only. I think that would make people feel safer that the unit itself is secure, in addition to the building being secure.

It might also deter my tenants from having undeclared guests or doing things they shouldn’t.

What should I do in your opinion? I’m open to suggestions on what type of equipment to use.

To be honest, I haven’t had any problems before… So maybe just don’t fix what’s not broken, haha…. Also maybe the guests would not want any recording of their entries at all; and they would be upset if I did so.

But dropcam seems cheap enough… so just something to consider.

Also, when the cleaning lady comes, she sometimes uses facetime to show me anything of concern. I just want to make sure that everything is well taken care of.

Anyway, we have technology, so why not use it?

[CA renter]

All I can say is that if we were renting a condo where the owner was recording *anything,* there would be problems.

Why are so many so willing to give up their privacy!?!?

[Hobie]

Just a bit of chewing gum over the lens and all is well 😉

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=CA renter]All I can say is that if we were renting a condo where the owner was recording *anything,* there would be problems.

Why are so many so willing to give up their privacy!?!?[/quote]

My condo has cameras around the property. Homeowners can request to view them.

I’m wondering, in a hotel, do guests feel more secure if the hallways are under surveillance? Would they want the front door of their hotel room to be under constant surveillance for safety reasons?

I think the majority want surveillance, whereas a great number feel that’s an invasion of privacy. I think that, regardless, private and public surveillance are here to stay.

Me, personally, as a consumer, I don’t want to recorded.

But if I’m a property manager, I would want to record everything I can on the property. The argument would be “well it’s private space, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to visit.”

I think that 1984 will happen… Is there anyway to stop it?

[spdrun]

Recording everything on an internal DVR that runs on a seven-day (or 30-day reduced framerate) loop is one thing. Preferably a DVR with an air-gap firewall, read: no Internet connection. It’s enough time to save footage if a crime is reported, but the footage isn’t kept for life.

Giving the data to third-party scum like Dropcam (and by extension Google and the NSA) is unconscionable, and any property manager doing so deserves to be sued into bankruptcy and jump under a bus.

Recent events (JLaw *ahem*) have proven that cloud services — even those run by the largest firms — are NOT secure and subject to abuse.

[FlyerInHi]

so spd, what kind of equipment should I get, that’s useful and cheap?

BTW, the reason I want a camera for the front door area of my vacation rental is because my tenants are short-term. They come and go and most of the time, I don’t even meet them. Of course, I would fully disclose to the tenants that their ingress and egress is recorded.

Sometimes you give up some privacy for convenience and security (or just a feeling of it). That’s how we get services almost for “free.”

BTW, most of home automation products go through some kind of cloud central system where all the info is kept. Tons of people have already gladly given up their privacy.

[spdrun]

The “cloud” is a retarded paradigm for home automation, and I would never have cloud-enabled spyware devices anywhere that I live. IPv6 will come sooner or later. This has a large enough address space to give every house in the world a few quintillion static IP addresses.

No need for a cloud server when your device can just connect directly to any device in your home via SSL or other encrypted link.

Why the fornication would I need to go through Google’s servers to talk to my thermostat if I can connect to it directly with my smartphone? (Some mechanism for initial discovery via being on the same WiFi network would be easy to implement, or a central server could act as a mediator rather than storing and transferring actual data.)

As far as your question about cameras, something like this plus a NAS drive would be easiest to set up…

http://advancedelectronic.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=143569&gclid=CKOv5f-KxsACFbTm7Aod_UsATA

Or buy a used Mac Mini and any IP camera, put free security cam software on the Mini, hide the Mini somewhere, while setting it up for remote access.

[moneymaker]

Security systems can be difficult to set up. I bought a Q-See system, 4 cameras, 700 lines of resolution, 2 TB hard drive for like $258 new. The hard part is setting it up. It’s amazing what these new systems can do. I have mine on a reserved IP (if you don’t know what that means then you should probably have someone set it up for you) with a cell phone app. The cameras can be set to record motion only. At 30 fps I think I get 1-2 months of recording, you can even program them to E-mail when something happens. The technology is really cool! Nothing much happens here but I’m ready if it does.

[FlyerInHi]

sdp, thanks for the camera recommendation. There’s an area in the ceiling, where the AC is located, with power, where it could go.

I like home electronics, but I’m a wire-phobe. I don’t install anything unless the wires can be hidden inside the walls. I’ve gone as far as tearing out drywall.

I was talking with a friend about remote control thermostats (he’s privacy paranoid and techie)… I don’t think there are many choices out there for direct connection.

Do you think they will even make IPv6 thermostats that you can access directly? I think they want you to go through a central server so that they have the data to share with utilities companies and others.

Many utilities are already giving away free thermostats. I predict that all utilities will be giving away free thermostats within a decade. I bought Nest and Honeywell thermostats for my condos because, so far, free thermostats are only for SFRs.

Did you read about EWR installing LED lights that include sensors and cameras to track movement of travelers?

[FlyerInHi]

Watch what you do… cameras everywhere!

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/02/centerplate-ceo-desmond-hague-resigns/?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTMnKDVy7CQ

[spdrun]

I’m confused: I thought you were recording guests’ comings and goings. Why not place the camera externally then, to view the entrance door area (assuming an entrance from outdoors)?

Contract or not, indoor cameras are begging for a lawsuit, if not criminal charges. Remember that invited guests didn’t sign the contract, so they didn’t consent to be spied upon in an area with an expectation of privacy.

And if you ended up losing a lot of money to a judgement and legal fees, I wouldn’t have an iota of sympathy for you.

As far as ipv6 thermostats, someone will make them. If only for commercial buildings where the designers don’t want long-term vendor lock-in.

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