Semi-Emergency Home Security System Need
RickInTexas
Posts: 124
We rarely travel, but Monday we are going to California for 10 days. We have no security to speak of. I do have loads of micro-boards: Propeller Quick Starts, Activity Boards, Arduino, and a Raspberry Pi.
I do not have any sensors such as PIR etc. save for a single Ping(((.
Any ideas for something I could slap together this weekend?
I can pick up a sensor or two from Microcenter, Fry's and maybe Tanner (local) as well as hundreds of other things like cameras that record to local and/or connected remote monitoring.
I have one or two USB cameras, a Raspberry Pi Camera is possible.
Ideas I have thus far are: Motion (PIR + ???) and LOUD indoor/outdoor alarms. Dial-up to Police maybe, simple in principle but would need a hard solution for this.
Any suggestions are welcomed.
Rick in Texas.
I do not have any sensors such as PIR etc. save for a single Ping(((.
Any ideas for something I could slap together this weekend?
I can pick up a sensor or two from Microcenter, Fry's and maybe Tanner (local) as well as hundreds of other things like cameras that record to local and/or connected remote monitoring.
I have one or two USB cameras, a Raspberry Pi Camera is possible.
Ideas I have thus far are: Motion (PIR + ???) and LOUD indoor/outdoor alarms. Dial-up to Police maybe, simple in principle but would need a hard solution for this.
Any suggestions are welcomed.
Rick in Texas.
Comments
Motion activated outdoor lights may discourage a casual thief. Having a cobbled together alarm system set to dial up the police is a good way of irritating your local law enforcement. Besides, by the time they arrive, the damage has been done, it is your insurance that you will need then.
As for the police, neighbor irritation element, I understand completely. That is why a combo PIR/(some other motion detector) with a
very low false alarm rate would be crucial. Wifey says insurance is good for $25,000. For a $200,000 house I think at least $50K is needed.
Any specific experience with video surveillance systems? Fry's has some recording systems with 4-8 wired cameras starting around 1-200 dollars. Any good? Of course the storage would have to be secured. A stolen video system would add insult to injury!
-Phil
Timers on lights you normally have on in the evening. Put a table or floor lamp in the bathroom with a timer so it goes on around bed time for 30 minutes or so. A few timers on strategically placed lamps can make the place look lived in.
If you don't have deadbolts for some reason, spend time installing those instead of piecing together some sort of untested alarm gizmo.
Check to make sure all your doors and windows are locked...the locks all work, right?
Lock your garage door from the inside and disconnect the garage door opener (be considerate of any trash arrangements with the neighbor above).
DON'T change your voice mail/answering machine greeting, "Hi, we're on vacation, please leave a message...." doesn't help anyone!
Grass probably is starting to go dormant in Plano about now but if it's growing and the yard will look unusually shaggy in a week, pay a neighbor kid to cut your grass.
Again, make it look like someone is home......
DO let the police know you are going to be away. Some police (depending on size of force and are they cover) will make an extra pass or two down your street.
DO let a trusted neighbor or two know you are gone. You might be surprised how much your neighbors know the rhythm of your house.
Have fun, don't freak out about it while gone.....do you live in an area with a particularly high crime rate??
That said, If you have any type of CCTV retail outlets or even an installer in your area you may be able to find a couple of hidden cameras you can set up that record to SD cards. It might be difficult on short notice though.
Another option is to get a standard web cam and an external USB Hard drive. Set the cam up to record to the USB drive (motion Only) Then, get yourself a long USB cable and hide the external hard drive somewhere away from the computer. Most thieves are in too big of a hurry to track down where the cables are going, especially if the camera is right at the computer. They just cut the cables and go and you have a hard drive with their picture(s) on it.
Good response.
It comes with door sensors, camera, keypad, smoke detector and siren.
(All connects wirelessly to the controller)
The controller uses both my cabled internet connection and GSM for contact with the service company.
If the alarm is operational and the door is opened, an alert is sent to the central service, then the countdown starts. If whoever opened the door punches in the deactivation code, a 'cancel alert' message is sent. Failure of the cancel to be sent WILL trigger an alarm at the company.
Anything moving in the area covered by the camera will trigger an immediate alert. No countdown at all. (It doesn't cover the entry, but has a free view of most of my apartment)
If GSM is jammed, it will send an alert using my internet connection.
(Not certain what it does if my internet connection is flaky. Need to check up on that)
If any alarm triggers(door, smoke, video), the camera feed is accessible for the company, and they decide whether to call me(with password challenge/response), police or fire department.
Because everything is wireless, the central unit can be hidden and makes tampering almost impossible.
All the sensors are tamper proof, so battery replacement is part of the service contract.
(The central unit has a prettty big sealed lead-acid battery which should last 3+ days without mains. And yeah. If mains power falls out, an alert is sent... I live just shy of the arctic circle, so that is quite handy )
I think I pay about $50 / month for this, but it's worth it for ease of mind.
It also gives me a rebate on my insurance...
Of course, you don't have time to get something like that installed...
Instead, you'll just have to fortify your home as best as possible.
Deadbolts is one thing. But get a GOOD brand. Assa Abloy comes to mind.
(A lot of locks available to the American market just isn't sold anywhere else because it doesn't hold up to scrutiny... Here in Scandinavia, the insurance companies actually test locks, and rate them with an 'FG' code. Assa Abloy and Trioving locks tends to score high.)
'Security hinges' is another. Most doors open outwards, which means the pin in the hinge is accessible from the outside... These hinges has a tap mounted on one of the wings which will fit into a corresponding hole in the other when the door is closed.
A lot of places, the door frame is barely held in place(shoddy construction)
Install a few long, good-quality screws that goes through the frame and into whatever vertical timbers are in the walls next to the door.
Take a good look at the building from outside...
Are there any easily accessible 'holes' in the building defenses?
Windows on the upper floor, maybe?
Do you have a ladder?
Is it secure?
(In a locked shed or garage. People have come home to find that burglars have used their own ladder to climb in through a second-story window and take all their valuables)
I trust that you've secured the most easily-transported valuables?
(No need to leave jewelry on the nightstand or whatever. And a laptop is just too tempting... )
Setting up an old desktop PC (without a HDD of course) may be a decent diversion.
Same with fake jewelry. (It's OK to use some real silver in case the thief actually knows the difference between plating and solid metals)
Do you have an attic?
Make it messy, and no thief will try to dig through it in search of your real valuables...
DVD/Blu-Ray player?
Replace it with an old VHS player and a stack of old tapes.
DV/Blu-rays shouldn't be kept in the livingroom anyway, they just take up space... Same with the players...
I use an old Mac Mini and a 2TB Network connected HDD (need to buy a 4TB model... ) and have ripped all my DVDs onto the HDD before storing them in the attic. (I use MakeMKV for the rip, then Handbrake to convert the .mkv files into MP4 format )
The HDD is in a locked closet. And the backup is in a drawer at my workplace.
If you absolutely have to have expensive stuff like game consoles, DVD/Blu-ray players, mini PCs and such standing in the open, get a bunch of 'Kingston cables' for them. Doesn't stop anyone with a good bolt cutter, but it'll stop most druggies and other opportunists from doing the grab in a 'smash and grab'.
Of course the holes made by the brads would have to be filled.
EDIT: Have the test check for open ground, then I would not think there would be a voltage drop issue
EDIT: Be sure to tell your trusted neighbor how to turn off/reset the Propeller and ask him or her to repair any broken wires after an intrusion
For this weekend, I would suggest getting a neighbor to pick up any mail, newspapers, flyers hung on the front door, etc. Get a light timer to turn on/off a light in the house which is visible to the street. Turn it on at sunset and off when you would normally go to bed. Make the house look like someone is there. Maybe also turn on/off a radio. And if you can, park a car in the driveway. Get someone to mow the lawn if it will be needed when gone.
So far as fancy alarm systems (Hollywood showing burglars bypassing alarm systems, etc.), that is all NONSENSE! Your typical home burglar is a stupid drug addict. If they were smart enough to bypass an alarm, they would not need to be thieves!
Anyway burglars will only steal stuff they can carry and can easily sell. You may have thousands of dollars worth of furniture and paintings, but they will walk right past that and take a DVD player they can get $20 for. Or jewelry, guns, etc. (Put valuable small things in a safe deposit box.)
Other than that, go to your local police department and ask what typical crimes are being committed in your neighborhood. Ask what they recommend for security.
Physical security is best (bars on windows.)
Next best are signs saying you have an alarm system and/or video surveillance. If it looks like your house will give them more trouble than the house next door, they will go "shopping" there instead.
Smart people tend to think burglars are smart as well - want to install bypass-proof electronic security systems, etc. But again home burglars are stupid and have no idea how a security system works. Actually many people working at security system companies are not so bright either - could not bypass an alarm! No outsider is going to know what specific type of security system you have - which sensors/detection devices. It could be anything. From the viewpoint of a burglar, it is best to avoid those houses altogether.
So far as video surveillance, the best are 8 camera wired systems - 1 Terabyte drive. Day/night vision. And the ability to simultaneously record all 8 cameras at the same time. Here are some systems...
http://www.swann.com/us/dvrs-kits
Sounds to me like you underestimate the criminal element.
There are many thieves and burglars who are very intelligent, and they are not all drug addicts. I am sure many folks have come back from vacation, only to find out all the contents of their house have been stolen. With one good connection of a travel agent, the thieves know your whole itinerary. U-Haul rental is their next stop after the friendly travel agent.
I say it is better to be paranoid, than to be completely cleaned out of all of your possessions and keepsakes.
Hadn't heard about Toyota, but not surprising since Texas is very business-friendly; low taxes, regulatory environment, etc. Actually, Plano is one of the better 'burbs. Low crime (but not zero) and a great police department. We live 3 blocks from the local precinct. PD has good response time (minutes) whereas Dallas is hours if at all. We chose Plano for the great reputation of the public schools. Maybe a bit too good since my two kids competed with a sizable Asian population! Ok though as my daughter just finished her Sophomore year at Arizona State in Tucson on a full four-year scholarship.
Good idea checking with local PD. Typical past items have been casual thieves in pickups trolling alleys for open garage doors for easy grab and dash items. Also kids driving around after midnight checking for open car doors and pilfering change, disks etc.
Violent crime is near zero. Exception: the occasional domestic murder or murder/sucide at about the rate one would expect for a city (Plano itself) of around 1/2 million population.
If a thief is intelligent enough to bypass an alarm, then they would also be intelligent enough to know they could make more money breaking into a business rather than a home.
And the REAL benchmark of various burglar's intelligence is the insurance company and the level of security they require for homes and businesses. That is based on the past dollar amount of losses from burglaries. The higher the cost to the insurance companies, the more stringent the requirements. FYI - Typical homes have no special requirements.... But a beer distribution warehouse may be required to have better "electronic" security than jewelry stores and banks! (Lots of $$ losses from burglaries.)
The following is an insurance company "alarm grade" document...
http://qs.phly.com/selectsurvey/Pages/USRowing/docs/Central Station Burglary Alarms_1600.pdf
Read page 4 of the following which discusses the features of a high security door contact (typically over $100 each)...
http://magnasphere.com/hss-series/hss-series-downloads/“http://magnasphere.com/?wpdmdl=17652”
Jeepers, it's been huge news here in California, especially in Torrance, their current HQ and where I live. This real estate writer in Dallas knows all about it: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/autos-latest-news/20140427-toyota-to-move-u.s.-headquarters-to-plano-sources-say.ece
Toyota is about to take over Plano. Buy some property and ride out the appreciation.
I said the same thing about SC when the Lazy B moved there.
I stand corrected.
It would sure make it easier on my soft brain if they all standardized on a format such as "______ State University at ______."
Rick in Plano, Texas, home of no State Universities.