Okay. This is something I can experiment with. I appreciate the insight, as I can seen this becoming a problem, depending on what i'm doing on the network.
If you want to deter burglars you might want to make your home look lived in when you are at work or somewhere else.
What about some rudimentary home automation?
Maybe get some radio controlled switching outlets or a smart lightbulb or two. Maybe set your stereo to play the radio audibly when you are away.
Samsung TVs can be scheduled to play live TV. At least that's how I've understood it.
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Very good ideas. I plan to work on home security, in general, this year. Hence the surveillance system.
I always leave the TV on when I leave for more than a few hours. I do like your ideas; more research to do.
One thing I need to do, that is very simple, is secure my sliding patio door. Run screws, with a tall head, into the top track, above where the door would close. This prevents the door from being pried out of the track.
Check your door for adjustment of the top rollers.
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So I got around to doing some testing with the camera. I am looking at hardware resources needed to run the camera.
I am using my Laptop for testing, due to portability.
It is an i3-5020U @ 2.2GHz
8GB RAM
ADATA SSD
Windows 10.
Testing conditions are:
-Camera connected directly to the laptop
-Recording continuously
-1440p
-8192 bitrate
30FPS
H.264 High profile encode
Motion detection enabled
The Reolink app is using the following resources, according to task manager:
CPU 1.8%-2.2%
RAM 120MB
Disk 1MB/s
Network 8-10Mbps
5 minute video = 300MB on disk
I am very happy with these numbers, especially the low CPU and network numbers. I honestly expected these numbers to be higher. I may try this camera out with Zoneminder, just to see what happens.
I also had another idea today. As many do, I am concerned over the question, "What if the thief steals the NVR?" While cloud storage is an option, I think this option has a lot of work involved. Cloud backup is fine, and I will most likely do that, what concerns me is that in the event of a break-in, the NVR needs to dump its data to an offsite location in response to some trigger event. In this scenario, probably a motion detect event by a camera. Without a "built-in" option, that has some intelligence to it, I think this is easier said than done. I am obviously open to suggestions here; any input is welcome!
That leaves me with the task of ensuring that the NVR is NOT stolen, or damaged. To me, that means hide it, or harden it, or a combination of those. Install the NVR in a hidden location, and / or surround it in a protective enclosure.
I just so happen to have a safe that is not being used for anything. With some modifications, and a change in its location, I think it would serve this role well.
It needs some modifications to accept an external conduit, through which power and Ethernet cables will run, as well as provide some holes for ventilation.
As far as location, There is a small storage room in the basement that should serve the purpose well. The safe can be bolted to the concrete floor, placed in the corner where it will be a bitch to pry the door, and semi-hidden with the junk in the storage room.
Your thoughts?
I will certainly check their adjustment, I had not considered this.
My goal is to "harden" the door. With a traditional lock, and one of those locking bars that prevents the door from sliding, a lot of folks just use a dowel rod, I can break into a sliding glass door, without breaking the glass, in about 2-5 minutes. By installing the screws in the upper track, a proper lock on the handle, and a bar to prevent the door from sliding, it becomes nearly impossible to break into a sliding door without smashing the glass, and possibly attracting a lot of unwanted attention.
Against a determined thief, none of this makes any difference. They are going to get what they came for, no matter what it takes. My goal is deterrence. I want to make my home the least appealing, and the most time consuming, noisy, frustrating house to break into. My hope is that they will simply say "OH, to hell with this." and move on to an easier target.
I am open to any other general home security ideas as well. I'll see if I can modify the thread title to include this. DONE!
It's been awhile since I installed doors and windows. Not all sliders have wheels on top in which case screws like you suggest would work well. If there is wheels with out adjustment then a 16gauge piece of sheet metal screwed to the upper outer edge portion of the door and shaped to fit the track [1/8" clearance] would do the same as screws in the track.
Decoy cameras for prevention and real cameras hidden for justice.
There are wireless systems that come with free one week revolving cloud storage [ I've never used....];
http://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/arlo-pro/
The thread I was reading that has the previous link;
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Brief update. I set up my camera, and pointed it down my driveway and toward the street. My experiment was to see if I could read license plates.
I was unable to read the plate on a car at the stop sign in front of my house. This is a distance I need to check. I would assume that it is about 100 feet away. I don't think this is bad.
Next I need to figure out the maximum distance at which a license plate is readable.
This is what I'm interested in as well. I want to be able to see the face and be able to print it so it is recognizable when I ask neighbors if they recognize the person. Being able to read license plates would be icing on the cake. I've wondered about hacking old cameras that have better optics.
If you want to get an automatic reading of the license plate you could try openALPR. It works pretty well but not as good as human eyes.
I hope you live in the USA because your setup would be illegal in Germany.
Yes, I am in the US, in a one party consent state as well; I can record audio if I want.
I'll try to do some more experimentation this evening.
I wonder how my 1080p video camera will do. I have a feeling the video will be more clear.