Camcorder to catch a burglar

[john brooks]

Yesterday we learn't from friends that their house has recently been burgled several times.

I've heard of people installing hidden camcorders which are 'movement' activated and send their images straight on to the internet. (so the images cannot be destroyed if discovered in the house). Also a recorded phone call can be sent to friends houses so that they can then ring the local police to tell them that a burglary is in progress. Such a set up would be good to install for them.

I did a search in the 'uk.d-i-y' but could seem to find any information about setting up something like this. Grateful for any advice on how to do so.

[Tim Watts]

This is a free opensource bit of software that can be combined with a camera and a linux server:

[Adrian C]

Have a nice troll old boy, how many surnames do you have?

[Vet Tech]

I had a similar idea some months ago and did quite a bit of research.

I eventually decided to go down the IP camera route as it appears that security cameras will all be IP based before too long due to the convenience and extra functionality they provide.

At the same time I wanted a backup system for all my data using a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device attached directly by ethernet cable to by broadband router. I found that I could meet both needs in one setup using a Synology NAS. You can get cheaper and simpler NAS=92s but they don't have the same comprehensive software.

I settled on model DS110J with a 2 Tb hard drive and a Vivotek IP8332 camera. The Synology drive is effectively a mini server (running Linux I believe) and has a module they call "Surveillance Station". It operates independantly i.e. it does not need a PC to be running to control it. Surveillance Station is a fairly capable security application with professional level features. It can handle multiple cameras.

I have only had it a few days and I am currently fine-tuning the sensitivity of the camera when it comes to handling alerts. It currently tends to flag an alert if brightness changes quickly/ significantly say when the sun comes out from behind a dark cloud.

The NAS can be set up to record in several different ways. I have it to record for 5 seconds before and 5 seconds after each event. It emails me immediately with a snap shot and I can then connect from anywhere in the world to view the video of that entire event or any other events. It can also get a continuous current view. It can send an SMS text message with image if required. It can be managed remotely as access is via port-forwarding on the router.

The camera switches to infrared when the light level drops. It also is POE capable so all I had to do was run a single Cat5 cable i.e. it gets its power through the Cat5 cable from a small injector device next to the router.

The NAS itself is hidden away in the garage so it is safe from burglars and will survive if the house ever burned down.

Apart from the security aspect it can handle:-

File storage and sharing. Data back up and recovery Host web sites Email server Video (via DNLA to the TV) server Music and iTunes storage and sever.

All in all it has been an interesting project - not cheap but I looked at the cost of having inadequate security and cost of loosing data - I reckon it is worth it.

VT

[newshound]

Interesting, thanks, as I've been thinking about NAS for most of that apart from the cameras (and I suppose I might need them one day). Please post updates!

[Vet Tech]

One of the other fundamantal considerations (given that everything is going to be digital) is to consider wiring your whole house with Cat5 cabling and puting in an ethenet switch.

I did this for little more than the cost of 2 big rboxes of Cat5 cable (=A360)and =A310 for a second hand switch. I did cabling for TV ( Sat =A3 terrestial) plus phones at the same time.

I have plugged my BB router into the switch and I now have wired internet over 24 outlets around the house. All the TV's are connected and a spare one for the Sky box when their new on-demand film service comes in. Took a bit of time but it has been worth it.

VT

[Bob Eager]

Yes, I did that several years ago...!

And the cost of faceplates and boxes, which is not insignificant. Mine are all sunk into the walls, so at least the boxes (metal ones) were cheap.

My router is plugged into the dedicated firewall machine, but that goes into the (32 port) switch. I have slightly more sockets than you!

[Vet Tech]

On Mar 23, 8:26=A0am, Bob Eager wrote: .

Is that a dedicated firewall box like Watchguard or a PC based solution running say Linux?

VT

[Paul D Smith]

...snip...

Cat6 or Cat5e at a minimum so you can support 1GB ethernet these days. Not much difference in the cabling costs but the router/switch will be more costly. Most PCs (at least desktops) have 1GB ports these days.

Paul DS.

[john brooks]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adrian you're not right about that..... send to my email address and i'll tell you why.

[Bob Eager]

PC running FreeBSD. Uses 15 watts, and does a few other jobs too.

[J G Miller]

Would not openBSD be a better choice for a firewall?

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "john brooks" saying something like:

I use ActiveWebcam - motion sensitive, works with all sorts of commonly available cameras (not just webcams) and you can configure it to send images out across the web to any server/repository you like, as well as storing the video on HDD locally.

[Phil McKerracher]

advice on how to do

A fon router

is supposed to be able to do this by just connecting a cheap webcam to its USB port. It's low power and has other advantages as well (e.g. free Wifi). Might be the cheapest solution overall.

I have one but haven't tried the webcam feature.

[Andy Burns]

Not so much free, as "you scratch my WiFi, I'll scratch yours", not that there's anything wrong with the idea.

[Michael Chare]

The Qnap NAS also offer a Surveillance Station feature.