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Security Camera Server

Hi,

 

I have a Swann DVR security system setup at my house. Recently about 6 people broke into my neighbours house and stole many items. Lately they have been returning around my house and what looks to be sussing out my house. 

 

Even with 8 security cameras, it doesnt seem to scare them off. I am worried that our house will be the next one to be broken into.

 

I am wanting a camera system that has off site backups, as whats the use of security cameras when people can just take the DVR itself with all the footage of a break in on it. Can someone recommend a server that has network access/remote viewing with 8 cameras? Also could someone recommend some sort of alarm system?

 

Thanks.

 

(Not really sure where this thread should go).

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2 hours ago, snortings said:

Hi,

 

I have a Swann DVR security system setup at my house. Recently about 6 people broke into my neighbours house and stole many items. Lately they have been returning around my house and what looks to be sussing out my house. 

 

Even with 8 security cameras, it doesnt seem to scare them off. I am worried that our house will be the next one to be broken into.

 

I am wanting a camera system that has off site backups, as whats the use of security cameras when people can just take the DVR itself with all the footage of a break in on it. Can someone recommend a server that has network access/remote viewing with 8 cameras? Also could someone recommend some sort of alarm system?

 

Thanks.

 

(Not really sure where this thread should go).

Cameras alone will not stop break ins, install movement activated flood lights (strong ones). Bare careful in placement though else you'll blind the cameras.

 

Most alarm systems will work just fine, get one with an external siren. Put monitored alarm company stickers up, even if it's not, they give these out for free usually.

 

Also if no one is going to be home (in the short term) don't make it seem like it is empty, leave a light on and a radio.Once you have an exterior siren you won't need to do this.

 

People go for easy targets, the less certain they are of not getting caught the less likely they will target you.

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For an alarm system, check with your HOA to see what seurity systems everytone in the neighborhood is using. I personally use RDT for my home.

 

If possible, lock your DVR in a closet or something, this sounds like it's going to be a pretty expensive project.

 

 

Want to build yourself a NAS? Check here!

 

 

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I highly recommend "Blue Iris" security software. I've used it for years now. It has the features you stated and more. You can find it at: http://blueirissoftware.com/

 

Good luck.

 

The computer isn't the "Thing".....the computer is the "Thing" that gets you to the "Thing".  - excerpt from "Halt and Catch Fire".

 

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Cameras won't stop someone from breaking in, and honestly its unlikely the footage is going to be enough to identify them, although it is nice so you know all what they stole for insurance purposes.

 

Alarms are a complete PITA, most of the time it will be disabled by someone in the family because they are sick of dealing with it...

 

The best prevention is a lot of lighting around the house, don't give them anywhere to sneak around and they wont bother. Go for LED lights so its not too expensive to have them on all the time. My favorite are the motion lights that are always on at 10% brightness from dusk to dawn, and will go full brightness when motion is detected.

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1 hour ago, Scheer said:

Cameras won't stop someone from breaking in, and honestly its unlikely the footage is going to be enough to identify them, although it is nice so you know all what they stole for insurance purposes.

 

Alarms are a complete PITA, most of the time it will be disabled by someone in the family because they are sick of dealing with it...

 

The best prevention is a lot of lighting around the house, don't give them anywhere to sneak around and they wont bother. Go for LED lights so its not too expensive to have them on all the time. My favorite are the motion lights that are always on at 10% brightness from dusk to dawn, and will go full brightness when motion is detected.

Lol. Cameras and alarms are part of prevention. Make sure the cameras are visible and not try to have sneaky surveillance.

 

Most home break ins occur during the day.

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On 3/25/2016 at 9:24 AM, leadeater said:

Put monitored alarm company stickers up, even if it's not, they give these out for free usually.

Just a tip: Every major security system has some flaw that criminals may know. So instead of having the stickers/signs of the company/hardware that you are using, get stickers/signs from a completely different company. Just some extra obscurity.

Looking to buy GTX690, other multi-GPU cards, or single-slot graphics cards: 

 

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On 3/26/2016 at 6:46 AM, beavo451 said:

Lol. Cameras and alarms are part of prevention. Make sure the cameras are visible and not try to have sneaky surveillance.

 

Most home break ins occur during the day.

 

Never had my home broken into, but all of our shop break-ins were at night between 2 and 4 am. It was getting broken into a few times a year, so we installed security cameras on the exterior, they hid from every one of them since they were easy to spot.

 

We then installed more cameras, but hid them this time, and installed some on the interior. Since we were only spending about $250/camera they have terrible low light performance and the quality was not good enough to identify them. The interior camera showed that they left the lights off in the warehouses and used low power flashlights to see which was not enough light for the camera to get a very good picture.

 

As a last ditch effort we put up lights EVERYWHERE. Lit up the entire perimeter of the building, a couple of lights further out, some motion sensing, some on all the time, even a few motion sensing lights inside of the building. The building hasn't been broken into since, and it has been about 6 years now.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Scheer said:

 

Never had my home broken into, but all of our shop break-ins were at night between 2 and 4 am. It was getting broken into a few times a year, so we installed security cameras on the exterior, they hid from every one of them since they were easy to spot.

 

We then installed more cameras, but hid them this time, and installed some on the interior. Since we were only spending about $250/camera they have terrible low light performance and the quality was not good enough to identify them. The interior camera showed that they left the lights off in the warehouses and used low power flashlights to see which was not enough light for the camera to get a very good picture.

 

As a last ditch effort we put up lights EVERYWHERE. Lit up the entire perimeter of the building, a couple of lights further out, some motion sensing, some on all the time, even a few motion sensing lights inside of the building. The building hasn't been broken into since, and it has been about 6 years now.

 

 

Our cameras are pretty visible to see if anyone approaches our house. I think its better to let them see the cameras than to hide them, just so they are aware that they are being recorded and it could prevent a break-in. We only have one blind spot that the camera doesnt capture, but no one can really break in through there. We have motion sensors lights all around the house. Especially at the back of our house we have a floodlight motion sensor which is really bright. We were thinking of linking up all the lights together, if one motion sensor goes off they all go off. 

 

On 3/27/2016 at 5:13 PM, brwainer said:

Just a tip: Every major security system has some flaw that criminals may know. So instead of having the stickers/signs of the company/hardware that you are using, get stickers/signs from a completely different company. Just some extra obscurity.

Company brand is on each camera.

 

On 3/26/2016 at 8:07 PM, Scheer said:

The best prevention is a lot of lighting around the house

We have plenty of lights around our house. 

 

On 3/26/2016 at 8:07 PM, Scheer said:

My favorite are the motion lights that are always on at 10% brightness from dusk to dawn, and will go full brightness when motion is detected.

Could you find one of these products? This could be really handy!

 

On 3/25/2016 at 11:24 PM, leadeater said:

install movement activated flood lights (strong ones). Bare careful in placement though else you'll blind the cameras.

We have plenty of lights around our house. Talking about placement, the placement is actually pretty good as when a motion light goes off (normally right next to the camera) it flicks the camera into colour instead of the night vision it has at night, so its really handy xD

On 3/25/2016 at 11:24 PM, leadeater said:

leave a light on and a radio

We have 2 speakers in our patio, whenever we go out and even during the day we have the radio playing through it so people think that someone is home. When we go out at night we leave lights on (kitchen and lounge room light and some times the tv).

 

On 3/25/2016 at 1:54 AM, Blucyrik said:

f possible, lock your DVR in a closet or something

We can't really do that, as then we would have to get up in the roof and move all the cabling around and make sure it all reaches, drill holes for ethernet etc. It would just be a pain to move. Especially in Australia, being inside the roof is like living on the sun.

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1 hour ago, Scheer said:

 

Never had my home broken into, but all of our shop break-ins were at night between 2 and 4 am. It was getting broken into a few times a year, so we installed security cameras on the exterior, they hid from every one of them since they were easy to spot.

 

 

I said most home break ins occur during the daytime.

 

Obviously businesses and other non-habitation occur at night. It's whenever people are normally not at the target building.

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What I meant by my comment is the signs like "Protected by Rollins" and similar that identify a commercial security system in use. Instead of having the sign from the company you actually have, you put on a sign for a competitor's company, or a generic sign. Obviously the company you use wouldn't like it but it gives you extra security through obscurity.

Looking to buy GTX690, other multi-GPU cards, or single-slot graphics cards: 

 

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If not already, setup email alerts - hopefully you can get the jump on them before they leave. I've been playing with iSpy, software itself is pretty neat however I've had issues with it crashing under Windows 8.1 - haevn't tried 10 or 7 yet.

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On 3/29/2016 at 0:43 PM, Mikensan said:

If not already, setup email alerts - hopefully you can get the jump on them before they leave. I've been playing with iSpy, software itself is pretty neat however I've had issues with it crashing under Windows 8.1 - haevn't tried 10 or 7 yet.

 

I completely forgot about iSpy, I used it for two years starting pry 6 years ago and it ran great on Windows Vista and 7.

 

Unfortunately right when my second yearly subscription ended was when they jacked the prices way up, went from $40/year to $300... wasn't worth that much to me. I really liked the software too. :( For a home install the basic plan would work just fine and isn't too expensive.

 

 

On 3/28/2016 at 9:28 AM, beavo451 said:

I said most home break ins occur during the daytime.

 

Obviously businesses and other non-habitation occur at night. It's whenever people are normally not at the target building.

 

Yeah, I feel dumb now lol. I completely missed that, and it makes perfect sense.

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11 hours ago, Scheer said:

 

I completely forgot about iSpy, I used it for two years starting pry 6 years ago and it ran great on Windows Vista and 7.

 

Unfortunately right when my second yearly subscription ended was when they jacked the prices way up, went from $40/year to $300... wasn't worth that much to me. I really liked the software too. :( For a home install the basic plan would work just fine and isn't too expensive.

 

 

 

Yeah, I feel dumb now lol. I completely missed that, and it makes perfect sense.

I know at the moment iSpy has a free license, but I'm not sure of the limitations. Ah just read it, simply you don't get "remote" access to it but locally it is free. For a single PC (unlimited cameras) it's $8/m.. so about $100/yr.

 

However I have had issues with Windows 8.1 so idk... Anywho just food for thought.

Quote

iSpy is free to use locally. You can add as many cameras as you like. Secured remote access, SMS, Twitter, email alerts and mobile device access require a subscription or a one-off payment (it costs us $ to provide it).

 

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11 hours ago, Mikensan said:

I know at the moment iSpy has a free license, but I'm not sure of the limitations. Ah just read it, simply you don't get "remote" access to it but locally it is free. For a single PC (unlimited cameras) it's $8/m.. so about $100/yr.

 

However I have had issues with Windows 8.1 so idk... Anywho just food for thought.

 

 

Yeah, we were using the remote features, as well as multiple servers.

 

Blue Iris is a one time $60 charge, so iSpy wasn't even in the same ballpark anymore.

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On 4/1/2016 at 10:14 AM, Scheer said:

 

Yeah, we were using the remote features, as well as multiple servers.

 

Blue Iris is a one time $60 charge, so iSpy wasn't even in the same ballpark anymore.

 

On 3/31/2016 at 10:52 PM, Mikensan said:

I know at the moment iSpy has a free license, but I'm not sure of the limitations. Ah just read it, simply you don't get "remote" access to it but locally it is free. For a single PC (unlimited cameras) it's $8/m.. so about $100/yr.

 

However I have had issues with Windows 8.1 so idk... Anywho just food for thought.

 

 

On 3/28/2016 at 6:24 AM, brwainer said:

What I meant by my comment is the signs like "Protected by Rollins" and similar that identify a commercial security system in use. Instead of having the sign from the company you actually have, you put on a sign for a competitor's company, or a generic sign. Obviously the company you use wouldn't like it but it gives you extra security through obscurity.

 

On 3/28/2016 at 5:21 AM, Scheer said:

Heath Zenith calls them "Dual-Brite" lights. This is the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/Heath-Zenith-SL-4166-SA-Motion-Activated-Six-Sided/dp/B000HM5NJY/

 

 

On 3/28/2016 at 0:28 AM, beavo451 said:

I said most home break ins occur during the daytime.

 

Obviously businesses and other non-habitation occur at night. It's whenever people are normally not at the target building.

 

On 3/27/2016 at 5:13 PM, brwainer said:

Just a tip: Every major security system has some flaw that criminals may know. So instead of having the stickers/signs of the company/hardware that you are using, get stickers/signs from a completely different company. Just some extra obscurity.

 

Sorry for quoting you all, but kinda wanted you all to see and get your opinions.

 

Yet again, they sussed out my house, even went all the way down the driveway until they saw a light on inside the lounge room with me sitting there and then sprinted off. What would've happened if that light wasn't on? My house and family could've been at risk. 

It seems that nothing is going to deter these people. There was a group of 6 all looking out my house!! They kicked over the bin on the way back to wherever they live.

 

I'm really paranoid now, I just know that one day they will break in whilst we're gone or something. 

 

We have deterrents (motion sensor lights, security cameras, neighbourhood watch plates, 24/7 surveillance stickers). Nothing seems to be stopping these people. What should I do..? Call the police or something? I know this forums isnt really a type of forums to be asking that question, but at the moment I am desperate to keep my house and family safe. 

 

Sadly the cameras could not get a clear face of any of them, but I could definitely pick out the haircut and the height of the person if I was to see them. 

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Of course if someone is snooping around your property then call the police, you have CCTV of them acting suspiciously.

 

Have you thought about getting a dog? It might not suit you but a dog can be a very good deterrent and their ability to hear noises outside would help catch them.

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1 minute ago, Brenz said:

Of course if someone is snooping around your property then call the police, you have CCTV of them acting suspiciously.

 

Have you thought about getting a dog? It might not suit you but a dog can be a very good deterrent and their ability to hear noises outside would help catch them.

No one is home enough to look after the dog.

 

I guess I could call the police, but I mean what would they be able to do? They probably couldnt do anything.

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Extra patrols in your area? Visible police presence is going to help and you have proof of people trespassing and acting suspiciously on your property.

 

The only other option would be to pay for a 24h monitored security system so if any alarms were triggered they will call the police.

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5 minutes ago, Brenz said:

Extra patrols in your area? Visible police presence is going to help and you have proof of people trespassing and acting suspiciously on your property.

 

The only other option would be to pay for a 24h monitored security system so if any alarms were triggered they will call the police.

Could you recommend a 24h alarm system that calls? That is good, but cheap? Maybe wireless if possible?

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2 minutes ago, snortings said:

Could you recommend a 24h alarm system that calls? That is good, but cheap? Maybe wireless if possible?

Sorry I'm not from Australia but not many things in life that are cheap are good.

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4 minutes ago, Brenz said:

Extra patrols in your area? Visible police presence is going to help and you have proof of people trespassing and acting suspiciously on your property.

 

The only other option would be to pay for a 24h monitored security system so if any alarms were triggered they will call the police.

@snortings You can also get an alarm system that allows you to have external sensors that don't trigger the siren but will send you a TXT/Email and if monitored alert the  alarm company. This can be configured to only send these alerts if they cross multiple external zones to prevent excessive alerts. You can pair this with the camera system to force all cameras to go in to record mode and time stamp it. Also you can get external speakers that can be wired in to the camera system that will play a recorded message on motion trigger.

 

But this really is a police and community issue. The police must increase visible presence in the area and more people need to be alert and willing to actually call in suspicious behavior.

 

My non PC and stupid advice would be to temporarily acquire a trained dog, put up the minimal amount of warning signs about the dog and next time you see them tell it to bite their d*** off. (Really don't do this, but it's damn tempting).

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8 hours ago, ideamaneric said:

2. Place a few cameras where they could obviously see them. These are what I'd like to call 'decoy cameras'. If possible, just place cheap ones. They'll take most of the brunt force. Criminals usually smash them down before committing a crime. But that's where the real cameras come in. Hide them behind shrubs, inside the dirt (but facing up so it can see the faces) or wherever you can think of.

Can't really hide them in the bush/shrubs/dirt etc. They glow red at night :P 

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15 hours ago, snortings said:

Can't really hide them in the bush/shrubs/dirt etc. They glow red at night :P 

On most cameras you can disable the built in IR lights, and use these as your illumination: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-48-LED-Illuminator-IR-Infrared-Night-Vision-Light-for-Security-CCTV-Camera-/351517105311?hash=item51d80d5c9f:g:wWYAAOSw37tV-QbE

 

Never tried it personally, but have seen it suggested in the past.

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