Surveillance/security cameras

[selvatico]

have you thought of putting up a conspicuous fake camera? They are dirt cheap, serve as a great deterrent and don't need to be cared for. If you are in a good neigborhood with no previous problems it may be the only thing you need to keep bad people away. Just an idea...

[BrooklynRowHouse]

If you know of any boards where folks really know their stuff when it comes to spy tools like this, please let me know.

I dunno. I'm new to this stuff too. A good place to ask questions like this is the comp.home.automation newsgroup or one of the alt.video.* newsgroups.

I haven't had to use Smarthome.com's phone support for a couple of years so for all I know now you might wind up speaking with a useless droid named "Chuck" in Bangalore. But they used to be very helpful with presale product advice, even on weekends.

[BrooklynRowHouse]

have you thought of putting up a conspicuous fake camera? They are dirt cheap, serve as a great deterrent and don't need to be cared for. If you are in a good neigborhood with no previous problems it may be the only thing you need to keep bad people away. Just an idea...

The street's pretty safe and I don't really need deterrence because I've got a pair of alert watchdogs for that. This is for a sorta techie community block watch thing.

I suspect that fake cameras are like fake home security signs. They only deter kids and inexperienced crooks. Heck, the cop across the street just told me he took an auto theft report for a top-of-the-line Mercedes last night which had every theft deterrent in the book on it. The thieves even disabled the Lo-Jack.

[Greg]

I suspect that fake cameras are like fake home security signs. They only deter kids and inexperienced crooks. Heck, the cop across the street just told me he took an auto theft report for a top-of-the-line Mercedes last night which had every theft deterrent in the book on it. The thieves even disabled the Lo-Jack.

As my old boss used to say, Locks are only there to keep honest people honest.

[jeepnstein]

If you know of any boards where folks really know their stuff when it comes to spy tools like this, please let me know. Our Public Safety office thinks it's basically a big joke, and a bunch of the women here in my faculty area are getting to go major vigilante on their asses.

I've done tons of surveillance work. My favorite temporary setup is actually fairly low tech. You can get a Trailmaster camera from Wal Mart and get the job done fairly well. They sense motion and deer hunters use them as a scouting tool. They are also great for watching people cultivating pot fields. I've gotten some of the best evidence I ever collected from a simple Trailmaster with a 8mm video recorder. The guy was actually looking towards the camera with a box of Miracle Grow, it looked like some kind of commercial for the Doper Network. Then there was the time I got eight hours of a dog eating garbage...

My concern would be covert taping in a public restroom could get one into hot water with one's employer. I wouldn't do it on a bet.

Lock the bathroom. Have ONE KEY available. This key has to be signed for and returned after use. That'll tell the tale. You could go high tech and have an electronic lock with key fobs that logs entry times but that would be over kill for this little caper.

Good Luck,

J.

[Patchules]

Wireless can be subject to interference and jamming. The cables I use carry both signal and power and come in a variety of lengths complete with connectors. But as some have pointed out, wires are wires and need to be hidden or painted and can't go thru walls without some drilling.

[jordancaver123]

thanks

[Citadel59]

Regarding surveillance cameras, would it be possible to set some up around my house and watch them, sometimes, remotely, maybe with a smart phone application? After an inheritance, my wife and I are looking at this castle ; we would like to buy something beautiful while we still work, so that we will be able to retire later on and invite our children and grand-children there. However, for a good 15 to 20 years, we will have to spend a part of our lives in big cities, since our jobs demand it; we can not work in a village in France, it has to be in a capital city.

Is it possible to have cameras set up in this house and to contact the police or a private security company if something bad happens while I am far away, if not abroad? (I live in Belgium, and spend a lot of time in Eastern Europe).

Thank you in advance.