Shop Security

Darren Wright

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Springfield, Missouri
I had noticed last week after it snowed that I had tire tracks up to my trailer which is parked on the side of my shop, but I hadn't been the one to back up there, luckily it's got a decent lock on the hitch. So outside of the monitored security system, I've been wanting to add some additional deterrents and more proactively capture any evidence I can in the event of an burglary. So I've picked up a couple of IP cameras, one of which will monitor the driveway and one inside the shop, will also be adding a couple more to monitor the front and back doors of the house as well as a few covering the back and side yards.

Anyone here using any camera software with their home or shop security systems? I've been trying out iSpy, but not totally happy with the software. I'd like to have the email alerts, but don't want to pay for the service. It does allow the software to upload images to an ftp server automatically, so I could write a program to look for new images and notify me in the event of any. Would also love to hear of any reviews of cameras and specifically what makes/models anyone has. The one on the driveway is this one, but wondering if I should have gotten one with a little wider lens. That one is only 4mm, but have seen 6mm - 12 mm.

I just got the cameras up last night, so still need to adjust the directions, may be relocating the one on the drive too over to the center of the shop to capture straight up the drive to get a better angle on the driveway for the house, can only capture part of it as it is now.

This is the driveway cam view (I'm walking on the gravel, which looks green, the yard is to the left of me and can see the concrete drive for the house in the distant at the upper left).
driveway_2013-01-07_22-57-09_509.jpg

This is the shop view, mounted on top of the office. I'm ordering another cam to capture a wider angle, may get the motorized one that will do automatic tracking instead. Yes it is a mess, been doing some re-organizing.
shopcam_2013-01-07_22-56-35_244.jpg

Was hoping to get a better driveway pic this morning, but I think the pc I'm testing on was restarted last night after auto updates, which will be disabled tonight.
 
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well you hurry up and find out what works darren because that was to close..and i wish i had what your showing now at least..but i think charlie would be the main star of the filming:) will be watching this for future refernce.. so does it continually stream? and how much puter you need to store it?
 
That is a close call. I will setup a game trail camera on my property at times to see who is coming up and down my driveway. Fortunately, nobody but the delivery guys ever drop by...
 
well you hurry up and find out what works darren because that was to close..and i wish i had what your showing now at least..but i think charlie would be the main star of the filming:) will be watching this for future refernce.. so does it continually stream? and how much puter you need to store it?

The camera is continually streaming, but only if you're watching it. The ispy sotware looks for changes between frames, if it detects movement or changes in frames for more than a second it starts recording. It will record a buffer, so for a couple of seconds before the movement it will also capture on the video, then until it detects no more movement. The uploaded images will do the same until no more movement as well, but they are from frames about 1 second apart. Mine is setup at about 20 frames per second, but can set that to less for a smaller video file size. This is running on an old Pentium 4 computer with XP so doesn't take a lot of horse power for a couple of cameras, but will probably move it to the new shop computer when I add a few more cameras.
 
video surveillance equipment is so inexpensive these days, it pays to install a 4 or 8 camera system on all home/business shops.
I have 4 hard wired cameras around my home, 3 showing access to and from garage/shop, one wireless mounted showing entrance in garage, and one in garage.
The dvr records for around 2 weeks or so.
I dont know if it prevents anyone from thinking about stealing, but at least Ill have a record of it when it happens, not only for police, but for insurance evidence.
You can get an 8 camera dvr system for approx 4-6 hundred bucks. Then you just need a computer monitor.
 
I've been considering a camera to monitor the parking lot at my apartment. It would need to be on a wireless connection. How are the wireless cameras powered? I'm assuming it's a battery. If so, what's expected the battery life?
 
video surveillance equipment is so inexpensive these days, it pays to install a 4 or 8 camera system on all home/business shops.
I have 4 hard wired cameras around my home, 3 showing access to and from garage/shop, one wireless mounted showing entrance in garage, and one in garage.
The dvr records for around 2 weeks or so.
I dont know if it prevents anyone from thinking about stealing, but at least Ill have a record of it when it happens, not only for police, but for insurance evidence.
You can get an 8 camera dvr system for approx 4-6 hundred bucks. Then you just need a computer monitor.

Here's a simple 4 camera system that can record for 15 days continous. 300 smackers from costco.

http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Chann...igh-Resolution-Cameras.product.100028117.html
 
I've been considering a camera to monitor the parking lot at my apartment. It would need to be on a wireless connection. How are the wireless cameras powered? I'm assuming it's a battery. If so, what's expected the battery life?

I've got a couple of 'wireless' PTZ cameras I just play around with. The only wireless part is the IP connection. They have a little wall wart that supplies power.

One of my many unfinished projects was to make a completely wireless one with a solar panel and a car battery, but that's another story altogether.
 
I like video surveillance, it seems like a great deterrent, if your snoops know you have it.
I'm curious though, if anyone has successfully used the video record to help police or insurance investigators apprehend any perpetrators. Don't they just say, "yup, that sure looks like a kid in a black hoodie running away with your stuff" ?
With all respect Darren, I'd have a hard time to identify you in the outdoor screen capture you showed. Is it clearer live?

The new 120lb Rottweiller/Mastif is showing some promise in the deterrence department here, but he eats a lot. :D
 
The new 120lb Rottweiller/Mastif is showing some promise in the deterrence department here, but he eats a lot. :D

Stop feeding him so much and he will be even more of a deterrence. Of course to keep him healthy you might need to entice some thieves food with an open display of items worth stealing.
 
With all respect Darren, I'd have a hard time to identify you in the outdoor screen capture you showed. Is it clearer live?

The new 120lb Rottweiller/Mastif is showing some promise in the deterrence department here, but he eats a lot. :D

Maybe, I don't know yet, all I've used it is from last nights testing. Not yet seen a daytime video and if it's any clearer. As with any camera, light is going to be one thing that determines the quality. The uploaded video is degraded quality, I have a setting I saw I need to change on that option to make it upload at 100% quality, I'm hoping it's clearer though.

I'm mostly looking to capture car makes and hopefully the license plate numbers. I'm sure to a professional thief, they aren't going to deter them at all, but may help with someone that's not that experienced. Once I have the email notifications going it will at least give me a heads up that someone has entered the property, whether I ignore it will be my fault. ;)
 
peter, my cameras outside will pick up a license plate if the vehicle is in my driveway, and at night, I have lights that flip on with motion, and I can see a face pretty clearly.
I dont know how to upload a shot onto here.
 
Maybe, I don't know yet, all I've used it is from last nights testing. Not yet seen a daytime video and if it's any clearer. As with any camera, light is going to be one thing that determines the quality. The uploaded video is degraded quality, I have a setting I saw I need to change on that option to make it upload at 100% quality, I'm hoping it's clearer though.

I'm mostly looking to capture car makes and hopefully the license plate numbers. I'm sure to a professional thief, they aren't going to deter them at all, but may help with someone that's not that experienced. Once I have the email notifications going it will at least give me a heads up that someone has entered the property, whether I ignore it will be my fault. ;)

If you wired the trigger into a strobe light timed with the camers and a loudspeaker you would a) get better pictures (from the strobe) and b) perhaps scare them off a little. The downside is you might have to hose off the driveway where they were standing when the strobe went off.. :rofl:
 
I am just lucky I guess. I have forgotten to close the doors to the shop at night ( couple of times) with all my tools in it no alarms and still no one touched a thing. I have some pretty good neighbors too and we all watch each others homes. I saw one of my neighbors has a wheel lock similar to this.wheellock250.jpg Leaves it with the door tight up against his building. Might be less expensive than an extra camera.
 
If you wired the trigger into a strobe light timed with the camers and a loudspeaker you would a) get better pictures (from the strobe) and b) perhaps scare them off a little. The downside is you might have to hose off the driveway where they were standing when the strobe went off.. :rofl:

:)

Well, there is always plan "b" if that doesn't work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JvxnrzB1Jk
 
Now to combine the two... Make a quadricopter with a paintball gun under mounted..

Yeah but remove paintball and substitute one of these for criminals i have had enough of them in my lifetime.

Just imagine the attention grabbing advert "Rent a Quadricopter with rotating cannons to guard your property and your assets, 360 degree protection guaranteed.":D


Thanks for the info on the cameras Darren.
 
I've not yet had a lot of time to really test out the software, but did get some daytime photos with the driveway cam. I've found that for a detailed picture, distance is not this camera's friend. The current driveway camera is only clear for up to about 25'- 30', not the 100' I would like, so will look for a better camera for the drive but use it to get alerts when someone enters the property until it can be swapped.

I was hoping to stick with wifi enabled cameras since I have a good wifi network between the house and shop. However, like Allen mentioned the DVR kit that comes with cameras and some support wireless cameras and internet connectivity, so may have to be considered.
 
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