[Discuss] Home security & automation

[matt at mattshields.org (Matt Shields)]

Lots of good points from everyone.  I work from home, and am very careful
on who I let it in.  I take self-defense training (Krav-Maga) and we go
over most common scenarios (at home and away).  So I know all the
statistics about it usually being via someone you know or through someone
you know (ie. posting about going on vacation on Facebook and your friend
comments, which let's all their friends see).  I also have other various
lines of home defense.  This is more an exercise in I want to build
something rather than buy something.

This started with me waiting for FedEx to show up with my delivery of the
iPhone 6. The problem is if I'm working with headphones on in my office I
can't hear the doorbell or a knock on the door, so I setup wireless
pan/tilt/zoom camera in the front window and had it on one of my NOC
displays in my office all day.  It just got me thinking I can buy a
multi-camera and dvr setup from BJ's for a few hundred bucks.  Maybe I can
put a bunch of things together using a common interface.  It's quite
possible that all the DIY components are hacky and not worth my time, but
figured I'd do some research to see what's out there.  At the very least
I'll be doing a multi-camera setup on my own.

Matt

On Mon, Sep 22, 2014 at 12:37 AM, Bill Horne <bill at horne.net> wrote:

> On 9/21/2014 5:31 PM, Matt Shields wrote: On Sat, Sep 20, 2014 at 10:21
> AM, Richard Pieri <richard.pieri at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 9/19/2014 4:37 PM, Matt Shields wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'd rather not go with a provider based system (like Comcast, ADT,
>>>> Vivint, etc) since I want to control everything and not have to rely
>>>> on a company for service or pay a monthly fee.
>>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>> Any suggestions?
>>>>
>>> Pay a professional to help you plan the system, install and configure it
>>> correctly. It'll be worth it in the long run.
>>>
>>>  Part of wanting to do it myself is because I would learn about all the
>> different components and be able to troubleshoot and fix them if
>> necessary.
>>
>>
> I think what Rich recommends is good advice: a professional will be able
> to tell you, gently, that most thefts are done by people you know, and that
> most of your planning will be concerned with ways to prevent that.
>
> Here are a few items to consider:
>
> */Theft prevention:/*
>
> 1. It's important to understand that most "snatch and grab" thefts
>    can't be prevented. Police response times allow junkies to force
>    entry, heist your TV and iPad and iPhone, and get out of reach
>    before the police arrive. That's what insurance is for.
> 2. Every "home monitoring" system that's sold to civilians can be
>    disabled in seconds with a pair of wire cutters. Anyone who has
>    spent time in prison knows this trick: even amateurs will take the
>    phone off the hook and dial a nonsensical number, to disable
>    old-school burglar alarms which are tied to the phone line. Banks,
>    gun shops, and other target risks all have radio backup systems
>    which are secured behind effective barriers. So, if you are trying
>    to protect high-value items, think of WiMax or Satellite Internet
>    service as a minimum first step.
> 3. If you have jewelry, antiques, firearms, or other high-value items,
>    you'll probably need a safe, depending on the value of the item(s)
>    you're protecting, and applicable laws. Your insurance carrier will
>    insist on it if you ask them to cover high-value items, and on
>    having a notification procedure when the jewels (or whatever) are
>    being taken off-premise. The safe will have to be appropriately
>    rated (that's why the testing company is called the
>    _/Underwriters/_/' //Laboratory/) and professionally installed so
>    that it can't be dragged away and cut open later.
> 4. You will need to set up security zones. You can't put a Maginot line
>    around your home, because experienced thieves will be gaining entry
>    when they visit family members, or come to a Tupperware party, etc.
>    You're going to need "Private" areas where casual visitors are never
>    allowed, and (more importantly) the willingness to erect barriers to
>    exclude them.
> 5. Alarms and safes and security zones are all about buying time.
>    Safes, for example, are rated by how long they can withstand various
>    kinds of attacks, and a properly designed and installed system will
>    delay attackers until help can get there.
> 6. You and your family members might be asked to attend
>    security-awareness and self-defense training. Safes are only as good
>    as your willingness to resist when a street stomper points a gun at
>    you, and God knows that there's no shortage of guns or street
>    stompers to hold them.
>
> */Remote Management:
> /*
>
> 1. /99% /of environmental control can be done with programmable
>    thermostats.
> 2. The other 1% is handled by giving your neighbor a house key and your
>    cell number.
>
> Bill
>
> --
> E. William Horne
> William Warren Consulting
> 339-364-8487
>
>
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