[andecorp]

All this security talk - I found it easier to just move into a place that only Spiderman can rob.

Haven't locked my doors in 8 years.

And what if Spiderman does want to rob you?? Then you are fooked!!! 

[TEZZA]

Always put your cameras in plain view. Don't hide them. Rather than have them hidden and catching the thieves faces, it's better for them to see the cameras and all security before they attempt anything so they move to the next place that is less secure. Think about bouncers - it's better to employ a massive scary bouncer who would scare any trouble makers from doing anything, rather than have a small bouncer that can fight - sure, he's useful once the trouble has begun, but it's better to stop the trouble from happening in the first place.

The above is to deter the amateurs (99.9%)

If you have something specific that the professional thieves have come for, they will get it regardless of what security you have in place.

I have full day and night vision cameras in plain view as well as sensor flood lights all around the building. Big bright yellow bollards in the driveway. Clearly visible bars on all the glass areas. If they look through the front glass door, they see themselves on the security monitor.

Perimeter sensors at every accessible point of the building. If they do break in, I have rotating laser sensors (like you see in the movies) sweeping all the areas inside the building. When the alarm goes off, I have smoke screens being realeased so they can't breathe unless they lay on the floor, strobe lights go off and high db piercing internal sirens. So they'll be rolling on the ground unable to breathe, hear or see.

Until not long ago, if someone was in the building, the thief would also be met by the barrels of several guns. Sadly I don't have the guns anymore...

Jezus.... was your ex-wife that bad???

        

[AshSimmonds]

And what if Spiderman does want to rob you?? Then you are fooked!!! 

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when Spiderman and I try to conceive.

[Nobleambitions]

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when Spiderman and I try to conceive.

At least he apologises after a disappointing performance:

[andecorp]

Jezus.... was your ex-wife that bad???

        

You have no idea! 48kg of fury!

[1q2w3e4r]

A few thoughts for anyone setting up a similar system based upon my experience:

1. Cameras don't work well in the dark, regardless of how much you spend on them and how low their Lux rating goes.  If you want to ensure clear images from your cameras place them in conjunction with a motion-sensing light source, so that someone walking into the camera's view at night will be lit up.

2. If you're serious about capture quality (both resolution and frame rate) consider building a solution around a desktop PC / Mac rather than buying a DVR-in-a-box system.  Mega-pixel cameras running at 10+fps require a decent amount of performance to re-code/compress the incoming video and store it to disk, and it doesn't take many cameras to reach the limits of simple in-a-box systems.

3. Build a system with at least 2 weeks worth of historic archive for each camera.  We had one break-in at a commercial building where the footage from the night of the break-in wasn't quite good enough to identify the number plate of the vehicle, but the same vehicle visited the site during the day about 10 days prior to look around and we could grab the plates from there.

4. Think about how your video footage is backed up in the event of a break-in.  There's no point having a CCTV system if the DVR part of the system is one of the items stolen.  As our system is IP based and we have a multiple site VPN we actually capture all the remote cameras at each site, so there's always a copy of the video offsite from the moment it's taken.  A similar outcome can be achieved with a system that automatically emails or FTPs copies of the video files to a remote location when motion is detected.

5. Remote access to view your system is fantastic, but remember it means that your camera system is exposed to the internet.  This means you need to make sure everything is locked down with quality passwords and that software patches and security updates are applied regularly.  Also try to use a system that supports SSL connections - otherwise your password details are flying through the air in plain text every time you check your cameras from the free WiFi at the Maccas.

I've got pretty much what you describe installed, remote viewing access (from phone or web browser) 2 weeks + recording with interal and external mobotix cameras.  Worth it IMO.

[916senna]

All this security talk - I found it easier to just move into a place that only Spiderman can rob.

Haven't locked my doors in 8 years.

So its not the women that leave the door unlocked.... its you 

[AshSimmonds]

So its not the women that leave the door unlocked.... its you 

A jar, mate, a jar.

Ok, so I've been living the "high-rise" apartment life for most of a decade, there have been many women come and go, and the one thing I find they nearly all have in common is that they'll make sure the door to the balcony is shut tight, but they'll leave the front door ajar as they leave.

Edit: THIS happened this morning, WTF?

[Brenton]

A jar, mate, a jar.


Edit: THIS happened this morning, WTF?

See what happens when too many girls play with your knob

[PA]

You are holding your knob and it falls off. Let this be a lesson to all.

When we sold our property at Hahndorf we had to look for a key to the house to give to the buyers. Had not locked the house in 18 years.