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D.I.Y. Home Security
theodp writes "The NYTimes reports that pre-wired home security installations by alarm companies are on the way out. Thanks to wireless window and door sensors and motion detectors, installing and maintaining one's own security system is becoming a do-it-yourself project, with kits available from companies like InGrid and LaserShield. Time to start cranking out some new iPhone and Android apps, kids?"
Wireless = a burglar could disable them remotely?
;).
Either by jamming or by spoofing.
Or trigger them often enough remotely so that they eventually get disabled
"Thanks to wireless window and door sensors and motion detectors, installing and maintaining one's own security system is becoming a do-it-yourself project, with kits available from companies like InGrid and LaserShield. "
Does any of them come with a portal turret?
Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
This was exactly what my grandpa was doing for his house in 1989. He went around the house and added motion sensors and magnetic reed switches on the windows. There was even an optional wireless component here and there for the system which was not X10-based (though he did have a few lights controlled with that).
The problem was that it was of limited use compared to the commercially-monitored ones because, but of course, it was not monitored.
Now a positive externality of an alarm going off is that a burglar is going to assume that the cops will be there in ten minutes, but you never know...especially if he learns as an hour later, the alarm is still going off...
My three cents.
Wireless? Good thing most criminals are stupid.
Watch the neighborhood kids set this off with a modded cordless phone...
If you could figure out a way to hook an old cellphone into your homebrew security system, you could have it auto-dial 911, since any cellphone, even one without a service plan, has to be able to make that call.
Add in a pre-recorded message and you have replicated most of what the home security companies do with their monitoring.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone
What I wanna do is set up a honey pot dresser drawer that's wired to a silent alarm, maybe one that sends me an SMS and activates surveillance cameras.
The contents of the honey pot drawer would of course include something of value with a homing beacon concealed in it.
(But maybe I won't bother now everyone knows how secure my house is.)
While most home burglars are not necessarily the most sophisticated, I have read a few reports of the ease of use of hacking the LaserShield. This basically involves breaking the communication between the base unit and sensors, such as by just having a two way radio turned to the same frequency and sending some noise over it to break reception. The base unit does not seem to regularly poll the remote sensors from what I can tell, and so is unaware of a break in communication. Engadget has a video demonstrating the hack here.
While little security is better than none, I still think its important to understand the risks of poorly designed wireless security system devices versus well designed ones or even more conventional wired security system devices.
For $10 more a month, an alarm company with hundreds of dispatchers can respond to your alarms for you. Tough for you to respond to the hold up alarm going off at your house, when you're the one that tripped it.
Some time back on my campus, a start-up company offered home security systems based on the broadband and mobile phone networks. You had a series of modules (motion detectors, cameras, mobile/internet communications), that you plugged together. You just set up the IP addresses and an optional web page, and the system took care of the rest (timestamping, E-mail/mobile phone alerts)
The next thing, the local insurance company (Endsleigh) announces that they are closing many of their offices. I always wondered whether these were related. Did people spend more money on installing security systems than insurance?
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
If you're not looking for 3rd party monitoring, there are quite a few windows apps that monitor webcams. Currently, I use SupervisionCam. Monitor several cams at once, and perform multiple actions on motion detection. Email, FTP to elsewhere, run an external app, play a sound (BarkBark!). Or, have it capture 1 frame every couple of seconds, and go into high gear on motion detection.
Just be sure you have your motion sensor set right. Otherwise, you might quickly fill up your email or webserver space.
2 or 3 cams pointed at various entrances is cheap and easy.
While I don't do the security camera thing, I do have my laptop send periodic pictures (including 5 seconds of video and audio at login) to my server using the built-in webcam and some OSS products. It only does this when it isn't at home, and it encrypts the files, so it's a great way to ensure that my computer is safe without becoming a privacy threat to myself.
I did this because I had some equipment stolen a while ago. I don't mind if people break into my house, as long as they leave everything how they found it. So instead of securing my house, I secured my property by having everything of value phone home when it's out and about. It's an alternate (cheaper) approach people might want to think about.
The problem is, if the alarm system fails, who do you blame? Its easy to say to the police/insurance agency "I had my alarm installed from *insert major alarm vendor here*, I set it but it failed or they disabled it" and they would believe you and care more about your case. If you said oh I bought my alarm from *insert minor DIY alarm vendor*, set it up myself and can control it from my iPhone, they will think its cool, but would blame the error on you and your case drops from near last priority to dead last.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I've been looking for some good cheap or open source security camera software for a while now.
It seems this would be a common need:
1. Stream from a simple cheap Webcam & PC setup (Assumed to be stolen in the actual break-in)
2. Record the stream remotely, this would be kept on my home PC w/a big cheap hd. Days of data would be deleted as needed.
One problem is that most software that streams goes out of its way to make it impossible to save the data.
You would think that this would be easier to find.
The shoelace and shotgun seems to be working okay so far.
"You would think that this would be easier to find."
A stream of data is a stream of data especially in a Unix OS. The rest is simple encoding/decoding and timing.
Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
My dog barks, I shoot. Pretty simple setup. No electricity, phone lines, cell signals, wireless, or anything else to not work. Plus, if I miss, my dog is none too friendly to strangers (Chow/Shepard mix). The minute someone even gets close to the house, he makes a VERY scary noise.
http://www.google.com/search?q=executive+protection+dog&btnG=Search
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them
I know you're joking but in case anyone takes you seriously. That's actually illegal.
Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
Ugh, commercial alarm companies are scammers. I get a new house, and guess what? Every sensor from EVERY window and door is conveniently removed so I have to sign up for some shitty contract. I'm guessing the previous owners had theirs "disconnected" at some point which involved removing the sensors. That, and the fact that ADT fills my mail with ads and warnings that I'm about to get robbed and crap like that.
1. what happens now is a healthy underground trade in wireless frequency blockers (or cloners, however the system works: absence of signal indicating intrusion versus presence of signal indicating intrusion). you can't do that with a wired system. i hardly think some cheap doodads are doing anything complicated with their signal that would defeat a blocker/ cloner
2. additionally, now don't you have to change tons of little batteries all over the house? people think its a pain to remember changing the fire alarm batteries at daylight savings time changeovers. now they have to run around every 12 months changing specialty batteries on dozens of wireless intrusion gadgets too?
of course there are plenty of ways to defeat wired systems. none of which also don't apply to wireless systems. you would need battery backups, cell backups, etc., on both. but still, the wired seems inherently more, ehem, secure, if you are going to all of the trouble of not just buying a dog
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
So instead of having a wired sensor on every external door/window, I now have a wireless setup? How many batteries and how do I maintain them? I'll assume the sensors notify me that the downstairs bathroom window's sensor needs to be replaced.
Retrofitting a house, go with the wireless solution so you don't have to tear up your walls (unless you've got an attach to run cabling)
New House? hardwired, as there would be less maintenance.
My Mom's house had ADT. They promised to get us a discount on the insurance of the house because it was there, and always watching for fire. We were told that the paperwork for that much-needed discount had been sent, and we assumed that the unit would be alert for fire and carbon monoxide as well.
Three years later, with me in Chicago, we learned that wasn't quite true.
1. In order to GET the insurance discount, you, and not ADT have to walk the paperwork over there and get signatures for it to matter. They never did, despite what we were told.
2. We later learned that, despite three years of being on and chirping for every door-opening, it wouldn't have reported a fire or carbon monoxide problems, as those two sensors cost extra.
Yeah, not friendly to ADT. I could make something better. In my new home, that's what I'm doing.
--- For a good time mail uce@ftc.gov
I'd love to wire my house security system myself. But I have a financial disincentive not to: my homeowners insurance (State Farm) gives me a significant discount for using my local (Bay Alarm) monitoring provider. The insurance discount almost covers the cost of 24/7 monitoring.
Over time I *would* eventually recoup the costs of DIY. But it would take years to break even. And I have no idea how long it would take for the insurance amortizers to figure out the costs of vigilant DIY alarmers vs. happy outsourcers. I can't even hazard a guess which direction those splits would trend towards.
Bottom line: tech is cool; business is challenged; limited mainstream appeal.
When it comes to security, the more physical the better. Wireless might seem a attractive on cost and convenience but reliability and vulnerability increase substantially. Again on that theme, the more complex a system, the more that can go wrong. It is all a matter of personal acceptance of a level of risk, but I'll stick with hardwired systems on a UPS and two good-sized dogs which gets me and my family to a comfortable sleeping level. that and Mister 12-gauge full of #00 buckshot and slugs. Your mileage may vary.
A gaggle of geese are more reliable. Or a couple of rotweilers. Hell, I'd trust a pack of dachshunds before I'd trust anything wireless, remote, electrical, requiring batteries or software driven. Even more so if it is a MS product.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
Sharks.
With Lasers.
'Nuff Said.
Given a fiasco after a fiasco trying to secure regular WiFi connections, what are the chances that wireless window sensors are anywhere close to being secure ? It's interesting because unlike wired sensors, connections of these ones can be accessed from the outside.
As a side note - I looked at using wireless cards to control the access to the front door and ultimately decided against it. The only cards that cannot be cloned with trivial snooping are those that can do proper challenge-response or private/public key authentication. There are NO such cards available at home security market (lots of snake oil stuff though, LOTS). One has to look at the financial services segments (traditional wireless smartcards), but the hardware hardware (even of the eval kits) is prohibitive.
All in all, your DIY security solution will most likely to end up being of the 'security through obscurity' variety. Caveat emptor.
3.243F6A8885A308D313
Much of this discussion has been about the jammability of RF-based alarm systems.
I've done it (testing my own system). It's NOT hard.
All the wireless sensors have a lithium battery that lasts for a few years. The sensors do NOT transmit continually- that would run down the battery in a matter of hours not years.
Each time they transmit anything, it's in the form of a data packet including headers, the transmitter's unique ID, battery status, what it wants to report (open/closed/etc) and a few checksum bits. Furthermore all the wireless sensors (generally) use the same channel in the 433MHz range. To avoid stepping on each other, each packet is transmitted a few times separated by a pseudorandom delay. The sensors also transmit a 'tamper' signal if the sensor casing is opened or ripped off the wall, and a periodic 'superivision' message once every hour or so to let the system know they're still alive.
Whenever you open or close a door connected to a wireless sensor, it transmits a burst updating its status. If it transmits an 'open' signal when the alarm is armed, the alarm goes off. If the alarm doesn't hear a supervision packet from a sensor for more than an hour or two, it signals a trouble condition.
Most importantly- the transmission is ONE WAY- the sensors don't have receivers. The sensor doesn't wait for an acknowledgment from the alarm that its packet was received-- it sends its packet a few times and then considers it sent.
Since many devices (including non-alarm stuff like wireless thermometers and other brands of alarm gear) use the 433MHz range the alarm uses, wireless alarms are designed to tolerate SOME interference on the channels the alarm uses.
By SOME i mean less than 60 seconds of continual interference (as per UL standards for wireless alarm systems).
So any jamming you want to do only has to 1. cover the data packet and 2. last for less than 60 seconds at a time. As you can imagine this isn't too hard if you can switch your jammer on/off easily and have a good idea of where the sensors are.
So to break into a building equipped with a wireless alarm:
1. figure out type of alarm and buy portable jammer for alarm's frequency (cheap)
2. guess where the sensors are
3. key the jammer when you are about to trip a sensor. When you do, quickly tear it off the wall / smash it.
4. steal stuff
5. be out in less than an hour so the alarm doesn't miss any supervision packets. And if it does miss one chances are it'll create a 'trouble' alarm not a 'burglar' alarm; no cops will be called.
Any security system can be beaten- there is no such thing as perfect security. Wireless sensors can be jammed. Magnetic contacts can often be fooled with bigger magnets. Motion sensors can be beaten by holding up bed sheets (as per Mythbusters test).
However if a burglar is crafty enough to jam an RF alarm or fake out magnetic contacts, chances are they are pretty smart and there isn't much you can do to keep them out. Most break ins are dumb criminals doing smash n grab jobs, the alarm is there to blast a 120dB siren in their face and hopefully freak them out enough that they run away.
--IronHelix
I was hoping for, at least, some open source motion capture for webcam stuff to be listed here.
My mistake. Everyone seems to be so hung up on the theory, hardware kits and etc, that they don't actually consider what might be useful.
Myself - my DIY home webcam with motion capture software (and I don't remember where I got it or what it's called since I just scavenged what was useful for it's source) saved me at least 3k when my landlady decided to take a shopping trip inside my apartment. I got great pictures shot offsite that I was able to present to a judge. THAT's useful.
Can anyone actually list useful opensource software motion cap stuff here - since it's what I'd use (again) if I would have to reconstruct my internal motion sensitive capture and offsite squirt software? :P
A quick in-page skim and search does not appear to show anyone else having already said this:
It'd be interesting to see if Brad (yes, of LiveJournal fame) does something like this, given (1) what he's already done and (2) what he's mentioned he'd like to do.
He's already rolled his own automatic/wireless garage door opener;
Short overview with some detail in part 1: http://brad.livejournal.com/2394220.html
More details in part 2: http://brad.livejournal.com/2394707.html
Also in Part 1 you'll see that it was suggested that he put his multitude of in-home access points to use, and use it to let his Android determine where he is in his house, and wire up some other basic utilities to use this data.
If he gives every light switch an IP address, then the room can light up as soon as he goes to enter it.
That would be nothing short of amazing. He would never have to raise his arm to flick the switch ever again!
And when he wants to be social, he can just broadcast his EXACT position. It'll be like Britekite on Steroids! :P
Go to Sears and buy a couple of pairs of mens work boots in the biggest size you can find. Put them on the front porch. Tack a note on the front door that reads: "Bubba - Junior and I went to get more ammunition. You and Lefty stay away from them dogs; they ain't been fed yet and you remember what happened last time."
-B-
I've decided that if we ever do it, I'd get a system and focus on ground floor perimeter -- glass break sensors and door open sensors. It sounds like the vast (vast!) majority of false alarms are related to motion detection. I've got 3 cats and a dog, even though there /are/ animal-ok detection tools, they can still set them off if they go over a certain height or anything else the simple (these aren't driven by 3ghz procs) rules define. Think before you buy, and if you can't, get a professional.
I installed an Elk M1 Gold in my house about 2 years ago. http://www.elkproducts.com/products/m1/m1systems.htm Wireless sensors have a couple of huge advantages over wired sensors. To start with, I have had the drywall hangers cut wires while wrapping windows. Then what do you do? Also with wireless sensors you don't have small rodents chewing through the wires. You can put sensors in outbuildings and garages as well. I've got them everywhere. The battery life on the sensors is great; roughly 5 to 8 years.
I'll stick with the dog + firearm approach.
The dog, at 2 years old, is better than any electronic sensor out there. I live in the country, not ultra-remote but far enough away from me neighbors that I couldn't hit their house with a thrown baseball, but he still alerts on things like the meter reader being next door.
I have no idea how he does it, but he'll go ape and 5 minutes later there's a meter reader in my yard.
Criminals aren't generally very smart, but as a rule they tend to pick the easier targets. Stickers on the windows identifying home security systems are just a notice that they need to grab and go. An 80lb. dog staring at them through the window is a signal that maybe the neighbor's place is a better target.
I suppose I could invest in some cameras, but I'm not really too concerned with catching a burglar, just deterring them. If I'm not home and they go into Full Retard mode and decide they want to wrestle with my dog then have at it.
If I am home the dog lets me know when we have possible "visitors" far quicker than any electronics would. I can't put motion sensors in my neighbor's driveway, but the dog picks up on that stuff. I work from home about 80% of the time and it happens almost daily. He sees something like the school bus stop out in front of the house, barks, runs over to me and starts nuzzling me. I look at what he's seeing, pet him, and sometimes hand him a treat.
If it's an unknown person in my driveway I slip a gun onto my belt (if I'm not already wearing one) and I'm usually at the door before they even have a chance to ring the bell. Sure, it isn't typical, but I shoot as a hobby and I'm comfortable keeping loaded firearms handy.
Security has to be multi-layered. We all know that as computer geeks. The best technology in the world can be defeated through social engineering. "Fancy" wireless security systems can be defeated with RF interference. Heck, you might just forget the turn the darned thing on one night.
A dog? You can't really turn that thing off. You'd have to work to train that territorial protection mechanism out of them. That's my alarm system.
Once the alarm goes off, what do you do? Well, you need to identify the threat and deal with it. Manually calling 911 on a cell phone is a good thing to do, as you can describe the nature of the situation far better than any home-brewed security system can.
Beyond that we've got dealing with the actual threat itself, and nothing's better than an old reliable firearm. Personally I keep a Remington 870 Wingmaster w/ an 18.5" Mossberg manufactured cylinder bore barrel topped with rifle sights and 4 rounds of Federal reduced recoil 00 Buck handy at night. During the day I've usually got a S&W 1911SC, Glock 23C, or CZ-RAMI in .40S&W on my belt or a Kel-Tec P3AT nearby if I'm not actually wearing a "real" gun but want something I can clip to my pants in the event of an unexpected visitor at my door.
When it comes to keeping me and mine safe and secure I believe simpler is better and like to stick with older technology. While you're farting around with RF systems and sensors I'll be over here feeding my dog peanut butter flavored treats wen he does his job.
Oh, and for the record my dog is a pet first and foremost. He's here for companionship. Sure, he costs more than an alarm system, but he's worth it. The fact that he's such great asset in security is a side benefit. If there ever comes a day where he's too old to care about that stuff we'll just get another and let this one continue to be a pet.
"Oh no Grommit, it's the wrong trousers!"
"Kittens give Morbo gas!"
One dog.
Seriously, if a burglar sees or hears a dog, he'll move on to other houses until he finds one without a dog. If you have secret plans and chests filled with treasure, and everyone in town knows about it, maybe you need something more sophisticated, but a canine deterrent system is more than effective for the average home. And an alarm system won't wag its tail or lick your face when you come home from work. Or, go whole-hog and get four dogs, and a monkey that can dial a phone.
This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
Browning 12ga Auto. Don't break in my house if you want to live.
Did anyone else misread that as D.I.Y. Homeland Security?
Tell me if I'm wrong, but from the picture demonstrating the open/close sensor installed on the window, it ought to be possible to break the glass and grab both pieces together keeping their proximity thus avoiding the transmission of "window open" signal (which I guess is caused by the two pieces becoming unaligned). It should then be possible to finish breaking the rest of the window to gain access that way.
Here's a link to code for the X10 CM17A Computer Interface and MR26A RF Receiver used in many home automation systems that not only detects jamming/scanning, but also generates fake motion to thwart sophisticated intruders who might use the absence of wireless traffic as a cue that no one is home.
...based on a normal/cheap alarm system with RF sensors.
I attached the alarm-device to my NSLU2 (via a simple level shifter print through RS232), and made a program that simply shows when doors are opened/closed.
This "silent" alarm pretty much allows me to build any additional security on top, such as auto-emailing / text messaging etc.
I am quite happy with it.
Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
Add RFID tags to certain points and when the TagLost method is called (due to opening window / door) do something. Phidget readers are dirt cheap..
If it's an unknown person in my driveway I slip a gun onto my belt
Christ, where the fuck do you live. Bagdhad or The Congo?
FWIW, I live in a rural area and have a shotgun for vermin and bagging the odd rabbit. You my friend, have issues.
Besides, an electronic security system won't shit on the carpet
D.Y.I Home Security:
A 12 gauge semi-auto and a case of 00 buck.
Knowing Google's lust for data collection, the Soviet Union is still alive and well inside the psyche of Sergey Brin....
It's so easy. Just need five colored lights.
Turn on the yellow one and be afraid. Turn on orange, and get even more scared. Etc.
Not D.I.Y. Homeland Security? Oh, sorry.
I lived in a rental last year where the owners were in England and the rental company was freaking clueless. The security system was cryptic and difficult to figure out, and no one bothered to tell me the arming code. Well there was a power outage and the system got reset, so the sucker kept on making noise at the wrong times.
This is one of those things that is the owner's responsibility without a doubt but the rental company was just clueless. I tried to take it upon my self to actually hire someone to fix the stupid thing but I couldn't find a company willing to address it since well, I wasn't the owner.
I ended up just removing all the magnets from the doors and windows, so there was in effect a fully armed security system but nothing triggered it. Alternatively I could have just put a magnet near the sensors and that would have had the same effect.
I have some ideas for home security that would employ both LED and magnetic door and window sensors, as it seems magnetic sensors alone can be defeated too easily.
The most frustrating thing was, I'm sure I could have waited until midnight and cut the breakers to reset the system, but there clearly was a battery backup somewhere, and the system got mucked up when the power was out in excess of a week.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Claymore FTW.
I am the unwilling control for my Origin.
I think I'll opt for the insurance policy. Way easier and less labor intensive.
Blar.
I installed one of these in my home after a burglary attempt (failed) in the Spring. It cost under $500 and took me about 2 hours to install and program. I buy monitoring for less than $10/mo from a company that specializes in DIY alarm monitoring. I couldn't be happier.
Unless the homeowner calls directly. There is just too little qC in DIY systems.
What this article does not address is the actual cost of having an alarm system, crime prevention statistics and technical problems associated with different systems.
Truthfully, most professionally installed, professionally monitored alarm systems end up being almost free. Free, as in speech, or beer. Most insurance companies will give you discounts on your homeowners policy if you present a certificate from a national brand monitored alarm service. This discount can end up being as high as $30-40/mo., which essentially pays for the monitoring fees charged by your alarm company. Toss in free installation specials (or $99 installation, which ADT runs frequently) and the cost is tough to beat.
I've seen statistics that show that having the large yard signs from a recognizable, national brand monitored alarm service will roughly reduce the likelihood of a break in at your residence by 80%. Most robbers are poor & dumb. They want to cut a window screen at the back of your house, slip in, smash, grab & ransack through your house for 5 minutes looking for firearms, cash & jewelry and GTFO. That monitored alarm gives them a pretty good chance of egressing just as Johnny Law pulls up, they know it, and they'll pass by your house without trying.
There are drawbacks. We use Vonage for our primary phone service at our house. ADT will not install on Vonage, as they claim it's unreliable and incompatible with some of the signals they send to the monitoring service, so they like to put a module in the basement with a digital cell phone card in it + battery backup. The problem we have been having is, about once a week, usually around 1-3 AM Monday or Tuesday mornings, the alarm panel starts screaming as though it's about to go off. Repeated calls to ADT tech support produced this finding: The cell companies "reboot" their towers roughly once a week, and the alarm module in the basement is seeing the loss of signal to the tower, it is assuming that tampering is taking place and is causing an immediate alarm - without any way of actually reaching the monitoring service. Will ADT send someone to the house to investigate a possible workaround? Yes, for a $200 truck roll fee + $100/hour labor. And we are prepaid two years ahead.
Being a good American, I vigorously exercise my second amendment rights, and also own a bionically sensitive 3 year old lab-hound mix. My wife and I aren't concerned about evening break-ins. It's the daylight "house is empty, everyone at work" smash & grab that we worry about, particularly that they will hurt, kill or release our animals and generally just make a mess of things, leaving that charming sense of violation and insecurity behind. I'm sure most of the readers share this concern.
My problem with homebrew DIY security systems is.. the DIY part. Hours and hours of time spent installing an alarm system that may not get the same quality response from the police as a human being at ADT's monitoring center (we've had 1 false alarm at our house, and I can vouch for the response time being very satisfactory.) ADT has spent millions of dollars on a quality program designed to reduce false alarms, and have blitzed the police with publicity trumpeting this fact - the goal being to impress upon them that ADT customers rarely have false alarms, when we call you, you had better get there quick.
I'm not sure that user installed security systems are worth the installation time and lack of name recognition with the most important demographic - would be burglars.
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
The best home security is someone there 24/7.
Barring that, a device called, "MEAN DOG."
One thing I have done is to take the input circuit of the power supply to my garage door opener, and soldered in a new SCR transistor and the logic to receive a signal from a second IR transmitter. (note: you can find parts from a discarded garage door opener that maybe has something else burned up in it--it's how I got the parts.)
This second transmitter has a 30 second delay (555 Timer Cough) and only stays on 20 seconds.
Therefore, my garage door won't open by using a scanner, you have to first know the freq's for the POWER SUPPLY, then you need to know the freq to open the door and you have to do it 30 seconds after the first freq is received.
final note: get the power supply receiver and timing working with a light bulb before you go live with it. Make sure you solder everything, and mount everything proper, this is a DANGEROUS device that can kill you if you fuck up.
Anyway... it's kind of like port knocking.
But not.
The best Alarm system I ever built was in a small basement apartment back in the 1970's. Down a long dark hall leading to the bedroom I had a cassette recorder that was triggered to play by a simple IR beam break near the entrance. All that was on the tape that played was the sound of the hammers of a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun being cocked. -- A very distinctive sound...
Nahhh.... A bone keeps 'em quiet for longer.
Though dogfood laced with antifreeze the day before will keep 'em quiet forever.
A real bastard mixes ground glass in the dogfood instead. Thus, owners take dog to vet sh*tting blood and leave the house totally unguarded.
Having wireless door/window sensors, but hardwiring the motion sensors and panel would probably give you the best mix of security. A 95+ lb Akita doesn't hurt either. The options in the article are really geared for the non-tech type of people. I was expecting something much cooler, than what I have already seen.
Half of writing history is hiding the truth.
guns are owned as a deterrent, but their effect is paradoxical: they attract that which is sought to be deterred
situationally, you owning a gun increases your chance of getting shot, in a myriad of ways and how things play out differently when you have a gun nearby. your scenario above is but one of millions that play out towards more violence and bloodshed when you have a gun
and plenty of times, that violence and bloodshed is visited on the criminal rather than the victim. but MOST times in how the entire universe of possibilities play out, more violence and bloodshed is visited on you, simply because you have a gun
want to avoid being victimized? own a gun. want to avoid being shot? don't own a gun. please note that being a victim and being shot are two entirely different outcomes
now, i'd rather lose my dvd player than my life, but i actually don't think that gun owners are somehow more stupid that they don't realize the logic at work with gun ownership
instead, it's psychological: some people would rather risk death than live with the shame of being a victim. i think that if you did a psychological profile of your average enthusiastic gun owner, you would find in their history an event in which they were victimized and shamed and perhaps abused. pride asserts itself, and they vow never to be victimized like this again, even if they logically realize gun ownership increases their chance of death
for some people in this world, pride is more important than life. but unfortunately, the rule of guns being in your proximity increasing your chance of being shot does not only apply to the gun owner, but also his neighbors. such that not only gun owners suffer for valuing their pride over their life. we all do
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I am surrounded by farms between a city and a small town. I end up being covered by the local sheriffs dept, rather than either municipal police.
Budget cuts in my county have scaled us back to about a dozen deputies for a LARGE county. The last time I had to call the sheriff, it was 45 minutes before we got a response.
Now - if someone showed up shooting, they have the option to call the other police depts to ask them to come have a look. Note I said OPTION - they actually chose not to do that just a couple months ago for someone in the county because they 'felt it wasn't dangerous'.
So... I have two large dogs. I have several weapons. The dogs have been more than enough deterrent for anyone thinking about approaching the house (btw, dogs work even BETTER when you have a window they can growl and bark and be seen, imo). If someone breaks in, I would have no problem beating them with a baseball bat until they left. I couldn't see myself intentionally ever killing someone over just 'property'. However, someone comes in and decides to hurt anyone, including my dogs, and all bets are off.
-- I really need to bleed off some of this
About a year and a half ago I did a review of the LaserShield system. It worked really well, I could not even get in my own home without setting it off.
JusTech'n - Where Technology comes home
is not giving value to and considering the range of different possible negative outcomes. there is not one outcome in all of scenarios, but different outcomes depending upon the existence of a gun or not in the hands of the victim
the most obvious difference is being robbery victim versus being dead
when you don't own a gun, your chance of being victimized goes skyhigh to almost certainty, absolutely. but also when you own a gun, your chance of being dead actually goes down appreciably
in this calculus of possible outcomes is the difference between the entrenched difference in opinion of the perceived value gun ownership between gun owners versus gun nonowners
certainly, there are sick fucks in this world who kill without reason, and would shoot an unarmed victim simply for the thrill, or a number of other sick reasons. these people are real. but they are also quite rare. your chance of meeting one of them in a confrontation is far smaller than meeting a garden variety armed thief who just wants your vcr. if you have a gun, you then enter into an ok corral scenario where your life is at risk that you would not have entered into had you not owned a gun
a gun increases your ability to control confrontations, but it also escalates what is at stake in a confrontation. sometimes, it is just better to be a victim, to be powerless, to lose your vcr, than raise your chance of losing your life, simply for having a gun, just for the sake of a stupid vcr
but its a psychological difference: i think a psychological profile of your average gun enthusiast would reveal issues with power, and the need to be certain they had the ultimate upper hand. this need to remain in power, viscerally, on matters of life or death, i think points to a history of vioent victimization or ongoing abuse in the psychological history of the average gun enthusiast. such that they vow never to be victimized again, because staying in power is more important to them than losing their life
meanwhile, the average non gun owner simply wants to live, go ahead, have the damn vcr. they have no issues with losing power temporarily if it means they get to have a better chance at staying alive
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Poor little house in the country
18 dogs and an M-16 for company
Those cowboys coming over the horizon
They'll be looking for some hospitality
Come on in, boys, the door's wide open
But I'm warning you my dogs are born to win
and I'll take the greatest of pleasure
In watching you be torn limb from limb
There's rumors starting down in the village
Them cowboys ain't been heard of since the day
But if anybody comes 'round asking questions
Well, I've got it worked out what I'm gonna say
Come on in, boys, the door's wide open
But I'm warning you my dogs are born to win
and I'll take the greatest of pleasure
In watching you be torn limb from limb
call the possiblity of ecountering them rate x
rate y would be the possibility of escalating a conflict with an intruder who does not have such sick intentions into the realm of deadly consequences, for the gun owner, as well as the criminal
ignore the peril to the criminal's life, thats not material
what is material is the threat to the gun owner's life. and rate y > rate x
such that not owning a gun increases your chance of being victimized by a sick fuck, but decreases your chance of being dead, over all, considering all possible scenarios where a gun in your hands escalates the stakes of a confrontation unnecessarily
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
A sign in your front yard advertising the fact that you have a security alarm is just as good as actually having an alarm system installed. The people that will ignore the sign don't care if you have the alarm in the first place. The people that are afraid of your security alarm will stay away because they see the sign indicating that you have one.
Zoneminder rules...I have been using it for about four years. Seriously, I can't recommend it highly enough. The compilation/installation requires some basic Linux skills, but it is a great little project for a DIYer...
there also many gun owners who are not with us today, because in a confrontation, things escalated to deadliness that did not have to escalate to deadliness, had there been no gun around
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I'd actually like to ask about your sig.
Really? Assuming the threat to TV signals is real, why wouldn't internet be better than TV? Internet is an all-purpose data pipe, so you can still use it for TV if you like.
I always wanted to make a DIY kit for home security. Really the parts are easily had online (even the commercial brands) for far less than you pay when you get them from a security company. Installation is not difficult. Even a weekend handyman could do it. The only thing missing from a basic security system is the integration with a national monitoring service. I would like to see someone offer to monitor my alarm system for me. Just like a commercial venture like ADT, they'd go through a call list if an alarm was tripped. They'd call the fire dept if the smoke detectors went off (and no one in the home via the PA responded). They could even respond to necklace alerts for elderly. The service is where the real cost should be. The hardware shouldn't be tied to the expensive installation.
Part of the value-add of the security companies is they will monitor and verify the issue before they call the police/fire/etc.
In many areas, you will get fined for false-alarms. Or worse, they will just stop coming to your house.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Actually, what it describes is the person's degree of emotional attachment to said stuff, rather than its actual intrinsic value. "Value" in a human - as opposed to Vulcan? - mind is rarely objective and almost always subjective (which is why capitalism is so good at allowing concentration of material resources). It's just as likely the stuff would be junk to anyone else even though this person values it enough to secure it with high-tech devices.
Thievery could be much better targeted in a true socialist society where "objective valuation" was the norm, since then the crook would always know he would be getting something worthy of his time if it was protected like that. Who knew that socialism was actually beneficial for crooks?
which is, confronting criminals. they SHOULD carry guns. but that has absolutely zero lessons for what civilians have to consider about whether to carry a gun or not. the rate at which police encounter criminals, and the occasional sick demented fuck, is vastly higher than any civilian. which means comparing the risk assessment for a policeman carrying a gun versus that for a cilivian is absurd
"Why do they? To assert their will. In the end, nakedly facing an enemy with a weapon means you've lost. That person can do whatever he wants with-- you are his slave. Most of us don't want to live like that, and we're willing to increase the risk of dying to avoid a fate worse than death."
this is exactly what i said in another post in this thread:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1015863&cid=25612961
so, i directly contradict you: "Most of us don't want to live like that, and we're willing to increase the risk of dying to avoid a fate worse than death"
no. actually, most of us would rather lose a vcr and momentarily lose power in our lives than always maintain absolute visceral power, with the unavoidable and direct increase in our chance of dying. owning a gun absolutely gives you more power, but it also absolutely raises the stakes in confrontations from one of losing a vcr or not to one of losing your life or not. i'd rather lose power and be helpless for a moment and lose a vcr, than lose my life. i absolutely understand what is at stake, and so do you. but i question your need to remain in constant visceral power at the cost of everything else, including the possiblity that you may die being increased
"I also think you're underestimating the proportion of sick fucks."
nope. the real world is not a hollywood movie
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Tired of thieves stealing his tools, my grandpa electrified the padlock with one of those electric fence units used with cattle and horses. Difference, 3' from the unit instead of 300' of fencing wire.
Has that really worked? I would think that he would get careless and accidentally touch/grab the padlock one day and get the crap shccked out of him. Either that or someone goes to borrow a tool legitimately and gets shocked as well.
Every now and the you hear about somebody that booby-traps his house with shotguns or something, then gets careless one day and that's when they find the body. The electric fence thing sounds really great but I wonder how that works in real life. He should have a hidden camera pointed to it, though, so that if a thief actually does get shocked, we can see the video on the internets.
I go for the "Making friends with the neighbours" option. The occasional small bag of local goodies from where ever I've been on holiday means I've got good friends and people who look out for my place when I am away, including watering the house plants.
Doesn't rate on the insurance but really good on the peace of mind front and getting to have neighbours as friends is nice too ;-)
Suffice it to say, I know some of the engineers and developers at this company in PA, and I strongly doubt anyone is going to be able to break the system. It's built totally unlike conventional security.
... is from Rottweilers_R_Us.
Have gnu, will travel.
i have found all statistics to be complete bullshit, fabricated, misinterpretted, taken out of context, etc. for gun control advocates and gun enthusiasts
so meet me on pure logic and reason, or don't meet me at all
you analyze rates of ok corral scenarios in a vacuum above
meanwhile, i am comparing rates of scenario instances for example, i am in a given situation where i am being threatened by a criminal with a gun
1. if i have no gun, i capitulate to the criminal's demands. the criminal's demands result in my death due to the criminal being a sick fuck in x% of scenarios
2. if i have a gun, i rebuff the criminal's demands. the resulting conflict results in my death due to me being on the losing end of a gun fight in y% of scenarios
it is my assertion that y > x
therefore, for the sake of staying alive, i choose not to carry a gun. of course, this means i have a much greater chance of being victimized by criminals. perhaps many times. but i have a better chance of not being dead. because i am calculating that my chance of running into a sick fuck and me being unarmed, is less than the chance of me running into a criminal with a better trigger finger or better luck than me and me being armed
it seems like a pretty solid calculation to me
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
If at all possible, include a few security cameras around the house. An alarm system is nice to protect the contents, but we have a bunch of kids with nothing better to to than vandalize stuff. Alarms won't catch this, but cameras will. In addition, they will pick up burglars as they enter or exit and (if you have the proper field of view) license plate numbers.
The vandal problem in our area seems to be based on an overabundance of the bored kids of rich parents who think they own the world and don't fear the cops. Daddy can pay them off. Having pics is a great way to motivate the local police force in that either they handle the problem, or the kids will show up on YouTube. Or, if you don't want to go that route, having the pics means that their daddy will owe you a favor, which can be much more profitable than seeing Junior spend the weekend in juvenile hall.
Have gnu, will travel.
Layers of security. If you live in a rural area, a gate at the drive entrance. Something that has to be climbed over like a cattle gate. Perimeter fencing topped by electric fencing wire, with the perimeter fencing being 'ground' for the hot wire above it. Ever get zapped by a livestock electric fence energizer....a good one? It's enough to make you lose your water and shout curses, followed by a deep down ache all the way to the bone. That is if it tags you on an extremity only, and doesn't go across your chest from one arm to the other, in which case it feels like you just had your heart hit with a defibrillator. Ouch.
The next layer is a good junkyard dog, combined with some other 'watchdog' type of animals...guinea fowl, geese....that type of thing. And whatever you do, don't make the mistake of entering into the field with the billy goat, please.
The final layer is firearms. But if you've managed to get that far then there has been several serious security lapses, or you're one of the IMF team.
Welcome to country life.
the rare, but real, scenario of the gun owner successfully and heroically using his gun to defeat crime is outnumbered, statistically, with all of the other scenarios where things don't end up so successfully or heroically, because you had a gun with you
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
http://doityourselfsecuritysystems.com/
All for around $900, I outfit my house with an Ademco VISTA-20P 15-zone burglar alarm control panel, wired contacts for all the doors and windows, a keypad, two loud horns, and an Ademco 7845GSM communicator. Cellular alarm monitoring for $20/mo from the above site, and we're in business. Same kind of alarm control panel and communicator used in banks and jewelry stores.
The only catch? You need to know your way around wire fishing. I installed the entire system with no exposed wiring or contacts, so it all looks like it was installed when the house was built.
I bought a little $20 motion detector from Rat Shack, layed it across RTS/CTS on the serial port, and wrote a little bash script that would do a statserial [-x] once per second. If the motion detector was going (I'm reasonably sure it was normally-closed, so it'd open the circuit and clear CTS when it detected motion), it'd start taking pictures with the webcam, emailing them to hell-I-forget-where, and dial my pager. Took me a few tries to get the ATDT string right. ;-) I even got creative, picked up a little keyswitch, and routed some wires through the wall to the outside, where I could hold the circuit closed even when the motion detector was going off. Alas, no tamper switch (would've been easy enough to wire, though). I believe the system it was hooked up to even turned all its volume controls all the way up and started blaring some generic alarm mp3 at top volume.
:-)
This was all more for fun than anything else, in case you hadn't guessed.
I know another guy who did the same thing (which is where I got the idea from -- I think he used the parallel port, though, and no camera). He put the motion detector on the heater. It took him a minute to figure out why he kept getting so many false alarms -- the motion detector went off every time the heater kicked on.
Not really the same vein, but nowadays my laptop detects when I'm home from work via scanning for the Bluetooth signal from my phone, reads me how many messages I have and from whom, how many days until payday, how many days until whatever (e.g., election day), and a fortune [-s -a]. Used to be with my own bash script, but I've found blueproximity works okay, if a little slower. It might be interesting to do the same thing with the Bluetooth part integrated, so the alarm part only goes off if my phone is around...
Assume I was drunk when I posted this.
unarmed people never get killed in home invasions.
There is a story about to men being chased by a bear. One of them says to the other "I don't have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you."
You don't have to make your house invulnerable. You only have to make it harder than your neighbors. Unfortunately, a typical "alarm system" doesn't do that. The security "system" needs to be defense-in-depth. An alarm is part of it, but is not adequate.
Most alarm systems do not have full coverage of the entire building envelope surface. And even when they do detect something, it takes at least several minutes for the police to arrive. During that several minutes, a lot of valuable stuff can disappear. So a monitored alarm system, by itself, does not prevent burglary. It only makes the burglar hurry. And, an unmonitored alarm is completely worthless.
Other elements of premises security include sturdy doors and windows, sturdy pick-proof locks, exterior lighting, a safe for valuables, locked drawers and closets for larger semi-valuables, loud dogs, nosy neighbors, and making sure the place always looks and sounds like it's occupied.
I have "impact rated" windows. In Florida, these windows are made to withstand hurricane. But, they are also resistant to burglars. The glass is laminated with a thick layer of tough plastic. You can beat on them with an axe, but you will not get through. Burglars in this area know about these windows, so they don't bother.
The doors should be made of steel, with a steel-reinforced jamb, and installed to the frame of the house with lots of long screws. Again, Florida "impact rated" doors do the trick nicely.
Door locks should be sturdy, pick-proof, and bump-proof. The common "pin-tumbler" locks are basically worthless. Lights and sound help to convince a burglar that someone might be home. An answering machine prevents a burglar from letting the phone ring while he approaches the house. Exterior lighting prevents night-time approach. (But, most burglars actually work during the day when most people are at work.) A dog is a nuisance, and will convince some burglars to go elsewhere. Safes and interior locks slow the burglar down if/when he does get inside.
In the end, burglars shop a neighborhood looking for houses that look both easy to enter and prosperous. If your house is protected better than others in the neighborhood, the burglar will pick one of the others.