Ask Slashdot: Linux-Based Home Security

Grady Martin writes: I got a new job. Everything about it is perfect, except for one thing: The overwhelming majority of affordable housing within driving distance lies in an area known for its high crime rate. A home security system would afford some peace of mind, and a system whose code I could tinker with would afford even more. What Linux-based options are available? What experience do you have with such systems?

Comments

Needs to be Linux?

[alvieboy]

> "lies in an area known for its high crime rate. A home security system would afford some peace of mind"

Don't know if any runs Linux (and I sincerly doubt it), but perhaps getting a Doggie would help. For sure, you'll get a few false positives, but overall it's the best security you can get. :)

And yes, they bark really loud.

Alvie

Re:Needs to be Linux?

[Luthair]

collar $5

bag of kibble $20

picking up poop for 15-years, priceless

Re:Needs to be Linux?

[chmod a x mojo]

Haven't you been reading the LKML? There is a bug in the 3.x kernel code that makes booting Linux on dogs fail, and Linus dropped support.

I personally would go for a security Badger, preferably a dead one so as not to have to feed it. The old install method found here can still be adapted to a modern kernel and userland with a few easy compiles, with several open source drivers available for modern networking hardware as well.

Badgers are also much more vicious than non specialized dogs.

Re:Needs to be Linux?

[LifesABeach]

Caution, big teeth there exists monotonically increasing big poop.

Re:Needs to be Linux?

[FatdogHaiku]

No, a badger is easy to deal with, you just rub their belly until they stop eating your fingers.
What you want is a moose.
A moose once bit my sister...
There is nothing worse than a moose running "Malevolent Moose"!
Note that you will need to put about two feet of water in your living room so move your electrical outlets accordingly.
While you don't have to walk a moose, you do have to get the hell out of the way once in a while...
It's kind of like living with a pissed off Volkswagen.

ZoneMinder

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.zoneminder.com/ - but best put the PC in a panic room, roofspace or other inaccessible area. And ship footage off site continuously.

Re:ZoneMinder

[Anonymous Coward]

10 years ago, I assembled a crude Linux DVR using ZoneMinder. I kludged together Chinese video cards and various cameras. It was a neat and inexpensive system, and I enjoyed the project. But, it was crude, finicky and not very reliable which meant it required constant monitoring and care. But, for years, anything better or off the shelf would have cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Today, you can buy an off the shelf 1080p DVR system with 8 night vision cameras(!) for under $1,000. These systems are fire and forget. They work flawlessly, have tons of features, and are very reliable.

Meanwhile, Zoneminder hasn't changed much since 10 years ago. It's still a bodged together mess.

Just Don't

[Anonymous Coward]

Home security systems is a "problem" that has been completely solved in hardware. No DIY system, Linux or otherwise will compare in regards to available sensors, reliability, speed, battery backup, cellular backup, and more of a hardware panel. Many/most people want remote monitoring and thus pay for it. People ignore alarm sirens. What's the point of annoying your neighbors with noise while the crook takes his time packing your stuff into his van? You being on Slashdot means you'll want free, so I'll skip the subscription monitoring services.

DSC makes rock solid and inexpensive hardware systems. If you want to roll you own monitoring/alerting DSC systems can be integrated with other stuff including your own crappy and broken Linux implementable. You can also integrate a DCS panel with a home automation system like Vera or openHAB.

Home made security systems are not cost effective, reliable, effective, or worth the effort.

Re:Just Don't

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Home security systems is a "problem" that has been completely solved in hardware. No DIY system, Linux or otherwise will compare in regards to available sensors, reliability, speed, battery backup, cellular backup, and more of a hardware panel.

As someone who has installed dozens of different security systems, I agree wholeheartedly. DO NOT go with half-baked DIY system.

Look for multi-zone systems by Moose, Ademco, Honeywell, or other security companies. I don't recommend wireless systems for multiple reasons- they can be jammed and the batteries go dead at the worst possible times. If you absolutely have to use wireless components, use the minimum possible and hard-wire the rest.

Look for systems that have "home" and "away" modes.
Mount the panel in a secured location (locked closet).
Run the siren wires through metal pipe all the way to the siren (especially outside). Your alarm system will be useless if a $2 pair of wire cutters can be used to clip the siren wires.
Mount the siren high up in an inaccessible location or cage it.

There's a lot more to it than this, but don't go cheap, avoid wireless if possible, and get a solid, programmable system.

Worry about everything else first

[Anonymous Coward]

Moved to a high crime area a decade ago and to this day have only had one issue (car break-in after leaving stuff visible). No home security system, no guns. In general, pull your head our of your arse and pay attention to your surroundings. Don't walk around flashing you iPad that's connected to your home sec system. Don't have ear-buds in listening to the hipster mix of the day. Everyone of my neighbors that's had issues was either 1. dealing drugs or 2. walking around flashing electronics and ignoring the world around them. Meet your neighbors, be friendly, be engaged.

Monitoring isn't peace of mind.

[holophrastic]

If you're constantly checking your cameras and your feeds, and waiting for notifications of motion, that ain't peace of mind. Peace of mind is specifically the opposite -- i.e. not checking, not being notified, not being worried that every time you're underground or in an area of poor reception that someone is breaking into your home.

Peace of mind is knowing that it's someone else's problem. That means that the alarm doesn't go to you, it goes to someone else, like an alarm monitoring company, and that they'll deal with the problem -- including calling you as much as it takes to reach you. That means you can leave, go on vacation, go to the movies, and not care.

Especially considering that high crime rate is less of a problem when you aren't home -- because you aren't in any danger.

Just put up entry contacts -- doors, windows, glass-breaks. Motion sensors are generally irrelevant if you have any ambulatory pets. Then let it be someone else's problems. Cameras fight insurance fraud, but do nothing in terms of security, unless you've got someone watching the feeds.

And damn it, befriend your neighbours, ensure that they know your routines and your vacation schedules.

Beyond that, you aren't going to stop Ethan Hunt, no matter what you do.

Re:Monitoring isn't peace of mind.

[deathguppie]

My house was broken into with the alarm blaring. It's happened to a couple of my neighbors too. Someone pulls up they smash in the front door. Then spend about 30 seconds rifling through the house looking for valuables and then get in their car and run. The security system did nothing but make noise, and yes the cops were called. So what. Even if they would have been able to react immediately they would never have been able to get here in time.

So I put up some cameras in places outside, totally visible in areas that you can't walk around behind them. I have a small linux based home server/backup system that is built into a cabinet downstairs anyway, so I put zoneminder on it. If someone actually enters the house I get a message, and I can call the police. But it doesn't happen. No one wants to walk up in front of the cameras, and yes I know they could wear balaclavas or some crap, but they can't walk around the neighborhood like that without someone calling the cops, and the whole idea is to be inconspicuous.

There is no sure fire cure, and anyone who really want's in will get in. The idea is to make it more difficult than it's worth.

Re:Monitoring isn't peace of mind.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm, just park a car with no wheels and an oil puddle underneath in front, put plastic garden furniture in your house, smash a couple of the windows and leave the door unlocked. If there is nothing of value inside, then nothing will get stolen. Peeing at the garden gate will also help to discourage visitors.

Re:Monitoring isn't peace of mind.

[swillden]

Guns are irrelevant when you're not home. If you are home, then the alarm system is even more important; you can't use that shotgun if you don't know your home has been invaded.

You will get off scott free, your gun returned to you and a piece of shit was removed from the gene pool.

If you believe it's that easy, you're fooling yourself. Oh, it does go that way for some people. Many others are severely traumatized by having taken a life (and you can't know if you will be or not until after it happens), and others end up dealing with criminal investigations and lawsuits that drain their personal and financial resources. Some also deal with social stigma.

I'm a concealed weapons permit instructor. I'm all in favor of defending your life, and firearms are the best tools for that. But don't ever think that it's a good outcome. Killing an intruder is a better outcome than being killed by one, but it's still very bad.

If you're home, an alarm system (or a dog) is good because it will alert you. The right thing to do then, if possible, is to gather your family in a room with one entrance. Cover that entrance with your gun(s) and call the police. The best case scenario is that the police arrive and catch the perp(s). Second best is that the perps leave before the cops arrive. Any scenario which requires you to fire your gun is a bad one, even if all of the others are worse.

Re:Get serious...

[geoskd]

Because otherwise what the system runs is irrelevant and makes very little sense to tinker with it. If you *really* enjoy the tinkering, install a primary security system and get a secondary as an add-on to play with.

The entire point of a security system is deterrence. The thing you have to understand is that, even if you have 4k video, DNA evidence, and a signed confession, the police will not do a damned thing to help you. If you're in a tough enough area, they wont even send a cop; just take a statement over the phone. At the end of the day, once the crooks have your stuff, you've already lost, so your only hope is to scare them off before hand.

Re:Why bother? Get insurance.

[Lumpy]

"it's not like the locks are going to stop a well-placed boot." Mine will.
steel door jamb and steel door with security grade door latch and deadbolt, even cops with their battering ram can't get through it. It's certified to LPS1175 Issue 7 SR4 so no wannabe door kicker is going to do anything but hurt himself.

I love finding stuff at surplus sales.