Internet Accessible Home Security Systems?

PenguinRadio asks: "I'm about to embark on trip and while the thousands of dollars of computers are protected by a PIX firewall and whatnot from viruses, I'm now kind of wondering about the physical security of my 'server room' that I've built in my house. Basically, an Internet accessible burglar/fire alarm. Has anyone found a good residential security system that can be remotely checked or monitored from the other side of the world? I'd especially like the capability of look in on any security cameras (rather than setting up a simple webcam) and monitor any alarm logs. ADT and Brinks didn't seem to have anything readily visible on their website, and I'm not quite up for an X-10 version of a security system."

Why not webcams again?

[Tom7]

Webcams are usually better quality and cheaper than "security" cameras. They both just take pictures; what's wrong with using them?

Re:Why not webcams again?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're talking out of your ass. Webcams are cheap plastic toys with plastic lenses, with plastic bodies mostly optimized for a 'look'. A real security camera works outdoors, has an auto iris, a C-mount, a metal body, several power supply options, standard lens mounts so can change them for a particular field of view, standard camera filters can be used on them and a warranty.
Unless you want to entrust the security of your house to a 5$ made in China made-from-reject-parts dollar store special, that is.

Re:Why not webcams again?

[dbirchall]

Throw in "pan, tilt and zoom" for most network-capable security cameras nowadays. Oh, and a built-in webserver, and live video through a Java applet, and... :)

I'm thinking of Axis and comparable netcams.

Why not X10?

[user no. 590291]

At least if nothing's happening while you're gone, you can scope the scantily clad chicks with the hidden "security" cameras :).

Re:Why not X10?

[Seek_1]

While the X10 cameras might do what the poster (and myself) are looking for, it'll be a *Very* cold day before I support a company that uses/used popup/under by buying their products.

Re:Why not X10?

[Marxist Hacker 42]

That's for sure- and the camera alone wouldn't do it anyway, you'd need a bunch of powerflash modules connected to standard security sensors to turn on and off the cameras.

My "Why Not X10" question is, Why Not an A10 Sexurity System with a CM-10 connected to MisterHouse (Linux) or HomeSeer (Windows)? Both of these are incredibly easy to set up, include webservers, so punch a hole in your firewall, and go. Both ADT and Brinks offer A10 (X10 with reporting NOT done by X10 "company", that's just the protoc

Whippee!

[BortQ]

While it might be cool to have, I don't really see how it would be helpful. What could you do if you logged in and saw something amiss?

A burglar alarm that alerts the police or a security company would seem to offer better protection. And it would be hack-proof (unless you can get the ability to patch your internet-accessible system remotely).

Re:Whippee!

[Nasarius]

(unless you can get the ability to patch your internet-accessible system remotely).

Um, sure. It's called ssh, best friend of Unix admins everywhere.

Re:Whippee!

[BortQ]

Yes, ssh can get you into the box, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able to patch some jury-rigged system you have set up.

Re:Whippee!

[Nasarius]

Yes, ssh can get you into the box, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able to patch some jury-rigged system you have set up.

Well, you can do pretty much anything you could as if you were sitting down at the computer. I don't see how patching or shutting off such a system would be any more difficult, unless you were very stupid in designing it.

Re:Whippee!

[Dark Nexus]

"Oh, I spotted a blind spot!"

When you're sitting at the computer, you can get up, walk over to the camera and re-position it.

SSH only helps for software maintenance, not hardware.

Re:Whippee!

[Nasarius]

Of course. I thought software-only was implied with the word "patching".

Re:Whippee!

[Dark Nexus]

The term can also be applied to wiring.

Or, slightly off topic, anything made of fabric.

Re:Whippee!

[netringer]

What could you do if you logged in and saw something amiss? A burglar alarm that alerts the police or a security company would seem to offer better protection

Erm....You could call the police, which is what the security company would do.
You could then call a trusted neighbor or relative to check out your place (also what the security company does.)

Re:Whippee!

[zero_offset]

A burglar alarm that alerts the police or a security company would seem to offer better protection.

In virtually everywhere in the US, it is illegal to operate a security system which automatically contacts the police or other emergency services. In some places the fine can be quite large.

Re:Whippee!

[zero_offset]

But it's the alarm company that dispatches the police, not the alarm doing it directly. I have a friend with very sophisticated home-built home automation, and he thought it would be great to have the alarm contact the police. It would fax images from every motion-triggered camera and placed a phone call with a pre-recorded message.

The first time it went off they just gave him a warning (although they did respond, and they did catch the guy). At that time they explained that it's not legal to do this anywh

Re:Whippee!

[LWATCDR]

An option might be to have one of the alarm sensors hooked up to your computer system. Or some how share sensors with a standard alarm. By attaching a sensor to the computers you could allow your computer to set off the alarm. Or by having the computer to share the sensors with the alarm you could have some automation functions that the alarm system lacks. Like turning on a light near the sensor that was tripped and activationg a video recorder.

PING!

[Ieshan]

Have one configured to ping a webserver you operate every 30 minutes?

If someone steals it, it'll stop pinging right quick...

Re:PING!

[zorkmid]

Actually ping works pretty well. I have nagios monitoring my home servers from work (home servers monitor work servers as well). It's set to SMS my cell whenever anything goes wrong.

A few months ago nagios zotted my cell with system unreachable message. Called home and my GF told me she'd unplugged the power strip to plug in her Synthesizer. She proclaimed me "scary creepy" for knowing what she'd done only moments after she'd yanked the cable.

Re:PING!

[Anonymous Coward]

If someone steals it, it'll stop pinging right quick...

It's funny you say that. There was once a theft of many computers from my univeristy department. The time of the theft was determined by when the stolen computers' NFS shares stopped responding.

here you go!

[XO]

Linksys Wireless-B Internet Video Camera [radioshack.com]

• Sends high-quality live video wirelessly to a Web browser anywhere in the world
• Broadcasts over Wireless-B (802.11b) network or over 10/100Base-T Ethernet cable
• Built-in stand-alone Web server for remote video viewing from anywhere
• In security mode, it automatically e-mails an alert with images to your designated addresses
• Supports up to four users simultaneously
• Access the camera anywhere in the world via the Internet
• Dimensions: 3.35x6.1x3.15" (8.5x15.5x8cm) (WHD)
• Weight: 0.53 lbs. (0.24 kg)
• Warranty: 1-year
Specifications:
• Ports: one 10/100 RJ-45 port, one power port
• Control: one reset button
• LEDs: ready, act/link, LAN, wireless
• Security: user authentication & WEP encryption
Minimum Requirements:
• PC with 550MHz or faster processor
• 64MB RAM memory
• Microsoft Windows® Internet Explorer® 5.5 or higher for Web viewing and Web-based configuration
• Cable/DSL connection for Internet viewing
• CD-ROM drive
• Windows® Media Player 7 or higher
• Wired or wireless network adapter with TCP/IP protocol installed
• Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000, XP
What's in the Box:
• Wireless-B Internet video camera
• Setup CD-ROM with User Guide
• Quick installation guide
• Power adapter
• Ethernet network cable
• Camera desktop stand
• Registration cards

Re:here you go!

[sahala]

Don't get this. It's a piece of junk. I bought this to keep an eye on the pets while at work. It has horrible stability issues and is really sensitive to heat (can't even put it above my fridge because it's too hot). Furthermore, to view the video stream you'll need Internet Explorer, as it uses an ActiveX plugin. It comes witha desktop app client which is functional but isn't great.

The thing that irks me the most is that there is no way to grab a frame (jpg format, whatever), and there's no way to s

ahoy! (needed a subject)

[Hadlock]

as for the firewall bit, I just turn my computer off and unplug it from the wall while i'm gone for more than a day. no point in paying for electricity wasted.

Re:ahoy! (needed a subject)

[Halfbaked Plan]

But you're wasting your precious uptime statistics.

You can atone for your sins if you'll promise to put Slackware on an unused 486 box, leave it in the corner running, and report once in awhile what it's uptime had gotten to.

avermedia linux pvr

[adamshelley]

this looks sweet [aver.com]

Re:avermedia linux pvr

[adamshelley]

oh yeah, and some cool stuff from here [phidgets.com]. You'd have to program it tho.

Re:avermedia linux pvr

[dhenne]

Well I don't have the software yet but I have put together the items that could be used for monitoring a room.

Take a look here [phidgets.com]

www.Phidgets.com

I'm happy to help out . . .

[Mordant]

Just give me your home address, and I'll be happy to swing by and check out^H^H^H ^H^H^H^H^H check on those thousands of dollars of servers and PIXes you have lying around. ;>

motion

[Überhund]

The first thing that comes to mind is the "motion [sourceforge.net]" project. It's a nice motion detection program for webcams. Saves drive space by only saving frames where something seems to be moving. You can also have it make movies of the motion frames, which makes it really easy to "check the logs".

Update messages

[Tyreth]

Have the security system know everything is ok by sending regular update messages. This way you can send out an error when it detects an intrudor. However, if the intruder cuts off your internet somehow before they enter then you will still know something is wrong because you no longer receive regular update messages.

Provides a small problem in blackouts though ;)

oxymorons

[ralphus]

Military Intelligence Accurate Horoscope Jumbo Shrimp Hollow Point Ice Water ... Internet Accessible Security Systems

Re:oxymorons

[zcat_NZ]

I used to have 6 'webcams' around my house, a little hardware circuit that would switch between them, and a script that constantly scanned them all and sent the images via my dialup connection back to a webserver. It managed to scan and upload all 6 cameras every 10 seconds, which was fast enough that it didn't miss much. Nobody ever broke in and stole my computer, but quite a few times I did phone home and tell the kids to stop bouncing on the couch, etc.

That was all done with a P200 from a dumpster, a BT

Re:oxymorons

[Lordrashmi]

Did your kids not call you dad, but instead called you "Brother"? Perhaps "Big Brother"? :-)

and in addition

[TheDarkRogue]

go to home depot, lowes, what ever, get a bunch of peices of wood, and a shitload of nails. put the nails through the wood and make spike boards and put them under your ground level accessable windows, so that if they break in though a window, you'll fuck them up and slow them down abit if they try to make off with anything.

Re:and in addition

[{8_8}]

After doing that, be prepared for the burglar to sue you for the injuries you cause.

Re:and in addition

[TheDarkRogue]

Yea, it would be like a 'Wet Floor' sign in a hallway, if it's visible and noticable, there not responsible if you decided to walk accross it.

Re:and in addition

[{8_8}]

There was a US tort case involving some rather painful defenses along the lines of the parent post. In that case, I believe that the holding was regardless of how much warning you give a person, there is a point at which you're using unnecessary force and you're liable for injuries. See, for example, the Restatements of Tort Law here [lexisnexis.com]. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Check the case law in your jurisdiction for what your liability would be.

commercial solutions

[8up]

check out http://www.polarisusa.com/ - they have a nice listing of internet monitoring solutions such as cameras with built in servers and such. My brother did the site for them as well :)

Monitoring Alarm System

[timbos]

My alarm system has the ability to add a remote kepad, which offers a display of the alarms status and the possibility of looking through the last 50 events.

My plan is to hook the 4 lines (2 in/2 out) into the serial port of my server and then hack up some sort of program to send the required pulses back to the alarm system.
It might not be a particularly pretty solution, but I think that it could be rather useful.

Another possibility is using the control for the autodialler to get the network to warn me

Wording is important

[rev.cpb]

What you're looking for is an access control system (re: intruision detection etc).

There is a basic kit I know of that's like 500 bucks cdn which should
do the trick and more (re: access control, however I forget what its
called).

Problem is you can only get it through security system dealers.

What's your budget? If you expanded it to the rest of your house you
would probably be able to increase your budget efficiency.

I work for an access control/integrated security company in Vancouver.
I could be your chan

go1984

[Chilling_Silence]

Why not use Go1984 - Wouldnt be without it! Ftp uploading of images taken, ICQ messaging when it detects movement. You can also set the movement threshold so you dont get alerted when the cat walks through the room, but do when anythin human does!

Cut lines first

[spleck]

I've always wondered how often those systems are polled for OK status. If I were to find a house with an ADT sign out front, and I were to cut the phone line and then trip the mains, how much time do I have?