Home/Garage Security

xc62701 said:
Anyone care to divulge what monthly monitoring/video storage costs are for their respective products?
Ring looks like it's $3 per camera per month or $10 for multiple cameras per month.
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Blink was $100 annual (or $10 monthly) for all devices or $30 (or $3 monthly) for one camera. Sister company to Ring so makes sense. Ring's playback is better, their devices are wildly more expensive and I got super tired of charging my doorbell every month.

We got Blink in December and haven't had to swap a battery yet.
 
Eufy cameras. Inside garage and out.
Wifi garage door controls from tuya with smart integration. I can have them auto close Alexa integration.

Starting to think eufy tags could be useful
 
I think the best bet, if your bike is stored in the garage, is to just lock it up. Mine was stolen from the garage when we unknowingly left it open. I think it was just a crime of opportunity. I had the ring camera, which allowed me to see how and when it was taken, but that's it. Guy wore a hoody and it didn't allow for any kind of identification. I only got the bike back because I stalked the for sale sites and eventually found it for sale. Gave the link to the police and they took care of the rest. After that I started locking up all the bikes in the garage. New house is easier, I keep them in the basement in a locked room. And it's a walk out basement so there's no issue going through the house with them.
 
I think having a security camera recording and even notifying movements is helpful to the police and I use them around the house but no matter the brand and service, they all basically do the same thing which is to record the incident after it has already happened and won't really prevent it from happening. Even having a security camera in plain sight might not stop some people who are masked and hooded up. If they see an opportunity for an easy target then they'll take advantage of it. My front and rear security cameras will send a notification along with a video clip or picture to my phone when it detects movement like most WiFi enabled security cams but unless you're home (or give the appearance of being home) all you can do is watch what's happening from your phone while you're somewhere else and use the videos to file your police report and insurance claim. Nothing is foolproof but the best thing to do is to play it smart. Here's my setup, I also have a bunch of bikes in my garage as many do and anyone who happens to walk by or drive by will see maybe 2 of them but I have them hung up on walls that are not easily accessible. My other bikes are hung vertically on the wall near the back of the garage with shelves next to them blocking the view of the bikes but even so they can't be quickly taken off without moving other garage things around. I also have a bike hung upside down from the ceiling at both wheels. No bike is easy for someone to dash in, grab, and run. Placement of the bikes were done both by design and out of necessity. Also, I don't like to leave my garage unattended. I have a WiFi enabled garage door opener. Using an app on my phone I know if the door is open or closed, if the light is on or off, and I can open and close them from using the app. Although I've never had to do it, I figured if I get notification of someone in my driveway and I see a live video of it on my phone, I can remotely turn on the lights in my garage giving the appearance of someone in the house going into the garage. It's all about not being a target or at least an easy target.
 
After the summer where I had the annoying shithead teenagers banging on my front door and running away my neighbor gave me his old Arlo Pro set up since he upgraded to Ring.

I have 2 battery cameras one above the garage facing down the driveway and one up in a corner under the porch facing the front door. The battery of each usually lasts a few weeks depending on how much activity is going on. I get the motion alerts on my phone that I can set activity zones.

They do the basic job of keeping an eye on things and I’m not really sure it’s a deterrent like others have said someone can just cover up with a hoodie and face mask. But I am also paranoid about my stuff in the garage with the bikes and I’ll always make sure it’s closed even when I duck into the backyard for something.

The cameras have a bit of a delay maybe like 5 seconds or so which I can’t compare to any other stuff but if I had the funds I would upgrade to a better solution. At least this gives me piece of mind I know when the boys are coming and going and if they shut the garage doors or not.

The dog is trained to bark but I would expect if someone had the crime of opportunity timing they aren’t going to announce themselves.

The stolen bike thread also has me rethinking how to make the bikes harder to grab and run will be taking some preventative measures sooner then later.

Camera view pics attached.
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xc62701 said:
The Stolen Bike thread makes me want to revisit this topic. What is everybody running for home security? I've been looking into Ring devices and I had a home security consult with AC Daughtry. Still looking into options.
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I moved out of NJ and into rural MD...problem solved. All jokes aside. Apple tabs are an option as well as the indoor and outdoor ring cameras. MyQ wireless garage door openers allow you to closethegarage from an app as well.
 
Get Wyze.
I professionally install cctv cameras..But I use wyze cams at home. Cheap and reliable. You could get like 10 cameras for the cost of 1 installed. Their AI is pretty good. You can even set up familiar faces and only get notifications when the cameras see a new person. They also have an alarm system too.
 
I have Ring. A lot of my neighbors do too and the neighborhood forum features are nice where we can share news/incidents even though most of it is “has anyone seen my cat?”.

Hillsborough has a regularly occurring issue of car break ins. People leave their cars unlocked and perps are taking advantage. Last ring camera shared by a close neighbor showed both were armed with pistols. The perps don’t give a rats ass about flood light cameras recording. They have hoodies on that are pulled tight so there is no chance of identifying them. Here’s two screenshots of one getting into a neighborhood vehicle a month or so ago:

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I don’t even have my notifications on my Ring any longer, because of two reasons:

1. The amount of nuisance alarms because of the neighbors cat walking in my backyard at 3am, and

2. I’m not going out to stop two armed men from pulling on my door handle to see if my truck is unlocked at 3am. They have hit my neighborhood before and I’m sure they will come through again.

Keep your valuables and garage door opener out of your car if it’s parked in the driveway overnight btw. One less access opportunity.

I wish I could get a dog but the wife is allergic.
 
The garage door opener is always a source of paranoia on my part. Between having three cars with them inside, plus the key pads, there's just a lot of opportunity for someone to figure out a way in (nevermind all of the other options for a dedicated thief to access the garage/house). We certainly try to be diligent about locking the cars, but inevitably you forget at some point.

I have an Arlo cam that I inherited from my dad after he was too lazy to figure out how to install at his house. The recording lag time on it is pretty annoying. For the most part it doesn't matter, but when it activates based on, say, a UPS delivery, I get video of the guy leaving but not arriving. But overall it's worked well (battery life, image quality, etc).
 
24 of my bikes are in the basement, behind two steel doors. The rest are in the garage. I have a WiFi Google Nest camera aimed at the garage and house. There is a driveway chime alerting everyone (it is loud) when a car enters or leaves the property. Finally, I have a few holes in the woods for anyone who tries.
 
I have a few Blink cameras at three family properties. These have free full-functionality since they were purchased before pay-for-service was implemented (if I add a camera I will have to sign-up and pay though). Battery life is excellent (close to 2-years per camera, 1x AA-lithium cell) and the doorbell is powered by the low-voltage doorbell button it replaced. Lots of sensitivity features to play with, so you can dial it in for a given locations annoyances. The one annoyance I cannot avoid - wasps/yellow-jackets seem very interested in the roof soffit-mounted cameras, but it's minimal and only in hot weather. Luckily, in my area deer do not steal bikes.
 
Let's see...

Gated 55+ community
Yappy dog
M1911A
Mossberg 500
Half the block is old Italian ladies, the rest retired LE, and Mil
a SO who can get easily pissed off, and can very well handle a firearm
and we used to live in Rahway

I should be good..
 
Dave Taylor said:
MyQ wireless garage door openers allow you to closethegarage from an app as well.
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Had the MyQ wireless garage door opener controller on my old house. Loved it. Gave me piece of mind that someone didn't leave the garage door open when I wasn't home and got notified when it was opened.

Also helped if family/friend wanted to pick something up and I wasn't home. Call me when you're there and I open it, then close it when they got what they needed to pick up.
 
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