Security Concerns
Thursday, February 23rd, 2023 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudioThe garbage guys did come today, to pick up the bulk items on the parking that they'd missed yesterday. I watched out the upstairs window as Dad's living room chair, rainsoaked from yesterday, was picked up by the robot arm and tossed into the dumpster on the front of the truck.
I had only bought Dad that chair a few years ago, but he was in the habit of backing up to it with his walker, and then dropping his ass down into it.
And we only discovered last week that, this repeated behavior had irreparably busted the back two legs... as well as the plaster behind the chair.
------------{=0=}------------
Prowly was sleeping in his cat bed upstairs here when I got up. He'd finally exhausted himself after three days outdoors. And today was cold and windy, so he decided it was better to just stay inside.
Out in the back yard with Yvette, sipping my coffee and smoking a cig, I watched two teen boys from the other side of the block hop the fence right in front of us... only a few feet away.
And they proceeded to cut through our yard to get to the street, like it was no big deal.
And you know... maybe it IS no big deal, right?
I don't have a problem with kids cutting through our yard. And I know they've been doing it for years now. I see it all the time out the window. I've seen their footprints in the snow, every winter.
--<>--
But... my fun little red Toyota Yaris was stolen out of the driveway twice! First in July of 2020. And then again in April of 2021.
And the first time, it was by a neighborhood teen, who they caught. But the second time, they just found the car somewhere and never figured out who took it.
That's why I traded it in for a boring old grey granny van RAV4, as soon as I got it back from the cops last spring!
But... that was when I was home all the time, and so was Dad! And there were always two cars in the driveway!
So... Tim & I got to thinking tonight... what's gonna happen after he leaves, and I'm gone for nine hours every night?
Yvettes age is obvious to any observer, which is why the kids weren't shy about hopping the fence in front of both of us today. And she's not gonna make it much longer.
So... as soon as Tim's gone and I go full time, the house is gonna be a potential target for a break-in!
--<>--
I don't think the kids who cut through the yard are any threat but... teens make bad friend choices, and talk a lot. Word's gonna get around that my house is unattended for long spans of time at night.
And it's already been hit twice in the driveway.
So... tonight I looked into security cameras.
------------{=0=}------------
I found a pair of WIFI security cameras on Amazon that are plug-in to house power.
I don't wanna mess with batteries, and solar panels don't get enough voltage in the winter months, so house power was a must.
They also don't require a subscription to a cloud service. They just record continuously to internal SD cards, and rewrite when the memory is full. But they do alert you to any motion detection, etc.
They have 4.5 stars out of 3500 reviews, and seem perfect for the job... for a good price, so I may buy them tomorrow.
--<>--
But I need one most near the back door... where the wifi signal outside, is only around 25%. So I found a WIFI booster that plugs into a wall outlet, that also had good reviews and seems like it'll solve that problem.
As for powering the two cameras... I ran electricity to the side porch, including several outlets, in 2020, so... the power plugs for both cameras can easily be fed through the porch walls to plug into house power.
And both porch screen doors (front and rear) lock now, so I can just keep the porch locked and use the front door... as a further security measure.
I can mount both cameras to be highly visible, and Tim suggested I get a sign for the rear that warns of the surveillance... so that kids cutting through the yard are aware... and word gets around.
--<>--
If these first two cameras test out well... get good WIFI signal and do their job... then I'll buy a third for over the basement hatch door, which leads down to the shop.
That third camera could look out into most of the back yard, and would cover the final entry point... because I already have a ring doorbell on the front door.
--<>--
All of these areas are already well lit at night, and all the outdoor lights around the house are now automated, either with timers, or photosensors.
I plan to put indoor lights downstairs on timers as well, and have those blinds to prevent peeping into the windows at night.
Hopefully with the timed lights, blinds, visible cameras and notice signs, any kid thinking about busting in to see what's to take up in here, will think better of it, and look for a more vulnerable target.
------------{=0=}------------
Security, on this level, has never been a concern before, in this house. Because there's never been a time in the past where there wasn't SOMEBODY home!
This house has never it's history had just a SINGLE occupant, and it's never NOT had a dog or two sleeping inside when everybody was gone.
That's one of the reasons there's never been any cat doors in here... because there was always somebody to let cats in and out, or an open window upstairs for them to get in and out.
------------{=0=}------------
Today's realization about the need for security cameras is simply an extension of what I've alredy been doing... which is to make the house take care of itself.
The outdoor lights on timers go back a couple years now, as does the ring doorbell.
But the cats... able to patrol the entire house for mice, is quite new!
And their cat doors... which allow them free access to patrol the exterior when I'm gone is brand new!
The new WIFI I had installed makes these cameras possible, and... three or four cams surveilling the exterior and reporting back to me on my phone at work... is the next step in setting the house up to defend itself while I'm gone or sleeping.
Who knows?.. give me enough time, and maybe I can fully automate the old Gal, and give her sentience!
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
I had only bought Dad that chair a few years ago, but he was in the habit of backing up to it with his walker, and then dropping his ass down into it.
And we only discovered last week that, this repeated behavior had irreparably busted the back two legs... as well as the plaster behind the chair.
Prowly was sleeping in his cat bed upstairs here when I got up. He'd finally exhausted himself after three days outdoors. And today was cold and windy, so he decided it was better to just stay inside.
Out in the back yard with Yvette, sipping my coffee and smoking a cig, I watched two teen boys from the other side of the block hop the fence right in front of us... only a few feet away.
And they proceeded to cut through our yard to get to the street, like it was no big deal.
And you know... maybe it IS no big deal, right?
I don't have a problem with kids cutting through our yard. And I know they've been doing it for years now. I see it all the time out the window. I've seen their footprints in the snow, every winter.
But... my fun little red Toyota Yaris was stolen out of the driveway twice! First in July of 2020. And then again in April of 2021.
And the first time, it was by a neighborhood teen, who they caught. But the second time, they just found the car somewhere and never figured out who took it.
That's why I traded it in for a boring old grey granny van RAV4, as soon as I got it back from the cops last spring!
But... that was when I was home all the time, and so was Dad! And there were always two cars in the driveway!
So... Tim & I got to thinking tonight... what's gonna happen after he leaves, and I'm gone for nine hours every night?
Yvettes age is obvious to any observer, which is why the kids weren't shy about hopping the fence in front of both of us today. And she's not gonna make it much longer.
So... as soon as Tim's gone and I go full time, the house is gonna be a potential target for a break-in!
I don't think the kids who cut through the yard are any threat but... teens make bad friend choices, and talk a lot. Word's gonna get around that my house is unattended for long spans of time at night.
And it's already been hit twice in the driveway.
So... tonight I looked into security cameras.
I found a pair of WIFI security cameras on Amazon that are plug-in to house power.
I don't wanna mess with batteries, and solar panels don't get enough voltage in the winter months, so house power was a must.
They also don't require a subscription to a cloud service. They just record continuously to internal SD cards, and rewrite when the memory is full. But they do alert you to any motion detection, etc.
They have 4.5 stars out of 3500 reviews, and seem perfect for the job... for a good price, so I may buy them tomorrow.
But I need one most near the back door... where the wifi signal outside, is only around 25%. So I found a WIFI booster that plugs into a wall outlet, that also had good reviews and seems like it'll solve that problem.
As for powering the two cameras... I ran electricity to the side porch, including several outlets, in 2020, so... the power plugs for both cameras can easily be fed through the porch walls to plug into house power.
And both porch screen doors (front and rear) lock now, so I can just keep the porch locked and use the front door... as a further security measure.
I can mount both cameras to be highly visible, and Tim suggested I get a sign for the rear that warns of the surveillance... so that kids cutting through the yard are aware... and word gets around.
If these first two cameras test out well... get good WIFI signal and do their job... then I'll buy a third for over the basement hatch door, which leads down to the shop.
That third camera could look out into most of the back yard, and would cover the final entry point... because I already have a ring doorbell on the front door.
All of these areas are already well lit at night, and all the outdoor lights around the house are now automated, either with timers, or photosensors.
I plan to put indoor lights downstairs on timers as well, and have those blinds to prevent peeping into the windows at night.
Hopefully with the timed lights, blinds, visible cameras and notice signs, any kid thinking about busting in to see what's to take up in here, will think better of it, and look for a more vulnerable target.
Security, on this level, has never been a concern before, in this house. Because there's never been a time in the past where there wasn't SOMEBODY home!
This house has never it's history had just a SINGLE occupant, and it's never NOT had a dog or two sleeping inside when everybody was gone.
That's one of the reasons there's never been any cat doors in here... because there was always somebody to let cats in and out, or an open window upstairs for them to get in and out.
Today's realization about the need for security cameras is simply an extension of what I've alredy been doing... which is to make the house take care of itself.
The outdoor lights on timers go back a couple years now, as does the ring doorbell.
But the cats... able to patrol the entire house for mice, is quite new!
And their cat doors... which allow them free access to patrol the exterior when I'm gone is brand new!
The new WIFI I had installed makes these cameras possible, and... three or four cams surveilling the exterior and reporting back to me on my phone at work... is the next step in setting the house up to defend itself while I'm gone or sleeping.
Who knows?.. give me enough time, and maybe I can fully automate the old Gal, and give her sentience!
°¦}
