DVR installed in loft Is this a bad idea

[Dub Thing 0]

Hello from a newbe

 

Its time i got round to installing cctv at home but want to hide the dvr

 

I dont want it on show because its no good to me if it gets taken if im burgled

the prefered option is to fit it in the loft but im conserned it will get to hot upthere even in england we do get sunshine at times

two instalation companys said they would in stall in the loft then run cables down the drainpipes both saying that they had not had probleme with the dvr in the loft

 

Whats your opinion particularly interested if you hav yours in the loft

[Fiona 0]

According to official crime statistics, in approximately thirteen percent (13%) of all house break-ins, entry is gained via the roof.

 

So it would be bitterly ironic if, having squirreled your DVR safely amongst the rafters, a burglar should luck upon it up there.

[Dub Thing 0]

According to official crime statistics, in approximately thirteen percent (13%) of all house break-ins, entry is gained via the roof.

 

So it would be bitterly ironic if, having squirreled your DVR safely amongst the rafters, a burglar should luck upon it up there.

 

would be spiderman to clim to the third floor town house roof

 

i wouldnt do it with a ladder to fix the gutter

 

It is a good point though that alot of people dont realise

[chesterfield 0]

That would also suggest that in 87% of cases entry is not made by the roof. I intend to have all equipmet accessible, other than the raid array doing the recording. That way if an intruder finds the rack full of home server, cctv server, switches routers etc, then they may just remove that, leaving the raid array that has the actual vieo on it behind, as this will be located elsewhere.

 

If it is a DVR, then you coule always run long usb cables for the mouse and keyboard to the location of the DVR, and then simply put an old redundant pc shell next to them with a "CCTV recorder" sticker or similar on it. Then any intruders would likely just do a runner with that and not realise its a dummy and the actual recording is taking place elsewhere?

[Dub Thing 0]

I realy want it all out of the way as the house is full as it is

 

if i can hav it in the loft id just run the ir sensor for the remote down and/or access it on line as and when required

 

The main concern is will it overheat in the loft or not?

[rory 0]

or they could just use a paint gun to disable the cameras before entry, or cut the power, send a heavy surge to burn up all your devices, just light the house on fire one time .. or get you out on the street in some back alley before you even get near your home

[rory 0]

The main concern is will it overheat in the loft or not?

 

If its a computer, it may, if its a small standalone DVR not likely, but the HDD could overheat - depends on the temperatures in your area - we would never put a DVR in an attic here (loft=attic right?), it would barely last a day in spring let alone the summer. However if it had no HDD, it would typically be fine as the small standalones typically just have basic power cords - but then the rats would get it.

[Fiona 0]

Chesterfield, I will try to keep this simple for your benefit.

 

(1) The subject of this thread is lofts and those areas which fall under the rubric of ‘roof spaces’ such as above ceiling cavities and empty uppermost voids; as well as structured, framed areas and other generally non-habitable hollows or nooks directly beneath roof tiles, sheets or rolled tar membranes. This thread is categorically not requesting an analysis of the security implications arising from an interloper’s access into basements, ground floors, first floors, garages, conservatories or outbuildings to which you so confidently allude. If you are so interested in these areas irrelevant to this thread, then I encourage you to start a separate thread about securing a DVR within habitable areas of a building.

 

(2) The proposition that is implied in the title is that lofts are infallible places to secure DVRs. Dub Thing’s post is requesting objections to test any areas of fallibility which he may or may not have considered.

 

(3) My initial reply challenged that infallibility.

 

N.B. It is not the quantity of posts that matters, so much as the quality of each post.

 

I am now finished with this thread.

[rory 0]

That would also suggest that in 87% of cases entry is not made by the roof.

I was in the burglar alarm industry for 6 years prior to CCTV, which also included dealing with breakins after the fact, and never seen anyone gain entry to a house via the roof .. door, windows, places that are easy access .. but roofs .. LOL thats the first, must be something in the water there!!!

[rory 0]

I was in the burglar alarm industry for 6 years prior to CCTV, which also included dealing with breakins after the fact, and never seen anyone gain entry to a house via the roof .. door, windows, places that are easy access .. but roofs .. LOL thats the first, must be something in the water there!!!

 

And oh yeah. NB. I might be finished with this thread, maybe, maybe not, who knows, perhaps I might think I am on a Shakespearean Arts forum and want to post more gibberish that nobody understands because it makes me feel smarter than I actually am. NB. NB. what matters is the quantity of posts that people actually understand and which actually helps them, and the experience in the real world installing and maintaining security systems, not posts from some hobbyist noob on an english lit tantrem. Dollar Platinum Baby. Yeah.

[Dub Thing 0]

Chesterfield, I will try to keep this simple for your benefit.

 

(1) The subject of this thread is lofts and those areas which fall under the rubric of ‘roof spaces’ such as above ceiling cavities and empty uppermost voids; as well as structured, framed areas and other generally non-habitable hollows or nooks directly beneath roof tiles, sheets or rolled tar membranes. This thread is categorically not requesting an analysis of the security implications arising from an interloper’s access into basements, ground floors, first floors, garages, conservatories or outbuildings to which you so confidently allude. If you are so interested in these areas irrelevant to this thread, then I encourage you to start a separate thread about securing a DVR within habitable areas of a building.

 

(2) The proposition that is implied in the title is that lofts are infallible places to secure DVRs. Dub Thing’s post is requesting objections to test any areas of fallibility which he may or may not have considered.

 

(3) My initial reply challenged that infallibility.

 

N.B. It is not the quantity of posts that matters, so much as the quality of each post.

 

I am now finished with this thread.

 

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Fiona your the only one giving constructive coments you cant go now

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[Dub Thing 0]

The loft is used for storage

 

I can almost standup in it but it does get hot

 

Probably 30-35 deg C in summer

 

It supprised me that the company that offered an instaled system said they would put it in the loft?

 

Realy only want to do this once and not have wires all over the house

 

The only other idea is under the kitchen units its cool under ther and i can hide all the cables easily

 

I HATE CABLES ON DISPLAY

[fa chris 0]

thermal stress will eventually get to it being in an unconditioned space (ie: going from cold to hot instead of being in a somewhat constant ambient temp).

 

as for the hard drives, Pelco claims every 18 degrees F over room temp decreases harddrive life by 35%. this is where you'll probably have an issue, but i've seen DVR's squirreled away in closed cabinets, unconditioned warehouses, etc. without a huge impact. you might have hard drive failures every 2-3 years instead of every 4-5 years, but it is what it is.

 

in an apartment or flat roofed structure criminals might gain entry through the roof, in a typical house they might gain entry through a skylight but i doubt they'd somehow break into the loft.

 

in short, i live in a mild climate and would put one in my attic if i had nowhere else to put it. a basement would be better though.

[chesterfield 0]

Chesterfield, I will try to keep this simple for your benefit.

 

(1) The subject of this thread is lofts and those areas which fall under the rubric of ‘roof spaces’ such as above ceiling cavities and empty uppermost voids; as well as structured, framed areas and other generally non-habitable hollows or nooks directly beneath roof tiles, sheets or rolled tar membranes. This thread is categorically not requesting an analysis of the security implications arising from an interloper’s access into basements, ground floors, first floors, garages, conservatories or outbuildings to which you so confidently allude. If you are so interested in these areas irrelevant to this thread, then I encourage you to start a separate thread about securing a DVR within habitable areas of a building.

 

(2) The proposition that is implied in the title is that lofts are infallible places to secure DVRs. Dub Thing’s post is requesting objections to test any areas of fallibility which he may or may not have considered.

 

(3) My initial reply challenged that infallibility.

 

N.B. It is not the quantity of posts that matters, so much as the quality of each post.

 

I am now finished with this thread.

 

So you wrote all that just to point out your initial response to the thread was utterly useless? The post by the OP asked if it was a viable place to store a DVR, you stated it may not due to security (if there was any useful information in your first post), and I responded offering other alternatives if that were a concern for the OP. Apologies if my attempts to help the OP with other information he may find relevant opresses your desire to be queen and fountain of all knowledge here.

 

Dub thing. I have a similar dilema to yourself. Dont want wires everywhere, want to kee as much of the equipment out of the way as possible, but if I do need to access the data/recorder, I dont want to have to make a trip into the loft very often.

 

Depending on the age of the property in the UK (due to various building regulations), location, and the insulation used it may be fine to store an electronic device in the loft (here I am speaking from experience of several years dealing with IT including home servers from time to time). If temperatures do not fluctuate beyond the operating temperatures stated by the manufacturer then all should be ok - but other things to consider are moisture, amount of temperature fluctuation and air flow around the location you intend to site the DVR.

 

As per fa chris' post although the operating temperatures may be within the specification, the exagerated fluctuation within these limits within in a loft space could shorten the lifespan of any drives.

[Numb-nuts 1]

Put it in the loft. and enclose it in a fan assisted steel security enclosure. If someone does happen to enter your loft, and does happen to find it, they won't be able to easily damage it. It will then be out of the way and you can access it via your network, so the only stuff showing will be your home computer. I wouldn't worry about statistics, and all that jazz, if something is going to happen it will and there's little you can do except hope it gets recorded.

 

Nobody on earth (except maybe Rory ) can cover every single aspect of a burglar's activity there is nearly always something they can do to confound your efforts, all you can do is give it your best and hope you aren't outsmarted by the criminals.

 

I am amazed how few installations I see that have a lock box. This one doesn't show a fan but you can easily buy and fit one, this box gets screwed down to the rafters. click the pic

 

Here is the sort of enclosure I am talking about, you can find these easily online Picture courtesy of Securitytec

[tomcctv 187]

Hi. it all depends on how good your installers are ........ i have seen guys fit systems in lofts only because of the easy fitt. and i have also seen some bad and unsafe main wires (85% of uk home ) dont have power in the loft.

 

 

also the reason they want you to have it in the loft is its easy for them to run cable to cameras. it may be easy for them but is it the best place for the cameras. you say you have a 3 floor house. ?? are the cameras good for that hight.

 

 

also fitted in loft will restrict you to normal viewing. unless you run cables to your tv. another problem is network phone lines (master) are most of the time are on the ground floor.

 

 

and in the loft also depends on the DVR like already said PC is no good for a loft. standalones are good but you will find no name units may have problems (bad cooling)

 

 

in kitchen area is a good place close to network close to power and link to kitchen tv. you can get DVRs that now run total silent so under units or on top

[rory 0]

Good post Tom.

 

Also we put them in the closet in many cases, and they normally hold up well even in a home here in the middle of summer. Since the stand alones we use are generally so small they fit nicely along side an APC voltage regulator, right on the shelf (unless its packed with clothes). And as mentioned it should go close to where you will be controlling it from - eg; will the IR remote work from the ground floor to the loft, or bedroom to the loft? in some cases you can extend the IR remote and even a USB mouse, but not in all cases, also depends on the DVR used.

 

You could locate a 2nd floor room with a closet and put it in there, then stand a chance of running the USB mouse at least to where you want, or extending the IR to the other rooms/floors. And think about maintenance, are you going to climb in the loft every time there is a problem with the system, even if its rare.

 

You could also tuck it away under a counter or desk somewhere (can even screw mount it), then put a dummy VCR on top somewhere and leave a tape in it to make them think thats the recorder.

[CCTV_Tech 0]

Put it in the loft. and enclose it in a fan assisted steel security enclosure. If someone does happen to enter your loft, and does happen to find it, they won't be able to easily damage it. It will then be out of the way and you can access it via your network, so the only stuff showing will be your home computer. I wouldn't worry about statistics, and all that jazz, if something is going to happen it will and there's little you can do except hope it gets recorded.

 

Nobody on earth (except maybe Rory ) can cover every single aspect of a burglar's activity there is nearly always something they can do to confound your efforts, all you can do is give it your best and hope you aren't outsmarted by the criminals.

 

I am amazed how few installations I see that have a lock box. This one doesn't show a fan but you can easily buy and fit one, this box gets screwed down to the rafters. click the pic

 

Here is the sort of enclosure I am talking about, you can find these easily online Picture courtesy of Securitytec

 

And don't forget a DUMMY DVR. Go on eBay and buy the cheapest POS DVR you can find for ten bucks. Put a sign on it that says security DVR with cables connected to it. For a laugh, fill the case with a block of solid lead.