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Mr. Anonymous

Residential Peace Of Mind Design

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Let me start by stating the intentions of my design, basically I'm just a techy person so it's a gadget/novelty but I do have some true need. I live in a good neighborhood however I think my neighbor is up to no good he comes and goes at all hours of the night so I hear a car door outside my window and have to look every time to make sure it's not someone jumping out of a car to mess with my truck which contains a lot of valuable electronics. Besides for that minor threat doorway surveillance/etc is just a convenience so I'm going to start on a small budget with this, here are some photos to help you get a better idea of my property.

 

This view is out of a middle window on the second floor:

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I set up a full D1 Hitachi VK-C77U in the basement window if you look in the blue circle, this is zoomed in and framed up wit the windshield and doors for a clear face shot and identification:

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I would like a birds eye view of the area surrounding my truck so I'm thinking about mounting a camera in the blue circle, it would hide well behind the gutter:

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200504_2.jpg

 

 

The same birds eye view location could mount a second camera (see blue circle) to monitor the doorway activity on both floors, face identification on second floor...both of these being cheap D1 cameras:

200504_1.jpg

 

 

Motion lights will be in use, possibly not on the stairway but at such a close range the camera IR might be strong enough for the second floor door which is approximately 5ft away. I won't put the motion lights for my truck next to the birds eye view camera for range purposes but on the opposite corner of the house which is closer to my truck.

 

Anyone have some advise and/or opinions?

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Camera's would be better off under the top eve where no one could get to them but mount them near/over the big window where you can get to them easy if spiders are bad in your area. You'll learn quickly if they are or not with night vision. LOL Leaning out of a window with a broom is a lot easier than carrying a ladder over to the side of the house once a week.

Have twin systems and twin drive way alarm set up. One upstairs and one down stairs.

Chamberlain drive way reporters are a nice cheap addition.

1100 foot drive and have 4 reporters for the down stairs. Nice thing about them is every reporter has its own number of beeps. If you set 4 reporters up, one will make your inside unit beep 4 times. Next one 3, next one 2 and then one. You know where someone is on the property by how many beeps there are.

Upstairs same way. Anyone comes in the gated drive, we know it then half way down the drive, then at the back of the house.

They last about 4/5 years. 150 for 4 on amazon or e bay. Just sticking up my second set. Upstairs and down.

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Well the blue circle IS under the eave and accessible from the top of the stairs (both blue circles are the same spot) but I see what you mean...so more like mount it where the red circle is?

202170_1.jpg

 

 

I was looking into the driveway alarms, I think one for each red line will work sufficiently beaming off the house. Other zones of the house and doorways will be a future thought:

202170_2.jpg

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High cameras are fine for an overview but if someone wears a hat not uncommon you will not get a useful shot.

 

That's what this bad boy is for at ground level framed up with my truck but if someone knew in advance they could easily come in from the side and stand in front of it. The other high camera for the door will work well but the lower stair case is just a plus within the frame; not of concern. That leaves the high camera on my truck but that is just for a wider angle further around the truck than a ground level can capture.

200071_8.jpg

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What kind of a camera did you use to take these pictures?

 

lol Canon SD980IS it's just a point to shoot 12.1MP but I use it on manual and most the photos are heavily Photoshopped.

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One issue with where you want to put your driveway alarms.

 

What if someone just walks down your neighbors (Or your neighbor) and hops

over the fence....

 

I'd want the truck covered all around.

 

I don't think I saw an actual dollar amount for your budget.

 

Let me tell you, If you can start out IP MP over analog please do.

I went analog, Box cameras etc... and regret it wishing I had just went IP MP.

You can obtain a 2MP IP camera for $250. Really makes the difference. Of course that

is the cheap range. But... It's better than any Box camera.

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*peace of mind* nobody is going to expect a driveway alarm, there is no other reason to jump the fence it would complicate things. I also planned on making the alarms stealth so you can't detect their presence.

 

I'm going to start with these cams I'm on a tight budget.

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I got the camera up and running on a live feed base only for the time being, connected to a 19" LCD television using this cheap $12 cable. There is no interference but I do need a 75 Ohm resistor because the highs are blown out:

202041_1.jpg

 

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Someone mentioned something about spiders being a common problem, well even inside since it is in my basement I am already having that issue since they like to trap things at the windows. I read they smell though their feet and they hate oranges, limes, lemons; citrus. So I soaked the dried out window frame in this super orange cleaner and it sucked it right in, this stuff leaves your hands smelling like oranges for days!

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The system is still completely useless after nightfall, and my grandmothers bedroom is downstairs on the corner facing my truck so a motion light will bother her at light. I will go with infrared floodlight(s) at a future date, possibly home built to save some money and end up with a better product.

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I'm adding some peace of mind with a chain-link fence I got for free I just had to take it down and move it, the fence is 7ft tall but I will be burying 1ft of it so it will be 6ft tall from ground level.

 

This is an angle you have not seen yet, which is where the fence will go continuing where the neighbors brown wood fence left off:

218452_1.jpg

 

 

This is a 10 year old satellite photo, the house looks nothing like this anymore tons of trees have been removed, the pine tree no longer exists, we have a new roof, more driveways, a parking pad out back, etc. I have highlighted the neighbors brown wood fence in red:

218452_2.jpg

 

 

The red lines I added are the chain-link fence and gate, no need to go all the way to the road just far enough away from the basement door to allow the gate to swing inward without blocking it. This leaves the other side of my yard open which is a bit of a trek and you would have to sneak by an old ***y lady that sits in her kitchen downstairs so this alleyway side is all I'm concerned about plus just making it even harder to see my truck from the road than it already is:

218452_3.jpg

 

 

The gate will be 10ft wide split style between two 5ft gates, fully automated with pulleys, spindles and electric motors. I plan on doing a magnetic strip on my truck with two sensors, one up by the road and another on my parking pad so it opens before I reach it and closes when I park:

218452_4.jpg

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I have a bunch of TTL high frequency 75 ohm cable laying around and this cheap small black and white camera so I'm going to mount it in a tree in front of my house on the sidewalk really stealth like:

226655_1.jpg

 

 

I am going to hollow out this scared branch crotch and drill a hole for the lens out the front where the dead wood is. That way it can be screwed onto the tree in front of my house, I removed all the useless IR LEDs that were consuming power and heating up the unit now it runs much cooler...I just need to waterproof the casing and I am good to go (the cam was free anyway eve if it lasts a year it's only black and white but sharp). The question now is can I run a 35ft wire between the AC/DC adapter and the camera to keep from having wall voltage in a tree??

227002_1.jpg

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The question now is can I run a 35ft wire between the AC/DC adapter and the camera to keep from having wall voltage in a tree??

 

Yes.

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