Geek 1 Burglar 0

Posted by: andym

Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 13:03

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4272041.stm
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 13:14

It looks like he needs a better motion detection algorithm. Those highlight boxes are consistently in stupid areas.

I particularly like this one:


Oh my god! A DOOR! Never mind the burglar! It's a DOOR!

Still, it got the job done.
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 13:23

Yeah I'd be interested to see what we did. The article hints at him only writing part of the software and rest could've been open source stuff. I wonder if he used existing motion detection software and wrote the email wrapper himself.
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 13:35

It kinda reminds me of Motion. But it's not.
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 13:45

Ooh, thanks for the link. Think I might have a go at this myself.
Posted by: Cris

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 14:23

I can see an extension to my CCTV system happening very soon

I wonder if there is a way to link to my alarm and only turn the web cams on when the alarm is also turned on ??? Through some sort of serial link.

This also makes me think I would have been better installing the CCTV server in the loft so it can't get stolen. I think I need a solution for that too!!! Can you do remote raid type functions over networks ???

Cheers

Cris.
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 14:32

Sounds to me like simply FTP'ing your data elsewhere might be the answer. Some alarm systems have a closing contact when they're armed or you could stick an opto-isolator across the alarmed led on your control panel. I doubt a regular home alarm system would have a serial port on it.

Sticking the server in the loft will probably just result in regularly clogged fan filters and unreliable running in summer. As you can see the bloke actually stole the machine taking the pictures but because it emailed the data off site they still got their evidence.

That said, when I got done over, the first thing they did before entering the house was to cut the power.
Posted by: boxer

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 15:54

Quote:
Think I might have a go at this myself

1) Let me have the program when you've done it
2) Maybe it can be my new marketing career to occupy my retirement! - I can make your fortune and only take 15%!
The answer to them cutting your power of, is surely to have a heavyweight UPS
Posted by: boxer

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 16:03

Quote:
I wonder if there is a way to link to my alarm and only turn the web cams on when the alarm is also turned on ???

Unless I've misunderstood you, you want your alarm sensors to start the webcam, but you don't want the alarm itself to go off and disturb the tealeaves.
I wonder whether he's the same guy who nicked our studio Mac's. Still the replacements are the dog's b******s (The censor's had a go at my flowing prose once today, I'm not risking it again) it's just that the insurance premium went through the sky.
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 16:28

Okay then you've got a deal! I'll build it, you sell it.

I've got an old APC UPS knocking around but it needs new cells.

I'm dreading my home insurance renewal, a 2.5k payout will no doubt result in a nasty premium.
Posted by: Cris

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 19:03

Quote:
the first thing they did before entering the house was to cut the power.


Good point !!! Add a UPS to my christmas list for next year

I have a BT Home Monitor, it does have a serial port on the back. I have a spare main unit if you fancy helping me hack it, you are welcome to it when we are done. I have no idea what it outputs, it may even be disabled. Basically it is a cut down Visonic unit, it will control X10 but this feature is disabled on the BT unit.

I knew running a CAT5 to my alarm panel was good idea

Cheers

Cris.
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 19:15

Quote:
Good point !!! Add a UPS to my christmas list for next year


Yes, and make sure you connect your ADSL modem to it too! No point having your CCTV server frantically trying to offload data to your secure backup site if the modem is off!

Quote:
I have a BT Home Monitor, it does have a serial port on the back. I have a spare main unit if you fancy helping me hack it, you are welcome to it when we are done.


I'll take you up on that. Should be able to stick the port analyser at work on it.
Posted by: boxer

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 20:20

I may not have a network working, but I'm falling over in UPS's, I've got enough Peroni , Pinot Grigio and battery power to survive a holocaust (Oh, yes and a packet of pork scratchings).
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 20:25

Quote:
(Oh, yes and a packet of pork scratchings).


Mmm, hog lumps.....
Posted by: Dignan

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 20:40

Quote:
Good point !!! Add a UPS to my christmas list for next year

Why wait? Of course, if you're not in the US, that doesn't really help.
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 20:52

That's pretty good, assuming you don't have any problems with the rebate. If it wasn't so heavy I'd consider asking a kind US-based BBS member to get me one and ship it over.
Posted by: Daria

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 21:03

Quote:
Quote:
Good point !!! Add a UPS to my christmas list for next year


Yes, and make sure you connect your ADSL modem to it too! No point having your CCTV server frantically trying to offload data to your secure backup site if the modem is off!


If they cut the power they can cut the network. Use a cellphone for uplink. A pay as you go phone which does data is all you need, since it will only need to call out when there is activity while the network uplink is off.
Posted by: tfabris

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 21:06

"They cut the power!"

"How can they cut the power?! They're animals!"
Posted by: pca

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 17/02/2005 22:25

In that case you'd better send someone out to reboot everything.

pca
Posted by: webroach

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 18/02/2005 01:19

"Are you sure you're reading that thing right?"
Posted by: andym

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 23/02/2005 18:59

Well I've installed Motion on one of my spare linux boxes and I'm seriously impressed, I setup a camera and an old video sender in the kitchen and caught the cat mid-scavenge.




It also captured an mpeg4 of the furry toublemaker in action

Looking at my files and the ones that guy had I think he might've used motion too. I'm now writing a swish web frontend to control multiple cameras around the house.
Posted by: Cris

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 23/02/2005 19:03

Let me know when you get that working

Cheers

Cris.
Posted by: julf

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 24/02/2005 08:14

Quote:
Let me know when you get that working

AOL!
Posted by: Cris

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 24/02/2005 09:21

Quote:
AOL!


I have been looking around on the net for a while now, what does AOL! mean ??? Sorry for being a bit thick

Cheers

Cris.
Posted by: frog51

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 24/02/2005 09:28

From the way many AOL users respod with me too:-)

LIL^H^HOL
Posted by: Cris

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 24/02/2005 15:40

Sorry
Posted by: andym

...and so it begins - 12/03/2005 18:51

Quote:
I wonder if there is a way to link to my alarm and only turn the web cams on when the alarm is also turned on ??? Through some sort of serial link.


I've managed to construct a rf data link to interface my burglar alarm to my cctv machine. I should then be able to remotely monitor the state of my alarm system. I can also add more transmitters and monitor extra stuff like windows and doors.

Tx on the left, Rx on the right.

Posted by: andym

Re: ...and so it begins - 12/03/2005 18:52

another shot.....

Posted by: Cris

Re: ...and so it begins - 12/03/2005 21:42

How did you interface it with your alarm ???

Cheers

Cris.
Posted by: jaharkes

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 12/03/2005 22:47

Not sure why you don't think it is motion. I've got motion running at home and it has the same stupid locate frames that always seem to be where the movement used to be ("locate on" configuration option) and the default configuration places the identical timestamp in the lower right corner.

Sending the images off-site is probably done by the 'onsave' external program hook, which is passed the image filename as an argument. So that script could be as simple as
Code:

#!/bin/sh
mpack -s"motion" $1 my-email(at)offsite.address

Posted by: andym

Re: ...and so it begins - 13/03/2005 08:02

I might stick a BCD encoder on it to add more inputs or stick it directly onto some opto isolators across the status LEDs,

I should be able to get Main Power status, Tamper, Attack and Daytime mode status back. With the BCD addition I could also monitor individual zone alarms as well.

EDIT: Sorry Brain fade, a BCD encoder won't help. I'll just blow a PIC to stat mux the data instead.
Posted by: PaulWay

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 14/03/2005 01:07

Quote:
That said, when I got done over, the first thing they did before entering the house was to cut the power.


Even more reason to invest in a UPS...

*thinks: put the battery back-up under the house and have the web server and file server in a locked cabinet securely attached to the wall. Link the webcams up and do the motion-detection thing. FTP pictures to my public server or to my brother's computer. Also do backups to remote servers*

The question is not "is it too much work." The question is "is it more work compared to replacing all my stuff."

Have fun,

Paul
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 14/03/2005 14:54

Quote:
Not sure why you don't think it is motion.

The boxes don't look like motion's boxes. Maybe there's some option to make the boxes look different that I'm not familiar with. Or maybe it's a weird artifact of the BBC's image manipulation.
Posted by: dionysus

Re: Geek 1 Burglar 0 - 14/03/2005 22:55

There's alot of camera packages that do this out of the box.. my cheapo creative webcam has software which automatically looks for motion and uploads to an email/ftp/web server when it finds it..
-m