Small surveillance cameras

Captain Larry-DH · Nov 9, 2020

I’m using a Reolink GO camera with a Cellular Data connection. It’s weatherproof, has a built in battery that lasts several days, and uses a microUSB charge cable so it can run continuously if plugged into a 12v socket adapter. The T-Mobile cell connection costs me $10/month for up to 1gb data, and Reolink has a nice app to provide motion alerts and all the usual camera controls etc. Reolink also provides up to 1gb free cloud storage for motion clips at 1080p resolution. The bandwidth and storage can be upgraded but the extra capacity is not needed for my purpose.
I have the camera plugged in, in (limited) plain view, but an intruder would be seen in the cockpit by the camera before he notices and disables it. At that point, I hopefully have a clip in the cloud to ID him. It has IR-night illuminated vision also.
The only downside is that Reolink nags me monthly to sign up for extra storage $ and forces me to renew my free storage (or lose it).

rgranger · Nov 9, 2020

Deterance is probably going to give you more immediate gains than trying to put someone in jail. A motion sensitive camera will help as will motion sensitive lights. I'd also add a very obvious sign that says survailance cameras are in use.

On three different occasions, I have been robbed and then stalked and caught the thief. On two occasions they (the police) just returned my property but declined to prosecute.. (I'm guessing they had bigger fish to fry) and on the third occasion they let the guy plea down to a misdomener (he had forged seven of my checks).

Don S/V ILLusion · Nov 9, 2020

wdonovan said:
Someone is boarding my boat at the marina and stealing and vandalizing.

Sorry to hear that. Just your boat? Are you implying this is a repetitive problem?

I just need to put on e person in jail then the thing can blow up and I'm onto my next project LOL.

No one will be going to jail and cameras don't prevent anything.

Justin_NSA · Nov 9, 2020

A game camera might work. You'd have to go out and download the pictures though.
I like posting the signs.

justsomeguy · Nov 9, 2020

wdonovan said:
Someone is boarding my boat at the marina and stealing and vandalizing.

Which marina? This kind of publicity may work in your (and your dockmates') favor.
Talk with management about installing their own cameras and lighting a fire under dock security personnel.

Rick D · Nov 9, 2020

We had a gal breaking in to boats with a male friend and hanging out for a few days. I spotted her on a neighbor's boat. The police responded and took her (them) into custody. I put a proximity alarm on the lower hatch board and a motion detector light facing out into the cockpit. A couple of guys installed security cameras. I have set off the alarm a couple of times forgetting to turn it off. If someone trying forced entry were to do so, they wouldn't hang around long, if they weren't already chased off by the light.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Nov 9, 2020

One of the neatest things I've seen was this. A boat apparently had pressure sensitive mats in tthe cockpit and a loud speaker up the mast.

when the mat got triggered, a recording would start, on an endless loop,

HELP!! HELP!! Boat name such and such, slip so and so, is being robbed. !!!, Over and over
ONLY happened once

shemandr · Nov 9, 2020

Rick D said:
We had a gal breaking in to boats with a male friend and hanging out for a few days.....

Where do you find a women like that?

Hello Below · Nov 9, 2020

You probably have viewed these but if not here are a bunch of security camera threads on SBO:

Threads - Security Camera

And one specifically relating to my experience:

"nanny cam" or outdoor webcam on board

rgranger · Nov 9, 2020

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani said:
One of the neatest things I've seen was this. A boat apparently had pressure sensitive mats in tthe cockpit and a loud speaker up the mast.

when the mat got triggered, a recording would start, on an endless loop,

HELP!! HELP!! Boat name such and such, slip so and so, is being robbed. !!!, Over and over
ONLY happened once

I want to meet the person who came up with that one.

alexco38 · Nov 9, 2020

A colleague of mine frequently had his apple juice stolen in the lunch room fridge. So he prepared a few very nice bottles of cocktail for the person(s) to "enjoy".

Leave nothing valuable in the boat. Camera doesn't do you any good.

Rick D · Nov 9, 2020

shemandr said:
Where do you find a women like that?

I suspect that she was a "guest"

on someone's boat and figured out that they were an opportunity. She would hide a bag of goodies somewhere for a subsequent visit. Blond-ish, about 5' something. not bad looking at all but a bit rough. I suspect her male friends found her on social media

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Project_Mayhem · Nov 9, 2020

I installed a pinhole camera in a friends garage. The camera was inside and peeked through a very small hole in the rubber seal at the top of the garage door. My friend kept saying that someone was messing with his car. I didn't believe him until he caught the neighbor stuffing newspaper into his cooling fan!

Anyways, there's a lot of surveilance systems out there that allow you to block out various parts of the camera or only detect motion on certain parts. I suspect that motion detection will only save you from having to pour over hours of the same useless shot with little to no battery savings. In most cases the camera has to be on for motion detection. Most systems allow you to start the recording X seconds before motion was taken so in those cases the camera must be rolling 24/7

rgranger · Nov 10, 2020

wdonovan said:
I know who it is.

WHAAAAAAT?

You live in Jersy..Why is there still a problem...?

Don S/V ILLusion · Nov 10, 2020

wdonovan said:
I know who it is.

Cant wait to hear 'the rest of this story'. If you know who it is, what good is a camera? There are lots of other more convincing preventive alternatives.
It might be interesting to know why they are apparently picking only on you and, if not isolated just to you, what other folks want to do.

jssailem · Nov 10, 2020

I read a novel about how to discourage boardings by indigenous people while motoring in a river.

Tacks. Spread about the boat decks. Especially when it is dark. Barefooted raiders create their own alarm sounds.

rgranger · Nov 10, 2020

jssailem said:
I read a novel about how to discourage boardings by indigenous people while motoring in a river.

Tacks. Spread about the boat decks. Especially when it is dark. Barefooted raiders create their own alarm sounds.

I read that book too...

As drowsiness came on I sprinkled the deck with tacks, and then I turned in, bearing in mind the advice of my old friend Samblich that I was not to step on them myself. I saw to it that not a few of them stood "business end" up; for when the Spray passed Thieves' Bay two canoes had put out and followed in her wake, and there was no disguising the fact any longer that I was alone.

shemandr · Nov 10, 2020

Rick D said:
I suspect that she was a "guest" on someone's boat and figured out that they were an opportunity. She would hide a bag of goodies somewhere for a subsequent visit. Blond-ish, about 5' something. not bad looking at all but a bit rough. I suspect her male friends found her on social media.

I'm pretty sure some local teens were having drinking parties on my Slickcraft while it was laid up. They left the cabin door open and the boat flooded with rain wate. Grrrrrrr! I hope they cut themselves up in the briar bushes.

Small surveillance cameras

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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