how to catch a thief?


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Old 09-21-07, 11:11 AM
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how to catch a thief?

I've been robbed 3 times in the last 9 months and I'm ready to catch a thief. Apparently dozens of people in our small town have reported similar incidents to the police (including my dad) but they haven't caught anyone. I think if I can buy and set up an inexpensive system in my garage I can help out everyone in town by catching this guy in action.

I did a search on home security systems and I'm overwhelmed by the amount of stuff out there. I would like a little guidance from someone who knows what I need to get me started in the right direction.

I know he enters my garage from a backdoor. The garage is dark and the thief probably uses a flashlight but I don't know that. Do I set up a motion detector light to light up the garage in order to video tape him? Would the light run him off instead of catching his image? Would nightvison cameras be better? I just don't know what the proper tools are for the job.

I do have broadband internet service and the garage is probably 90' away from my router. I could set up a VCR or DVD recorder in the garage if that would be better.

Any guidance or suggestions?

Larry
 
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Old 09-21-07, 05:34 PM
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You are asking a lot of questions that have more to do with human behavior or the specifics of your location than the basics of hardware.

Most inexpensive solutions are more likely to simply "harden the target" and encourage your perp to go elsewhere where he/she doesn't have to work as hard.

With video, you generally get what you pay for. What you want is cameras that see well in the dark (low "lux" ratings are what you want. The smaller the number, the better it sees in low light). You could go with infrared illuminated systems, and light isn't an issue.

Websearch using the phrase "security camera" in the keywords. Right now you have pretty vague ideas as to what you need.
 
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Old 09-21-07, 07:02 PM
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Sorry to hear about the break-ins.

It can be common to be hit twice or even more like you. The crooks know you will be getting all new stuff after the first break-in, and come back for more.

Along with what Ron said; do you have any lighting near the garage, like motion sensor lights, etc? Simple things like these can make a crook think twice.

Does this garage door have windows? Have you thought about getting a solid door with good deadbolts?

I'm just suggesting some stuff that is probably cheaper then getting a whole camera setup.
 
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Old 09-22-07, 04:55 PM
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I do have motion sensor lights around the garage and house. The thief unscrewed the lights at the back door of the garage where he made entry so that it was easy for him to come back. I didn't realize this until after the 3rd time.

I don't want to simply harden the target because that won't ultimately stop the thief, he will just go to the neighbor's house. I know he must feel comfortable coming to my house because I am surrounded by woods so it would be easy for him to slip off.

I've already lost over $1000 in cash and items so I don't mind spending another $500 or so if I can catch the guy.

My question is really "what would professionals recommend as far as hardware for my situation." I don't want to spend $1000 or more but I don't want to spend $100 and not be able to recognize the man in the monitor. Running a cable all the way into the house would not be too easy, therefore I'm open to the idea of something wireless. If that isn't very practical for my situation then what is a good alternative.

I know I'm not being very exact in my questioning. I'm not trying to be ambiguous I just don't know what I need to get the job done. I figure you guys have a pretty good idea on what I need. I did a search for security cameras and got like a million choices. I think I could get better advice from you guys rather than from a catchy add.
 
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Old 09-23-07, 07:34 AM
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http://www.toshibasecurity.com/pdf/_...user_guide.pdf

You could probably get good use out of one of these. It is one of Toshiba's network cameras. You can set it to e-mail you when motion is captured. You can also log in to it and control it's PTZ functions. It has an SD slot for on board recording. Give it a look and see what you think. You would have to get a network cable to it, and it has a transformer that would have to be plugged into power.
 
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Old 09-26-07, 11:43 AM
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thanks, I'll check into that.
 
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Old 10-05-07, 06:43 AM
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sorry to hear about the break-ins.
you can actually set-up an effective reliable security system.
it's just a matter of determining the type of system you want and what works best for your need.
you can have security cameras, cctv systems or surveillance equipments.
 
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Old 10-11-07, 08:46 AM
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It’s all about the expectations.

Good thought on the Toshiba IP camera and I have considered one of those models myself. I backed out however after reading several reviews where people claimed the camera in no way lived up to its listed potential frame rate and in general they were just horribly disappointed. But who knows they could have been doing something wrong in spite of their claims to the contrary.

Despite your desire to “catch a thief” unless you dig a pit trap and entice him to fall into it no camera will actually catch the fellow.

With the right hardware and camera placement you may however catch a good image of the thief but even then the police may or may not be able to do anything with that.

Not that I would advise against adding cameras for your situation but I would be concerned that your budget is a bit to tight. As it may take three or four good low light cameras in the right spot to get a good picture of the thief and show you have a serious security system that hopefully would discourage any future trouble.

So lacking a larger budget I would start with common sense “hardening the target” tactics and if you buy a single mid ranged IP camera just keep your expectations low.
 
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Old 10-12-07, 03:11 PM
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Alarm activated mace dispensing system, won't catch them but it will stop them.. But unfortinetly in the US from what I heard the thief can sue you even though he intended to rob your house and was injured by it.

I have also had thiefs unscrew the light bulbs from the extierior
 
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Old 05-25-14, 12:58 PM
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Old thread.... Closed.........
 
 

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