Has anyone recently installed security cameras and motion detectors in or outside their van.
We started a trip up north on Sunday and stopped at my sons in Bulimba Brisbane on Tuesday. Parked the caravan in his front yard with my Pajero Sport next to it. My wifes sister is over from the UK so we were going to give her a 4 1/2 week trip up north to Port Douglas and back. I was asleep out under the awning with my wife and sister inside the caravan. Wife woke at 3.10 am Wednesday to use the toilet and as she lay back down she heard our vehicle drive off. Confused for a moment she then came out to look for me and of course I was fast asleep.
The thief had taken my car keys from a table about 200 mm from my head and made off with our tow vehicle with numerous items inside. Had to cancel all our bookings and arrange flights back to Newcastle whilst leavening the caravan at my sons.
I thought of installing a security system previously but just hadnt got around to it.
PeterInSa said
05:30 PM Apr 14, 2022
With the keys, the thief would have just reset the alarm system.
What you needed was a Tracker system so you could see the vehicle being driven down the road on Google earth etc. or leave an old phone in the vehicle with an active sim card and do a "Find my Device" to see where your vehicle is.
Have a GeoFence/Tracker in our caravan and an alarm system in the Cruiser. ( with the remote on the key set)
Sorry about your loss, hopefully your vehicle will turn up intact.
TimTim said
06:25 PM Apr 14, 2022
Thanks Peter, Unfortunately I took my ipad out from the back otherwise I would of been able to track them as they would only had a few minutes start on us and wouldnt have known it was in the back.
Probably best that my son and I didnt manage to follow them as the result may have been a little nasty for them.
I will get a tracker for both my vehicles but i am also looking at getting a camera for my caravan just for observation purposes.
PeterInSa said
09:01 PM Apr 14, 2022
Re ( i am also looking at getting a camera for my caravan just for observation purposes.)
Re Camera, I also looked at a camera, in particular the one below that we have aimed at out front door, at home, they are great.
However in the bush, I would have to do a paint job on it to ensure it blended in, then to hide it in a bush or up a tree then wifi it to our modem that can be switched to the Mobile phone aerial mounted ontop of our Winguard TV aerial on the caravan. The Mob Phone aerial is switch shared with the tracker and modem/Blue tick phone, so if using the camera would not be using the tracker.
Or use the Mobile phone aerial/Wingard aerial for the tracker(or smartphone with aerial connection when we are in the van) and for the camera/modem, have the modem on top of our 6.5m AL flagpole wifi linked to the Camera with any movement sending an SMS to our Blue tick smart phone in our Cruiser with external aerial connection. To date the modem on the flagpole is only used for data when we are very remote or in a gully.
Before security chips in keys etc, for my fuel injected Commodore, I had a well concealed but easily accessible electric switch which cut off power to the electric powered fuel pump. It stopped an attempted theft from a shopping centre carpark. There was minor damage to the ignition keylock mechanism but the vehicle was still there.
Of course, a fuel cutoff is not going to stop a tilt-tray or drag-on-trailer offender, or other robbery activity.
Whenarewethere said
09:12 AM Apr 15, 2022
I had a car with a hydraulic clutch & installed a key lock with one way valve on the hydraulic line. So if you pushed the clutch in it stayed disengaged when you took your foot of the clutch.
These days I drive an automatic, so not possible.
Derek Barnes said
06:15 PM Apr 15, 2022
Do you think that automatic lights on the caravan would help reduce thefts of property around the caravan? They are a lot cheaper than cameras but Im not sure how much of a deterrent they would be.
Aus-Kiwi said
07:59 PM Apr 15, 2022
I find blue and white chequered tape seems to help ??
If you set up a Garmin 56 dashcam it draws about 0.3amps. I now have 6 of them around the car after an insurance issue. Not going to be done over by a liar again.
Clarky 1 said
10:15 AM Apr 18, 2022
I have woken up with a sick feeling when I have realised I had left my car keys on the table in the annexe. It is so easily done. Fortunately I have not lost my ute yet and I have a checklist I called lock up before I go to bed. In the past I had an Engel pinched out of my annex and what I have now is a Swann brand motion detector that is generally used for letting the shopkeeper know that someone has entered his shop. They are cheap, battery operated and are quite portable and reliable. There are many varieties and you can get them on line or in the Big Green Shed. The unit that beeps can be inside the van and the motion detector can be strategically placed in the annex or awning or even the car or a boat. I bought the one with two sensors and they offer two different warning tones so you have two zones if you want to set up two sensors. On my unit you can have up to three sensors.
You can get a motion detector light which will deter most intruders as well. I found the cost of a quality light that was solar operated to be the same as my motion detector which is run by batteries. I think the new motion detectors have a warning through your phone but you could check that out if interested in that form of security.
Failing all of that get a big dog and train it to attack intruders (only joking)
as an extra to my info the one I have I cant find now and it may have been superseded to the one that works through the phone.
I bought my kit from Swann Australia online. It was about 60 bucks at the time
Bobdown said
10:59 AM Apr 18, 2022
Saw a sign on a property once,
'This Property is Guarded by Winchester'
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
Clarky 1 said
11:09 AM Apr 18, 2022
Bobdown wrote:
Saw a sign on a property once,
'This Property is Guarded by Winchester'
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
Whenarewethere said
11:23 AM Apr 18, 2022
Bobdown wrote:
Saw a sign on a property once,
'This Property is Guarded by Winchester'
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
I have seen on a property 'Next of kin will not be informed'
Aus-Kiwi said
11:44 AM Apr 18, 2022
Quarantine/ Covid !! Sign ? No
Drugs or money on site ! Just cranky wife !!
vk6gmd said
12:06 AM May 8, 2022
Four things I have done for security in the van and truck:
1. 4 IP cameras (one covering each side) connected to a network DVR, starting with motion detect or continuously.
2. We have a data modem installed fixed in the van and as long as it has internet my Victron CCGX transmits data to the Victron portal including location.
3. I also have long range WiFi access points in 4 directions, which can stream the IP cameras to my phone even without Internet. Have not yet tested the max distance, but was hoping for 20+km depending on terrain.
4. The truck has an immobiliser, which is deactivated with a separate key fob, not just the key. I have placed the induction loop for the immobiliser somewhere else around the driver seat. It is something one gets used to when starting, but without knowing where the loop is you don't stand a chance to drive that car.
regards
Gmd
PeterD said
09:07 AM May 8, 2022
TimTim wrote:The thief had taken my car keys from a table about 200 mm from my head and made off with our tow vehicle with numerous items inside.
Dealing with things like you proposed would have saved your vehicle. We always keep our keys in our pockets or well and truly out of sight. It does not matter how many security devices you have around the place, an opportunist will take something if you leave things in an obvious position like you did. These events often lead to the police pursuits that hit the headlines. Surveillance devices don't seem to worry the young people.
Insurance companies tend not to pay up when you have contributed to the loss of your property. There have been reports of insurance companies no paying up when thieves have been breaking the keys out of key safes being hanging on vehicles left in beach parking lots. The companies defence in not paying up is the owners left the keys with their vehicles and did not take them with. If your insurance company finds out you left your keys exposed, you also are likely not to receive any compensation.
Secure your keys, don't leave them hanging around is the only real solution.
-- Edited by PeterD on Sunday 8th of May 2022 09:13:49 AM
Whenarewethere said
09:27 AM May 8, 2022
We have a length of orange strip/ribbon on our keys so we can hang them around our neck if we don't/can't put them in our pocket.
I immediately thought of setting up a monitor which would fire up when an intruder was detected and a notice informing the intruder that the camera feed was being stored in the cloud and the police will be given a copy of their activity at noon unless they took nothing and deposited $100 by direct deposit into this bank account.
I immediately thought of setting up a monitor which would fire up when an intruder was detected and a notice informing the intruder that the camera feed was being stored in the cloud and the police will be given a copy of their activity at noon unless they took nothing and deposited $100 by direct deposit into this bank account.
Yep, the Trap Cams are great, easy to hide and secure. I have used one I borrowed and loved it. Commonly used now for local councils, National Parks etc to monitor things like illegal rubbish dumping, various anti-social behaviour. Tip....next time you pull over to take a pee break....you may very well be on camera somewhere lol. I have a friend who monitors Park activity, he gets a laugh at what goes on when people think they are alone
Mike Harding said
01:03 PM May 11, 2022
Phlipper wrote:
Commonly used now for local councils, National Parks etc to monitor things like illegal rubbish dumping, various anti-social behaviour. Tip....next time you pull over to take a pee break....you may very well be on camera somewhere lol. I have a friend who monitors Park activity, he gets a laugh at what goes on when people think they are alone
Others will, no doubt, know the law better than I but I was under the impression that if a person/body installs cameras with the intent of monitoring people then it is a legal requirement to also install a sign which informs of the camera presence.
In my opinion cameras intended to monitor people are the work of the devil and should be prohibited or shot.
dogbox said
08:58 AM May 12, 2022
Mike Harding wrote:
Phlipper wrote:
Commonly used now for local councils, National Parks etc to monitor things like illegal rubbish dumping, various anti-social behaviour. Tip....next time you pull over to take a pee break....you may very well be on camera somewhere lol. I have a friend who monitors Park activity, he gets a laugh at what goes on when people think they are alone
Others will, no doubt, know the law better than I but I was under the impression that if a person/body installs cameras with the intent of monitoring people then it is a legal requirement to also install a sign which informs of the camera presence.
In my opinion cameras intended to monitor people are the work of the devil and should be prohibited or shot.
with all the cameras that are in operation in this day and age, i think you would need a good supply of ammo.
i got some trail cam things from 4x4 super center, they seem to work ok. if people don't want me to take their picture, they should stay out of my space .
Mike Harding said
12:30 PM May 12, 2022
Trail cameras are not the problem - they are temporary and intended to view animals not people.
However you will find many private homes are fitting cameras and they also record sound so the next time you visit friends for a BBQ don't comment upon the quality of their food or make "secret" signs to your wife.
When I visit people I now ask if they have recording devices and if they do I ask for them to be turned off, if that's a problem then I leave. I have no desire to be filmed and recorded without my knowledge by anyone.
Nevd said
04:47 PM May 12, 2022
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
That's great as long as the dog is awake. Most big dogs sleep soundly. My boxer is a great watch dog........when he's not snoring!
yobarr said
08:16 PM May 12, 2022
Nevd wrote:
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
That's great as long as the dog is awake. Most big dogs sleep soundly. My boxer is a great watch dog........when he's not snoring!
Whilst dogs are a deterrent, they are easy to get around if there are two intruders. Cheers
Hi all,
Has anyone recently installed security cameras and motion detectors in or outside their van.
We started a trip up north on Sunday and stopped at my sons in Bulimba Brisbane on Tuesday. Parked the caravan in his front yard with my Pajero Sport next to it. My wifes sister is over from the UK so we were going to give her a 4 1/2 week trip up north to Port Douglas and back. I was asleep out under the awning with my wife and sister inside the caravan. Wife woke at 3.10 am Wednesday to use the toilet and as she lay back down she heard our vehicle drive off. Confused for a moment she then came out to look for me and of course I was fast asleep.
The thief had taken my car keys from a table about 200 mm from my head and made off with our tow vehicle with numerous items inside. Had to cancel all our bookings and arrange flights back to Newcastle whilst leavening the caravan at my sons.
I thought of installing a security system previously but just hadnt got around to it.
What you needed was a Tracker system so you could see the vehicle being driven down the road on Google earth etc. or leave an old phone in the vehicle with an active sim card and do a "Find my Device" to see where your vehicle is.
Have a GeoFence/Tracker in our caravan and an alarm system in the Cruiser. ( with the remote on the key set)
Sorry about your loss, hopefully your vehicle will turn up intact.
Thanks Peter, Unfortunately I took my ipad out from the back otherwise I would of been able to track them as they would only had a few minutes start on us and wouldnt have known it was in the back.
Probably best that my son and I didnt manage to follow them as the result may have been a little nasty for them.
I will get a tracker for both my vehicles but i am also looking at getting a camera for my caravan just for observation purposes.
Re Camera, I also looked at a camera, in particular the one below that we have aimed at out front door, at home, they are great.
However in the bush, I would have to do a paint job on it to ensure it blended in, then to hide it in a bush or up a tree then wifi it to our modem that can be switched to the Mobile phone aerial mounted ontop of our Winguard TV aerial on the caravan. The Mob Phone aerial is switch shared with the tracker and modem/Blue tick phone, so if using the camera would not be using the tracker.
Or use the Mobile phone aerial/Wingard aerial for the tracker(or smartphone with aerial connection when we are in the van) and for the camera/modem, have the modem on top of our 6.5m AL flagpole wifi linked to the Camera with any movement sending an SMS to our Blue tick smart phone in our Cruiser with external aerial connection. To date the modem on the flagpole is only used for data when we are very remote or in a gully.
All to hard so gave the camera a miss.
www.bunnings.com.au/orion-1080p-hd-white-grid-connect-smart-outdoor-security-camera-with-rechargeable-battery_p0333166
Use a high endurance card in these sorts of cameras as they are continuously rewriting.
Something along these lines. Best to replace every couple of years.
https://www.techbuy.com.au/p/445292/MEMORY_CARDS_(SD)_MICRO_SECURE_DIGITAL/SanDisk/SDSQQNR-256G-GN6IA.asp
Of course, a fuel cutoff is not going to stop a tilt-tray or drag-on-trailer offender, or other robbery activity.
I had a car with a hydraulic clutch & installed a key lock with one way valve on the hydraulic line. So if you pushed the clutch in it stayed disengaged when you took your foot of the clutch.
These days I drive an automatic, so not possible.
Do you think that automatic lights on the caravan would help reduce thefts of property around the caravan? They are a lot cheaper than cameras but Im not sure how much of a deterrent they would be.
If you set up a Garmin 56 dashcam it draws about 0.3amps. I now have 6 of them around the car after an insurance issue. Not going to be done over by a liar again.
I have woken up with a sick feeling when I have realised I had left my car keys on the table in the annexe.
It is so easily done.
Fortunately I have not lost my ute yet and I have a checklist I called lock up before I go to bed.
In the past I had an Engel pinched out of my annex and what I have now is a Swann brand motion detector that is generally used for letting the shopkeeper know that someone has entered his shop.
They are cheap, battery operated and are quite portable and reliable. There are many varieties and you can get them on line or in the Big Green Shed.
The unit that beeps can be inside the van and the motion detector can be strategically placed in the annex or awning or even the car or a boat.
I bought the one with two sensors and they offer two different warning tones so you have two zones if you want to set up two sensors.
On my unit you can have up to three sensors.
You can get a motion detector light which will deter most intruders as well. I found the cost of a quality light that was solar operated to be the same as my motion detector which is run by batteries.
I think the new motion detectors have a warning through your phone but you could check that out if interested in that form of security.
Failing all of that get a big dog and train it to attack intruders (only joking)
https://au.swann.com/swifi-motion/
as an extra to my info the one I have I cant find now and it may have been superseded to the one that works through the phone.
I bought my kit from Swann Australia online. It was about 60 bucks at the time
Saw a sign on a property once,
'This Property is Guarded by Winchester'
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
I have seen on a property 'Next of kin will not be informed'
Drugs or money on site ! Just cranky wife !!
1. 4 IP cameras (one covering each side) connected to a network DVR, starting with motion detect or continuously.
2. We have a data modem installed fixed in the van and as long as it has internet my Victron CCGX transmits data to the Victron portal including location.
3. I also have long range WiFi access points in 4 directions, which can stream the IP cameras to my phone even without Internet. Have not yet tested the max distance, but was hoping for 20+km depending on terrain.
4. The truck has an immobiliser, which is deactivated with a separate key fob, not just the key. I have placed the induction loop for the immobiliser somewhere else around the driver seat. It is something one gets used to when starting, but without knowing where the loop is you don't stand a chance to drive that car.
regards
Gmd
Dealing with things like you proposed would have saved your vehicle. We always keep our keys in our pockets or well and truly out of sight. It does not matter how many security devices you have around the place, an opportunist will take something if you leave things in an obvious position like you did. These events often lead to the police pursuits that hit the headlines. Surveillance devices don't seem to worry the young people.
Insurance companies tend not to pay up when you have contributed to the loss of your property. There have been reports of insurance companies no paying up when thieves have been breaking the keys out of key safes being hanging on vehicles left in beach parking lots. The companies defence in not paying up is the owners left the keys with their vehicles and did not take them with. If your insurance company finds out you left your keys exposed, you also are likely not to receive any compensation.
Secure your keys, don't leave them hanging around is the only real solution.
-- Edited by PeterD on Sunday 8th of May 2022 09:13:49 AM
We have a length of orange strip/ribbon on our keys so we can hang them around our neck if we don't/can't put them in our pocket.
The trail cameras look like a good idea.
I immediately thought of setting up a monitor which would fire up when an intruder was detected and a notice informing the intruder that the camera feed was being stored in the cloud and the police will be given a copy of their activity at noon unless they took nothing and deposited $100 by direct deposit into this bank account.
Yep, the Trap Cams are great, easy to hide and secure. I have used one I borrowed and loved it. Commonly used now for local councils, National Parks etc to monitor things like illegal rubbish dumping, various anti-social behaviour. Tip....next time you pull over to take a pee break....you may very well be on camera somewhere lol. I have a friend who monitors Park activity, he gets a laugh at what goes on when people think they are alone
Others will, no doubt, know the law better than I but I was under the impression that if a person/body installs cameras with the intent of monitoring people then it is a legal requirement to also install a sign which informs of the camera presence.
In my opinion cameras intended to monitor people are the work of the devil and should be prohibited or shot.
with all the cameras that are in operation in this day and age, i think you would need a good supply of ammo.
i got some trail cam things from 4x4 super center, they seem to work ok. if people don't want me to take their picture, they should stay out of my space .
Trail cameras are not the problem - they are temporary and intended to view animals not people.
However you will find many private homes are fitting cameras and they also record sound so the next time you visit friends for a BBQ don't comment upon the quality of their food or make "secret" signs to your wife.
When I visit people I now ask if they have recording devices and if they do I ask for them to be turned off, if that's a problem then I leave. I have no desire to be filmed and recorded without my knowledge by anyone.
Winchester was a Rottweiler ............
As Clarky says, get a dog
That's great as long as the dog is awake. Most big dogs sleep soundly. My boxer is a great watch dog........when he's not snoring!
Whilst dogs are a deterrent, they are easy to get around if there are two intruders. Cheers