ever had a dvr stolen?

[acableconnection 0]

I have a friend that wants to put a dvr in the ceiling. How do you guys secure a dvr to prevent theft? Lockbox?

[RickA 0]

Have used Lockboxes, placed in locked cabinets, also used locked office and locked closets, and one time place in ceiling above the tiles on a suspended platform.

[Smit9352 0]

I have a friend that wants to put a dvr in the ceiling. How do you guys secure a dvr to prevent theft? Lockbox?

You can just mount it in the ceiling to a flat surface that you are sure will not be crashing down on someones head. If you're mounting in a drop ceiling you usually mount it up there by getting a thin flat board (I've used plywood and plexiglass) then just lay it up there.. Once you're sure of were it will be going in the ceiling and won't be moving it just leave the board in that spot and lay the dvr on it. Most dvr's (with hdd) do not weigh more than 10-12lbs.

 

It's been working but I'm sure I should look at a more "secure" option.

[Rebco 0]

Just becareful with the heat in the ceiling, heat rises and you might be replacing that dvr sooner if you have it in the ceiling...

[Scruit 0]

I have a friend that wants to put a dvr in the ceiling. How do you guys secure a dvr to prevent theft? Lockbox?

 

Mine is in a lockbox. In a residential setting it's not common to find a drop ceiling unless it's a finished basement. Bear in mind that a lockbox gives the thief something to focus on.

 

If the thief's time is limited (monitored alarm system, etc) then they are less likely to get away with the DVR than if they have unlimited time. In the ceiling is a valid option (temperature permitting) as long as there's nothing that gives the location away such as wires or conduit crawling up the wall - or if it's left open on a regular basis where visitors can see it.

 

A lockbox will keep a thief at bay for maybe a couple of minutes, depending on how strong it is. If the thief has enough time and the right tools then he can get into anything.

 

So, at the end of the day, its a case of swings and roundabouts. And if the theif has time to spare then they'll find your DVR, or break open a lockbox. That's why the CCTV should be just one layer of your overall security system - and a monitored alarm will do more to protect your DVR (by limiting the time they have to spend) than the DVR location. Monitored alarm + remote view of CCTV = "Confirmed burglar on site!", meaning a MUCH faster response than 'yet another alarm call'. (in our area the Sheriff's department regularly reports that 99% of 'Alarm Drops' are false alarms.)

[olafak 0]

On a PC based systems I have many times hidden a USB Hard Drive through a wall in the event that a DVR is taken. I have not had one stolen yet, but if they do, we should have the footage until the DVR is disconnected. I have also setup an old DVR as a decoy before. Just run some loop through cams to it. But again, I have not had the satisfaction of one being stolen and still recoding.

[scorpion 0]

Now all you need to do is make it theft proof from employees.

[G22 0]

I like the decoy thing. Kinda like this 'extra' wallet I have in case I am robbed (for the hand over you wallet type). It has some employment cards in it, some other useless biz cards, couple pennies, etc.

[Rebco 0]

just do that

do what?

[spiremeld 0]

what about an extra large safe? i have a regular gun safe thats about 5'x4' and i was wondering if i could run a harddrive in the safe to prevent theft, without having heat issues. i am not trying to protect the harddrive from a fire.

[scorpion 0]

Question:

 

What is the value of the item/items that you are protecting?

 

If you have a million dollars in cash then they may take the safe also.

 

Million dollars.....hmmmmm.....What was your address again??

 

LOL!

 

 

Depending on the cost of the item/items then that is what I would think about while trying to secure it.

 

I am not going to use a $1000.00 safe to protect a DVR to protect a candy aisle if you know what I mean.

[spiremeld 0]

well i was in the middle of installing a CCTV system and it was going to be installed next to the safe anyways (the safe doesnt really have valubles, just guns), i was wondering if it would hurt to wire a hard drive into the safe.

 

 

i cannot wire a usb harddrive into the next room because of the bathroom on one side, and an outter brick wall on the other side. my only option was either in the ceiling or the safe, and i was thinking my best option would be the safe. im worried about temperatures and humidity.

 

note: the cctv system is not to protect the safe, the computer is being installed next to it because that was a very conveniant place to put it. this location is hardwired with a monitered alarm so the thieve would never have enough time to make with the safe. i just want to have some video of the SOB that snatched the DVR

[cachecreekcctv 0]

Just keep in mind that heat is one of the biggest " killers" of electronic devices. In an attic would be so hot, I am not sure if even cooling fans would work in the middle of most American Summers. I have built my own DVR storage boxes out of 12 guage sheet metal , but always add cooling fans in them. There are Refrigerant-based Enclosure Coolers. Very expensive though. I build a lot of "Project Panels" for different applications (non-cctv), but have never installed one in an attic , that I can remember. Most are outdoors, but I always use one or more 4" fans in any enclosure. One note on the DVR's, though, in my own home, and many customers smaller businesses, I will take an old VCR, make a BIG label with my Brother Label Maker, and write in Big Letters " Security System VCR". Right on the front of the VCR. Of course the VCR isn't doing anything, but most burglars would not know a Time-Lapse VCR from a DVR. This (hopefully) would catch their attention.

[genealle 0]

When I was a cop, I got a call to a local AMOCO gas station. Two of the four bullet cameras had been stolen. Both were mounted on basic wall mounts about 7' off the ground....very easy to reach. Of course the 8 hour time-lapse VCR had recorded nothing but snow, since they never did any maintenance or checked it.

 

Maybe just stash it away and put an old broken VCR in plain view with a couple of cables hanging on it?

[Rebco 0]

I had a customer call me and tell me someone stole his pc based dvr from his utility closet..about 2 weeks later in the same neighborhood i had a guy ask me how he can get his computer to work because all he gets is dvr software pop up everytime he plugs in his new computer he bought off someone...

 

I went into a wawa yesturday to get a sandwich and seen a cheap china based bullet camera mounted on the counter a soon as you walk in about waist height

 

Maybe just stash it away and put an old broken VCR in plain view with a couple of cables hanging on it?

I keep all my old time lapse vcr and give them to customers to put them out in the open so the steal these instead

[rzoned 0]

LOL..

so what you do with those stollen PC ?

[Scruit 0]

I had a customer call me and tell me someone stole his pc based dvr from his utility closet..about 2 weeks later in the same neighborhood i had a guy ask me how he can get his computer to work because all he gets is dvr software pop up everytime he plugs in his new computer he bought off someone...

 

I went into a wawa yesturday to get a sandwich and seen a cheap china based bullet camera mounted on the counter a soon as you walk in about waist height

 

Maybe just stash it away and put an old broken VCR in plain view with a couple of cables hanging on it?

I keep all my old time lapse vcr and give them to customers to put them out in the open so the steal these instead

 

So did they find the thief after you reported the stolen PC to the police?

[Rebco 0]

So did they find the thief after you reported the stolen PC to the police?

Cops here do nothing, I had a client that had his gas station booth robbed( no gun just kept the gas attendant outside while someone else raided the cash drawer $5000.00) late one night. I gave them a picture ,camera was 6 ft away till this day nothing.... They come into work hang out get in there cars hang out some more hit on every skirt that passes by , and go home... I think they have a contest of which cop does less. Funny part is we have one chief with 2 or 3 assistant chiefs....... Gotta love it.

[rory 0]

So did they find the thief after you reported the stolen PC to the police?

Cops here do nothing, I had a client that had his gas station booth robbed( no gun just kept the gas attendant outside while someone else raided the cash drawer $5000.00) late one night. I gave them a picture ,camera was 6 ft away till this day nothing.... They come into work hang out get in there cars hang out some more hit on every skirt that passes by , and go home... I think they have a contest of which cop does less. Funny part is we have one chief with 2 or 3 assistant chiefs....... Gotta love it.

 

Hmmmm .. so a huge CAT crane .. was being hauled down the main road this evening .. like 6pm .. it was taking up both lanes, no police escort and there was a guy running in front of it waving down cars to pull over so it could pass .. anyway it took out my neighbors entire front wall .. statues and all .. and kept going .. I called 911 and also drove to the local police station .. they didnt even move .. I drove out and followed the contraption which continued on for another 30 minutes .. tearing down trees as it went along the road .. until it pulled in one side road and I followed it in (stupid me!). I asked the driver who was responsible for this as they knocked down my neighbors wall and since I was home at the time they would probably ask me if I saw anything .. NOTE this is like 45 minutes now from when I called 911 .. all the cops had to do was go to this main road, any part of it, then follow the broken tree limbs until they got to this crane thing .. but about 10 minutes after I arrived home ... sometime around 8pmish .. the cops just pulled up .. then when i went out to speak to them they was like tell the neighbor who or where I saw the contraption, when they ask me., . I was like WHAT .,. Boss this thing had the entire east side of the Island backed up with traffic congestion for a good part of an hour .. destroyed at least one person's wall and took out many trees, maybe telephone lines also .. and thats it???

 

They so useless here it aint funny no more!!

[Rebco 0]

Got to love goverment work, Nobody gives a you know what about anything, Just get the check at the end of the week. Got to love it...

[neugent 0]

You can probably use a wall mounted DVR. I've seen a few good ones out there, ranging from small ones (about a4 size, to a full tower wall mount case)

[Javik 0]

If this DVR is going into a commercial business, you cannot install loose high voltage power cord above a drop ceiling without it being in conduit. This includes that power cord on the DVR device.

 

Low voltage cabling is exempt from conduit (under 48 volts) above drop ceilings, but the DVR doesn't run on 48 volts. Also, stuff installed bare above drop ceilings usually needs to be plenum-rated in the event of a fire. Plenum grade equipment is major expensive.

 

At minimum you'd need a a big steel box to hold the DVR, with power conduit running to the steel box and a power outlet accessible only from inside the box for the DVR. The containment box is then screwed/locked shut with the DVR installed.

 

The electrical and fire code rules can be really arcane and cumbersome. I haven't a clue if ventilating holes are permitted for a steel device containment box installed above a drop ceiling.

 

There are so many ways a building inspector could fail this that to me it'd be a major hassle to try putting a DVR up in a drop ceiling.

 

 

So you're just putting the DVR up there in that hidden space on a wooden shelf? Um, no.

 

- Javik

[dnieweg 0]

Most people use a VCR lockbox which is available from many video security equipment resellers. It can be bolted to a surface at least slowing someone down.

 

At 3xLogic we also have a wall-mount model that of course mounts flat on the wall which is good in some of these businesses that have very limited room. It also provides security and pretty muck looks like some type of equipment box.