Best System Design When NVR/NAS could be Stolen?

[cigar7 0]

Many times, when thieves break-in, they also steal the NVR and NAS, cut telephone and TV cable lines.

 

What's an appropriate CCTV system design to prevent the theft? Should the cams record onto a NAS stored in a vault?

 

Someone suggested (hikvision) POE cams connected to a POE switch which connects to a router which also connects to QNAP NAS TS-253 pro, which is inside a vault, bolted to a concrete floor. Then use QNAP's Turbo NAS Surveillance Station software for live viewing and playback. Comments?

[BlueChipSecurity 0]

-Create a dummy DVR/NVR system.

 

-conceal the real DVR/NVR in a wall or in the crawlspace of the ceiling/attic.

 

I usually get some sort of electrical panel / telephone box that might actually have a switchboard so that it looks real, I will even add some fake connections inside the panel and have the wires run a foot into the drywall/ceiling of the house/store/restaurant. I hide the DVR inside of the wall, and have the electrical panel or telephone box cover the hole so that if a thief/disgruntled employee/sabotage even were suspicious about it, he might open it and see the fake cables inside and just think it was nothing.

 

Concealing it in a safe can work, but I will tell you that it's better for someone to not have a clue as to where the DVR is than it would be to know where it is and be able to attempt to gain access to it.

[jeromephone 6]

Depending on the number of camras and other requirements I would suggest looking into cloud storage. THere are several companies that will allow you to store several days off site plus they will notify you via your cell phone when any activity takes place. I would look at storage on the camera, offsite storage and no DVR onsite except as maybe a decoy.

[the toss 0]

I find it amusing that people have so much concern about the DVR being stolen. Why isn't a bit more effort put into the first line of defence which is entry to the premises. To concede that entry will take place and then put so much importance in the safety of the DVR seems misguided to me. It only takes a hoodie & sunglasses to make most cctv footage useless. Spend more effort on securing the premises and a quality security system that lights up the area/premises so as to encourage them to leave.

[cigar7 0]

Depending on the number of camras and other requirements I would suggest looking into cloud storage. THere are several companies that will allow you to store several days off site plus they will notify you via your cell phone when any activity takes place. I would look at storage on the camera, offsite storage and no DVR onsite except as maybe a decoy.

 

Cloud storage doesn't work in this situation because the telephone, TV cable are usually cut, so nothing can be transferred to the cloud. I guess video could be transferred to the cloud by 3g/4g but will be extremely expensive

[cigar7 0]

I find it amusing that people have so much concern about the DVR being stolen. Why isn't a bit more effort put into the first line of defence which is entry to the premises. To concede that entry will take place and then put so much importance in the safety of the DVR seems misguided to me. It only takes a hoodie & sunglasses to make most cctv footage useless. Spend more effort on securing the premises and a quality security system that lights up the area/premises so as to encourage them to leave.

 

There has been significant effort put in a good first line of defense already.

[zr1 0]

* Hide

* Harden

* Remote

 

This applies to either the DVR/NVR, or the connection (or both).

It takes creativity to apply any of those 3 above, and there's some great creativity above.

 

I've done each of the above (as well as combinations) for some interesting installs. Sometimes at construction sites, it's a lot of hardening combined with really obvious signage and some obvious (and hard to get to) cams and a cellular connection on top. But each situation can mean going back to the creativity side.

 

For example, at one location, the thieves did knock the high-up cams out of their angle and tried to steal the hardened DVR...but were unsuccessful. And since the cams didn't have a blind spot, the thieves were caught on their approach.

 

For some really bad areas of my installs, we have some blinking LEDs through the night along with motion lights. The cams don't need the motion lights, but I've seen on cam quite a bit when the approaching person gets lit up by a motion light, they turn tail.

 

It's not a catch-all. Not even close.

It's layers.

[cigar7 0]

* Hide

* Harden

* Remote

 

This applies to either the DVR/NVR, or the connection (or both).

It takes creativity to apply any of those 3 above, and there's some great creativity above.

 

I've done each of the above (as well as combinations) for some interesting installs. Sometimes at construction sites, it's a lot of hardening combined with really obvious signage and some obvious (and hard to get to) cams and a cellular connection on top. But each situation can mean going back to the creativity side.

 

For example, at one location, the thieves did knock the high-up cams out of their angle and tried to steal the hardened DVR...but were unsuccessful. And since the cams didn't have a blind spot, the thieves were caught on their approach.

 

For some really bad areas of my installs, we have some blinking LEDs through the night along with motion lights. The cams don't need the motion lights, but I've seen on cam quite a bit when the approaching person gets lit up by a motion light, they turn tail.

 

It's not a catch-all. Not even close.

It's layers.

 

Thanks for the advise

 

How did you harden the NVR/DVR?

 

Do you you use a NAS, NVR DVR? What model?

[jeromephone 6]

If you are getting cable cuts can you bury the entrance cable? Also with on camera storage you should still have a recording even if the outside cables are cut.

[cigar7 0]

If you are getting cable cuts can you bury the entrance cable? Also with on camera storage you should still have a recording even if the outside cables are cut.

 

Sometimes the owner is absent/out of the country for 10 days - 2 weeks. There is onboard cam storage however the cams are powered by POE from the NVRs. Also, sometimes the cams have also been removed.

 

The cable cuts can occur on the outside and on the inside of the premises. Would need to put in steel conduit to protect the cable, but that could be cut too, in 3 seconds, with one cut from a big bolt cutter.

[MrMxyzptlk 0]

Back in the day we used to run a piece of phone line up into the phone company box with the ends linked up and then into the alarm panel on one of the zones so if they cut the wire bundle coming out of the phone box the alarm system would trigger with an audible siren.

 

If you don't have an alarm system one could use the same wire idea but connect to a relay rigged to a power supply so when the line is cut the relay loses power and the siren with power supply is connected to the normally closed and common terminals goes off.

 

End result, bad guys cut wire, 200 dB siren goes off and bad guys need new undies.

[jeromephone 6]

There is a device that they are attaching to air conditioners that will trip an alarm or relay like what the last poster described I think they call it the whip. If things are this bad on this property I would think you would need more physical security barb wire? more fencing electric fence ? It kind of comes down to how valuable is the asset and how much do you want to spend to protect it.

[zr1 0]

* Hide

* Harden

* Remote

 

This applies to either the DVR/NVR, or the connection (or both).

It takes creativity to apply any of those 3 above, and there's some great creativity above.

 

I've done each of the above (as well as combinations) for some interesting installs. Sometimes at construction sites, it's a lot of hardening combined with really obvious signage and some obvious (and hard to get to) cams and a cellular connection on top. But each situation can mean going back to the creativity side.

 

For example, at one location, the thieves did knock the high-up cams out of their angle and tried to steal the hardened DVR...but were unsuccessful. And since the cams didn't have a blind spot, the thieves were caught on their approach.

 

For some really bad areas of my installs, we have some blinking LEDs through the night along with motion lights. The cams don't need the motion lights, but I've seen on cam quite a bit when the approaching person gets lit up by a motion light, they turn tail.

 

It's not a catch-all. Not even close.

It's layers.

 

Thanks for the advise

 

How did you harden the NVR/DVR?

 

Do you you use a NAS, NVR DVR? What model?

 

Steel boxes, sometimes welded up by local companies, other times, like on construction sites, the "job box" style similar to these (different sizes have been used):

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Jobsite-36-in-Long-Heavy-Duty-Steel-Chest-in-Brown-Tan-635990/203777537

The box does cut down on the cellular connection, so sometimes we have a little antenna on top. The box has 600-1000lbs of batteries in it with no wheels, so not easy to go carting off.

 

But other layers include a fence around the job box...lots of signage, sometimes it says the video is recorded remotely via cellular (and sometimes that sign might get placed even if the DVR/NVR is recording locally...oops ). I'll mention the blinking red/blue LEDs again...they've been quite effective in some areas.

This isn't the one...but looks similar with a magnetic mount

http://www.amazon.com/B1L-NON-FLASHING-STEADY--WARNING-BEACON/dp/B00S466IQC/

Ya gotta test out a bunch of different flashing LED lights to find one that meets your needs.

 

Also cameras that face each other making for no blind spots.

 

DVRs have varied over the years, even going back to analog days. Lately, some of the LTS 8ch "Platinum" versions of Hikvisions have been the prime choice. They do well in the Arizona heat...you'll have to ask others about colder climates.

 

A few times...we started just for kicks...but it kinda worked...we stuck a wee little cheapo "wifi cam" in the construction trailer office or under an eave if it wasn't going to rain (the things aren't waterproof) and connected them via wifi to the NVR. Not a hidden cam...but so stinkin' small they went unnoticed. They run on a 5v USB cable...so we simply used a little $30 USB battery that people use to charge their smartphones and got enough juice to run through the night. It's not a robust solution, but started as something cute, and still stick one on a site now and again as they're so small they don't get noticed. One could do the same thing with a "game cam" that hunters use to track deer before hunting season.

[cglaeser 0]

Another approach is an anti-theft fog system.