Suggestions?: Someone keeps powering off the equipment

[cctvman 0]

Hi All,

 

Just hoping I could get a few thoughts on the following situation. I have a fast food restaurant franchise as a customer and upper management suspects that store managers and certain supervisors at various locations are powering off the equipment to prevent recording or rendering remote access inoperable. Sometimes it seems that the routers are being unplugged as well and the settings are being lost including those that allow for remote configuration (port forwarding, remote configuration) necessitating an on-site visit to reinstate remote access.

 

The systems were never installed with this concern in mind. The systems are PC based units in conventional PC cases. The power buttons for these cases are not being protected in any way, there are no lockable panels protecting the power buttons, but even if there were, what would stop someone from just unplugging the plug from the back of the computer? In that case, even if there was a UPS it wouldnt matter. I have considered the use of an enclosed rack enclosure but the costs are relatively high, my cost alone is close to $1000. and it seems like even these are susceptible to being unplugged.

 

I myself am not sure someone is intentionally unplugging the power supplies but regardless the settings for the router are being erased. I was wondering if there was a way of storing router setting internally to the network and having it copied back to the router in case of erasure. The stores have D-link router installed.

 

 

 

Any thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

CCTVMAN

[Lolo Wolf 0]

Hello, before you spend time and money trying to secure a flawed install because consideration was never taken to only allow access to the gear by authorized personel, unless you can rule out a hardware or possible software glitch, I would go to the site and install a total covert camera that only you know about and monitor the security area. There are many small covert cams on the market some with built in storage memory, one that I have used for a client was the MemoCam, http://www.vdomain.com/products/memocam/default.asp If you suspect tampering then you may be able to catch the suspect(s) and then take the steps to secure your system. A final thought Ive learned over the years in CCTV work is to always secure from within first and then work your way out, if you know what I mean. Best of luck.

[jisaac 0]

your router settings are being erased everytime the power goes out? that doesnt sound right.

[Sir Flannel 0]

For a pc based system, you ought to be able to crack open the case and disconnect the power button. It won't stop the determined, but it will fool the foolish for a minute. Adding a hidden camera sounds like a good idea as well. It might not even need to be permanent, just long enough to find out who's doing it.

[Lolo Wolf 0]

Sir, another posibility for the system or router eraser could be a security breech on the network itself, it is possible that you may be hacked and someone is able to log in, connect and erase or destroy your data,to erase a router config or reset to default usually takes a reset by switch, a hard reboot should not cause you to lose your setting. I came accross this once on a commercial install for a large construction co.in New York. After hours of troubleshooting I ran multiple scans on the system and found a deeply embeded key logger,it was not hardware installed, no visible device but someone had loaded a program that enabled them to gain all password protected entry and then created havoc, beyond mischief they were destroying sensitive data It turned out to be a estimator who was upset over payroll. This was performed in a locked security room, he gained access to the room with inside help. Both the estimator and IT man were terminated and steps were taken to insure the integrity of the system with the additional install of several covert cams to monitor the cage. Sorry if I sounded harsh in my first post however in commercial applications envolving security it is very important to secure your system and expect the worse especially where there is exchange of cash, the probability will always exsit of foul play and criminal intent from the inside and out. I dont know how many restaurants you have but armed robbery is nothing to ignore so if your gear is left out and can be destroyed what is the use of having it.

[BurstElement 0]

I'd suggest your problem is the D-link modem... we refuse to use them because they lock up too easily (NAT overflow) and have buggy interfaces e.g. some firmware versions don't "save to flash" when settings are edited via firefox... only Internet Explorer works.

[crirvine 0]

Put a corvert camera in watching the DVR and FIRE THE THE ONE TURNING THINGS OFF AND RESETTING THE ROUTER.

[CollinR 0]

Put a corvert camera in watching the DVR and FIRE THE THE ONE TURNING THINGS OFF AND RESETTING THE ROUTER.

 

 

Agreed, smoke and sprinkler cams work well for this. I doubt they will steal the whole machine.

 

 

I think the problem will be you might have a DVR that doesn't properly support covert cameras.

 

 

(Geovision has some issues here...)

[crirvine 0]

CollinR I had a customer that had this problem after the 3rd trip to the site I was told by the employee Mr know-it-all that he would just turn it off after the boss and I left. I stopped in my tracks and told the employee Mr know-it-all that was fine with me because I would have his picture messing with things that was not his and I would know who to send the bill to plus I would see he got fired. Well 2 days later I went to the site DVR was off powered up the unit searched the drive found Mr Know-it-all turning off the unit printed his picture gave it to the boss which fired him and I gave Mr know-it-all a bill for 4 service calls. Burned a copy of the video for court if it went that far but it did not Mr know-it-all paid his bill.