Joe Barr Gives ZoneMinder A Thumbs-Up 110
I've been interested in the Free software home-security software called ZoneMinder for a while, but strictly as a lurker, checking out the project's site whenever I noticed it crawl down the Freshmeat home page. Joe Barr of NewsForge, though, recently had reason to install the software, which manages one or more home security cameras (which can be any Linux compatible camera -- he used some common D-Link wireless ones), watches for movement (generating alarms based on user configuration), and lets the camera output be streamed elsewhere, so a thief can't usefully just rip out the recording system. (NewsForge and Slashdot are both part of OSTG.)
Cool idea (Score:5, Insightful)
Getting pictures of theives is a good thing, making sure that they are good enought to ID someone is even better.
Errr... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Cool idea (Score:4, Informative)
The lighting would be up to you. These cameras are sensitive to infrared light (Some buildings actually have infrared lamps on the outside, which appear not to be working to us, but will make the scene appear illuminated to a video camera). You'd probably want to have motion activated outside lighting before you had a camera for night-time protection.
Although, I hope the cameras also save the time and date on the display. Some courts won't accept such evidence unless it is timestamped.
Re:Cool idea (Score:2)
Re:Cool idea (Score:2)
Re:Cool idea (Score:3, Informative)
ZoneMinder does this by default. It's also very easily user configured via their web interface.
bollocks (Score:2)
Re:Cool idea (Score:2)
Another cool idea is to put infrared spots on the front of the house that stay on long after the regular spots go off, lulling would be burglars into a false sense of security. That and cameras with IR sensitivity could get clear images of people and license plates in the dark.
It's cool to be watching video of some
This is great! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is great! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:This is great! (Score:1)
explanation (Score:1, Funny)
I'm going to try this.. (Score:1)
I for one welcome our new wireless compatible Big Brother Overlord software!!!!!!
Re:I'm going to try this.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Mind your own business (Score:3, Insightful)
Be sure to post your address too so they can burn your house down for sticking your nose into other peoples affairs.
Re:Mind your own business (Score:1)
Re:Mind your own business (Score:2)
"could have" "might have" are not good excuses to step outside the boundries.
For the record, drugs are stupid. But if some moron wants to fry his brain. Fine.. Just stay off my property.
Re:Mind your own business (Score:3, Insightful)
So, you'd be O.K. with someone having 1000 lbs. of flash powder on the lot beside yours, stored halphazarly?
M'k.
Im not a hypocrite (Score:1, Flamebait)
What my neighbors do on their side of the fence is none of my business.
Nor is my business theirs ( like the fact I just happen to have 200 pounds of gunpowder for 'reloading', though its safely stored, or several gallons of gas for a tractor..
Nor is it my business that the guy down the street makes his own distilled alcohol for his car
Re:Im not a hypocrite (Score:2)
The problem isn't that your neighbour has explosives -- the problem is that, given what can be observed, they are in serious danger of going off, with little in the way to prevent
MOD PARENT UP! I disagree but it isn't flamebait!! (Score:2)
Re:Mind your own business (Score:2)
three languages, one db, one http server... (Score:4, Interesting)
This project might be out of reach for folks without the technical ability of the geniuses that populate slashdot. Anyone know how much a professional installation like this would cost for comparison?
Re:three languages, one db, one http server... (Score:1, Informative)
stuff by Ross Melin is available off the standard
download page here is the direct link:
http://www2.zoneminder.com/downloads/ZMliveCD_1.1
Re:three languages, one db, one http server... (Score:2)
Re:three languages, one db, one http server... (Score:2)
Buy one of these [apple.com] and then buy this [bensoftware.com].
And then buy all that other stuff like cameras and routers and shit.
Can't Tell You (Score:5, Insightful)
One question I have is about the detection analysis, and how the threshold for analysis is set. For instance, there are a number of trees beside my front driveway and they sway and shake a lot. How does one go about making sure Zoneminder does not record the trees continuously?
M
Re:Can't Tell You (Score:4, Informative)
The software is really quite powerfull.
Re:Can't Tell You (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Can't Tell You (Score:1)
Re:Can't Tell You (Score:2)
<!--This section covers objects to be ignored by ZoneMind
<ignore-section>
<postman/>
<neighbours dog/>
<trees/>
<!--Do not uncomment the following unless you want no proof your home was robbed
<villans/>
-->
<neighbours kid/>
</ignore-section>
Re:Can't Tell You (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course it also means that the edjumicated thief can easily disable your cameras while still being relatively far from the premises. Jamming 802.11 is not terribly hard. (unfortunately my phone is the ultimate proof; it destroys any 802.11 connection while it's in use, regardless of channel)
Re: offtopic your sig (Score:2)
Before calling somebody an idiot, at least make sure to check your sentence for grammatical error, otherwise it may give the impression that you are the idiot. To your credit, you got it right once...
As far as the free ipod is concerned, it doesn't really cost anything to do it except maybe some more spam but that's what disposable email addresses are for.
Re: offtopic your sig (Score:1)
Or perhaps not a native English speaker?
For some reason I somehow doubt that you will get a free iPod in exchange for just an email address. Think I'll leave the rest of the message intact.
Re: offtopic your sig (Score:2)
As a non native English speaker myself, from my experience in the US, it looks to me that English speakers are more likely to make the mistake, maybe because most non native speakers had to deal with their own grammar that is more complicated than the English one and have a better command of the logic behing the rules...
Re: offtopic your sig (Score:2)
Re:Can't Tell You (Score:3, Interesting)
Although the article poster used wireless cameras for their security system, by default ZoneMinder uses basic composite bttv-style cameras. At my home, I use a 4 port capture card (made by X-Guard) and small bullet
motion (Score:1)
I have motion set up to watch my front yard, and I am very pleased with it's lack of false detections *without* havin
Security, right... (Score:1, Funny)
How kind of him.
Wireless... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wireless... too late (Score:1)
Entertainment Network (VOYEURDORM-DOM)
412 East Madison Street
Suite 1000
Tampa, FL 33602
US
Domain Name: VOYEURDORM.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Marshlack, David G (37284117P) dns@mailtpa.com
412 East Madison
Suite 1000
Tampa, FL 33602
US
813-223-3224
Record expires on 24-Aug-2009.
Record created on 25-Aug-1998.
Database last updated on 14-Oct-2004 21:40:19 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
Re:Wireless... (Score:1)
This kind of scheme has been tried by voyeuristic landlords. On the down side, these peep-happy jerks have ended up with choice coed footage. On the up side, a whole bunch of these morons get caught. After criminal and civil prosecution, these guys end up having to live down having a sex crime conviction and being listed as sex criminals.
I don't know what the thrill is, but surely any idiot can see the cost to benefit ratio sucks.
Genda
Re:Wireless... (Score:2)
Re:Wireless... (Score:1)
Sliver, right? Sharon Stone in the shower. Not sure who the heck else was in the movie. Maybe just Sharon Stone. No, wait, had to be someone behind the camera. Oh, well...
Another good app.. (Score:5, Informative)
Motion has motion detection and whatnot, and it's a pretty nice program, extremely configurable and extensible. Makes a nice webcam with java streaming .
Windows solution... (Score:2)
Pretty nice. Shows what has changed in an image, scheduled uploads, snapshot timers, all kinds of stuff. Puts the images right to a page with thumbnails and even includes a link to the motion lapse video. Everything is uploaded so a burglar can't just smash the PC and be done with it, allows you to tilt & swivel your camera if supported... so forth.
Bad news, and good news: Homewatcher [homewatcher.com] is for sale. Don't expect them to provide supp
Re:Another good app.. (Score:2, Interesting)
IP address... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:IP address... (Score:3, Insightful)
A) before attempting to burgle a house, do some wardriving first and avoid any house with WEP. If there is no WEP and you can see the stream... and you're in the stream... run like hell!
B) after some wardriving, and assuming you still want to break into a house with a WEP protected *cough* AP, first, find the external D-marc and unplug all RJ-11 and coax cables. Of course, if you're really kewl and don't care about noise while commiting your crime, just do an "al
Re:IP address... (Score:2)
Re:IP address... (Score:2)
I got this great picture of you (Score:2)
Good idea. Then I will get a nice picture of you with a wire cutters in your hand, heading to my telephone line enterance. (and since my net connection is wireless I'll have pictures of you walking all over my house.
Re:IP address... (Score:3, Informative)
homeland security?? (Score:4, Funny)
Away put your pitchforks and torches!
Re:homeland security?? (Score:2)
I didn't read it that way... but even if I did, what's the problem?
If my camera system records everyone coming into, or leaving, my building, and something nasty happens in my building, I can walk to the remote server, yank the drives, and take them to the nearest police station.
Imagine if every stree
Cool applications (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Cool applications (Score:3, Insightful)
Go here: http://www.compgeeks.com/products.asp?cat=VID for all the equipment you'd need to set something like this up, for under $50. I played with motion (motion.sf.net) about 2-3 years ago. Didn't ever do anyth
Re:Cool applications (Score:2)
Re:Cool applications (Score:2)
monitoring places where there's more to steal than a 'couple of computers' maybe?
Wireless Security Cameras: Bug your own home (Score:5, Interesting)
Plus, the privacy implications are also bad, you are letting anyone with a receiver to spy on you 24 hours a day.
Re:Wireless Security Cameras: Bug your own home (Score:1)
What about stream security? (Score:3, Interesting)
I guess that might be acceptable if the cameras only looked outside, but your neighbors might have other ideas...
Re:What about stream security? (Score:2, Insightful)
OT: OSTG (Score:2)
Re:OT: OSTG (Score:1)
Upshot: the change reflects a focus broader than only "developers" -- there a
Potential for mischief (Score:3, Interesting)
Hmmm, 'security' huh? (Score:3, Funny)
I installed it at the house of my 'friend' Susan...
The camera is at her house, but the program is running at mine...
It is for her security, in case she is burgled again.
Yeah, Right.
Cameras? For wimps! (Score:2)
All responsible citizens equip their home with a trap gun [collectorsfirearms.com] , saving time and money, although admittedly needing to use the wet-dry vac when you return home. As the description of this fine item states, trap guns were developed by the English to deal with pesky poachers and grave robbers.
Best thing (Score:3, Informative)
Ah... (Score:1, Redundant)
The cameras are installed at a friend's house, and the application runs at mine.
camera at "friend's" house...
...
application at his.
*ahem*
*cough cough*
...
Yes, I see now...
mobile security (Score:2)
ZoneMinder not ready for prime time (Score:2, Informative)
I downloaded the most recent version (1.19.5), and tried installing it on a Debian box with a USB webcam attached. Being that there isn't a Debian package for it yet, I tried installing it from source. I installed it to
I found that I needed to hack t
Re:ZoneMinder not ready for prime time (Score:3, Informative)
Also, it does not take 4 hours to install. If you spend time following their comprehensive instructions on their website, you can easily
Re:ZoneMinder not ready for prime time (Score:2)
No way did my ZM install take 4 hours. I also ran into a small problem, but it ended up being missing libjpg.
If your needs are very relaxed like mine, you can easily get by with a lot of the default configs.
Re:ZoneMinder not ready for prime time (Score:1)
Which version of zoneminder did you use?
What did you use for an init script? I don't remember seeing a debian-specific one or a generic one; and the Redhat one depended on a number of files (the "functions" init 'library' for one) that don't exist on debian. I certainly could have hacked a working one; but after poking at the whole thing for some time, I d
If you knew Suzie like he knows Suzie ... (Score:2)
Rrrrright buddy. Uh huh.
Does anyone else find it strange that the article doesn't mention what Susan's response was to having her house wired and monitored remot
A better solution (Score:2, Informative)
Re:A better solution (Score:3, Informative)
So for $280, you can have a 4 port capture card, 3 Sony color CCD cameras, and all the software you're gonna ne
IP Video is a Very effective means of security (Score:1)
Is this really the right way to go? (Score:2)
First of all, as other posters have mentioned it seems unlikely that a regular 640x480 camera is going to have sufficient resolution to be able to read a license plate. In order to cover all possible positions that a car might park in, you have to keep a pretty wide angle, which means you lose the ability to zoom in on details. Judiging from the screen shots it just didn't seem very realistic that y
A Great Application (Score:1)
We're using it at my school for a rather high security lab [slashdot.org] and it works wonderfully. It captures footage every time someone walks in or out of the lab, as well as any time they drift over to the server/switch cabinet. If an incident were to happen, we would know who was in the room at any given moment in time.
And hey, it makes for fun work breaks to watch the students get frustrated from the comfort of my own office.
Why the disclaimer? (Score:2)
Yeah, we know that. But what's the matter with plugging free software? If you had to pay for it it might be different but you're not getting anything out of it. That's why I always get a chuckle out of the super-punctilious disclaimers that always appear for some kind of journalistic integrity.
Slashdot and Newsforge are also part of the Open Source movement, and there's not a disclaimer whenever someone says something in favor of open source. Same di
I give zoneminder a thumbs-down, use motion. (Score:1)
Useless if ISP prohibits servers (Score:1)
Re:Useless if ISP prohibits servers (Score:3, Insightful)
I moved a few months ago.
Re:Useless if ISP prohibits servers (Score:2)
And it is only about $7 a month more than what Earthlink DSL was for a consumer line with static IP. Plus the cable modem is much faster..about 3Mbit down...and I think they've boosted that up. They don't ask you for any kind of proof for a business acct. either...
Re:What, me worry? (Score:2)
Your "Security through obscurity" gave it all away.