Cable outside

[#1]

Couldn't really find a suitable section to post this... I am bothered by how easy it would be for burglars etc to simply disconnect or cut the wire and junction box that is exposed on the front wall of my house.  Then that's the end of my cameras, alarms and everything since most devices of this type are cloud dependent.  Is there anything that can be done to make this incoming cable less accessible?

[#2]

Hi @IngeJones,

I understand your frustration but I am afraid nothing can be done as Openreach infrastructure cannot be interfered with.

[#3]

@Beyhive Would BT / OR not be able to put in underground cables if the customer were willing to pay?

[#4]

I was wondering that, but it might be better if Plusnet were to make the initial approach to Openreach on my behalf, since I have both broadband and home phone with them.  I think Openreach are more set up to deal via the retailer.   

Later:  It seems BT offer cable rerouting for their customers (at a price of course), so presumably it's something Plusnet could arrange on the same basis.

[#5]

Hi IngeJones ,

It's very easy to disconnect the incoming cable if it's fed underground via a pillar or pit or overhead from a pole

Now high security alarms the connection to the alarm centre is done by mobile phone not hard wired they don't go to Police Stations any more

Brian A

[#6]

Yeah but I am not wanting to involve a formal alarm centre.  I just want to get alerts from my cameras etc onto my mobile phone.  Trouble is that most of these systems require an active internet connection or they're useless.  I wish they made more lan-only systems.  I think I may need to look at using a dual-connection router with 4g failover.

[#7]

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@IngeJones wrote:

I just want to get alerts from my cameras etc onto my mobile phone.  ... these systems require an active internet connection ... I wish they made more lan-only systems.

How might your mobile phone connect to your security system without it being internet accessible?

If you want to mitigate against your physical phone lone being sabotaged then you need a reliance fallback.  A router which supports 3G/4G as a fall back connection is fine ... but only up to a point.  You will also need to consider how your mobile remote connection will work in the event of fall back.

Does your Plusnet service have a static IP - or do your devices register with a cloud service, paid for or otherwise, as do Swann CCTV systems, so that your mobile monitor can "find" your system?  In the event of a fall-back mode of operation, your security system will have a new IP address, which you will need to know, or it will need to have re-registered with the cloud service.

Really good question, but not so simple to answer!

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[#8]

I have a 'Ring Doorbell' which won't work without an Internet connection, which to me is plain stupid. But if it worked with both LAN and WAN you'd get a much faster response from it as you could view the video stream from the LAN when at home.

[#9]

@Townman I don't see what the problem would be with my mobile phone since it has 4g and wifi enabled at most times.  It is perfectly happy to flop between one and the other according to whether our internet is briefly down and reconnecting (which happens fairly often)   - Of course if Plusnet services were themselves down then I'd still have a problem

We do have a static IP and run a small webserver at home.

I'd be quite happy to add a local security/smarthome server, if such were available.  And if we were both going to be away we could open a port to it and connect from remote.  As it happens the house is rarely empty, so local access only is fine. 

NB we don't have a "system" installed.  We have nest cams and some smartthings vibration detector.  Just entry level domestic tech. Currently just one of each while we try to settle on a setup that will work the way we like to do things.  But whatever we use I'd want it viewable either on my phone which is always by me, or on tablets or smart screens that I can leave docked in strategic places around the home.  What I don't want is a clunky CCTV with video recorder system.  And like the person above I resent having to wait for a doorbell to send the announcement to the cloud and back again.  If it would like to send to the cloud *at the same time* it is sending direct locally that's fine.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Post released from Spam Filter.

[#10]

I posted a reply to this - where did it go?   That's annoying it was a long reply, too

Later:  Oh it got caught in the spam filter.  I wonder why?

Basically it was agreeing with Mook, and telling Townman we do have fixed IP, already run a web server.  Assuming it wasn't Plusnet itself going down my phone can connect via 4g too, so that's not a problem.

What I'd like I guess is to run a smarthome/security server at home, on its own subnet and wifi ID, and use docked tablets in various places around the home connected to that network to view the cameras etc.  NB there is almost always someone home.

[#11]

Having devices in the home on which you can view your cameras / security devices is one thing (but surely if at home you know what is going on) but the real benefit is being able to do the same when you are away from home.

To do that, you need to be able to support inbound connectivity from the internet to your device / devices.  A "bulky" security hub is the best way to support than and they are not that bulky.

To facilitate such an inbound connection, you either need to make a direct connection to your home network (needs a known IP address) or the security hub needs to 'register' with a cloud base service to facilitate a connection.  If not cloud connected, if you had 3G/4G fall back connectivity, the IP address of that would not be known and therefore not accessible.

As for your phone switching from LAN (wifi) to 3G/4G at home … that is something completely different.

FWIW I monitor a number of Swann CCTV systems, on my phone, remotely or on site.  Their control hubs are about the size of a "TV set top box" and you only need a screen connected for set up, if you do not wish to have a permanent fixed display.  It could be argued that a system without a fixed display is only so to cut down unit cost and pass the viewing problem to somewhere else.

[#12]

That's the point, we have our own specific requirements that we've worked out based on the way we live.  We don't go away, and the house is only ever empty for about 20 mins at a time while I am at our nearby shop.  But the house is three floors, and a long way front to back.  If I was sitting at the back I wouldn't hear someone fiddling with a front window and vice versa.  I am concerned about the break-ins locally that are happening while people are in.  If I can make my presence known *before* they have got in, there is a good chance they won't go any further.  So I just want warning that something's going on outside the house.  The cameras pointed through the windows are doing very well at that task, but they'd do nothing under the current setup if the phone line was cut.

Thanks for the heads-up about the IP address on 4g.  While that would affect our webserver I doubt it would cause a problem to the cloud-based smart items would it?  

[#13]

You may want to have a look at the products offered by Ring, as I mentioned they do need a working Internet connection, but there mere presence is a deterrent. They watch 24/7 and record when the security perimeter is breached. If the bad guys are determined to gain access then no amount of cameras will stop them.

[#14]

The Nest cameras are doing the same, but with less lag!  And I don't think a recording helps, since it relies on the police having enough time to examine it in the hopes a face will be both visible and  recognisable.  What I want is something that will let me do the viewing - in a timely timeframe, and let my presence be known.  This is all realtime stuff I am after.

I am still hoping a plusnet staffer pops up and says the phone line reroute can be done at a price

[#15]

So what is wrong with your Nest products that you need something extra? Doesn't Nest allow you to view your camera's in real time via a browser or App?

As for making aware your presence you could always make a noise, play the radio, but equally that could mask the sound of someone jemmying your window frame. Surely the Nest system you have can trigger a notification / alarm when motion is detected.

If, as you are implying your Nest products don't meet your need then maybe you should install something like this.