Using smartphones for security
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Hi all,
Odd question, but I'm sure it'll be easy for our tech heads here.
I have a rural property and we're having some trouble with thieves/vandals. There's no power, but there is phone signal.
Farm cams with back to base are expensive here, but I'm looking at trying that Alfred app with some of Galaxy S5's (waterproof) on solar chargers. We've had a little fiddle back at the house connected to our home wifi and it looks promising.
Question is, how would I get internet access out on the property? I can set one of the phones up as a mobile hotspot with a cheap sim card and connect a couple more to it, but the signal isn't best.
Is there some sort of cheaper Banggood etc router/extender/point of access that I can put a sim in with some sort of cheap data plan, then connect the phones to that?
The free app looks alright, and for a small yearly fee I can have higher res and a month of history storage or something like that. I can even flick a switch and yell and swear at them in real time, looking forward to that.
Please advise how I can do this on a micro budget.
Thank you
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@corexy @corexy I don't know where are you coming from. e.g. In Germany you can buy an LTE Home spot router for example https://www.congstar.de/handys/details/homespot-lte-router-aktion/keinspeicher-weiss-23567/ to this router you can connect 35 Clients
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Thank you.
I should have mentioned that it's rural Australia on a farm with no power.
Phone signal is OK, not great.
I'd love something that was in something like a waterproof junction box or whatever with antennas and the sim card port, so I could bolt it to a post or something with a solar panel, then connect the phones/cameras to it via wifi.
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@corexy maybe you can find this : https://www.amazon.de/Außenbereich-wasserdichte-Dual-Antennen-Unterstützung-SIM-Kartensteckplätze/dp/B07TZ3BCVV/ref=sr_1_6?adgrpid=69143389657&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4ImEBhDFARIsAGOTMj8LtAMvHTXAS2OjX8bgYNvWxvqS9Ez5Ne28IinQjCIMBaZ_S-dbk7EaAqhdEALw_wcB&hvadid=353023200621&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9041690&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6645395801431886277&hvtargid=kwd-355718861998&hydadcr=7763_1725788&keywords=lte+outdoor+router&qid=1619179143&sr=8-6 for australia
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@siam note that 3G eats a lot of power... but if you have a lot of sun it should be ok
there's ton of 3g to wifi adapters, most mobile operators in Europe sell them for peanuts (most of them are locked to a network) but china is making them left and right, you should be able to get one for under 30$ delivered:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=3g+wifi
https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=3g+wifi -
Chinese telecommunications is a dirty word down under at the moment, I'm reluctant to use much of theirs, which is pretty much all of them. Makes it hard.
Then there's the little matter that we're literally one little incident away from a shooting war with them right now... maybe I can find something from Korea or Taiwan while they're still there.
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@corexy not following the news, had no idea it's problematic... I seen some meme's about some ships, PRC, JP, DE ... but I did not link it with downunder nor with some real issues...
I never seen a 3g capable wifi ap that was not prc noname or some huaway branded stuff ... I had access to some phillipino made phones but they were also importing 3g ap's from PRC .. you can check ebay/amazon maybe you can find something but I doubt you can find those small battery operated ones easily that are not PRC made
You might want to check out "wild life" cameras, they are fully protected and meant to be left in the woods for prolong period of time, have local storage + 3g connectivity... you would have to use card per camera but that might be easier than finding non prc made 3g wifi ap .... they will also be way more useful for the purpose of security than android phone as they all have nightvision ..
or something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Solar-Powered-Security-Wirefree-Go/dp/B07TKKPTL3/
only not made in PRC (this is HK company so not really mainland PRC but dunno if it matters) -
@Corexy
Every society needs an enemy or they would fall apart...there is no 'us' without 'them'
I personally don't care if my data is read and filed in Langley, Moscow, or Beijing.[OT]
Did you know, the worlds most-popular Aussie in sports these days is hardly known in Australia?
Guess who it is? -
@o_lampe said in Using smartphones for security:
@Corexy
Every society needs an enemy or they would fall apart...there is no 'us' without 'them'Excellent point. The good people of China are invited to join the free world.
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I should have known better than to mention it, more so just worrying a little openly as it is getting a bit heavy and I have 2 conscription age sons.
We've given up on the phone idea, and just gone with 2 of these, which we can claim on tax:
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/uniden-4g-wire-free-full-hd-security-camera-solo4gkit
Of course they are made in China, but they're only 100 or so that an ebay cheapy, and Uniden has always been a good brand down here.
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@corexy weird looks like that site blocks access from Europe ...
these: https://uniden.com.au/product/guardian-app-cam-solo4g-kit/ ?
that's specifically made for your task .. they do need each a sim card but that should not be too much $$$ dunno how is it downunder we here had (probably they are still available, but I did not check since 2019 where I got few of mine) some super cheap data cards that ppl use for POS terminals and GPS trackers that are 2-3$ / month .. have limited bw (500MB or 1G or something like that per month) but that should be more than enough to send images when motion is detected
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@corexy said in Using smartphones for security:
2 conscription age sons
Having lived through 3 wars myself I'm giving myself permission to ask this: "aren't emu's bigger problem Downunder than PRC"?
No point in worrying, you do the best you can and prepare the best you can and that's the only thing you can do. Worrying puts you in a cage and does more damage than the actual problem. Compared to us here (Balkans) you have few orders of magnitude more normal ppl in government and system that works, so don't allow yourself to be trapped by fear.
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Mate I'm a bit more resilient than that, but it's time to be well aware of the possibility down here. No use having one's head in the sand. I'm mostly interested in how to protect the retirement fund these days.
Don't worry about the emus, they're the last of your problems. It's the "dropbears" you've got to worry about...
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@corexy huma eating coalas
niiiicedunno, I really don't follow up on World politics, developed a strong distaste for it comparing what "World" reported and what happened on the field in reality here, what "World" defined as laws of proper behavior and how "World" actually behaved ... also I have a brother in NZ that did not report any issues, dunno if he's blind for them or NZ is "safe" or he just doesn't want to worry me... anyhow, after those 3 wars I can say any plan you make has 90+% of a chance to go sideways, money can always be made from scratch, no one can take your knowledge and your skills... the only thing that you can't recover is your life so all the BS .gov try to peddle about flags, belonging to a group, nation under whatever the BS story is Downunder .. they just use it to manipulate
Anyhow I'm pretty sure those cameras will work no matter where they are built :)... only issue with most PRC cameras is they have no security but since you are not using them to monitor your sleeping baby but to monitor a "public space" you don't have a problem someone "hacking them"
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@arhi said in Using smartphones for security:
dunno, I really don't follow up on World politics...
TL'DR, Australia supported an investigation of the origin of the Covid virus and the CCP got pissed off and retaliated.
Apropos S'tralia, watching now Danny Deckchair on Amazon. It's a funny movie based on the true story of Lawnchair Larry.
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@corexy Hi mate - it's been a while. As you know, my only daughter and only grand daughter live in Canberra so I follow the situation down there closely. Right now I'm more concerned about whether we will ever see them again due to the closed border Covid thing. It's been 16 months with no end in sight.
Back on topic, please don't take this the wrong way, but how the hell do you run the printer if you have no power? Solar?
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Hi Ian, how you been old fella?
The cameras are for my rural property, which has no power. My home where I live (and print) not only has power, we also have internet and hot running water. It's amazing all the shit we're getting these days!
Just winding you up... We've just had a few issues on the farm recently with trespassers and thieving, and even a crazy bloody real estate agent coming on the place and leaving me notes. It's time to catch them in the act!
I share your fears about the border. This "covid thing" is like a blank check for pollies, and don't even get me started on the media coverage. It's like everyone caught Stockholm syndrome rather than covid.
