Wait… doesn’t everybody have an array of video cameras protecting their property?
(mumbled in a state of shock as I gaze at my iPad over the seven video feeds coming from strategically positioned TCP/IP cameras around the house, all powered by POI with battery backup).
It does occur to me that I might be the odd one here, but it is definitely convenient when I wonder if my daughter came home or if the mailman has dropped off the mail.
And we get to see our neighborhood fox strolling through the yard.
As for watching the meter, there are usually plenty of things worth meddling with right next to the meter, such as Internet connection, phone connection, and the A/C condenser.
Some evil folks have been steeling A/C condensers for scrap in recent years.
No. I don’t protect my property and do not see any need to out here. Few people lock their cars, let alone their houses. My neighbors have a game cam in the ravine; a mama fox raises kits down under the rock wall every year. Hell on the chicken flock, those limbs of satan.
You might even have a control room full of monitors and a flashing red light to alert you to the arrival of cops (or hit men), but you probably haven’t taken that final step of wiring the house for detonation with a one-minute delay that allows you to say to your sexy incredulous companion, “C’mon, let’s get outta here!”
I definitely live in a more urban setting. Not a “bars on the windows” neighborhood, but those are less than 20 blocks away.
My daughter’s cat converter was stolen a few months back, and I decided to put my camera project in high gear, if only to document what happens–it’s not like I’d catch anyone live in the act, and I wouldn’t confront them.
And whenever I’m up late at night and I hear weird noises outside, it’s so convenient to glance at recent activity and see that it really is nothing more than the wind and trees.
I do admit, I like geeky technology, so this was right up my alley.
My son built a new house a couple years ago and has several cameras. Any movement detected gets an audible notification on the whole house sound system. Then he can pull up video on any of several screens around the house. It’s pretty cool.
Now I’m imagining some Dr. Seuss contraption, like the machine that put the stars on the bellies of the sneeches. There’s a long line of cats going in and dogs coming out.
Of course, just like with the sneeches, there was a machine to remove the stars. A long line of dogs going in and cats coming out!
