Home Hacking Projects for Geeks

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Chapter 13, Build a Security System

Wrapping Up

On the whole, I feel like this project increases the security of my home, and

I enjoy having complete control over the logic behind the security system.

It doesn’t add value to my house like a conventional security system would,

and my insurance company certainly isn’t going to give me a break on my

rates, but then again, I can take it with me when I move.

My wife seems comfortable arming and disarming the system. There was

certainly a learning curve, but we haven’t had too many false alarms so far.

We haven’t had any break-ins either, though, so I can’t be completely confi-

dent that it would successfully thwart an intruder.

There are a couple of aspects of the system that need maintaining. Each

time the cameras are triggered, they’ll capture video and store it both on

my hard disk and on my friend’s hard disk. So, I end up regularly deleting

video footage of me opening the front door without disarming the security

system. This process could certainly be automated by writing a script that

deleted video older than a week.

I also have to regularly check the sensors to make sure they’re still work-

ing correctly. During the trial period, I’ve attached them with double-sided

foam tape, but that doesn’t hold up very well, and the sensors tend to fall

out of place (and trigger an alarm, if the system is currently armed). After ...