Electronic bike security

[Cruizin]

I owned my own commercial alarm/electronic security company for 18 years. Worked for a leading electronic security manufacturer as well.
 
A common problem for folks without a secured indoor parking solution is stolen or vandalized bikes. And while I have worked with some outstanding technical solutions for banks, government facilities and casinos, most of those are wired only solutions. In apartment rental, wiring up cameras and a dvr and power supplies just wont work.
 
Plus, the systems that I worked with professionally are top notch quality, not available to the general public. And expensive.
 
Wireless cameras came out a few years ago but honestly, they are mostly all crap and still require a power cord. So, I have refrained from recommending any of these solutions. Ever seen security camera footage that is so crappy that you can't even see who is in the picture? Thats a store owner who chose the "cheap" option.
 
Plus, without reporting features, all you get to do is watch your stuff get stolen after the fact.
 
But I have recently worked with a consumer product that really impressed me and I feel comfortable recommending it as part of your bike security efforts.
 
The NETGEAR Arlo Security System
 
I installed this system for a neighbor who bought it on a whim. When she told me that she bought a wireless camera system, I said oh crap, another sucker. I was wrong.
 

 
Completely wireless, no power cords, these cameras come with CR-123 batteries that seem to have great battery life when motion detection (pixel based) is set to medium range.
 
You can view live, you can view recordings and when they detect motion activity they can also send you push notifications and emails.
 
Being that they are wireless, you can mount them anywhere you can get wifi signal too. You could even mount one on your bike, the best place to get a close up picture.
 

 
I called and talked to a guy I know at Netgear, and this system is for real . Works good in 10F thru 120F but sometimes the colder temps cause the low battery warning to send you a false push notification.
 
It was really easy to install, really easy to sync up the cameras. I always start with full motion sensing when installing pixel based moton cameras, and work my way down to the perfect setting. In this case, full sensitivity caused the camera to send push alerts whenever the wind blew past 5 mph. (a good sign). So I dialed it down to 50% and that was perfect and sent push alerts only when I walked in view of the camera, within 10 feet. In this case you will want to either mount camera on the bike handlebars, or pointed right at the bike, within 10-15 feet, or you will get push alert whenever someone walks by, which will reduce battery life alot.
 
After a month of testing, this is the best consumer level (affordable) camera system that I have ever worked with. I have been waiting for an affordable 100% wireless system that has good quality for a long time. Now, because this is battery powered, there is no pan, tilt or physical zoom. and the picture quality is 720P . But the picture quality is very good for the money, and if mounted close enough to your bike, will provide a clear recording of the perp.
 
Now, to prosecute someone, you will also want the extra cams to get different angles, and to also get evidence of the bike being moved away from the parked spot. Also, you will want light source in the area because in most jurisdictions, night vision recordings do not hold up in court. Full color is only possible if there is light.
 
There are also various different paid cloud storage solutions available. My neighbor chose the $9.99 per month plan for two cameras.
 
http://widgets.ign.com/video/embed/content.html?url=http://www.pcmag.com/videos/2015/05/20/052015-netgear-arlo-security-system-vms3230
 
Check it out here $303.95 for the 2 camera kit is probably cheaper than your insurance deductible. The one camera kit is only $164.93
 
 

[Cruizin]

I will add more products and tips as i test and review them right here in this thread. So, maybe bookmark this thread.

[Beemer]

Sounds nice! I used to have a camera/software set up for my pc that would automatically send whatever it recorded to another email address in case someone stole the computer. If I missed it in your thread, sorry, but does this do the same thing? 

[Cruizin]

Sounds nice! I used to have a camera/software set up for my pc that would automatically send whatever it recorded to another email address in case someone stole the computer. If I missed it in your thread, sorry, but does this do the same thing? 

 
it sends emails and push notifications when motion is detected and allows you to view live video or recorded video from your phone or laptop/tablet. So you can run down and beat the crap out of the guy stealing your bike!

[rossco]

I run Axis Security Cameras inside my bike shed. running via POE 1080p can be viewed from anywhere. LOVE IT. expensive but best equipment you can buy. Even has 2 way Mic led light that is turned on by Motion.

[Beemer]

Sounds nice! I used to have a camera/software set up for my pc that would automatically send whatever it recorded to another email address in case someone stole the computer. If I missed it in your thread, sorry, but does this do the same thing? 

it sends emails and push notifications when motion is detected and allows you to view live video or recorded video from your phone or laptop/tablet. So you can run down and beat the crap out of the guy stealing your bike!

Awesome, you get to beat him up before the cops show up 45 minutes later to ask questions about what took place. Another one of the 17 reasons it pays to own your own gun.

[bmak]

Glad you like those cameras...
 
I know the guys well who designed them (team based in Carlsbad, CA) ... I used to work for Netgear as a product manager but have since moved on to another exciting company.
 
They have a great roadmap and I expect more interesting stuff coming out from them... 
 
Cheers
BMAK