Identify this car?

[Zucca]

You should put the 110VAC on the secondary of that transformer... and install some alu tape connected to the primary sealing the box.

[nctnico]

You should put the 110VAC on the secondary of that transformer... and install some alu tape connected to the primary sealing the box.

Even in the US that is probably illegal and likely to end up costing you lots of money and trouble.

[Zucca]

Ok if you don't want harm those bastards then some sort of "glue" on the box to get at least the finger print in case they leave it on the ground because too heavy for a punk tattoo girl.

BTW: If a police man are reading this, do you do this kind of analysis in your office i this case? I bet 100€ no.

[james_s]

I mean if it were purely up to me I would be perfectly ok with a lethal bait box but if I did manage to harm somebody I could be held liable. We have had several cases where someone broke into someone's house, managed to injure themselves and successfully sued the homeowner, ridiculous but it happens.

Anyway this first time around I just want to try to lure them into having their license plate captured as they pass by. If they snag this box then there's a pretty good chance they live nearby and will swipe other boxes. At that point if I have not caught them I can try a dye pack, spraypaint can with a mechanism to puncture it, shotgun blank (LOUD!!), smoke flare, tracker or some combination of things. Once I hit someone with that though they'll know they've been baited and that particular person likely won't give me another opportunity to get them. The possibility of retaliation is a concern too.

[soldar]

You say it is a dead end street so they have to get out the way they came in. It should not be difficult to use a spike strip or caltrops to stop their getaway. Hide them by the side of the road and activate them manually when you see them trying to get away after the deed.

[james_s]

I'd have to be very sure I was getting the right vehicle, and not get someone else or that could be a very expensive mistake. Really I think the best option is to capture their license plate and let the police take care of the rest. Failing that I can try a bait box with a tracker or something to give them a nasty surprise without actually hurting anybody. I don't even know if they'll hit again though, it's possible they have moved on to other areas.

[nctnico]

I mean if it were purely up to me I would be perfectly ok with a lethal bait box but if I did manage to harm somebody I could be held liable. We have had several cases where someone broke into someone's house, managed to injure themselves and successfully sued the homeowner, ridiculous but it happens.

Anyway this first time around I just want to try to lure them into having their license plate captured as they pass by. If they snag this box then there's a pretty good chance they live nearby and will swipe other boxes. At that point if I have not caught them I can try a dye pack, spraypaint can with a mechanism to puncture it, shotgun blank (LOUD!!), smoke flare, tracker or some combination of things. Once I hit someone with that though they'll know they've been baited and that particular person likely won't give me another opportunity to get them. The possibility of retaliation is a concern too.

I'd be concerned about retaliation too. People who think other people's stuff is theirs probably have a few other things wired the wrong way round too. Like feeling entitled to other people's property and they may get very pissed. Collect evidence and let the police do the rest. At least they are paid & trained to get beaten up or shot at.

[Mr. Scram]

My friends use the doorbell cam to get alerted and ID a delivery driver, and then they remotely open their garage door, where the parcel gets dropped off inside, and the door gets closed. All done over a cellphone.
 
There are also dedicated outdoor lock boxes, like a huge mailbox, bolted down.
I remember seeing some that are home made, a ESP8266 controlling a lock solenoid, battery powered.
One had a keypad and the delivery guy was given the combo to open the lock.

Opening your house to the world through a cellphone. What could possibly go wrong?

[james_s]

lemme guess..

Does it go "Woof.. Woof.. Woof" ?

No, those don't tend to mix well with things that go "meow" nor does it fit well with my lifestyle to have an animal that I have to take outside to relieve themselves several times a day and find ways to keep them entertained when I'm working or otherwise busy. Big dogs in the suburbs with a tiny yard are not a great combination.

My adjustments involved adding additional cameras and slightly tweaking some of the ones I already had.

[nctnico]

Opening your house to the world through a cellphone. What could possibly go wrong?

Depends on the system. Apple's homekit requires an Apple specific ID & encryption chip in each device in order to communicate with Apple's servers. All of these chips are 100% traceable through the distribution and assembly of a device. I'm not an Apple fan but Apple is really serious about security for their Homekit environment.

[Mr. Scram]

Depends on the system. Apple's homekit requires an Apple specific ID & encryption chip in each device in order to communicate with Apple's servers. All of these chips are 100% traceable through the distribution and assembly of a device. I'm not an Apple fan but Apple is really serious about security for their Homekit environment.

They take the security of their phones very seriously too yet several critical security issues are patched with each release of iOS. Most manufacturers do much worse. Electronics and especially networked devices in their current form are inherently flawed. Very flawed. Not to mention the folly of a homebrew solution. Some things are best kept separated from others.

[james_s]

Given how rare theft has historically been here, I don't think I need extreme measures to prevent it. I can start instructing delivery drivers to leave boxes on the back porch or around the side where they are not visible. I'm quite sure mine was a crime of opportunity, they drove up and down the street stopping at houses that had stuff sitting visibly on the porches. My shipping boxes were left leaning up against the front door like a big bright flag in the sun. I'm still annoyed that the mailman left all of my mail there, I have a locking mailbox for a reason.

[soldar]

On the other hand you can be grateful they stole something of no value and alerted you to be careful in the future with things of more value.

[Rerouter]

Not to mention for the cost of a transformer and an empty box you get to see how far arm chair investigators can pick apart blurry footage. And get some fun out of the hunt

[james_s]

Well no bites today but I'll be home again on Friday. Also my new 8MP camera came so hopefully soon I'll have less blurry footage. I'm going to set that one up on the street so it only records after detecting motion. It has a narrower 88 degree FOV which will result in fewer wasted pixels but I wish Amcrest offered something even narrower. I think a mixed approach is the way to go, wide angle cameras up high to survey a broad area combined with narrow angle cameras strategically placed to capture license plates or faces.

Technically my stuff is all ONVIF compliant so I may try some mix & match at some point, the hardware is inexpensive enough that I don't mind experimenting.

[Brumby]

The trick with narrow angle cameras is to point them in the right direction - but I daresay you have something already in mind.

[Muttley Snickers]

Forget about the thieves and arrest those damn leaves.   
I would kill two birds and fill the bait boxes with leaves.   

[jonovid]

a good case for having high-definition cctv systems is a good idea

[aqarwaen]

how offen you order items from internet?maybe if you order offen from internet,i suggest you install large secure mail box..i seen people using them..some are made from steel and have safety locks.
after package is inserted there,it locks itself and you need to unlock with similar to car keys signal or use keys to unlock it
you should invest into it

[james_s]

I'm not bothered by the leaves, they're a part of nature, actually I think they look nice when the trees change color in the fall and the deciduous types shed. I sweep them off the roof and the porch once the maple trees are done shedding, otherwise I let nature take care of itself.

I order online frequently, as I've said before, I have a locking metal mailbox but that doesn't help if the mailman leaves something on my porch, and also UPS and other services can't deliver to a USPS mailbox.

[SilverSolder]

The leaves are beautiful...  until they have to be cleaned up! 

Of course, this gives rise to another hobby:  the care and feeding of small internal combustion engines...

I was cutting down a fallen tree the other day, and was amazed that the little two-stroke chain saw exceeding expectations by starting on the 1st or 2nd pull every time, no matter how long it has been standing.  (I'm good about remembering to add marine grade stabilizer to the fuel, which seems to be the "secret sauce" here.  That, and new fangled electronic ignition on small engines!)

[james_s]

I don't really mind too much, the only real hassle is the gutters, otherwise I just sweep them off the walkway and blow them off the roof. I have an electric leaf blower for that, I loathe gas leaf blowers. The neighbor next to our vacation cabin often spends hours using that infernal screaming thing to blow leaves off his perfectly manicured lawn out in the woods, it's stupid. Then the wind will blow and by the next day there are leaves all over again. I just leave them on the ground.

[aqarwaen]

for extra security you could add ome thic steel chain into stand pipe,where your you security box is standing on..it would be pain to saw it though it with electric metal saw,if thief really wanted to steal ibox content

[james_s]

It's really not necessary and I'm not sure how that is even relevant here. There's nothing wrong with the mailbox, the problem is that my stuff wasn't put into it and many things can't fit or can't be delivered there.

The problem is people grabbing stuff off porches, I want to catch those that do, not mask the problem.

[Rerouter]

For your neighbour. His infernal screeching machine has a vacuum mode and a collection bag which instead mulches all of the leaves into a bag ready to put into a compost pile