My DIY Bird Feeder Security Camera Enclosure

So I was a little bored and I said to myself. "You know what this house needs? It needs a damn security camera disguised as a damn bird feeder. That's what it needs." Actually I didn't say that, but I have been trying to find a weatherproof enclosure for a Compro IP70 / ZyXel IPC3605N (same cam). I can't find one anywhere. No one makes a weather-proof enclosure for these types of cams for some reason.

I was at Lowes home improvement store and I happened to see a bird feeder and for some reason my brain said "you know what? I bet we can shove that camera in there". It's got a roof to keep water off, and it's got 2 plastic sides to protect the lens and other exposed parts. PERFECT!!

$24 dollars later I had the makings of a bird feeder-based security camera enclosure. I'm still working out the kinks, but I think this thing just might work. The one challenge I've had so far is trying to keep the glare down from the infrared lights coming on when it gets dark, but I think I've just about got that taken care of by adjusting the angle of the camera so it doesn't see the glare.  Stay tuned.

2GIG Go!Contro1 - The iPhone of Home Security Systems

Awhile ago, I did a review of the 2GIG Technologies Go!Control Home Alarm System. I have dubbed this system "The iPhone of Home Security Systems" because it is so damn easy to setup and use. I DIY setup one myself in about a couple of hours (which included a trip to Radio Shack to by wire for the power connection).

I bought one for about $460 at homesecuritystore.com. (p.s. I have no affiliation with them that's just the place I bought it). I wanted to go DIY because I didn't want to get locked into a 3-year contract with an alarm monitoring company. Instead I purhcased a pre-paid service plan from Alarm.com via one of their resellers.

I love the Alarm.com service especially being able to arm and disarm it via their iPhone app. I did a review of Alarm.com Interactive Alarm Service which you can check out for more details the Alarm.com services features.

The only thing that I wish the 2GIG system would do is record footage from my IP Security Cameras. I have several of them and it would be nice if 2GiG could integrate a DVR into their alarm panel. Well, it seems they may be doing just that in their upcoming panel. I've seen a picture of their new panel on their website, but I can't find any details except for rumors I have heard that it would include a DVR for recording security camera footage. Given 2GIG's forward thinking on all things home security I can't wait to see their next Generation alarm system. If you want to test out (play with) a 2GIG panel, they actually have a 2GIG Alarm panel simulator in the iTunes App store that you can load up on your iPad. Check out this youtube to learn more about the 2GIG system.

How to Secure Your Liquor Cabinet with Alarm.com

I love, love, love, Alarm.com's service (wish they would pay me to say that) combined with my 2GIG Technologies Go!Control Wireless Alarm System that I DIY installed. I get some pretty sweet features at a cheap monthly service price that likely can't be beat by any alarm service providers in my area.

We are all pretty familiar with the wireless door and window contact sensors right? You get 3 of them with the 2GIG system, and you can add more at any time. I buy mine from Amazon for like $30 a piece. I've even got one on my driveway gate.

If you set these sensors to "Notification Only" as the sensor type, instead of making them part of your perimeter alarm sensor group, then you can do some really cool things.

I have one sensor on my gate that notifies me via SMS text message whenever someone opens it. It doesn't create an alarm condition, since it is in the "Notification Only" sensor type group, but it does send me a text telling me someone has opened my gate so I can check my IP Security Cameras to see what's going on.

So with this in mind, I thought I could use these contact sensors for notification about pretty much anything in or near your house.

Here's one idea I'm toying with: I have a bar with a liquor cabinet. It doesn't have a lock, so I can't secure it, but I can put a wireless alarm door/window contact sensor on it, set it to notification only, and have it text me whenever it is opened (except during 5pm happy hour of course). The 2GIG alarm system voice bank has the words "liquor" and "cabinet" available so I can even add a custom voice announcement that will be heard from the control panetl when the door to the booze cabinet is opened.

This should keep the kids out of my booze since they know that I will be notified when they attempt to mess with it. Of course they may end up sawing open the door if they get realy desparate.

You could apply this same idea to gun safe's, baby gates, santa's workshop, or anywhere you want to keep your kids out of. Put your best ideas in the commetns section below:

Encryption 101 - For People Like me Who Suck at Math

Encryption is a topic than many of us non-math types have trouble wrapping our heads around. When I was studying for the CISSP certification, I had to learn a lot about how encryption worked so I could make sense of the crypto-related questions on the test.

What I found when doing research on how to go about studying cryptography, cryptoanalysis and anything else with the word crypt in it was that there wasn't a lot of stuff out there for beginners.

Fortunately, I did finaly find some great free resources that helped me to understand crypto enough to pass the CISSP exam. I've detailed my findings in my article: Encryption 101: Understanding Encryption. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

FlashFog - A Totally Different Kind of 'Cloud Security'

So you're a bad guy and you break into a store expecting to steal a bunch of stuff. Suddenly, within a matter of seconds, the room fills with a thick blanket of smoke-like fog along with blinding strobe lights and a loud alarm. You can't see the stuff you had planned on stealing and now you can't even see your way out of the building. What the hell is going on?

You've just been 'Flash Fogged" son! Yes that's right, it's security through obscurity. If you can't see it you can't steal it.

The latest craze in loss prevention are "Security Foggers". Check out the youtube video above to see it in action and visit FlashFog Security's website for more info on this new take on 'cloud-based security'.

Cordless Phone Hacking? Is That Really a Thing?

Everybody seems to be hacking everyhting thses days. Is anything sacred anymore? Even the lowly cordless phone is being targeted by hackers who have managed to hack some implementations of the DECT encryption mechanism used my some cordless phone makers.

Is your cordless phone safe? What can you do to make yourslef less of a target for cordless phone hackers? Is the risk even that big of a risk.

I attempt to answer all of these questions and more in my article: Is Your Cordless Phone being hacked? Check it out and let me know in the comments section below if you believe someone is listening in on your private conversations.

Is Your Firewall Really Doing Its Job?

Do you have a firewal protecting your network and/or computers? If you're the average home user you probably have a firewall built into your wireless router, but you might not have it turned on. Your operating system might also have a software-based firewal than can be enabled via your system preferences or control panel

Firewalls act as gatekeepers / traffic cops for the ports coming in and going out of your network. The big question is how do you know if your firewall is actually doing its job? Check out my article over at about.com on How to Test Your Firewall? to learn how to make sure your Firewall isn't sleeping on the job.