Hello all, I won't go into specifics into the situation unless you really want to hear. But basically a former colleague is causing issues and I want to find a good CCTV / camera that I can install quickly to ensure he doesn't come around unexpectedly.
Can you guys recommend a system that is preferably:
Appreciate your help.
We at OZB have too much time to go into specific. This is what keeps this community alive.
Yes, those are the specifics
Tip to OP: if you don't want people to delve into the specifics, don't ask the same question everywhere.
I didn't want to get into specifics here because I wanted a discussion on cameras, not the situation.
What else do you want to know? The reddit thread pretty much has all the information.
I want to hear the specifics
Just speculate - if nothing else it will amuse you.
I'm going with someone's spouse/partner was banged.
You had to take it there , didn't you !
yeah!…did you eat co-worker's sanga out of the fridge and got caught on cctv??
Co-Worker
former colleague
Pick one?
Report to police, and if they still work at your place of employment then tell them as well, he'll surely get fired.
Also, security cameras are passive. They don't protect you, they are for after the fact . If you're that worried that he might come around and "do something" a camera won't do anything except provide evidence that it was him.
Sorry i meant to write former co-worker. I have already called the police but they won't do anything unless he shows up. So hoping to get some evidence if he comes around so the police will take it more seriously.
In that case does it really matter what the camera is if you need to get it done asap? Go down the JBHIFI and pick up the cheapest one you can afford that does recording.
Depending on if it's outside/inside and accessible to the intruder, you may be able to just get away with an 'on device' sd card rather than recording to the cloud.
I have already called the police but they won't do anything unless he shows up
That's not true. If someone has threatened your safety the police can get involved depending on the severity of it.
Did you show them the text messages? do they actually have serious threats in them? Is it "Just you wait" or is it "I'm going to come over and cave your head in with a baseball bat tonight" , they are very different messages.
If you genuinely fear for your life then the police need to know, and if they really don't do anything (try another cop shop, call the non-emergency line) then you may need to stay somewhere else for a while.
One offence is using a carriage service to harass or menace. May vary depending on your state. And the vague “threats” from the linked reddit post are trash.
@Downvoter: The Reddit post is a bit vague but he basically threatened to confront me at my house, said "don't test me you don't know what I'm capable of", "don't think that I'm kidding ", "next time I'm not gonna ask, I'm just going to get it" "you fked up real bad this time" etc
As usual, police are useless and don't want to do anything unless it's handing out fines for traffic offences.
Inform the police that you wish to make a complaint of this person using a carriage service to menace. You can find some further reading here.
As usual, police are useless and don't want to do anything unless it's handing out fines for traffic offences.
Don't forget strip searching teenagers
OP if you have serious situation.
I don't get why you wouldn't pay a few bucks to have access to recordings if required.
They never said they didn't want access to the recordings, they just said they didn't want to pay for a subscription, the two aren't mutually exclusive.
Eg: Kogan have a cheap $60 camera that records to an SD card on the device.
Reolink
I ended up getting Reolinks, hopefully they arrive soon!
I think its too easy to catch the crew here with Troll Posts lol . eg OP fearing for his life not worried about the cost of a subscription service. Yeah I know its Ozbargain hehe .
Install baby monitors instead
Omg yessss op. - spillllll
☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️
Hello all, I won't go into specifics into the situation unless you really want to hear.
Yeah, we want to hear.
Eufy
camera that I can install quickly to ensure he doesn't come around unexpectedly.
I don't think a camera will stop them coming around unexpectedly (unless you inform them you have a camera in advance).
I just want to be prepared and give family warning if I see him lingering around.
The first reply says it all, it’s simply a shakedown.
If push comes to shove OP, play his game back. Find a way to get his address then tell him you know bikies.
Ain’t no one trying to fcuk with that possibility.
actually another former co-worker (whose dad is a mechanic) says his dad knows Bikies!
Problem solved :)
@Maths Debater: haha the last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt (including him). I am super pissed off as I shouldn't be involved in this in any way but now I just have to some how deal with it, I'll just take it as life experience.
Hello everyone. So a former colleague out of the blue thinks I owe him money. He is a drug user and addicted to gambling and I made the mistake? Of lending him money previously. To his credit he did return the money to me eventually (after a very long time) but after that no other contact.
Out of the blue he texts me and asks for more money however I politely refuse. This aggravates him and he continues to text me and thinks I now somehow owe him money.
He has started to threaten me and knows where I live. He has sent texts basically saying "you know I'm crazy and you don't want to see me like this "
"Congratulations you are now on the list "
"Where are you? Are you home, I'm going to show you a receipt and a couple more things "
Lots of swearing etc
What would you do in my situation?
EDIT: I did call the police but they didn't seem too interested, they just said make a complaint at a police station and call again if he actually does rock up.
install quickly to ensure he doesn't come around unexpectedly.
yeah..camera is going to do zero to deter. Thieves these days are brazen as hell, often even trying broad daylight break-ins, especially if house is not on a main road or high traffic area.
Maybe consider locking gates where possible (use an energex approved lock if the meter box is behind a gate).
Consider a camera system with snappy response to a good app, which also has alarm - eg select imou and eufy etc (I would recommend the outdoor one and mount it above 3m so its not easily damaged from ground) - the eufy can be set to do 24/7 recording (as in it will literally record every second, not just events) - many cameras, especially battery powered ones, will trip, but then record a few seconds later, at which point intruder has already passed.
consider alerting neighbours to see if they can keep an eye out
hide valuables, lock doors and windows (seems obvious, but many don't, especially the back ones)
Thanks for that. I'm hoping the camera will at least detect he's there so I can be prepared and tell my wife to bring the kid back inside.
I will take some precautions to ensure my family is safe with your advice.
I'm hoping the camera will at least detect he's there so I can be prepared and tell my wife to bring the kid back inside.
Step 1) don't let your kid play outside for a while
How were you able to find it?
Need a camera with built in flame thrower
Wyze camera with a microSD card for recording. But yeah, as everyone one else is saying, this isn't a deterrent, this is just evidence after things have gone wrong.
Needs an MSPaint diagram.
MSPAINT
@Muzeeb
Dell is my speciality area now.
I'm expecting something where a mobile phone text is attacking the OP but like personified.
What's with QPS these days? In the past they would have advised "get a dog"
Have you seen the prices of dogs since covid?
Now they just say "get a dog up ya".
my friend got broken into twice in 6 weeks.
had security footage with clear faces, was told nothing could be done, start insurance claims if you have insurance.
event 1: broke back window, thief cut their hands on the glass, blood everywhere. stole laptops and other valuables.
qps didnt even bother attending even though there was footage, and blood/prints.
event 2: home invasion with 3 guys with machetes, she could only lock herself in her room , she could see on the cameras they installed since event 1. thieves came in from front, during broad daylight, and stole 2 cars.
this is wild
if the stories in my local neighbourhood group are to believed, seems to increasingly be the norm actually.
we are half considering a guard dog too, I grew up with dobermans and rottie's so for me it's second nature but too much extra work imo.
Too busy out booking people for doing 3kmh over the limit. Those fines aren't going to write themselves.
Realistically, even if the cops had done their jobs and caught the offenders, the court system would have let them off with a slap on the wrist anyway.
with a slap on the wrist anywa
Honestly this is the most frustrating bit
I think we live in a similar area from previous comments but the crime in our area is starting to get out of control. I am also seeing weekly posts on facebook community groups of people just walking straight into a house / garage and stealing cars. Despite their faces clearly on the CCTV, they never seem to get caught.
Sunnybank is next level haha
Get a protection order. That way the person who is harassing you will will have committed a criminal offence if they keep contacting you.
https://www.australiannationalcharactercheck.com.au/Protecti…
After been in a similar situation to you at the end of 2020, I bought 2 Reolink Argus 2 w/ solar panels (the original 2 version not 2e) for $129 each (for the side and back of my house) and another plug in SmartHome Connect for half price at Harvey Norman that I put in front of my place (that was like $55).
The cheap one was alright because it had a good wide angle and good detection zone (a bit better than the Reolink), but its weakness was that plug switch was outside, albeit behind the garage door.
Feel for you OP, as our household were very nervous at first and I was even using d-locks on all my gates. Did feel back better eventually after it became more certain that the persons causing problems had moved on. Kept the cameras running though.
Thank you for taking the time to write that. It is very helpful
Make sure the cameras are up high - or druggos will steal them too.
Protection order, cameras and stop all communication. Engaging with the person IN ANY WAY AT ALL will continue the behaviour. With the eratic and explosive, paranoid behaviour that can come with people feeling desperate and drug affected and driven, the best thing you can do is to disappear. Don't use logic or reason, because that goes out the window oftentimes when people have cooked their brains. They don't care about repercusions or think of the consequences of their actions. They live in the hear and now, so what they want, they want it the moment they realise they want it. Show you mean business and that no means no.
Thank you for that, I'll definitely ignore all his messages. Cops told me they can give him a call if he keeps harassing me.
How often is he sending messages?
Everyday since Friday, over the weekend it was every 20mins or so but very long messages. A lot it is a bit hard to read cos his English is not great so a bit incoherent.
I recommend Arlo and the Arlo Essential XL Spotlight Camera. Works great and has much better range than e.g. Eufy. Another option is to go full bore on proper surveillance cameras with protective cover, but then you're looking at $1k+ per camera.
Thank you for your suggestions, I will definitely look into it. At the moment I have just got some reolinks as a short term measure. Will look at better longer term options when things settle down.
No worries. I hope the situation gets sorted quickly for you. I can't imagine the stress you must be experiencing.
Thank you, all I can do now is be extra cautious whenever I go out and just hope this thing passes quickly.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Yeah the whole situation is messed up and I'm still trying to process how I ended up on this place. Too be honest when I first lent him the money I didn't even know he was on drugs or gambling, he just said he needed money for rent. It was actually pretty uncomfortable for me so that's why I refused after that. Now I'm in a super uncomfortable position.
I've learnt the hard way to never lend money unless it's someone that has a history of paying back in a timely manner. Not many people are like that from my experience and even then there's the risk they will be in a bad situation and will choose to delay repayment/not pay back at all.
By all means, give people some of your time and advice… but never money if you can help it.
Tell him you cant spare the cash. You've had a lot of bills of late.
I did but he has now somehow spun the story and now thinks I owe him money. This is where all the aggression started to really escalate. In his stupid little mind, he thinks I owe him money just because he "remembered". He isn't even able to provide a receipt to back up his claims.
You mean OP cannot spare the cash… just bought a security camera system? :-D
Regardless of circumstances, always nice to have a security camera at the front door. I personally really like the floodlight sensor light cameras. Eufi is the more affordable Chinese choice, but the best imho is the ring floodlight with a $50pa subscription.
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/ring-floodlight-cam-wired…
OP, I recommend Eufy… no subscription. You have a 'homebase' unit with 16Gb storage that runs inside your home that the other cameras will send footage to over wifi. You can access saved footage anytime and it will only start deleting footage when the 16Gb is used up. Note that the more cameras you have, the faster the storage will get used up obviously.
But you need help from lawyers and the police more I reckon.
Good luck with the wacko.
This sounds pretty good, I just bought reolinks as a short term measure but having a Homebase does sound like something I like. Are the cameras all wireless? I don't really have the resources to run wires through my house etc..
Yeah, wireless. Good battery life too. You can get ones that are solar powered but the wireless, battery powered ones are fine if you're OK with taking them down once a month or two (depending on how often they record) and charging them.
I definitely want to hear specifics