Boat Security

[Highlander]

This is what I have on my boat
Amarine-made 12v Marine Boat Stainless Steel Single Trumpet Horn, Low Tone, 16-1/8"
THis horn has a very loud deep tone it turns heads big time people think theirs a Freighter coming down on them

Highlander, where did you mount your horn?

On top of my radar arch

[Highlander]

This is what I have on my boat

Curious setup. All looks interesting.

Some components are self-explanatory.

What do you use the timer and the 12v extension for?

Also, how do you interface the horn?

Hi Russ
I,ve since added comments as I was still editing at the time sorry about that, the cord I cut in half & connected both ends to the 12v timer the ph is always connected to the charger & charger is always connected to the 12v timer , the timer is set to charge the ph bat for two hrs once a day because if u leave the ph bat on constant charge u,ll b replacing it every two yrs I went with the 12v timer as this works even if the boat is at anchor .
I went with this horn as nobody would give a hoot when I blew my horn so replaced it with this very deep tone trumpet horn so now when I blow my horn everyone turns their heads & all u hear on the radio is where,s that freighter
I,d b afraid to hook it up to the alarm system unless I can find a wifi system sensor to b able to shut it off from my cell ph is case of a false alarm that sucker would waken up half the city of Victoria lol, I have a short vid of it I,ll post shortly

J

[Highlander]

now other people go to other extreme's security guards







Just sayin that,s all

J

[Russ]

Hi Russ
I,ve since added comments as I was still editing at the time sorry about that, the cord I cut in half & connected both ends to the 12v timer the ph is always connected to the charger & charger is always connected to the 12v timer , the timer is set to charge the ph bat for two hrs once a day because if u leave the ph bat on constant charge u,ll b replacing it every two yrs I went with the 12v timer as this works even if the boat is at anchor .
I went with this horn as nobody would give a hoot when I blew my horn so replaced it with this very deep tone trumpet horn so now when I blow my horn everyone turns their heads & all u hear on the radio is where,s that freighter
I,d b afraid to hook it up to the alarm system unless I can find a wifi system sensor to b able to shut it off from my cell ph is case of a false alarm that sucker would waken up half the city of Victoria lol, I have a short vid of it I,ll post shortly

J

Very interesting and a lot cooler than my imagination took me. I love this!!

It gives me some ideas. I've got several cameras including a PTZ camera I'm not using and some old cell phones. I even have that same exact 12v timer.

Hmmmm..I might borrow some components of your setup. It would be nice to visually check on the boat, especially after a big storm hits and I'm away.

[Highlander]

Hi Russ
I,ve since added comments as I was still editing at the time sorry about that, the cord I cut in half & connected both ends to the 12v timer the ph is always connected to the charger & charger is always connected to the 12v timer , the timer is set to charge the ph bat for two hrs once a day because if u leave the ph bat on constant charge u,ll b replacing it every two yrs I went with the 12v timer as this works even if the boat is at anchor .
I went with this horn as nobody would give a hoot when I blew my horn so replaced it with this very deep tone trumpet horn so now when I blow my horn everyone turns their heads & all u hear on the radio is where,s that freighter
I,d b afraid to hook it up to the alarm system unless I can find a wifi system sensor to b able to shut it off from my cell ph is case of a false alarm that sucker would waken up half the city of Victoria lol, I have a short vid of it I,ll post shortly

J

Very interesting and a lot cooler than my imagination took me. I love this!!

It gives me some ideas. I've got several cameras including a PTZ camera I'm not using and some old cell phones. I even have that same exact 12v timer.

Hmmmm..I might borrow some components of your setup. It would be nice to visually check on the boat, especially after a big storm hits and I'm away.

remember this set up requires cell ph service to work in it,s area if I,m in an area with a poor signal like 1 bar I just turn on my cell ph booster which is hooked up to my marine cell ph booster antenna mounted on top of my radar arch & that,ll get me up to 3-5 bars of signal strength . I have a small 1.6GB data plan attached to that old cell ph works fine for me it was going to cost me more if I wanted to share data with my other cell ph !

J

[dlandersson]

I'm thinking of putting 1 or 2 Blink webcams on my X with velcro. They are wireless and state that the battery will last 2 years. Front and rear of the mast?

Any thoughts?

[Russ]

I'm thinking of putting 1 or 2 Blink webcams on my X with velcro. They are wireless and state that the battery will last 2 years. Front and rear of the mast?

Any thoughts?

Cam technology has come a long way. Somehow I doubt the 2 year life unless they see little action to trigger recording. However they make a solar version also. But even if it lasted a season on a set of batteries, that's not bad.
These still require WiFi as I understand it. However, as Highlander has done, a cheap, pay as you go phone as a hotspot would work.

Very interesting idea. The velcro would allow you to put them away when not needed.

I have a couple of old cell phones I could probably repurpose.

[Russ]

Reolink Outdoor Wireless Home Security Camera, Rechargeable Battery, Solar Capable, 1080p HD IR Night Vision, Cloud Storage SD Socket PIR Motion Sensor | Argus Eco + Solar Panel

Does this camera have trouble reconnecting to your "hotspot" cell phone?
Does it store video someplace? Cloud? Local?
How do you access the video feed?

I'm thinking of getting one and using an old cell phone for a hotspot.
The problem is iPhone will only connect while the "hotspot" screen is open. So if it loses connection, it would require some intervention.
I have an old Android phone also. Don't know how that hotspot works.

[dlandersson]

My mariana (Mich. City) has wifi. Don't they all?

I'm thinking of putting 1 or 2 Blink webcams on my X with velcro. They are wireless and state that the battery will last 2 years. Front and rear of the mast?

Any thoughts?

Cam technology has come a long way. Somehow I doubt the 2 year life unless they see little action to trigger recording. However they make a solar version also. But even if it lasted a season on a set of batteries, that's not bad.
These still require WiFi as I understand it. However, as Highlander has done, a cheap, pay as you go phone as a hotspot would work.

Very interesting idea. The velcro would allow you to put them away when not needed.

I have a couple of old cell phones I could probably repurpose.

[Russ]

My mariana (Mich. City) has wifi. Don't they all?

Apparently not.

We don't have power or water either. Totally off grid.

Do you have GOOD WiFi? Meaning, does it reach your boat with good signal?
What kind of bandwidth? These cameras seem to want a lot of bandwidth.

I've researched the Blink cameras. It's a 2 part system with the "Base" that actually connects to WiFi and serves the cameras. Reviews claim they don't work well with cellular hotspots though.
It would probably work on my boat with a 12v adapter to my cell hotspot. I can't imagine it uses that much power and I have a solar panel for 12v charging.

This whole idea got me thinking; what could I do with an Internet connection on the boat?
I could switch on the cooler so it's cold when I get there using one of these.

[OverEasy]

Hey Russ!
That’s a great idea to help justify the install of one of those systems!
(Now could I figure out how to get it to get the snacks out, the boat washed and the fuel tanks topped off….….. )

[dlandersson]

Yes, it's pretty decent, range extenders and evrything. I've never measured it, but the kids (when camping out, etc) routinely watch two different movies - we use PC for steaming media. Me, I just do e-mails, grade, papers, etc.

A num ber of the bigger power boats (and some of the sailboats too) are essentially weekend retreats, I never see them actually go anywhere.

My mariana (Mich. City) has wifi. Don't they all?

Apparently not.

We don't have power or water either. Totally off grid.

Do you have GOOD WiFi? Meaning, does it reach your boat with good signal?
What kind of bandwidth? These cameras seem to want a lot of bandwidth.

I've researched the Blink cameras. It's a 2 part system with the "Base" that actually connects to WiFi and serves the cameras. Reviews claim they don't work well with cellular hotspots though.
It would probably work on my boat with a 12v adapter to my cell hotspot. I can't imagine it uses that much power and I have a solar panel for 12v charging.

This whole idea got me thinking; what could I do with an Internet connection on the boat?
I could switch on the cooler so it's cold when I get there using one of these.

[Russ]

I dunno if my students would agree it's "work"

I like to think IT is the new rock band thing. Money for nothin' and the chicks are free.


I can find out the bandwidth in April when they open back up.

Even nicer to do "work" from the boat.

What kind of bandwidth do they offer? I guess if you are not "prime users" that isn't a big deal. Stream movies when the marina is empty.

We are off-grid. A big Verizon tower close. So I'm thinking of re-purposing a cell phone as a hotspot with a camera and
a wifi switch for the fridge.

[dlandersson]

Yes, it's pretty decent, range extenders and evrything. I've never measured it, but the kids (whe3n camping out, etc) routinely watch two different movies - we use PC for steaming media. Me, I just do e-mails, grade, papers, etc.

A number of the bigger power boats (and some of the sailboats too) are essentially weekend retreats, I never see them actually go anywhere. They routinely just show up, eat, slep, watch stuff, chill, etc.

My mariana (Mich. City) has wifi. Don't they all?

Apparently not.

We don't have power or water either. Totally off grid.

Do you have GOOD WiFi? Meaning, does it reach your boat with good signal?
What kind of bandwidth? These cameras seem to want a lot of bandwidth.

I've researched the Blink cameras. It's a 2 part system with the "Base" that actually connects to WiFi and serves the cameras. Reviews claim they don't work well with cellular hotspots though.
It would probably work on my boat with a 12v adapter to my cell hotspot. I can't imagine it uses that much power and I have a solar panel for 12v charging.

This whole idea got me thinking; what could I do with an Internet connection on the boat?
I could switch on the cooler so it's cold when I get there using one of these.

[dlandersson]

Nice article on inexpensive security stuff.

https://www.cnet.com/home/security/best ... =534164495