ideas on how to stop the recent rash of theft

bpe wrote: The Amazon Echo series of devices has a very useful skill that many have overlooked. Yes, they do work down here! When we leave for the evening or a day trip, we tell the Echo (aka Alexa) “Away Mode”. The Echo will begin to play random voices in conversion that often have music or TV playing in the background. It really sounds as if someone is in the house. Okay, I’m a Geek and have no real life, I often find those conversations somewhat interesting. In addition, I use Nest Cams that send an alert to my phone along with a photo if someone enters my area. When I’m gone for longer periods, I set the Cams to record to the “Cloud” so that I can review footage from anywhere I may be. Wyze Cams are much cheaper and record to an internal SD card that can be reviewed or played for the police. The Wyze Pan Cam (scans and moves to track images) is under $40, a 32 Gig micro SD card is under $10.

bpe wrote:
Let’s talk security cameras. I use four different types but I will only mention the two easiest to use. For cloud storage and monitoring, I use outdoor Nest Cams. The Nest Cams record to servers and store for 7 days in the cloud with a subscription. You also get alerts where there is motion. I have used Nest for over 7 years and they all still work. The Nest cams require a lot of upstream internet (bandwidth) so that limits your internet when you are at home (Baja). When I’m home (Baja), I switch to Wyze Cams. I use the Wyze Cams in local recording mode to a 32 GB SD card purchased separately. The Wyze Cam can be set to record only on motion and send an alert to your phone. Here is an example of a 500 lb bear coming in our kitchen window in Lake Tahoe: https://youtu.be/Apr5BWfjl8Q

Great quality! Both cameras can be setup to share access and recording. The downside to the Wyze is the difficulty accessing them while in the US – too long to explain. The Wyze are easy to access in your local network in Baja.

Home security cameras can provide a sense of, well, security, but there's something Orwellian about having a lens staring at you like a prop out of an episode of The Prisoner. A more discreet solution is something that doesn't look like a camera and, better yet, combines some other functions to make it more welcome. One example is the Sentri home monitoring system that combines a motion-activated camera with the looks of a digital information center. We powered one up to see what it could do.

Here is something to consider if you are concerned about criminals entering your house. I purchase a Drop Cam last summer for use in our house in the US. It is the simplest to set-up by far; takes about two minutes to get it up and running.

Pros: It can be controlled and viewed from anywhere in the world using your computer, ipad or smart phone. You can turn it on and off remotely to save bandwidth. You can purchase recording for as little as $5 per month. Those records are stored at their servers. You will receive a message if there has been a change in motion detection.

Cons: It uses a lot of upstream bandwidth (in English - a lot of internet capability). So, if you're sharing your internet, it will use up a lot of upload bandwidth! It is indoor only and I'm not sure about how much heat it can take. It's wide angle but the view cannot be changed since the mount is stationary.

Here is a link to Amazon for the full specs: http://www.amazon.com/Dropcam-Wi-Fi-Wireless-Monitoring-Camera/dp/B006P88VSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372783806&sr=8-1&keywords=dropcam

An alternative would be a Wildlife Motion activate camera. They do take photos but are stored internally in the camera. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Simmons-Whitetail-Trail-Camera-Vision/dp/B006U0Z5FO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1372784464&sr=8-5&keywords=wildlife+camera+motion+activated