Preventing break-ins and squatters at addressed off grid cabin property

[arakboss]

I would like to have a trail cam set up with a back up sd recording device. For example you have a trail cam in a tree. In a nearby tree you have a small device well hidden that has another sd card in it. When the trail cam takes photos it would send a copy of those photos via blue tooth to the back up sd card. If tge thieves steal the camera you would be able to retrieve back device to get the photos. I know cuddleback makes expensive system that works simliar to this but I would like a much cheaper option?


Edit: This camera might work if I could use a cheap smart phone as the back up recording device. I could mount both the camera and the back up phone around 25ft high and use my carry phone to control camera and retrieve photos? I would have to have a separate solar panel to keep back up phone charged and a weatherproof box to shelter the phone. I am not sure what the bluetooth limitations are as far as distance goes. If I could control the camera and back up phone from the ground with my carry phone it would save me from having to bring the ladder down.

Campark T180 4K 36MP Solar Panel WiFi Bluetooth Trail Game Camera, The Most Popular And Never-Faulty Solar-Powered Game cam

CamparkT180 is a self-contained solar-powered trail camera. Equipped with solar panels that convert light energy into electricity, and built-in 4400mAh battery inside. It can store the solar energy converted into electricity for the trail camera's continuous power supply.

www.campark.net

 

[American123]

Seems like the stages of grief is playing out here.

As a kid I watched my dad deal with thieves on somewhat regular basis. Power Tools, metal for scrap, etc. it's a catch and release "justice" system for property crime. Even after all your effort the perp(s) wouldn't spend any real time in jail.

It sucks, but that is reality currently.

 

[arakboss]

Seems like the stages of grief is playing out here.

As a kid I watched my dad deal with thieves on somewhat regular basis. Power Tools, metal for scrap, etc. it's a catch and release "justice" system for property crime. Even after all your effort the perp(s) wouldn't spend any real time in jail.

It sucks, but that is reality currently.

What comes after the anger stage?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

What comes after the anger stage?

Just Revenge.

Or maybe fierce yet dispassionate justice, if one is so well evolved.

 

[The Heretic]

Could I use a cheap driveway alarm to trigger a radio to turn on in the house?

Radio and lights

 

[Camelfilter]

Radio and lights

Talk radio, or weather report type may "seem" conversational to someone outside.

 

[oremike]

OK, I'll say it. It's your property and your responsibility to take care of it. Sounds like to me you need to spend more time there. Going away for weeks and months is what is causing the problem. I don't see where annoying your neighbors with alarms, radios, flash bangs or whatever when you have a minimum response time of 5 hours will be the help you want. Have you thought of hiring a caretaker or subscribing to an armed security company to keep an eye on everything for you?

 

[Tilos]

I appreciate all the product and idea suggestions, keep them coming. The ones I will most likely end up using will have to be cheap, require no AC power, no cell service, no internet, survive single digit temps and be easy to use and maintain. I am especially interested in ideas that will make the place look occupied without having to have a body there. I don't want to overburden my neighbor either so low maintenance solutions are better.

For now I am going to avoid solutions that are intended to cause death or injury to the intruder unless I am in fear for my safety

I know about a security devise that flashes light as though a TV is on (at night) in a dark room, behind closed curtains.
I going to assume it needs AC power though but could be available solar powered.

I once built a home alarm system with Radio Shack components that was designed to use your phone to notify police, but instead I put a bunch of piezo beepers hidden all around INSIDE my house.
Those beepers were so LOUD it drove you out of the house, you could not talk to anyone else in the house (think 2 or more perps).
LOUD like a smoke detector only constant, you cannot track the noise source with multiple beepers, and they operate on 12v DC.

Amazon.com : piezo beeper

These are 100dB:

https://www.amazon.com/Icstation-85dB-Active-Piezo-Electronic/dp/B01LAYWUDO/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3QVOAK435G3U&keywords=piezo+beeper&qid=1660933780&sprefix=piozo+beeper%2Caps%2C431&sr=8-9

You could wire them to a door/widow mounted switch. or incorporate them into a 12V car alarm.

I'm sure a car alarm (also 12V) going off INSIDE your cabin would drive out any intruders too.

Perps would be too busy getting out of there to try and locate the source of the noise.
But once it times out and resets they will know what's-up.
jmo,

 

[The Heretic]

I know about a security devise that flashes light as though a TV is on (at night) in a dark room, behind closed curtains.
I going to assume it needs AC power though but could be available solar powered.

I once built a home alarm system with Radio Shack components that was designed to use your phone to notify police, but instead I put a bunch of piezo beepers hidden all around INSIDE my house.
Those beepers were so LOUD it drove you out of the house, you could not talk to anyone else in the house (think 2 or more perps).
LOUD like a smoke detector only constant, you cannot track the noise source with multiple beepers, and they operate on 12v DC.

Amazon.com : piezo beeper

These are 100dB:

https://www.amazon.com/Icstation-85dB-Active-Piezo-Electronic/dp/B01LAYWUDO/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3QVOAK435G3U&keywords=piezo+beeper&qid=1660933780&sprefix=piozo+beeper%2Caps%2C431&sr=8-9

You could wire them to a door/widow mounted switch. or incorporate them into a 12V car alarm.

I'm sure a car alarm (also 12V) going off INSIDE your cabin would drive out any intruders too.

Perps would be too busy getting out of there to try and locate the source of the noise.
But once it times out and resets they will know what's-up.
jmo,

My car alarm was set off by me sitting on the key fob (I keep it in coin pocket).

The car alarm beeps loudly and the lights flash. Neighbor from 100 yards away came and knocked on my door because I didn't hear the alarm (I am partly deaf and my house has good insulation).

I would think a loud alarm and flashing lights outside the cabin might work - depends on how the local arrangement of houses is.

 

[American123]

Auditory pain is a deterrent, that's true.

 

[Diamondback]

Good luck, some places it's problematic enough keeping the bast*rds off your property IN TOWN.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Good luck, some places it's problematic enough keeping the bast*rds off your property IN TOWN.

Very true. I was told by Portland police and clackamas county sheriff deputy that in both multnomah and clackamas counties you can't prosecute for tresspassing unless you have no tresspassing signs. So for most places (most places don't have signs) they know they can wander around people's property looking for something to steal or? without any repurcussions.

Case in point the peeping Tom they found naked in a girls bedroom. The neighbors complained for a long time but police and prosecutor never did anything. This article is by Maxine Bernstein who helped us with the reinhoel murderer who was eventually shot by federal Marshalls. Video is down the page a ways.

Stalker terrifies Portland neighborhoods

Residents installed cameras, set traps and patrolled streets to track him because police didn’t.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[Member 52301]

Some RE agents (Or other people including retired people.) will check on homes for people for a SMALL FEE on a regular basis even if the homes are NOT FOR SALE or IF they are for sale - listed with them or with some other agent. I have known some agents who did this for a small fee.

Some professional security companies will NOT cover some areas in some states too.

I still think that doing all of this EXTRA stuff is somewhat FUTILE and you should KEEP the cabin EMPTY, go there more often (Long drive one way!), hire someone for a small fee, take your chances but you will WORRY (I would worry!) or SELL IT and put the money for something closer to your home.

Or just plan on BARE LAND and take a camper to it or use a tent IF some criminal burns you out or destroys more of your cabin for REVENGE. Or just because they are MEAN or bat s crazy with criminal intentions!

I would not want to worry about a second home!

I would consider BARE LAND in this state or in another state. I am looking at another state again now for BARE LAND.

And even with bare land - you have to watch out for squatters too. NO joke there!

Cate

 

[Diamondback]

This is also why I'm becoming a fan of a liveaboard RV and two parcels with bare-minimum pads and utility hookups for summer and winter "base camps."

 

[DirectDrive]

The ol' Paint Bomb video comes to mind...

 

[pdxjimbo]

Hmmm...

 

[Cavedweller]

I was told by Portland police and clackamas county sheriff deputy that in both multnomah and clackamas counties you can't prosecute for tresspassing unless you have no tresspassing signs.

That is true. They have to be informed one way or another that they are trespassing. Signs, verbal warning, whatever. I believe that is state law. I have never found signs to ever be a deterrent to anyone tho.

Case in point the peeping Tom they found naked in a girls bedroom. The neighbors complained for a long time but police and prosecutor never did anything.

Stalker terrifies Portland neighborhoods

Residents installed cameras, set traps and patrolled streets to track him because police didn’t.

www.oregonlive.com

This is classic:

'Howard ... was among the thousands of people who protested racial injustice and police violence through months of demonstrations downtown.

"We're literally protesting the police every night, and now we're having to be the police," he said.'

I wonder if he sees the connection. It goes on:

"They alerted police as they pursued the man. Officers arrested Brandon James Pirkey at 12:46 a.m. Oct. 19, cornering him at Southwest Naito and Morrison Street, and booked him into jail at 2:21 a.m.

Later that morning, Howard broadcast the news on Facebook.

"GOT HIM!" Howard wrote. "This is thanks to our amazing community team putting themselves in harm's way, doing whatever it took to bring him to justice."

Their euphoria was short-lived.

Pirkey, 26, was in jail less than 11 hours, released on his own recognizance at 1:08 p.m. later that day.

He was told to report to court Nov. 30 for the January public indecency charge. He didn't show for court."

I'm betting Mr. Howard voted for Mike Schmidt.

 

[Tilos]

I still think that doing all of this EXTRA stuff is somewhat FUTILE and you should KEEP the cabin EMPTY, go there more often (Long drive one way!), hire someone for a small fee, take your chances but you will WORRY (I would worry!) or SELL IT and put the money for something closer to your home.

Or just plan on BARE LAND and take a camper to it or use a tent IF some criminal burns you out or destroys more of your cabin for REVENGE. Or just because they are MEAN or bat s crazy with criminal intentions!

I would not want to worry about a second home!

I would consider BARE LAND in this state or in another state. I am looking at another state again now for BARE LAND.

And even with bare land - you have to watch out for squatters too. NO joke there!

Cate

That reads like a sheeple response.
just me though,

.

 

[wombatz]

Fyi, the stages of grief:
denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

P.s. check your forum messages. I might be mostly local to your land and would be willing to help out when you visit.

 

[Member 52301]

This is also why I'm becoming a fan of a liveaboard RV and two parcels with bare-minimum pads and utility hookups for summer and winter "base camps."

On an old gun/political/general forum, a man that I knew discussed doing this.

Several of his retired friends decided to buy properties in different areas - 2 different states and they never regretted their decision in doing this.

They sold their large houses, some of them had larger parcels of land, they sold tons of their STUFF and downsized with full intentions.

My late husband discussed doing this before it became more 'popular' too. He never got to 'retire' and barely lived much longer since turning 56 years old once his cancer was discovered.

I know of a Maine retired couple who lived up by Seeley Lake, MT and their friends (By word of mouth.) who did exactly this. I looked at their house and land for sale in SL and came THIS close to making an offer on it YEARS AGO.

Anyway, they sold their 'dream home' in MT and they completely left MT. They were going to buy some property in New Mexico - a TINY type of building but not one of those tiny houses. It was in an area where there was a YEAR ROUND live in caretaker to keep an eye on those small places. The caretaker LIVED in that area but it was NOT some typical subdivision. IT was out in a rural area.

The Maine retired couple already had a camping trailer, boat, other toys, etc. A bunch of their MT friends up there SOLD OUT - super downsized and some of them had lived there much longer than the Maine couple.

The Maine couple decided to CUT OUT a piece of their land in Maine for future use.

They wanted to sell their BIG and beautiful Maine house with a fair amount of land too.

So in the END, their property taxes were CUT WAY DOWN! They had money and a fairly good income so they were NOT approved for LOWER RE TAXES like some people can get. He was a Veteran and got some discount but it did not lower his taxes that much = this was about 20 to 15 years ago.

Down in some parts of the south, once you turn a certain senior citizen age or if you are a Veteran or a widow of a Veteran (Already own the property?) - you pay NO RE taxes or hardly any at all! I can't remember the LIST now for all of those states but it is very popular down south.

Plus if you have a lower income - you can get some discounts on RE taxes but every single person living in their home, married or not, has to count as a TOTAL INCOME applied base - add it all up and see if you can get a break. But in HIGHER RE TAX areas that have gone nutso - the appraisals are killing the middle class even with smaller homes.

They have these programs in other states but the discount is NOT that much especially when the idiots in power keep on RAISING RE TAXES so often. The politicians changed the RE TAX LAWS too. Appraisals done more often compared to the past when it comes to YEARS.

ALL of this has changed in 20 some years too. ALL over the country.

I checked out some of those places years ago when it came to RV living. Two base camps, looked at land, looking again NOW, etc.

My friends from back in farm/lake country did this for half of a year but they had adult children living next door and others very close to them. ALL of their land, back there, was connected but 2 pieces divided by a river but a loop and bridge were close by the main homestead.

They traveled a lot and liked 2 specific states after so many years. They did not have to worry about their homestead due to it being looked after.

But they said, if they had NO children living close to them - they would have sold the big house, the huge barn, part of the land and a rental house all on one property.

They told me that by going to another WARMER place in the winter time - it was so much cheaper for them even with a bit of solar heat, a wood stove, a fireplace, 2 other heating systems, etc. in a very LARGE 3 floor house with no basement.

They bought a motor home from another senior citizen that was hardly used and the man who sold it had cancer. They towed her car behind the motor home. It had some slide out thing - deal. It was 34 or 36 feet long if my memory is correct.

She TOLD ME that she could LIVE IN IT YEAR ROUND and loved it since it was easy to clean and care for. Her husband liked it too.

But she was always on HIS CASE about going smaller and downsizing especially since he did not help that much when it came to 'cleaning their big house'. He did OTHER THINGS but not housecleaning even after he retired. She retired several years after he did and complained about the upkeep of that BIG house.

It was hard for her husband to PART with any ITEM in that house, garage, barn, etc.

It was and IS still overwhelming for her and she is several years older (78?) than me.

I just turned 72 years old this summer.

He does not want to hire a 'maid' to come in once in a blue moon or on a regular basis or have some stranger in his house to clean it. She really does not want that too. Insured company or even someone local IF you can even find one back in that rural area in this day and age.

The ONLY way that they considered traveling was to have their KIDS keep an eye on the homestead.

I had a VERY close and trusted male friend dog sit - house sit for my late husband and me for several of our longer trips together. Otherwise, they were trips where I went alone or with one of my female German Shepherds or he was overseas or some place stateside. Someone was with our dog or dogs and keeping an eye on our land and big house IF we went away together especially for a LONGER TRIP.

I even had the buyers of my big brick house, back east, move in 2 weeks early (Planned that way by me.) so that my house did not sit empty. I did not charge them 'rent' but I could have had that in my contract. They had to move out of their rented farm house - death of the owner and the dead man's son wanted to move in. So it all worked out. MY house did NOT sit empty for ONE NIGHT in that rural area.

Take care!

Cate