Really interesting boat security system

I just returned from the Strictly Sail Pacific show in California. A vendor across the aisle was showing a VERY interesting boat security system that has separate modules for each "system" you want to protect--intrusion, dinghy, outboard, high water, fire etc...you can even get it with GPS that'll track your boat if it's stolen or decides on its own to part from a mooring...and it's all controllable from a smart phone. If you bought all the modules it could get expensive, but cherry picking just the ones you need isn't that bad.
The mfr is "c-pod"...their website is http://c-pod.com/ Y'all might want to check it out. It's not the easiest site navigate, so you'll have to prowl around it a bit to find all the information you want about it...and then prob'ly go to a dealer/distributor for answers to questions. But from what I learned in talking to the guy in the booth, it seems to be worth the effort.

Not endorsing it...just found it interesting enough to be worth mentioning to y'all.

Only 1 distributor in the US according to their website.

Interesting..However if the price point is converted UK to USD currency it may not be competitive here in the US.

Good concept. Not familiar with c-pod itself. However, we've found a good security system that does all the things it says it does gives us a great deal of comfort. For me, it's either good security or never leave where the boat is. The latter is a lousy option so I choose security.

With all them big guns over there and you still need security system

gaston said:

With all them big guns over there and you still need security system

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No guns for us. Don't own any. Never have. Never will.

But the boat security is for many other things such as water and fire.

BandB said:

No guns for us. Don't own any. Never have. Never will.

But the boat security is for many other things such as water and fire.

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Was tongue in cheek

The problem I see is professional thief's can disable WiFi from many meters away

How good are they at disabling a cellular connection?

HeadMistress said:

How good are they at disabling a cellular connection?

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Extremity easy

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...GGKK7mQWL0qmwCQ#q=cell+phone+jammers+for+sale

I have a Lowes Iris alarm system on the boat.

$9.95 per month service fee

We currently monitor

AC shore power
AC inverter power
DC battery voltage
Smoke and CO detectors (several)
Bilge water (two places)
Intrusion (motion detectors in three places)
Temperature (several places, even the fridge)

The system also shows me kilowatt hour usage, and controls the engine room heater.

I currently do not use their cameras as I have other cameras but they have a camera that records video based on an alert situation

When a alarm occurs I get a text, and a email, and even a telephone call.
There is also a siren onboard the boat that will bust out your eardrums.

gaston said:

Was tongue in cheek

The problem I see is professional thief's can disable WiFi from many meters away

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I know it was tongue in cheek. Security isn't all Wifi though so messages come via phone even without the Wifi. Now professionals can disable everything once they get aboard. Perhaps though we have systems to prevent them from boarding undetected.

Also, if one boat at a marina is difficult and the others are easy and unprotected, they'll tend to go after the others.

The primary reasons for our alarms and alerts and overall security have nothing to do with criminals.

gaston said:

Was tongue in cheek

The problem I see is professional thief's can disable WiFi from many meters away

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you can never fully protect something from a highly intelligent person that decides to take on theft as a career.

most highly inelligent people can make more money by focusing their energies in other areas besides theft, and they are smart enough to know it.

an alarm system is designed to deter the druggies, and teenagers, and other petty theives.

ksanders said:

you can never fully protect something from a highly intelligent person that decides to take on theft as a career.

most highly inelligent people can make more money by focusing their energies in other areas besides theft, and they are smart enough to know it.

an alarm system is designed to deter the druggies, and teenagers, and other petty theives.

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You wish

"an alarm system is designed to deter the druggies, and teenagers, and other petty theives."

A simple trip wire system can release a can of Mace when triggered.

This stops theft easily, the only fear is the New Jersey mentality ,

If you cant steal it Destroy it!

We've wondered quite astray from Peggie's original post. Perhaps if we'd used the term "alarm system" it would have been better. We're not talking security as in go to battle with pirates and criminals, they system she linked to is one designed to notify one of any irregularities or things needing attention based on multiple sensors throughout the boat. Simply we're talking a single system to combine all the possible alarms one might have on a boat into one neat and complete package.

Knowing nothing about the system she references, but having used other such systems, I do find them to be very beneficial.

gaston said:

With all them big guns over there and you still need security system

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I good security system gives us time to load..

Or choose how big of hole we wish to put through the bad guy...

which is really secondary to how much mess we want to clean up...

Or how sensitive the neighbors are to loud noises...

HOLLYWOOD

Back to the original thought, boat alarms...

I'm at home having a nice morning cup of coffee. My boat is far away this morning, but I know all is well.

I know that the shore power is working
I know that the battery charger is working
I know that there is no high water in the bilges.
I know that the smoke detectors are online and that there are no issues.
I know that nobody is in the boat, unauthorized.

I get a great feeling knowing these things as I sip my coffee. Do I wish I was on the boat this morning, well yes, but alas I have a life outside of boating and I have other things to do today.

But just knowing, not hoping allows me to life that life without worry.

ksanders said:

Back to the original thought, boat alarms...

I'm at home having a nice morning cup of coffee. My boat is far away this morning, but I know all is well.

I know that the shore power is working
I know that the battery charger is working
I know that there is no high water in the bilges.
I know that the smoke detectors are online and that there are no issues.
I know that nobody is in the boat, unauthorized.

I get a great feeling knowing these things as I sip my coffee. Do I wish I was on the boat this morning, well yes, but alas I have a life outside of boating and I have other things to do today.

But just knowing, not hoping allows me to life that life without worry.

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100%+. We also have cameras.

hollywood8118 said:

I good security system gives us time to load..

Or choose how big of hole we wish to put through the bad guy...

which is really secondary to how much mess we want to clean up...

Or how sensitive the neighbors are to loud noises...

HOLLYWOOD

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One or more guns are a good security system for a boat provided:

Guns are legal in the states and towns where you are boating.

Lethal force is permitted in the states and towns where you are boating for crimes against property.

One or more trained shooters is aboard the boat, awake and not distracted.

It's possible to shoot the intruder without also shooting innocent people.

Otherwise, it's best to use some other system.

I use this system since years and I'm very happy https://sirenmarine.com
fare price and you can make many application ...

Hugues

"With all them big guns over there and you still need security system"

Maybe I do and maybe I don't.

A pier neighbor has 3 streaming web cams aimed at his boat from the dock. I like to stop by and perform occasional monkey skits on them.

what_barnacles said:

A pier neighbor has 3 streaming web cams aimed at his boat from the dock. I like to stop by and perform occasional monkey skits on them.

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Now all he needs is audio so that he can then say, "Nice Show" to you and perhaps ask for an encore. It's certainly fun to watch reactions when you speak to people close to your boat.

The one challenge is to not invade the privacy of others with cameras. We are careful to leave all cameras adjusted so they aren't.

ksanders...how are you monitoring your 12 volt system? I see various products on the iris website, but do not see anything to monitor dc power with. Maybe I missed it.
Thanks

what_barnacles said:

A pier neighbor has 3 streaming web cams aimed at his boat from the dock. I like to stop by and perform occasional monkey skits on them.

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Cameras do not stop crime, they just record it. You might get lucky and see the faces and recognize them but probably not. Police do not normally lot of time and energy to property like this.

WesK said:

Police do not normally lot of time and energy to property like this.

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Actually, if you have photos or video of the criminals, police will jump in feet first. In today's internet and social media, getting people identified has changed dramatically. Then the one key thing that brings their willingness to work on it. That is that your theft isn't the only one they've done. It's rarely their first time, so likely it's solving several crimes.

Police have gotten very in tune with searching for cameras. They use red light cameras, The ask stores if they have any video in front of their buildings. In the past, police didn't pursue these cases aggressively because the chances of making an arrest were so slim. That's changed in some cases and the moment they find out they have video, their attitude has changed.

You also indicated that cameras do nothing to stop crime. They can. They can set off an alarm, or sounds that are hard for humans to tolerate. They can turn lights on the intruder. They can release smoke (non-toxic). They can even notify you, allow you to see, even allow you to speak to the intruder.

Now, I'm not saying that most have cameras set up to do that, but just that it is possible. Really not a lot different than some of the other alarms. If we get an alert of water in the bilge, we do have a camera set in the engine room that would allow us to actually see it.

When it comes to security, whether for engines or bilges or intrusions, even pirates, there is new technology that can be very useful and for which prices have and are dropping. The one the OP mentioned and the one mentioned during the thread are both good examples.

BandB said:

Actually, ............

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Actually, I often wonder why, when people want to disagree with another poster, they often start their post with "Actually" ? Does that make the second poster more right or the first poster more wrong?

Police in most areas only take reports when there is a property theft of a few hundred dollars. Often they won't even come to the scene, they take the information over the phone.

Yes, if there's a rape or murder they will come around asking for copies of video surveillance. Theft of a $200 radio? Only if it's a very slow day.

Now if you're at home, sitting and watching a live video feed and see something going on, you can call the police, but most of us have other things to do with our time.

If you want to minimize the chances of someone entering or taking your boat, your best bet is to keep it in a low crime, well lit area, find a way to lock it securely and have an alarm system that will scare people away when they try to enter.

A camera is not useless but other things are far more important.

jstauffer said:

ksanders...how are you monitoring your 12 volt system? I see various products on the iris website, but do not see anything to monitor dc power with. Maybe I missed it.
Thanks

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that was the toughest one.

I use a contact closure, in essence a door alarm to monitor the alarm output of the link State Of Charge meter which is programmed for 12.5 volts.

If the battery charger goes out, the batteries go to 12 volts, and the SOC METER goes into alarm.

WesK said:

Actually, I often wonder why, when people want to disagree with another poster, they often start their post with "Actually" ? Does that make the second poster more right or the first poster more wrong?

.

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Actually, I wonder why a poster would go to the trouble of pointing out "actually." There is nothing heinous intended with the use of the word. It seems more polite than saying "I think you're full of crap." I stand by what I posted and do so based on experience. So let's just disagree on the content and not over "actually."

I'm sure it varies by location, but outside of major cities, police have a lot of quiet time for small crimes, homeowners with minor complaints, and vehicles that have been parked somewhere for a long time. Most marinas are located in such locations.

BandB said:

Actually, I wonder why a poster would go to the trouble of pointing out "actually." There is nothing heinous intended with the use of the word. It seems more polite than saying "I think you're full of crap." I stand by what I posted and do so based on experience. So let's just disagree on the content and not over "actually." .

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Actually, the less rude thing to say would be "I disagree", "That has not been my experience", etc.

The police figure you have insurance so they will take your information over the phone and write a report. If you recognize the thieves, they will probably be willing to take on the case. Just a video of a couple guys in hoodies walking away with your stuff, probably not.

My son in law is a LEO so the next time I see him I'll ask about it.