Wanted: farm surveillance system rec

Farm theft has increased exponentially in my area. We are looking for solutions to protect our farm equipment. We have 40 employees that work from our farm that come and go from 5am to 7pm mon-sun. The sheds are located 800m (approx 2400feet) down a driveway. There is a cement gateway at the road with a gate but we cannot shut the gate as trucks need to enter the property and there isnt space on the road easement for them to stop while the gate opens. The front of the property is bushland. We have 2 stableblocks with a feedshed and tackrooms that need security, a truckyard, a storage shed and mechanics shed which are joined and very large and a large shed for storing machinery. All buildings are separated (except storage and mechanic shed).

The driveway goes into the truckyard (lockable gate for after hours) but also continues around it, past the house to the stables and machinery shed. There is a second entrance to the truckyard on the stables side which has no gate. In the truckyard is a diesel tank. Halfway down the drive, we have a woodchips pile and a loader which has been broken into before. There is no electricity down the driveway and the distance from the house's router is too far for wifi unless we set up an extender on the shed roof.

Can anyone suggest a system or products that would work for us? Any tips or things to remember? We are based in Australia.

Im thinking a motion sensed numberplate camera at the gate (though weve had "visitors" with stolen numberplates before so thats not helpful really) but without electricity or wifi, I dont know how this would work. We need to be able to see faces and vehicle details, ideally we'd like something to connect to a phone app so we can instantly see if we need to send the dog out and everything needs night vision. Does solar work ok these days? How big a SD cards would we need?

I have absolutely no idea where to start. Please help

Posted Dec 21, 2020, 12:48 AM UTC

23
Isitharry•

Cameras are a deterrent at best and will not stop theft. Locking up and/or disabling the equipment would be good practice and possibly adding solar powered motion flood lights. TBH, I suggest you consult a security firm rather than home game your way through this, if your looking for surveillance.

7
bigdog77771•

Yes cameras won’t solve everything but they could be very useful for what your looking for. if your able to get power and wifi for the areas that you need to be watched. There are cameras with analytics that will alert you when someone enters the zone or crosses a line of your choosing. You are able to set a few different type of alarms for different areas, also you are able to get notifications on your phone. I’m sure there are lots of other brands but I use a brand called Hikvision for Construction sites.

2
Mali67217•

Cameras offer zero deterrent value, at best, they offer some good evidentiary value. Sounds like you need a person out there acting as a formal guardian. Most theft comes from within, meaning your employees. How do you vet them? Are you running criminal background checks? It would be ideal for you to have someone around the clock, monitoring the day to day activities and to monitor for unwanted visitors while things are quiet. Even then, it won’t stop all of the crime. You need to harden your target. There are three elements that exist in every crime: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and lack of formal or informal guardians. If you take away one of those elements, it is far less likely that a criminal act will occur.

Source: I am the director of operations for a private security firm, I have 17 years of experience in law enforcement, I’m a licensed private investigator, and I have a masters degree in criminal justice.

2