I’m 19 and living in Massachusetts with my girlfriend in a city that isn’t the safest. I’ve been thinking about ways to keep us safe, both in our apartment and when we’re out. I’ve looked into knives, pepper spray, and considered guns, but I know MA has some strict laws and age requirements. I’d really appreciate advice on what legal options are for home defense and personal protection outside my home, as well as any personal recommendations. I also work in CT so I know laws differ there as well, and could pose problems if I carry weapons on me

hello all! i recently moved into a new house, and inherited around 10 ADC-VC826 cameras. they are all PoE wired, but since i don't have an active alarm.com subscription i cannot access them. i've been trying to flash the generic Hikvision firmware for an ECI-D12F2 to the camera for the past few days, but keep running into issues.

when trying to use either their TFTP tool or this one, i get the same result. the camera connects to my PC, and transfers a little bit of the firmware file, but then just says "completed file transmit" and doesn't do anything else. after trying this a few times, the camera now doesn't start up for more than 2-3 seconds, and immediately shuts off after that period.

does anyone know if i'm doing this right, or even using the right firmware? i'm still slightly new to doing network stuff, so please have mercy on me lol.

[2025-08-24 13:56:13] TFTP server[192.168.1.128] initialized

[2025-08-24 13:56:29] Device[192.168.1.70] test tftpserver

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Connect client[192.168.1.70] success

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Start file[D:\tftp\digicap.dav] transmitting

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Connect client[192.168.1.70] success

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Start file[D:\tftp\digicap.dav] transmitting

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Connect client[192.168.1.70] success

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Start file[D:\tftp\digicap.dav] transmitting

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Connect client[192.168.1.70] success

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Start file[D:\tftp\digicap.dav] transmitting

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Connect client[192.168.1.70] success

[2025-08-24 13:56:34] Start file[D:\tftp\digicap.dav] transmitting

[2025-08-24 13:56:43] Completed file[D:\tftp\digicap.dav] transmit

readout from the official tool ^^^
if the log from the python script would help as well, let me know and i'll add it here. thank you!!!

I have a gun, not opposed to em. My gun is only effective when I’m home though. What’s a good alternative that a 13 year old can use for self defense when they are home alone since my guns are locked? I’ve heard stun guns are ineffective and pepper spray might backfire on them in a stressful situation. Any other suggestions for teens self defense that isn’t involving hand to hand combat (already check that box too). Just an over protected dad in an unpredictable world.

P-01 original springs, firing pin retaining pin Fenix gl 19r , and truglo tfx night sights.

On Wednesday, there was this white Honda civic that had two people in the car. It was really late at night like 12am. They were blocking our driveway. I saw one person get out, walk on our grass then go elsewhere. They had a paper bag in their hand. After 4-5 Mins, they drove off. Then today, same guy blocks our driveway again at 11:50 am. I don't think he was talking to anyone. He was just inside his car with the engine on. Then he drove off 30-seconds later. Or are these drug dealers or something idk. I feel like I never seen it happen except for holidays that people would block our driveway so I'm finding it strange behavior. I don't recognize this car cuz i know all of the cars on my block.

Hi Everyone, just looking for suggestions and pointers where to look and fine 2 - 1/2'' inch thickness components for a front door?

I know standard 1-1/2 or 1-3/4 doors have a lot of jam guards, frame guards, and wedge guards available, but I can't seem to find 2 - 1/2'' inch door thickness hardwares. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

We had a very old, laughably insecure side gate. Finally got around to replacing it as this was our biggest and most glaring security issue. Sharing this in case this helps anyone else.

This gate leads directly to our backyard with single story access to the bedrooms and two large glass sliders. I live in a nice area but in a large city where the common MO is to access the backyard and through the sliders or windows. Probably a little overkill but we got a great price.

We went with a 74 inch tall, solid 14g steel gate. The hinges are exposed because we needed it to open outward, but they’re welded barrel hinges with an integrated hinge bolt and virtually impossible to bypass. There’s a double plated lock box with a Schlage B62 double cylinder keyed deadbolt with 1 inch throw and a mechanical keypad. The posts are bolted into the concrete on the latch side and into the block wall and footer on the hinge side.

I’ve coupled this with a POE camera from behind the gate + integrated flood light and two additional motion floods in front, plus a wireless driveway alarm that alerts inside the house with any motion.

Is it impervious? No, nothing is, but it doesn’t need to be. Just needs to be more hardened than my neighbors.

Stay frosty

I love the idea of motion activated sprinklers or something… what about motion-activated sprinklers with clothing dye or food coloring?

(It’s not the easiest to see, but that’s a footprint on the glass pane on my screen door) About two years ago (practically same time of year and time of night) I heard banging on my front window around 9pm-10pm, I eventually saw four (assumed) teenagers creeping around my house and once they realized I saw them they took off. Then nothing occurred again and went with daily life, not thinking of it. Last night around 9pm, wife & I heard obnoxious banging on the front door and bang coming from the back (not gun shot bang, rather impact). I ran outside, but didn’t see anything. I proceeded to walk around the house and didn’t find anyone. I found that the glass pane on my screen door was knocked out and a boot print on the glass. I doubt they’re trying to break in (especially with the occupants at home), also because who would try to kick in a screen door and not the actual door. However, I don’t want to deal with the damage to my property because these idiots find it funny. Both times they did this they just ran off. But is there something I can do to stop it in general?

Most traditional security cameras just sit there recording. You only find out what happened after the fact when you go rewatch the footage. That’s fine for evidence, but it doesn’t do much in the moment. I’ve been working on an AI-powered digital security guard that connects with your existing camera setup and actually “pays attention” in real time. Instead of scrolling through hours of recordings, you can give it natural language instructions like: • “Alert me if someone falls.” • “Watch for early signs of a possible heart attack.” • “Keep an eye on my elderly parent when they’re home alone.” • “Notify me if my child goes near the pool or front gate.” • “Raise an alert if smoke or fire risk is detected.” It sends you real-time video notifications and communicates almost like a guard watching over things for you. The idea is to catch not just the incident, but also the early signs—so you can actually prevent or reduce the impact. You can run multiple scenarios at once across multiple cameras, and over time it adapts to what you care about most. It’s been tested both in simulations and in real-life scenarios, and each round of feedback makes it smarter. Potential uses range from: 🏠 Home safety (kids, elderly, health risks) 🏢 Small businesses (shoplifting, workplace hazards) 🏬 Enterprises (warehouses, retail superstores, compliance monitoring) Curious if this kind of AI-powered approach feels like something you’d trust/use at home or work, or if most people still prefer the traditional “record-only” type of systems?

So i know brandishing a nailgun or gun with blanks is considered a deadly weapon threat. What if instead I rigged like 20 .50cal nail gun blanks with wires to a batter source and used an old remote to remotely detonate it under the ground when I hear those guys throwing rocks at my house again. Like it's not in a barrel or case. Only the battery and wired area would be encased in wax. And it is underground under potting soil so no rocks could be thrown. But it should be loud enough to cause ear rushing and temporarily disable them enough for me to get a camera Pic finally.

This also illegal. I know where they throw from. This is gonna be like 20ft from there.

This is my honest 3 year review of the ADT system:

Functionality: I never had any hiccups with the system. All the electronics worked as intended. The app is very intuitive and easy to use.

ADT: Crooks… keep an eye on your finances, they will raise the price without notice. The door to door agents will do anything (including outright lying) to get you to sign up…

Their technicians will find the easiest way to mount the system regardless of damaging your property or placing it in the worst spot. Just laziness.

That 3 year contract means you will keep your equipment but at the end of it, if you decide to cancel like we did, the equipment is useless without a subscription.

Good luck contacting anyone in finance to help you with explaining why your bill went up… only to argue with you and end up lowering your bill to the agreed amount.

TLDR; good equipment, crooked administration. Do your research and get the best deal that works for you.

I'm not sure how this got into the Home Defense section. maybe somo cal let me know how to move it. BTW - I use a 12 ga.

We moved into a house a few months ago that has a version of Stucco I've never seen, and I can't mount anything to it. It's not firm, and it crumbles. It feels like there is no supporting structure, and The drill penetrates very easily. almost like sheetrock , but less dense. If I drill a hole the screw or anchor just pulls right out. I need to find a way to hang something that will carry some weight. A hose hanger or outdoor clock will be first, but this weather station mount will be soon after. https://ambientweather.com/kestrelmet-mono-mount?_gl=1\*1wzllso\*_up\*MQ..\*_gs\*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5JXFBhCrARIsAL1ckPtKKdVSyAr_vfBPSX_cS3LnPBlHNqmABOocvQMZ2c9oVa3gkmS6sD0aArieEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAAD_pbGc9OJk3kqG9PZ7yrSG4VvmUq

We've moved to a new house, which doesn't feel as secure as our old one. To feel more at ease, what safety and security suggestions can you offer me?

I've been trying to decide on a security system for my home as well as security cameras. Whether it's ADT, SimpliSafe, or Arlo, all I keep reading is bad reviews for all of them. Is there anyone that has good reviews of any of these companies? Is mixing and matching not a good strategy? I want good quality cameras but I think professional monitoring is also important.

I think we have a peeping Tom in our neighborhood and I have a young daughter. We are looking for an affordable and reliable security camera for outdoor placement t around our house. I looked at Walmart and this seems to be the suggested one. Not a security expert, so I thought I’d ask.

https://stopboxusa.com/products/stopbox-bundle-1

I’ve got 3 curious kids so I need some sort of lock on it.

Please dont mention guns, here they are absolutely banned and almost no one, not even intruders, will have them.

I live in a flat and there are several corridors and corners, so a baseball bat or anything that big wont work well. This stick may look weak as I saw other comments mention but it is not hollow and it HURTS. Not sure if that much at full force though

If not any of these two, any melee weapon you recommend? High stopping power is crucial.

AR 15s vs shotguns

Im buying a door reinforcement kit and see that theres price differences between Door Armor Max and Securityman Door Reinforcement is there any difference between the quality or is there a recommended type of door reinforcement kit anyone would recommend from any brand?

Hi everyone, I’m new to this world and I want to learn more about home defense and urban survival. What YouTube channels do you recommend on this topic? And which books should I start reading?