I recently moved into a new apartment and the bedrooms have large awning windows. They are just above head hight at the ground level and I’d like to purchase something to secure the windows to prevent a break in, epically if I were to keep the window open a bit overnight or throughout the day. I can’t seem to find any options or suggestions when I google it though. Any help is appreciated!

TL;DR: After cancelling ADT, your panel isn’t “glitching” — Alarm.com servers are deliberately telling it to reset Wi-Fi. That’s why you get nonstop “Wi-Fi Fault” errors. Block its internet access, and the faults stop.

Context (Why I Caught It)

• My network has two WAN connections (WAN1 + WAN2) load-balanced on a UniFi UDM SE.
• This let me see how the panel behaved differently depending on which WAN path it used.
• Most people only have one ISP, so to them it just looks like random “Wi-Fi faults.”

What I Found

• When the panel’s traffic went out via WAN2, it reached 192.155.71.16 (an Alarm.com server).
• Right after connecting, the panel threw a Wi-Fi Fault and forced me to reconnect Wi-Fi manually.
• When I firewall-blocked the panel’s internet on WAN1, those faults stopped completely — the panel just quietly retries once or twice a day without resetting itself.

How I Proved It

• UniFi logs clearly showed connections to 192.155.71.16 immediately before every reset.
• I created a firewall rule:
  • Source = ADT Alarm Panel
  • Destination = 192.155.71.16/32
  • Action = Block (with Syslog logging)
• With the block in place: panel still works locally (door chimes, arming/disarming), but no more Wi-Fi resets.

What This Means

• Alarm.com servers are actively commanding the panel to reset Wi-Fi if your account is inactive.
• That’s why so many people suddenly see “Wi-Fi Fault” spam after cancelling or being cancelled by ADT.
• It’s not broken hardware — it’s deliberate behavior to annoy you back into paying.
• Cutting off internet access stops the resets cold.

Takeaway For Others

If you’re tired of constant Wi-Fi Faults after cancelling ADT:

1. Block the panel from the internet (or at least block Alarm.com IPs).
2. Keep your door chimes and local functionality.
3. Stop the harassment-by-reset cycle.

ADT won't admit this, but the logs don't lie.

Hi I have had trouble finding a camera nvr that let's me put whatever size hard drive I want. I'm curious what exactly limits it? I opened up my box and I only was able to upgrade the drive to record about a year at a time... it's annoying cause sometimes I have to collect info from one year to save with another year but it's frustrating having to remove and replace the drive.

I noticed that inside the dvr/nvr there is what appears to be the structure for an additional hard drive except the pins are not soldered in.

I almost feel like soldering in the pins to hook up a second hard drive and see if it works...

Do any of you know of a situation where someone adds a 2nd hard drive to a dvr/nvr or do you know how I can force the system to accept a higher capacity hard drive?

If not can you recommend a dvr that can accept an extremely large harddrive? I've found one but it's about 2000$ and has a lot of extra features I really don't want.

Thanks in advance guys.

Hi Folks,

I got a new house and have 2 ethernet prewires front and back for cameras. Have a Reolink wifi doorbell. For internet, I have a tp link omada router and 16 port tp link poe switch which powers a few access points and tvs at home.

The main goal for cameras is to just record the front and backyard. The picture needs to be clear but not a stickler for perfect clarity.

What would be a good camera system for me ? Since I already have a POE switch I can power the cameras.

I was thinking of getting reolink cameras and nvr since I already have the reolink doorbell.

My needs specifically are to have a good app, motion detection and no subscription.

Thanks !

I recently updated the app on my phone. Because the biometric failed it wanted me to sign in manually. No problem I have the credentials. Unfortunately I can't get passed after choosing USA and clicking the check mark I get "Operating Failed. Please check your network."

My network is fine, I can get to everything else. I even tried via 5g instead of my wifi and I get that error. I tested it in another device that had the older version of the app and no issues. The moment I updated the app I got the same error.

Anyone else get this issue or have a way to fix it?

Thanks

I want one I can recharge and was wondering if there's any brands that are better than others. Like, is Ring good or is it just hyped up because the name?

I have the cobra 4k security system. Lately, three of the cameras will not go from night vision to color in the daylight. I have to reboot them and they go back to full color. They switch to night vision properly but not the other way around. What could I have done to make this happen? I have tried to duplicate settings on working cameras to these but to no avail.

I am hoping I can cover the entire perimeter with 5 cameras, including the doorbell. Is this possible or will I need a 6th camera?

Most likely going with Reolink.

Thanks in advance.

Diagram of the perimeter:

https://imgur.com/wzCT7oP

Hi all.

I want to add home security equipment and am looking for suggestions -

Reolink outdoor cameras Which brand door/window sensors should I get?

Planning on tying them into home assistant

Also have ecobee thermostat and MyQ garage opener built in.

Is there anything else I need? What can I use to send an alarm out if the door sensors are breached?

Regarding reolink outdoor cameras, is there a specialist installer i can look into because I do not believe i can install and run POE wires on my own

Moving in to a second floor apartment. Looking for security system recommendations. Not looking for a doorbell or motion sensors just a camera with night vision preferably one without subscription. Any recommendations? Please advice/share any tips to help a newbie who's not super tech savvy. Gracias!

I recently tried out Vivint for 3 days and eventually cancelled because the sales person wasn’t truthful to me.

But to be honest I like the system. The cameras quality is great, the hub with door sensors is awesome. Being able to arm your house and have it monitored is pretty nice. Great app features but lacks some customization.

Are there any systems that provide the same or similar functionality? I purchased some reolink cameras. Their doorbell camera is pretty terrible quality especially at night in comparison to vivint and my old Arlo camera. Reolink also support rich notifications for all of the camera models I purchased. For these reasons, I’m out on Reolink.

Any recommendations?

My home came prewired for alarm sensors in all downstairs windows and doors. On my sliding door, when I pull the placeholder out that has the wire looped around it, I can’t put either side of the loop to expose a cut end. It seems that it may be stapled or secure another way. Should I just cut the center of the loop (would leave me about 2” of wire) and to find out which one leads to the panel, and just stuff the other wire back in?

Hello! I am looking for a home security and water leak monitoring system recommendation. I would like to be able to monitor via my phone or tablet while travelling. Ideally I would like it to be from the same manufacturer so I don't need to install a bunch of apps. We travel extensively in the winter and it gets very cold where we live.

Ideally this is what it would include:
2 cameras (for front and back of house)
Indoor temperature monitoring
Water leak detection with at least 4 units.
Wifi enabled (but I think pretty much everything is these days)
Same manufacturer

I will have someone checking in while we are away, but I still want to monitor things. I don't want to pay a 3rd party for monitoring.

TIA!

I bought one of those retro game console sticks recently. The kind that plugs into the TV and has thousands of old games — Street Fighter, Duck Hunt, Mario, Battle City... everything I grew up with. It felt like I had finally brought a piece of my childhood back home.

For two nights, I played like a kid again. It was simple. It was comforting. After long stressful days, I would turn it on and suddenly, life felt a little lighter.

Then one day, I came home… and it was gone.

No signs of a break-in. No mess. Nothing else missing. Just… gone. I stood in front of the TV for a long while, holding the HDMI cable in my hand, like maybe it would magically reappear if I stared hard enough. But it didn’t.

Here is the part that still bothers me: my neighbor, who never really talks to me, randomly brought up retro games. Said something like Do you remember Battle City. That was literally the last game I played before it disappeared.

Maybe it was just small talk. But the timing felt… off. And I cannot shake the feeling that someone close by knew exactly what they were taking.

I have no proof. No footage. Just this weird ache of having something simple and meaningful taken away.

So now I want to set up cameras. Not because the item was expensive – it wasn’t – but because I don’t want this to happen again. I want to feel safe in my own space. I want to protect the little joys I have left.

If anyone has advice, I would really appreciate it:

• What is the best camera system for a small apartment that can actually catch stuff like this?
• Are wireless cams good enough, or should I go with something more reliable?
• Anything I should avoid? Or look out for?

Thank you in advance. I know it is just a game stick… but it meant a lot to me. And now every time I look at the TV, it just feels a little more empty.

Hey all, I wanted to ask if anyone had any recommendations for me on home security.

I am moving into a new ground floor 2-bed apartment, solo-living/no pets. Any help appreciated, please :)

The main bedroom is on the far left of the apartment facing into a residential courtyard. I don't leave my windows open when I am not home, but I will often leave the windows wide-open when not in that bedroom (to keep it cold). Unfortunately, anyone accessing the bedroom through the windows could do so easily without me being alerted...I am a sound engineer for electronic music, and typically wear very active headphones for much of the evening.

I already have normal motion detectors for when I am out of home, attached to loud alarms, but those are for typical break-ins. Does anyone have a suggestion for alarms that work well despite windows being open in a room, with the natural airflow that occurs due to that? Those alarms would have to also not trigger for random residents walking through the courtyard outside the open windows.

Thanks if you have any thoughts. I guess ideal would be some kind of alarm that tags people in-room but not air movement.

Ive had so many security cameras over the years, but due to their extremely small sensors, regardless of how high their 16k resolution cllaims to be, they have horrible quality. not to bad in good lighting if looking at a full image in entirety, but very pixelated and good luck if you actyally want to see anything in deail.

so here I have a few different action cameras with much better image quality and larger sensors that i'd like to convert into security cameras. First I like the higher quality footage, but also, I enjoy having some of my own home videos in a much better and higher quality.

Is there any good way to convert something like a gopro 8 hero black or even better an Insta360 Ace pro or Ace pro 2 into a security camera? Really, I just want something to be able to utilize the better footage, but also be able to set up in the home an infrared lighting that the cameras can process and get great images just like real security camera all seem to have capability to do now.

Any ideas on where to begin on such a project. the insta306 ace and ace 2 have never been used, but given the image quality shouldn't be too much different betiween the two, I'd like to keep the ace 2 and have no problems destroying the original ace if i can get the outcome to be a successful security cam.

moving to a new apartment soon and i’m considering getting a doorbell camera but it would obviously have to be rented friendly (can’t drill screws into the wall/door or anything). what are my best options if any?

Hi y'all, just dropping in for a question.

Physical security measures are all widely available. Better doors, better windows, better locks. Upgrading the access routes into or within a house is mostly a matter of research, budget, and ingenuity.

But what about the walls?

A few friends of mine were combat engineers or infantry, and talk about going through walls in the course of gaining entry. I don't see anyone breaking out the C4 or reaching for a cordless skilsaw to gain entry. Once they're inside, punching through drywall isn't hard.

Are there any articles or products that would work for selectively up-armoring a wall or two in a house? Chatting with a fellow security-minded friend, we've come up with plywood or spray insulation. Would like to see what the hive mind comes up with.

I see many news articles that jamming technology is now widely available to thieves. The can buy kits that disable Wi-Fi, wireless cameras and the wireless signals used by many door alarms and motion detectors to prevent an alarm system going off and to prevent it sending out a signal.

Obviously if you hard wire your security system you are safe from this, but for those of us where that's pretty cost prohibitive I have this question. In my case I have Ring with a bunch of motion sensors, door opening sensors, as well as the cameras. All wireless.

Is there a simple way to detect the jamming and trigger an alarm? Even if not triggering the Ring alarm, at least a siren.

I imagine technically it shouldn't be too hard to detect the widespread burst of noise across the different frequencies, and maybe correlate that with devices dropping off the local Wi-Fi network or ideally losing contact with the base station.

Ideally this feature would be built into the alarm base station itself, but until the alarm vendors catch up with the thieves, are there any products doing this or guides on how to do it with Software Defined Radio or any other solution?

I think it would add a lot to the deterrence if a siren went off when a potential thief turned on their Chinese made jammer.

And for those of you who don't think this is a growing problem, please search news articles about thieves using jammers to burglarize homes. It's unfortunately a growing problem now that the jammers are cheap and sold online

Does anyone have recommendations for infrared lighting. My goal is to add some infrared lighting close to the border of my property so my cameras are about to see further distances in night vision.