Becoming a nation of voyeurs?

sebastiantombs

Known around here
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
Messages
11,511
Reaction score
27,690
Location
New Jersey
Surveillance cameras can be useful and entertaining without question. The thing that boggles my mind is that people who have no clue about internet and network security just buy them and use them "right out of the box", without changing login credentials, and are completely oblivious to the hazards of P2P and open ports. I have a fairly extensive system, outside views almost exclusively, and sure, I can see my neighbors coming and going, if I want to, but I don't want to or care. If you put up a system and then sit and watch what your neighbors are doing you need to find another, productive, hobby.
 
Last edited:

bp2008

Staff member
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
12,666
Reaction score
14,005
Location
USA
Haha

Customers who bought the cameras in hopes of not becoming victims joke that instead they’ve become voyeurs.
Yeah, I think there is a certain primal appeal to being able to see without being seen. Like, before security cameras, people would peek through a tiny slit in the blinds covering their window.
 

Sybertiger

Known around here
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
4,536
Reaction score
13,059
Location
Orlando
There's a fair number of folks on this forum who are installing cams inside the house. Perhaps most people only enable them when they leave the house but I betcha a lot of people just leave them running...after all, their network is "secure" and no one will ever in the history of the world be able to view their footage. I personally don't think inside cams are for me and I can tell you the couple of times I had cams in my home office closet I was setting up to test the girlfriend would close the closet door every time she came in to talk to me regardless of if I had a cam plugged in at the moment. ME: "hey, why did you close the closet door", HER: "because I don't want to be on camera inside the house".

The old version of voyeurism...I used to know a few people who'd like to go hangout at the shopping mall just to watch the people who were walking around. Back in the day before security measures some people would go to the airport to do the same thing. I think there's something inherent in a number of people who live in big cities; they like to be around a lot of people to see/watch and they wouldn't know what to do with themselves in the suburbs...maybe great candidate for picking up an IP cam hobby. :rofl:
 

bp2008

Staff member
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
12,666
Reaction score
14,005
Location
USA
I have a few indoor cams that I am a bit paranoid about too. One in particular, a PTZ in the middle of the house that could see everything. What I do on the computer, what I watch on TV, and more. I only plug in that cam when I go on vacation. But if people come over to visit, they don't know it isn't plugged in.

I know more about cybersecurity than most, so I know what I'd need to do to "properly" restrict access to such a camera, and I am too lazy.
 

c hris527

Known around here
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
1,782
Reaction score
2,066
Location
NY
There's a fair number of folks on this forum who are installing cams inside the house. Perhaps most people only enable them when they leave the house but I betcha a lot of people just leave them running...after all, their network is "secure" and no one will ever in the history of the world be able to view their footage. I personally don't think inside cams are for me and I can tell you the couple of times I had cams in my home office closet I was setting up to test the girlfriend would close the closet door every time she came in to talk to me regardless of if I had a cam plugged in at the moment. ME: "hey, why did you close the closet door", HER: "because I don't want to be on camera inside the house".

The old version of voyeurism...I used to know a few people who'd like to go hangout at the shopping mall just to watch the people who were walking around. Back in the day before security measures some people would go to the airport to do the same thing. I think there's something inherent in a number of people who live in big cities; they like to be around a lot of people to see/watch and they wouldn't know what to do with themselves in the suburbs...maybe great candidate for picking up an IP cam hobby. :rofl:
Chances are if they are watching you on your "secure" network, they have been watching and listening to you with your phone's and laptop webcam and microphone also, we go to great lengths to secure our home network but ever take a good look whats running on your phone, ever read the EULA to some of the free apps that gather your contacts, and you give them permission to do so, give them access to your wireless network devices!! It free..Click Click.
 

Sybertiger

Known around here
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
4,536
Reaction score
13,059
Location
Orlando
Chances are if they are watching you on your "secure" network, they have been watching and listening to you with your phone's and laptop webcam and microphone also, we go to great lengths to secure our home network but ever take a good look whats running on your phone, ever read the EULA to some of the free apps that gather your contacts, and you give them permission to do so, give them access to your wireless network devices!! It free..Click Click.
My concern isn't that weirdos are going to hack into my home network because I've taken precautions that will hopefully eliminate that. I just don't like the idea of if I croak my relatives or whoever takes over will review the footage and think "wow, Sybertiger sure did enjoy watching reruns of Married with Children in only his skivvies and just like Al Bundy had one hand in his waistband and the other with a PBR"...somethings just are not meant to be reviewed by others without permission...LOL!
 

Angel_Eater

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Nov 27, 2019
Messages
43
Reaction score
49
Location
not here
There's a fair number of folks on this forum who are installing cams inside the house. Perhaps most people only enable them when they leave the house but I betcha a lot of people just leave them running...after all, their network is "secure" and no one will ever in the history of the world be able to view their footage. I personally don't think inside cams are for me and I can tell you the couple of times I had cams in my home office closet I was setting up to test the girlfriend would close the closet door every time she came in to talk to me regardless of if I had a cam plugged in at the moment. ME: "hey, why did you close the closet door", HER: "because I don't want to be on camera inside the house".

The old version of voyeurism...I used to know a few people who'd like to go hangout at the shopping mall just to watch the people who were walking around. Back in the day before security measures some people would go to the airport to do the same thing. I think there's something inherent in a number of people who live in big cities; they like to be around a lot of people to see/watch and they wouldn't know what to do with themselves in the suburbs...maybe great candidate for picking up an IP cam hobby. :rofl:
Great way to figure out/learn about the trends of humanity, sit back and observe. If you master it, you are able to tell more about any 1 person than they know about themselves.
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2018
Messages
1,659
Reaction score
5,464
Location
Florida, USA
We have one ceiling mounted in our upstairs loft outside our bedroom door and one in our great room downstairs. They are set to record when the house becomes “Asleep” or “Vacant” by our home automation system.

Occupants aren’t recorded because if anyone leaves their bedroom, us or guests, the motion detector will fire and this signals our HA system to stop recording on these two cameras. When the last motion detector to fire is outside one of our bedrooms, they are set to record again.

The way we have motion detectors arranged, think of “Get Smart” and the lights come on, one by one, as he walks down the corridor. Lighting and occupancy detection are the primary purposes for our motion detectors but like any hobby I am always trying to tweak things.
 
Last edited:
Top