Okay, so, as much as I'd like to think I'm a seasoned explorer with years under my belt, I have to admit I still don't know all I should when it comes to cameras and alarms.

I had a close call with an alarm once, but nothing with cameras or alarms. I visited an abandoned restaurant today with a very new looking camera despite the place having been closed for at least a year now...what tips can you give to someone about cameras and alarms?

Or if you don't have any tips, got any funny stories?

Drop and go cell-based alarms and cameras cost nothing and are proliferating.
The only way you can be sure is a thorough recon designed to set off alarms and test security response.

You can easily look for infrared cameras with a cellphone camera, as the infared looks like a dull pink glow on your screen.

My first run in with a camera was exploring an abandoned building that was attached to an active building. However we didn't know this. So while exploring we walked into a large room and found a door leading to the active building, right next to it was a security camera.

I ended up shining my flashlight on it to make the lens flare as we backed out and left.

I generally assume that any camera I walk in front of is not being monitored by a live person, but rather will be watched later if an incident of importance happens that they need to report on, like a crime or a death.

Posted by Steed I generally assume that any camera I walk in front of is not being monitored by a live person, but rather will be watched later if an incident of importance happens that they need to report on, like a crime or a death.

Yeah thats pretty much the same way I view them. Not sure why I immediately shined my light on the camera. Probably because I wasn't expecting it and it was my first experience with cameras.

There's a mall in my city that's been abandoned for about a year now. It's in great shape, so it's very secured inside. But only in one spot. Every other spot in the mall is essentially unguarded (to an extent), and of course, we didn't know that at the time. Our first attempt ended in us setting off all the motion detectors in a former anchor store, and our second attempt started in the same store.

We had a bedsheet ready, as well as our dignity. Surely it would(n't) work, right? We tried going in through our normal entrance, but it had been boarded up since the last visit. Luckily, we still found a way in, and tried going back through the anchor store that failed us last time. This time though, we had to take the side stairs up, only to discover each door we attempted was locked. We reach our floor -- our final attempt for the day -- and pulled out the bedsheet ready to cover it like a ghost on Scooby Doo. Everything was going great. We were laughing about how ridiculous this was probably going to end (thanks Mythbusters!),and what we should do once we get past the detectors. Finally, we're ready, pulling it over our heads, grabbing the door handle -- aaaand it's locked.

Logic wasn't there at the time.

But the bedsheet actually did work?

Gotta know the difference between active and passive surveillance. The riskier the endeavor, the more likely it's active. Dome cameras have the illusion of 360 views but are generally pointed in one place, which you can see if you look closely. Ninj had a great guide to this.
I would like to know more about alarms myself.

Posted by Steed But the bedsheet actually did work?

When we went back the last time, no one brought it with them. You're guess is as good as mine.

Posted by Steed But the bedsheet actually did work?

Well I know from experience that one of those metallic emergency blankets works against infrared motion sensors and cameras. The bed sheet is supposed to work against the sonic detectors. The idea being that the sheet absorbs the high frequency sound being emitted by the detector. However I've never tried it, as sonic detectors aren't very common.

Cameras are only as good as the person monitoring them.

I always assume cameras are being monitored unless it's quite obvious that they aren't. So yes the only way to go is walk in front of them, set alarms off, wait and see who turns up and after how long from a safe vantage point. Luckily very few abandonments in the UK actually have cameras outside them.

Depending on the placement and expected traffic past a camera, it may be hooked directly to an alarm as a motion sensor. So for example, if the camera is in a hallway, tunnel, or room that never has any movement, the picture the camera sees can be expected to be static unless someone is there. In such cases, the person/agency monitoring it could set it up to alert them to any motion at all in the camera's view. This can be via text/email for modern systems, or a tie-in to a traditional alarm (even older security recorders often have an alarm-relay output). If the camera is outside, or in a semi-public area, or even somewhere with a window where the light level can change, there will be too much "noise" to easily do this, and it's less likely to have automated alerts (sometimes you can adjust the camera to ignore animals, clouds passing the sun, etc, but it's a tricky balance between too much and too little adjustment).

As a real-world example, our local university has motion-sensor cameras in all their tunnels. Since the only time any motion happens is when a person is there, security staff will be instantly notified when someone passes a tunnel camera. However, the U apparently had such incompetent security people that they couldn't tell the difference between explorers and scheduled maintenance staff, and had to spend a few hundred thousand on a "smart" camera system that could identify "suspicious activity" via pattern recognition.

Depending what kind of place it is, I'll run in take a few shots with my phone and leave before it gives anybody time to get there. I ran into a subway the other day right by two cameras, shot a few parts with my phone and right back out in about two minutes.

Posted by Flashyfashionfraud Or if you don't have any tips, got any funny stories?

There is a place that used to be a speakeasy back in the 30's that has a hole (it was half-hazardly covered by a removable square of sheetrock) in a brick wall leading to the building next door. After exploring most of the floors from top to bottom, my curiosity told me to go inside past the sheetrock...
Once inside, I shined my torch to what was some "lonely chair", touched it and thought "Huh? Is this velvet? It's too fancy to be a lonely chair. Then kept shinning my light around to where I found a light switch, I flicked it... Wow! The lights came on. At this point I realized this place had fancy hardwood floors, fancy couches, a huge top brand flatscreen, AND an equally sized iMonitor for an iMac. This was all too weird. I moved the mouse and BOOM!, the screensaver came on. Okay... At that point I assumed I was inside someone's house. While keeping my composure, I was panicking on the inside and moving my eyes around in fear expecting for someone to walk in. What do my eyes see? TWO (2) webcams set about 1 yard apart from each other above the wardrobe closet! Aww crap, they saw my face from the moment I turned on the lights to the room. In a stupid attempt to show my innocence, I put my hands together in praying mode and continuously bowed like an Asian thinking "FOH-GIVUH-NESS, PEACE" and got the hell out of there ASAP.

TL;DR?
I roped my way into a rooftop to a place that I thought was abandoned. The building next to it was, but not the one that played a role in getting me up there (all but one 1 floor are unoccupied).
I turned on the lights and there were 2 cameras. The cameras may not have been on is my theory. Oh well, never went back inside there.

Posted by shotgun mario You can easily look for infrared cameras with a cellphone camera, as the infared looks like a dull pink glow on your screen.

Noted, thanks! That's a great idea.

Posted by JKuhnss My first run in with a camera was exploring an abandoned building that was attached to an active building. However we didn't know this. So while exploring we walked into a large room and found a door leading to the active building, right next to it was a security camera. I ended up shining my flashlight on it to make the lens flare as we backed out and left.

That's a good idea, too. Was this during the day?

Posted by Steed I generally assume that any camera I walk in front of is not being monitored by a live person, but rather will be watched later if an incident of importance happens that they need to report on, like a crime or a death.

I figured, do you still bother showing your face?

Posted by DundahMifflin There's a mall in my city that's been abandoned for about a year now. It's in great shape, so it's very secured inside. But only in one spot. Every other spot in the mall is essentially unguarded (to an extent), and of course, we didn't know that at the time. Our first attempt ended in us setting off all the motion detectors in a former anchor store, and our second attempt started in the same store. We had a bedsheet ready, as well as our dignity. Surely it would(n't) work, right? We tried going in through our normal entrance, but it had been boarded up since the last visit. Luckily, we still found a way in, and tried going back through the anchor store that failed us last time. This time though, we had to take the side stairs up, only to discover each door we attempted was locked. We reach our floor -- our final attempt for the day -- and pulled out the bedsheet ready to cover it like a ghost on Scooby Doo. Everything was going great. We were laughing about how ridiculous this was probably going to end (thanks Mythbusters!),and what we should do once we get past the detectors. Finally, we're ready, pulling it over our heads, grabbing the door handle -- aaaand it's locked. Logic wasn't there at the time.

LOLOL I am so sorry. But the sheets work??

FREAK Hahaahaha that's hilarious. I give you all the points for making the TMNT reference.

A-Z racist little bastard :-p But still hilarious!!

Mythbusters did a whole segment devoted to methods of getting past various alarm systems including sonar, infrared, PIRs etc...almost everything they tried failed but the sheets do work on the right kind of alarm.

Posted by Steed But the bedsheet actually did work?

Bedsheets won't stop PIR (motion detectors) from seeing you.

Some info on alarms:

Alarms create an electrical loop with a bunch of sensors in it, and if one of the sensors disconnects the loop, or if it is cut, current stops flowing through it an the alarm sounds. Alarm cable is 4 conductors, similar to phone cable. Two are 12v power, and the other two are the loop.

The most popular sensors are PIR, (passive infrared motion detection) and reed switches. (The little boxes above doors) There are many others, but 99% of what you're going to see is one of these two. They're cheap and effective.

PIR is generally placed in corners, but not always. They are usually between 5 and 10 feet from the ground on the wall, to balance detection distance with the ability to see over obstacles. Their range is usually between 30 and 40 feet. If you've got like 20 minutes to spare, you can usually walk past them if you go REALLY SLOW. Conveniently some actually tell you when you've tripped them by flashing the light, and others even have three lights to tell you when you've almost tripped it. (Quite handy if you want to practice the walk-by-really-slow method)

Reed switches use a magnet to hold closed a switch made of metal. Magnet is on or in the door, and reed is in or on the frame. They are usually at the outer (farthest away from hinge) top of the doorframe, however they can be placed elsewhere: Look for aluminum squares about 1" by 1" in steel door frames, with one screw in them. Those are reed switches built into the frame. (which unfortunately you can't really see until you open the door...) Some other systems use a 3/4" round mechanical switch or magnetic sensor on the hinge side inside the frame. Reed switches don't need power, so can be connected with only two cables.

Commercial doors that have electronic strikes usually have switches built into them. These are usually for tn't often connected to an alarm, but it is possible.

In commercial applications, you might encounter linear PIR sensors, which are motion detectors that only look at a small linear area. (eg. a hallway leading to a restricted area) Look up, as these will be spaced out on the ceiling.

Optical sensors are also sometimes found in commercial applications (often for non-alarm purposes too, but they're worth mentioning). They are generally under waist height, and look like a little box with two lenses on them. Directly across will be a reflective strip or panel. Just don't cross the beam directly between the sensor and it's reflective panel and they won't go off.

Another popular sensor is glass break sensors. They're either acoustic, (which listen for the sound of breaking glass) or film, which sticks onto windows and tears when they break. You'll find these either near windows or stuck onto them.

When one of these sensors trips, (breaks the circuit) the alarm system begins a countdown, usually 30 seconds. That delay is to allow you to enter the alarm code into a keypad.

After that timer runs out, the alarm assumes that the owner isn't there, and sounds the alarm. Alarms generally have two outputs, a dialer and a sounder. The sounder makes the noise, the dialler calls the security company. If you're lucky, the system only has a sounder, and will just honk for a while and then you can continue with whatever you were doing. If you're unlucky, the alarm just dials and doesn't tell you. Some diallers use cellular phones, as either a failsafe or their primary method of calling.

Alarm panels are generally white boxes, about 16" square, 4" deep, with a ton of phone-like wire out the bottom. Inside is the control panel, connectors for all the alarm loops, power supply and a backup battery.

The keypad is usually near the main entrance. If it's not, it's either nearby or the alarm has a long delay time. As a quick rule of thumb, time how long it takes you to walk to the keypad from the main entrance, multiply by two, and that's probably the alarm delay time. The keypad doesn't really do anything except allow the owner to turn it on/off. Keypads generally use 6 conductor wire, two for power, two for data, and two to trigger an alarm if the keypad is destroyed/removed.

Oh, and if a sensor trips over and over and over again, your alarm company will likely just consider it a nuisance alarm and not send anybody after the 3rd time or so.

If people are interested in cameras I could write a post on those too.