Alarm System for Camper

D

dharte

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
Messages
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Has anyone here added a burglar alarm to their camper (like a car or house alarm)? My Hawk is never off my truck and we have had a lot of car break-ins in my neighborhood recently.
thanks,
david
 
This is a really good question! I'm interested to read what others have used for camper security.

David - does your truck have an alarm?
 
I am in November. factory alarm on truck. but im adding a gps tracker and alarm asap. my hawk will be full time as well. we live in a nice neighborhood, but burglaries happen everywhere. guy across the street had his house and his truck has been broken into.
 
This probably isn't exactly what you had in mind, but...

If you park the truck close enough to your house, you could use a z-wave system and put a motion detector (or other sensor) inside the camper and/or cab. As a bonus you could do some home automation. Something like this (I have several out in the yard), plus a $100 zwave hub and a $40 siren.
 
Camper101...could you list what is necessary to make a small system like this ... a motion detector....a link (?) to an alarm siren... (DC?) What is the Wave hub for?... I live in there boonies and haven't locked my house door in 30 years....but on the road it would be nice to have a small system in the camper on DC. Make a lot of noise!
 
Thanks for the feedback! I need an alarm for the truck too, so I hope I can get a system that will protect both. If I got a basic truck alarm (like a Viper) I don't know if the alarm shock sensors would be sensitive enough to be triggered by a camper break-in. When my son got an alarm for his car, the tech at Best Buy said thieves can break glass without triggering the shock sensors on most alarms so they have to have open door triggers to be effective. I want a system that can work in my driveway but also on the road.
 
buckland said:
Camper101...could you list what is necessary to make a small system like this ...
Click to expand...
What I was suggesting would be best when you're parked at home. I assumed you'd have the "brain" of the system plugged into your house's AC power. But you could make it work on DC if you have an inverter and a decent battery/solar setup.

[All of the links in the text below go to products you could use. Full disclosure: Amazon will make a small donation to a local nonprofit unless you disable that, but you'll pay the same price either way]

The brain is a hub, something like MiCasaVerde or SmartThings. You program with something like "if the motion detector in the camper detects motion, then make a siren go off."

The motion detectors (or door sensors) and siren run on battery, but you need the brain/hub to be plugged in. I don't know how much power those draw, but they send/receive radio signals so... You'd also have the issue of programming the thing and arming/disarming the alarm, but that could be done with a remote control.

An alternative for the road/trailhead might be something simple like a door alarm (which is pretty noisy, and worth a try for $12). You'd have to find a way to make it not obvious and it'd be fairly easy to disable if the thief wanted to do so. But I'm of the opinion (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) that most thieves are only mildly intelligent, and they're smart enough to get out of there if a siren goes off or a bunch of lights suddenly turn on...

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a motion detector/siren combo out there that runs entirely on battery or 12v, but I'm not familiar with anything.

On a related note, a while back somebody on this forum talked about a solution that requires drilling 2 small holes and secures the door. I never PM'd him to find out what that was, but I'm curious if anybody knows any security tricks.
 
dharte said:
Thanks for the feedback! I need an alarm for the truck too, so I hope I can get a system that will protect both. If I got a basic truck alarm (like a Viper) I don't know if the alarm shock sensors would be sensitive enough to be triggered by a camper break-in. When my son got an alarm for his car, the tech at Best Buy said thieves can break glass without triggering the shock sensors on most alarms so they have to have open door triggers to be effective. I want a system that can work in my driveway but also on the road.
Click to expand...
Just ask them to wire a switch to the campers door during the alarm installation.
It would be no different than wiring a switch to a tailgate.

If the installer can't accomplish this, I wouldn't trust them to do the rest of the install.

You could even ask for a wiring harness (break point) near the rear of the truck, that lets you switch between alarming your camper door and your tailgate if you chose to remove the camper.
 
I think I was thinking homemade. Has anyone used a Raspberry Pi. computer board? Low DC juice for the brains and maybe a car alarm siren for noise. I like DIY if for no other reason is it's a puzzle to solve. (and if I do I'll let you know!)
 
buckland said:
I think I was thinking homemade. Has anyone used a Raspberry Pi. computer board? Low DC juice for the brains and maybe a car alarm siren for noise. I like DIY if for no other reason is it's a puzzle to solve. (and if I do I'll let you know!)
Click to expand...
Yes. Have and am considering a Raspberry Pi for such tasks. However, the RPi's are better at higher level tasks that can run on Linux. Arduino's are easier to interface to input sensors, switches, etc. and output controls, etc. Use one or more Arduinos to collect data and notify the RPi that something is happening & let the RPi decide what to do like sound alarms, take photos & store them, turn on lights, record times, send notifications to you via radio, blink external lights in Morse code or just be silent and send current position out periodically if vehicle stolen. Make your puzzle as simple or complex as desired.

With a ham license, you can have your system send, via APRS, the data of interest & receive it on a handheld radio with packet capabilities while you are away from the campsite. Or interface to an InReach Explorer to send & receive with family & friends. Lots of possibilities to drain your camper batteries, drain your wallet, and consume your time. To each his own.

;)

Paul
 
My solar controller flashes inside my camper so that might trick people into thinking its armed
 
Has anyone installed a pin switch on the door? I went to Best Buy and they said if I provide the switch they could wire it into a Viper alarm system which i will probably purchase. They said normal pin switches for car doors are much too long and would stick out into the camper. I am also not sure how the wire would be routed from inside the camper to the outside. Don't really want to drill a hole in the camper for that, but I don't mind a small hole in the door frame for the switch. I might forgo the camper alarm completely and just focus on the truck because my truck (F250) is on the top 10 theft list since there is no chipped key or other deterrent. Also when we are camping I usually leave valuables in the truck, not the camper.
 
Search for "hall effect magnetic alarm door switch" and you will get some ideas that may be useful for your alarm system.

Paul
 
buckland said:
I think I was thinking homemade. Has anyone used a Raspberry Pi. computer board? Low DC juice for the brains and maybe a car alarm siren for noise. I like DIY if for no other reason is it's a puzzle to solve. (and if I do I'll let you know!)
Click to expand...
Nice I have an extra Raspberry pi sitting next to me as I type this. Love to see a diy thread for this. If I come across something I'll post it as well
 
OK, Finally, I'm an expert at this. ANY qualified Viper (by directed electronics) dealer will secure a camper like Fort Knox. pick an independent that will work harder for you than your run of the mill chain store employee...
Options:
Can be tied into truck but i really suggest an independent system. can be turned on and off w a simple wireless remote. Can be used while detached. you can even control some w a smart phone (some features need cell service). they don't draw much current and unarmed, they draw no current.
Sensors here are the key to success.
------a single shock sensor will do the entire job outside of the entry door.
------you can also do a digital tilt sensor that will memorize the parked position and the sensitivity can be dialed in to deal w wind gusts etc.
------glass sensor, detects broken glass.
------interior interference sensors (like you would see in an open convertible) are easy too.
------infrasonic sensors detect pressure changes (doors opening, impact etc.)
------GPS tracking is also available as are decals, extra LED armed status indicators and back up batter systems.
------cameras are also available that record once they detect motion and record to small SD cards. (while you're at it, you may want to ask them about a back up camera that can integrate into your factory radio or a replacement rear view mirror)
------probably the easiest part is the door and windows if desired magnetic sensors. clean, hard to see and simple in design.

A basic system to scare off an intruder is really inexpensive. If you want Fort Knox, and cry only once, you can do that too!

https://www.viper.com/wheretobuy/
 
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