Getting ready for the Zombie Apocalypse is sexy to preppers. However, the complete collapse of all society is not the most likely disaster we will face. More likely, our own personal prepping scenario will be a more personal one. For that reason, it’s important that we keep our minds on what is most likely and not the most expansive.
Computer nerd information coming:
So I spent the morning cobbling together an interesting little project to increase security here. I setup my main server to put together a stream of the four cameras covering the most likely approaches to the house, and combine them into a 2×2 stream that it makes available at a certain IP address on the home’s internal network.
Then I attached an Odriod N2+ that I had lying around to one of the HDMI ports on the main TV. Now when anyone watching TV selects that HDMI input, they see a live stream of the main approaches to the house. Security has been increased, as I can do an instant live view of the home’s outside, thus allowing me to see my security perimeter without having to expose myself to the view of anyone outside.
It was a simple project that cost me nothing, as I already had the Odroid lying around. I bought this four years ago at a cost of $165 to do another project that never panned out, so it was lying in one of my tubs full of leftover stuff that I might use someday.
I installed Linux on an old 32gb Micro SD, then installed the appropriate software on it. On the server, I set up a Docker Container and had it pull the streams from the appropriate cameras and create a composite stream. Now I can sit here and watch the four cameras from my television.
Now I have to get back to the honey-do list item of installing a closet system in the bedroom we converted to a gym. I’m almost done with that, and I have procrastinated enough.
1 Comment
Fido · October 13, 2026 at 5:24 pm
I worry about the servers themselves. If they run systemd, logind, or pam, there are holes. And have you managed to set the HAP bit on them all?
Should also have a firewall between the net and everything you have, and the firewall should *not* have an IP address. It should simply “bridge” accross the boundary, and block by both IP and MA… nftables is your friend here, effectively a programming language. Far superior to iptables.. On mine, any machine on my network can blacklist any remote IP by sending an ICMP type 77 to it,… the firewall sees the packet and does the rest. It detects port scanning and blocks those too, and expires old blacklisted IPs… all in nftables… nothing running outside the kernel
With all the recent vibe coding, I think I’d stick to LTS kernels. Compile your own, of course.
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