Thank you for your reply. Computer wise I had forgotten to consider reboots and such. That eliminates the salvage computer approach. I do read reviews. This is what first attracted me to Newegg and Amazon. The more I read the security ones it seems they all have problems but I have read reviews for years I get it all sorted (I hope). Looks like my big weakness is my lack of knowledge in cameras. Install knowledge is good on my part and I kind of figured the ease of a wireless camera was too good to be true / trusted. I need to figuring my exact camera placement and focal length. I like to cover the city street and sidewalk with one. We live in a pretty old neighborhood downtown lots are 50 foot wide low flow traffic street even lower sidewalk traffic. In my neighborhood the general break-in starts with knocking on the front door if not answered they break-in from the back. The preferred house that has an alley (most all do I am lucky and don't) they put the stuff in the trash area and pick it up as if they are aluminum pickers using some type of vehicle or they load your suitcase with a haul and escape on the city bus. Thanks again for taking the time to reply I learned a great bit.

This is an actual story not an urban myth... Dog's death leads to a push for quicker tracing of cellphones 5:00 PM, September 4, 2008 After her SUV, phone and dog were stolen at a cemetery last month, Hemet resident Mary Michael tried to get Verizon to track the phone in the vehicle carrying her beloved pet, Rebel. Verizon said it couldn't do so without a warrant. Rebel was found dead, prompting Michael to take aim at that regulation, The Times' David Kelly reports: A distraught Michael said Rebel would be alive today if Verizon had traced the cellphone she had left inside the car. "They could have saved Rebel's life," she said Tuesday during a news conference outside Riverside County Superior Court. "It's my phone. It has GPS capability. We should be able to use it." Michael, who is originally from London and lives in Hemet, has started a campaign to make such tracking easier. Many wireless companies now require warrants before tracing phones, but Michael argues that obtaining a warrant takes too long when a life hangs in the balance. Verizon spokesman Ken Muche said state and federal privacy laws make it impossible to trace a phone without a court order. He said criminals and stalkers had impersonated customers in the past to try to find cellphone users. "We work with law enforcement and will respond to requests from the court like subpoenas and warrants," Muche said. "We have a policy in place so our customer service people are not in a position of having to determine a person's identity." Had Verizon traced the phone, it could have pinpointed the location as close as 50 to 100 yards, he said. That was cold comfort to Michael. "If this had been done, Rebel would not have had to suffer, and we would not be going through the pain of losing her in this terrible way," she said. "I can't bear to think of what she went through during those last hours. I can't go there, it's too horrible." -- Francisco Vara-Orta Photo: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times I have a couple of comments. One - who ever leaves a dog or an unattended child in a running car is ASKING for trouble especially in Southern California. Two - If she had wanted to leave the dog in the A/C cooled car she should have locked the doors and taken her remote control key or second key with her. Three - Although the dog and this woman were traumatized and victimed and it is horrible that it ended in the dogs death, THIS WAS COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE had the owner used common sense. I frequent Southern California and there is NO SAFE place you must be on guard everywhere.

No neighborhood is safe these days, unfortunately. My home was burglarized 8 times in two years: probably illegal aliens setting up housekeeping--I would come home from work to find no knives, forks, pots,pans, towels, jeans, etc. down to the alarm clock & of course anything small & valuable. The sheriff advised me to get a dog; said there was no way they would ever be able to prevent the crimes. I also had my wedding ring stolen by my handyman (I think). I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the criminal has some connection to the workers who have been in your home. Maybe the contractor is suspecting the wrong guy. Could you stand to borrow someone's dog for a while? Otherwise, get the camera up for sure. He may have thought you would be gone already by 0630 or might be able to sneak in somehow at that time. Be careful with that gun! He would be happy to steal that too, you know.

Nothing wrong letting someone see your house under construction for as long as the homeowner doesn't mind and gave permission, the contractor says it's ok to see it because it is safe to do a supervised walkthrough (he knows best when its safe and when isn't). People who enter any private property under construction on their own without permission lack common sense, especially when some bring kids with them and let them run around without supervision while they walking around... They have no clue whats going on there and you hear lots of horror stories when people get hurt or worst wondering around construction sites. Here is a perfect example, a while back someone went to look at the townhouse they wanted to purchase, it was almost completed. The day before they installed a counter on the raised bar counter, and it wasn't finished the support brackets weren't installed. The couple entered the house to see it on their own without an appointment, the husband leaned on the bar counter, the granite flipped and slid down crushing his toes and few of them had to be severed. Even when you go to someone house, how many times someone told you "watch your head there is a low ceiling there" or "watch your step for one reason or another" etc. Without knowing some will take a nose dive or bang their head. You cannot trespass private property without asking permission or any construction site without supervision. Period.