Times of Lorex

Once upon a time, I played a wonderfully designed game called Times of Lore.  While rummaging through some of my old disks late last year (2018), I found the backups I'd made of the game in 1991.  The disks were still integral, which pleased me, since it had been before the turn of the century that I last toyed with them, and easily 9 years before that, that I undermined the copy protection scheme.  At that time, I was in high school, and I almost never recorded my procedures, but for this game, I distinctly remember that the Apple II DuoDisk drives were very noisy compared to the older shoebox shaped (Shugart) drives.  That noisiness always seemed to lend me a clue.  When booting the store bought master of Times of Lore, I could hear track seek noises similar to ProDOS 1.1.1, and after much trial and error, I found I could mostly close the spring loaded drive latch, but not all the way, and at a precise moment, rip out the disk and swap in a PRODOS disk with Copy II Plus.  If my memory serves me correctly, this gave me the chance to lift the data and write it back absent any raw copy protection.

That bit of history is merely a limp segue in to a matter that has been consuming much of time as of late: a Lorex video surveillance system.

A family member purchased a Lorex system and then expected some relative would set it up.  Until the lucky day that I successfully cross-train in to a different field, I will invariably navigate the agonies of family knowing I'm classically trained in computing technology.

Family was told that setting up a Lorex was easy.  Family was told wrong.  A few takeaways for anyone planning to install a Lorex:

• the Lorex 4K cameras have an excellent consumer grade picture.
• the Lorex NVR PoE ports are totally adequate, but the way Lorex coils up the 90 foot cables, renders the cables quite uncooperative.  In cooler weather, I have found it is easier to make fresh runs from a CAT5e spool and terminate both ends.  
• the Lorex NVR requires a Chrome plug-in that cannot be resolved.  The next bullet point has the work around.
• direct access to the Lorex 4K cameras successfully directs Chrome to NACL Web Plugin that can manage the NVR.  
• a building that's pre-wired or at least has existing conduit for cabling drastically reduces deployment time.  
• The individual cameras have username/password logins that should be changed, but out of the box, do not require a password change.  If deploying a discrete PoE network, change the passwords of the cameras.
• The NVR has generous list of other cameras which can be added, like Sony and JVC, to name a few.  Sadly, ABS MegaCams do not make the list.
• The cameras will work via PoE with Ubiquiti ToughSwitches at the 48V setting, and Netgear GS-108/GS-110TP switches.
• The Lorex utilizes a Western Digital purple surveillance drive.  I considered buying an SSD to replace it, since the environment will be harsh, but the purple drives appear to be well suited for this purpose. 

The time commitment is far more than I anticipated, with cabling and infrastructure being the most laborious and having the steepest learning curve.

Unresolved issues include:

• Ensure that the request to not cloud sync the footage be honored.  Block with home router ACL sandwich? 
• Standardizing footage/NVR administration.  Chrome? Android? Windows?
• Securing the NVR.  Will a lock box with an aft fan suffice?
• Securing the out of band camera network yet providing a means to relay SMTP alerts directly through Lorex's service.
• PoE switches ideally should be placed in a convenient location, but this building is challenged by its 1960's construction, lacks grounded outlets, and any power to the attic.  Furthermore, the attic is accessible only from the stairwell to the basement.  It seems to make the most sense to locate the attic mounted PoE switches close to the attic entrance.
• Many cables will have to be run.