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I have a storage room in my apartment block (each apartment in the building has a private storage room in the basement). I suspect that someone may have entered there, maybe the landlord who lives in the same block, or another person who may have lived here before and could have kept one of the copies of the key.

I was thinking about changing the key, but I'm wondering if I can come up with an idea that would be cheaper and also could tell me if someone has entered.

A security camera would be great, but there are no power outlets (the electricity bill of the storage rooms is shared by all neighbours in the block, so they don't want people to plug certain electric devices there "for free" and there is only a light bulb with a switch). I could use a power bank like the ones used for smartphones but I guess it would only last a few hours. Also, the camera could not send the images anywhere from there.

I also thought of putting some object behind the door that would break when the door is open but I would also break it when I enter

Do you know if there is any clever idea for this or some device that I can buy?

eliblanco87
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7 Answers7

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Search for "trail camera" in aliexpress, Amazon, or any other retailer.

These cameras are meant to be left in the forest to take videos of animals. They are activated by a low power motion sensor, so you'll get long battery life (maybe several months).

Of course you'll have to hide it. You can get more inconspicuous models by searching for "hidden camera motion detector", the fake smoke detector is a common disguise for these.

JVC
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bobflux
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What country are you in? If you are in North America and the light switch is inside your locked space and there is a normal E26 light bulb socket, you can BUY an adapter that will allow you to take power from the light socket and still switch the light on and off by pulling a chain.

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If there is wifi down there, in any country you can buy a combo light/camera where you would leave the light switch in the On position and control the camera and light from your phone.

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Without electricity you could rig up a Polaroid flash camera to take a picture when the door opens, by connecting the door to the shutter button with string and pulleys. The tresspasser could of course steal the photo and/or the entire camera but at least then you will have confirmation of the event. Or you could put the camera in a securely mounted steel box but that seems like getting too far ahead of things.

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I think it was mentioned in the comments: Non-wifi security cameras that are motion/light activated and record to a memory stick can last for weeks or months and can be hidden easily and cleverly. The come in the form of picture frames, external hard drives, toys, etc.

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jay613
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Balance an open bucket of yellow paint on a small platform above the door on the inside. Attach the bucket to the door with a piece of string. The string should be long enough that the door can be opened about 10cm without tipping the paint. In the middle of the string put a detachable link or a carabiner so you can reach in and disconnect it before opening the door. The tresspasser will be the one with yellow hair.

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jay613
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Wedge a dime or some small, thin object between the door and jamb and lightly mark the door where the object is. If the door is opened, the object will fall and if the person notices it and tries to puts it back, they won't get the height right.

jay613
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JACK
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If the door opens inwards, then place a marble behind the door when you are closing it, with only an inch or so to go before fully closed. If someone opens the door it will roll the marble away and they likely will not even notice it. To check, you open the door only an inch and feel behind the door to see if it is still there before you enter

Chris
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It depends on the doorframe if you can find a good solution to this.

The best way ( from own experience ) is to put something thin and light in between the doorframe and door. this would work with doorframes that fall over the door slightly, but also if the door is level with the doorframe

piece of paper falling when door is opened, scene from: death note

you can use anything, a toothpick,piece of string, leaf, paper, or something else thin enough to go between the doorframe and the door.

You can place it on the handle side, or on the hinge side. This way you can tell it was opened before you actually open the door yourself. Or even put two of them in there on both sides of the door ( hinge side first, then handle side). Make a note or photo of the exact position they're in.

This would only give an indication that the door was opened, not who or what opened it. ( and yes the photo is a scene from death note )

RkdL
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I suspect that someone may have entered there

How did you arrive at this theory?

Apparently, you've already detected unauthorized access. What good will it do to just detect the activity again?

It sounds more important to identify a perpetrator at this point.

I think you should open a conversation with the landlord along the lines of:

Hi,

I was wondering, is it possible to change the lock on my storage unit?

I went in there the other day and things seems to have been moved around.

Now, your follow-up action should be based on the landlord's response.

MonkeyZeus
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