Securing your bitcoin mining equipment from theft - ideas?

[NoDisco]

I started a discussion on the KNC miner thread about protecting your high end mining equipment from theft. I'd like to open it up to wider discussion in this section of the forum.

Has anyone buying one of these (knc miners) thought about security? Like, what to do if their miner is stolen by some bum who breaks in and thinks it's a fancy desktop PC?

Any thoughts? Getting some kind of serial number engraved on the case? Marking the PCB somehow? Some kind of tracking that is it powers up, gps coordinates get send somewhere? I imagine high end industiral machinery must have something like this to protect the investment, but I don't really know.

The first suggestion was this tracking chip http://www.thetileapp.com/ Seems like a good idea, but it's very new product and I doubt there are many actually in use yet. Potentially good in a couple of years.

A few suggestions related to gps trackers that are used in plant machinery and cars to track if they are stolen (e.g. lojack). This is a potential solution, but these devices tend to be powered by car battery (so not suitable for use in a miner). Or they have build in long life batteries, which usually means they are bulky and expensive.

Also, stripping down a mobile phone and using that to transmit location was suggested. A good idea, but would need to find some way to keep the mobile battery constantly charged up and working for longer than mobile batteries usually last.

Then a suggestion of a gps module, which I like the most.

I'm doing my research on this, but I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel. Surely people who own high end industrial machinery ($20k cnc lathes etc) must have some security attached, rather than just a peelable sticker saying "Property of Company XYZ"?

My ideal solution would be:
1. Some kind of bare PCB board that could be attached inside the case of a miner. It would looks like it's part of the machine, so it's function as a tracking device is covert. Would be nice if it worked on rechargeable batteries, which were always kept topped up by the power supply to the miner. That way, if the miner was stolen, it would emit gps location data until the batteries were dead, which hopefully would be at least a week, giving time to get the cops involved for a recovery.

2. The next option, which is okay but not great, would be something similar that transmit when the machine is powered up. Much more risky, as you'd have to rely on the theives to plug it in at least once.

3. Your thoughts?

[Kuroth]

I would get 3 Really Big Dogs..

[NoDisco]

I would get 3 Really Big Dogs..

There has already been suggestions of dogs and 12 Gauge shotguns I was hoping for something more hi-tech and potentially useful to everybody (not every country allow gun ownership etc).

[NoDisco]

I've been researching and found a gps tracker which is actually very close to what I want. It has a feature called geo-fence (not at all ironic when talking about stolen goods   ) which will send a text message to your phone if your miner goes outside of a certain area of your city or a block in your neighbourhood. It also sends GPS tracking data and you can text it for it's present gps location. Which is very good. It seems to be a piece of cheap kit from China (google "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" if interested).

The big drawback is it's very power hungry and the battery doesn't appear to last long. They suggest you buy a charger to hardwire it to a car battery to keep it juiced up. They say the battery is 3.7V.

This might be a terribly stupid question, I don't know, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to charge a 3.7V battery off a standard PC PSU?

[uyjulian]

Kensington lock. (there's holes in the miner, right..?)

[zackclark70]

I've been researching and found a gps tracker which is actually very close to what I want. It has a feature called geo-fence (not at all ironic when talking about stolen goods   ) which will send a text message to your phone if your miner goes outside of a certain area of your city or a block in your neighbourhood. It also sends GPS tracking data and you can text it for it's present gps location. Which is very good. It seems to be a piece of cheap kit from China (google "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" if interested).

The big drawback is it's very power hungry and the battery doesn't appear to last long. They suggest you buy a charger to hardwire it to a car battery to keep it juiced up. They say the battery is 3.7V.

This might be a terribly stupid question, I don't know, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to charge a 3.7V battery off a standard PC PSU?

A simple dc-dc converter will work as a good battery charger combine that with a diode so the battery doesn't go flat when the charger is off

look on ebay they are less than $10 for a very good quality dc-dc converter  

[NoDisco]

I've been researching and found a gps tracker which is actually very close to what I want. It has a feature called geo-fence (not at all ironic when talking about stolen goods   ) which will send a text message to your phone if your miner goes outside of a certain area of your city or a block in your neighbourhood. It also sends GPS tracking data and you can text it for it's present gps location. Which is very good. It seems to be a piece of cheap kit from China (google "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" if interested).

The big drawback is it's very power hungry and the battery doesn't appear to last long. They suggest you buy a charger to hardwire it to a car battery to keep it juiced up. They say the battery is 3.7V.

This might be a terribly stupid question, I don't know, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to charge a 3.7V battery off a standard PC PSU?

A simple dc-dc converter will work as a good battery charger combine that with a diode so the battery doesn't go flat when the charger is off

look on ebay they are less than $10 for a very good quality dc-dc converter  

I found this for about $3 http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Converter-12V-Step-down-to-3-7V-3A-Power-Supply-Module-Waterproof-Stable-/121159265150

So what kind of diode would you use to keep the battery from draining?

[grue]

you guys do realize that your fancy GPS tracking devices can be disabled with a $20 jammer, right?

[zackclark70]

I've been researching and found a gps tracker which is actually very close to what I want. It has a feature called geo-fence (not at all ironic when talking about stolen goods   ) which will send a text message to your phone if your miner goes outside of a certain area of your city or a block in your neighbourhood. It also sends GPS tracking data and you can text it for it's present gps location. Which is very good. It seems to be a piece of cheap kit from China (google "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" if interested).

The big drawback is it's very power hungry and the battery doesn't appear to last long. They suggest you buy a charger to hardwire it to a car battery to keep it juiced up. They say the battery is 3.7V.

This might be a terribly stupid question, I don't know, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to charge a 3.7V battery off a standard PC PSU?

A simple dc-dc converter will work as a good battery charger combine that with a diode so the battery doesn't go flat when the charger is off

look on ebay they are less than $10 for a very good quality dc-dc converter  

I found this for about $3 http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Converter-12V-Step-down-to-3-7V-3A-Power-Supply-Module-Waterproof-Stable-/121159265150

So what kind of diode would you use to keep the battery from draining?

I would use something like this > http://www.ebay.com/itm/LM2596HV-DC-Voltage-Regulator-Power-Converter-Step-Down-Power-Supply-Module-3A-/321185390322?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac8241ef2

as you can adjust to voltage and cater for the diode voltage drop

I would use a diode like this >  http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-1N4001-Diode-1A-50V-Free-Shipping-/260812176326?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb99dfbc6

depending on the amps you might need to use a couple of diodes in parallel

I have used a similar setup for charging my lifepo4 battery's you might not need the diode if there is one built into the dc-dc step down converter  

[silverbox]

I was considering a 10-16 gun safe with ac'd air piped in and out 3-4" inlet/outlets.

Something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SentrySafe-14-Gun-59-in-Combination-Lock-Gun-Safe-G5241/100196980



Bolt it to the wall and floor and mount up your gear inside it.

Almost all home burgleries never touch the safe.  They grab what they can and get out.

[NoDisco]

I've been researching and found a gps tracker which is actually very close to what I want. It has a feature called geo-fence (not at all ironic when talking about stolen goods   ) which will send a text message to your phone if your miner goes outside of a certain area of your city or a block in your neighbourhood. It also sends GPS tracking data and you can text it for it's present gps location. Which is very good. It seems to be a piece of cheap kit from China (google "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" if interested).

The big drawback is it's very power hungry and the battery doesn't appear to last long. They suggest you buy a charger to hardwire it to a car battery to keep it juiced up. They say the battery is 3.7V.

This might be a terribly stupid question, I don't know, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to charge a 3.7V battery off a standard PC PSU?

A simple dc-dc converter will work as a good battery charger combine that with a diode so the battery doesn't go flat when the charger is off

look on ebay they are less than $10 for a very good quality dc-dc converter  

I found this for about $3 http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Converter-12V-Step-down-to-3-7V-3A-Power-Supply-Module-Waterproof-Stable-/121159265150

So what kind of diode would you use to keep the battery from draining?

I would use something like this > http://www.ebay.com/itm/LM2596HV-DC-Voltage-Regulator-Power-Converter-Step-Down-Power-Supply-Module-3A-/321185390322?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac8241ef2

as you can adjust to voltage and cater for the diode voltage drop

I would use a diode like this >  http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-1N4001-Diode-1A-50V-Free-Shipping-/260812176326?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb99dfbc6

depending on the amps you might need to use a couple of diodes in parallel

I have used a similar setup for charging my lifepo4 battery's you might not need the diode if there is one built into the dc-dc step down converter  

That's cool. It says it's adjustable, but I don't have any equipment to measure what the output is, so that is why I plumped for one that explicitly said "12v to 3.7V step down". Probably fairly obvious I'm not an electronics expert 

For the diode - I guess you would put that on the + cable from the 3.7V side of the dc-dc converter to the battery charger connector?

[NoDisco]

I was considering a 10-16 gun safe with ac'd air piped in and out 3-4" inlet/outlets.

Something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SentrySafe-14-Gun-59-in-Combination-Lock-Gun-Safe-G5241/100196980



Bolt it to the wall and floor and mount up your gear inside it.

Almost all home burgleries never touch the safe.  They grab what they can and get out.

I have no access to one of these, but it would probably be ideal. My only concern would be whether a 3-4" outlet would be enough to allow proper exhaust of hot air? Also, how would you drill a 3-4" hole in a safe? 

[zackclark70]

I've been researching and found a gps tracker which is actually very close to what I want. It has a feature called geo-fence (not at all ironic when talking about stolen goods   ) which will send a text message to your phone if your miner goes outside of a certain area of your city or a block in your neighbourhood. It also sends GPS tracking data and you can text it for it's present gps location. Which is very good. It seems to be a piece of cheap kit from China (google "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" if interested).

The big drawback is it's very power hungry and the battery doesn't appear to last long. They suggest you buy a charger to hardwire it to a car battery to keep it juiced up. They say the battery is 3.7V.

This might be a terribly stupid question, I don't know, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to charge a 3.7V battery off a standard PC PSU?

A simple dc-dc converter will work as a good battery charger combine that with a diode so the battery doesn't go flat when the charger is off

look on ebay they are less than $10 for a very good quality dc-dc converter  

I found this for about $3 http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Converter-12V-Step-down-to-3-7V-3A-Power-Supply-Module-Waterproof-Stable-/121159265150

So what kind of diode would you use to keep the battery from draining?

I would use something like this > http://www.ebay.com/itm/LM2596HV-DC-Voltage-Regulator-Power-Converter-Step-Down-Power-Supply-Module-3A-/321185390322?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac8241ef2

as you can adjust to voltage and cater for the diode voltage drop

I would use a diode like this >  http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-x-1N4001-Diode-1A-50V-Free-Shipping-/260812176326?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb99dfbc6

depending on the amps you might need to use a couple of diodes in parallel

I have used a similar setup for charging my lifepo4 battery's you might not need the diode if there is one built into the dc-dc step down converter  

That's cool. It says it's adjustable, but I don't have any equipment to measure what the output is, so that is why I plumped for one that explicitly said "12v to 3.7V step down". Probably fairly obvious I'm not an electronics expert 

For the diode - I guess you would put that on the + cable from the 3.7V side of the dc-dc converter to the battery charger connector?

if you use a diode there will be a voltage drop that's why I said about the adjustable one also you would want to connect it directly to the battery and have the voltage set at the float charge voltage of the battery you would only need a volt meter to set the voltage

I would do it for you and send it on to you but the postage from the us would cost more than a volt meter

if you need help with any of it I can talk you threw it

if you want to use the internal charge controller wont that be a usb charger in that case you can get one of these >    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-step-down-Converter-8V-20V-9V-12V-16V-to-5V-USB-output-Mobile-Phone-charger-/251309519484?pt=UK_Phones_PhoneLeads_RL&hash=item3a8336f27c

[pacojones]

I'm not peddling anything and have no idea about this site but thought it looked decent for what was asked - http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/product/spark+nano+gps+tracking+device.do?sortby=bestSellers&from=fn

A much geekier option is an arduino with GPS but the battery life sucks.  They have dog collars with GPS modules (for expensive hunting dogs) but the battery life is only decent and it's hard to conceal...

[NoDisco]

I'm not peddling anything and have no idea about this site but thought it looked decent for what was asked - http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/product/spark+nano+gps+tracking+device.do?sortby=bestSellers&from=fn

A much geekier option is an arduino with GPS but the battery life sucks.  They have dog collars with GPS modules (for expensive hunting dogs) but the battery life is only decent and it's hard to conceal...

Seems to be much the same tech as the "Realtime Mini SPY Tracker Drive Vehicle Car" device I mentioned above. Hard to know if it's the same tech in a pretty case and $100 more expensive, or actually a quality build with long battery life. Thanks for pointing it out, will see what the reviews are like for it.

EDIT: Found review which says battery lasts 23 hours (http://gps-tracker-review.toptenreviews.com/spark-nano-review.html). Not great for the price.

[NoDisco]

They have dog collars with GPS modules (for expensive hunting dogs) but the battery life is only decent and it's hard to conceal...

Wow, just found one of these for a cat! http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GTU-GPS-Tracking-Unit/dp/B004HFRA7A
The cat does not look impressed 

[faiza1990]

you guys do realize that your fancy GPS tracking devices can be disabled  right?

[NoDisco]

Security tip - don't take photo's of your miner and post on forums if you use ios device, as it *can* include gps data which someone could use to track down where you live and steal your tech:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=239354.0
If you must, seems an easy way to get rid of the tagging is save image as a bitmap (which strips out all this data), then convert back to jpg.

[NoDisco]

But the story that kills me the most during my research is this guy who has his Batch 2 Avalon (worth $30k?) stolen and the only security he had was a fault webcam! Unbelievable
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=238517.0

[johnyj]

By the time you setup the security net, it already turned into a heater, due to skyrocketing difficulty