Home Security Suggestions

sourdough44 said:
Just make it look like the place no one would want to break into.
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There was a house around the corner from us that had big front windows with no drapes. A giant hoard of junk was piled inside. It looked like a place where a burglar would dump the stuff he didn't want.
 
Stewartb said:
Monitored alarm systems for me. Cell phone based with battery backup. Smart phone user controls. Reasonable contract costs. A SWAT cop living next door doesn't hurt, either.
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Anything that's not ADT. Local alarm goes off. ADT responds, front door is secure, every thing looks good from the street, knocks on door, no answer.

Home owner returns home to find sticky on door, "alarm went off, no trouble found". The inside of the house was trashed, homeowners had cameras, video showed kid climbing over wall in back yard, crawling in through doggy door, and leaving. His buddy was too big to get in the doggy door.

He was inside the house when Barney Fife was knocking on the door and his buddy was in the back yard.

Not my house.
 
I'm friends with two of our city police, they were telling me of a break in about a year ago, where the home owner found a box van in his driveway, and a couple kids loading his stuff. he called the cops and started kicking as-. by the time the city police arrived the perps were glad to see them.
 
Gerhardt said:
Bah. You've got nothing on me.

I've broken into hundreds of homes, never been caught. The last one was an easy target, some airline guy who wasn't home. Nice house, but lots of junk everywhere, nothing valuable except a Glock I think I'll keep. I almost felt sorry for the poor bastard.
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We know you're lying. There's no such thing as a nice Glock. They're utterly boring (and reliable). :)
 
One thing to look at when deciding on a home security system is whether the police will respond to an alarm. In Milwaukee, the police stopped responding to home security alarms years ago. I think a camera system would be better in that instance to at least get evidence that might identify the thief.
 
I use a local alarm company. Don't have cameras yet .. but looking into them. My next door neighbor is a cop and his cruiser is parked in his driveway when he's not working .. so that helps. Loud exterior alarm.

I look at the alarm as a mild deterrent ... by the time LE gets there the bad
guys will be gone. Unless of course my neighbor is home. Worst case scenario for the bad guys is that I'm home since guns are always within reach. Being retired I'm there at odd times throughout the day.

RT
 
I've often though of getting a small safe, modifying the combo knob to make sparks when turned.

Opening it turn it on its back, and fill with black powder. close and latch, set it out where the burglar can take it easy.

It would be very easy to tell where they tried to open it.

hopefully they would carry it away first.
 
denverpilot said:
An alarm system without a detailed plan for specific security requirements is a minor deterrent by making noise.

We have one but it's part of a specific plan that includes other things.

I would recommend using a local company that is well established and protects things far greater than your most valuable things, and not a national chain selling only an alarm system.

They'll ask you a lot of questions and tailor a solution that will be likely to work. Or you'll find out it's it worth doing.

We have an alarm, but it is there for a specific purpose in a bigger plan. And honestly, it's not very good at that piece. It's just the best option.

We keep it more for the monitored smoke detectors that probably came close to saving our lives once, than the "security" aspect.

An alarm by itself, even a monitored one, even with cameras and a DVR, isn't going to protect anything in a typical residential structure. Windows are the main security problem.

The alarm will only be a minor deterrent to someone willing to risk the response time versus something they saw inside that they want.

Start with insurance. Then a plan by a local security company. Only go DIY if you're good at thinking like a thief. Even installing security doors or bars on windows an be done totally wrong and render the work done, useless.

As far as recourse goes? Good luck. Deterrent is about as good as it gets for residential burglary.
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Nate covered most of what I was going to say, except considerations of cost to replace vs cost to secure. Decide in your insurance policy what is a good crossover point and plan around that budget and the likelihood of this happening again.

The alarm's deterrent factor can help with the thought that it was kids who burglarized you, and if it was then they surveyed the place for awhile before doing the dastardly deed and will likely return if they believe the yield vs risk ratio to be in their favor. Work on preventing that and you cut 90% of the risk of recurrence.
 
I have 3 or 4 contact switches that I bought before I brokered a deal with my alarm company to install & monitor their equipment on my outdoor shed. You can have all of them for free. I still have them because I thought it a shame to toss in the garbage. All NIB.

I will need your real name and address for US Mail.

not joking :) about any of this
 
You guys watch to much TV. Several years ago a thief tried to break into my garage to steal a couple of brand new snowmobiles that were sitting on a brand new trailer. A neighbor saw them backed up the the garage door and called the police. While talking to the officer on scene he advised me to get rid of the garage window and to get a monitored alarm installed. I asked about the security of a phone-based alarm system against a sophisticated thief. His reply? "You don't have anything a sophisticated thief wants". Point being I needed to protect against crimes of opportunity and low-functioning desperadoes. If you house the crown jewels you aren't on the internet looking for security advice, I'm guessing!
 
Stewartb said:
I asked about the security of a phone-based alarm system against a sophisticated thief. His reply? "You don't have anything a sophisticated thief wants". Point being I needed to protect against crimes of opportunity and low-functioning desperadoes.!
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Exactly that. There are few 'sophisticated' thieves out there outside of the movies. And those that are out there arent house burglars. At least not sub-multi-million dollar houses like I assume most of US live in. Protect yourself from the door kickers and general azzholes and youre WAY ahead of the game.

One other thing I didnt mention in my original suggestions was harden your doors. As in loooong screws in your striker plates, hasps and hinges. If the screws dont get into the 2x4 framing, theyre too short. You want the guy kicking your back door to blow out his knee before he breaches the door.
 
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You asked for cheap so here is my advice. Cameras aren't worth the cost. The purpose of an alarm system is to make your house less of a target. Get the cheapest system. SmithThompson is that company. Less than $350 for a basic system and $16.95/month with no contract. It's a cell based monitoring system, no land line required.

If the alarm goes off, they call your house. If you don't answer, they call 911. It takes about three minutes longer than if you called 911 yourself.

All you need are door contacts and two motion sensors. If someone comes in the window, the motion sensor will go off. No need to put contacts on the windows.

The sign in your front yard and decals on the windows are the best deterrent. It'll reduce your homeowner's insurance rates.

Don't over think this. You don't need a burglar alarm that has a smartphone app. Make it obvious you have an alarm with the signs. Always arm it when you leave.

In my city you are required to have an alarm permit for the cops to respond. It's $25/yr.
 
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My vote is for Bobbi Dog. She did great for 13 years, she knew when some one was at the door.
 

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We have used SimpliSafe for many years now. It has served us well.
 
my two cents. I was reading through most of the postings. I had my own experience with being broken into.

We came home from golfing and found that the house was broken into. I retreived my Glock from my truck to investigate the house, while my other half called 911 to get the police. While inside looking around, the perp came across my deck to attack my girlfriend. She screamed and and I immediately ran to intervene. I ran smack into the guy in my door and a struggle started over the gun. We fell to the deck and I landed on top of him, hitting him as hard as I could, but he kept trying to grab my gun. I was running out of options, so I ended up shooting him and killing him.

Fortunately, I had cameras that caught everything. From the break in to the fight, to the shooting. Under the "Castle Doctrine" I was justified in my actions. Since then, we installed a ADT security system. Having the system would have warned me of the break in before getting home, I could have turned on the cameras with my smart phone, and the police could have been there before me to avoid all of this.

Remember, locks only keep out the honest crooks. Security cameras will capture what ocurrs, alarms will deter and give early warning. The police will arrive after the fact. Having the right to own and use the firearm saved my life and my girl friends life.

After that word got out, I doubt anyone will bother my house again.
 
curts63 said:
my two cents. I was reading through most of the postings. I had my own experience with being broken into.

We came home from golfing and found that the house was broken into. I retreived my Glock from my truck to investigate the house, while my other half called 911 to get the police. While inside looking around, the perp came across my deck to attack my girlfriend. She screamed and and I immediately ran to intervene. I ran smack into the guy in my door and a struggle started over the gun. We fell to the deck and I landed on top of him, hitting him as hard as I could, but he kept trying to grab my gun. I was running out of options, so I ended up shooting him and killing him.

Fortunately, I had cameras that caught everything. From the break in to the fight, to the shooting. Under the "Castle Doctrine" I was justified in my actions. Since then, we installed a ADT security system. Having the system would have warned me of the break in before getting home, I could have turned on the cameras with my smart phone, and the police could have been there before me to avoid all of this.

Remember, locks only keep out the honest crooks. Security cameras will capture what ocurrs, alarms will deter and give early warning. The police will arrive after the fact. Having the right to own and use the firearm saved my life and my girl friends life.

After that word got out, I doubt anyone will bother my house again.
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IMO, you played it dumb. In that situation, you call the cops, get the gun, walk across the street out of harm's way, and wait for the cops. What was the perp going to steal that warranted you risking a face to face encounter with a potentially armed person?

After you made the bad decision, pure luck saved your life..

I was in a similar situation once upon a time, chasing a burglar through the woods and had the revelation: "WTF? What am I gonna do with him when I catch him?" which was pretty much guaranteed, as I was 19 and he was about 45.
 
kyleb said:
IMO, you played it dumb. In that situation, you call the cops, get the gun, walk across the street out of harm's way, and wait for the cops. What was the perp going to steal that warranted you risking a face to face encounter with a potentially armed person?

After you made the bad decision, pure luck saved your life..

I was in a similar situation once upon a time, chasing a burglar through the woods and had the revelation: "WTF? What am I gonna do with him when I catch him?" which was pretty much guaranteed, as I was 19 and he was about 45.
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This the best post of the entire thread. Thank You. This is coming from a CCW and other miscellaneous firearms instructor.
 
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I can't believe no one has come up with the obvious solution:
Hire a bunch of high school dropouts, give them a uniform and a bunch of latex gloves, post them at your front door with a bunch of scanners that will detect the aluminum in your deodorant but nothing else and have them grope anyone who tries to get into your house.
 
Simplisafe is a good option... cheap and you can have it monitored or not for $15 a month, with no contract (cell-based, no landline needed). You can turn the monitoring off/on at will. Either way, it'll make a big noise. For a few bucks more, you can get msgs sent to you when people come/go or even when a particular drawer or door is opened.
I also got 24hr cameras, and record everything for 10 days. And wireless motion sensors that trigger a beeping alarm in the house.
 
Another satisfied SimpliSafe customer. I heard they were getting cameras. CT4ME, did you get your cameras from SimpliSafe, or somewhere else?
 
Circuit Flyer said:
Another satisfied SimpliSafe customer. I heard they were getting cameras. CT4ME, did you get your cameras from SimpliSafe, or somewhere else?
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I just wish they would comply with at least one other home automation protocol. That'd solve all of my outstanding issues with them.
 
mkosmo said:
I just wish they would comply with at least one other home automation protocol. That'd solve all of my outstanding issues with them.
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SimpliSafe is working out much better than ADT for me so far. ADT told me they could no longer support/operate/repair my equipment, but wanted me to keep paying them to "monitor" a broken system that could not even be armed. Clueless.
 
kyleb said:
IMO, you played it dumb. In that situation, you call the cops, get the gun, walk across the street out of harm's way, and wait for the cops. What was the perp going to steal that warranted you risking a face to face encounter with a potentially armed person?

After you made the bad decision, pure luck saved your life..

I was in a similar situation once upon a time, chasing a burglar through the woods and had the revelation: "WTF? What am I gonna do with him when I catch him?" which was pretty much guaranteed, as I was 19 and he was about 45.
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Choosing to be a victim is why so many scumbags choose to be thieves.
 
kyleb said:
IMO, you played it dumb. In that situation, you call the cops, get the gun, walk across the street out of harm's way, and wait for the cops. What was the perp going to steal that warranted you risking a face to face encounter with a potentially armed person?

After you made the bad decision, pure luck saved your life..

I was in a similar situation once upon a time, chasing a burglar through the woods and had the revelation: "WTF? What am I gonna do with him when I catch him?" which was pretty much guaranteed, as I was 19 and he was about 45.
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Although I understand what you're saying it just doesn't pan out with the psychological trauma involved in a home invasion. I've never had my home broken into but I've had a car broken into and one stolen and yes it's an invasion.

Nowhere near the same as, but the best analogy I could think of to explain why I disagree would be rape.

I wouldn't think a rape victim who fights back is going to stop fighting once penetration occurs, as in your argument above, 'he's inside now - I'll just wait for the cops to come.'

What I'm saying is that the desire to punish the offender is strong, natural and expected.
 
If anyone is looking for a pair of wireless cameras with reciever - I just switched over two of mine for hard wired cameras (6 was too many for my wireless internet, 4 seems OK).
 
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