Improving home security

[WoodiE]

My job requires me to be on the road for a few days every other month or so, however here lately I've been on the road a lot, in fact most of July was spent in either Cincy, OH or Hartford, CT. While I'm away the only person at home is my girlfriend and our 8 month old yellow lab.

The lab, for only 8months old has been great. If she hears the door open or someone knocking she quickly jumps up and starts barking and if you're behind the door you would have no idea she was 8 months as she sounds like she's 8 years. We have one motion light in the back yard, which seems to go off for no reason at all - if the power is on the light is on. The back yard is completely fenced in with a wooden privacy fence.

I was looking for ADT yard signs but for a yard sign that are going for $40-60 on ebay. Plus I read somewhere that if you place these type of signs and there is a break in and the cops show up they will not enter the house until after they call ADT to confirm the alarm. Since we don't have ADT, ADT would then bill us a service charge, etc etc.

I'm interested in hearing some ideas for home security, that might make the girlfriend sleep a little eaiser at night.



-Michael

 

[Karl M]

Dual or tripple pane windows, high quality locks (USE THEM!), and metal doors with motion lamps over them. Security systems are great, when they work right, but most people don't really need them if they pay attention to weak areas of their home.

 

[flm_savage]

I JUST dealt with this. We called brinks and they gave us an estimate to do 3 doors and 5 windows. the estimate was $365. The bext day my wife called because she forgot if it was 365 or 356 (she is insane with finances) well she just asked for the same quote and he told her it would be $420. that raised some eyebrows but we still wanted to get brinks because of what we had heard about them. Well 2 weeks went by and they wouldn't answer our calls, wouldn't make an appointment, and were just ptitiful as far as customer service goes. I finally got in touch with them to cancel our pending appointment and then he started calling everyday to see why i canceled.

So then we decided to give adt a shot. the guy gave us a $580 quote over the phone and then came out for an on site estimate. He came over said it would be 580 and then started doing the paperwork. then he said, oops my math was wrong its going to be 670. WHAT!! we still decided to go with it and then he was almost done and said, oh man, i forgot a door. ITS 3 FREAKIN DOORS AND 5 WINDOWS. Its not that hard. Anwyays he finally said with tax and the added door we were looking at close to 900 installed with his 15% discount. (that he was "hooking us up" with). We told him thanks but no thanks and decided not to get an alarm after all.


Our dog barks everytime a flea sneezes and my wife said she felt comfortable enough in our house and neighborhood to not pursue an alarm.

 

[WoodiE]

I don't own the house, we rent so putting in a $1,000 alarm system isn't something I'm going to do for the landlord. I guess I didn't make that clear when I was talking about the sign on ebay. I have heard in a number of places just having the sign in the yard helps deter theft and I was just looking to put a sign out in the front yard - that was until I had heard that the cops won't enter if they see the sign as they then have to call the security company - being I won't be a customer of ADT or Brinks or any other system they will charge a nice hefty service fee.

I'm looking at other solutions to help with home security without dumping a bunch of money into a house that I rent.



-Michael

 

[Rolex]

The sensitivity on your outside light can be turned down. Bats in the vicinity chasing mosquitoes will turn it on. You don't need it to come on unless there's something large close to the house.
A good dog is the best security system there is. Go to Radio Shack and get a VOX (voice activated switch) and connect it to an interior light. If the dog alerts it's because someone or something is very close to the house, and his barking will turn on the light even when no one is home.
Cheap installation, no monthly fee, and a dog that's happy to do what you pay him for.

 

[Hunter]

Two things that always worked for me.

1) a pump shotgun for the GF it does not have to be loaded to do its job just the sound of the action will sent most anyone running.

2) a sign that reads "anyone found here at night WILL be found here in the mourning".

 

[flm_savage]

I don't own the house, we rent so putting in a $1,000 alarm system isn't something I'm going to do for the landlord. I guess I didn't make that clear when I was talking about the sign on ebay. I have heard in a number of places just having the sign in the yard helps deter theft and I was just looking to put a sign out in the front yard - that was until I had heard that the cops won't enter if they see the sign as they then have to call the security company - being I won't be a customer of ADT or Brinks or any other system they will charge a nice hefty service fee.

I'm looking at other solutions to help with home security without dumping a bunch of money into a house that I rent.



-Michael

if i would have paid attention i would have gottten that in the first post. I was so wound up and ready to talk about my crappy experiance that i didn't comprehend most of it.

Like rolex said, a dog is a GREAT thing so you already have that covered. i say you get a sign for Woodies Security and put it out front. Can't cost much more than an ebay sign for ADT. I don't know how you get setup as a neighborhood watch area but i would look into that too. I assume criminals go for the easiest target so any type of deterrent has got to help.

Unless they are dead set on getting the 80" OLED screen they saw you walking in with.

 

[Nitro Rascal]

A good sturdy baseball bat should do the job just kidding, get a security chain for each door when the door is opened they make a contact which sounds a really loud alarm which would alert your girlfriend and neigbours.

 

[WoodiE]

Rolex,

I never would have guessed a bat would activate the light sensor. We have I know of at least one bat flying around because I see it almost every evening when I'm outside watering the garden. I'll see about turning the sensitivity down further then.

I've also seen some wireless LED solar security lights that have like 30-40 LEDs in each light. I thought about getting some of them but I wasn't sure how well they'd work. I've seen some LED flashlights that are scary bright then other LED lights that aren't much use then a night light for a little kid.

While looking around online last night I came across this product - http://www.diywindowsecurity.com/ - the idea seems cool and I know it'd at least work to some degree because I've once had my truck broken into when it was window tinted the the thin window tint kept the glass together. The product above is much thicker then normal window tint and claims to work better. My concern with this product though is in case of a fire. Breaking a window becomes much harder now for either someone stuck inside or firefighters outside.

I will for sure run by Radio Shack today and see what they have for a VOX switch, I like that idea a lot. The light would make it easier for the girlfriend to see what's going on if she needs to and by the rare chance someone is there or near them seeing the light come on will get them running.

flm_savage,

You're not the only one with a bad experience with ADT, from what I read last night at the hotel there are a whole number of people complaining about them for all sorts of reasons.

Nitro Rascal,

The front door is a solid aluminum door with a lock on the door knob and a dead bolt. The back door is a french door and a dead bolt - which being french doors isn't that useful since it's an all glass door.

All the windows are double paned and everyone of them have been locked since we've moved in. Amy loves the house being sub-artic which means there isn't any reason to open the windows unless it's middle of winter.


We don't live in a high crime area, in fact it's a very nice place. It's a pretty nice family area but with family comes dumb kids and that's whom I'm more concerned about while I'm gone. Between Amy and I we've already had our cars egg'd three times along with a lot of other cars down the street. I'm looking to scare off kid that might have some dumb idea up his sleeve and send him down to the next house.

Thanks for the ideas so far guys!



-Michael

 

[Rolex]

Security stickers on entry doors and all ground level windows.
There doesn't even have to be an alarm system installed. You only need to discourage them.
Do what I do. Get a program for printing decals and make your own. According to my neighbors I have 24 hour video monitoring of my apartment, and I have satellite tracking anti theft in the car.
A blinking LED on a 2 cell battery pack does wonders in the front window.
Remember, you'll NEVER keep someone out who wants to get in, you only want them to go to your neighbor instead.

 

[insaneatvs]

STAY AWAY FROM ADT

we had ADT after the 3 yr contract was up we never got a call telling us are Alarm was going off..the last straw was.. my wife came home got outta her truck and heard the alarm going off she shut her door unlocked both doors and shut the alarm off...No call...she called me and asked me what zone 1 was...told i would be there in a second....I called ADT and they said they never showed that the system had went off...they blamed it on my wife, the wind, the heat...no one could find out what the deal was....Enough now we are with Brinks....they offer specials all the time look on the internet for them and if you go with them give them my name and i will split the referral with ya.

I do have some extra Brinks stickers you can put on your windows

 

[Rolex]

I forgot to mention that I once had a complete house system that I installed myself from X-10.com. All wireless. Magnetic door and window switches, video cameras and motion detectors in the carport, back yard and entry doors.
All made in China stuff, and for $49 the cameras were color and very good. Also infrared B&W camera for the back of the house. Everything was wireless and easy to install. I had less than $500 invested, and had TOTAL security.
Now I'm on the 6th floor with only one access door, but I still have the magnetic switch there. It's set to give a ding-dong every time the door opens, so people that come in here know there's an alarm. At night or when I'm out I set it with the key fob control and if the zone is violated the base station sounds off, and 15 seconds later, if I'm not here to turn it off, there's a screamer horn that will damage your hearing.
So far, only the maintenance staff set it off when I forgot they were upgrading the fire extinguishers.
It scared the hell out of them and blew me out of the bed. On the bright side, everyone in the building now knows it's there.

Here's the link. If you go for it, start with the basics, then you'll start getting some really good discount offers from them. Cameras 2 for 1, free multi controllers, etc.
http://www.x10.com/products4/google/home3.html

 

[alpinehyperlite]

http://taser.com/products/consumers/Pages/C2.aspx

Just plain fun to use. Not quite as powerful as ours, but they do their job well. And i personally think every woman, (in their right mind) should own one of these). Most women are scared of actual firearms, but i have noticed many many women around Louisiana are starting to get these, and feel safe.

 

[griemar]

http://taser.com/products/consumers/Pages/C2.aspx

Just plain fun to use. Not quite as powerful as ours, but they do their job well. And i personally think every woman, (in their right mind) should own one of these). Most women are scared of actual firearms, but i have noticed many many women around Louisiana are starting to get these, and feel safe.

+1, those little suckers will sure make you think twice. Was at a local flea market that sold them in the 9 Volt form....WOW what a punch! NEVER volunteer to get hit by a taser, lol. Also, may I suggest a can of MK-4 Defense Spray. It's only 12.99 plus shipping but a great means of self defense.

http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=SD140&cat=6241

As far as the actual security of your home. I think Rolex hit it on the head with the Vox setup. Cheap yet effective I would think.

 

[WoodiE]

Rolex,

The motion senor siren - where did you purchase that?


-Michael

 

[ajames942]

They do make fake cameras with a blinking lcd to make it look real. I know i guy who has them and if i was thinking about robbing his house, after seeing them i wouldnt lol

 

[marauder]

I use these, one is always on my side...the other is close by (but also happens to be for sale: Click Here)

I'm not 100% sure, but I'd say 9 times out of 10 a .45acp fired in the general direction of an intruder is enough to cause instant defecation of the pants region and tends to send them back where they came from. I don't miss though, so yeah...I sleep well at night. :whhooo:

 

[HeartBreak]

If you're looking for a place to get home security stuff, I used to get a catalog of this place in the mail... It was about 2 inches thick, and the home security portion was roughly half that.

http://www.mcminone.com

They carry everything, from DVR recorders with multiple inputs, to time lapse setups, to cameras... Even the fake ones mentioned. I think they might also have the signs, too.

 

[beason]

have a combination of a few of the above suggestions.

1. i got a wiener dog that goes ape crazy every time he hears the tiniest sound outside, and if it even remotely sounds like a knock you can't shut him up. hes about a foot tall, but from behind a door he sounds 10ft tall. boys got a throat on him!

2. i got this in the cabinet beside my bed.

and

3. I'm having some of these made for the doors and windows.

think they will get the picture?

I've read that the sound of the action of a pump shotgun is the number 1 home invasion deterrent. I know if i was rooting around in someones house and heard that sound from the other room, i would find the fastest way out and use it. with the right ammo, they dont even have to be in the same room with you!

 

[alpinehyperlite]

On/Next to the dresser by my bed