Home Security Systems

[Great-Kazoo]

While having a good security / camera alert system, everyone is over looking the obvious.

Well Lit property: Do you keep entrance ways illuminated at night ? Photoelectric units installed on your entrance lights turn on when dark, Off when light, eliminated the "I forgot to turn the light xx"
Do you have sensor lighting places in different areas of your land, outbuildings ?
Are you using timers when gone to allow inside lights on and off at different times.

I see so many folks who are "security conscious" NEVER have outside lights on. Their excuse is ELECTRICITY COST TOO MUCH! Price the cost of 2 - 40W bulbs with on/off sensors vs replacing personal items, let alone the psychological effect on your loved ones. Yeah IT COST TOO MUCH TO LEAVE LIGHTS ON.

Eyes on : Are your neighbors made aware (the ones you know & trust) you will not be on site for a day-week longer ?
Do you have other people in the neighborhood who keep an eye out for unusual goingon's ?
If and when an unusual vehicle makes more than 1 -2 visits did anyone get a plate number , vehicle description, description of people in it ?

ARE YOU AWARE: before you travel. if you drop in to your local PD (MOST) if not all will have you fill out a sheet with dates away from home, Who has acess to your dwelling, emergency ph numbers, AND they make notations what time a LE drove by etc while you are gone.


Simple things like this assist you having a safer, more secure home and neighborhood.

[gnihcraes]

While having a good security / camera alert system, everyone is over looking the obvious.

Well Lit property: Do you keep entrance ways illuminated at night ? Photoelectric units installed on your entrance lights turn on when dark, Off when light, eliminated the "I forgot to turn the light xx"
Do you have sensor lighting places in different areas of your land, outbuildings ?
Are you using timers when gone to allow inside lights on and off at different times.

I see so many folks who are "security conscious" NEVER have outside lights on. Their excuse is ELECTRICITY COST TOO MUCH! Price the cost of 2 40W bulbs with on/off sensors vs replacing personal items, let alone the psycological effect on your loved ones. Yeah IT COST TOO MUCH TO LEAVE LIGHTS ON.

Eyes on : Are your neighbors made aware (the ones you know & trust) you will not be on site for a day-week longer ?
Do you have other people in the neighborhood who keep an eye out for unusual goingon's ?
If and when an unusual vehicle makes more than 1 -2 visits did anyone get a plate number , vehicle description, description of people in it ?

ARE YOU AWARE: before you travel. if you drop in to your local PD (MOST) if not all will have you fill out a sheet with dates away from home, Who has acess to your dwelling, emergency ph numbers, AND they make notations what time a LE drove by etc while you are gone.


Simple things like this assist you having a safer, more secure home and neighborhood.

Yep.

[thedave1164]

While having a good security / camera alert system, everyone is over looking the obvious.

Well Lit property: Do you keep entrance ways illuminated at night ? Photoelectric units installed on your entrance lights turn on when dark, Off when light, eliminated the "I forgot to turn the light xx"
Do you have sensor lighting places in different areas of your land, outbuildings ?
Are you using timers when gone to allow inside lights on and off at different times.

I see so many folks who are "security conscious" NEVER have outside lights on. Their excuse is ELECTRICITY COST TOO MUCH! Price the cost of 2 - 40W bulbs with on/off sensors vs replacing personal items, let alone the psychological effect on your loved ones. Yeah IT COST TOO MUCH TO LEAVE LIGHTS ON.

Eyes on : Are your neighbors made aware (the ones you know & trust) you will not be on site for a day-week longer ?
Do you have other people in the neighborhood who keep an eye out for unusual goingon's ?
If and when an unusual vehicle makes more than 1 -2 visits did anyone get a plate number , vehicle description, description of people in it ?

ARE YOU AWARE: before you travel. if you drop in to your local PD (MOST) if not all will have you fill out a sheet with dates away from home, Who has acess to your dwelling, emergency ph numbers, AND they make notations what time a LE drove by etc while you are gone.


Simple things like this assist you having a safer, more secure home and neighborhood.

What I was trying to say, but I had to end my thought before I was finished.

A good dog or three helps even if only as an early warning device.

A good steel framed door that swings outward, removing the big sliding glass door in the back.

[Great-Kazoo]

What I was trying to say, but I had to end my thought before I was finished.

A good dog or three helps even if only as an early warning device.

A good steel framed door that swings outward, removing the big sliding glass door in the back.

A door is only as strong as the locks. If you don't have a steel frame door (who does) You should be using 2.5 - 3" minimum, screws for your striker plates. Also any storm / screen door pervents and or slows down an unwanted visitor. The few times i was watched cops, the home / trailer being served a no knock was the same. NO SCREEN DOOR. BAM AND IN. VS. being slowed down by a secondary obstacle.

If you don't want to invest or not savvy enough to install photo electric sensors, add this style of lighting around the area.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dorcy-3D-...6#.Uh4Ckz-YeTk

I prefer the solar units, ANYTHING to give light as needed. ( i don't endorse HD or specific stores) just providing some examples.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nature-Po...1#.Uh4DDD-YeTk

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Heath-Zen...2#.Uh4DQj-YeTk


ADD some of these inside your permiter for low cost "early warning" alarms. You can remove the alert cover and tape over the outer edges to prevent false alarms from cats or other nocturnal visitors of the 4 legged kind. It narrows the "beam" for sensing the 2 legged predator.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defender-...1#.Uh4DhD-YeTk

[Brian]

What I was trying to say, but I had to end my thought before I was finished.

A good dog or three helps even if only as an early warning device.

A good steel framed door that swings outward, removing the big sliding glass door in the back.

Anybody have any cost-effective, wife-friendly suggestions for replacing the glass windows on either side of my front door with something stronger? Talked to one of those wroght iron design guys a while back but that seemed a bit expensive - we want to keep some sort of window there. Thought about frosting it, but that doesn't help much.

[Brian]

One other comment regarding cheap security upgrades - we have a garage with the little windows, and dumb me often leaves the light on in the garage when I've been working out there. A lot of internet advice suggested getting a rattle can of window frosting and spraying the windows so nobody can see in - but you still have the light. Well, I tried that and it did accomplish the security aspect. However, my wife is mad at me and thinks it looks like crap from the outside, so I may have to consider a plan B. It looks more like I've been chain smoking for years in there, coating the windows with smoke residue, than any sort of "window frosting".

[funkymonkey1111]

Have you considered security film on the windows?

Anybody have any cost-effective, wife-friendly suggestions for replacing the glass windows on either side of my front door with something stronger? Talked to one of those wroght iron design guys a while back but that seemed a bit expensive - we want to keep some sort of window there. Thought about frosting it, but that doesn't help much.

[BigNick73]

Anybody have any cost-effective, wife-friendly suggestions for replacing the glass windows on either side of my front door with something stronger? Talked to one of those wroght iron design guys a while back but that seemed a bit expensive - we want to keep some sort of window there. Thought about frosting it, but that doesn't help much.

Search around. There's places where you can buy hurricane or security laminate/tint It goes on like tint but is designed to stop stuff from coming through the window.

Funky monkey beat me to it

[BigNick73]

For the systems, last house I had I DIYed it. It was pre-wired so I just ordered the gear, installed it myself, and got a local place to monitor it. If you go that route you can program it to call your cell if you want and you don't have to pay for monthly service.

I'm in a rental now so instead of spending all the time and effort on a full blown system I got 3 pan/tilt IP cameras strewn about. Small 3 bdrm house so front door, back door, and the main kitchen/living/dining room area are covered. I use blue iris for the monitoring. I can view and control them all from my phone and when motion is detected it uploads pictures to a remote server (in case I'm broken into and the computer is stolen). I also set it up to send me a text message with photo anytime it goes off while I'm away, and I can then pull the video clip from my phone. I highly recommend it.

[Great-Kazoo]

One other comment regarding cheap security upgrades - we have a garage with the little windows, and dumb me often leaves the light on in the garage when I've been working out there. A lot of internet advice suggested getting a rattle can of window frosting and spraying the windows so nobody can see in - but you still have the light. Well, I tried that and it did accomplish the security aspect. However, my wife is mad at me and thinks it looks like crap from the outside, so I may have to consider a plan B. It looks more like I've been chain smoking for years in there, coating the windows with smoke residue, than any sort of "window frosting".

You can instal "Kick panels" that will cover the bottom of the storm door, or get (decorative wrought iron) some made. If you have not taken care of it, larger screws in all striker plates. The 2 small "view" pcs. of glass on the main door need tint.