Alarm Systems

Home Security Systems. How effective are these things? On TV these things can be circumvented very easily. Is that true?



*Any discussion describing how to actually circumvent a system will not be tolerated and will be deleted immediately.

I have a multi layered approach

1. Wired alarm system

2. Abloy Protec (Ruby Level) Locks


3. StrikeMaster II installed on each door:


4. Ferociously wild animals:


5. Well if you make it past those... Im afraid I cant show you whats next. Just know if someone sees it, its the last thing they will ever see

After watching too many episodes of It Takes a Thief, it's hard to believe those systems get a reaction from local police in enough time to do anything. To my knowlege just printing some "we have an alarm" signs and posting them in various windows provides the same effect a lot cheaper. I guess in all the years I've been around, I've never heard anyone say an alarm actually helped them.

Most thieves seem to either know where the valuable are in your house (ie they've already been inside) or are drawn in because:

- it's an easy target (doors are open or unlocked, unlit, remote, shows signs of nobody being there)
or
- friends/family or people who have seen the inside of your house are advertising what you have in it

Around here people steal mostly for drug money and we don't have to deal with pros - who really can disable most common alarms fairly easily. Either way we chose to live on a well lit street, in a nice neighborhood, right down the road from the police station. More importantly, we're not only very selective about who enters the house, we keep the shades drawn so people can't look in to see what we have.

I'd be curious to hear from our members who are in law enforcement on this one, as I'm also considering an alarm system. I'd imagine that a serious professional criminal would be able to get by them relatively easily, but that they'll definitely stop or deter the run of the mill numbskull burglar.

Some friends of ours actually have one that announces "front door open," etc., which is good for keeping track of when the kids are running out of the house without their knowledge.

The real truth...nothing is 100% safe.

withoutink said:

5. Well if you make it past those... Im afraid I cant show you whats next. Just know if someone sees it, its the last thing they will ever see

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Is #6 the baby that they will trip over when they come in the back door?

HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
1. Go to a secondhand store, and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.

2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.

4. Leave a note on your door that reads:

Hey Bubba,

Big Jake, Duke, Slim & I went for more ammo and beer.

Be back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls - they went after the mailman this morning and messed him up bad. I don't think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell from all the blood.

Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.

Cooter

One of the big pluses to alarm systems that is sometimes overlooked is that modern ones integrate smoke detectors and will automatically call the fire department if there is a fire. That can save your stuff if you aren't home (and since many of us have pets it can save the pet's life if the pet is home alone), and it may just save your life or that of a family member if a fire happens at night and you don't notice in time.

The most important part of the alarm system is the sign that you post in your front yard. Even though an alarm won't stop most burglers they do look at them as a nusance. When most burglers see a sign they usually choose to move on to a house that doesn't have a sign.

So the moral of the story is if you can't afford the system buy a sign.

stobes21 said:

One of the big pluses to alarm systems that is sometimes overlooked is that modern ones integrate smoke detectors and will automatically call the fire department if there is a fire. That can save your stuff if you aren't home (and since many of us have pets it can save the pet's life if the pet is home alone), and it may just save your life or that of a family member if a fire happens at night and you don't notice in time.

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The above is the primary reason we have one. We don't have a sign and everything on the system is silent.
We do have 2 3 1/2 year old male German Sheppards with wireless dog fence collars which live outside, (most of the time).

I'm putting one in (DIY) during the addition/renovation I have going on right now. It will be a deterrent to thieves. I have no doubt that a capable person really wanting to get in my house will be able to do so. I also agree that a simple sign will give cause to a majority of would be thieves to move on to another house.

Home security is more than keeping thieves out. For me, it includes keeping kids in. I want the ability to monitor select doors and windows, primarily kid's rooms and exterior doors. My three year old will soon be able to open his bedroom window if so inclined. I'd rather not have a neighbor be the one to discover he decided to climb out to go play outside without anyone knowing.

murchmb said:

home security is more than keeping thieves out. For me, it includes keeping kids in. I want the ability to monitor select doors and windows, primarily kid's rooms and exterior doors. My three year old will soon be able to open his bedroom window if so inclined. I'd rather not have a neighbor be the one to discover he decided to climb out to go play outside without anyone knowing.

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+1

I look at it this way. If im a thief, I am going for the easiest target with the largest return.

So if my neighbors house appears to be less risk than mine The thief will go there.

Given the reported response times for the police, some cameras are likely your best bet. Just buy some inconspicuous cameras that load to a hard drive that is sufficient to store video for a day. Aside from that, all the normal deterrents (signs, dogs) have been mentioned. I particularly appreciate signs that say this house is protected by the 2nd Amendment.

Cameras may not be a preventative measure, which is what you're looking for, but odds are they'll be more helpful in getting your stuff back. At the very least, the camera will keep that burglar from coming near the neighborhood again once the images are released.

Another thing you might look into are motion activated lights. It seems to me I've read something about wiring the motion activated lights to lights inside the home as well, for when you're away, so when there's motion outside, lights turn on inside the house as well as out. Unless you're dealing with a home invader (which is significantly worse) the burglar would move on.

I'm also a big fan of placing weapons in random areas of the house, though it's not practical once I have kids. A conveniently hidden knife/revolver is useful because it's not readily available to someone who isn't in the family, and a .45 to the chest is pretty much a sure fix.

AndrewWiggin said:

...I particularly appreciate signs that say this house is protected by the 2nd Amendment...

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Nice thought, but guns are high value items to steal. The only way I'm going to let a criminal know I have guns in my house is if he's already inside and he ends up on the wrong end of one. It's also why I don't put pro 2nd amendment or NRA stickers on my car.

J.B. Books said:

HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
1. Go to a secondhand store, and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.

2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.

4. Leave a note on your door that reads:

Hey Bubba,

Big Jake, Duke, Slim & I went for more ammo and beer.

Be back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls - they went after the mailman this morning and messed him up bad. I don't think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell from all the blood.

Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.

Cooter

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This is one of the funniest posts I've read here in a long time!

stobes21 said:

Nice thought, but guns are high value items to steal. The only way I'm going to let a criminal know I have guns in my house is if he's already inside and he ends up on the wrong end of one. It's also why I don't put pro 2nd amendment or NRA stickers on my car.

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I don't put mine on my car either, but I have been contemplating putting it on the back of my bike helmet.

J.B. Books said:

HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
1. Go to a secondhand store, and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.

2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.

4. Leave a note on your door that reads:

Hey Bubba,

Big Jake, Duke, Slim & I went for more ammo and beer.

Be back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls - they went after the mailman this morning and messed him up bad. I don't think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell from all the blood.

Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside.

Cooter

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ROFLMAO

We do have an alarm system and, luckily, we have never been robbed. I don't think it has ever been tested, but I do feel better going to sleep at night knowing "the perimeter is secure." The alarm goes direct to a central station and the police arrive in short order if no one is home to give the code (we've had seveeral flase alarms over the years, so I know this part works). We also have panic buttons in the bedroom and elsewhere in the house if anything was to happen, which makes my wife feel more secure (although, fortunately, we've never had to use them).

Of course, the fail safe is that the dog weighs 65 lbs. and barks like crazy anytime anyone she doesn't recognize comes near the front door.