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» Home security (also questions about motion detector lighting)

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Home security (also questions about motion detector lighting)

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created by mom2 on Jun 01, 2008 at 11:36:13 pm     Comments: 19

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You should be able to find a dual motion light without bulbs for about $19. These are not the solar ones. This is on the low end of the price scale. Even with that, you get to choose how long the light stays on after being activated, and how sensitive or field of detection is. I have 3 around my house and I love them. I have had them for about 3 years and have only had to replace bulbs. I can see that the plastic is becoming brittle, but they work just fine. I imagine that the higher priced ones even last longer.
Good luck

posted by hockeyfan on Jun 02, 2008 at 01:05:55 am     #

You've got one of the best deterrents there is - an 'alarm dog'. No bad guy is gonna want attention drawn to him.

Motion detector lighting is good, as is making sure any bushes near the house are kept trimmed so as not to provide a 'hiding place' to someone wanting to break in.

An alert neighborhood - people that will at least make their presence known if someone is seen in the area is a plus.

If they want in, they'll get in. You just need to make sure that you make it as inconvenient as possible so they'll move to 'greener pastures'.

Keep those doors and windows locked and you should be fine.

posted by GraphicsGuy on Jun 02, 2008 at 03:25:55 am     #

Does anyone watch the TV show "it takes a theif"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_a_Thief_(2005_TV_series)

Unfortunately it exists only in reruns, but being on Discover channel, you can still catch it on a weekly basis.

As far as a dog goes, the couple segments I caught that had dogs involved, the dogs didnt do to much to impede the bad guys.

posted by billy on Jun 02, 2008 at 07:09:02 am     #

We spent about $30 on each of our motion lights and they are not solar. We put one on the driveway primarily because our side porch light shines directly into the neighbor's bedroom and the motion light (which only stays on about 1 minute) was preferable to her.

We put one over the side entrance to the garage and pointed it toward the yeard and the back deck/door. Without a dog, we figured that anyone snooping around that area would set it off and, since it shines into our bedroom, would alert us. However, every creature (racoon, opposum, cat) that roams through the yard at night also set it off - and it drove us nuts...so we turned it off and implemented other measures instead.

I share this so you can take such situations into consideration in your selection and placement if you get one (or several).

posted by MaggieThurber on Jun 02, 2008 at 07:14:08 am     #

Thanks for all the pointers everyone. My husband has been working third shift quite a bit recently, so it has made me start to be more conscious of home security.

billy - I have seen that show a few times, and it was pretty interesting. As far as the dog goes, I'd agree that a determined thief might come in dog or not. But, it does make me feel more secure knowing that at least my barking dog would wake me up. I'd rather be able to wake up and call the police while someone was in the process of breaking up, than to wake up with a stranger standing over my bed. Yikes!

(Note - honestly, I'm not an overly paranoid person. But, now that the kids and I are home alone all night, I figure it would be wise to at least make sure we've taken all the reasonable precautions.)

posted by mom2 on Jun 02, 2008 at 08:08:36 am     #

I watch that show "It Takes a Thief" show regularly and the best preventive measures are:

1. SOLID doors with dead-bolt locks

2. Motion Lights

3. Digital Video Recording/Monitoring system. A security camera is mounted at your front door that not only shows you who is there, but also has a two-way communication speaker and digitally records their pretty little faces.

4. Lock your windows and it's always good to have them covered so people can't see inside.

posted by FatBabe44 on Jun 02, 2008 at 08:17:29 am     #

The dog is the best. The show "to catch a thief" has "bad guys" intent on entering one specific house, so they plan for and work around the dog.

A dog, signs for security systems (whether you have the system active or not) and lighting are the best deterrents for your average burglar - who is looking for targets and deciding on the fly.

If a dirt-bag is intent on getting your house specifically then they will work harder and deal with those issues. THUS the gun portion of our lesson (ommitted at OP's request). BUT, do not put one of those cute signs - this house protected by Smith and Wesson, Glock. etc. That just advertises to the DB's - gun here to steal.

The A-Hole.

posted by TheAssHoleLawyer on Jun 02, 2008 at 08:18:01 am     #

Our neighborhood had a few break-in's recently. A police officer gave our Block Watch group some pointers.

The dog was a huge deterrent, according to him. He mentioned the bad guys, or "snakes" as he called them, would quickly bypass a home with such a hurdle.

The officer also mentioned you should hang a beware of dog sign in a noticeable location, whether or not you own a dog.

posted by Postal on Jun 02, 2008 at 10:21:17 am     #

I run one of the light sockets on the motion detector to a string of lights in residential security settings. The other bulb output I run to a ready made 120 vac siren. If the sirens aren't readily available, I run the output to a radio shack stop down transformer 120/18volts, I run the 18 volt output to a solid state rectifier which lowers the voltage a bit and allows use of a more available 12 volt outdoor siren. It keeps both deer and idiots away, and gives you an alert that its time to grab your gun and then quickly check your video feed(s).

Total cost of the siren installation $30, plus ten more if you use an outdoor waterproof box for your transformer and rectifier.

posted by prime3end on Jun 02, 2008 at 10:52:30 am     #

I have 2 dogs, both Labs, one is a chocolate that goes around 110lbs.
If that doesn't stop them, my .45 will.

posted by JeepMaker on Jun 02, 2008 at 06:48:41 pm     #

Motion detection lights are ok, but there are ways to avoid them so I don't put a lot of faith in them as far as a deterrent.

I prefer dog, gun, baseball bat.

I was at Menard's and saw a pack of battery operated window and door alarms. I don't know how loud they are or any details, but you could always check them out.

One thing to keep in mind that is not already covered in these responses is:

When anyone in your household purchases anything new like a computer, ipod, television, etc. DO NOT just toss the box out with the trash. That alerts the ne'er do wells that you have new and exciting stuff in your house and acts like a magnet. Make sure to break the boxes down and bundle them with the print on the inside so as not to advertise the contents of your home.

posted by DoknowDocare on Jun 02, 2008 at 09:02:47 pm     #

Get to know your neighbors. Be an active block watcher. I would assume most thieves case places they are going to break into. I know most of my neighbors on my street and the cars they drive. If someone I don't know is walking through the neighborhood, or driving by, I be sure to make eye contact and at least say hello and the pooch usually lets them know she is there as well.

posted by transcom on Jun 03, 2008 at 06:32:21 am     #

mom2, the gun suggestion is only a last resort. Obviously anyone who looks at a streetful of houses can't tell which resident is a crack shot and which is a trembling worm. Hence, the principle of dissuasion has to apply.

Hence, you should lock your doors, bar your windows, and use reactionary security features like motion detectors, lighting and intrusion alarms.

The dog is also a nice touch. Burglars and other assailants usually find dogs to be such an unknown factor that they'd rather skip your house and move on to the next. And that's not terrible for your neighbors, since a well-warded street becomes a "no fly zone" for most species of criminal. Word gets around, and then your street gets marked as "unsafe" (or whatever terminology the lower criminal class uses).

In addition to the security features above, carefully examine your house during the night as if you were a burglar. How would you break in? What would you target?

In other words, do you have a window hidden from the street where a burglar could conduct a noisy break-in, relatively easily? If so, put tasteful bars on that window.

Also, do you have tasty equipment easily visible from outside? Burglars enjoy window shopping before inviting themselves inside. Consider moving things inside out of plain view, and you can use drapery and room partitions to help.

Fatbabe talked about a DVR. You may not believe how cheap and capable some of these systems are. I have a few cameras on hand that I should be mounting myself on my home, and one will be pointed at my car in the street (apparently in violation of law, like I give a fuck; no law can possibly stop me from collecting evidence on somebody trying to get my car tools). But those small "web" cameras are cheap and you can do the same with a modest investment. Once you secure your home with cameras, make one blatantly visible through the front or back door, with a sign like "SMILE! Your face is being recorded!". Put the DVR into the attic or a locked cabinet, for added fun.

Really, these DVRs are getting so cheap and are getting such long record times (depending on the resolution, frame rate, and number of cameras; but a couple of cameras at a modest capture rate can run weeks of photos in a $150 DVR) that they can now be installed as a standard item in new home construction.

posted by GuestZero on Jun 03, 2008 at 10:37:30 am     #

You can usually purchase the Habitec, or some other security service, sign to place in the front yard without actually purchasing the security system. Not sure if they can be bought directly from Habitec, but e-bay usually has the signs available for purchase.

Keeping the entries (windows, doors, etc.) secured, using the window locks that prevent the window from opening more than a few inches and good lighting are probably the best methods of deterring thieves.
Also, fences and other obstructions are great for privacy, but can work against you when a burglar is looking to remain hidden while entering a home. Growing up in Flint, our house got broken into a few times. It was always through the back door or windows because we had a 6 ft privacy fence around the backyard.

posted by JJFad on Jun 03, 2008 at 03:31:14 pm     #

Some satanic paraphernalia might help.
A Yankees flag, a Procter and Gamble logo, a Miley Ray Cyrus poster.... :)

I like the dog, guns, camera surveillance, and security service sign idea. A landscaped as opposed to grassed out lawn might help. So might a beater in the driveway.

posted by charlatan on Jun 04, 2008 at 08:33:55 am     #

Could add some low voltage lighting outside your home, along the drive or sidewalk. Lighting is definately something that deters thieves , they don't want to be seen. The biggest thing about it takes a thief is the physical entry, smash a window or kick in a door especially if they are hidden from public view.

posted by Linecrosser on Jun 04, 2008 at 02:45:21 pm     #

I used to sell home security for two of the main security companies in toledo. Some advice, don't go on the internet and tell people when you and your husband go to work...

Motion lights are better than nothing...but usually will be ignored by neighbors and criminals. Dogs can be poisoned...but still good to have....except they can't call the police for you....like a security system can. Again, I'm no longer in the business...but have been to plenty of homes of people who thought their dogs and motion lights were enough....they weren't.

posted by Kooz on Jun 05, 2008 at 04:14:39 pm     #

lol...kooz, true, but if anyone on here knew my identity I'd be surprised. I didn't even use my real info for the registration. But yes, you have a good point.

Thanks again to all for the suggestions. I hope that others got use out of them too.

Saw another pointer somewhere about keeping your vehicle key fob on the nightstand (in addition to your phone, of course). If your window is positioned where the car would sound off when you hit the panic button, you could scare off a criminal and/or alert neighbors.

I suppose if a person lived in a neighborhood where alarms go off frequently, it might not make a difference. But my neighborhood is very quiet - if someone's car alarm/horn went off in the middle of the night, most people in my neighborhood would be likely to check it out.

posted by mom2 on Jun 05, 2008 at 09:38:36 pm     #

When we built our house 18 yrs ago, we had side light windows put in next to the front door - something I regret. A burgler can easily cut a circle with a glass cutter (and use a suction cup to hold the glass so it doesn't break), and then just reach his hand inside & open the door. No windows on or near doors.

posted by starling02 on Jun 08, 2008 at 06:23:27 pm     #

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