Home security

[kinaero]

Last week, my friend had his home broken into, his house was turned upside down and trashed!! He was so stressed out he couldn't sleep that night, I feel for him because I once had the same experience many years ago.
I am considering some sort of CCTV, does anyone on here have any other recommendations or suggestions to help improve security would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Meldrew2]

First steps: hopefully your friend has these already, but worth doing before CCTV

Good locks, with well maintained doors & windows.
Lighting - no dark areas to hide.
A decent alarm system.

CCTV won't discourage the burglar unless it's highly visible - and then all the burglar needs to do is wear a balaclava or crash helmet,

 

[kinaero]

Thanks, my friend has all that bar the CCTV.
It was broken into in broad daylight, his alarm was monitored.
Brick through the double glazing!

I agree with you, CCTV is more a deterrent, but would not stop an intruder, unless I have a guard dog in the house.

I just like to know is there any other security recommendations that I may not have thought of??

 

[bigmacplease]

I've had CCTV for a few years now and it's a great reassurance. All my neighbours know I have it and I can see everything I want to, it records 24/7, I have it on all the TVs and phones etc.

Personally I don't think there is a better deterrent, any criminal will notice it and why would they take the risk over another house without it?

 

[davidjpowell]

 

[kinaero]

I've had CCTV for a few years now and it's a great reassurance. All my neighbours know I have it and I can see everything I want to, it records 24/7, I have it on all the TVs and phones etc.

Personally I don't think there is a better deterrent, any criminal will notice it and why would they take the risk over another house without it?

Mind if I ask what CCTV are you using? I take it you could see/monitor it via your android/iphones?

I am even considering to have security to do live cctv monitoring, but at an estimated £100/month, Ouch!!

 

[Meldrew2]

CCTV didn't stop a theft from my driveway a few years ago.

However, I printed a picture of the offenders and their vehicle (sadly couldn't read number plate) and posted it on lots of lamp-posts in the neighbourhood.

Since then, no more problems - I guess the word has gone round!

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

I've recently been given a Belkin netcam and you can view that on your phone, set it to send you e-mails depending upon movement.

Also I've set up a couple of webcabs that use iSpy off the net for free. Seem to work quite well.

You will need better cameras for night vision of any distance.

If your after a proper wired system Costco seem to always have some good deals,

 

[Dec]

Thanks, my friend has all that bar the CCTV.
It was broken into in broad daylight, his alarm was monitored.
Brick through the double glazing!

I agree with you, CCTV is more a deterrent, but would not stop an intruder, unless I have a guard dog in the house.

I just like to know is there any other security recommendations that I may not have thought of??

The absence of a commotion, either inside or outside the property, moments before a break in, is absent from most alarm systems, its only after the enter the property that the alarm , if fitted, is triggered, less than 2 minutes is all it takes to ransack most houses, that’s about the time it takes an alarm monitoring company to establish if the alarm is actually real or false.

What’s really needed is a low level noise commotion to draw attention to a property from the outside and a door bell type sounding inside… in the event that the house is occupied at the time of the burglary... before the house is broken into.

Its one of those things that needs to be set up so as to avoid false alarms by animal or adverse weather conditions.

As illustrated by David Powel, a dog is a good solution… if you have a dog.

Dec

 

[Piff]

Hmmm
At a previous property had a boat (on a locked trailer) stolen off the drive.
Had the garage broken into and power tools stolen.
Both times the dog slept through
Police advised that the security lighting we had probably assisted the criminals.

 

[bigmacplease]

Mind if I ask what CCTV are you using? I take it you could see/monitor it via your android/iphones?

I am even considering to have security to do live cctv monitoring, but at an estimated £100/month, Ouch!!

I have a AVtech CCTV DVR and a variable zoom from 2.8mm -11mm 720 tv lines camera that looks over my back garden and the private car park behind my house. I have a tiny camera in my porch above the door and then two cameras mounted in my soffits. One looks at back door and the others on the front and looks at my slk.

The two soffit cameras are only 420 TV lines and with the cost of tech note get better like a 720 TV lines. Night vision is a must! It's amazing how well my bigger camera with 40m night vision lights up my garden in pitch black darkness!

They give me full coverage and I can view them on my android and iOS phones plus a web browsers and all the TVs in my house.

It was very inexpensive and I would highly recommend! I think they are a real deterrent and the night time red glow reminds the Crim's to keep ****ing walking!

 

[marty359]

We live out in the sticks and the wife gets scared when I'm working away. Not heard of much crime in the village but I've installed a burglar alarm with speech dialler that calls my phone when activated along with a dummy bell box with a flashing LED.

At the front of the house I've fitted a beam sensor at waist height that sounds a little buzzer upstairs if crossed and at the rear a PIR sensor covering the garden that switches a table lamp inside the house so it looks like someone's at home.

There's also a camera/security light on the market that records onto an sd card when activated, you can also set it play a recorded message or play the sound of a dog barking. It's called guard cam, I've not got one but fitted one for someone and it works pretty well.

 

[spinaltap]

I have an ADT monitored alarm which has served me well for many years.

If someone were to force their way into your home/while you were opening-up, you can key in an additional short code into the keypad that will instantly notify the police that you are under duress. Additional codes alert the fire and ambulance service that you need urgent help.

Once, I accidentally triggered the alarm, and less than two minutes later the police were on my doorstep to check on me. Likewise, when one of the sensors developed a fault, the police were very quick to check on my house.

Also, when there was once a local power outage during the night (and the backup battery had drained) the ADT monitoring station called me to check that everything was alright.

Having such an alarm means that suspicious sounds within the house do not cause concern - unless any sensor is activated. If required, panic buttons can be installed - as well as smoke and fire detectors.

ADT also offer day/night HD CCTV for the home, including long term recording capability.

 

[Apial]

I've had CCTV for a few years now and it's a great reassurance. All my neighbours know I have it and I can see everything I want to, it records 24/7, I have it on all the TVs and phones etc.

Personally I don't think there is a better deterrent, any criminal will notice it and why would they take the risk over another house without it?

We had an alarm and CCTV but were still broken into through the roof. The alarm failed to trigger initially giving the thieves time to attack a safe until they got too cocky and triggered the alarm giving them sufficient time to make their escape.

Due to excellent CCTV with recorded audio too, within 3 days one of the thieves had been caught and had been sentenced to 18 months. It must have been an all time record for the Police and courts. The stolen goods though are still missing. The alarm system has now been beefed up and the roof reinforced, but I would not like to tempt fate and say I am safe.

I wonder if a smoke system might be more protective?

 

[kinaero]

It is confusing looking at all those cctv systems available, and I am not really that handy, might ended up with holes everywhere!!

Called a company today, they were recommending a new CCTV recently available.
Its wireless, could mount it indoor/outdoor, will take pics if detected within the set perimeter and send you email with pics, but at the same time it is monitored, so the operator will called the police if the person looks suspicious.

You get a fob to activate/deactivate the cctv as and when you leave the property £1500 for 4 cameras.
I will pay them a visit this week and look into it a bit more in details.

 

[bigmacplease]

That's a lot of money IMO. I would shop around!

 

[kap02]

A good locksmith friend once told me " A thief will always get into your house or your neighbors house if they REALLY want to, as much as you might like your neighbors you need to make your house the less appealing then theirs"

As cruel as it sounds, he is right.

* I have had all my standard euro UPVC Locks replaced with "anti snap" locks. See goggle/youtube , you will be very surprised! This is the biggest upgrade you can make!

* Modern alarm with bell box on front and rear - includes dialer, panic button in the bedroom and front door.

* If you have a side entrance, keep it locked and well lit with modern lighting. Not just PIR sensor lighting that only goes off when a person enters that zone.

I personally think CCTV is too far, it turns you into a bit of snooper. I also think it adds to the appeal to a thief, they may assume "whats he trying to hide, protect?" I think we cant spend our entire life worrying about it. At a push, you could maybe get some fake CCTV dummy cameras off ebay. At least you haven't spent a fortune.

ROLSON SOLAR POWERED DUMMY CCTV SECURITY CAMERA - 66840 | eBay

 

[Spinal]

* I have had all my standard euro UPVC Locks replaced with "anti snap" locks. See goggle/youtube , you will be very surprised! This is the biggest upgrade you can make!

Be wary of locks pretending to be "anti-snap" - most really aren't. A lock that has a sacrificial cut to the front can be snapped by using a screw embedded into the keyhole prior to snapping. Similarly, those that don't protrude from your door can be snapped with either a screw embedded and a claw hammer or a low-clearance snap bar (2-3mm is enough). Things like the yale anti-snap lock are pretty poor...

I did some work with the physical security guy for one of my clients, and got quite a scary view of locks in general... (I work in IT security - specifically GRC, hence I still do audits)

M.

EDIT: Forgot to add, I've fitted the avocet abs ones to my house... so far, I haven't been able to find someone able to snap, bump nor pick them... but I'm sure it's possible to at least pick them with enough effort...

EDIT2: looks like someone on youtube found a way to bump them... oh well

 

[kap02]

Be wary of locks pretending to be "anti-snap" - most really aren't. A lock that has a sacrificial cut to the front can be snapped by using a screw embedded into the keyhole prior to snapping. Similarly, those that don't protrude from your door can be snapped with either a screw embedded and a claw hammer or a low-clearance snap bar (2-3mm is enough). Things like the yale anti-snap lock are pretty poor...

I did some work with the physical security guy for one of my clients, and got quite a scary view of locks in general... (I work in IT security - specifically GRC, hence I still do audits)

M.

EDIT: Forgot to add, I've fitted the avocet abs ones... so far, I haven't been able to find someone able to snap, bump nor pick them... but I'm sure it's possible to at least pick them with enough effort...

EDIT2: looks like someone on youtube found a way to bump them... oh well

Agreed, they should meet 3 Star certification.

i would recommend : ABS High Security Door Cylinder - 3 Star TS007, SS 312 Diamond Rated

or

Garrison Break Secure XP Cylinders- Garrison Locks

 

[kap02]

They always get in, but at least it will take some time!