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Best Home Security Solution?

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
I've been abroad for the past week and upon my return have discovered that people tried to break into my house. My front gate lock is broken. As for my front door, I have a pretty tough lock that you can tell someone tried to tamper and mess with but no one got in through the front door….

However, 2 of my 10 windows had messed up window screens and I have to assume someone tried to get in. Perhaps seeing my car was away from the drive way for 7+ days.

Anyhow, i'd love a home security solution and figured where better to ask than on MacRumors.

I've seen some random Kickstarter project that has a camera and carbon monoxide feature: https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/2...ers-hd-camera-environmental-sensors-and-more/

…But the truth is this seems gimmicky unless I lived in a small flat apartment in which one camera could capture all.

I'd love a security system that can record the front door, front gate, sides of my house and certainly the backyard doors and ideally the upstair windows. I've seen on eBay like packs where it includes like 4-6 cameras and it all wires up and connects to a central system. Some of them even have an iOS feature that lets you view the images from you iOS devices when you're away from home…

But am getting ahead of myself and wanted to get a feel of the general consensus in regards to this matter.

Help is truly appreciated considering I have a home w/ freaked out people that want this situation settled asap.

Thanks!
 
Not an option considering I'd hate to neglect a dog. Getting a dog just for protection is not right in my opinion; I'd want one when I'm ready for companionship and taking the dog out for walks on a daily basis. I've seen many guard dogs that are filthy and look at their owners wondering if they'll be fed that day simply cause the owners only care about the dogs being alert.

Anyways. Dog not an option for me.
 
A bazooka says, "I'm serious about home safety."
 

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mobilehaathi said:
A bazooka says, "I'm serious about home safety."
Click to expand...

This could work. Lol.

As for weapons I'm not oppose to them however others in the household are, especially considering there are children running around. I'd get one but I do have to listen to the overall family in this house.
 
Seriously... motion detectors hooked up to a recording of a dog. A number of years ago the Vancouver Sun (newspaper) ran a series of articles on how to make your house 'safer' from break-ins. They talked to the cops, security companies, and burglars. At the time Vancouver was one of the worst places in North America for break-ins.

The Cops gave the usual advice of lights on timers, have a neighbour park their car in your driveway, make sure the lawn is mowed, etc. (btw - from your post - having a neighbour park their car in your driveway may have been all you needed). This is all good advice, and may be all you really need. Talk to your local cop shop for their advice.

The security companies all recommended buying and installing monitoring systems.

The burglars and the retired security company owner all said that having a dog was the #1 deterrent to break-in. And if you didn't have a dog then a recording of one was almost as good. In the retired guy's case he said he had it hooked up to internal motion detectors. The recording including the sound of a dog's nails running on a floor and barking loudly (he gave the interview anonymously). I suppose you could have the recording just play occasionally at random intervals too.

The other thing that was commonly commented on was that the vast majority of break-ins are crimes of opportunity and not well planned - if they're planned at all. So anything that makes a house look occupied is usually enough to send the burglars on to their next victim. It was also emphasized that if they really want to get into your house in particular - there is very little you can do. However - the fact that your existing security measures stopped them makes me think it was a crime of opportunity.

It may be just enough to have the neighbour's car in the driveway and the lights on timers.

And get to know your neighbours. There is no better security system than to have nosey neighbours standing out on the front steps watching people they don't know on the street.

Glad this story has a not-unhappy ending. Good Luck.

=====

HappyDude20 said:
This could work. Lol.

As for weapons I'm not oppose to them however others in the household are, especially considering there are children running around. I'd get one but I do have to listen to the overall family in this house.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to comment on this directly - don't want to push this into PRSI. I hope others will have the same consideration. Here is a link to another thread on MacRumours. Scan down for my username where I cite some numbers with sources that you might consider.
 
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HappyDude20 said:
This could work. Lol.

As for weapons I'm not oppose to them however others in the household are, especially considering there are children running around. I'd get one but I do have to listen to the overall family in this house.
Click to expand...

weapons wouldn't have helped you in your recent situation since you weren't there to use them in any event.

Motion detectors in the yard that are hooked up to lights is what I'd add first if I were in your situation........and I'd look at the windows and see if there's some additional locks that might be added to make it harder for the opportunist crook.
 
Hmmm...

Somebody tell the idiot thieves to just learn to fish for the automatic garage door release with a coat hanger. Saves on damaging doors and letting the homeowner know it is time to upgrade security.

Heck you don't want the homeowner to defeat this entry method with a simple zip tie.
 
I have a Night Owl 8 camera system plus a few decoy cameras that are very easily seen. Signage that tells everyone that I have cameras with offsite recording and alarm system signs seem to work. Remember, burglars are after the quick, safe buck. The last thing they want to do is have to work for the theft. Consider your windows that were tampered with, are they hidden from view by shrubs?

Good quality deadbolts are another big plus. Another thing on the cameras, most people put all the cameras on the house, that leaves you unable to look at the house itself. I have one front camera on a utility pole that has a security light and one out back on the detached garage. Both are aimed at the house giving me a clear view of it.

A camera system will cost you less than $500 and a weekend of running wires. BNC wires will work for about 250' after that you need to consider BNC to ethernet converters.
 
Southern Dad said:
I have a Night Owl 8 camera system plus a few decoy cameras that are very easily seen. Signage that tells everyone that I have cameras with offsite recording and alarm system signs seem to work. Remember, burglars are after the quick, safe buck. The last thing they want to do is have to work for the theft. Consider your windows that were tampered with, are they hidden from view by shrubs?.....
Click to expand...

I like living in a community and a neighbourhood where if I forget to lock the front door when I go out... I don't worry about it all. The only reason I lock the door at all is keep the cat in.... It's a long story.

However... I did use to live in a city... and the advice about an easy target is true - but only up to a point. In a smash and grab scenario (the vast majority of cases) whether an alarm system is monitored and attached to cameras makes no difference. The break-in... they grab .... they leave. The cops/security guards will be there too late regardless of the degree of monitoring.

Once-upon-a-time I had photo studio in an industrial part of town with a simple glass door and a very simple monitored alarm system. So simple I never had any false alarm. Every 6 months or so someone would break the glass or force the deadbolt and I'd be there at 3am calling for the glass/door repair guy. Not once did I ever lose anything... wasn't even worth filing an insurance claim. Everything of value was behind closed and locked doors. In other words there was nothing at hand to grab. They smashed... they set off an alarm ... they took a few minutes to explore and they left empty handed.

Of course you can't do the same in a house.... hiding everything that is. But you can make it physically more difficult to get in. If you can slow them down while the alarm is going off then they will have less opportunity to grab anything.
 
snberk103 said:
I like living in a community and a neighbourhood where if I forget to lock the front door when I go out... I don't worry about it all. The only reason I lock the door at all is keep the cat in.... It's a long story.

However... I did use to live in a city... and the advice about an easy target is true - but only up to a point. In a smash and grab scenario (the vast majority of cases) whether an alarm system is monitored and attached to cameras makes no difference. The break-in... they grab .... they leave. The cops/security guards will be there too late regardless of the degree of monitoring.

Once-upon-a-time I had photo studio in an industrial part of town with a simple glass door and a very simple monitored alarm system. So simple I never had any false alarm. Every 6 months or so someone would break the glass or force the deadbolt and I'd be there at 3am calling for the glass/door repair guy. Not once did I ever lose anything... wasn't even worth filing an insurance claim. Everything of value was behind closed and locked doors. In other words there was nothing at hand to grab. They smashed... they set off an alarm ... they took a few minutes to explore and they left empty handed.

Of course you can't do the same in a house.... hiding everything that is. But you can make it physically more difficult to get in. If you can slow them down while the alarm is going off then they will have less opportunity to grab anything.
Click to expand...

I've had two neighbor's houses burglarized. One across the street was burglarized by a "friend". Luckily, he parked in front of my house, right on camera and walked across the street. Excellent video footage for the police. He pled guilty. The other burglar was never caught but he found out the hard way that the house was not unoccupied. She didn't kill him but sure tried.

We haven't had any issues in a while but it happens. I used to leave my keys in the car but over time, I've become more aware. When I was a kid, we grew up on a farm. The keys to every farm vehicle were left in them. Keys to tractors were never removed. The house was never locked. Times have changed.
 
HappyDude20 said:
I've been abroad for the past week and upon my return have discovered that people tried to break into my house. My front gate lock is broken. As for my front door, I have a pretty tough lock that you can tell someone tried to tamper and mess with but no one got in through the front door….

However, 2 of my 10 windows had messed up window screens and I have to assume someone tried to get in. Perhaps seeing my car was away from the drive way for 7+ days.

Anyhow, i'd love a home security solution and figured where better to ask than on MacRumors.

I've seen some random Kickstarter project that has a camera and carbon monoxide feature: https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/2...ers-hd-camera-environmental-sensors-and-more/

…But the truth is this seems gimmicky unless I lived in a small flat apartment in which one camera could capture all.

I'd love a security system that can record the front door, front gate, sides of my house and certainly the backyard doors and ideally the upstair windows. I've seen on eBay like packs where it includes like 4-6 cameras and it all wires up and connects to a central system. Some of them even have an iOS feature that lets you view the images from you iOS devices when you're away from home…

But am getting ahead of myself and wanted to get a feel of the general consensus in regards to this matter.

Help is truly appreciated considering I have a home w/ freaked out people that want this situation settled asap.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Maybe you like this Synology Security video:


One thing is I would use the Synology's VPN and you could use your VPN in your smart phone to get into the Synology from almost anywhere.
 
A monitored system and a sign will most likely send them over to your neighbors. ;) You might be able to find just a sign, which people have been known to put up without the security system. If you install a system, have the doors wired and a motion detector down the main hall. If you have more money, consider wiring the windows and/or glass break sensors. This can also work without being monitored, once the siren goes off, most robbers won't hang around. If monitored, it can be by phone, or by cell transmitter. There might be a monthly charge for the cell.
 
I'm debating between a Pipe / Canary system or a traditional monitoring system. I'm leaning towards the piper, you get to customize how many sensors and camera you need and I don't like paying monthly bills.
 
I have a DSC 1832 system which is not monitored but is self monitored. The eyez-on Envisalink lets you monitor zone status and get text alerts. They will also provide full monitoring for cheap. But as long as I get breach alerts on my phone, that's good enough for now.

The DSC is an old-school system. Rock, rock solid reliability. Wireless door/window sensors are fairly cheap at under $20 each. They're very tiny and almost un-noticeable. The advantage of a stable, mature system like DSC is that the thing is purpose-built, does one thing, and does it well. I think my system kit was about $300 plus some extra zone sensors (I have 17 doors/windows zones). Mine was a DIY install, and it takes some time to figure out the programming, but it is fairly straightforward.

The envisalink add on makes it really nice. And my Indigo home automation software has a plugin for DSC. I can make any action/scene happen based on doors/windows/motion from the DSC, as well as arm/disarm via scenes.

check out diyalarmforum . com for some good tutorials.
 
Or simply set up some dummy cameras around the perimeter of your place. The opportunist burglar wouldn't risk possibly being recorded.
 
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