Sunday, February 10, 2008

Common Sense Is Your Best Anti-theft Device

Common Sense Is Your Best Anti-theft Device by Doug Jones

Just like other crimes, a burglary can be a totally random event. However, when it's planned, there are certain things a burglar will look for when staking out a possible break-in, and there are steps the homeowner can take to minimize this risk.

This is a good checklist before leaving your home empty or for beefing up your protection against theft:

Study your house from the street, and look for any valuables that may be visible from the street. Don't give thieves a reason to show up.

Before leaving for any length of time, ensure that all windows and doors are locked, including the door to your garage. Many home invasion robberies come through garage doors and inner doors to the houses. Doors should have deadbolt locks with a one-inch throw and reinforced strike plate.

Place a piece of wood or metal in the track of any sliding doors to prevent opening

Don't leave your house in darkness when you're away, create a sense of activity by using timers on lights, radios and televisions.

Install low-voltage lighting outdoors to keep your surrounding yard well lit. Install motion detectors in dark areas along the sides and back of house to alert you of any intruders. Suspend your newspaper delivery while you're away and ask your neighbor to collect your mail. You may even ask them to park in your driveway while you're away.

Never leave a message on your answering machine that says you're on vacation.Keep any shrubbery near your walkway or entrance trimmed; removing any possible hiding places. Think about planting cactus or rosebushes under windows that may be especially vulnerable. Advise your neighborhood watch that you'll be away.

Ensure your security system is activated when you leave. Etch your name on all electronic equipment to serve as a deterrent as well as assisting police in the recovery your property. It's more difficult to sell stolen property that has the owners name on it. Make a video tape of your possessions and record the serial numbers.

Get a safe, not just for your jewels, but for important paperwork as well. Identity theft is a crime that's on the rise and you want to minimize any availability to your personal records. The more you can do to deter an intruder, the better your chances are that your home will not be chosen as a target.

Studies have shown that if it takes a burglar more than four or five minutes to break into a home, they'll move on. If you increase their vulnerability by adding a well-lit area or a barking dog, that minimizes your risk again.

Wireless Alarm Keep Your Home Secure

Wireless Alarm Keep Your Home Secure by Edson Buchanan


Not long ago, people across America felt secure at home. When they left their homes, they usually didn't worry about crimes like burglary or vandalism. As crime rates increased, people began to make sure the door was locked whenever they weren't home. Today, a lot of people even lock their doors when they are at home


When door locks were not enough to make people feel safe in their own homes, they began buying security alarms for their houses. First came house alarm systems that would make loud noisy alarms when an intruder tried to enter. More sophisticated video security systems followed closely behind.


The complexity and functions of alarm systems are continually evolving. There are firms which specialize in overseeing the security and alarm systems of a number of houses at once from a centrally located office. When an alarm is set off in one of these homes, they are responsible for alerting the police, the fire department, or the EMT services.


The new wireless alarm system is much less expensive to install in a house than the old wired systems were. As with most things electronic, alarm systems are becoming more advanced while the cost is decreasing. Alarm systems are unlike most other technological wonders, though, in that as the systems become more advanced, it's easy to upgrade an existing system instead of needing to purchase an entire new system. Therefore, a person doesn't have to face the expense of changing their system every year to keep it current.


Now that the new wireless alarm systems can be installed so much more easily than the older systems were, it's also possible for only one alarm technician to install the entire system. Gone are the days when he would have to enlist the help of electricians and other support people to aid in the installation. And, after all, the fewer people who know about your system, the fewer there are who are able to get into your house by hacking through it


Most companies will even conduct a free price quote on site at the home in order to better tell the customer which add-on features for their wireless alarm will best benefit that household. Some of these features include monitored fire alarms, pet immunity, and additional video surveillance.

Home Security With Camera: Providing Peace Of Mind

Home Security With Camera: Providing Peace Of Mind by Andrew Stratton

Our homes are one place where we always want to feel safe and secure from danger or harm. Both physical and emotional security are important in order to feel safe. There are a number of steps we can take so that our homes remain secure and we have peace of mind. We can make sure that no unwelcome intruders enter our homes without our knowledge. This perimeter of security can be accomplished by setting up cameras both inside and outside the home. If you have a heat sensing camera or infrared camera this will allow you to spot intruders even in the dark.

If you combine a infrared camera with a motion detector light, movement, even in the dead of night will cause lights to come on and at the same time, the camera can begin recording or viewing the creature that has caused the signal. A setup without the heat sensor may film continuously, or still pictures can be snapped periodically according to a preset schedule.

Another function of the camera in a home security system is to determine who might have entered your house without your knowledge. This would work especially well if you have a web camera so that you can check up on things in your home even while you are at work or gone for the day. So long as you have access to the internet, you can log into your web camera and see everything in your home that the camera can see.

Homeowners who have pets they leave at home during the day can use a home security camera to check and make sure the feline or canine friends are not getting into too much mischief while they are gone. Other people use a web camera or a home surveillance camera to check on household help or child care personnel while they are in the home. There are numerous documented cases where actions caught on video tape have helped to convict thieves of jewelry or other valuables; have helped to put those abusing children into custody; and have helped to terminate the employment of those who are not performing duties diligently.

Another helpful feature of surveillance cameras is in the homes of elderly parents or other relatives. With a camera in the home of the parent, it's easy to check in periodically in order to assure that the parent has not fallen or become ill or in any way needs help in activities of daily living.

The complexity and functions of alarm systems are continually evolving. There are firms which specialize in overseeing the security and alarm systems of a number of houses at once from a centrally located office. When an alarm is set off in one of these homes, they are responsible for alerting the police, the fire department, or the EMT services.

There are other reasons for use of a home security camera. For example, a parent may want to keep tabs on a child who is home along. Rarely will a parent not object to a child drinking or smoking while they are not supposed to be doing so. A surveillance camera will help to prevent this problem. You may not be able to stop such behavior completely, but you can prevent it from repeatedly happening in your home. You can also prevent unchaperoned and unauthorized gatherings at your house with no adult present.

Most Important Steps In Selecting Your Home Security System

Most Important Steps In Selecting Your Home Security System


If you undertake any form of project in any walk of life then planning is the key to a successful outcome. This is no different when you are looking at the home security planning, everybody works differently but everybody needs to plan. There are so many aspects to home security so it is important that you define first which are needed in your case, some of the different parts of home security include security alarm systems, security camera systems, heat detection systems and smoke detection systems to name a few. Each one of these needs to be carefully considered and planned to integrate into the others, so the first aspect of planning must be which home security systems are you looking to implement, this can be commonly referred to as a Home Security Plan

Once you have decided on what features you need to include into your home security planning then you need to draw up the framework to which you are going to implement the systems. This can be classed as the design stage of the project, you need to take a step back from your house and then draw up a detailed plan of where you are implementing the different systems. Look at your house and decide on which areas you need to secure and how you are going to secure these areas.


If you are implementing alarm systems and motion systems then decide if these can be integrated into one system. Decide within your planning on where you are adding your sensors how they will be wired into your house and where they will be wired. Also within the plan know on where the alarm console will be located, how you are going to implement the system and whether you have the skills to install the system or whether you will need a contractor.


Be sure to do your homework on pricing of surveillance systems and what they have to offer, if you are looking at a cost effective solution then whilst you are at the planning stage scale each component in order of importance, if the project becomes too expensive then you can drop the least important aspect. Factor in the cost of a contractor should this be required, if you are doing wiring or work on the house you may not have the skill set to carry this out, if this is the case then you will need a contractor. If you are looking for a complex security system then this may only be obtainable through a contractor, this then will draw in extra costs.


The home security planning stage is the most important part of the project, if you do all the hard work at this stage then you should not have any unpleasant surprises when you are ready to implement the system at a later date. Research the different products that are on the market and draw up a short list of which ones suite your requirements most. Once you have a short list then you can compare each one, call in the company for a demonstration or a quote should this be necessary or simple choose which security system will be the best for your home.

Apartment Security Basics

Apartment Security Basics by Andrew Walker

Living in an apartment or condo can be convenient, but you should never forget about security. Having a security guard at the entrance does not guarantee security. Below are some tips that might help you to improve your apartment security.

When you look for an apartment or condo for rent, always ask yourself: Is this a safe area? Is this apartment complex safe? If you have doubts, talk to the owner to see if he/she can get things fixed such as improving the lighting and repairing gate locks. Don't rent an apartment or condo if you think security is an issue there.

When you live in an apartment or condo, don't forget to keep your doors and windows locked when you are not at home. When you move in an apartment or condo, it will be good idea to have the original locks changed because some unknown people might have the key to the original lock. If allowed, you might also want to have a deadbolt lock to ensure higher level of security.

Don't leave the door unlocked even if you are at home. Don't open your door for strangers, even if they mention the name of your neighbors. Use the peephole to have a good look at the visitor before you open the door and require identification. Don't admit strangers through the gate as a favor. Also, get to know your neighbors and watch for suspicious people.

If possible, you might want to install additional security system such as home security alarms. If you do not plan to live in that apartment or condo for a long time, you can consider portable door or window alarms or a wireless home security system, so that they can come with you when you move. Also, getting renter's insurance can be an additional means to protect your assets.

Important Home Security Tips On Purchasing An Alarm System

Important Home Security Tips On Purchasing An Alarm System by Jayen Woods

Many householders and just about all commercial enterprises acquire an alarm system to protect their property and their possessions. But a number of householders still do not see the need to install an alarm system. They think a burglary won't happen to them, it only happens to other people.

But the 2005 FBI crime report showed that nationally in the United States of America a burglary occurs every 15 seconds and on average the dollar loss per burglary in 2005 was $1,725.

Just about any business enterprise will have one, in some form or another. When searching for alarms, you ought to take your time to discover the correct system and the correct prices for you. If you purchase at the right time, your actual system could end up being one hundred percent free.

Many Companies such as ADT frequently run special offers to get you to purchase their alarms and services. In a few cases, they'll give you a free system provided you sign up for one of their monitoring services for an established time. Depending on the offer this could be 1, 2 or 5 years. They might in addition have offers that give you free service if you purchase an alarm from them. Either way, you can save a considerable amount of money from your income.

These businesses will often come to your abode and set up the alarm for you. They will demonstrate how to run the alarm system, and show you the best way on how to deploy the system in the best possible manor, so as not to activate an alarm mistakenly. Whilst it could take a little time to become accustomed to the slight change in your household habits (you'll have to remember to arm and disarm the alarm), you and your folks will very quickly get accustomed to the change in your abode, and you may well notice that you are actually sleeping better at night because you now feel someone is watching out for you.

It's very important to check the companies guarantee. If there's a problem with your alarm, the company should aid you in the resolving of the problem, or should replace whatever parts aren't functioning. Whilst buying your alarm system and especially when contracting a service, make a point of asking a considerable number of questions about any hidden fees. Exactly what service you'll acquire for your money, and the exact period and extent of the guarantee that they can offer. Badly installed alarm systems will not do you any good if they malfunction all the time, or give false alarms as this will just leave you still feeling vulnerable.

Remember according to the FBI report in 2005 there were more than 1.4 million home invasions and 61.4% of residential burglaries happened between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., during the day. And according to Simon Hakim, Temple University a home is 2 to 3 times more likely to be burglarized without a security system.

So what are you waiting for, act now before you become the next victim.

Surveillance Cameras And Home Security

Surveillance Cameras And Home Security by David Moze

Surveillance Cameras and Home Security---A security camera system or CCTV (Closed - Circult television) provides access to information otherwise unavailable to you and to law enforcement offials when your home or business has been invaded. Most people do not consider CCTV necessary to a good home security system. But your normal magnetic sensors and MOTION DETECTORS only alert you and others at the moment of invasion.

CCTV's are primarily designed to record an invasion of privacy and to assist the police catching the offenders. But,while their primary focus is recording criminal activity, security cameras operate as a powerful criminal deterrent. Intruders are less likely to approach an area scanned by a camera because, not only is their motion being detected, but more importantly , their identity is being detected.

Home Security---An intercom system for HOME SECUTITY begins with the front door. Knowing who is ringing the door bell before you answer it is extremely valuable. Peaking out through cracks or from behind windows is not the most effective method, to be sure

While all front door intercom systems give you the capability of hearing and speaking with the person at the front door, the most reliable system give you the ability to see who is there without ever letting them know that you are even home

There are many affordaable intercom systems that enable you to visualize your prospective visitor from your master station. . After seeing who is there, you can decide whether or not you want to speak with them, let them in, etc.

Lighting Control

Lighting Control by david Mize

Lighting Control-- The most basic home automation system is light control. Operating lights through home automation is a function of both convenience and home security

As a matter of convenience, with a remote control or a timer, you have the ability to dim lights or just turn them off and on. The remote empowers you to change the intensity of the light from any position or area in the house. Before home automation, you would have to get up out of your chair or bed to turn the lights off or on. With a home-automated system, a remote control or a timer will do the moving for you.

As a matter of security, remote or timer operated lights are highly effective resources. Most intruders will only invade a dark home when they think no one is there. By placing your lights on an X-10 or another home automation controller, you can easily make it look as if you are home when you are away.

The control has the ability to activate several appliances—television, lights, radios – at various times throughout the day to give the impression of human presence. Not only at specifically programmed times, but you can also program the timers to alter times. With this unique programming, anyone watching your house will not see methodical automation. Instead, there will appear to be a definite human presence since the timing on the lights will not be mechanical

Home Security Tips-shocking Ways To Prevent Home Invasion

Home Security Tips-shocking Ways To Prevent Home Invasion by Jack Krohn

Just in the last few days here in Colorado Springs there has been a huge surge of home invasions. It seems to be the crime of choice any more.As recently as two years ago the term was barely in its' infancy; hardly a soul had heard of it.

By way of explanation "home invasion" is a term coined by police departments to describe a home burglary when the occupants are home. As you may know most burglaries happen when the occupants are gone.

Since the possibility of a confrontation is drastically heightened, the odds of injury or death to the occupants go way up. Not to mention the old saying of 'man's home is his castle' the occupants are violated by the perps in a home invasion.

That's what is so scary about these crimes-the very real possibility of assault, injury, rape, or even death to you and members of your inner sanctum-your family.

Believe it or not 90% of all home invasions are preventable according to police experts. Of all crimes 17%, or one out of six a home was entered by the bad guys. A burglary happens every 15 seconds. AND perhaps the most important stat is this: The average burglar will spend no more than 2 minutes trying to get in.

NOW THE SHOCKER! Most home invasions happen right thru the front door. Seriously! Either the occupants open the door or the door is forced open. No matter-THE FRONT DOOR. I mean c'mon what is the peephole for?

Are you one of those trusting folks (like I used to be) that when you answer the doorbell or a knock at the door you automatically open it? Be Honest. Once you open the door an inch or two it doesn't take much to force it open all the way

Make sure you have a peephole, deadbolt locks that you actually lock and if possible solid hardwood doors. And last but not least your home should have at least two maybe three locations (one by the front door) where you keep non lethal self defense weapons such as pepper sprays, stun guns, or maybe even a Taser.

Remember that the home intruder, like the burglar, has three big enemies light, sound, and time. The more obstacles you can put in his way the safer your home will be. For sure keep your front door locked and don't open it until you know who it is.

What Makes A Good Home Security System

What Makes A Good Home Security System

The interesting fact about what makes a good home security system is that it should guard your home while being unobtrusive at the same time. When you go to sleep at night with the alarm system activated, there should be a comfortable feeling of security as if you are barricaded within a fort surrounded by a moat. But no one wants to live in a home that looks like it belongs to the national defense system or is located in a war zone. There should be no barb wire fences or prison yard search lights in towers.

Yet, you want to feel like you certainly do have the best defenses possible in your home. Obviously, there will be certain features a home security system must have in order to achieve this level of effectiveness. You need to understand what kind of system will provide the most protection whether you live in a house, condominium, town home or apartment.

The first step is to list the places where someone could enter your home. These places include the front door, back door, first floor windows and basement exterior door and windows. Of course, burglars have entered homes by using unusual means too, including down chimneys or through roof skylights. Your list should include all areas of possible entry even if they seem silly or highly unlikely to be used.

Determining what makes a good home security system should also include an analysis of the exterior area around your home. Your best first defense against burglary lies in knowing the event is about to take place before it actually occurs. If you know someone is on your front porch before they jimmy the lock, your odds of stopping the event are much higher. Also, your yard at night is full of shadows and bushes which make great hiding spots. Your exterior security system should minimize the number of shadowed areas around your house.

A Comprehensive View

Security systems can be very simple or extremely elaborate. In all cases, what makes a good home security system is the ability to 1) keep unwanted persons out of your home, 2) give adequate notice that an unlawful entry is about to occur or already has occurred, and 3) provide other safety features for your protection such as a fire alarm.

There are other important considerations related to your home security system that have nothing to do with the system components. These considerations include deciding which brand security system to buy, the terms of the contract, and the ability of the system to be upgraded or expanded when necessary. Too many people don’t spend enough time analyzing the financial feasibility of the security system contract and find themselves stuck in an overpriced contract for an outdated system.

What makes a good home security system? A good home security system is one that doesn’t have any “holes” in it. "Holes" in this case means that the system doesn’t cover some of the possible places of entry, while leaving other areas vulnerable to illegal entry. The system should be low maintenance and reliable at all times.

Deciding which home security system to install is a major decision, because you – and your family – have a lot at stake if the system is inadequate.

Securing Your Business, Home And Office

Securing Your Business, Home And Office by Quality Door

There is nothing worse than believing that your business, office or home is safe from an unwanted intruder entering when you are not there, only to find out that it’s actually much easier than you imagined.

The two most vulnerable areas in your business, home or office are going to be the windows and the doors. It’s going to be easy to increase the security of your doors. There are many things that you will be able to easily implement that will definitely make it harder for an intruder to get through.

The deadlock bolt on your door is going to be extremely important. This is not something that you are going to want to skimp out on. There are many good quality locks and deadlocks out there, and one good company is Yale. Yale locks are going to offer you the security that you are looking for, and something that is going to last for a very long time. You can easily find a Yale lock searching on the internet and for a great price and the perfect design.

When you are looking for your Yale deadlock it’s important that you are looking to see how long and thick that they lock is itself. The longer and thicker that it is the better the security is going to be. It’s going to be much harder to break something that is 3 inches thick than it is to break something that is 1 inch thick. So just keep that in mind. You do not need to buy a Yale lock, but it is important that you purchase a brand that is known for their quality

For further security there are other things that you will want to do and most of the things that you will need to do is going to depend on the type of door that you are looking to increase the security for.

If you have a sliding glass door than you are definitely going to need to improve the security here. Sliding glass doors are one of the easiest places for an intruder to get in, all they need to do is take it off of the rail. In order to make this harder for them to do you are going to need to implement a few things. You will need to purchase a kit that is going to make it difficult to remove the sliding glass door off of the track. This door hardware kit is fairly easy to find online, but it is essential to improving the security.

Another good idea is to start looking into a good alarm system. This will help to increase the overall security as well as the small changes that you have made to the doors. It’s important to feel safe, but it’s even more important to actually be safe.

Fully Protecting Your Assets Of Your Home

Fully Protecting Your Assets Of Your Home by Lance Mohr

If you recently have made the purchase of a new home in the Tampa real estate market, there are still some other important steps that you need to take in order to fully get your house in order (so to speak). Once you have invested in a residence, you need to make certain that you have appropriate homeowners insurance in place. As part of that process, you need to make sure that you take and make an appropriate inventory of the valuables in your home, of the property that you have in your home.

If you have recently taken out a homeowner’s insurance policy that covers, among other things, the contents of personal property within your home, your work is not yet done. Many people think that they’ve done all they need to do simply by going out and purchasing a policy of homeowners insurance. But, again, there is more that must be done

You need to make an inventory of your personal property. Historically, people relied on lists of items that they had within their homes. Eventually, people began to take photographs of valuable items within their homes. While these lists are all well and good, there is a better method of creating an inventory of your possessions” recording the items with a digital video recorder

Using a record you will create the best possible record of what types of personal items that you have within your house. In addition, most camcorders allow you to date stamp the time the images were taken and saved. Once again, this really does represent the most efficient and effective manner in which you thoroughly can document the possessions that you maintain in your home.If you ever are unfortunate enough to have to file a claim with the company that provides your homeowners insurance, the camcorder recordings of your property will be an invaluable piece of information and will assist greatly in ensuring prompt payment on your claim.

Obviously, if you are faced with the difficult task of filing a claim after you have endured a loss, you absolutely do not want to have to spend a great deal of time trying to justify and document what you have lost. With a digital recording of your property, you will be in a far better position to realize a quick resolution, a favorable resolution of your claim

New Home Security – An Overview

New Home Security – An Overview by Lance Mohr

Do-It-Yourself

For the mechanically nimble, there are on the market a number of do-it-yourself home security kits that a person can install by his or her self.

Generally speaking, these products are designed to -- at least one some level -- wire windows and certain doorways for sound. In other words, these do-it-yourself kits allow a person to wire windows and doors in such a way that when the system or unit is activated, and a door or window subsequently is opened, an alarm will sound.

Calling in the Experts

When a person turns to a consideration of installing a home security system, more often than not he or she is going to turn to the assistance of professionals in the field. A professional home security company, as a rule, not only will install a home security system but will also provide at least some sort of monitoring of the system.

As an example, if the alarm attached to a home security system is activated by an intruder or otherwise after installation, an electronic notification will pass to the offices of the home security system. The communication with the home security system’s offices is instantaneous. The home security company is then expected automatically to notify the appropriate and proper authorities.

Man’s Best Friend

If you are strapped for cash and simply do not have room in your budget for any sort of installed electronic home security system, dogs have proven to be a sound deterrent to criminal intent on invading your home space. (Of course, in the long run, you may actually end up spending more keeping a dog than you would an alarm system. But, as is obvious to most, pets provide other benefits as well.)

Statistics have demonstrated that a home in which a dog resides is significantly less likely to be burgled successfully than one without the presence of such a lively protector.By taking the time to consider which form of home security is the best course for you, you will be in the best position of making sure that your new home purchase, your own slice of Tampa real estate, remains safe and secure.

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