Off Topic Discussions

[Key-J]

Hey Team,

Just sharing a little incident that happened to me a couple of nights ago. At around 2:52am, someone tried to get into our house. It wasn't too dramatic, but they tried to get into my car first and then walked up to the front door and tried to get into the house. Luckily, the car and the house were locked like normal. So they gave up and walked off.

We didn't actually know this happened during the night but saw the notice on our Google Doorbell camera when we woke up later.

As you can imagine, this has made my wife feel a little uneasy. So I did a little research and currently, I am waiting for a new Google Floodlight/Outdoor Camera and a Smart Garage conversion kit that will help ensure our garage door is closed after a set time and work to prevent the garage door opening after a certain time. The camera will go into our front and cover the yard and driveaway

However, I wanted to check if anyone here had a recommendation on deterrents or security items that they might have around their house that they feel are of value. I don't mean Lightsabers and Blasters - but things for home security.

Feel free to share.

[HMonk]

Apart from "blasters" (which I think are a must if one is serious about protecting self or family), I have a Kangaroo home security system (there are any number of good systems) that features door and window sensors. Nice thing is, the sensors can be set to trip only when the doors or windows are opened (vs. setting them for interior motion). As such, one can be alerted to any entry (very loud siren) while busy in the house or sleeping. Seriously, if evil doers do enter my abode, then what? In this day and age, I think a semi-automatic blaster or blunderbuss is a necessity. More and more, depending on where one lives, home invasion does not end well even for cooperative victims. 

[johnnyenglish]

I have some defenses set.

I live in a bad neighborhood already, they don't' mug here, they mug else where the money is. 

Pretty tall building, if they can take the TV out of the window, they earned it. 

Home Alarm and a Claymore Roomba. 

 

[Wally_AMD]

Sorry to hear about this incident, @Key-J. We actually only have a Nest Doorbell and Alarm system (no cameras... ), but last week I had a sales rep from a company called "Vivint" stop by and ask if we were interested. I've heard their name before so I know they're popular around here, but I can't vouch for them or anything since I don't use them... but maybe something to look into if they're global?

[Key-J]

Thanks team.

@Wally_AMD We do have Vivint here actually, but I have heard some not so fun - lock you into a contract - type things from them. 

I do like the window and door sensor ideas. Especially for my back patio door.

I will look into that 😄

[johnnyenglish]

---

I do like the window and door sensor ideas. Especially for my back patio door.

For those who run Amazon ALEXA, there are cheap sensors that can complement a home alarm system.

They are cheap, dirt cheap, like:

These can be programed to send out alarms to your phone, they are really sensitive and can give some false positives like a mosquito passing by (happened once and I panicked...) but they are handy if well placed around the house.

[Key-J]

Appreciate this @johnnyenglish ! I started going down this rabbit hole - looking for those that work with Google Home 🙂

[dryden]

Scary! If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, tell them about what happened. The HOA could use a portion of the owners' fee to install external cameras in noticeable areas around the neighborhood... or just get cameras for every home.

The cameras will act as deterrent. If I recall correctly about an article I read, most criminals would bypass houses with noticeable cameras and those with yards signs of home security companies... ADT and the such.

[petosiris]

I have a subscription package for burglar alarm and smoke/fire detectors & alarm, all linked to a central where the company who owns the equipment is monitoring it.  I'm paying ca. $40 per month.  I can set the burglar alarm in two modes -- house protection, used when I go out; and shell protection, which is when I'm at home.  House protection activates indoor cameras too, while the latter only secures doors and windows + smoke/fire detetction.

Now, I have a plan to set up my own system with cameras, video recording, sirene, etc. but haven't come around to it yet, so I'll keep the subscription package until I've completed my own setup.  Soon, I hope. 😅

I heard someone say that if you sponsor the local MC club with $20, then ask if you can get one of their stickers that says "I support the <name of MC club>" and place it outside the front door, it's an effective method to scare off any burglars. Haha. 😁  I haven't tried that yet though.

[Justifier]

IR sensors tied to Windows, Cameras and other IR in random spots about the house that are also tied to some smart products like lights and the like, the ones on the windows are tied to buzzers go off when they open and double as a "you forgot to close the window" reminder tied to a rasberry pi to message my phone. I like open air, especially when it rains

If I was especially concerned, I'd get a ~200-300$ base and have them make the sucker go off at full volume when specific triggers were reached

For the doors, reenforced frame, and just as important a reenforced latch, nice big metal plate, 6 to 8 +5" screws going all the way through the frame, for both the latch guard as well as the hinges.

Door braces paired with locks -- that's both for the main entrances as well as the bedroom. If I were still in the city, I'd have heavy duty physical window braces as well -- ones that screw into the frame

By windows, I keep ironwood Hapkido training sticks -- they double as window jams to keep the windows both closed and open. I know that some may find that disrespectful to the arts, but they're not there for show and for them to be useful, they have to be in an area nearby when they're needed

By doors, I keep medium sized walking sticks

People seem to be far less intimidated by them, even the people who know me seem to think I just keep them there because I hike a lot, but they're absolutely not playthings

As a final measure, yeah, there should be varied blasters in appropriate places -- Not light sabers. Untrained individuals are far too likely to have them turned against themselves than actually have them as real protection or deterrence

Grew up in tough neighborhoods. Seen some messed up happenings growing up, and not a single one of those times did authorities show up in time to make a difference. So from my perspective, the necessary measures for responsible individuals to protect family should be taken when and where possible. Without complete reliance on help arriving to bail you out

If I weren't with someone who's extremely averse to them, I'd also have a well-trained dog, maybe two: but she's terrified of all dogs, let alone ones that would give bad actors pause. So unfortunately for me at least that's off the table

[Felinxandy]

I saw your post while looking for something myself. Whoa, that sounds like a pretty unnerving experience! It’s great that your doors were locked, and your Google Doorbell camera caught the action. I understand why your wife would feel uneasy after something like that.
So, you’re already on the right track with the Google Floodlight and the Smart Garage conversion kit. That’s solid thinking! As for other deterrents, I’ve been using Vivint security cameras, and I can’t recommend them enough. They have some nifty features like motion detection, night vision, and a pretty clear HD feed, which gives a good overview of what’s happening around the house. Plus, the app is super user-friendly, which is always a plus.
Besides cameras, I’ve also found that having a smart doorbell and smart locks can add an extra layer of security. With a smart lock, you can check if your door is locked from your phone and lock it remotely if you ever forget. Also, something as simple as leaving a couple of lights on a timer can make it look like someone’s home, which can be a good deterrent.