Official Home & Business Security Thread, Tips and Advise

[HKCHEF]

Official Home & Business Security Thread

It seems to be a pretty constant sight around here, home invasions all over the state. I feel we need a thread highlighting all the products and techniques that can be employed to greatly reduce your chances of being victimized. Everyone on here submitting tips and experiences to avoid home invasion could turn in to a real asset to the site.

Home security is just a hobby for me. I'm not a expert. Before I bought my house my girlfriend and I were robbed in our apartment. I decided I will do what ever I can to never be burglarized.

Make sure you surpass the basic system all the alarm companies try to give you for free. Get them bidding against each other they are very competitive. The monthly payment is all they care about they don't have allot of money wrapped up in the equipment. Upgrade your keypads as well you will be glad you did.

Here is what I have:

1. All exterior doors are steel or solid wood and reinforced with Door armor kits, this kit is incredible we tested it on a shed. This is the best I have seen for improving the average home jam. Here is a vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-aHcvLSggI

2. All exterior doors have deadbolts (Abloy high end locks) but the ones that are close to a window are keyed on the inside to avoid the old reach around. I know this is a fire hazard, I have no kids.

3. Safe room has bars on windows and reinforced interior door jam with steel door and deadbolt.

4. Shed has puck lock security hinges and bars on window.

5. Seven motion lights, each one with 2 250 watt halogens. House can not be approached with out lighting up.

6. Alarm system windows all have sensors, three key pads, rooms all have glass break sensors, doors all have sensors, garage door sensor, motions in key areas, interior and exterior siren and strobe. Sign in front of house and smoke alarms.

7. Trailer is secured with security chain that can not be cut by conventional means and lock from Multi-lock. www.tulsachain.com sub section security chain. Chain wrapped around semi u-joint sunk in concrete.

8. Fence wrapping rear of home with two huge dogs in it, locks on all gates.

9. My neighbors are older and retired I tell them when I go out of town they happily keep a eye on the house for me.

10. Mailbox has lock.

11. Thorny bushes under windows.

12. Gun safe holding valuables.

All the stuff above covers me while I am not home. When home you can add shotguns and handguns to line of defense. Shopping for surveillance cameras.

So lets here some tips and help everyone keep these jackasses out of our homes.

 

[HKCHEF]

Some more tips.

# Plan to "burglarize" yourself. You'll discover any weaknesses in your security system that may have previously escaped your notice.

# Lock up your home, even if you go out only for a short time. Many burglars just walk in through an unlocked door or window.

# Change all the locks and tumblers when you move into a new house.

# For the most effective alarm system, conceal all wiring. A professional burglar looks for places where he or she can disconnect the security system.

# Your house should appear occupied at all times. Use timers to switch lights and radios on and off when you're not at home.

# If you have a faulty alarm that frequently goes off, get it fixed immediately and tell your neighbors that it's been repaired. Many people ignore an alarm that goes off periodically.

# A spring-latch lock is easy prey for burglars who are "loiding" experts. Loading is the method of slipping a plastic credit card against the latch tongue to depress it and unlock the door. A deadbolt defies any such attack. It is only vulnerable when there is enough space between the door and its frame to allow an intruder to use power tools or a hacksaw.

# If you lose your keys, change the locks immediately.

# Before turning your house key over to a professional house cleaner for several hours, make sure the person is honest and reputable as well as hardworking. Check all references thoroughly. If the house cleaner is from a firm, call your local Better Business Bureau to check on the firm's reputation.

# Instead of keeping a spare key in a mailbox, under the doormat, or on a nail behind the garage, wrap the key in foil -- or put it in a 35mm film can -- and bury it where you can easily find it if you need it.

# Don't leave notes for service people or family members on the door. These act as a welcome mat for a burglar.

# If the entrances to your home are dark, consider installing lighting with an infrared detector. Most thieves don't want to be observed trying to get in a door.

# Talk to your neighbors about any suspicious people or strange cars you notice lurking about.

# To keep your tools from being stolen, paint the handles. Thieves avoid items that are easy to identify.

# Trees located near windows or shrubbery that might shield a burglar from view can be major flaws in your home-protection plan. Consider your landscaping plan in light of your protection needs.

# Ask for credentials from any sales-person who requests entry to your home. Ask that their ID be pushed under the door. Many professional burglars use this cover to check out homes. If you're doubtful, check with the person's office before letting him or her in.

# Do not list your full name on your mailbox or your entry in the telephone book. Use only your initial and your last name.

# If someone comes to your door asking to use the phone to call a mechanic or the police, keep the door locked and make the call yourself.

# Dogs are good deterrents to burglars. Even a small, noisy dog can be effective -- burglars do not like to have attention drawn to their presence. Be aware, however, that trained guard dogs do not make good pets. Obedience training and attack training are entirely different, and only the former is appropriate for a house pet.

Securing Doors

* To help burglar-proof your home, install 1-inch throw deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.

* A door with too much space between the door and the frame is an invitation for the burglar to use a jimmy. Reinforce the door with a panel of 3/4-inch plywood or a piece of sheet metal.

* If there are door hinges on the outside of your house, take down the door and reset the hinges inside. Otherwise all a thief has to do to gain entry to your home is knock out the hinge pin.

* You can burglar-proof your glass patio doors by setting a pipe or metal bar in the middle bottom track of the door slide. The pipe should be the same length as the track.

* It's easy for a burglar to pry through rot. Replace rotted door frames with new, solid wood.

* It's simple for a thief to break glass panels and then reach in and open a doorknob from the inside. A door with glass panels should be either fortified, replaced, or secured with deadbolts that can only be opened with a key.

Securing Windows

* Protect your windows with one or more good locks, an alarm system, burglar-resistant glass, or many small panes instead of one large area of glass.

* When installing a window lock, drip some solder on the screw heads. It will stop a burglar from unscrewing the lock after cutting a small hole in the windowpane.

Home Security When You're Away
Burglers always look for signs that a house is uninhabited -- and the longer the house is empty, the more vulnerable it becomes. Follow these tips for keeping your house secure while you're away:

* If your plans to be away from home have been publicized through a funeral, wedding, or similar newspaper notice, hire a house sitter. Burglars often read the newspapers to see who's planning to be away from home all day or for several days.

* Ask your neighbors to use your garbage cans when you're on vacation so your absence won't be so evident.

* If you're going to be away from home for several days -- or even for just one day -- adjust your telephone ring to its lowest volume. An unanswered phone is a quick tip that your home is empty.

 

[HKCHEF]

Here are some videos for products I like.

Fast Holster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5Rj7gW0V8g&feature=related

Door Jam Armor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQWDZzQfe7I

Abloy locks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzhUoGC_D1U

Security Chain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5_2PMTjwMo

 

[bigfug]

Surprised no one has mentioned ways to secure your garage. Garage door openers left in cars are a bad idea, but most cars have a mirror or visor that has it built in, no way to remove it. Two ways to combat that, is with a opener that has a lock (the one mounted in the garage), wiring the door opener to a switched outlet, or using the homelink to your advantage. You can install a timer on the outlet, so that hours you arent home, and/or asleep, it kills power to the device, just like it would a lamp etc. Making it impossible for someone to code hope, use a stolen opener, or break in your car and use yours. Another option is to use a homelink sensor on the outlet, and program it to another button on your opener, visor etc. You would have to turn power on with one button, and open with the other. Chances the thief getting them right, in order is slim, especially if the homelink sensor is on a secondary button, not normally used for opener. They would try the most likely, then go down the list, so, if they managed to turn the power back on, not likely they would hit the opener again. As far as the external door goes, it should be secured like any other exterior door.

 

[HKCHEF]

Those of us who have been burglarized should share their story to help members make decisions toward protecting their homes.

I was living in a apartment in south Tulsa off of riverside. I was at work when my girlfriend called me telling me our front door had been kicked in. They took all of our electronics and dvd's. This was my main motivation for getting my ccw.

Are apartment was on the first floor. In my opinion the reason me were targeted was because of how easy it was to see inside of our apartment from the first floor. I would recommend to any renter to not be on the first floor.

 

[corwin1968]

HKCHEF,

Thank you for this thread and the information you provided me about Armor Concepts' products. I ordered three of the EZ Armor kits since their primary kit is described as being designed for new builds, major renovations or professionals.

I feel a sense of frustration because although I plan basically shout from the rooftops to everyone I know that they need to reinforce their doors, I know not many people will follow thru. I'm not sure I would have before this weekend. I would have said "sounds like a damn good idea" and then probably forgotten about it.

We live in a 1.5 year old house in a very nice sub-division in a very nice part of Oklahoma City and someone kicked in our door while me, my wife and my 6 and 9 year old nieces slept!! Every time I think about how close they were to entry (literally one good shove and the door frame would have given) and how close my wife and I came from walking right into them it just seems surreal. It literally reaffirms my faith in a higher power and possibly destiny.

I would ask EVERYONE who reads this to PLEASE do something to fortify your home against invaders. These kits cost 70 bucks each and reportedly take about 30 minutes to install. For the average person that's $140 and a hour's time to PROTECT YOUR FAMILY.

One thing I've learned is that nothing will stop a determined invader but the more you slow him down the more likely he is to give up and seek easier targets. Also, when this happened I was asleep and under the influence of Nyquil so even 5-10 seconds of extra time might have made a huge difference in my alertness. There are many ways to deter or slow down a thief and HKCHEF has listed some good ones. Take advantage of this information before something happens to endanger your loved ones.

This thread needs to be a sticky.

 

[_CY_]

excellent idea!!!!

 

[eby42]

I posted here a while back after being taken to the cleaners.

What got me was failing to re-check windows I never use after the bad hail storm last year. I didn't think we had any breaks, but the glass guy working for the property company found a cracked window and replaced the glass without locking the window back up. I didn't even figure any of this out until I had to try and figure out how they got us.

Another thing: We were in the middle of moving, and they caught us staying at the new house the first night. Meaning...we were being watched. I'm almost positive it was my neighbors.

My failure to notice this cost me about $3k in firearms and other property, much of which had irreplaceable sentimental value because it was inherited from my father (and that he inherited from his...) when he died unexpectedly last year. The entire situation has made me pretty bitter and paranoid, too...there's a cost beyond lost property to having your home violated like that.

You really can get caught with your pants around your ankles. Take it from somebody who walks funny now.

 

[CODE_3]

good post

 

[HKCHEF]

Here is a site I use for locks as well.

www.securitysnobs.com