Need help with security for house

[MarineOne]

I'm a contractor in the sandbox and I got one of those e-mails from the better half this weekend. It started out with "Don't be upset, but we had a situation tonight ....".

Apparently someone jumped our back fence that borders the walking path (which has zero lighting, I'm going to have a talk with the HOA about this) and the moisture we had on the grass showed two different sets of footprints approaching the windows and sliding glass door. The house officially has been "scoped out" and the missus is a bit freaked from it. The worst part about this is I'm not due to go home on vacation until July.

The kids know the drill and its being rehearsed; the oldest (he's 14) grabs the phone and stays locked in his brother's room to dial 911 while she loads the M1 Carbine and secures the upstairs. Nobody goes up or down the stairs until the police show. The KISS principle in action.

So now I'm looking to put in some serious security. The sliding glass door is getting replaced with French doors and she wants nightvision cameras with a DVR and an audible chime from a motion/heat sensor(s) covering the backyard. I was going to do this myself when I came home for vacation, however it looks like my time frame has just been pushed to "install yesterday".

Who hear has one? What model of NV camera do you use? What about the DVR? I've already got a spot picked out for it and a backup battery to run it, but I've never looked into one before and need it now. I really need some details, so the more information the better.


Thanks.


Kris

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Thanks for serving, sorry about the problems while you are away!

1. Have a Brother, Relative, Friend go install a motion activated light right away. If you know a construction guy, the light fixture only costs 20 +/- and can be done NOW while other things are considered / installed.

2. Have the wife put a wood dowel or wood strip in the bottom of the sliding door to prevent it being forced open. Some sliding doors can be lifted out, agian if you have a construction friend, have them fix that for you. (But dont forget that the family may need to get out that door in a different kind of emergency.

3. Send the wife out to get noise maker motion alarms for entry areas. (Cheap and effective) again, until something more perminant is installed. (Radio shack has these) I use them on jobsites to supplement the Tattletail alarm system. If you have the money, tattletail alarms work well, automatically dial, and call out even if being smashed. (May need an alarm permit from your city).

The overall goal, make it light up, and make lots of noise. Two things the bad guys dont want.

 

[wishin]

Have her check with ADT or their local competitors about a monitored alarm system. They often have free installation specials as long as you use their monitoring service, which typically runs about $20-30/mo.

 

[bikerdoc]

Ohio Gun Guy is spot on with an immediate fix.

Good Luck, and stay safe.

 

[Warhawk83]

You know him best,if he is mature enough,the 14 year old really should have a gun as well.

 

[Gouranga]

Ditto on the recomendations so far. i would also go to a local DEPT store and grab some of the solar accent lights for the fenceline. On an unlit area, they are awesome for giving you enough light to see.

Another thought, i saw somewhere a motion sensor sprinkler. It is what is sounds like, had a motion sensor on top, when someone trips it, it will go off soak them, scare them, make noise. Along with the motion lights, will definitely spook them a bit. Home Depot also sells a solar powered motion flood light. Can be installed quickly, no wiring and would be better than nothing.

Another thought, blinds. Sometimes not being able to see in makes a big difference. if you like them and/or have been considering it, a dog can be a good deterrent and alarm.

Also, talk to the neighbors. In my area they are the BEST system. We all watch out for each other. Someone strange gets into our area they are being watched. Someone does anything weird, they will see the police and people coming out of other houses to watch them.

We once had a recurring issue with some guy who I suspect was looking to rob. My neighbors saw him twice getting on the fence for a prolonged period of time and staring at the back of our house. The cops could not find him. So i waiting in the dark on the back deck for a number of nights for him. When he did it again, I racked my pump action once and yelled to him, "you'd better not even think about it. I am waiting for you.". Never pointed the gun at him, and he never saw me. More importantly he never came back.

I feel for ya man. It is a helpless feeling no doubt.Ttake some of the steps the folks here have listed and you will be good.

 

[Deanimator]

A home defense gun should be LOADED. Don't count on a home invader waiting for you to do that. If security is an issue, and you don't have a good way to secure a loaded long gun, consider a handgun that can be locked in a one gun safe that's secured to something where you can get to it.

Fighting your way to a gun is tough. Fighting an intruder for a gun is tougher. Fighting an intruder for a gun while you're trying to load it is a lot tougher.

 

[Shadow 7D]

call the cops, it there is a clear contact area, the might be able to lift prints, and it gets a report that you had a prowler, could be a dry run, could be a peeping tom.

Definitely talk about getting an alarm, what happens if you come home and somebody is already inside, consider USAA or your insurance company, the often have discounts with monitored alarm companies, and they give you a break on your homeowners.

If you don't have that, a driveway alarm and a decent DVR system can be bought from walmart, Sams, costco or online, go to C-NET and read some reviews of the systems, would think at the least you would want a motion detecting system and something that is compatible with your computer.

 

[alex_h]

You know him best,if he is mature enough,the 14 year old really should have a gun as well.

the only problem with giving someone under the age of 18 a gun to protect themselfs is if you have a nutty da in your area they might look at charges on you for child endangerment if something goes side ways like leaving a deadly wepon in reach of a minor just something to think about.

as for the dvr make shure you have it sucured in a lock box that is bolted down so it cant be taken with them if sombody tries to steel it or smashed easly.

 

[Gouranga]

Forgot...about the camera, get one that emails. Mine will email me 5 sec vids when it detects motion. I tied the email to my cell so if someone is in when I am out, I have video of them on my cell before I go into the house. If they kill the DVR, you still got your email.

 

[LiveLife]

Put "Beware of Dogs" signs on all sides of the house where plainly visible even though you don't have a dog.

If the guard dog option is available to your family/HOA, then I would pursue it (they are on alert 24/7 and buys time for you to wake up and gear up).

If feasible, consider a "safe room" option for your house where you have security monitors to view the entire house, have plenty of firearms, communication (wired and wireless) and food/water/first aid to fall back into while waiting for police response. Make sure security system has battery backup.

 

[MarineOne]

Thanks gents. Here's my update, if you can call it that. AT&T loves me right now because I have stock in their calling cards for calling home as much as I have.

The police were called and they told my wife this was probably the dry run and I tend to agree. These guys checked out our RV and both the living room window and sliding glass door. We had some fog so the condensation on the grass showed two completely different sets of tracks and we know we're dealing with at least two individuals now. One of our neighbors got a license plate and vehicle description and the local PD knows who it is because they have an established reputation. There are 6 homes on my block that are now on the lookout from networking with the neighbors, and at least 3 more that have been told but still won't turn on lights. Oh well.

Got an e-mail to a buddy that told me if I needed anything to give him a buzz, so now I'll see if he'll make good on his word. The wife put in a brighter patio light in the backyard yesterday and this has helped with the initial problem of limited lighting.

We already have the wooden dowel in the sliding glass door but my wife locked herself and the locksmith showed her just how secure it really wasn't. We did find out the front door can't be picked after he spent 30 minutes trying and decided the sliding glass door was a better choice. Two minutes later she was paying him and he was driving off. It's a failure point so my wife decided to replace the sliding glass completely with the French doors that open outward. Dead bolt and sliding bar locks that go into the door frame are being looked at as being a necessity.

While I like the idea I'm not home enough to deal with a dog and don't need it waking the house up when I come home on vacation, or worse, it decides to treat me like a bad guy (been home maybe 52 days in 2 years 3 months) in the middle of the night.

HD weapon (M1 Carbine) has a magazine inserted, no round chambered, and its not on safe. My oldest is my shooting buddy and helped make sure Mom knew how to get to conditions green, yellow, and red with the M1C and the XDm 9mm that's set aside for her, but he's 14 and I want him to enjoy being a kid as well. I'm really conflicted about where to draw the line between him being a kid and being an adult.

I'm not worried about a nutty DA since we're in the Boise area and close to Greenleaf but still in Ada County. Greenleaf was made fun of by Jay Leno in 2007 or 2008 for their town law that states "all able bodied adults that can legally own firearms should do so". We're definately in a pro-2A community so I have no worries about that.

I'll see what I can find on CNET for DVR reviews, so thanks for that information.


Thanks for all the suggestions. Time for me to do some research and fix it.

 

[Pyzon]

Thanks a ton MarineOne for the sacrifice you and your family make for the rest of us.

Sounds like you are well on the path to hardening your perimeter, and all looks good.

Keep in mind, that sliding patio door can be made much more secure with a limited investment to make the panels non-removable and slidable from the exterior. Outswing doors are also considered to be less secure than inswing, but like you mentioned, upgraded locking is mandatory.

All any of us can do is make it tough on the dirtballs, and send them to the home of others less interested in security. Getting the neighborhood involved is a seriously positive step in the right direction.

Be safe, and best of luck to you and your family.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Security film for your patio doors. It'll buy extra seconds if they decide to smash the patio door windows in. Probably around $250 to cover patio doors.

http://www.diywindowsecurity.com/pr...id=38&osCsid=0514345162402385d771338a240c4068

Ohio Gun Guy
<SNIP>2. Have the wife put a wood dowel or wood strip in the bottom of the sliding door to prevent it being forced open. Some sliding doors can be lifted out, agian if you have a construction friend, have them fix that for you. (But dont forget that the family may need to get out that door in a different kind of emergency.

 

[Ghost Walker]

Any good hardware store is going to have an aluminum bar that attaches at the middle of the door and runs between the back edge of the operating glass door and the frame.

Install one of these bars and then use a sliding pin lock on either the top or the bottom of the back edge of the operating door. (All ya got 'a do is drill a couple of holes!) Your patio door will be as secure as it can be; and it will take strong prying with a crowbar to finally pop it off the track. (Let's face it: If someone wants to get in that bad all they got 'a do is throw a rock through the glass.)

Night cameras? Video monitors? Any security site can sell you battery powered infared security alarms. (Kind 'a like a trip-wire!) Set one or two of these up; and you will know whenever someone's in the backyard. Fast, easy-to-use, & relatively cheap. Your family will have the advanced warning they need to, 'button up' in their safe room.

Along with that M-1 carbine (Which I do not recommend keeping out and loaded with children in the house.) your wife should always have a charged cell phone and a tactical flashlight with her whenever she retires. Here's several examples of perimeter alarms:

http://www.pyrocreations.com/inc/sdetail/11971

http://www.misdefenseproducts.com/Auto-Driveway-Alarm-Systems-p-1-c-450.html

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-269-bs-kit-dakota-murs-alert-system-driveway-alarm.aspx

 

[Fred Fuller]

With kids in the household, pyrotechnics are IMHO a bad idea. There are plenty of electronic alternatives that let the homeowner know someone is around without posing any danger whatsoever from the discharge of pyrotechnics.

We've had good service from a couple of different products from Chamberlain- see http://www.chamberlain-diy.com/doityourself/pages/productfamily.aspx?famid=140 . Several web vendors offer them at reasonable prices, the CWA2000 system (receiver and one sensor) is on sale in March for $72 from the company.

lpl

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Marine one, If you are in Ohio i'll help put that door in.

 

[MarineOne]

Everyone,

My most sincere thanks for the additional info.

My wife decided she wants the French doors, so as those that served in the Marine Corps will know, "what the Sergeant Major wants, she gets". The plus side is we can secure them better that we ever could a sliding glass door, and to my surprise I get a tax break on it. This is considered a home improvement because the new doors are "Energy Saver" rated and the sliding glass door wasn't. That right there is 20% to 40% of the cost back into my pocket. Of course they will open outward and this way I don't have to worry about it being lifted, bumped out of the track, or any of that nonsense associated with a sliding glass door.

She also is having the wide angle motion activated light (either a double or triple spot light) put in before the weekend. She stopped by Lowe's and they offered her the install services, so I know it'll be put in right the first time. We're also getting a home security DVR, but I'm still debating on which one. The one I like can be upgraded (hard drive) but the cameras in IR mode only reach out to 40 feet, so I'm still looking.


Ohio Guy, we're in Idaho just outside of Boise, but I appreciate the offer anyway.


Ghost Walker, I hear what you're saying about being safe but the M1C only comes out at night so we don't have to worry about an accident, and since I take both of my kids out shooting they know its there, why its there, and its not to be played with or thought of as a toy. I've made sure to remove the "curiousity" of guns in my home and its worked really well in my home. I have to admit, my oldest is 14 and he's helped make sure my wife knows how to safely load/unload two different weapons in our home and its nice knowing he can do this.



Again, thanks everyone. Please keep the suggestions coming because I want (need) to make sure all my bases are covered.

 

[Shadow 7D]

While your wife's at lowes, have her buy rose or holly bushes, or anything nice and prickly to put at the foot to the fense and under first floor windows, have her check for blind sides and blind aproaches, basicly, take a minute and think how you would infiltrate your house, then think how a gang member would, most likely consider funneling feathers and quick egress, also try to find where the car was parked and see if there is a way to prevent loitering.