Home Security Recommendations

[Spaceman_Wil]

My Fiance and I are in the process of moving into a new home. Security is a bit of a concern, haven't had any issues so far, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. We are looking to purchase a home security system and set it up. Anyone have recommendations?

[Hugh_Mungus]

Alright, You can always go to a major home security company and have them install the system, with sensors on widows and doors, the Thing is is that you don't need to Pay for the 24/7 home monitoring and calling the cops from their part ECT. Just the noise of an alarm going off when they break in will scare away intruders.

TLDR. Pay for a big home security company to install their system but don't subscribe to their services.

[Jtalk4456]

https://express.google.com/product/10493710187469823817_16572984495123583374_6136318?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=tu_cu&utm_campaign=6136318&pdata=CgUxOS45OQ&utm_content=eid-lsjeuxoeqt,eid-jijhinbobc

[Radium_Angel]

26 minutes ago, Spaceman_Wil said:

My Fiance and I are in the process of moving into a new home. Security is a bit of a concern, haven't had any issues so far, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. We are looking to purchase a home security system and set it up. Anyone have recommendations?

When you leave for the day, hang a big note on the door that says

 

"Cheryl, don't come into the house, the big python is loose again"

[Christophe Corazza]

[Teddy07]

Get a gun

[Donut417]

10 hours ago, Spaceman_Wil said:

My Fiance and I are in the process of moving into a new home. Security is a bit of a concern, haven't had any issues so far, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. We are looking to purchase a home security system and set it up. Anyone have recommendations?

My sister had a friend who setup IP camera for homes, businesses and even colleges. So IP camera's are the way id go. That will involve running Ethernet to each camera, but the Ethernet cable does both data and power. The you would just need a some what secure area in your home for the DVR. You can get door alarms at any store, just remember to turn them on before you go to bed. If your looking for monitoring I have no suggestions. To be frank I dont think id trust any of these security companies. I mean shit Comcast provides security. No fucking way Id trust those fuck ups. 

 

@Teddy07 has a fairly good idea. Not sure about the laws in Chicago but a gun might not be a bad idea if you live in a really bad area. The deal here would be how long does it take the police to respond? If its 2 hours like my city then a gun is almost a requirement to stay safe. Next what are the laws in that state. Michgian law is very clear here, if some one enters your house with out permission and you feel scared for you life you have the right to take their life. I remember when the law was changed, because watching the 6 PM news, you got a lot of some ass hole broke in to some ones house and the home owner shot and killed the fucker stores. Now you dont here much about people breaking in to houses. I guess the law works.

[exetras]

A couple of points to help you out.

 

• A security system from a security company is always good, it can also bring down insurance costs.
• NAS's like Synology's have built in DVR's for IP cameras. The cameras wont prevent break in's but they will help you with insurance claims and with the police. (use a POE switch if you can and get the 1500VA UPS from Costco to keep it powered if you lose power)
• Visible Camera's can help deter crime but again it wont stop someone who know what he is doing.
• Make sure to change all your door locks when your new house, you don't know who has spare keys from the old owners.
• Check the door frame of all the door for previous attempts of break in's and that everything is solid.
• Insurance, this doesn't prevent theft or damage but it makes it easier to get back on your feet.
• The biggest thing you can do is getting to know your neighbors and the neighborhood. makes people more likely to help if something were to happen.

 

Otherwise, I hope nothing does happen and that you get to feel safe in your new home.

 

Cheers.

[Eaglerino]

An alarm, a dog that barks, and a gun is enough for most cases. Also lock your doors, having unlocked doors is usually how thieves get in. If you want to go really above and beyond, cameras, a security system, shatter-proof glass, security doors, spend a lot on unpickable locks... list goes on. It shouldn't really be that necessary unless you're moving to a bad area

[Guest]

All that matters is a safe, and what you write down to your insurance company. 

[Spaceman_Wil]

On 6/28/2018 at 6:09 AM, RorzNZ said:

All that matters is a safe, and what you write down to your insurance company. 

And a good Life Insurance Policy on my fiance, right? ;-)

[John Ellmaker]

Honeywell products that integrate with total connect can give you lock/lighting/video feeds all in one interface on panels or through app.  As someone said hiring a security company to install is infinitely easier than diy.

[Pixel5]

On 26.6.2018 at 9:33 PM, Teddy07 said:

Get a gun

yea because a gun is totally helping you when someone breaks in and you are not home which is exactly what you would purchase a surveillance system for.

[Pixel5]

On 26.6.2018 at 5:56 PM, Spaceman_Wil said:

My Fiance and I are in the process of moving into a new home. Security is a bit of a concern, haven't had any issues so far, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. We are looking to purchase a home security system and set it up. Anyone have recommendations?

what exactly do you want the system to do?

 

just surveillance, door/window sensors, how many cameras, alarms?

also what is the budget you want to spend.

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Spaceman_Wil said:

And a good Life Insurance Policy on my fiance, right? ;-)

Well if you live in the US yeah. Violent place at the moment! 

[TacoSenpai]

Something that might help as a deterent are warning signs and surveillance decals.  Car break ins and vadalism can be a problem where im at and even though i have an alarm system tire locks and a alarm light i got a alarm system decal to put on my front windows.  It seems like a little thing but especially for petty theft it makes people think twice since they want an easy target that won't attract attention once they break in.  

[Drak3]

Mossberg 500.

 

And a dog. Preferably territorial and keen on protecting its family (ie your family).

[Razor Blade]

On 6/26/2018 at 11:56 AM, Spaceman_Wil said:

My Fiance and I are in the process of moving into a new home. Security is a bit of a concern, haven't had any issues so far, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. We are looking to purchase a home security system and set it up. Anyone have recommendations?

There are DIY solutions out there. For example here are two...

 

• Simplisafe is a system you can buy just what you need and install it yourself. Monitoring service isn't required but if you want it I believe it is $15/month The sensors are all wireless and mount with 3M double stick tape and the base station uses cellular. So installation is pretty simple and the only wire is the power adapter on the base station (which also does have battery backup built in)
• There is also something like what Samsung SmartThings offers. It can be setup as a security system with optional monitoring with a service called "Scout Alarm" which is about $20/month. But you also can add smart home modules to control a large variety of things... So it is a bit more versatile. The big downside of using a smart home hub as a security system is you MUST have an internet connection for it to be online...Some features may still work while offline but it would be severely limited.

 

The biggest consideration with DIY solutions is it can get a bit expensive to get started compared to other systems but the amount of customization and not having contracts is awfully nice.

[Ryujin2003]

On 6/26/2018 at 4:56 PM, Spaceman_Wil said:

My Fiance and I are in the process of moving into a new home. Security is a bit of a concern, haven't had any issues so far, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. We are looking to purchase a home security system and set it up. Anyone have recommendations?

H&K, Beretta, and Benelli make some pretty good home security devices...

 

Otherwise, more on topic, I don't have any specific recommendations. I cannot remember what my friend has, but it's not DIY. They get alerts from neighbors using the same service. So text messages and emails with pictures of people looking into cars and such. It's pretty cool. The cameras have really good resolution, even at night.

 

Certain cameras send her a text message with a picture, so if someone is in the side or behind her house. And she can alert from there if needed. So if it's her brother, no issues, but a random guy, she can alert the company and they will monitor and call authorities if needed.

 

Benefit to the services is the timely response in case something happens. DIY didn't have that benefit as far as I believe. However, if I did a service, I'd only have external cameras. Nothing internal. That would just weird me out.

[Ryujin2003]

On 6/28/2018 at 3:28 AM, Eaglerino said:

An alarm, a dog that barks, and a gun is enough for most cases. Also lock your doors, having unlocked doors is usually how thieves get in. If you want to go really above and beyond, cameras, a security system, shatter-proof glass, security doors, spend a lot on unpickable locks... list goes on. It shouldn't really be that necessary unless you're moving to a bad area

Big dogs. My Dane and lab are generally enough to keep people from taking a shortcut behind my house. The lab is cute, but she is a barker and growler. She's the one to watch it for. The Dane is intimidating because of her size, but she's a gentle giant.

 

And I definitely agree on the last point. I wouldn't want to move to a place where I felt uncomfortable. I'd rather commute and love in the country than live near a city.

[Amazonsucks]

ADT did a good job here. 24/7 monitored alarm with battery backup, cameras watching all entrances with a battery backup. You can even watch the cameras remotely if you want to set that up with your phone.

 

I would avoid "smart" locks of any kind. Went the extra mile and also have quadruple pane laminated/argon filled impact windows that would take a sledgehammer a while to get in. The windows and other improvements halved our electric bill. All that did reduce insurance costs too.

[Boomwebsearch]

On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 8:24 PM, exetras said:

Make sure to change all your door locks when your new house, you don't know who has spare keys from the old owners

I would recommend getting an electronic lock as part of your home security system as it can allow others for temporary on one time access and some can be controlled with a smart phone from anywhere and can let you see the status of your lock from anywhere in the world with a connection to the internet. I like Kwikset smart key based locks because you can easily rekey the lock yourself in minutes without the need of a locksmith. These locks can be set to automatically lock after some time interval which keeps intruders out even if the door was left without having someone to have locked it. The Kwikset Smart Code series of locks is what I would recommend and they can come with home connect allowing integration with home automation hubs and systems.

 

9 minutes ago, Amazonsucks said:

I would avoid "smart" locks of any kind.

The chance that someone is going to randomly guess your code is going to be a lot less (usually) than someone trying to randomly set the pins of the lock to some combination and trying to get it to turn. Most smart locks have built in alarms if a code is entered wrong too many times and the keypad can be disabled for some time after that event making it even harder to enter the home through guessing numbers on the keypad. I think that these are more secure than a regular lock especially because they can lock themselves and connect with other alarms and systems for security if a break-in occurs and let you know towards the occurrence on your phone or tablet or even computer.

 

 

Also I would recommend having some sensors for motion, window alarms, and security cameras for added security. If you can find a camera system that has the ability to store both on-site and in the cloud which would mean that if someone cut your internet to your house then the cameras would still record. The storage box would be best placed in a server room or other secure area that would not be easily seen when entering your house.

[Amazonsucks]

I didnt say to avoid them because someone would guess the password. I would worry more about them having security vulnerabilities, as it has been demonstrated that many do in recent years.

 

https://lifehacker.com/we-asked-five-security-experts-if-smart-locks-are-ever-1797910643

 

They are a security vulnerability on a building, not an asset.

[HarryNyquist]

The only way a smart lock is "smart" is if it's a completely closed circuit. CCTV is secure, building access systems are secure, an IoT/wireless smart lock is NOT secure.

 

Sure, a "real" lock has its own risks, but those risks are limited to THAT lock at THAT location (e.g.: your front door). Why put more risk in by having to worry about some random company's IT security?

[Razor Blade]

Smart locks are like a padlock on a shed. It restricts access to something but doesn't necessarily secure something. Smart locks are nice when you go cut the yard or working in the back yard and you just want something that will lock and unlock automatically. When you're gone somewhere it would be better to have a deadbolt or one extra layer of security to augment the security of the door. If your electronic lock fails to the point where it unlocks, you still have another lock that won't. Still though locks keep out honest people and opportunistic burglars but won't stop someone determined to break into your specific residence.

 

For the home gamer it isn't so much to completely burglar proof your home because that is almost impossible with typical home construction...The idea is to harden your home to unauthorized entry first then add other systems like alerts, home monitoring, and security cameras... For example, if you have a broken window latch, cut a dowel to fit in the jam so someone can't just walk up and open it. Costs less than $1 and it just made your home much more secure. Same thing with a patio sliding door...most of those locks suck. Cut an old broom in half and drop the dowel into the door jam. If you force the hand of a common criminal to break glass, the opportunistic ones will always move on. They don't care about the big score, they just want to get the easy score...