Home security

[CAH706]

Hi,

We recently had a break in and I'm looking to increase the house security.

The tried and failed to get into the conservatory via french doors but I know conservatories are pretty vulnerable. I'd like to upgrade the door from the conservatory into the house to increase security at that point. This is currently a sliding door (c7 foot in width). Any suggestions on what to change this to?

We have good front and back doors but they smashed a window to enter the house. I can put locks on the solid wood internal doors that will make it difficult to move round the house if they get in.

I'll put a gate on the driveway to discourage car theft ( they just took the 2 cars)

The garden is vulnerable from the rear. They broke a fence panel to get in. Any suggestions on how to secure this. Wall, better fence etc?

Thanks for any tips

Ps we have CCTV and an alarm but even though they knew the neighbor was watching them (and phoning the police) they just carried on

[Dan_M5]

A big scary dog.

[Not-The-Messiah]

Dan_M5 said:

A big scary dog.

^this, Im a security engineer and never bothered installing an alarm on my house until recently because I have a 7 stone German shepherd. The only reason I have done now is because he'd old and deaf now.

There are other security options but if you have thiefs who like you said didn't care they where be watched then most are not going to to be very affected. Apart from turning you house into fort Knox with bars and shutters not much you can do.

I would love to make something like a PTZ camera with a powerful paintball gun attached and linked to it. So at least you could shoot a few paintballs at them remotely from your phone. But somehow not likely to be very legal in this country.

[CAH706]

Thanks

We are getting a dog but it's not big or scary

I guess I just want to add a bit of extra protection to make them think there are easier targets out there. Eg addition of gates makes it harder to get the cars away quickly.

[Zetec-S]

Personally I don't like the idea of locks on internal doors, a bit of a faff locking/unlocking them all the time, and what happens if you were to have a fire? Plus it's not a visible deterrent to thieves, they'll only discover them once they've broken in.

If you can then I'd plant something bushy or quick growing up against the fence (preferably with thorns), then make sure the gates are solid with a decent lock.

[Dolf Stoppard]

The guy who recently fitted our alarm recommended it over CCTV. Both are deterrents, but one can easily be negated by putting up a hood. A loud siren, linked to alerts on your phone, will at least limit the time they'll want to spend trying to break in / grabbing stuff.

And anti-snap locks are the obvious one.

[Simon Brooks]

Similar situation, scumbags broke in (all arrested charged and sentenced)

Upped all security including adding this system

https://www.optex-europe.com/products/intrusion-de...

Seriously cuts down on the amount of time scumbags have at your property as the alarms are triggered BEFORE they physically start to try to access property, dog friendly, day and night use, used to cover out buildings as well

[CAH706]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The plants by the fence is a good idea.

For the exterior alarm, did you use a company to fit this. A quick Google isn't throwing up suggestions.

Thanks

[A500leroy]

big spikey plants are what you need, hawthorn, holy, catus etc plus its legal.

[Cheib]

Simon Brooks said:

Similar situation, scumbags broke in (all arrested charged and sentenced)

Upped all security including adding this system

https://www.optex-europe.com/products/intrusion-de...

Seriously cuts down on the amount of time scumbags have at your property as the alarms are triggered BEFORE they physically start to try to access property, dog friendly, day and night use, used to cover out buildings as well

That looks interesting....all of the above are good suggestions. I think the best old school deterrent is a dog with a loud bark and a gravel drive.

[Not-The-Messiah]

Simon Brooks said:

Similar situation, scumbags broke in (all arrested charged and sentenced)

Upped all security including adding this system

https://www.optex-europe.com/products/intrusion-de...

Seriously cuts down on the amount of time scumbags have at your property as the alarms are triggered BEFORE they physically start to try to access property, dog friendly, day and night use, used to cover out buildings as well

I install monitored CCTV systems not usually on domestic premises though. So use the optex stuff regularly usually beam detection though, It's good stuff.
Monitor CCTV could be a opinion where a monitoring company will watch the outside of your premises for you. They will receive alarms from things like what's in the link above then connect to your system. If they see someone with the use of external speakers they can tell the person that they have been seen and to go away and also inform you. You could set something like this up to go directly to you cutting out the monitoring station but sods law you won't be near your phone when you needed to be.
It's usually install on commercial sites like car forecourts, but I know a few on demestic houses.

Personally think the new integration of all the systems is promising.
Intruder alarm systems with a remote apps which also integrates with a CCTV system on the same app. So if you get an alarm activation you can quickly view images and call the police if needed. You can also on the same system have camera doorbells intercoms which call your phone like a video intercom anywhere you are.
I like to have a interested system when possible. On recent installs I've had alarm, CCTV, gate intercom, the gate itself, garage doors, lights all integrated together and controlled and monitored off a phone.

With the new smart analytic CCTV systems you can have things like face recognition. If the system sees a face that's not on the system and it doesn't recognise it can trigger actions such as send you a message to you phone but won't do so for people it does recognise. You could have it on somewhere like your front door. It would ignore you and your family even the post man if they are regular. But will send you an alert if a stranger walks to you door. Not cheap though at the moment.

It quite scary really especially when you consider the likes of Facebook have a biometric facial template of almost everyone on earth. I always think it's funny when you see pictures on Facebook off CCTV images of people when they have been robbed asked who it is. When Facebook themselves could almost guarantee tell them who it is. Not just that but tell them where they live, where they have been on holiday who their friends are and what there favourite songs and films are.
Very big brother sort of stuff.

[richatnort]

CAH706 said:

Hi,

They smashed a window to enter the house.

Was it a double glazed window they smashed? Were you in at the time?

You could look at a patlock to put on the french doors.

[Simon Brooks]

CAH706 said:

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The plants by the fence is a good idea.

For the exterior alarm, did you use a company to fit this. A quick Google isn't throwing up suggestions.

Thanks

Not sure where you are based, However I used these people https://www.communicateuk.co.uk. Chap that owns the company is Andrew Miller, very helpful, excellent service would highly recommend

[CAH706]

Thanks all for the further advice etc.

We were not in when it happened. Day after we had gone on holiday. They smashed the rear door window when they failed to get through the conservatory doors. Not sure whey they didn't put a brick through the conservatory door window to be honest!

[EggsBenedict]

Don't put locks on internal doors, not unless the plan is to lock them before going to bed. If you do this and you're not in, they'll be in the house smashing your doors to bits to get to the rest of the house. Once they're in (and broken something to get in) they'll carry on breaking stuff....