A word of caution and asking for advice.

[Fugu]

Just a heads-up to get your property thoroughly secured, folks, if not done yet! We’ve had burglars in the house yesterday. Luckily, as we realise now, I arrived back home just in time and obviously had chased them off, as it appears they couldn’t finish their work.

Police said, as for securing doors and windows (ours are pretty high-standard already), it’s just a matter of how much time you grant them, they will enter eventually. So we are currently thinking about installing some WiFi-cameras with alarm-notice to the phone or such like. So I thought I’ll just ask into the group: any technical suggestions from members, alternative solutions? Would be interested to hear about other’s experiences, grateful for tips!

[Bri Fi]

Basic criminal thought process is going after the easiest target. Make your home/self appear more secure than your neighbors. Lighting at night, cameras (even if fake), paying attention to your surroundings, locks on gates, security system, dogs, etc. also be aware of other factors. If you are having contracting work done on your house, do not tell people when you’re going on vacation. Hire trustworthy people. 

Don’t leave your garage door open. Pay attention to suspicious people/cars. I’ll sometimes do a loop around the neighborhood if I don’t recognize someone driving around. I’m paranoid though.

Watch what you post on social media. If you’re going to post about vacations, do it after you get back.

Signs for the 2nd amendment are also a great deterrent. Criminals don’t like the taste of lead as much as anyone else. 

[Li Bai]

18 minutes ago, Fugu said:

Police said, as for securing doors and windows (ours are pretty high-standard already), it’s just a matter of how much time you grant them, they will enter eventually.

Unfortunately that's spot on... It's a big problem in my corner of the woods so I've asked many professionals for advice and they all say the same thing, a big loud dog will discourage most burglars, as for the rest it will only buy you time.

[chasy]

I found a guy in my apartment last summer. Chased him about 6 blocks until he got nabbed by the police. Given we're in Chicago, they were going to immediately release him but (luckily?) he had an outstanding warrant so he went to jail. Of course he was probably only in custody for 20 minutes before being released. I purchased a Glock the following week.

I grew up in Florida (very different than Chicago) - when we had hurricanes come through and knock out the power, you knew which houses weren't getting robbed... They spray painted "You Loot, I Shoot" on their garage doors. Knowing that homeowners can defend themselves in Florida really dissuades criminals. In Chicago, it's a criminal's paradise!

[westg]

F'kn bastards. Scum of the earth. So glad nothing was taken. Really feel for those whose hard work is taken from them. I have to say if someone breaks into my place when I home, I will be shaking with excitement. Not fear. 😀

[Chibearsv]

9 hours ago, chasy said:

I grew up in Florida (very different than Chicago) - when we had hurricanes come through and knock out the power, you knew which houses weren't getting robbed... They spray painted "You Loot, I Shoot" on their garage doors. Knowing that homeowners can defend themselves in Florida really dissuades criminals. In Chicago, it's a criminal's paradise!

I think Castle law is a big difference maker in Florida as a deterrent. We don't have that kind of legal protection in Illinois...wish we did. We do feel pretty safe in our subdivision with only one way in and out. Plus most of us are fearless about defending our property. That's hard to advertise, but it would be a terrible mistake to break into one of our homes with ill intent.

[El Presidente]

Cameras, alarms, UPS  + a 24hr back to base monitored system.

 

[Chibearsv]

10 hours ago, Fugu said:

Just a heads-up to get your property thoroughly secured, folks, if not done yet! We’ve had burglars in the house yesterday. Luckily, as we realise now, I arrived back home just in time and obviously had chased them off, as it appears they couldn’t finish their work.

Police said, as for securing doors and windows (ours are pretty high-standard already), it’s just a matter of how much time you grant them, they will enter eventually. So we are currently thinking about installing some WiFi-cameras with alarm-notice to the phone or such like. So I thought I’ll just ask into the group: any technical suggestions from members, alternative solutions? Would be interested to hear about other’s experiences, grateful for tips!

That sucks. I've got Nest cameras that are wired to power (not batteries) that pick up any motion near my house. They work great but you'd be shocked at how many things are moving around your house at all hours. I can filter it to only notify me only if a person is noticed, but it doesn't always identify people properly. It works well on keeping a video record though.

[Ford2112]

 

[Nevrknow]

Did that on our new house. The cameras are awesome. Detects you as soon as you even get close to the house. I have them pointed out 4 acres worth in any direction. That's a good " down range length".

24 hr ups cloud based system tied to the phone just incase the automatic generator doesn't kick in. Plus neighbors that can get to the generator if I'm gone and start it if need be. They are also like the old phone company that said " reach out and touch someone".

I'm ok. 😂

[Fugu]

Thanks for the feedback and advice so far, much appreciated guys! 👍🙏

Yeah, some of that has / had already been implemented. Problem remains, when you’re not there…House has been left unattended for just four hours, between my wife leaving (daylight) and me returning (early dusk). That was enough for them. He/They probably had observed the house beforehand and timed accordingly when they saw my wife leaving the house. So, in fact, a gun is a moot option when you’re not on spot, even if it were legally feasible, which, here, it isn’t.

Same with the dog option. Sure, that’s a good deterrent. But our dogs usually aren’t left at home when we leave for longer. So, no effective help for those cases. Why I am in search for technical options that allow me to control the property from remote, in cases where the other options don’t work.

[Fugu]

57 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Cameras, alarms, UPS  + a 24hr back to base monitored system.

 

37 minutes ago, Chibearsv said:

I've got Nest cameras that are wired to power (not batteries) that pick up any motion near my house.  They work great but you'd be shocked at how many things are moving around your house at all hours.  I can filter it to only notify me only if a person is noticed, but it doesn't always identify people properly.

 

9 minutes ago, Nevrknow said:

The cameras are awesome. Detects you as soon as you even get close to the house

That’s what I am wondering, how selective are those systems today? You’d want to avoid any neighbours’ cat triggering a false alarm.

[JohnnyO]

Cameras inside and out, we use Ring for the front door. Is it a crackhead zombie, wildlife or FedEx? We have shotguns, revolvers and lots of Glocks sprinkled around the house. You might think about rotating drivers, cars and parking positions from time to time so they can't figure out who's home. In 2020 UFC fighter Anthony Smith had to battle a guy in his home in the middle of the night, that probably weighed 50-60 pounds less than him. Said it was the hardest fight he was ever in. He won the fight, bloddied up the dude but also said it was not humanly possible the strength his opponent had. John

[El Presidente]

7 hours ago, Fugu said:

That’s what I am wondering, how selective are those systems today? 

What you want is protection for when you are not home. 

The back to base system we use has been flawless. If we are away and the outside alarm triggers, base checks the camera (s) and gives us a call. They call the police if necessary. 

Di is home alone while I am away, alarm goes off, base is calling her within 15 seconds. Di forgets to set alarm (would never happen), break-in occuring, she presses the panic alarm on the fob or phone. Police called by base. Di in contact with base operators,  all cameras turned on/ external alarm activated. 

Thieves cut power supply to house. UPS runs the alarm/camera system for 6 hours.

 

[Fugu]

3 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

What you want is protection for when you are not home. 

Exactly. Sounds a bit overkill, but yes, something along those lines is what I am looking for! Will have to look into this! Thank you!

[Fugu]

8 minutes ago, JohnnyO said:

You might think about rotating drivers, cars and parking positions from time to time so they cant figure out who's at home.

Good point! 👍

[chasy]

9 hours ago, westg said:

F'kn bastards. Scum of the earth. So glad nothing was taken. Really feel for those whose hard work is taken from them. I have to say if someone breaks into my place when I home, I will be shaking with excitement. Not fear.  😀

Yes, as our resident cheesemonger @Chas.Alpha might be able to attest to, I would be making Swiss cheese of anyone breaking into my house.

[ViscountDick]

Similar to the above answers, WiFi cameras, a badass 40kg GSD and a baseball bat is my combo of choice. If you’re in the States, then a close combat firearm and a couple of GSD’s or Belgian Malinois, they’ll be Swiss cheese, lol.

[Havanaaddict]

There is someone home all the time. We do also have a Ring and Guns 😉 

[Zonum]

I would recommend getting a dog a big and also Costco gas ring cameras for a few hundred $ also 2A👍🏻 

[BrightonCorgi]

Start with this:

[ha_banos]

The third rule of Quick Silver. If a man can't see, he can't steal.

https://www.verisure.co.uk/our-alarm-systems/burglar-alarm/zerovision

https://thequicksilvermethod.com/rule-3

[BrightonCorgi]

7 hours ago, ha_banos said:

The third rule of Quick Silver. If a man can't see, he can't steal.

https://www.verisure.co.uk/our-alarm-systems/burglar-alarm/zerovision

https://thequicksilvermethod.com/rule-3

If you had that in the US, a burglar could sue you if they were hurt due to lack of visibility.  

[El Hoze]

I live in a conservative town in Florida in a gated community where it’s very hard to get past security. Once you get past security nearly all of the people inside are gun owners, and about 70% are shooting guns on a regular basis and hunting. My next door neighbor’s hobby is hunting elk with a longbow…the only time he’s not in full camo is when he’s dressed up for church. We have to be up there with Ted Nugent’s ranch on places you should probably pass on. 

[HarveyBoulevard]

Unfortunately you cannot booby trap the house. That works best but will land you in a bit of trouble.

The only other thing that PREVENTS burglaries are dogs. Not little meek dogs. Large aggressive dogs. They have their downside also, though as it relates to unintended bites and insurance.

If no one is home, no amount of security, cameras, alarms, etc. will stop them. The only way to stop them from entering is being home or having a large dog that will scare the ever living shit out of them.