Using Child Safety Guards In Your Windows
If you have young children, then you may wish to equip your home with child safety guards. These are simple gates which go over your windows to ensure that your child does not climb or fall out the window. They generally have bars, like a baby gate, which are too narrow for a baby to fit through.
These are a great addition to your home, because you are truly protecting your child. You will likely want to buy one for all windows which may become accessible to your child. This is especially true once the child becomes a toddler and can move about on his own. At this point, you may wish to get one for every window.
There are many myths spread about child safety guards which are simply not true. For example, many people think that you will not be able to open up your windows. In fact, it is quite simple to open your windows and still have the guard up, allowing fresh air through your house, but the safety factor to remain.
Another common myth is that a child safety guard is difficult to install or remove. This is not true either. The child safety guard will take less than five minutes to install or to remove. They are very simple to use, but very childproof as well.
Depending on your window’s orientation, these can be used vertically or horizontally. Additionally, for oversized windows, you can simply stack them on top or next to one another until you achieve the correct size.
Although you may be tempted to only purchase a child safety guard for windows above your first floor, it is important to consider putting them in on the first floor as well. This is because your child could still get out and get hurt. Even if they do not get hurt from the fall, they cold get injured from a wild animal or a stranger.
Driveway Alarm Systems
Driveway Patrol Sensor and Receiver Kit
A driveway security alarm monitors your driveway for entrance of people and/or vehicles. Often, these will simply chime when they sense a person or car in the driveway. This may seem simple, but it can do a lot for your home security. You will always be aware if somebody is at your home and no surprise visitors!
These driveway security systems will include a motion detection system to find motion in your driveway. These can have varying ranges, so it would be wise to measure how long your driveway is prior to buying one. If your driveway is thirty feet, but the wireless driveway alarm range is only 15 feet, you may have a problem in the future.
Since we are already on the topic of ranges, I would like to talk about detector to alarm ranges. Most people live very close to where their driveway security alarm would be, so this might not be such an issue, with the average span being 1000 feet. However, there are remote models available, for perhaps a second entrance or a business. These have ranges of up to four miles.
These alarms, especially the wireless ones, are extremely easy to install. Usually, all you have to do is place the motion detector outside, bring the alarm inside and press a couple buttons. That’s really all there is to it!
One great thing about these types of systems is the ability to expand. you can easily begin with just one detector, but later you can add as many as you want, so you can monitor all of the exterior of your home.
The best part about these alarms is that they are really inexpensive. It’ll cost you less than $200 for a basic model that will do perfectly in most homes. This is a great and simple thing you can sdo to add to your home’s security.
Outdoor Security Lighting is a Necessity in Home Security
Heath Zenith SL-5511-BZ 150-Watt Quartz Motion-Sensing Light, Bronze
One of the simplest and most effective things you can do to improve your home’s safety is to add outdoor security lighting. An often overlooked element, but so important. Most burglars would not even think about going into a home which is well lit up–they want to be as hidden as possible, lots of lights makes that impossible.
There are three basic kinds of this lights, one which is always on, the second is a dusk to dawn light, and the third is a motion sensor light. The first light will use the most energy, but is often the cheapest. The second will use slightly less energy but will cost a bit more. This has included in it a sensor which knows when it is dark outside and turns on the light when it is dark and turns it off when it is light. The most energy efficient is the motion sensor which only turns on when it sees motion. This can really scare away intruders. However, this may not work if the intruder does not go into the line of the motion detector. Also, if you live in an area which has a lot of animals, these animals may turn on the motion sensor by mistake, waking everyone for no reason. General outdoor security lighting may be a better deterrent, it depends on your preferences, your living situation and the area in which you live.
You can get electric lights or solar powered outdoor security flood lights. Although the solar powered ones will save you in energy costs, they may not be as bright as the electric ones. If you have an older home, you may even be able to find gas lights to use. I would only use these as decoration though, to light a whole yard with these will be expensive. The cheapest, albeit not as bright, lights to run are led security lights. These cost a bit more outright, but will save you a lot in the long run, especially if you are leaving the lights on all of the time.
Using outdoor security floodlights is a common option. However, this doesn’t look very nice in your yard and tends to include a glare for your neighbors. There are now more decorative outdoor security lighting which will do the same thing, except without making people angry and wasting money.
The best thing about outdoor security lighting is that it is really easy to set up and makes a big difference in your home’s safety. It is also one of the most inexpensive ways to help your home security.
Using Door Security Hardware to Prevent Theft
Kwikset 335-10B Pocket Door Lock Privacy Function, Oil Rubbed Bronze Finish
Home intruders are quite a common thing nowadays. You should be doing everything you can to prevent theft and break ins. Although it is tempting to immediately go out and buy a huge home security system, starting small and close is your best bet. Door security hardware is one of the first things that you should be thinking about getting for your home’s safety.
Most home doors are very easily kicked down or broken into. Burglars tend to do this during the day, when everyone is at work, or at night when they know you aren’t home.
Before you even think about exterior door hardware, you should examine your current door and frame. Is it stable and strong? Does it look strong from the outside? Does it close all the way and stay closed once shut? If not, get a new door first before you even think about outfitting it with security gadgets.
There are many different types of door security hardware which can be used to protect your home. Among them are ones we have all heard of: door bolts, door lock sets, etc. However, there is also an ever-growing set of locks and tools which are even stronger than those above.
One type of front door security hardware is a door security bar. This is a ‘U’ shaped tool which attaches to the doorknob and extends to the floor. These are often adjustable so you can make them fit just about any door. On the floor it has a rubber piece which grips the floor tightly. This makes it quite difficult, if not impossible, for the intruder to break in.
Schlage BE365VCAM619 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt, Satin Nickel
Another type of security bar is available in sliding door security hardware. Many people are scared of intruders coming into their sliding glass doors. You need to make sure that your security bars not only keep the door shut, but also prevent the burglar from lifting the door off of its track, as that is often the way that a sliding door is broken into.
There are also other things you can do to help your door be stronger against attacks. One is to add a strike plate to the door. The reason why you need this is because the door jamb (where the lock holds the door shut) is actually one of the weakest parts of the door. They are often made with softer woods which are easily breakable. You can also add longer screws, at least 3″ to be safe.
iTouchless Bio-Matic Fingerprint Door Lock For Right Hand Door, Silver
After you have done all of this to your door and added the best door hardware, you should feel much safer at home. Your doors are the first place a burglar is going to try to get into your home and you have now put in the preventative measures against that.
5 Great Home Security Devices for Your Home
No matter where you live, you should be thinking about the security of your home. By using the best home security devices, you can increase the safety of your family and our belongings. Here is a list of five great home security devices that you should think about using in your home.
1. Biometric door locks. This one sounds very complicated and scientific, but that just simply isn’t true. These are simple locks which do not use a key to open them, but instead will scan and read your fingerprint. Everyone in your family will have to scan their fingerprints into the system, but after that is done, all they have to do when they come home is swipe their finger. No worries about forgetting a key or a password. The downside to this is if you need to let someone into your home who hasn’t been fingerprinted.
2. Yard signs and house decals. Going from high tech home security equipment to super low tech here! Studies have been done which show that a home which has home security yard signs or house decals advertising that they are protected are much less likely to be burglarized than homes that do not.
3. Fake surveillance cameras. Among the expensive security devices for home is the surveillance camera, however, some people choose to replace or add to these with a fake surveillance camera as well. This makes the intruder think that they are being recorded by a camera, when in reality they are not.
4. Outdoor security lights. This is great for simple do it yourself home security. Simply place lights outside of your home. The most effective are ones which are run on a motion detector. These can really scare a burglar as he thinks that you may have spotted him and turned the lights on. Another option is to leave them on all of the time. A burglar is much more likely to rob a home which is dark and easy to hide in.
5. Wireless home security devices. These are great because they leave no trail. It is hard for a burglar to figure out what they are because they do not seem to be connected to anything. You can get a wide range of wireless security devices.
So, which is the best home security system for you? That is a tough question to answer. It depends on your individual situation. You will probably want to use a combination of the above home security devices as well as a monitoring system and possibly motion detectors. It really depends on the type of neighborhood you live in and the way your home is situated.
Now that you know my favorite five home security devices, you should go out and do some research on your own. Put together a home security plan which lets you know what sorts of devices you are going to place where and why. It is just as important to know why as to know what and where.
How Can You Place a Motion Detector Alarm To Minimize False Alarms
One of the biggest problems with installing a motion detector alarm is that they tend to set off false alarms. Contrary to popular belief, false alarms are not caused by cheaper alarms, but instead by bad placement of the alarms.
This means that when you install wireless motion detector alarms, you will need to make sure that you place them in spots which will maximize their effectiveness and minimize their false alarms.
When simple things like air blowing from a furnace, or a bug crawling across the floor can set off your alarm, you are going to be in for a lot of false alarms. This tends to be more of a problem with systems run by ultrasonic or photoelectric beams. These would shoot off a beam and when something interrupted the stream of the beam, the motion detector alarm would sound.
Today, we have far more advanced technology with Passive InfraRed (PIR) and Microwave (MW) technologies. These prevent many of the false alarms which occurred from the older types of detectors as these detect for heat and waves, not just movement.
One of the best ways, although one of the hardest, to test your placement of your alarms is to wait until you get a false alarm and then troubleshoot it. False alarms can also be caused by radio frequency interference, lightning, power surges and equipment failures. Make sure it isn’t any of these problems first. If you are sure, go check the placement. See if they is anything around the motion detector alarm that may set it off indiscriminately.
Since pets are a common culprit of setting off these alarms, you can actually get ones which are pet-proof. These have programmed in them the heat signature of a pet and when the motion detector alarm reads this, they do not go off.
Try your hardest to keep pests and bugs out of your home. These small creatures set off the motion detector alarm often on their own. Keep ant or mice traps around if need be. Just make sure that you keep all of the pests out.
Often, you will have a wireless motion detector alarm. This will need to be tested and have its batteries changed every so often. If you do not comply, then you may end up with no alarm at all. Keeping your wireless motion detector in top shape will only help its overall performance.
Please remember that motion sensor alarms are just tools and will only work as well as they were installed and are operated. Blaming a faulty installation or operation on the device is not fair and not going to get you anywhere but frustrated. Do everything you can to prevent false alarms and you will be happier and sleep better for it.
How to Use Home Security Signs in Your Home Security Plan
What is one of the biggest deterrents to burglars? Believe it or not, home security signs are a huge deterrent to burglars. Homes who display a yard sign or decal tend to get robbed two to three times less than homes without. This makes many people think about using home security decals even without bothering with a system.
Generally, if you have a professional company install your security system, then they will usually provide you with a home security yard sign and home security decals. However, if you feel you need more, or even wish to put up the signs and decals without having the system installed, then they are not very hard to find.
You can get a home security sign from many online stores or even ebay. You can get these to say many different things, from ‘you’re being videotaped’ to ‘no tresspassing’, but the most effective home security signs are actually the ones which say ‘Home Protected By —- Company’, replacing — with the security system of your choice.
Make sure that your security system signs are in an obvious place and well lit. You may even choose to have an outdoor light which is focused specifically on the sign. This makes it obvious and easy to read. You do not want to hide these or make them hard for the burglar to find. You can also get signs or stickers which are glow in the dark. If you choose to get one of these, make sure it is in the sun during the day so that the glow in the dark recharges.
You will also want these to be made out of a hard, quality plastic. This needs to last through rain and snow without falling apart or needing to be replaced. Make sure if you buy a yard sign, that it is attached well to a post so that you can place it into the ground securely. if your sign begins to wear or fade, then you should replace it as soon as possible.
A home security sticker should be made of high quality sticker. You do not want this to easily peel off of your window. It should be waterproof and wind proof so that you will not lose them. Sometimes you can get ones with adhesive on the front, so that you can lace it on the inside of the window so that you do not need to worry about inclement weather.
Be careful when choosing your alarm. Definitely put some thought into this. Many of these signs simply look fake. If your sign screams fake, then it probably won’t work to deter your burglar, whether or not you actually do have a security system installed.
This is one of the easiest, simplest and cheapest way to add to your home security system. This provides a huge deterrent for burglars with very little work and expense. There is really no reason not to do this.
Garage Door Locks Are Not Optional
If you have a garage but no garage door locks, you could be setting yourself up for a huge loss. Garage doors are very simple to break into and many people keep quite expensive equipment in there (think lawn mowers, tools, cars…). If this is you, then you absolutely need to think about getting garage door locks for your garage doors ASAP.
When you are choosing your locks, make sure you do not get the standard garage door lock mechanism which usually come on doors. These are very easily picked, hammered and broken open. If you have overhead doors which roll or tilt up, you can try to secure them with a padlock or bolt in the center of the tracks.
If you have an automatic garage door opening system, then you will want to get a garage door lock which works with this type of system. Also try to be sure that your automatic opening system has a safety feature to stop if obstructed.
There are many different kind of locks for your garage doors, they can almost all be found at any place which sells garage door hardware. These can be as simple as bolt and padlocks, regular key locks, or keypad door locks, or even high tech biometric locks.
Bolt and padlock types need to be done on your own. You will need to pick
the best place for them to be installed and install it yourself.
A regular key lock goes right into the garage door, it simply replaces the handle which is there already. You will get a key with the handle which will fit the lock.
A keypad lock has a keypad on the outside of the garage. You input a code into the keypad and if it is the right code, then the door will open. If you put in the wrong code, the door simply will not open. Sometimes these have a backup key, in case you forget the code.
Biometric garage door security locks use your unique fingerprint to allow you into the garage door. When you buy the biometric lock, it will ask you to scan your and anyone else’s fingerprint who will be using the lock. Then, it will only allow in people who it recognizes. These can sometimes have a key backup as well, just in case someone who is not fingerprinted needs to go into the garage and you let them in.
How to Choose From Security System Monitoring Options
Security system monitoring can be obtained from various companies with numerous options. How can you figure out which one is best for you?
To start off, what is home security system monitoring? Basically, you pay a company a monthly fee. For this fee, they will ‘monitor’ your home’s alarm system. They do not physically do anything, but wait in a central station for an alarm to ring. If an intruder comes into your home, the alarm will ring at this station and they will contact the police for you. Systems without monthly monitoring will simply ring in the house (which is useless if noone is home), or will call a diferent telephone number.
There are different ways for you to be ‘monitored’. The oldest and one of the most reliable is telephone line monitoring. This will send a signal via telephone wire to the central station that your home has been broken into.
The next way is via a broadband connection. If you do not have a landline at your home (which is not uncommon these days), then you can opt to have the signal delivered via a broadband signal. This is slightly less reliable than a phone line, but works quite well.
The last option is two way voice. This acts like an intercom system from your home to the central station. The home alarm monitoring company will ask you if everything is ok, if you say no, or do not respond, then they will send help. If it was a false alarm, you can just tell them so.
You will need to choose between national and local security system monitoring. Generally, national is more expensive and you may be tied to a contract. However, if there is a local disaster, your local center may be down when you need them most. Both have their pros and cons.
If the alarm system monitoring service that you are thinking about getting is not a national know, reputable brand, then you will need to do some research on their background. See if they are listed in the Better Business Beaurau and see if you can find any reviews online. The last thing you want is for your security system monitoring to be done by a company who doesn’t know what they are doing.
Monitored security systems can save you money on your homeowners insurance and can make you less likely to get broken into in the first place. It is up to you to figure out the expenses and see whether you wish to go this route or not. Do your research and decide before you call alarm monitoring companies. This way you know exactly what you want and cannot get suckered into a system which is not helpful to you.
Home Security Equipment: When You’ve Gone Too Far
Many people feel the need to add home security equipment to their homes. This can be a great idea, protecting your family and your belongings is a great idea. However, it can easily get out of hand. How do you know when you’ve bought too much home security equipment that you just don’t need?
It is easy to go overboard when you are trying to protect your family. And you may say that you have not gone overboard. However, there are a few options in home security that normal people simply do not need.
One common one is home surveillance equipment. While it is nice to know that you have a recording of what is going on in and around your home at all times, most people simply cannot afford this option and would be wasting their money by buying it.
Home security surveillance equipment has its place, especially in more expensive homes which might draw more thieves, or if you are a celebrity and are popular. In these cases, these types of home security equipment are appropriate and may even be necessary.
If you have set up the rest of your home security equipment as you are supposed to and also practice safety methods, then you should not need most of these fancy, expensive options. Simply having a motion sensor floodlight outside can deter a burglar quicker than a camera could even see him. Make sure you have your basics down first or you may spend all of this money and still get robbed.
Spy camera equipment has its place in a normal person’s home. Many people like to use these to ‘spy’ on nannys (called nanny cams) or other people who may be in your home or with your children when you are not there. This is a perfectly understandable way to use these. However, these do not need to be used forever, once you trust someone, you can shut them down.
Whether you are planning your home security systems equipment yourself, or with a company representative, it is really easy to over plan. You can easily think that you need twice as many contacts, keypads, cameras, motion sensors, etc than you actually need. Make sure that the entire time you plan, you are taking a serious look at what you can afford and what you really need. If all you need is a simple, local alarm with door sensors, then don’t get a full system with 20 backups, security guards who respond and motion sensors everywhere. This will just get annoying and expensive.
I do not think that wireless home security equipment is overboard unlike other people. This is, in fact, one of the easiest systems to install and maintain. Therefore it is often the best choice for the do it yourselfer.