Home alarm systems

[leonkehoe]

Hi guys,

The flat opposite ours was broken into this afternoon and, in the past, other flats in this block have been broken into too. I know very little about home alarm systems and I'd appreciate some recommendations with a list of must-have and desirable features. We've already replaced the front door's main lock with a Yale and fitted a deadlock.

Thanks,

Leon

[Lucio]

Home alarms aren't all that useful in preventing break-in's, just make sure your main access points and secondary access points are well secured with locks up to British Standard. Front and back doors should both have a nightlatch and deadlock, or suitable multi-point lock and all windows should have at least two points of locking.

[peterb]

You might want to find out how they got in to the other flats. If it was through a window, then look at securing them (as lucio said above) if they broke down the front door, have a look at that. And while you are fitting better locks, have a look to see if the bit the locking bolt goes into is secure - often a door can be forced because that comes away from the frame.

Alarms might act as a deterrent, in that if there are two flats, one with an alarm, one without, then an opportunist thief is likely to go to the one without.

Best deterrent? Get a dog!

[Galant]

...I'll get my coat.

[Bunjiweb]

And remember CCTV systems are relatively cheap these days - you can get a 2 camera with dvr kit for under £200...

I'd also echo what the others have said about multi-point locking.

Ben

[MadduckUK]

Best deterrent? Get a dog!

and close some curtains.

[Spud1]

another point to remember is that your standard yale lock is absolutely useless against anyone who wants to break in. a £10 set of lock picks and 30 min of practice and they will get in, they are oh so easy to pick.

Multi point locking doors usually have the "Euro style" locks which are usually much harder to pick (due to a proliferance of mushroom pins), but make sure you get a good one..the £5 ones from Wickes are no more difficult than a standard yale.

Remembering to deadlock each night will help to mitigate that risk though.

As for an alarm - get a dummy alarm box with a light inside it, they are only about £20 or so and do the same job as an alarm in 99% of cases. As has been mentioned they are a deterrent, and not much more. Wireless alarms are simple to bypass by spending £20 on ebay, and wired ones are expensive to install.

[Jay]

Best deterrent? Get a dog!

Thats what we did!

Maybe not the best choice of dog though

[Bunjiweb]

That's adorable - some kind of Terrier? I've always considered my 2 Jack Russell Terriers a good deterrent, despite their diminutive size!

Ben

[leonkehoe]

We bought a motion detector with 105dB siren and a Response box for the balcony to act as a visual deterrent.

[Jay]

That's adorable - some kind of Terrier? I've always considered my 2 Jack Russell Terriers a good deterrent, despite their diminutive size!

Ben

He is a Border Terrier. I have had a Jack Russell he died about 5 years ago, he was 13. He once chased a guy trying to break in, the guy kicked him so he bit his leg. Those jacks have one hell of a bite and even though they are small they are strong, much stronger than our Border.

Sadly he was never the same after that and went down hill dying a few years later.

[007]

Although, I install cctv for a living and should chase business whenever possible, I would never advice fitting CCTV in a flat as a single security device. Think about where would you hide the DVR ? I tried this and saw it quite a few times and it’s always not good enough. If you can’t hide the cables completely (means usually a lot of mess, lots of work or it’s just impossible) you will not be able to hide the recorder. This would be just another thing to be stolen from you house - a false perception of security and a false economy.

I do not mean to make anybody scared so please do not panic and act reasonably, however bear in mind that professional burglars will ALWAYS find a way of getting into your home if they are just determined to do so. Regardless of how good is the alarm, how well it’s fitted and how aggressive are the dogs they will still be able to burgle you. The best thing you can do, is to use many security measures including good, cautious neighbours, fitting quality doors and locks (and obviously making use of them ) , keeping your wealth as much as you can secret and buying good insurance . Unfortunately, insurers in the UK still do not appreciate those vigilant and do not offer decent discount for people willing to secure their houses better, see for example this article : http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-gard...ked-questions/ .

Also, if you go for a monitored alarm systems, read carefully the T&C - who owns the alarm, how much they charge for every intervention (and bear in mind that for e.g. police will refuse to come after a few false alarms), how the alarms are logged by security company etc.I hope it helps.

Since I also sell wireless alarm systems (I am the UK distributor for Polish manufacturer), if mods won’t oppose, later I would gladly publish link with nice rebate voucher for all Hexus readers.

[Sputnik]

Jay - That is a cute dog! My neighbour has some terriers but, I've no idea what type they are.

Going back OT I remember some guy who used web cameras linked to a computer and it was uploading photos to his webspace until they stole the computer but, The images of the thieves were on his webspace and he was able to give them to the Police.

[007]

Yes, as long as the puppy has fleas, can be dangerous

[Saracen]

....

Since I also sell wireless alarm systems (I am the UK distributor for Polish manufacturer), if mods won’t oppose, later I would gladly publish link with nice rebate voucher for all Hexus readers.

I can confirm that 007 has indeed approached us about giving details, and it's gone to David etc to sort out.

Thanks, 007, for doing this the right way. It's very much appreciated, rather than just posting commercial links.

[mrpmike55]

The dog is a very good idea, just dont get the small type ones mate. Deadbolts are fine, I would recommend some sort of reinforcement behind the doors. Big locks and joints are crucial here. Im an old school type of bloke so these electronics stuff dont sit with me, as well do many locals here. Go for strong sturdy locks. Cheers!