What do you do for home security?

[Duvall]

Where do you people live?

[Bob Green]

Where do you people live?

In the Land of the Free.

[budwom]

Where do you people live?

Vermont. The last (and to my knowledge only) entity that has tried to break into our house was a 300 lb black bear...we were home to witness the attempt...

[duke74]

Where do you people live?

Forest Hills Gardens, Queens NYC. Home of Geraldine Ferraro, Helen Keller, Dale Carnegie and once upon a time the US Open in tennis (as it is about to start)

[bjornolf]

Forest Hills Gardens, Queens NYC. Home of Geraldine Ferraro, Helen Keller, Dale Carnegie and once upon a time the US Open in tennis (as it is about to start)

I thought Hellen Keller was from Alabama?

[devil84]

In my neighborhood, all we have to do is lock our doors.

About three to four times a year, we get an email on our neighborhood newsgroup from a homeowner, heartbroken that their wallet, laptop, phone, camera, and such was taken from the front seat of their unlocked car parked in the driveway overnight. It's coupled with a warning to remember to lock your valuables up.

What?

Other burglaries have been from open garages (some were even some food from a refrigerator in the garage). A few have been break-ins, and yes, the house was UNLOCKED.

Seriously? People leave their houses and cars unlocked in suburbia?

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

In my neighborhood, all we have to do is lock our doors.

About three to four times a year, we get an email on our neighborhood newsgroup from a homeowner, heartbroken that their wallet, laptop, phone, camera, and such was taken from the front seat of their unlocked car parked in the driveway overnight. It's coupled with a warning to remember to lock your valuables up.

What?

Other burglaries have been from open garages (some were even some food from a refrigerator in the garage). A few have been break-ins, and yes, the house was UNLOCKED.

Seriously? People leave their houses and cars unlocked in suburbia?

Yes, this is a common theme around where I live which is the one of the most suburban suburbs I've come across.

I was actually considering cancelling my ADT service (seems a bit pricey given how little it's needed) and looking for something more DIY, like a Iris system from Lowe's or something.

[Turk]

The ancestral Turk roost was broken into a few years ago. Evidently, Mama Turk pulled into the driveway and opened the garage door while the perps were still in the house and in the process of dismantling the desktop computer upstairs. They escaped out the window to the back porch roof, taking some of Mom's jewelry that wasn't all that pricey, just sentimental favorites, plus some handmade stuff bought at arts & craft shows. My parents went with some sort of ADT package and are satisfied with it.

As for me, I live in a nondescript house in a well-to-do suburb. Like devil84, every year or two we get word from neighbors or police bulletins that people have been helping themselves to whatever can be found in unlocked cars and garages. More rarely, we hear stories of adolescent delinquents who go "garaging", specifically looking for whatever beer they can find.

Our security system consists of telling the neighbors that we're going away for however long and keep an eye on things for us, and we return the favor. I know burglars aren't picky, but I honestly think we don't have much worth stealing, and better targets are elsewhere, so I'm not going to worry about it.

[sagegrouse]

We have a serious alarm system -- intrusion and motion sensors -- and a monitoring company. It also, for example, monitors temperature in the boiler room, so if we are gone and there is a power or propane problem, we don't end up with broken pipes and huge expenses.

[YmoBeThere]

I'm more concerned that my pets are unhurt than I am about any of the belongings.

[throatybeard]

We were broke into in the condo (not the new old house) over 2009-2010 Christmas break. They took the TV (which was insured), my grandfather's 1980ish film cameras (which were sort of insured), our ten-year old 8mm video camera (?) and nothing else. After clearly going through everything.

I put a $95 interior deadbolt on the fire door and no problems since.

Possessions are fleeting. What matters the most is the integrity of your neighbors and whether the neighborhood itself is architecturally rich, walkable, and worth fighting for. As long as my wife's engagement ring is on her person, I never worry about what would happen even if someone did break in. (To the new old house).

[throatybeard]

Unless somebody plays on my air conditioner.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Just bought a place. Has ADT security capabilities. Not really my thing. I rely on a key and my common sense.

Also, I have really sharp kitchen knives as home. Miyabi knives. Great deterrent

[moonpie23]

i put a couple of pairs of Crocs in the entrance foyer....the burglars usually kill themselves tripping over them...

[77devil]

i put a couple of pairs of Crocs in the entrance foyer....the burglars usually kill themselves tripping over them...

I have a moat with real crocs. Can't be too careful.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Evidently my neighbor left a door unlocked and did not have a security system.

We also moved some jewelry to a safe deposit box. We have a security system but were using when only we went on trips. Am now using it all the time.
It has also heightened awareness of anything suspicious in the neighborhood. In my city anyone trying to sell door to door needs a permit so I will report anyone I do not know who comes to the door. The security company says our system is "full perimeter" so I guess that means all windows.

I do think a great many robberies are just very easy. People leaving doors unlocked or something valuable in an unlocked car outside all night.

Thanks for the ideas.

[moonpie23]

all kidding aside, one of the best security systems is a good relationship, and ongoing dialogue, with your neighbors....know when they are gone, and let them know when you are gone...tell them when utilities or yard crews are expected and give them carte blanche to ask questions about people on your property.

we actually intervened in a situation where a tree service was confused about which tree to remove in our neighbor's yard.......


all that being said, our best neighbors are tarheel fans.......somehow we manage....

[alteran]

Yes, this is a common theme around where I live which is the one of the most suburban suburbs I've come across.

I was actually considering cancelling my ADT service (seems a bit pricey given how little it's needed) and looking for something more DIY, like a Iris system from Lowe's or something.

Something to know about dial-in burglar alarms-- you don't have to dial them into the service of the installer.

I had a local Durham business, AlarmMan, install our system. We pay them, but they subcontract the service out. We are free to subcontract it ourselves, but AlarmMan's rates ($15) are only a few bucks higher than what I could find myself. It's theoretically DIY to change the number, but you could also call local guys and pay them a flat fee to switch your system to a new monitoring company.

Here's one company that says they can walk you through it. They specifically mention moving from ADT-- although you may need to give ADT 30 days notice.

http://www.alarmrelay.com/yes-you-can-switch/

Holy crap, these guys say they monitor for 9 bucks a month! I just did a wider search and some services are quoting $6. Maybe I need to re-negotiate with MY provider!

--alteran

[tecumseh]

I have lived with and without security systems and obviously much depends upon where you live but honestly some of the posters here sound more red as in redneck than blue as in Duke. Almost all home burglars want to steal your stuff and get out without a confrontation. Here are my rules.
1) Lights especially LED ones are so cheap to run leave them on all over the house all the time.
2) Do not buy a gun, if you are gun person you probably already own one.
3) Faux security cameras up high look just like the real thing.
4) A yapping dog running all over the house is as good as a large dog, get the kind of dog you like but you should know an indoor dog causes problems with motion sensing.
5) Most nice houses cannot be made that secure unless you a willing to put burglar bars everywhere which is ugly and has its own problems. Think of a meth head with a crow bar.
6) If you go out of town consider a house sitter.
7) Sometimes it does not make economic sense to have a home security system but it does buy piece of mind and that is worth something.

[Bob Green]

...but honestly some of the posters here sound more red as in redneck than blue as in Duke.

I started to type something obnoxious such as, "I resemble that remark." Instead I'll come clean and state that Mrs. Green hates my guns so much they are all currently locked up in the gun safe at my Dad's house. That would be my .45 caliber pistol, 12 gauge shotgun and 30.06 high powered rifle. My home security system is currently limited to the Grandson's aluminum baseball bat. I was raised around guns and starting hunting as a little fellow so I am very comfortable with guns in the house. Mrs. Green not so much...