Home Security... Please help.

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Chris Kulbaba

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Well, last night we had some prowlers in our back yard. My wife is a super light sleeper and heard some voices and some leaves rustling around... Woke me up and I looked outside to see what was up. Indeed there were people in our yard, for whatever reason. I asked if they were looking for something thru the window but it was really dark and I couldnt even see where they were really...

A girls voice said " Sorry sir, my house looks just like yours, sorry "



So I didnt think too much of it, and everyone seemed to dispurse (sp?)... So about an hour later I was laying down listening a bit and looked outside again, then I see 2 figures walking through our backyard... I asked if they were looking for something... they didnt run, and it was a male voice this time saying that he dropped his cell phone in our yard (presumably the first time)...



Needless to say, my wife is wondering how she will ever sleep again, lol. I am not too worried about it, but we do have quite a bit of nice stuff, including my ST w/ Stereo etc...



To help her out, Ive agreed to do some kind of monitoring... I dont want to pay a company monthly fees to monitor our alarm system,... What else can I do? Basically we want something to monitor the front and back yards, then the basement area (we never really go down there, and a couple of the windows would be easy for someone to get into if they wanted to)



Any help would be great, thanks everyone!



 
Well at a minimum you need to have some motion detector lights installed and I am talking today. You can also purchase small little alarms usually a package of three for less than $10.00 at any home improvement store Home Depot, Lowes or what ever is in your area. They install with double sided tape for those basement windows. These items are all very inexpensive and very easy to install for a quick solution to your immediate problem until you have a permanent alarm installed.
 
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my first move would have been to call the police. next is get my gun and stand by until they arrive.

we have a security system as well as professional ( not the cheap home depot ) motion lights on each corner of the house. sometimes a deer or racoon sets them off by it is well worth it.

next time call the police first as they may return and at least the police can question as to why they are on your property and they will also i.d. them and it's on record.

good luck
 
Get a bat or a gun,



no but seriously you should have called the police, but thats the past....motion sensors and the motion detectors lights....
 
For all the above "get a gun" comments, don't forget he lives in Canada, unfortunately he would probably get in more trouble than the burglar if he pulled out a gun. Personally I don't think it should be this way, but it is.



I also agree with the motion sensor lights, and BeerDelivery may be onto something.
 
Motion lights, and automatic Night-day or Dusk to Dawn Lights work wounders...



Todd Z
 
They be gone by the time the police showed up in my neighborhood. Lock your gate to your backyard for starters and motion sensor lights. Plus, a gun and nice big LED flashlight. I would of said nothing but "I have a gun so you better get the freak out of yard". Ok, in Canada leave out the gun...;)
 
I installed three cameras, tied to a Pc that records the video when there is motion in their field of view. Down side is you've got to maintain/delete the unwanted files cause they have a way of building up. Two of my cameras are outside, one is inside looking out through a garage door with windows.

Also have motion detector lights that have an indoor alarm (plugs into a receptacle).
 
i like Ken's idea...i know of these camera's for hunting and such, but i never thought about them for home security,,,i like it,,,



my friends uncle has them set up through the woods on his property (112 acres!) and used them to see what animals are prowling, or for that matter, waiting to become dinner. he too has them set up to a computer which beeps like an alarm when activated.



good luck...
 
The best way to head off a problem and sleep better at night is a multi-layered defense.



1. Big dog. A big dog is a great alarm system and deterent. Get a breed that loyally attaches itself to the family and views itself as a defender of the home. A few loud, deep barks and growls probably would have solved your "prowler" issue immediately.



2. If you don't want to feed a big dog, a little dog is a good alarm system.



3. Motion lights.



4. Big gun. I realize Canada has lots of handgun restrictions, but there is no reason not to keep a short to medium length 12 gauge shotgun around. Get permits (you and wife), go practice a bit, learn how to handle the shotgun, and you will sleep better knowing you are capable of defending yourself.



Imagiine if these people had intended you harm. What would you have done to defend yourself? The time to think these things through is not when the potential assailant is standing outside the window.

 
Well thanks all for the ideas.



I will get some of the motion sensing lights for sure, this seems to be the top recommendation. Is there anything specific that I should be looking for when purchasing these?



Olaf is right, if I shot someone in my yard, id probably go to jail, lol. I keep a pretty big knife under my bed however, which is the first thing I grab when I am woken by the wife to investigate.



The strange thing is, I am pretty positive, thinking that its just an innocent thing and dont really get to crazy about it, but last week on saturday night (again) someone rang our doorbell at 2:50am, I investigated about 10 mins later as I was a little hard to wake up I guess... But no one was around.



We do not have a bad rep or anything, we dont have any enemies, I just dont know what to think of this... all I know is I have a beautiful wife and 2 young sons to protect... This day in age anything is possible however, so better safe than sorry.



Thanks again everyone.

 
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We do not have a bad rep or anything, we dont have any enemies, I just dont know what to think of this... all I know is I have a beautiful wife and 2 young sons to protect... This day in age anything is possible however, so better safe than sorry.
Click to expand...



XST, no offense, but you aren't taking the problem seriously.
 
I don't see how that system is any good outdoors. Wouldn't animals set this off? In my backyard we get everything short of a bear coming through. I have squirrels, possums, field mice, various birds, neighbor cats. Motion sensor lights will freak people out. I bet you could rig a strobe to it to resemble a flash once the sensor is tripped.



XST-do you have a gate to your backyard? Is it well lite now? No one would come in my backyard as the side lights and the porch lights luminate the entire area. Plus, the street light is right in front of my house. Easy to see who is around the house.
 
If your family likes dogs, it might be a good time to get one. Even a small dog makes a good alarm. A big one is a self-contained security system.



 
I'm not taking it seriously? What would make you think that. If I didn't think it was serious I wouldn't be here asking for advice. I'm quite serious about it. I just even finished discussing a dog as part of the advice we received here.



Trust me, if I could get myself a gun, I would (the wife is totally against it)









 
<img src="http://www.taser.com/SiteCollectionImages/Product/Consumer%20Product%20Banner/x26c.jpg">
 
I am pretty sure that Tasers are illegal here as well. There was a big bust at the border a few months ago with someone bring a bunch of them up from the states. I would love to have a taser.



I really think your first step should be motion detector perimeter lighting, people up to no good really don't like bright lights shining down on them during the night. See if that helps and go from there.
 
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4. Big gun. I realize Canada has lots of handgun restrictions, but there is no reason not to keep a short to medium length 12 gauge shotgun around. Get permits (you and wife), go practice a bit, learn how to handle the shotgun, and you will sleep better knowing you are capable of defending yourself.
Click to expand...



From my "Candian Firearms Safety Course" (required if you want to get your license) I took earlier this year to get my Possession and Acquisition license,



Firearms Storage,



A non-restricted Firearm (rifles) may be stored only if it is:



Unloaded AND



Rendered Inoperable by using a secure locking device,

or removing the bolt or bolt carrier,



or stored in a locked container, receptacle, or room that cannot be easily broken into and

not within easy access to ammunition, unless ammunition is stored in a separate securely locked container.



It is a criminal offense to not follow the above storage rules.



So by the time you get all your locks undone and the gun loaded they are either gone, or B, they already broke in. There have been numerous cases in Alberta where guns have been used in self-defense in trespassing and break and enters, from what I recall, no one has gotten off, they all spend time in jail for using the gun. Nice hey? Glad to see the poor criminals have more rights then citizens. I learned all about this great "just-us" system we have here with my experience last December.
 
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