Approaching the time of year when I go away for extended periods…I thinking of improving my home security.
I have a wireless alarm system, but a lot of glass at the rear of my place in a single storey extension. And it’s sufficiently private for naturism should you be so inclined.
Should I get a hard wired camera which will pick up on motion and alert my phone ? The front is not as private, a quiet cul de sac with only 6 properties beyond me and very little foot or motorised traffic, so maybe a camera doorbell in addition ?
Any recommendations please given those circumstances ?
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I have three blink cameras, blink hub with sd card in (so no subscription required) alerts my phone, and records the action. One covers front door, (also acts as an auto-doorbell with alexa alerting) one each side access gate. Cameras are battery powered (lasts about 5 months) so easy to site with minimum work.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 4 Sep 25 at 14:47
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Mainly check your insurance covers you for the period the house will be empty, and make sure your house complies with their requirements re locks etc.
Tempting fate to say this but - the only burglary we have ever suffered was one night when both asleep upstairs. A camera wouldn't have helped then and it won't help much if we aren't here. I do have door and other motion sensors which I do things with in my home automation, including sending me messages, lights flashing and sirens going off if someone is in the house and the "alarm" is set. Not yet decided what I'd do if it ever happened though :-) SWMBO said she'd rather not know LOL
(I have had a pair of cameras sitting in my office for nearly 2 years now waiting for me to fit. They were half price Tapo ones which don't depend on SD cards or mains power IIRC).
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The most vulnerable parts of the property are those that are not overlooked, more often the rear.
Think in terms of the 'Onion Peeling Principle'. Start from the boundary and work inwards looking at ways of identifying vulnerabilities and improving security at each layer.
Visible deterrents are good. LED flashing lights on alarm boxes front and rear. Alarms can be ignored by neighbours as more often false alarms.
All these fancy cameras connected via the internet which you can be monitored from anywhere in the world are fine however masked and hooded persons cannot be identified. The ability to challenge someone via loudspeaker at the the front door remotely is good as they often try to look like a normal visitor in the first instance to ascertain the occupancy status and then go from there.
www.staffordshire.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/staffordshire/advice/the-police-crime-prevention-handbook.pdf
Last edited by: Fullchat on Thu 4 Sep 25 at 23:55
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Most burglaries I have heard of recently in my area are the ones where they either just snap the lock or use a blowtorch on it. I would start by making sure you have the best locks available.
Re cameras, like Zero I also have blink cameras connected to the hub. Work well.
But my social media feed can be filled with scrolls and scrolls of videos of folks getting their house broken into. I don’t think the masked and gloved thieves worry too much about cameras.
As in back in the day of putting a krooklok on your car, the idea was to make the thieves go past yours and find an easier target.
Do you think it would be obvious to a thief that your house was empty? Does anyone go in daily and change the position of curtains or blinds?
Is there a car on the driveway? Does your bin go out?
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The latter requires dedicated surveillance by someone and I believe most burglaries are more opportunist than that.
Our PVC front door handle needs to be pulled up to engage the extra locking, then locked on the key. I think most are like that but when we were burgled we didn't know that.
The police told us they work in pairs and go along her street and try each door. If the handle pushes down it's not deadlocked and can easily be popped open, without even much collateral damage.
So unless you are a high net worth individual who might attract special attention I'd just make sure the insurance was up to the job, any conditions were met (like closing windows when out, certain BS mark lock standard etc) and that the locks were properly engaged.
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There is little that ordinary householders can do without major and visble changes to the property to stop those intent on entry - eg: bars over windows, steel reinforced external doors with high quality locks, all round lighting, limited access with other points of site entry secured with razor wire etc.
Cameras, alarms and security patrols may allow a rapid response (possibly after the crims have departed) and possible identification (if faces are visible).
Realistically - all one can do is make your place a little more risky and a little less attractive than the house next door:
- decent lighting with movement detectors, locked gates, locks on sheds and outbuildings
- avoid gratuitous displays of wealth - fancy cars, big TVs, high end garden furniture etc
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Do people have much in the house that is portable and valuable these days? Nobody is going to walk off with the 55 inch TV are they? I guess the car keys and cash are the most desirable objects but with an average family car and £2.43 in loose change I’m not too worried about burglars targeting the house.
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>> Do people have much in the house that is portable and valuable these days?
If I were getting worried about house breaking/ burglary that'd be my relief.
Couple of very basic laptops, a TV that's too small to appeal and other stuff too heavy to run off with. Bit more vulnerable now there's no second car to block the garage door but the worth money bikes are usually with us.
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It's not so much what they nick, it's the damage they do nicking it. I understand it's quite normal for them to empty their bowels and have seen the result of this with the use of any material to wipe with after. I've also been told advice is to dispose of any open spirit bottles, you don't know what may have been put in them!
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When we were done my work laptop bag was taken with a few minor possessions in it, and SWMBOs handbag with a modestly expensive purse, with a few hundred cash she'd just been paid, her car keys - the car also went - and her office keys.
Most of it was retrieved though it took weeks to get the car back, plus an enormous load of hassle from the house insurers over the purse and the cash.
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How did they find the car?
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Probably a bit small but quite economical. :-)
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First giggle of the day, thx.
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Oh, I suppose you meant the Old Bill.. LOL
Well some upstanding member of the public saw people transferring quite a bit of stuff from one car (ours) to another at a roadside in Windsor (about 10 miles or so away) at 5am and reported it as suspicious. Caught them red handed.
It turned out they'd done quite a few other houses in the neighbourhood on the same night and in the same way - pop the front door and do a quick grab of anything portable which might have had some value. Fairly risky when the householders are present but they were probably in and out within minutes. The police thought they probably didn't intend keeping the car.
It happened that the street light closest to our house was out at the time but that may have had no bearing. We have a porch with lights so I installed a light sensor so they now come on when it gets dark etc.
And of course I now have equipment with automations which make lights in the house come on if the front or back door opens overnight, or presence is sensed in particular rooms at particular times, and broadcasts stuff over the Google and other speakers, and sends WhatsApps etc. I'm also just toying with small boards to see if I can work out which room a phone is in (so I can personalise actions when each of us enters the room - but I'm really only doing it out of interest and it probably won't "go live") but which as a side "benefit" captures the MAC address of any phones in the house. The history is kept for 24 hrs so if they happen to have their phone in their pocket it would have the detail fwiw
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>> sends WhatsApps etc.
You send the burglars a whatsapp?
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Ha, nah!! To me, silly!! LOL
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Home security - Zero
