Home Security News

Hitch Safe Truck Security Gadget

It never fails: you drive into a parking lot and a sign warns you not to leave your valuables in the car. Well, maybe you're going swimming or jogging or something where you don't want to tote your purse/wallet/etc. with you. What then?

Perhaps the solution is the Hitch Safe.

This tiny safe slides into any standard 2" hitch receiver, so your car/truck/SUV/van may already be ready for the gadget.  It's secured via two bolt retaining bars inside the Hitch Safe.  The hitch receiver already acts as a solid steel vault, and the safe offers a way to lock it up with a secure combination entry.

While the little automobile safe isn't exactly going to be roomy, it offers space enough for spare car keys, cash, driver's license, and credit cards, so it may be all you need. 

You can purchase the HitchSafe Key Vault for $70 at Amazon or look for it at your local auto shop.

Choosing a Guard Dog for Home Security Purposes?

If you're thinking that a guard dog might be a wise home security choice, there is a lot to consider before heading out to the pet store for a puppy.  Depending on the breed, dogs will live 10 years or more, so it is a big financial and personal responsibility that will last a long time.  Also, dogs need training in order to protect you and your premises in a way that won't get you sued or into a situation where the dog needs to be put down because it escaped your property and bit someone. 

Here are some news articles and blog posts from around the web that can help you think through this decision:

• Home Security: About Guard Dogs
• Pick the Right Dog for Protection
• So, You Want a Guard Dog, eh?

iPhone Apps Let You Monitor Home Security Systems

 
The ability to remotely monitor a home security system isn't anything new; for a while we've been able to check on our houses through special internet pages or via our cell phones.  Well, now you can get all the stats and even camera pictures over your iPhone.

For example, if you are an Alarm.com customer, you can get their iPhone application, which lets you check on all sorts of information.  You can find out if the garage door has been left open, if the dog walker took your pooch out for a full session, if there's a leak in the basement, if medicine or liquor cabinets have been opened, if you forgot to turn on the system, etc.  You can also control your security system remotely (if you did forget to turn it on before you left for work, you can simply activate it over your phone).

If your home security company isn't offering these features yet, give them a call to see if it's in the works. 

Alarm.com

Secure Briefcase Includes Biometric Fingerprint Reader

If you carry a laptop or other important documents in your briefcase, you may be wondering if there's a high tech way to secure it.  Keys can be stolen (and let's face it: key-locks are so last century), but it's a little harder to steal someone's fingerprints. 

This biometric business case from Hammacher Schlemmer has got you covered! For a mere $1,100 (you didn't think this kind of snazzy anti-spy security was cheap, did you?), you can rest easy, knowing only your fingerprint will open your briefcase.

Here's what you get for your money:

"A scanner on top of the case reads your fingerprint, compares it to its internal database, and provides access only when it detects a perfect match, providing an unprecedented level of security when traveling with sensitive business documents or valuables. Its memory stores up to eight fingerprints, allowing associates or family with approved security clearance to access the contents. Made from high-density, flexible polycarbonate, the hard-sided business case withstands 250 lb./ft. of force and reverts to its original shape, thwarting cracks or dents and protecting what's inside"

Woohoo, be the first in your office to have a biometric briefcase.  Just make sure to charge the cost to the company account.

Neighborhood Watches & Community Crime Prevention More Important Than Ever

While it's important to put in place a home security and safety plan for your house and your property, it's really worth considering your neighborhood as well.  Do you have a neighborhood watch in place and are the majority of homes and yards upkept well?

Various studies have shown that a well-maintained neighborhood and volunteer watch can actually go a lot further toward preventing crime than all the surveillance cameras and pit bulls you can adorn your property with.  And the need for community-involved crime prevention becomes even more important in a down economy when crime tends to go up.

As someone in the CNN article (link below) says, "Nowadays, you have so many people just walking around pretending, leaving fliers, doing marketing surveys or some such baloney. But what they really are doing is looking for opportunities, watching to see who is or isn't in their homes."

Burglars like to do their work when no one is around, so if there's usually someone paying attention to things in your neighborhood (and reporting suspicious activity) the word will get out that this isn't the easiest area to hit.

For more on starting a neighborhood watch or the effectiveness of them, check out the articles below:

CNN: Neighborhood Watches Are on the Front Line in a Bad Economy
How to Start a Neighborhood Watch in Your Community
Neighborhood Watches Can Be Effective Against Crime

Honeywell Water- and Fireproof Safe Protects from Fire, Flood, and Burglars

A safe is a good purchase for the home or office, since it allows you to protect cash, important documents, and other valuables.  Most respectable safes are rated to withstand your typical house fire as well as tampering from would-be thieves, but not all of them can be toted as waterproof as well.

The Honeywell 2087 .94-Cubic-Foot Safe protects against theft, flood, and fire, all of which a homeowner may have to contend with over the course of living in one place.

For security, the safe has concealed hinges to make it pry-resistant, a 4-number combination dial security lock, and four solid steel locking bolts.  For fire reistance, the safe has a UL 1-hour fire rating, which means it will withstand an external temperature of 1700 degrees F while keeping the stuff inside at no more than 350 degrees.  According to the product description, "the safe has been tested by an independent testing lab and verified to protect electronic media including memory sticks, CDs, DVDs and external hard drives" as well as the usual "documents, electronics, and other valuables."

Where the Honeywell safe is unique from many other offerings in the home safe arena is in its waterproof feature.   "The composite construction with water tight seal prevents water damage to the contents caused by flooding or by water used in fighting a fire. This waterproof safe will float making it easy to find during a flood, and it will remain dry inside even if fully submerged."

At less than $150, the safe is relatively affordable.  If you're interested, you can pick one up at Amazon:

 

Honeywell 2087 .94-Cubic-Foot Fire Waterproof Safe with Combination Lock

Affordable Wall Safe Fits Between the Studs for Easy Installation

If you want to secure your valuables, a safe is a smart investment, and a floor safe or wall safe is much wiser than a freestanding unit (which, no matter how heavy, can simply be lifted and walked away with if there's enough manpower involved).  Safes that are sunken into the floor are extremely effective for deterring thieves, but they're also expensive and time-consuming to install (if you're not ready to rip out a section of your floor to do it, they may not be a great option).

Wall safes, on the other hand, still offer a good deal of security, but they aren't as expensive and they are usually less complex to install.

For example, this compact "Stack - On" Between Studs Wall Safe slides right between the studs, so all you have to do is knock out a bit of drywall in order to place it.  Mount it to the studs, and it won't be easy for a thief to remove.  At less than $100, it's quite affordable, and the reviews at Amazon say it's a decent safe for the money. 

The nice thing about a wall safe is it's easy to turn into a hidden safe (a between-the-studs model, in particular, won't have anything sticking out to alert passers by).  If you want to be ultra secretive, you could even put the drywall back over it, but let's assume you may want to access your valuables some day... For the truly hidden effect, just try putting the safe somewhere that isn't obvious (burglars know to look in the master bedroom and behind paintings!).  In the basement behind the water heater might be less obvious.