Home Security News

Ferocious Guard... Duck

That's right, I said guard duck, not guard dog.  This is more for fun than actual home security, but I got a kick out of it, so it gets a blog post. 

"No one ever suspects the duck. Would be thieves and trespassers might not even notice the mallard on your porch until its motion sensor is triggered and it quacks out a loud alarm. Each 8" tall, hard plastic water foul requires two AA batteries (not included)."

That's right; look out burglars: there's a new duck in town. Ahem.

The plastic duck will run you $10.95 and is available over at Archie McPhee.

Online Safe Deposit Boxes

Here's a new idea for storing important information: online safe deposit boxes.  It sounds like they work much like physical safe deposit boxes that are kept at the bank, except they're for something more intangible than goods: information.

You can store copies of your insurance policy, account numbers from credit cards, copies of the family's passports... any information that, if lost or destroyed in a fire, you'd have a hard time without.  Because it's all stored online at a secure site, you can access your "safe deposit box" from anywhere in the world at any time of day.

The site is Keep You Safe, and you can check out an online safe deposit box there.  You can get a small box for free, and if you need something bigger, prices start at $3 a month.

Should You Install a Home Security System?

Should you have a home security system?  I don't necessarily think everyone needs a full-blown electronic system that includes video surveillance, alarms, and all the bells and whistles.  I do think everyone needs to have a home security plan, good door and window locks, and some often missing common sense (i.e. lock up when you leave the house, don't leave windows open and unlocked, don't have your personal information available for the world to see on the mailbox, etc.).  But if you're waffling back on forth on whether to make the investment of an actual home security system, the following article from Insurance.com might help:

Should I Install a Home Security System?

Not only does it ask pertinent questions such as "Do you live in a high-crime area?" and "Can you afford it [a home security system]?" but the article also offers some tips on how to make your home less of a target for burglars and how to "minimize the need for a home security system."

Silver Bullet Camera, Color by Day, Infrared by Night

If  you're thinking of installing a video surveillance system (or upgrading your existing system), one of the most important aspects is the security cameras.  You can get pretty good deals, and easily compare features, by shopping for these things online. 

The SmartHome Silver "Bullet" Camera caught my eye when I was over on their site this morning, mostly because I like the sleek design.  The features aren't bad either.  This security camera has color video that automatically switches to infrared at night.  This way you can perfectly see anyone that approaches the house, even when it's pitch dark outside. 

With other cameras with this kind of dual night/day capabilities, you often have to remember to manually switch it over, so it's nice that this one does it automatically.  Anyway, the security camera is just over $150 at SmartHome, if you're interested:

Smarthome Silver Bullet Camera

"You've Got Mail!" -- Residential Mail Chime

Most of us just leave our mail sitting in the box until we remember to pick it up; if you're like me, you might even forget until after dark.  This is actually a bad idea because of the potential for mail theft.  Someone who rummages through your mailbox could even get enough information from your mail to perpetrate identify theft on you. 

I'm not sure this mail chime will solve the problem 100% (a locking mailbox would be better for that), but it's kind of a neat gadget.  It's basically a sensor that you mount in your mailbox, and then you set the wireless receiver anywhere in your home.  When the mailbox door is opened and the mailman delivers your goodies (or, in my case, bills), a chime will sound to alert you right away.  (This would also be a good way to catch mail thieves if anyone has been tampering with your box of late.)

The mail chime system is available from SmartHome for $50:

Mail Chime

Ceiling-mounted Security Camera

You've seen those little round ceiling-mounted security cameras in stores, right?  They're kind of creepy up there, aren't they?  As if someone is watching your every move, and you can't even tell exactly which direction the lens of the camera is pointing...

Well, now you can have a cool ceiling-mounted security camera like that as a part of your home surveillance system.  Now it'll be potential burglars who will feel uncomfortable if they're scoping out your house.  The X10 Sentinel camera is designed for outdoor use (mount it above your porch or in the eaves of your house), though there's no reason it couldn't be used indoors too.  It can withstand severe weather conditions, and it has such advanced features as 44X zoom, pan, tilt, and easy set up. 

The best part is that you can get a wireless version, so you don't have to install a complicated security system with wires in the walls and everything to get it up and running.  You can also get a version that's remote controlled via Internet connection, so you could keep an eye on your front door even while you're at work.

44X Zoom Video Camera System

Home Insurance Quotes for Landlords

If you're a landlord of a house, numerous houses, or even an apartment complex, you know that you need insurance just as much as the renters do (well, probably more so... you have a lot more to lose if something happens to your rental properties).  But if you haven't taken a look at  your policy lately, you may be paying more than you have to. 

Today, the Internet makes it very easy to get quotes online, and they're specific to your zip code, too, so very pertinent to your needs.  One place you can go for quotes is Insure Me.  You just enter your zip code and that you are a landlord looking for quotes for your rental properties, and the site runs a search.  This is a pretty painless way to check and see if you're paying more than you need to be for insurance.

Insurance Quotes for Rental Properties

Garage Security Tips

How secure is your garage?  Is that the easy way in the house if you've forgotten your key?  According to these garage security tips, that part of the house is the most vulnerable for many people.  Locks on doors are frequently wimpy compared to the deadbolts and such on the front door of the residence, and windows are far enough away from the main living areas that you might not hear if someone broke through the glass.  Either way, this would allow a burglar entry into the house if you have an attached garage.

Even if you have a detached garage, it may house tools such as ladders or axes that a burglar could make use of to get into the main house.

This is why garage security is just as important as security for the rest of your house.  Make sure to incorporate it into the rest of your home safety plan.  More information at:

Is Your Garage Secure?

Make Sure to Shop Around for Lower Home Insurance Premiums

If you haven't thought about your homeowner's insurance policy in a while, chances are you need to take it out and give it a once over.  For one thing, you may need more insurance coverage if your property has gone up in value, as so many people's has over the real estate boom of the last few years.  Another reason to check it out is that you may be able to get lower rates today.

Thanks to the Internet, it's easier than every to shop around for the best rates on homeowner's insurance.  Sites like Insure Me allow you to comparison shop by zip code.  You can get rate quotes on insurance for your house, condo, or townhouse, and you can also get quotes on renter's insurance for apartments or houses.  It's an easy way to make sure you're not paying more than you should.

Home Insurance Quotes

So, You Want to Start a Neighborhood Watch

A neighborhood watch is always a good idea, and sometimes you are lucky enough to move into a neighborhood where there's a good one in place and you don't have to do much to be a part of it.  Other times, you're less lucky.  Your neighborhood might not have one or it might have an ineffective one where nobody is really doing anything. 

If you feel like it's up to you to get something started, chances are everyone on your block will go along with it.  This is one area where people are willing to put out a little effort, because everyone wants to feel safe in their home, and they want to know their home is being watched if they're out of town.  This article on starting a neighborhood watch offers information on how to go about getting one up and running. 

Fortunately, it's not too tough.  It's usually just a matter of talking to your local police department and setting a few things in motion.

Random Pattern Timer for Your Lights

It's a good idea to have lights that go on automatically at night even when you're out of town.  This way burglars are more likely to believe someone is at home even when you're not.  But if your lights go on at the same time everyday, such as 7 p.m. on the dot, a burglar who is paying attention might figure out that nobody is home.

One way you can trick them a bit is to use a security timer for your lights that doesn't go on and off at the same time every day.  The Intermatic Random Pattern Security Timer eliminates the predictability of normal timer-controlled lights.  You can program it to go on and off twice each day, and it'll randomly activate the lights within 15 minutes on either side of the time.  So, if you programmed it for 7 p.m., one day it might go on at 6:47 and the next at 7:00 and the next at 7:15 or some such.  This should help keep the potential burglars guessing.

The timer is less than $20 from HomeClick: Random Pattern Security Timer

Fingerprint Activated Home Safe

The BioSaf Denali safe we looked at the other day isn't a bad choice if you want a safe that's fingerprint activated, instead of opening to a combination or a key, but it is a bit on the small side.  If you have more valuables that you want to store, you could try a bigger model. 

This biometric access safe from Hammacher Schlemmer measures about 18" in all directions and weighs 140 pounds (you should bolt a safe to the floor to ensure a burglar can't make off with it, but even if you didn't, this one would be a pain for them to carry out to their get-away vehicle!).  The safe gives you 1.2 cubic feet of storage, and it can keep your documents and belongings safe in the event of a residential fire (it can withstand temperatures of 1700 degrees F for up to an hour).  The price is $500.

Biometric Access Safe

Gate Alarm for Your Backyard

If you're worried about young children getting into your swimming pool when you're not available to watch them, you might want to consider installing a fence around the pool and using a gate alarm to ensure no one enters without your knowing about it.  A gate alarm is also an option for anyone who wants to keep the side gates to their backyard secured. 

This programmable gate alarm from SmartHome has a keypad where you punch in a numeric code, just as you would to work an ATM.  If someone tries to get in without entering the secret code, the alarm will go off and pretty much everybody in the neighborhood will know about it.

This system can be installed on wood or metal gates or even sliding glass doors.  It's battery-powered, so you don't have to worry about running electrical wiring to it.  As far as home improvement projects go, this is an easy one.  This system will cost you $50:

Programmable Gate Alarm

Best Books for Home Security

If you're new to home security or you've just moved into a new apartment, condo, or house, and you're not quite sure where to start, the best thing you can do is buy (or check out from the library) a couple of books on the subject.  I've perused several books in order to find ideas on home safety and security issues to blog about, and here's a look at the best ones out there:

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Security -- This one doesn't have the best reviews or ratings over at Amazon, and it's a few years old, but it's not a bad place to start. I'd recommend checking this one out from the library over buying it.
• Home Security: Your Guide to Protecting Your Family -- This one is from the Better Homes & Garden people, and it's got a lot of nice full-color pictures (something the Idiots' book lacks). It's pretty thorough, but it's also not the most recent publication.
• Affordable Security: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Protecting Your Home, Business, and Automobile -- This is one of the most recently published and provides good overall information.
• Think Safe: Practical Measures to Increase Security at Home, at Work, and Throughout Life -- This one falls more into the realm of personal security than just home security, but it's definitely worth reading and thinking about.

Hidden Safes

Even though I'm a firm believer in a wall- or floor-mounted safe that is secure enough no burglar will be able to swipe it or get into it, they do cost a few hundred dollars.  Many people don't have that kind of money to spend, and if you live in an apartment, you may not have the option of drilling holes into the floor to secure a safe.  This is why hidden safes are popular.

Hidden safes are pretty much what they sound like: little cubbies for your valuables that are disguised as wall outlets, jars of peanut butter, cans of cola, etc.  This article on hidden safes has more information on what your options are and where you can shop online to find these devices.

Outdoor Security Lights You Operate from the Bedroom

If you've ever heard someone or something rummaging around in your backyard or frontyard at night, you've doubtlessly wanted to see what it is, but maybe you're not keen on walking through the house in order to get to the kitchen, front door, or wherever the light switch is for your outdoor lights.  The Insteon Outdoor Safety system lets you operate your yard and porch lights from any room in the house with a tabletop controller.  If anyone is out there snooping around, turning on the lights will likely scare them away.  With this system, you can do that without even getting out of bed. 

You can get a starter kit (which includes a quick-start guide, the tabletop controller, 2 signal enhancers, and 2 SwitchLinc V2 dimmers) over at SmartHome for about $130:

Insteon Outdoor Safety Solution

When Will Biometric House Locks Be Standard?

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of keys.  It's true that you can get biometric locks (scanners that recognize your fingerprint) for your doors today, but they're pretty expensive still.  When is this technology going to come down in price, and when will it be common place?  When will we hop into our cars and tap the ignition with our thumb to start the car?  When will the front door recognize us coming with bags full of groceries and swing open automatically?

Well, Popular Science magazine had a future house feature in their most recent issue (Nov. 2006), and here's what they had to say on the topic of biometric scanners and home security:

In the year 2015...

"If you want to make sure the cable guy at your doorstep is really from the cable company, just ask him to upload his biometric data (retinal scan, vein scan, fingerprint reading, or facial-recognition data are all possible) to your home security system for on-site scanning.  As the reliability of biometric identification grows, such systems will become virtually foolproof.  Giving your neighbor a spare key to come in and take care of the cat while you're away soon won't be necessary--just enter your friend's biometric data from a card he provides, and your scanners will recognize him when he visits."

Hm, looks like we have less than 10 years to go.

Residential Safe with Fingerprint Reader

If you like the idea of a home safe but hate the idea of memorizing a combination (and remembering it months later when you decide you actually need to get into said safe), this safe could be for you.  The Denali from BioSaf has a biometric fingerprint scanner, so all you have to do is press your thumb to the reader, and the safe will pop open.  No more keys and combinations that have to be memorized.  Let's just hope no burglars have the thought of removing one of your fingers in order to use the digit to open the safe on their own... (I've watched too many science fiction movies.)

Price is $400 from BioSaf via Home Improvement.

Sturdy Window Locks

Everybody knows locking your doors is a smart idea, when you're talking home security (everybody knows; of course, that doesn't mean everybody does it), but people often forget about windows. 

Take a good look around your house from the outside.  Put yourself in the shoes of a burglar.  Think about your windows.  Do you see any open?  Are there any with loose or non-existent locks that would be easy to force open?  Don't think burglars are only going to try the front door.  A window, even a second story window, can offer them easy access. 

So, what do you do?  Make sure you have sturdy window locks.  This lock from Rocky Mountain Hardware is a good example.  The mini surface bolt is made from white bronze with solid metal parts and is available in 6" or 10" lengths.  If properly installed, it would do a good job of keeping intruders out.

Of course, you'll want to shop for window locks that fit your home decor; just make sure to buy something sturdy instead of something decorative.  And make sure you lock your windows, as well as your doors, when you leave the house!