Ask HN: Someone just tried to break into my home. Security tech recommendations?
I heard a noise that sounded like my fence swinging open and (foolhardedly) went out with a flashlight looking. This morning, I see that the screen has been pulled out from it's lining on a ground floor window. The window wasn't locked, so they could have easily gotten in. I'm struggling with what sort of measures I need to take.
11 comments
I assume your actual goal is to prevent being burglarized. Security tech is largely reactive. Why not work on proactive security first? It's not about building an impenetrable fortress, it's about not being the easiest mark in your neighborhood.
- Lock your windows and doors at all times.
- Trim back foliage that obscure windows and doors from the sidewalk.
- Ensure you have proper exterior lighting. Shadows = bad.
- Don't leave stuff like tools lying around the outsides of a house. Brooms or longish poles are great for reaching through a cat door and jimmying interior latches and deadbolts open. It's very, very easy with some practice.
- Get a dog that barks. A big dog, a little dog, whatever. Just make sure it barks (proactive alerting & will let the burglar know you aren't the "slowest in the herd").
- Get a (legitimate actual alarm company) yard sign and place it in your yard.
- If you're a gun person, avoid NRA/Glock/I'm a gun-toting bad ass stickers on your vehicles, house, etc. That suddenly makes you a more lucrative target worthy of greater risk.
- Don't leave the boxes for your new plasma TV, Mac, etc out front, visible. Maybe don't have Apple stickers on your car. That lets me know you like to spend money on gadgets that fetch high resale value.
- Get to know your neighbors. Arrange an agreement with a trusted one to keep an eye out for each other when the other is away.
- Case your own property as a burglar would. Pretend you forgot your keys.
Then, after you take care of the preventative, start looking at reactive solutions.
Source: I may or may not have been a miscreant in my youth.
- Lock your windows and doors at all times.
- Trim back foliage that obscure windows and doors from the sidewalk.
- Ensure you have proper exterior lighting. Shadows = bad.
- Don't leave stuff like tools lying around the outsides of a house. Brooms or longish poles are great for reaching through a cat door and jimmying interior latches and deadbolts open. It's very, very easy with some practice.
- Get a dog that barks. A big dog, a little dog, whatever. Just make sure it barks (proactive alerting & will let the burglar know you aren't the "slowest in the herd").
- Get a (legitimate actual alarm company) yard sign and place it in your yard.
- If you're a gun person, avoid NRA/Glock/I'm a gun-toting bad ass stickers on your vehicles, house, etc. That suddenly makes you a more lucrative target worthy of greater risk.
- Don't leave the boxes for your new plasma TV, Mac, etc out front, visible. Maybe don't have Apple stickers on your car. That lets me know you like to spend money on gadgets that fetch high resale value.
- Get to know your neighbors. Arrange an agreement with a trusted one to keep an eye out for each other when the other is away.
- Case your own property as a burglar would. Pretend you forgot your keys.
Then, after you take care of the preventative, start looking at reactive solutions.
Source: I may or may not have been a miscreant in my youth.
These are all excellent points. You can Google for more basic home security, but here are a few more off the top of my head:
- Ensure all doors and windows have locks. Patio doors should have wooden bars in the tracks preventing opening. Garage door should be treated like an exterior door.
- The strike plates for door bolts/deadbolts should be anchored with long wood screws, not the cheap screws you get in the kit. Otherwise a good kick can knock the whole plate out of the door frame.
- Have curtains or sheers in windows (esp. first floor) to prevent people from peeping/seeing valuables.
- Do not store valuables (electronics, jewelry) in plain site. If you have lots of them, get a good fireproof, waterproof safe that can be mounted in a closet (not picked up and carried away).
- If you have small windows in your doors or next to them (that could be smashed out and reached through to unlock the door), cover them with security film to prevent breakage. An alternative is a door lock that requires a key from the inside as well, but this can be a fire hazard.
- Have good home/renters insurance, that covers all your possessions, with an updated list of your major possessions.
The basic idea is that it's not practical nor really 100% possible to make your house into an impenetrable fortress, but you can make your home difficult and unappealing to break in to (at least compared to the neighbors!). This works because many breakins are quick smash-and-grabs, attacks of opportunity or desperation. People who can plan elaborate heists are naturally applying their trade to more sophisticated felonies!
- Ensure all doors and windows have locks. Patio doors should have wooden bars in the tracks preventing opening. Garage door should be treated like an exterior door.
- The strike plates for door bolts/deadbolts should be anchored with long wood screws, not the cheap screws you get in the kit. Otherwise a good kick can knock the whole plate out of the door frame.
- Have curtains or sheers in windows (esp. first floor) to prevent people from peeping/seeing valuables.
- Do not store valuables (electronics, jewelry) in plain site. If you have lots of them, get a good fireproof, waterproof safe that can be mounted in a closet (not picked up and carried away).
- If you have small windows in your doors or next to them (that could be smashed out and reached through to unlock the door), cover them with security film to prevent breakage. An alternative is a door lock that requires a key from the inside as well, but this can be a fire hazard.
- Have good home/renters insurance, that covers all your possessions, with an updated list of your major possessions.
The basic idea is that it's not practical nor really 100% possible to make your house into an impenetrable fortress, but you can make your home difficult and unappealing to break in to (at least compared to the neighbors!). This works because many breakins are quick smash-and-grabs, attacks of opportunity or desperation. People who can plan elaborate heists are naturally applying their trade to more sophisticated felonies!
I'd add
- Locking pins for windows, if you don't mind drilling them out (Check your warranty if you have new windows). Someone I know had their house broken into by just using a pry-bar on the window. It snapped the (15 year old) window lock and locking pin. If you have them, check to make sure they're in good condition.
The point about trimming foliage is true, but some people are brazen/stupid enough to go in the front window at like 3pm in the afternoon in clear view of the street (what happened to the people I know).
- Switch to keyed locks where there's glass nearby. A lot of exterior doors have glass, and if you smash the glass you can reach in and turn the lock. A keyed lock on the inside will stop that. You could also exchange your window locks for keyed window locks if you really want to, but the locking pins should be fine to deter most people.
- Locking pins for windows, if you don't mind drilling them out (Check your warranty if you have new windows). Someone I know had their house broken into by just using a pry-bar on the window. It snapped the (15 year old) window lock and locking pin. If you have them, check to make sure they're in good condition.
The point about trimming foliage is true, but some people are brazen/stupid enough to go in the front window at like 3pm in the afternoon in clear view of the street (what happened to the people I know).
- Switch to keyed locks where there's glass nearby. A lot of exterior doors have glass, and if you smash the glass you can reach in and turn the lock. A keyed lock on the inside will stop that. You could also exchange your window locks for keyed window locks if you really want to, but the locking pins should be fine to deter most people.
I'm not sure I understand the nra/glock reasoning, but other than that, makes sense.
Possessing a gun not licensed to them is a highly desirable thing for criminals.
Same reason you wouldn't advertise you have a stash of gold in the house.
The only people I know with guns are poor (possibly a coincidence). Are the guns themselves valuable enough to make confronting a gun wielding home owner worthwhile? Does saying you have a gun imply wealth? That's the part I'm not following? What is the actual reasoning?
The wealth of an individual has no bearing on the value of an item. Guns themselves are high value items. Easy to sell for several hundred dollars depending on the model.
High end guns can be sold for several thousand dollars.
More value and liquidity than a TV.
High end guns can be sold for several thousand dollars.
More value and liquidity than a TV.
Not to mention ammunition is extremely liquid. It's used as currency in some countries.
Guns are quick turnover and good cash value.
- Install a metal door frame and secure that with metal bolts into the wall that go about two hand lengths deep.
When I was at uni someone burgled my flat by expedient of kicking the door open - it was a thing you could see was going to happen even when you got there, the door frame had signs it had been kicked open before. That put a permanent stop to it. From what I've heard the next girl who lived there's never had any problem with people kicking the door down either.
- Spiky nasty bushes under the windows. People don't like standing in a bunch of thorny crap to try and climb in.
- Big motion sensitive lights, (make sure to stick them around the side too!) People like lurking. Make sure that they can't just go and lurk around the side of the house in the shadows.
Edit: Also, it might be worth seeing whether you can get some transparent security film to stick to your windows. It makes it more difficult to just smash the things and climb in.
When I was at uni someone burgled my flat by expedient of kicking the door open - it was a thing you could see was going to happen even when you got there, the door frame had signs it had been kicked open before. That put a permanent stop to it. From what I've heard the next girl who lived there's never had any problem with people kicking the door down either.
- Spiky nasty bushes under the windows. People don't like standing in a bunch of thorny crap to try and climb in.
- Big motion sensitive lights, (make sure to stick them around the side too!) People like lurking. Make sure that they can't just go and lurk around the side of the house in the shadows.
Edit: Also, it might be worth seeing whether you can get some transparent security film to stick to your windows. It makes it more difficult to just smash the things and climb in.
3M Security Film (it's the real deal - see demo video posted on YouTube):
http://youtu.be/vYdVK3BqPfk
You could do some basic stuff like motion sensing floodlights, and leaving a light or two on at night inside the house (on a timer).
I've always been curious if one of these fake tv things would be any good.
http://www.faketv.com/
I've always been curious if one of these fake tv things would be any good.
http://www.faketv.com/
I've considered DropCam[1] for just the same reason in the past. There are quite a few less expensive cameras available, with night vision even, that support archival/streaming to mobile devices.
[1]: https://www.dropcam.com/A dog.
Upvoted, but please consider that those breeds most associated with protective tendencies are high-maintenance.
I am an experienced dog owner and currently have a super-intelligent and high-drive dog. But she's not a pet. Can't be allowed loose with the kids unsupervised. Has strong fear-bite drive. Is a "one-person" dog (although she has bonded with 3 or 4 adults).
If anybody is interested, I can probably provide more info or pointers, but in general, I think a good rule is to equate protective dog breeds with firearms. It's that big of a deal.
I am an experienced dog owner and currently have a super-intelligent and high-drive dog. But she's not a pet. Can't be allowed loose with the kids unsupervised. Has strong fear-bite drive. Is a "one-person" dog (although she has bonded with 3 or 4 adults).
If anybody is interested, I can probably provide more info or pointers, but in general, I think a good rule is to equate protective dog breeds with firearms. It's that big of a deal.
No argument here, but I think the delta between a dog and a watchdog is much smaller than the delta between dog and no dog, if what you're worried about is preventing intruders. I believe that the overwhelming majority of burglaries are opportunistic, and a dog that barks is going to be pretty much sufficient to send the thief down to the next house.
The dog doesn't have to eat the person just make a ton of noise.
This. I'll always feel safer with a dog I trust than any technological protection/deterrent. Well apart from the yappy ones rich women carry in bags...
Someone care to explain the flagging? A dog is a perfectly good addition to home security and personal security. They will serve you much better during an actual situation than gadgets you have lying around...
Or did I offend the owner of a handbag dog?
Or did I offend the owner of a handbag dog?
If you are going to get a dog, for security primarily, you need a PPD, (personal protection dog). They cost around $35,000 for a proper one. And you will have a friend for life when it is not in "guard mode".
The downside: have to speak to it in German/Dutch.
The downside: have to speak to it in German/Dutch.
Pre: Locks, security stickers on the windows, barking dogs, good lighting, fake or real visible cameras.
During: security system that calls police. Fire arm (last resort).
Post: hidden cameras so you have a record of what happened.
During: security system that calls police. Fire arm (last resort).
Post: hidden cameras so you have a record of what happened.
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