View Full Version : Home Security
The Reaper
08-06-2013, 17:49
How do you plan to secure and defend your home?
If you follow the adage of "deter, detect, delay, and defeat," how would you accomplish this?
Deter - House sits well back from the road on a hill, gravel drive, not much in the front yard, no obvious signs of wealth. Video surveillance camera by driveway entrance and video warning sign. Bright exterior floodlighting on just two switches covers most of the property, and all entrances/exits. Automatic dusk till dawn exterior lighting of entrances. Plan to add remote IR lighting for cameras and night vision. Selected interior lights left on at night and others are on timers. TV or radio on during day and most of the night. Thorny plants under windows. No ladders stored outside. Windows above basement level too tall to climb. All exterior doors locked but one, that one locked when I am not home. Chain and cable secure gate periodically. Garage is closed and doors locked automatically if we are not in it working. Front entrance requires a climb of more than 20 steps. Alarm monitoring signs by all entrances. Garage and main entrance are on back of house out of view from the street. Shrubbery kept trimmed below level of windows.
Detect - Driveway and blind spots covered by annunciators. Video surveillance wired into home TVs. Major views cover likely avenues of approach. Alarm system on all exterior doors and windows, set to chime when door or window opened. Gravel drive noisy to climb. Driveway passes by bedroom windows. Dog barks when outside noises heard.
Delay - Slow driving on gravel drive and two significant drainages create natural speed bumps, both easily covered from above from most of the front of the house, including Master BR. House is well off the road. Doors and windows locked. Windows are casement. Exterior doors are steel or fiberglass with 3" screws in hinges and bolt hardware. Frames are reinforced. Plan to add pockets for 2x6 door bars on steel doors. Deadbolt throws are boxed. Doors with glass have double cylinder deadbolts. Front door requires significant climb, enters into sunroom with locked and deadbolted interior doors into house. Main entrance is up several steps and could represent an excellent trap. Need portcullis though. Interior doors are 8-0 solid core and critical ones are secured with keyed locks. Frames are reinforced with double or triple studs. Multiple interior routes of defense, delay, and withdrawal or attack. Access to any bedroom requires breaching at least two or more locked doors. Valuables are secured in safes and secure areas. Garage doors lock automatically with deadbolts. No burglary tools left outside. Family briefed and drilled on emergency plan. Fire extinguishers and emergency flashlights in likely areas. Vehicles are locked, and no handheld remotes are left in cars.
Defend - Owner and family members well-armed and trained with a variety of weapons, including firearms. Good 360 degree fields of fire. Brick exterior. Need mouseholes, but the wife won't let me install them. Yet. Would like larger, more aggressive dog. Hardened interior structures for cover. I'll just leave it at that and save a few surprises.
Thoughts?
TR
Streck-Fu
08-06-2013, 18:21
EDITED: I entered this thread from the New Posts search and did not catch that it was in the SF Fieldcraft forum until posting. Please remove if inappropriate for me to post here.
Typical suburban matchstick and vinyl house on a corner lot.
Deter:
No signs of wealth. 2 dogs that bark to include a proper German import GSD that greets every doorbell ring (UPS and FedEx stopped knocking long ago).
We keep the yard post light on and lights by the garage are on for 8 hours after sunset (9pm most of the summer). Impact resistant glass for the windows. No alarm but sign for one near the front entrance. Thorny rose bushes near front windows and trimmed low. 6ft privacy fence out back.
Detect:
Master bedroom looks out to unobstructed front yard, entrance, and driveway. And dogs add to detect by barking at odd sounds (ask the neighbors teenage kids about coming home after midnight). Entire back yard visible from my son's room next ours.
Defend: If they get in, the first floor can be theirs. Stairway is narrow and enclosed creating a fatal funnel for anyone coming up. Defensive position is top of the stairs covering down with rifle and back up hand gun. Wife corrals kids into master bedroom, calls in the reaction force, and defends if necessary with own weapons.
Not perfect but what we have to work with....
How about razor wire and claymores? In all seriousness, TR, I can't think of anything you've left out. With what you've described, looks pretty darn secure!
The Reaper
08-06-2013, 18:34
How about razor wire and claymores? In all seriousness, TR, I can't think of anything you've left out. With what you've described, looks pretty darn secure!
I have a low double silt fence remaining around the front yard left over from construction.
I cut the fabric down, but the 24-36" of picketed hogwire left behind is a real PITA at night if you don't know where it is. Razor wire would be nice but I am told it is cosmetically unattractive and will reduce my curb appeal.
Tanglefoot in high grass would be much better. A couple hundred rolls of razor wire might attract attention.
Claymores are illegal and I don't have any. A couple of days without rule of law, and I might remember a helpful chemistry class though.
Lest you get the wrong impression, I like people just fine, when I invite them.
And no problem posting on this thread. This forum just seemd to be one of the more tactical ones.
TR
Deter/Defense:
I have thought about this one before from a more out of the box "mad scientist" perspective. What if you took apart a couple of high power microwaves and placed the microwave emitting isolators on old parabolas, something along the line of a one meter direct TV dish. Then used the dishes to surround the property with crossing lanes of fire. The only troubles I could imagine is a good power source with good backup. The power source would need to be heavily defended or self sustaining in case someone realized its weakness.
Finally, making sure there is no rear and side lobe emission from the devices. Or at least keeping the home dwelling away from the high power band.
If you had some wild beasts nearby, or just happen to be under siege by some Wiley " marauders", it would sure keep them back for awhile. I know it sounds like fantasy, but it would really not be all that difficult to do. As far as I know, I would think it would take awhile for someone to really legally care about it...DOE or maybe FCC if it caused jamming issues. Technically though, you could get a license for the system from the FCC. I know people locally that have some pretty powerful radar systems for hobby.
As a disclaimer, I swear I am not some nut case. I have just spent way too much time on shift considering the "spectrum" in my job field. ;)
What about 3m security film over exterior windows? I don't have first hand experience but I have read good things about it.
Also, depending on length of driveway, a hidden motion alarm that signals to your bedroom if someone is coming up the drive might be worthwhile.
My in-laws have that and they can then open up there security camera monitor and see who is coming up the lane. A little bit discreet early warning.
The Reaper
08-06-2013, 20:58
What about 3m security film over exterior windows? I don't have first hand experience but I have read good things about it.
Also, depending on length of driveway, a hidden motion alarm that signals to your bedroom if someone is coming up the drive might be worthwhile.
My in-laws have that and they can then open up there security camera monitor and see who is coming up the lane. A little bit discreet early warning.
Too many windows, so too much money right now.
That is what a driveway annunciator is. A wireless alert motion sensor with a chime in the house. You can put them pretty much anywhere and they will chime to let you know something warm is moving. I have a couple of them here.
TR
Ghost_Team
08-06-2013, 21:02
I live in an apartment. Entrance is on the ground level into a foyer. The main apartment is located on the second floor. You come in, and then up the stairs you go. What sold me on it is that there is a deck immediately to one side of the main entrance. Either the wife or I can come out onto the deck and look down and converse with whoever is knocking. We never have to go near the door to see who is here.
Too many windows, so too much money right now.
That is what a driveway annunciator is. A wireless alert motion sensor with a chime in the house. You can put them pretty much anywhere and they will chime to let you know something warm is moving. I have a couple of them here.
TR
Apologies, did not realize.
Old Dog New Trick
08-07-2013, 00:15
TR, you obviously have a strong position (location) in which to prepare so well. I can't see if you stated multi-story or just elevated entry but do you and family have an adequate escape plan from multiple locations. If not just the need to escape fire but a tactical entry team of the good or bad guys and rally points inside/outside?
I've done as well as possible with a congested residential house, just making mine the hard target: go somewhere else.
My video and alert system (annunciatiors) are wired to smart phone (text messaging) and wireless devices for remote viewing activation of audible alerts (alarms) and can pull up day/night cameras anywhere with at least 3G service (4G/LTE better real time.) (It's my system no paid monitoring service)
I do like the idea of reinforced window film and have considered as next step in progress.
Sounds like a fantastic set up TR, good stuff. I don't have a spread like that to reinforce, but here is what I have so far (just moved in 3 months ago):
Deter: Unassuming house among other houses (which are too close together but separated by fencing). I don't have many options for deterrence.
Detect: I took a page out of hajji's playbook and made some pressure plates of sorts (crush wire) that send it's signal to a wireless doorbell receiver, waterproofed them and set them up in both common and random areas around the exterior of the house. Cheap and effective. I would love to set up video surveillance, but we cannot afford it yet.
Delay: Not many options here either, but there is only one way in, and one way out of town (very small town).
Defend: The wife and I are equipped with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and "tools" to render multiple attackers useless quickly.
I read..I like...
I replaced the rear door with a metal one and the front door with a composite. Both the front and rear , I have reinforced the door jams with a metal dual lock plate. 7" screws now hold the doors in there frames. On the inside I screwed in a metal plate that is 3" wide, 12" long, 1/4" thick, over were the bolts of the locks slide in. Harder to just kick in.
Doors stay lock always, got the kids and wife doing that also. Lights are on at night outside in the hallway to the front door and in the yard.
Doors are alarmed at night.
SA all of the time..I am a nosy fuck when is comes to cars around my place.
I sleep good at night.... :D
Go Devil
08-07-2013, 06:31
Cultivating a hedge of Bristly Greenbrier below windows and around choke points will prove effective.
Natural razor wire.
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=575
Reinforced door jambs with hinge plates at main entries or a door bar can slow dynamic entry.
Sand filled stud spaces around defendable areas.
Sheltered egress should situation go further south.
Windows??
The new standard for wind storm windows & doors may be an alternate or augmenter to the home security system. We had storm shutters in the Keys, But some of the neighbors had the new stuff and I can attest to their robustness. The windows must be able to withstand more than a guy with a sledge hammer. Not bullet proof, but a real good deterrent.. Because of the added weight of the units, the higher wind load, there is a need to re-think door & window framing. I think the min is double 2x6's for the king/jack & header studs. They also use longer nail/screws with smaller intervals.
http://www.floridadisaster.org/hrg/content/openings/debris_impact_standards.asp
Razor Wire??
You need to be a little careful with overt un-manned force.. Most jurisdictions do not think bobby traps are with-in the SYG legal limits..
Claymores are OK if labeled in at least 5 languages.. :D
Lights??
Homes in the Keys are built on small lots. Ours was 90 x 100, most are 60 x 100,, SMALL and on a 60ft wide canal.. Our neighbor wanted to setup proximity lights on his dock and front yard. We had had a rash of water borne threats. Guys were rowing up the canals and unbolting lowers of the engine. With battery operated hammer drills,, "gone in 60t's seconds". It's a quick way to make 2K+ a pop.
Anyway,, we also have deer, chickens, Gambian rats, and big iguanas in the 'hood'. By the end of the 1st week, he tore all the lights out. His wife (AND NEIGHBORS) were not happy about 100K flood lights flashing on/off every 30 minutes. He could not get the sensitivity set low enough for chickens & rats..
He ended up using proximity sensors that beeped in the house. Still had sensitivity problems,, but only in his bedroom.. Everyone else was very very happy.. :D
69harley
08-07-2013, 08:00
Might want to consider securing the DVR for the video system and its back up power sourse. You also mentioned the security cameras are wired into the televisions, thats good. Can the default on your TVs be set to the security system so that when they are turned on (bump in the night) they automatically go to the feed from the security system?
Back to the security of the DVR and back up batteries. A good technique is to power the DVR from a car battery that is connected to a maintainer. If the power to the house is cut, the cameras and the DVR will still run for over a awhile.
Secure the DVR, battery and maintainer inside a gun safe. If not, when the bad guys do get inside the house they could just take the DVR.
Many security systems are still using coper phone lines for reporting, newer systems use wireless modems for reporting. Again, thinking of the smart bad guys that cut power to the house and phone lines.
The hasp on the shed in my back yard has been electrified. Some puks broke into it a couple of times when I first moved in. Second time my cameras capture very clear images of the two hoodlums. The Fayetteville police didn't want the imagery. After that I electrified the hasp from the inside. A switch in the garage shuts it off. Family has been briefed. Since electrifying that hasp over eight years ago, not a single successfull break in has occured. I used a transformer for a horse corral fence. Not sure of the legality, but it seems to work very well.
Roguish Lawyer
08-07-2013, 08:02
How do you plan to secure and defend your home?
If you follow the adage of "deter, detect, delay, and defeat," how would you accomplish this?
Deter - House sits well back from the road on a hill, gravel drive, not much in the front yard, no obvious signs of wealth. Video surveillance camera by driveway entrance and video warning sign. Bright exterior floodlighting on just two switches covers most of the property, and all entrances/exits. Automatic dusk till dawn exterior lighting of entrances. Plan to add remote IR lighting for cameras and night vision. Selected interior lights left on at night and others are on timers. TV or radio on during day and most of the night. Thorny plants under windows. No ladders stored outside. Windows above basement level too tall to climb. All exterior doors locked but one, that one locked when I am not home. Chain and cable secure gate periodically. Garage is closed and doors locked automatically if we are not in it working. Front entrance requires a climb of more than 20 steps. Alarm monitoring signs by all entrances. Garage and main entrance are on back of house out of view from the street. Shrubbery kept trimmed below level of windows.
Detect - Driveway and blind spots covered by annunciators. Video surveillance wired into home TVs. Major views cover likely avenues of approach. Alarm system on all exterior doors and windows, set to chime when door or window opened. Gravel drive noisy to climb. Driveway passes by bedroom windows. Dog barks when outside noises heard.
Delay - Slow driving on gravel drive and two significant drainages create natural speed bumps, both easily covered from above from most of the front of the house, including Master BR. House is well off the road. Doors and windows locked. Windows are casement. Exterior doors are steel or fiberglass with 3" screws in hinges and bolt hardware. Frames are reinforced. Plan to add pockets for 2x6 door bars on steel doors. Deadbolt throws are boxed. Doors with glass have double cylinder deadbolts. Front door requires significant climb, enters into sunroom with locked and deadbolted interior doors into house. Main entrance is up several steps and could represent an excellent trap. Need portcullis though. Interior doors are 8-0 solid core and critical ones are secured with keyed locks. Frames are reinforced with double or triple studs. Multiple interior routes of defense, delay, and withdrawal or attack. Access to any bedroom requires breaching at least two or more locked doors. Valuables are secured in safes and secure areas. Garage doors lock automatically with deadbolts. No burglary tools left outside. Family briefed and drilled on emergency plan. Fire extinguishers and emergency flashlights in likely areas. Vehicles are locked, and no handheld remotes are left in cars.
Defend - Owner and family members well-armed and trained with a variety of weapons, including firearms. Good 360 degree fields of fire. Brick exterior. Need mouseholes, but the wife won't let me install them. Yet. Would like larger, more aggressive dog. Hardened interior structures for cover. I'll just leave it at that and save a few surprises.
Thoughts?
TR
You already know what I'm going to say, so we'll keep it between us, LMAO!
swatsurgeon
08-07-2013, 14:00
Need the house set up from 'I am Legend'
You already know what I'm going to say, so we'll keep it between us, LMAO!
I just got back from the vet with my 8.5 month old female Rottweiler. She's 71 lbs now and has a nice DEEP bark. Unfortunately she's just too big to keep inside so I purchased a nice 8ft x 24 ft galvanized covered kennel with a 2" raised floor. I'll eventually put down concrete on 2/3 of the kennel.
If anyone is looking for a nice kennel these guys have good stuff.
I decided to go with the pro version since it's galvanized.
http://www.k9kennelstore.com/
mark46th
08-07-2013, 16:27
I have 3 Westies that can hear a mouse fart at the far end of the house, find it and kill it in utter darkness. Their back up is a naked old guy with a .45 and a flashlight....
I have 3 Westies that can hear a mouse fart at the far end of the house, find it and kill it in utter darkness. Their back up is a naked old guy with a .45 and a flashlight....
Now that's a picture I won't be able to get out of my head for a few days. :eek:
My eyes hurt thinking about those poor Westies.. :D
The Reaper
08-07-2013, 18:23
Good feedback guys, and a few new tricks to consider.
TR, you obviously have a strong position (location) in which to prepare so well. I can't see if you stated multi-story or just elevated entry but do you and family have an adequate escape plan from multiple locations. If not just the need to escape fire but a tactical entry team of the good or bad guys and rally points inside/outside?
We have a full basement and a loft upstairs from the main level.
There are multiple exits (including instructions on when to open the windows, and when to break them out) and an assembly plan with rally points.
Might want to consider securing the DVR for the video system and its back up power sourse. You also mentioned the security cameras are wired into the televisions, thats good. Can the default on your TVs be set to the security system so that when they are turned on (bump in the night) they automatically go to the feed from the security system?
Back to the security of the DVR and back up batteries. A good technique is to power the DVR from a car battery that is connected to a maintainer. If the power to the house is cut, the cameras and the DVR will still run for over a awhile.
Secure the DVR, battery and maintainer inside a gun safe. If not, when the bad guys do get inside the house they could just take the DVR.
The DVR is in a locked area, and is on the list to move into an even more secure area. We have back-up power, and battery back-ups to that for the DVR, surveillance, and security systems. Good points, thanks.
I could use a security / cable / TV / wireless expert though. :D
You already know what I'm going to say, so we'll keep it between us, LMAO!
Oh, is that how it is going to be?
Next time, my wife's pot-bellied beagle gets first dibs at your chow.
TR
PedOncoDoc
08-08-2013, 04:37
Their back up is a naked old guy with a .45 and a flashlight....
Kind of a wierd back up plan - where do you keep him and what do you feed him? :D
frostfire
08-09-2013, 08:44
Deter - House sits well back from the road on a hill, gravel drive, not much in the front yard, no obvious signs of wealth. Video surveillance camera by driveway entrance and video warning sign. Bright exterior floodlighting on just two switches covers most of the property, and all entrances/exits.
not to belabor the obvious, but I recall growing up seeing the upclass houses having cameras. Everyone in the neighborhood saw those cameras as sign of wealth.
I like the idea of deterrence of another plain jane structure with obvious wealthy-showing, bourgeois-lifestyle neighbors in close proximity ;)
This has been a VERY informative thread and I thank you all for contributing your methods. My wife and I have recently moved into an apartment complex and the area appears to be okay, but I would like to take a few measures to better secure our unit.
Thinking sensors on the doors and windows, a motion sensor inside and the capability to connect those devices to my cell phone, would be a good start.
Are there any recommendations on products and/or where to buy home security products?
Also, if anyone knows of a reliable home security company in the San Antonio area, it would be much appreciated.
Milon
MiTTMedic
08-14-2013, 12:39
"Also, if anyone knows of a reliable home security company in the San Antonio area, it would be much appreciated."
I had a pretty cool ADT installer. Hooked me up some different kinds of sensors, etc. 1-week alarm battery backup, and the alarm is monitored via wireless. Ask them to come up with some creative applications.
When I taught perimeter security systems at Ft. Huachuca, many moons ago, we had IR, seismic, pressure, acoustic, motion, and buried magnetic detectors. We found that the magnetic detectors were 99.99% percent effective at detecting humans, the other detectors were often set off by wild animals. Only humans, and some domestic animals (shod horses and collared dogs), carry metal that set off the magnetic detectors. This would be my first choice, here, but I can't find a reasonably priced system.
Being 100% off-grid we can't use security lights (I don't like them anyway because they limit my view to the edge of the light pool).
Close in, I'm counting on the avatar dog, but Akita's don't bark unless they want something so I'm not sure how effective he'd be. He does "woof" when someone drives onto the property, but I'm not sure that it would wake me. (My wife says an artillery barrage wouldn't wake me. She's probably right, her snoring doesn't. :D)
One thing I've learned from the long-time locals is that locking a gate invites intruders as they think that you will be gone for a long time. We were gone 2 weeks over Thanksgiving and didn't lock the gate...or the front door. No problem.
Pat
69harley
08-17-2013, 14:17
Are there any recommendations on products and/or where to buy home security products?
Super Circuits is sort of the Wall Mart of video security systems. Their stuff is OK, for higher end cameras look at Watec for the camera and Computar for the lenses.
Watec has some new cameras, like the 910HX, that in my experience see better in low light than most green tubes.
QP TR et. al., thanks for posts, this is a very informative thread!
Some random thoughts:
Gadspot has some good cameras as well, especially their SmartIR series(the IR intensity dynamically adjusts as objects/people approach in order to prevent the bloom effect). I have some Vonnic cameras which are pretty solid as well, Sony ExView chipsets with an Effio DSP. DVR is custom built, Foxconn net-top running Linux/Zoneminder with USB capture devices in a secure location. I would generally avoid wireless if possible as it is easy to both jam and intercept, i.e. a simple deauth attach against A/B/G/N can render your cameras useless for the duration of the attack, if the intruders were so technically inclined.
As for alarm motion sensors, look for ones that use both PIR and radar(bear in mind that if you use wireless in the 5 GHz(802.11a) range, these could interfere). PIR alone can be defeated by changing the ambient room temperature(warm water under the door) etc. As for power, mine is trenched, and the phone line runs into the attic, making it difficult to cut.
I am set back from the street(4 houses built on a split lot - what used to be a single lot - with a driveway in the middle), with my garage sitting before the house, dusk to dawn PIR with 100watt floods have full coverage of that approach. Around the perimeter, I have solar powered LED floods combined with standard PIR dusk to dawn PIR units.
Considering wiring the sprinkler system to a motion sensing unit for deterrence(it is already controlled by an embedded system - NetDuino).
I am considering security film for my sliding and front door(has those fake stained glass panels :mad:). Does anyone have experience with this?
My .02
FlagDayNCO
08-22-2013, 11:06
We had security film installed on a few of the locations we work with. Key to the security film working is understanding what it can and cannot do.
A true secure installation requires the replacement of the frame and the walls around the new window. Looks kind of silly that the window is mostly intact, laying on the ground, while there are huge holes from a sledge hammer and pry bar where the window frame used to be.
You also have to check local regulations, as some places prohibit their use in the name of fire safety. NYC has a very extensive building fire safety code.
On top of all this is the cost. The cost of installation will be several times the value of the home contents. You also have to use installers certified by the manufacturer.
We also discovered that one residence insurance policy included changes to the policy, in effect stating that if the enhanced measures failed, the carrier would not cover the loss. They also questioned the ability of fire rescue personnel to enter the domicile, if this window film was installed. This, in turn, led to a very robust fire detection, suppression and alarm system.
For the average home owner, the costs and limitations may far outweigh the perceived benefit.
May as well buy an old savings bank building or National Guard Armory.
The Reaper
08-22-2013, 17:12
I agree, it is very pricey and has some secondary effects that people may not want.
The only places I have ever seen it used is on windows of US Government buildings. I have never seen a residential application, but I suppose if you had the money, it could be done.
Personally, I wonder if a specific type of window tint or an automotive clear bra material would work to some lesser degree.
TR
mark46th
08-22-2013, 18:07
"Kind of a wierd back up plan - where do you keep him and what do you feed him?" Pedoncdoc
He tends to keep to himself and is partial to Jack Tacos and pastrami sandwiches from 'The Hat'. Pure health food.
Entire post
Thanks for the informative response. I am primarily looking at the cheaper commercial/residential films, like this (http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Residential/Safety-Security_Window_Films/). The purpose would be to buy time on what I see are the paths of least resistance: the windows in my front door(the door itself is another story) and my sliding doors.
If not the window itself, a screen/storm window is an easy place for additional security.
"Back on the farm", I had the external screw-on storm windows in heavy frames. To assist in preventing the entry of flying objects, ( and roaming shitheads) I included hardware cloth on the inside surface. Screws that require an uncommon screwdriver tip are available and cheap.
Modern, thin-framed screen windows can generally be removed with a pry-bar or screwdriver from outside. However if pinned from the inside along both left and right, and incorporating some good-looking black vinyl-coated hardware cloth as well as the black screen, they are a serious impediment unless someone comes equipped with bolt cutters.
And HH6 likes the fact that they look "distinctive". :)
Golf1echo
08-28-2013, 22:18
Could not find this info in a search so I have two questions that relate to this thread. I am trying to secure 4 remote cabins with cameras and alarms. Only one has power and none currently have phone lines. I purchased a trail cam and so far am impressed with it... Mostly. It puts out a red beam indicating its zone of coverage, this is no good as I am interested primarily in human activity and that gives camera location away at night and in low light conditions, any available that don't do that? Also curious about other ways to monitor and control any devices. Looking for near and long term solutions?
dollarbill
08-29-2013, 15:21
How do you plan to secure and defend your home?
If you follow the adage of "deter, detect, delay, and defeat," how would you accomplish this?
Deter - House sits well back from the road on a hill, gravel drive, not much in the front yard, no obvious signs of wealth. Video surveillance camera by driveway entrance and video warning sign. Bright exterior floodlighting on just two switches covers most of the property, and all entrances/exits. Automatic dusk till dawn exterior lighting of entrances. Plan to add remote IR lighting for cameras and night vision. Selected interior lights left on at night and others are on timers. TV or radio on during day and most of the night. Thorny plants under windows. No ladders stored outside. Windows above basement level too tall to climb. All exterior doors locked but one, that one locked when I am not home. Chain and cable secure gate periodically. Garage is closed and doors locked automatically if we are not in it working. Front entrance requires a climb of more than 20 steps. Alarm monitoring signs by all entrances. Garage and main entrance are on back of house out of view from the street. Shrubbery kept trimmed below level of windows.
Detect - Driveway and blind spots covered by annunciators. Video surveillance wired into home TVs. Major views cover likely avenues of approach. Alarm system on all exterior doors and windows, set to chime when door or window opened. Gravel drive noisy to climb. Driveway passes by bedroom windows. Dog barks when outside noises heard.
Delay - Slow driving on gravel drive and two significant drainages create natural speed bumps, both easily covered from above from most of the front of the house, including Master BR. House is well off the road. Doors and windows locked. Windows are casement. Exterior doors are steel or fiberglass with 3" screws in hinges and bolt hardware. Frames are reinforced. Plan to add pockets for 2x6 door bars on steel doors. Deadbolt throws are boxed. Doors with glass have double cylinder deadbolts. Front door requires significant climb, enters into sunroom with locked and deadbolted interior doors into house. Main entrance is up several steps and could represent an excellent trap. Need portcullis though. Interior doors are 8-0 solid core and critical ones are secured with keyed locks. Frames are reinforced with double or triple studs. Multiple interior routes of defense, delay, and withdrawal or attack. Access to any bedroom requires breaching at least two or more locked doors. Valuables are secured in safes and secure areas. Garage doors lock automatically with deadbolts. No burglary tools left outside. Family briefed and drilled on emergency plan. Fire extinguishers and emergency flashlights in likely areas. Vehicles are locked, and no handheld remotes are left in cars.
Defend - Owner and family members well-armed and trained with a variety of weapons, including firearms. Good 360 degree fields of fire. Brick exterior. Need mouseholes, but the wife won't let me install them. Yet. Would like larger, more aggressive dog. Hardened interior structures for cover. I'll just leave it at that and save a few surprises.
Thoughts?
TR
Not sure if the house has two or more floors. If so would consider some type of rope ladder, just in case you needed to get out from upstairs. The only other thing I can think of is a Joya Dr Nicaragua, and enjoy what you've accomplished.
Oldrotorhead
08-29-2013, 16:10
Could not find this info in a search so I have two questions that relate to this thread. I am trying to secure 4 remote cabins with cameras and alarms. Only one has power and none currently have phone lines. I purchased a trail cam and so far am impressed with it... Mostly. It puts out a red beam indicating its zone of coverage, this is no good as I am interested primarily in human activity and that gives camera location away at night and in low light conditions, any available that don't do that? Also curious about other ways to monitor and control any devices. Looking for near and long term solutions?
4 cameras took about one minute.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2012/08/4-new-trail-cameras-take-photos-without-spooking-game
Golf1echo
08-29-2013, 21:09
4 cameras took about one minute.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2012/08/4-new-trail-cameras-take-photos-without-spooking-game
Thank you sir, it was if you said " Inbound", if you only knew the half of it. Open invite any time. I see there are many options out there, the title of the article has given me an idea. I think I will use the camera I purchased for bait. W/others in over watch for starters. The nice thing about X-Traing is it teaches you to dig deep and broad...thank you.
Thanks all for the pro tips. The one thing I have found that helps is having a dog that is trained to only bark when someone enters the property. That way I always know that when I hear her bark there's someone inbound. Too many dogs just bark and carry on just because someone is walking down the street. Another thing I do is to train my dog to only eat what I put in front of her, high probability of not being baited that way.
That is what a driveway annunciator is.
Are these IR visible? If not which brand?
The Reaper
08-30-2013, 19:44
Are these IR visible? If not which brand?
Passive Infra-Red.
TR
Passive Infra-Red.
TR
Thank you Sir
This may or not be needed to be another thread, if so please move.
For those who have family members who are at home when they arrive (or at home when family arrives).
If you (or spouse/child) were arriving home and they were under duress from goblin (rapist/robber/criminal scum) is there some indicator or plan in place so that they could have an armed response?
Sample scenario: I am walking to my apartment from vehicle and due to lack of situational awareness and/or being unarmed coming from post are taken hostage by scum, then forced to my apartment door where I have to signal to my wife to respond quickly with arms to repel invaders.
Possible plan call a different woman's name loudly when I get home...That's about as far as I have gotten...or go to someone else's door, though not exactly an ideal or ethical solution either.
I generally just consider this a shit sandwich anyway that you slice it, and that you should take steps to prevent this from happening.
The likelihood of this scenario is low, but the consequences would be catastrophic...I'm interested in others thoughts on the subject.
Sounds strange, but get geese to keep in your fenced in yard. They will squak and make a racket anytime some comes into there area. (Mtn Goat: remember them in our first house in Kosovo?)
I always wanted to do this at our house in NC: In the back of the house along the back fence put in a roll of triple strand concertina. Then plant black berry bushes right in the middle of them. It will take a couple of years for the black berry bushes to fill out, but when they do the wire will be completely hidden and it will just look like a big row of bushes plus you get delicious berries every year.
Plus the thought of a burglar getting surprised and trying to run through them makes me laugh.
I always wanted to do this at our house in NC: In the back of the house along the back fence put in a roll of triple strand concertina. Then plant black berry bushes right in the middle of them. It will take a couple of years for the black berry bushes to fill out, but when they do the wire will be completely hidden and it will just look like a big row of bushes plus you get delicious berries every year.
Plus the thought of a burglar getting surprised and trying to run through them makes me laugh.
I've done exactly this ^^^ around a small apple orchard that offers concealment too close to my home. I think your estimate of two years for the blackberry bushes filling out is spot on, mine will be that old next spring. I staked down the concertina using rebar U's and hog clipped a strand of barbed wire across the top--used widely spaced t-posts but they probably weren't needed, the blackberry canes grew fast and lent support. Be prepared for a lot of suckers popping up as far as six feet from your hedgerow. Pretty invasive but mowing controls them.
What I'd like to do is mount some 12v auto headlights below grade pointing vertically and use those indestructible metal washroom mirrors to reflect the light where I want it to go. The mirrors are thin enough that bullets wouldn't get deflected into the lights, I think, but I'd have to test that first. Ideally I could make these things aim-able. The biggest gotcha I can think of is high winds. Any other flaws that y'all can think of?
I've done exactly this ^^^ around a small apple orchard that offers concealment too close to my home. I think your estimate of two years for the blackberry bushes filling out is spot on, mine will be that old next spring. I staked down the concertina using rebar U's and hog clipped a strand of barbed wire across the top--used widely spaced t-posts but they probably weren't needed, the blackberry canes grew fast and lent support. Be prepared for a lot of suckers popping up as far as six feet from your hedgerow. Pretty invasive but mowing controls them.
I'd love to see some pictures of how it looks now.
Will do, next time I'm up there.
A man's castle...
http://www.viralnova.com/zombie-house/
That is awesome Richard, only issue is what happens if there is no electricity i.e. grid down, EMP.
I am looking at something like this...http://formworksbuilding.com/. Look at the photo gallery and see some of their houses and plans, and if you are on Facebook, they have a page with a lot more pictures.
I am looking at something like this...http://formworksbuilding.com/.
Them are very cool houses, wonder how they compare price wise to conventional builds...
The biggest issue for us is with a new dog.
We lost the world's most awesome Rottweiller last year and have replaced him with a "Mastweiler". A cross between purebred Rottie and Mastiff.
A great dog so far, and he is REALLY topping out his training classes, except I think he is WAY too food motivated(probably why he has topped his training).
Our Rottie would eat a stranger before eating food from a stranger, the new dog is a bit sketchy in that regard.
Any top tips to try to get a food motivated dog to NOT eat food offered by strangers?
The Reaper
01-10-2014, 18:21
I had a Rottie that thought people showing up at the door were there to make friends with him.
When I called the kennel he came from, they said to have a friend come by the house and ring the doorbell. When I answered the door and the dog stuck his nose out, the friend should whack the dog on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper and run away.
No lie, we only had to do that twice, and that dog was ready for some payback anytime someone showed up at the door, even years later.
He probably topped out around 120 pounds, and the charge and noise he made ensured that anyone coming around out hose knew a big, pissed off dog lived there.
Maybe the answer for you is something similar, where the stranger offers food, and then whacks him with a paper (obviously with you anchoring the leash). Might make him skittish of people offering food, I would just be concerned that he become aggressive toward all strangers.
Just my .02.
TR
The biggest issue for us is with a new dog.
We lost the world's most awesome Rottweiller last year and have replaced him with a "Mastweiler". A cross between purebred Rottie and Mastiff.
A great dog so far, and he is REALLY topping out his training classes, except I think he is WAY too food motivated(probably why he has topped his training).
Our Rottie would eat a stranger before eating food from a stranger, the new dog is a bit sketchy in that regard.
Any top tips to try to get a food motivated dog to NOT eat food offered by strangers?
Have you taught him not to eat "found" food on the ground or out of the trash? Basically, it just a voice command. "No" if he goes after it and, when you feed him a meal, make him sit and wait for you to give him an "OK", command. Do that with all food sources, treats or meals. When I was training my avatar dog, I even had him give me his paw before he got the OK command. Akita's are a distant cousin to Mastiffs and are a stubborn breed. I suspect the Mastiff is, too.
Good luck.
Also, check out sound (clicker) and remote (e-collar) training. We used an e-collar to train ours to not go under a barbed wire (or any) fence, without a "GO" or "OK" command.
Pat
Reaper that's funny but right.
Think reward/reinforce good behavior, bad behavior not fun or pleasant. For some good dogs just a word or sound in the right tone gets the message across pretty quick. After the paper thing only allow the dog near yourself and family - don't let anyone else become friendly with it.
A good professional trainer can show you how to teach your dog a command which allows him to eat. Caveat is the dog...some aren't as trainable as others. The guy (here in AZ) whom trained the Doberman Gang/AF Dogs trained me how to control/train two border terriers, not an easy endeavor.
I'm a Schnauzer fan but have had a well trained doberman from germany that was great too - too bad my german sucks :D
Your Post
TR
Both funny and effective.
Our last Rottie was perfect for home defense. He was like a puppy to folks we invited into the house and introduced to him. Everyone else, he went wererottie.
The new one is still quite young(8 months) and trainable, but we want to be careful in how we approach training him out of accepting food from strangers.
Every meal(we're very rigid and consistent with his food...no table scraps or treats beyond ones for training) we have him in the down position sitting in front of his full food bowl, waiting for the command "go" to eat.
But he's a bit of a furry hoover for anything edible he can scrounge from the knees down.
Reaper that's funny but right.
I disagree with the newspaper method. That's a very good way to make a dog aggressive. That's why I recommend the e-collar; the punishment is administered and associated with a command word without the dog knowing who is punishing it, hence, no one to retaliate against. Plus the e-collar is adjustable in intensity.
My e-collar also has a "pager" button which causes the collar to vibrate and is associated with the "come" command. I haven't had to use the zapper in well over a year. Now that the commands are ingrained, I don't use the e-collar at all if he will always be in visual range, but my wife does since he doesn't respond to her voice as well as mine.
Pat
Have you taught him not to eat "found" food on the ground or out of the trash? Basically, it just a voice command. "No" if he goes after it and, when you feed him a meal, make him sit and wait for you to give him an "OK", command. Do that with all food sources, treats or meals. When I was training my avatar dog, I even had him give me his paw before he got the OK command. Akita's are a distant cousin to Mastiffs and are a stubborn breed. I suspect the Mastiff is, too.
Good luck.
Also, check out sound (clicker) and remote (e-collar) training. We used an e-collar to train ours to not go under a barbed wire (or any) fence, without a "GO" or "OK" command.
Pat
Our trash can lid in the house is locked.
Very rigid and consistent feeding routine(for long term health).
Before eating at every meal he is in the down position, waiting for the "go" command to eat.
We have had success with a can of air(not a loud horn, more of a hiss), maybe we could try that with a stranger and/or stranger with a newspaper.
Training wise he's been fantastic(not nearly as stubborn as our old Rottie as a pup), but he does have a funny habit of anticipating commands.
I disagree with the newspaper method. That's a very good way to make a dog aggressive. That's why I recommend the e-collar; the punishment is administered and associated with a command word without the dog knowing who is punishing it, hence, no one to retaliate against. Plus the e-collar is adjustable in intensity.
My e-collar also has a "pager" button which causes the collar to vibrate and is associated with the "come" command. I haven't had to use the zapper in well over a year. Now that the commands are ingrained, I don't use the e-collar at all if he will always be in visual range, but my wife does since he doesn't respond to her voice as well as mine.
Pat
We ran thru 3 different E-collars for our Rottie.......they worked, we could tell, but in terms of training value it just didn't phase him.
His pain threshold was unbelievably high....he always went for positive reinforcement than negative.
...but he does have a funny habit of anticipating commands.
I know that one! :D I've always incorporated hand signals in my training commands since they may be out of hearing range or the noise level may be too high. Sometimes I'll just be doing menial tasks or talking to someone and make a gesture that he responds too. Most often it's reaching for something on the ground near him and he offers me his paw. :D
The can of air sounds interesting. I'll have to try that if I train any more dogs. At my age, and the fact that he is still young (3), I don't think I'll be training anymore puppies in the future. The scars from his paws (claws) are a constant reminder of how tough big-dog puppies can be to train. (His paws, now, are as large as the palm of my hand and he grips like shaking someones hand. ZonieDiver met him a couple of years ago and can attest to what we were dealing with. He didn't get to shake hands with him though, but we tried. ;))
Pat
I disagree with the newspaper method.
Of course you do - won't expect otherwise
...he always went for positive reinforcement than negative.
Well, they need to go hand-in-hand. It's not negative reinforcement, it's punishment from "god" for not following the voice command. "No" should come before the zap and the zap only if he doesn't respond to the command. Reward only comes when they respond correctly to the voice command, not the zap.
You are not looking to inflect pain, per se, it's to redirect attention to the pack leader behind the voice or "bark".
E-collars, clickers, and voice are only tools in training, not training in and of themselves. Like most tools, they all take practice to use correctly. I've zapped him when I only meant to recall him with the pager and I've turned the transmitter off when I meant to zap him. Mistakes like that are detrimental to training, but I've learned (my wife put an e-collar on me!).
ETA: Maybe this should have been a separate thread.
Pat
Of course you do - won't expect otherwise
Interesting counter argument. Clearly I need to reconsider my opinion on a matter I've been involved in, and evolved in, for over 40 years. Thanks.
Pat
Interesting counter argument. Clearly I need to reconsider my opinion on a matter I've been involved in, and evolved in, for over 40 years. Thanks.
Pat
Your dogs track lions by any chance?
Your dogs track lions by any chance?
You are really not making yourself clear, here, mi amigo. I thought that we were discussing "home security" with a pet dog. Did I miss the post about tracking lions? :confused:
To address your question, we do have mountain lion down here and I reckon he could track one (Akitas are bear hunting dogs), although I'd rather he didn't. Are you saying that, for him to do so successfully, I need to whack him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper? :confused:
Pat
You are really not making yourself clear, here, mi amigo. I thought that we were discussing "home security" with a pet dog. Did I miss the post about tracking lions? :confused:
To address your question, we do have mountain lion down here and I reckon he could track one (Akitas are bear hunting dogs), although I'd rather he didn't. Are you saying that, for him to do so successfully, I need to whack him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper? :confused:
Pat
Sorry you're right about the post.
Thought I knew who you were.
Sorry you're right about the post.
Thought I knew who you were.
No problem. :D Dismissed! ;)
Pat
ghp95134
03-04-2014, 21:47
I just saw a post on another site warning about thieves who can break into a garage by slipping a coat hanger through a gap at the door top, then releasing the safety catch using just a small amount of pull-pressure.
The safety tip was to secure the release catch using a zip-lock light enough to foil a coat hanger, but weak enough to be broken by someone inside during an actual emergency.
Here's a YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSO_HTBHLFI) video explaining the technique.
Regards,
--ghp
I just saw a post on another site warning about thieves who can break into a garage by slipping a coat hanger through a gap at the door top, then releasing the safety catch using just a small amount of pull-pressure.
The safety tip was to secure the release catch using a zip-lock light enough to foil a coat hanger, but weak enough to be broken by someone inside during an actual emergency.
Here's a YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSO_HTBHLFI) video explaining the technique.
Regards,
--ghp
Lost four sixers of good IPA to high school kids "garaging" with coat hangers last year. Favorite tactic among the fresh-soph crowd.
caretaker
04-18-2014, 12:21
How do you plan to secure and defend your home?
If you follow the adage of "deter, detect, delay, and defeat," how would you accomplish this?
TR
Focusing on deter: Last weekend I planted a triple row of hawthorn whips across the back of my lot. The property backs up to a parking lot and has a four foot cinderblock wall. The plan is to graft the plants together as outlined below. I’ve also added a few blackberry canes on the front side of the hawthorn but really they’re just for the berries. A rugosa rose hedge would have been faster but more expensive.
"Another fascinating option is to join the individual plants into a single living whole by osculation (or sometimes inosculation—in either case, based on a Latin word meaning “kiss”). The young trees or shrubs that will make the fence are planted at four to eight inches, depending on the species used and the desired height of the fence. As the plants grow, the branches are tied together. The inner bark may be exposed with a knife, but with inosculate species the abrasion of the bark of tied branches as they move in the wind usually causes the branches to grow together in a natural graft. (Crossing branches not tied, even crossing roots, may bond as well when the plants are so tightly planted.) The result is a closely meshed barrier that grows stronger and more resistant each year. And it is a single living entity: Each individual plant in the fence is now part of one continuous vascular system—should the roots under any single plant die, its top growth continues unaffected, supported by the other plants with which it has inosculated."
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Multifunctional+Living+Fences.html
JamesIkanov
05-06-2014, 21:19
I've considered doing this for a while now, but have never had the time/budget to really get down to it. Some of you may, however, benefit from this information.
If you're any good with wiring or soldering, you might be interested in picking up a few small prototype boards such as an Arduino, and a few simple sensors to hook it up to. You can get light sensors, motion sensors, pressure sensors; pretty much any kind of sensor you can find or buy at a radio shack or hobby shop. The smallest and cheapest ones cost about ten dollars and are finger sized. They can handle a number of different power sources, and aside from the wiring, all you need is a very basic understanding of the language it's coded in, which is very easy to learn, and very simple to code, a computer (I'd be really surprised if you could read this without one) and a cable for plugging it in to that computer. depending on the type of board, you may also need an adapter piece for particularly small ones.
you can pick up the smallest size for about 10 bucks here:
https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/103
If you want to get really crazy with it, they make all kinds of radio receiver/Internet send and receive/ GPS Locating Addons. Please note however, that these addons are often intended for full size boards, and can add up rather quickly.
Since it's basically a platform rather than a prepackaged system, you can go as far as you want with it or not. I've seen people doing simple things like getting a speaker to play a song, and I've seen people hooking up "nerf guns" to thermal cameras and motion sensors.
wbturner
07-09-2014, 20:04
I have not seen one of my favorite natural fences mentioned. The Yucca plant usually grows to about 5 feet high and sports some of the sharpest highly irritating spines on their leaf ends. they need about 3, 3.5 foot wide area to get established. They multiply so they have to be kept from creeping wider and wider. NO ONE will crash through them in normal clothes. They would be cut to ribbons.
Yuccas look good, dark green, large fleshy leaves and each one sports a large white flower each spring. They will grow just about anywhere, almost any type soil.
They are native to the desert SW USA. In Alabama they flourish.
I have them flanking my main driveway. Anybody, especially on foot coming up my driveway has to stay on the gravel driveway or get punctured. Not sure but they would probably flatten a regular road type car tire.
I saw some very good ideas put forth here. You can always depend on SF to be thoughtful and inventive. Good thread. :)