Someone tried to break in today

[mickz]

Originally Posted by MegaMx

I think that applies more to cars than home alarms. A home alarm is the same throughout plus there are only a handful of products used by all alarm companies.

That's what I'm trying to get at. DSC and Ademco dominate the residential market but you may run into the occasional Silent Knight, Paradox or FBI panel.

It doesn't matter which alarm company you get to do your install, it's likely going to be the same products because everybody gets their parts from the same source. Unless the installer is totally incompetent and does something stupid like mounting the siren at the same location as the panel, it will be equally difficult to compromise an alarm system regardless of what alarm decal you display on your windows.

As someone in the industry it's a big slap in the face to have your install covered up by someone else's name and decal. Also I wouldn't be willing to simply give away decals. If a customer wants new decals I will apply it on their windows for them. The last thing a small company wants is for someone to grab a hold of their decals and put it on the windows of a grow-op. You don't want the VPD to associate your company with protecting this type of activity.

Originally Posted by godwin

There are only 4-5 alarm manufacturers in the US (Tyco, Honeywell or 2 of them).. different alarm companies just have different monitoring numbers..

It is better to reinforce your phone line to out of the house (a lot of people just have a wire hang out).. or have wireless alarm system.

Wireless systems are too unreliable. They're for the lazy installers and big companies that do a quick install and then get the hell out of there as soon as you sign your monitoring contract (ex. ADT) If you're worried about getting your phone line cut you can go for a cell backup.

[godwin]

The other tip is to socialize with your neighbours.. I think that's more important and often neglected part of home security.

[BabyblooLexus]

Originally Posted by MegaMx

how did it get robbed twice? did your mom have any alarm at all? was it robbed when the alarm was off or when somebody was at home?

yep we've always had the alarm system, rarely used it tho. my bro, bf, n i were home the first time it happend, my bf and i went outta a room that was downstairs facing the backyard for about 15 20 mins and we went back and my bfs wallet was gone, his keys and cellphone were not taken. that was the only thing taken that time.

second time mom bro n i were home and they climbed upstairs using a chair we had in our backyard, got into the master bedroom and took my moms shit. brutal.. they took 3k, credit cards ids and a chanel wallet...
the weather was warm both times so we had our windows open. (btw, statistics show that more b&e's and robberies occure during warm weather)
craziest shit was that i was in the next room.. i just thot the weird noises i herd from moms room was HER so i didnt bother to check... scary shitt im jsut glad i didnt encounter the robber... O.o we're pretty sure we were observed until no one was in the targeted rooms.. we suspect our backyard neighbour of doin it.. both times... its soooooo scary knowing that a stranger was in the house with us without us knowing...

make sure u call the cops everytime something liek this happens, even if nothing was taken or if its not 'serious'. its a bit of a hassle but its always good to have this shit on file.

so yess dont leave anything in the yard that wud encourage a break in.. like chairs or ladders.. open windows etc etc.

and im always really carefull of possible cars following me when i go home from anywhere. i always loop around my neighborhood if i notice a suspicious car.

i think of all the security features we own, i say the motion sensor that makes a loud annoying noise is the best. sudden noises usually startles them.

good luck wit everything =)

[BabyblooLexus]

Originally Posted by moomoocow

Wow, how much did a system like that cost??

hmm... i think it was around 4500 ~ 5000 O.o

[yangwenli]

Originally Posted by godwin

Less attractive to the thief = have updated windows / door, clean up the yard with no place to hide etc. BIG lights.

good point, sadly dont apply on sicko home invaders these days. I guess they figured out storming in is much easier compare to sneaking in.

[godwin]

You get exclusively home invaders? You should let us know where you live, so we don't buy a property in your neighborhood..

Honestly this is Vancouver, crime is not that bad.. if you have "sicko home invaders" all of the time. You must have pissed off some really bad people no castle will save you from it.. you mind as well move to middle of nowhere so at least no neighbors will be caught in the crossfire.

Originally Posted by yangwenli

good point, sadly dont apply on sicko home invaders these days. I guess they figured out storming in is much easier compare to sneaking in.

[GLOW]

Originally Posted by sf666@BNR32

Bear mace might be a good idea, but you never know how that kinda stuff works to your disadvantage

someone sprayed that in the food court of the sinclaire center last month. dude, it is STRONG, cleared out the entire foodcourt for the afternoon. probably knock yourself out too

[Hheidi]

Originally Posted by MegaMx

So this morning, I dropped my gf off at the skytrain, returned home. I was sitting on the couch reading up on some stuff with the TV on and I notice a black blob on my patio, I stood up and had a look and 6 feet from me on the other side of the window is a guy waring all black with a bandana on his face covering everything up to his eyes. We make eye contact and he just casually turned around. I quickly turned the alarm on so if anybody opens anything the alarm goes off. I called up 911 and within 10 minutes at least 5 cruisers were patrolling the area and came to talk to me.

Now I'm freaking out and have no idea if I was targeted or if it was random since none of my neighbors noticed anything and all of them were at home (I know almost all the neighbors around me).

I have a good alarm in my home which wasn't on since I was at home but I'll start using the stay feature more often. Regarding preventing and making it safer I'm considering two more options:

1) adding some cameras so at least i can see what direction he came from, car or no car, random or not random
2) dog, i wanted a dog for a long time but this gets me a better excuse since i heard a lot of criminals are not fond of barking dogs

Any ideas?

cameras dont work unless you have one that records everything every 2 weeks and you re-record again

dogs are better =) they're cuter too haha

[underscore]

Originally Posted by mickz

That's what I'm trying to get at. DSC and Ademco dominate the residential market but you may run into the occasional Silent Knight, Paradox or FBI panel.

It doesn't matter which alarm company you get to do your install, it's likely going to be the same products because everybody gets their parts from the same source. Unless the installer is totally incompetent and does something stupid like mounting the siren at the same location as the panel, it will be equally difficult to compromise an alarm system regardless of what alarm decal you display on your windows.

As someone in the industry it's a big slap in the face to have your install covered up by someone else's name and decal. Also I wouldn't be willing to simply give away decals. If a customer wants new decals I will apply it on their windows for them. The last thing a small company wants is for someone to grab a hold of their decals and put it on the windows of a grow-op. You don't want the VPD to associate your company with protecting this type of activity.



Wireless systems are too unreliable. They're for the lazy installers and big companies that do a quick install and then get the hell out of there as soon as you sign your monitoring contract (ex. ADT) If you're worried about getting your phone line cut you can go for a cell backup.

It's just a tip I was told as while they may use some of the same products the install styles of the companies are different.

I don't see it as a slap in the face, I see it as another preventative measure. I should hope your company has better advertising then just those little stickers on peoples windows.

Also we got the decals right when we signed up, before the alarm was even installed. They also told us if we needed more to just call and we could pick some up/get them mailed to us.

[AsBannedAsItGets]

Originally Posted by yangwenli

paintball gun plus dog

would a paintball gun ward off a burgler? never been hit by a paintball gun so naturally i'm curious if it hurts that much

[Gtrr33]

i have two dogo argentinos.....

meet jackks....other one is sleeping


come and get some!

[Euro7r]

Watch Some "Home Alone" movies. Set up some booby traps.

[!Yaminashi]

Originally Posted by dvxo

Watch Some "Home Alone" movies. Set up some booby traps.

Ice on stairs & hot door handle + blow torch > Camera & alarm

[ch0pstix]

i highley recommend a dog
any big breeds can sense ANY umfamiliar people around
like my dog, (Border collie mix) barks when someone is around 4 houses away

[Gtrr33]

Originally Posted by ch0pstix

i highley recommend a dog
any big breeds can sense ANY umfamiliar people around
like my dog, (Border collie mix) barks when someone is around 4 houses away

i agree when bchydro, mail person or those "jahovas" comes around my dogs go ape shit. and my dogs gives out the shoutest deepest bark.

[mickz]

Originally Posted by underscore

It's just a tip I was told as while they may use some of the same products the install styles of the companies are different.

I don't see it as a slap in the face, I see it as another preventative measure. I should hope your company has better advertising then just those little stickers on peoples windows.

Also we got the decals right when we signed up, before the alarm was even installed. They also told us if we needed more to just call and we could pick some up/get them mailed to us.

Unless the person installing your security system is a resident of the home or is an employee of a business installing on their commercial setting, he/she will need to be licensed WITH A TQ in order to install an alarm system by him/herself or with the help or another licensed technician (not necessarily with a TQ.) It is highly unlikely someone who has put in the hours and experience before writing their TQ exam can do a poor install where it is more likely to be compromised compared to Company B.

It is physically impossible to tamper with a properly installed alarm contact while the window or door is closed. What separates an experienced and inexperienced technician (or company for that matter) is in the neatness of their work. Some guys in the industry take short cuts like not soldering or having really messy wiring work inside the main panel. Keep in mind not every installation will be the same. Every house is built differently and therefore each alarm system will be installed differently. So I really don't see how your theory of having Company A do the installation but display Company B's decals are logical as a preventative measure.

As for the alarm decals they are not for advertising purposes, they are strictly for deterrence. Very few alarm companies advertise except for the bigger companies that don't tend to do complete installs and are just after your monitoring revenue (ex. ADT) Alarm companies get their business and reputation through word of mouth.

[underscore]

I'm not saying that the install will be WORSE from A to B, I'm just saying the way they order their techs to install things may be different.

tampering doesn't really need to be done from the outside now does it? as long as they get in and have everything disabled before the timer sets the alarm off they're good to go. I've seen several interviews of repeat burglars where they say they actually targetted certain houses because they knew that the alarm that home was equipped with was one they could disable before it went off.

if the stickers arent any kind of advertising then who cares which ones (if any) you have on your house. of course simply swapping the stickers isn't the best deterrent but every little bit helps.

[MegaMx]

Problem solved. I just bought one of these guys and he's on duty guarding my house now

[murd0c]

what a cute little guy congrats

[yamahar6]

Originally Posted by Gtrr33

i have two dogo argentinos.....

meet jackks....other one is sleeping


come and get some!

thats a sweet looking dog

[jpoon]

^^loving the puppy mega.
One thing you should also do is if you have windows in your backyard that are low to the ground..put some metal bars on them. And if you want, you could put them on all the windows you think people would break to gain entry from but that would be a little extreme. It's what we did after my house was broken into.

[ch0pstix]

Originally Posted by Gtrr33

i have two dogo argentinos.....

meet jackks....other one is sleeping


come and get some!

aren't those vicious?

[HonestTea]

Originally Posted by MegaMx

Problem solved. I just bought one of these guys and he's on duty guarding my house now

wow what a cute puppy!!

[El Bastardo]

This is what happens when we give these people free places to shoot up. They break into your houses.

They should be dying of AIDS in the street where they belong.

[buddy]