I was broken into ... last questions before purchase

[Armadillo Soup]

Like a lot of people that pop up in all of a sudden, I was just broken
into last Thursday. They stole my digital camera and my headphones.
Apparently the guy broke into 6 places within a few block radius.

Anyway ... I realize all security is a balance between cost and
convenience. Just how much money, time, and effort are you willing to put
into being secure ?

I live in a crappy apartment and probably will continue to for a long
time to come. Basically I have a TV, stereo, and computer. Anything that
was small and valuable this thief took last Thursday. So in short, it
wouldn't make a lot of sense to spend a fortune on securing my place ...
it obviously makes no sense to spend more than your stuff is worth !

As far as the threat model I would like to defend against ... I think the
most realistic scenario is something like what happened last Thursday. A
realitively unplanned, fairly random break in. I can't see burglars
spending a lot of time and energy planning for an eleaborate breakin
where I live.

I am almost 100% confident that had ANY alarm sounded last Thursday, I
would still have my digital camera. This guy didn't want confrontation,
and he didn't want a lot of razzle dazzle, bright lights, or loud noises
I can tell you. If he is breaking into 6 places in a day, he doesn't have
time for sirens.

So ... considering all that, I was thinking of getting the Powermax+,
partly because it comes all ready to go, and I don't want to mess with a
monitoring service. The Paradox Magellan looks really cool but seems to
be a bit out of my price range. Also, it looks harder to set up. As for
the PowerMax+, I'd like to add one of the hardwired sirens to the unit if
I could, simply to add confusion and throw off the crook, in case he has
the nerve to try and disarm/yank it off the wall. I am confident
(considering I live in a cramped apartment complex) that the siren will
immediately scare off 80% of intruders in this area. Like I said, I do
not live in an area where carefully planned burglaries really make much
sense.

My only reservation is relying on wireless completely. The Powermax+ says
it can connect to 2 hardwired devices. One will hopefully be a siren. It
would be ideal if the other was a motion detector, but I don't see a
hardwired motion detector as a module.

Are these wireless units that easily jammed and disabled ? You think an
amatuer "crackhead" style thief would have the means to do so ? Some of
these crackheads are more talented than you might think ! Breaking into 6
places in a day shows at least some talent.

Anyway, if anyone has any last minute recommendations for me, I'll take
them. Right now my only security is a radio I left on today when I went
to work ! Far from Ideal.

Things I consider important:
1) No monitoring service required.
2) Ability to disarm via telephone ? I think I'd like to do this. I'm
considering setting up a camera that can post images/video to an external
website via my Linksys wireless router.
3) Cost and ease of use ... proportionate to what I am trying to protect:
$600 TV/DVD player
$400 stereo
$1500 computer
These are the only things I own of value in the world. All my clothes are
from the thrift store.

Lastly, just how common/frequently do you get false alarms ? Is this from
flakey units ? Wild exotic radio transmissions on your units frequency ?
I will be using 3 door sensors and 1 motion detector. I am a little
worried about the false alarms.

Cheers, and thanks for any final advice.

 

[R.H.Campbell]

Sir, I strongly suggest you look at physically "hardening" your apartment
before you spend a lot of money on an alarm, especially if it's only going
to be a non-monitored one. For many years before I sold alarm systems, my
speciality was "target hardening" homes against break and enter. In my
experience, an apartment is one of the easiest types of habitations to
secure since it often has a limited number of entrance poinst.

Assuming your door is of solid wood construction, and not some flimsy thing,
a quality deadbolt lock with a long steel strike properly anchored to the
studding inside the walls with 3 to 4 inch screws will almost guarantee that
no one will get through the door without a lot of EFFORT and a lot of NOISE.
If your apartment door frame is steel mounted in concrete, so much the
better!! Make sure your patio door is secured with a visible swingdown bar
across the inside, and make sure the door can't be lifted up and out of it's
track with a couple of screwdrivers (this is secured by putting screws above
the door to keep it from being lifted up). Lastly, check each window to make
sure that it locks properly and is secured in some way against being forced
open.

Remember, what is the sense spending a whole bunch of money to warn after
they are already in the home, if you haven't taken the simplest of
precautions to keep them out to start with. My site has a great deal of
information on the variety of simple things to do to physically secure your
home properly (but be prepared to read a lot...I'm pretty long winded !!)

You're asking for advice on a newsgroup full of people who's primary centre
of interest in the security business is the electronic end of things. If you
were to go to a locksmith newsgroup, the information you receive might be
quite different. There's absolutely nothing wrong with alarms; they work
well for their intended purpose. Hell, I make the majority of my living from
selling alarms !! However, they are only PART of a comprehensive approach to
security. Nor are they the first thing you should do, since they don't
protect you in against smash and grab robberies.

Walk around your residence and look for all the weak points of entry, and
address them all....

R.H.Campbell
Home Security Metal Products
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
www.homemetal.com

 

[Crash Gordon]

You sound confused. On one hand you want protection against jamming on the
other hand you dont think the thieves where you live are sophisiticated.
You're concerned about false alarm fines, but you intend to be a local
system (not monitored).

On wireless...I have hundreds of them out there an have never had one be
jammed or circumvented...in fact the only false alarms I get from them are
homeowners opening the transmitter cases, which are tampered, without
telling us.

And you want CCTV over the net too.

I think you're gonna go overbudget.

If you're on the second level of apt building it shouldn't be too expensive
to install a wireless alarm, one door a motion, maybe a glassbreak. If
you're on the ground level you'll need more.




| Like a lot of people that pop up in all of a sudden, I was just broken
| into last Thursday. They stole my digital camera and my headphones.
| Apparently the guy broke into 6 places within a few block radius.
|
| Anyway ... I realize all security is a balance between cost and
| convenience. Just how much money, time, and effort are you willing to put
| into being secure ?
|
| I live in a crappy apartment and probably will continue to for a long
| time to come. Basically I have a TV, stereo, and computer. Anything that
| was small and valuable this thief took last Thursday. So in short, it
| wouldn't make a lot of sense to spend a fortune on securing my place ...
| it obviously makes no sense to spend more than your stuff is worth !
|
| As far as the threat model I would like to defend against ... I think the
| most realistic scenario is something like what happened last Thursday. A
| realitively unplanned, fairly random break in. I can't see burglars
| spending a lot of time and energy planning for an eleaborate breakin
| where I live.
|
| I am almost 100% confident that had ANY alarm sounded last Thursday, I
| would still have my digital camera. This guy didn't want confrontation,
| and he didn't want a lot of razzle dazzle, bright lights, or loud noises
| I can tell you. If he is breaking into 6 places in a day, he doesn't have
| time for sirens.
|
| So ... considering all that, I was thinking of getting the Powermax+,
| partly because it comes all ready to go, and I don't want to mess with a
| monitoring service. The Paradox Magellan looks really cool but seems to
| be a bit out of my price range. Also, it looks harder to set up. As for
| the PowerMax+, I'd like to add one of the hardwired sirens to the unit if
| I could, simply to add confusion and throw off the crook, in case he has
| the nerve to try and disarm/yank it off the wall. I am confident
| (considering I live in a cramped apartment complex) that the siren will
| immediately scare off 80% of intruders in this area. Like I said, I do
| not live in an area where carefully planned burglaries really make much
| sense.
|
| My only reservation is relying on wireless completely. The Powermax+ says
| it can connect to 2 hardwired devices. One will hopefully be a siren. It
| would be ideal if the other was a motion detector, but I don't see a
| hardwired motion detector as a module.
|
| Are these wireless units that easily jammed and disabled ? You think an
| amatuer "crackhead" style thief would have the means to do so ? Some of
| these crackheads are more talented than you might think ! Breaking into 6
| places in a day shows at least some talent.
|
| Anyway, if anyone has any last minute recommendations for me, I'll take
| them. Right now my only security is a radio I left on today when I went
| to work ! Far from Ideal.
|
| Things I consider important:
| 1) No monitoring service required.
| 2) Ability to disarm via telephone ? I think I'd like to do this. I'm
| considering setting up a camera that can post images/video to an external
| website via my Linksys wireless router.
| 3) Cost and ease of use ... proportionate to what I am trying to protect:
| $600 TV/DVD player
| $400 stereo
| $1500 computer
| These are the only things I own of value in the world. All my clothes are
| from the thrift store.
|
| Lastly, just how common/frequently do you get false alarms ? Is this from
| flakey units ? Wild exotic radio transmissions on your units frequency ?
| I will be using 3 door sensors and 1 motion detector. I am a little
| worried about the false alarms.
|
| Cheers, and thanks for any final advice.

 

[Beachcomber]

You sound confused. On one hand you want protection against jamming on the
other hand you dont think the thieves where you live are sophisiticated.
You're concerned about false alarm fines, but you intend to be a local
system (not monitored).

On wireless...I have hundreds of them out there an have never had one be
jammed or circumvented...in fact the only false alarms I get from them are
homeowners opening the transmitter cases, which are tampered, without
telling us.

And you want CCTV over the net too.

I think you're gonna go overbudget.

If you're on the second level of apt building it shouldn't be too expensive
to install a wireless alarm, one door a motion, maybe a glassbreak. If
you're on the ground level you'll need more.




| Like a lot of people that pop up in all of a sudden, I was just broken
| into last Thursday. They stole my digital camera and my headphones.
| Apparently the guy broke into 6 places within a few block radius.
|
| Anyway ... I realize all security is a balance between cost and
| convenience. Just how much money, time, and effort are you willing to put
| into being secure ?
|
| I live in a crappy apartment and probably will continue to for a long
| time to come. Basically I have a TV, stereo, and computer. Anything that
| was small and valuable this thief took last Thursday. So in short, it
| wouldn't make a lot of sense to spend a fortune on securing my place ...
| it obviously makes no sense to spend more than your stuff is worth !
|
| As far as the threat model I would like to defend against ... I think the
| most realistic scenario is something like what happened last Thursday. A
| realitively unplanned, fairly random break in. I can't see burglars
| spending a lot of time and energy planning for an eleaborate breakin
| where I live.
|
| I am almost 100% confident that had ANY alarm sounded last Thursday, I
| would still have my digital camera. This guy didn't want confrontation,
| and he didn't want a lot of razzle dazzle, bright lights, or loud noises
| I can tell you. If he is breaking into 6 places in a day, he doesn't have
| time for sirens.
|
| So ... considering all that, I was thinking of getting the Powermax+,
| partly because it comes all ready to go, and I don't want to mess with a
| monitoring service. The Paradox Magellan looks really cool but seems to
| be a bit out of my price range. Also, it looks harder to set up. As for
| the PowerMax+, I'd like to add one of the hardwired sirens to the unit if
| I could, simply to add confusion and throw off the crook, in case he has
| the nerve to try and disarm/yank it off the wall. I am confident
| (considering I live in a cramped apartment complex) that the siren will
| immediately scare off 80% of intruders in this area. Like I said, I do
| not live in an area where carefully planned burglaries really make much
| sense.
|
| My only reservation is relying on wireless completely. The Powermax+ says
| it can connect to 2 hardwired devices. One will hopefully be a siren. It
| would be ideal if the other was a motion detector, but I don't see a
| hardwired motion detector as a module.
|
| Are these wireless units that easily jammed and disabled ? You think an
| amatuer "crackhead" style thief would have the means to do so ? Some of
| these crackheads are more talented than you might think ! Breaking into 6
| places in a day shows at least some talent.
|
| Anyway, if anyone has any last minute recommendations for me, I'll take
| them. Right now my only security is a radio I left on today when I went
| to work ! Far from Ideal.
|
| Things I consider important:
| 1) No monitoring service required.
| 2) Ability to disarm via telephone ? I think I'd like to do this. I'm
| considering setting up a camera that can post images/video to an external
| website via my Linksys wireless router.
| 3) Cost and ease of use ... proportionate to what I am trying to protect:
| $600 TV/DVD player
| $400 stereo
| $1500 computer
| These are the only things I own of value in the world. All my clothes are
| from the thrift store.
|
| Lastly, just how common/frequently do you get false alarms ? Is this from
| flakey units ? Wild exotic radio transmissions on your units frequency ?
| I will be using 3 door sensors and 1 motion detector. I am a little
| worried about the false alarms.
|
| Cheers, and thanks for any final advice.

What about your landlord sending workman into your place while you are
away? (and likely without your knowledge.... You said it was a crappy
apartment). How many people have the keys to your front door? This
could set off the alarm and cause you to be a nuisance.

BTW... Anytime repair people are in your place they can look over your
stuff and your alarm system. This is definitely a security problem.

Apartments are hard to hard wire for alarm systems. Landlords
generally don't want you drilling through walls and such. Wireless
may be prone to false alarms and unreliability.

Maybe you need a safe as first priority... Then an alarm system....
If no monitoring system, than get one that at least pages you or calls
your cellphone.

Beachcomber

 

[Armadillo Soup]

You sound confused. On one hand you want protection against jamming on
the other hand you dont think the thieves where you live are
sophisiticated. You're concerned about false alarm fines, but you
intend to be a local system (not monitored).

I'll certainly admit to being confused !

My hunch is that these are not overly sophisticated thieves ... I just
didn't have any idea how easy/hard it is to jam/screw up these wireless
systems. From what you just said, it sounds like that is not as easy as
just running to radio shack and buying a $5 piece of equipment ... so
that gives me a little more confidence in them.

Of course, I'm guessing about their skill level, but I don't think they
are terribly sophisticated. One thing they are clearly good at, however,
is jimming the locks open in the types of old buildings that exist around
here ...

On wireless...I have hundreds of them out there an have never had one
be jammed or circumvented...in fact the only false alarms I get from
them are homeowners opening the transmitter cases, which are tampered,
without telling us.

Cool ... I was a little worried about that. You hear lots of horry
stories about lots wireless equipment interferring with itself.

And you want CCTV over the net too.

Well, I didn't necessarily mean CCTV. Just a simple webcam type set up,
that takes a photo every 2 seconds and uses ftp to shoot it up to another
computer. I don't intend to monitor this all the time. The reason for the
camera was simply to check and see if I really had an intruder if the
alarm went off.

From what you just said, it sounds like if the alarm goes off, that
pretty much means I have an intruder. The Landlord/maintenance people
around here are required to put a notice on the door at least 48 hours
before entering your apartment, so I'm not worried about them. If they go
in without giving me notice, they are breaking the law themselves and I
consider them an intruder.

Anyway, I was just thinking of the camera because i was under the
impression these systems had far more false alarms. So I feel better
about that too.

Thanks for the info.

I've just never used any of these, so don't really know much about them.
It's good to know I won't be having to head home every other week over a
false alarm ... at least more than likely I won't.

Of course, I certainly don't expect this system to guard against a
sophisticated burgler ... but I would think such a burgler would be far
better off spending his energies in a more well to do part of town !

 

[Armadillo Soup]

Sir, I strongly suggest you look at physically "hardening" your
apartment before you spend a lot of money on an alarm, especially if
it's only going to be a non-monitored one. For many years before I
sold alarm systems, my speciality was "target hardening" homes against
break and enter. In my experience, an apartment is one of the easiest
types of habitations to secure since it often has a limited number of
entrance poinst.

Assuming your door is of solid wood construction, and not some flimsy
thing, a quality deadbolt lock with a long steel strike properly
anchored to the studding inside the walls with 3 to 4 inch screws will
almost guarantee that no one will get through the door without a lot
of EFFORT and a lot of NOISE. If your apartment door frame is steel
mounted in concrete, so much the better!! Make sure your patio door is
secured with a visible swingdown bar across the inside, and make sure
the door can't be lifted up and out of it's track with a couple of
screwdrivers (this is secured by putting screws above the door to keep
it from being lifted up). Lastly, check each window to make sure that
it locks properly and is secured in some way against being forced
open.

Remember, what is the sense spending a whole bunch of money to warn
after they are already in the home, if you haven't taken the simplest
of precautions to keep them out to start with. My site has a great
deal of information on the variety of simple things to do to
physically secure your home properly (but be prepared to read a
lot...I'm pretty long winded !!)

You know ... you make an excellent point. I'm
convinced this guy hit me instead of the guy across
the hall simply because that guy had one more lock
on his door than I had.

I think I'm going to order some of these warning
stickers too. That say "secured by ..." or
something along those lines. Anyone know where they
can be ordered ?

I looked your site over a bit and there is lots of
good info on there.

I think 90% of the burglers in this area definetely
fall into the first or second category of burgler
you discribe. Noise, lights, etc ... are almost
certain to cause them to just hit the road looking
for something else.

Partly I was thinking of getting an alarm system
because I hesitated to spend a great deal of money
updating this slumlords apartment for him.

He is a total cheapskate. I had to call and
threaten to sue just to get him to fix a friggin
broken lock ! This is after I already got broken
into ! My door had one working lock, and one
broken lock on it (before getting broken into)...
and he wasn't even going to fix the broken lock ...

You're not even going to believe this though ...

He didn't even fix the wooden trim around the door
on the front side ... so you can see where the guy
chistled/crowbarred in. There is a nice little slot
in the wood for the next guy to stick his
chistle/crowbar set up into ... so basically, the
next guy has already had 40% of his work done for
him !

Unbelievable.

Anyway, I figured I could at least take the alarm
system with me when I leave.

But ... I think you're right ... being pissed at
the landlord isn't going to protect my stuff ...


Besides, the next occupant will thank me ... maybe
I'll save them a few hundred bucks too ...

 

[Stanley Barthfarkle]

The newer wireless stuff is not unreliable in the least. It's a matter of
99.9% reliability with hardwired vs 99.8% reliability with wireless. Anyone
who tells you differently is living in 1985. (or in Belgium)

 

[Crash Gordon]

Most thieves are smash & grab and hope they get away before the homeowner
shoots them or the police come.
Wireless is reliable as long as you don't buy some cheap piece of Belgian
(inside joke) crap.



| |
| > You sound confused. On one hand you want protection against jamming on
| > the other hand you dont think the thieves where you live are
| > sophisiticated. You're concerned about false alarm fines, but you
| > intend to be a local system (not monitored).
|
| I'll certainly admit to being confused !
|
| My hunch is that these are not overly sophisticated thieves ... I just
| didn't have any idea how easy/hard it is to jam/screw up these wireless
| systems. From what you just said, it sounds like that is not as easy as
| just running to radio shack and buying a $5 piece of equipment ... so
| that gives me a little more confidence in them.
|
| Of course, I'm guessing about their skill level, but I don't think they
| are terribly sophisticated. One thing they are clearly good at, however,
| is jimming the locks open in the types of old buildings that exist around
| here ...
|
| > On wireless...I have hundreds of them out there an have never had one
| > be jammed or circumvented...in fact the only false alarms I get from
| > them are homeowners opening the transmitter cases, which are tampered,
| > without telling us.
|
| Cool ... I was a little worried about that. You hear lots of horry
| stories about lots wireless equipment interferring with itself.
|
| > And you want CCTV over the net too.
|
| Well, I didn't necessarily mean CCTV. Just a simple webcam type set up,
| that takes a photo every 2 seconds and uses ftp to shoot it up to another
| computer. I don't intend to monitor this all the time. The reason for the
| camera was simply to check and see if I really had an intruder if the
| alarm went off.
|
| From what you just said, it sounds like if the alarm goes off, that
| pretty much means I have an intruder. The Landlord/maintenance people
| around here are required to put a notice on the door at least 48 hours
| before entering your apartment, so I'm not worried about them. If they go
| in without giving me notice, they are breaking the law themselves and I
| consider them an intruder.
|
| Anyway, I was just thinking of the camera because i was under the
| impression these systems had far more false alarms. So I feel better
| about that too.
|
| Thanks for the info.
|
| I've just never used any of these, so don't really know much about them.
| It's good to know I won't be having to head home every other week over a
| false alarm ... at least more than likely I won't.
|
| Of course, I certainly don't expect this system to guard against a
| sophisticated burgler ... but I would think such a burgler would be far
| better off spending his energies in a more well to do part of town !
|
| > I think you're gonna go overbudget.
| >
| > If you're on the second level of apt building it shouldn't be too
| > expensive to install a wireless alarm, one door a motion, maybe a
| > glassbreak. If you're on the ground level you'll need more.
| >
| >
| >
| >
| > | >| Like a lot of people that pop up in all of a sudden, I was just
| >| broken into last Thursday. They stole my digital camera and my
| >| headphones. Apparently the guy broke into 6 places within a few block
| >| radius.
| >|
| >| Anyway ... I realize all security is a balance between cost and
| >| convenience. Just how much money, time, and effort are you willing to
| >| put into being secure ?
| >|
| >| I live in a crappy apartment and probably will continue to for a long
| >| time to come. Basically I have a TV, stereo, and computer. Anything
| >| that was small and valuable this thief took last Thursday. So in
| >| short, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to spend a fortune on securing
| >| my place ... it obviously makes no sense to spend more than your
| >| stuff is worth !
| >|
| >| As far as the threat model I would like to defend against ... I think
| >| the most realistic scenario is something like what happened last
| >| Thursday. A realitively unplanned, fairly random break in. I can't
| >| see burglars spending a lot of time and energy planning for an
| >| eleaborate breakin where I live.
| >|
| >| I am almost 100% confident that had ANY alarm sounded last Thursday,
| >| I would still have my digital camera. This guy didn't want
| >| confrontation, and he didn't want a lot of razzle dazzle, bright
| >| lights, or loud noises I can tell you. If he is breaking into 6
| >| places in a day, he doesn't have time for sirens.
| >|
| >| So ... considering all that, I was thinking of getting the Powermax+,
| >| partly because it comes all ready to go, and I don't want to mess
| >| with a monitoring service. The Paradox Magellan looks really cool but
| >| seems to be a bit out of my price range. Also, it looks harder to set
| >| up. As for the PowerMax+, I'd like to add one of the hardwired sirens
| >| to the unit if I could, simply to add confusion and throw off the
| >| crook, in case he has the nerve to try and disarm/yank it off the
| >| wall. I am confident (considering I live in a cramped apartment
| >| complex) that the siren will immediately scare off 80% of intruders
| >| in this area. Like I said, I do not live in an area where carefully
| >| planned burglaries really make much sense.
| >|
| >| My only reservation is relying on wireless completely. The Powermax+
| >| says it can connect to 2 hardwired devices. One will hopefully be a
| >| siren. It would be ideal if the other was a motion detector, but I
| >| don't see a hardwired motion detector as a module.
| >|
| >| Are these wireless units that easily jammed and disabled ? You think
| >| an amatuer "crackhead" style thief would have the means to do so ?
| >| Some of these crackheads are more talented than you might think !
| >| Breaking into 6 places in a day shows at least some talent.
| >|
| >| Anyway, if anyone has any last minute recommendations for me, I'll
| >| take them. Right now my only security is a radio I left on today when
| >| I went to work ! Far from Ideal.
| >|
| >| Things I consider important:
| >| 1) No monitoring service required.
| >| 2) Ability to disarm via telephone ? I think I'd like to do this. I'm
| >| considering setting up a camera that can post images/video to an
| >| external website via my Linksys wireless router.
| >| 3) Cost and ease of use ... proportionate to what I am trying to
| >| protect: $600 TV/DVD player
| >| $400 stereo
| >| $1500 computer
| >| These are the only things I own of value in the world. All my clothes
| >| are from the thrift store.
| >|
| >| Lastly, just how common/frequently do you get false alarms ? Is this
| >| from flakey units ? Wild exotic radio transmissions on your units
| >| frequency ? I will be using 3 door sensors and 1 motion detector. I
| >| am a little worried about the false alarms.
| >|
| >| Cheers, and thanks for any final advice.
| >
| >
| >
|
|

 

[Armadillo Soup]

The newer wireless stuff is not unreliable in the least. It's a matter
of 99.9% reliability with hardwired vs 99.8% reliability with
wireless. Anyone who tells you differently is living in 1985. (or in
Belgium)

Awesome. That is really good to know. I would have got one of these things
already but I stumbled on some older threads that cast doubt in my mind.
I'd love that Paradox Magellan system, but it looks like it would be $450
or so to set up, with all the sensors I require, vs. $200 for the
PowerMax+.

Also, these wireless systems sort of look like neat "toys" in their own
right, hee hee, so I think I'm going to get one.

As well as following the advice of increasing the physical security.

Even without monitoring, I imagine the loud sirens scare off 60% of would
be burglars at least ... particularly in a crowded apartment complex/city
like environment. If you live in the quiet suburbs where there are big
lots, then it might be another story entirely.

 

[Armadillo Soup]

Most thieves are smash & grab and hope they get away before the
homeowner shoots them or the police come.
Wireless is reliable as long as you don't buy some cheap piece of
Belgian (inside joke) crap.

Yeah, you know ... this brings up a good point, and that is, the "type" of
thefts in your area is an important consideration.

Apparenlty we have a very active "stealth" type thief in this area. He robs
during the day, and apparently can do it without causing much noise at all.
My neighbor was home while this happened, and swears he didn't have his
stereo up loud. This thief seems to have been active for a couple of months
now. I think he dresses up like a student, with a backpack. He only takes
small items like laptops and iPod's that can be easily carried out.

I don't know for certain ... but my guess is that smash and grabs are more
popular in the suburbs, where there is a little more space. In areas with a
lot of foot traffic, like an apartment complex in the city, I bet the more
stealthy type thefts are more common. Like I said ... I certainly don't
have statistics, so I'm more or less guessing.

Alarm systems are next to worthless against a smash and grab, I suppose.

 

[R.H.Campbell]

Yeah, unfortunately one of the downsides to spending money on physical
security devices is that with rare exception, you must leave them in place
when you go. However, it still might be worth your while to beef up that
lousy arrangement you say you have on the front door. The thing about locks
is that you don't know they're working, or how many times they've worked,
until they fail. So it sounds like a little money spent wisely, and
depending upon how long you plan to live there, might go a long way. But the
alarm you can take with you at least...

Remember, the three factors that you want working in your favour when you
take any sort of extra security steps:

Time:.....too long to get in (good physical security helps here)
Noise: ....too noisy to get in (both physical and electronic help here)
Light: .... (or exposure)....too much chance they will be seen (here the
presence of an alarm goes a long way, especially if it draws a professional
response)

RHC

 

[Guest]

How did they get in???
Unlocked window?
Kicked in front door?
Broke window and reached in and unlocked door?

 

[Jim]

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 10:22:33 -0700, "Crash Gordon"


What about your landlord sending workman into your place while you are
away? (and likely without your knowledge.... You said it was a crappy
apartment). How many people have the keys to your front door? This
could set off the alarm and cause you to be a nuisance.

BTW... Anytime repair people are in your place they can look over your
stuff and your alarm system. This is definitely a security problem.

Apartments are hard to hard wire for alarm systems. Landlords
generally don't want you drilling through walls and such. Wireless
may be prone to false alarms and unreliability.

On what ..... do you base your statement that..... " Wireless may be
prone to false alarms and unreliability"?