Security
means serenity
| HOME DEFENSE MEASURES AND PRODUCTS |
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Whether you go low-tech or high-tech, it is important to take the security of your home seriously. Your property is probably your greatest financial investment. Set strong boundaries and keep it safe. Here are just a few of the security options you should consider.
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Door and Window Locks |
This is the first line of defense for your home. Do not skimp on entry locks. Buy high-quality dead-bolt locks for all entry doors and install secondary locks on every window. Hardware stores offer an assortment of window-stops if you haven’t seen them before, some with keys. Many allow you to secure a partially open window, to prevent it from opening big enough for a person to get through. We highly recommend these for every home, especially for individuals who prefer fresh air when sleeping and tend to sleep with an open window. Remember to always fully shut and lock all windows when out of the house.
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Trimmed and Well-lit Hedges and Pathways |
Law enforcement specialists recommend well-groomed landscaping as an important security measure for your home and the task is easily accomplished with a sharp pair of clippers. Heavy and unkempt foliage is an ideal hiding place for potential intruders and lurking attackers, as well a public announcement to the neighborhood that you may be away on vacation. Always keep the bushes trimmed around your windows and entrances and hire someone you trust to mow your lawn and take in mail and newspapers when you’re away. No intruder willingly seeks out a house that offers exposure, so keep all exterior areas well lit.
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Security lighting (interior and exterior) |
Exterior floods with movement-sensor lights that light up when someone moves past are an inspired purchase for your exterior security. Intruders hate the glare of light: they can be identified. Give them a reason to eliminate your house as their next opportunity. Hardwired or solar-powered exterior security lighting options are available at your local hardware, but make sure the solar units are good ones. Many stop operating when a layer of dust builds up on the solar panel. Also add programmable timers to your interior lights or television set when you go away. Security lighting with photo-electric cells (dusk to dawn switch) are an energy efficient alternative that works when you’re home as well. A new product on the market is the remote-controlled light you can activate before you enter your home, yard, garage, etc. so you won’t enter a pitch-black area.
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Smoke, Fire and Carbon Monoxide Detectors |
These are must-have items. Building codes require them and every home should install them. Smoke and fire alarms are available in hardwired and battery operated form. If yours is battery activated, be sure to change the battery at least twice a year. Daylight savings and standard time changes are good opportunities to do it, when you must adjust your clocks anyway. The National Fire Protection Association recommends a smoke alarm in every bedroom in your home and at least one on every floor—including the attic and basement. Also place a smoke alarm outside your bedroom door, at the top of stairwells and in other areas of egress in the house.
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Fire Extinguishers |
You need one in your kitchen, one by your fireplace and one next to your BBQ outside. Every home should have interior fire extinguishers, even bachelor-sized apartments and mobile homes. They are not expensive and come in small and large sizes.
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Security Door |
Home improvement stores are offering more attractive models of the security door everyday. Although they are not particularly visually appealing items, they are cheaper than the higher-priced alarm systems. Security doors are made with a heavier metal than the flimsy mesh of common screen doors, but they still allow air passage. They are an option to consider in high-crime, urban or high-traffic areas, or if you have frequent solicitors or small children who run to open front doors.
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Alarm System |
Security systems can go from mere dollars to hundreds, and provide a great sense of safety and relief. If you can afford a hardwired security system, get one. Set it nightly and whenever you leave your home. Some alarm companies provide patrolling and armed response services, but most only contact the police for you or phone you to see if you’re okay when the alarm sounds. When choosing an alarm system you must think of your needs. There are many types, including motion detectors, wired windows and even window screens that can be wired so if someone tries to take out or cut the screen, the alarm goes off.
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Window Screen Alarms |
The great thing about wired window screens is that the alarm sounds before an intruder can get to the next barrier. But they are a pain when you want to remove them to wash the windows. Filaments are inserted inside the actual screen which then connect to your home's existing security system with a small internal connector. Your screen looks almost exactly the same as a normal screen, but if anyone cuts it or tries to remove it to to break your window the alarm will be activated. These security measures can run a little higher in cost, but they give extra peace of mind, especially when installed on children's windows. |
Motion Detectors |
When considering interior motion detectors that hook up to your alarm system, consider the height and direction of their position and whether or not you have pets that jump up on furniture. A single motion detector can often cover two rooms if strategically placed to cover a hallway.
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Panic Alarms |
A panic alarm in the bedroom that sends a signal directly to police is an excellent security feature. But if you knock it accidentally, you may send a squad car to your house and get a charge for a false alarm visit. Due to the increase in home security installations and false alarms, many police departments want residents to register their system and will charge residents for unnecessary visits.
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Portable Screamers |
Often a good deterrent is sound. If you can’t afford a hard-wired system or don’t have permission from your landlord to install individual devices, you can still be alarm-system secure. Many electronics and hardware stores carry portable screamer alarms that Velcro directly onto any window or door and operate solely on battery power. There are even portable travel screamers that hang on your hotel door when traveling. If you live in a quake zone, like California, even a minor tremor can set off these motion-sensitive alarms, so keep that in mind. Also check into handheld Power Horns, which blast an ear-shattering sound with compressed air that alerts others and strongly discourages an attacker. Boating communities use these to alert other boaters in foggy conditions, but next to your bed, it is security.
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Telephone Access |
You should always have a phone hookup or cell phone in your bedroom and take some form of full-contact self-protection course that can delay an attacker and give you time to escape. IMPACT Personal Safety is a good course that offers realistic attack scenarios for the home, bedroom and out of doors. It’s available for adult women, men and children as well. They also teach excellent classes on boundaries for children in regards to appropriate and inappropriate touch and dangerous strangers.
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House Sitter |
If you can, hire one when you are away, but make sure they are trustworthy, or better yet, bonded. If you have a programmable alarm system give your house sitter their own individual code, one that you can change when you return. Always keep your personal code secret. Post your contact and emergency numbers in a visible area. Call frequently to check that the house sitter has actually shown up when they said they would, especially if you have pets they are attending. Even trustworthy friends who volunteer sometimes forget promises they’ve made, and we’re not kidding about that!
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Security Cameras (interior and exterior) |
Security cameras are now much more affordable and come in a myriad of sizes from tiny pin-hole and lipstick lenses to the larger, more visually present models. Many parents use baby-cams (also known as nanny-cams) to monitor the care of their infants, or the interior protection of their home. Exterior models are mountable and many now come in wireless versions. While not proven to have a deterrent effect, they do give you a record of individuals approaching or invading your residence while absent. Many an intruding landlord and rogue neighbor has been caught by the unflinching eye of a security lens. While the ever-present security camera has become a part of our daily lives, it is still imperative that we remain responsible citizens and do not violate standard decency and the privacy of others when employing their use.
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| Internet Firewall
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An intruder doesn’t need a crowbar to get access to your personal finances and information anymore, all they need is a computer modem. Identity theft is on the rise and it can ruin your life, so this is a must-have item if you hook into the Internet. A firewall is not an anti-virus program. It is a different piece of software that blocks intruders from accessing your computer. Think of it as a dead bolt lock on your computer’s internal entry door. Anti-virus software, which is kept current with virus-cleaning patches, will help to screen out Trojan spyware in email attachments, but you also need a “firewall” to block intruders from accessing your system altogether. If you use the Internet, buy it and read the manual so you know how to use it, especially if you use wireless technology. Also be sure to limit the distances that your wireless networking hardware can reach to within the walls of your house. Don’t just hook up and go. Most units have options that allow you to decide their distance of access, from 10 feet to a hundred or more. You don’t want your wireless access extending beyond the walls of your home to your neighbors, where prying eyes can get into your computers and gather your vital information.
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| SECURITY EXTRAS |
| Perimeter Awareness Devices |
Wireless annunciator systems operate on radio frequencies and can be installed easily without wiring. They provide a chirping perimeter alert to detect approaching people or vehicles in your yard and driveway and are available in the low one-hundred-dollar range.
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| Emergency Voice-Activated Dialers |
Available as low as under one hundred dollars and higher. These devices can be programmed to call emergency numbers. Some models even have “listen in” and “voice verification” modes. Excellent options for seniors and the physically challenged.
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| Sensaphone Dialers |
These are systems that allow you to check vital stats in your home from remote locations using temperature and power sensors. This may be crucial if you travel a lot and have a problem with frequent power outages that may affect refrigeration units, or life sustaining equipment for people, animals and aquatic life.
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