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    It Happened...Got Broken in and robbed

    Hey Guys, I havn't been around the HS board for years, had a new son and just got busy. Anyway I came home last week, and my front door was wide open, broken down with trim wood pieces all over the hallway. Bums got away with a 52" plasma and a game console in the middle of the day!!

    Now I have had homeseer since way back when, but never really used it. I had a napco gemni security panel that I installed, but due to some malfunctions and random alarms, I quit setting it. Well, learned my lesson on that one.

    So now, not to go into a knee-jerk reaction, but I want to make sure this doesn't happen again, or at least deters would-be criminals.

    I don't expect people to explain all their secrets to the world, but I would be interested in what you have done to protect your little part of the world.

    #2
    Dogs.

    Sorry to hear you got hit.

    I'm convinced that the best deterent is one of the oldest - big, barking, drooling dogs. They don't even have to be mean, they just need to make noise.

    K

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      #3
      Get yourself a few cameras and a shotgun.

      Comment


        #4
        Sorry to hear about the break-in.

        My solution, which has been working good so far, is a bunch of recording cameras (visible to the outside), motion sensors that activate lights outside, a good security system which alerts (email, sounds, etc.) even when not armed, random light changes at night, visible signs of an alarm system (stickers on windows and doors, an external alarm indicator), etc...

        Use the capabilities of HS to produce the sound of barking dogs if you don't have any. My dog wouldn't harm a flea but he is noisy when anyone new is around.

        I started all this when a kid (or kids) broke one of my expensive windows. The kids now see the cameras from the street and don't come near my house anymore.

        Mitch
        http://www.midondesign.com

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          #5
          I think, overall, that a decent, monitored alarm system is the most useful device. I like it particularly because our smoke detectors are tied in, so I know the fire department will get a call at the first sign of a fire.

          Nonetheless, and Hollywood notwithstanding, most people who steal stuff are not likely to be hard-working - or very bright. I think almost anything that even looks like it might make a problem for them is enough to get them to go elsewhere. (Remember, you don't have to create an impenetrable barrier, just enough to make the house down the street seem easier.) Fake cameras, lawn signs, window stickers, etc. are all easy and cheap and probably as effective as a real alarm system at deterring a break in.

          Another effective deterrent is a fence. Even though the drive gate for my fence opens automatically when any vehicle approaches, it is amazing how reluctant people are to enter. They'll back up to the road rather than come in and turn around. Another advantage of a fence and gate is that you can put a sensor on the gate, so you get advance warning of a visitor / potential intruder long before they get a chance to break in your door.
          Mike____________________________________________________________ __________________
          HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548, NUC i3

          HW: Stargate | NX8e | CAV6.6 | Squeezebox | PCS | WGL 800RF | RFXCOM | Vantage Pro | Green-Eye | Edgeport/8 | Way2Call | Ecobee3 | EtherRain | Ubiquiti

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            #6
            I got hit on Jan 2, 2000. Sucked and the place was pretty messed up. Like you had an alarm but it wasn't in use. Couldn't happen to me right? I'm now setup similar to Mitch, DVR with cameras around the outside of the house, motion sensors in the yard that turn floods on, two shepherds, and a Alarm system with a loud siren that the heavily armed neighbors can hear. This creates a pretty effective monitored perimeter that hopefully prevents the bad guy from even wanting to try getting in the house. God help whomever would consider breaking in when I'm home...
            HS3 Prod - Win10 - DSC - HVAC-GC-TBZ48 x3 - CurrentCost - BLRadar - RFXCOM/FRXTRX433 -ADIO - HSTOUCH - BLUPS - AB8SS - SONOS - Alexa - 1 wire - BlueIris -MyQ

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              #7
              I'm with Kwaugh, the best deterrent is a large barking dog...

              A monitored alarm is cool, but remember that several thefts are based on the hit and run tactic. The break-in is very quick. The robbers enter the house, take the most valuable items and come out within 1 a minute or two at the most, then make a quick getaway.

              An alarm system is almost useless against that.

              So, to me the second best deterrent, is the sturdiness of the windows and doors. If thieves can't manage to enter the premises quickly, chances are they will turn back.

              Having a system that triggers a pre-alarm, before the break-in actually occurs, is also a very good deterrent (exterior perimeter pre-alarm detectors or glass break detectors can achieve this)

              A good camera system is also ok, but in my opinion it's ugly and too expensive.

              I tried the fake signs once, but was hit anyway, so I don't recommend this as a reliable deterrent.

              Comment


                #8
                That's awful that you were robbed. I've dealt with it as valuables of mine were taken from me in a similar situation in the distant past.

                There is an interesting show in Discovery channel, It Takes a Thief. They show lots of solid things to do to help make your home tougher to gain entry, and if they do get in, how to protect those items which matter most.

                How much of it is common sense? I don't know because they do hide some of the details, and we're the detail oriented types here if I'm guessing right. Virtually every home gets an alarm system installed along with improved door entry points. All in all, it's entertaining and informational. Perhaps you might catch a few episodes and see what you might learn that would improve your own security perspectives since they start by breaking into a home (with permission) and let them feel what it might feel like. You already know what it feels like. Then they help fix it for the future. Just a thought.
                huggy_d1

                Automating made easy

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                  #9
                  Forgot to mention

                  I did have one other idea that floated around fairly breifly. I considered mounting Ma Duce or a M60 on the roof controlled by x10 motion sensors and a ninja pan/tilt mount. Something about collateral damage and lawsuits made it seem like less of a great idea.
                  HS3 Prod - Win10 - DSC - HVAC-GC-TBZ48 x3 - CurrentCost - BLRadar - RFXCOM/FRXTRX433 -ADIO - HSTOUCH - BLUPS - AB8SS - SONOS - Alexa - 1 wire - BlueIris -MyQ

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by thymer View Post
                    I did have one other idea that floated around fairly breifly. I considered mounting Ma Duce or a M60 on the roof controlled by x10 motion sensors and a ninja pan/tilt mount. Something about collateral damage and lawsuits made it seem like less of a great idea.
                    wow wonder what your home owners insurance would be like!!!!

                    down in cost due to theft deterant

                    up in cost if it has a x10 hickup!!!!
                    HW - i5 4570T @2.9ghz runs @11w | 8gb ram | 128gb ssd OS - Win10 x64

                    HS - HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.435

                    Plugins - BLRF 2.0.94.0 | Concord 4 3.1.13.10 | HSBuddy 3.9.605.5 | HSTouch Server 3.0.0.68 | RFXCOM 30.0.0.36 | X10 3.0.0.36 | Z-Wave 3.0.1.190

                    Hardware - EdgePort/4 DB9 Serial | RFXCOM 433MHz USB Transceiver | Superbus 2000 for Concord 4 | TI103 X-10 Interface | WGL Designs W800 RF | Z-Net Z-Wave Interface

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                      #11
                      I have 2 very effective deterents. I have motion sensors all around the house and I also have speakers under the eves. I have events that when each motion sensor is triggered, TTS speaks "front door" or "front west corner" etc. When I leave and set the alarm it turns the outside speakers on, now granted I live on 2.5 acres and so do all my neighbors so you don't hear the announcements unless you are fairly close to the house. But even the UPS guy has said it still makes him nervous when the house announces where he is "parking south" "front west corner" "front door"...

                      and deterent #2... I let these guys out when I leave, and trust me they can see you coming a long way away running towards you, honking with their wings out (I call it the "airplane dance")

                      And one of them is called "Nipper" for a reason
                      Attached Files
                      Over The Hill
                      What Hill?
                      Where?
                      When?
                      I Don't Remember Any Hill

                      Virtualized Server 2k3 Ent X86 Guest on VMWare ESXi 4.1 with 3 SunRay thin clients as access points - HSPro 2.4.0.48 - ZTroller - ACRF2 (3 WGL 800's) - iAutomate RFID - Ledam - MLHSPlugin - Ultra1wire - RainRelay8 - TI103 - Ultramon - WAF-AB8SS - jvESS (11 zones) - Bitwise Controls BC4 - with 745 Total Devices - 550 Events - 104 scripts - 78 ZWave devices - 42 X10 devices - 76 DS10a's 3 RFXSenors and 32 Motion Sensors

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                        #12
                        It's enough to give would-be thieves Goosebumps !!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          we have a friend in our neighborhood who is a cop. The other day he was driving buy and stopped.... I asked how long he was on and he said a few more hours... he then said he couldnt wait for it to be over.... I asked if he was busy and he said... yes, alot of burglaries today... I said... but it is daytime.. he said yeah.. that is the new trend.. they knock on the door.. no one answers and they kick the door in....

                          to that note... watching.. It Takes A Thief
                          a tv show which is really good..

                          a ex burgular that they use to break in and show people how it is...
                          that guy said that the day is the best as most people today work.....


                          I had a issue a few months ago...
                          I have adt - and pay $48 a month.... going to get rid of it.. bought the concord 4 alarm...

                          but one night I woke up.. thought it was my alarm clock... I get up early and sometimes non coherent (sp?) anyway... I kept hitting the off button on my alarm and it wasnt shutting up... then I noticed the phone next to it was going off.... I knew it was the alarm... so I figured the cops would come...

                          I ran into each kids room to make sure they were still in bed (2years and 8 years... figured they dont sleep walk but you never know)

                          I ran down the stairs.. shut the alarm off and leaned over to shut the garage door to the house (we have been having false alarms if you dont click it shut right) and figured oh well not again... but the door was closed...

                          I then remembered the alarm saying.. Warning Alarm Zone 2 Alert!!! over and over again... I looked up and I wrote in pencil each zone.. and that door is zone 4...

                          I then ran to the back door... zone 2 is my back door... sliding glass door!!!!! the hair on my neck stood up.... as I noticed the door was unlocked.... dont remember if it was opened at all but dont think it was (now a ds10a is on it so I can report!!!) that door is not easy to open or close so you have to push hard....

                          I turned every light on as I ran back upstairs... kicked the dog out of bed and told her to go do her job!!!! poor dog she is now 14.....

                          I searched the entire house.... with dog and a baseball bat...

                          seems that the simple alert was good enough to deter them (if it was not a false alarm)...

                          we have never had false alarms from our doors... just 1 glass break every now and then gets figity....

                          so..... a alarm works great to deter if they are trying to get in while you are home.... to me that is more important than if they get in during the day and steal my stuff which is replaceable....
                          HW - i5 4570T @2.9ghz runs @11w | 8gb ram | 128gb ssd OS - Win10 x64

                          HS - HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.435

                          Plugins - BLRF 2.0.94.0 | Concord 4 3.1.13.10 | HSBuddy 3.9.605.5 | HSTouch Server 3.0.0.68 | RFXCOM 30.0.0.36 | X10 3.0.0.36 | Z-Wave 3.0.1.190

                          Hardware - EdgePort/4 DB9 Serial | RFXCOM 433MHz USB Transceiver | Superbus 2000 for Concord 4 | TI103 X-10 Interface | WGL Designs W800 RF | Z-Net Z-Wave Interface

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by fran_joel View Post
                            It's enough to give would-be thieves Goosebumps !!

                            Trust me I know from experience, it is more like goosebruises. Geese are smart and can recognize you, but Nipper is sly and she is fast. I play a game with her where I make a fist and she "nips" at my hand and then I grab her beak and she stops. A friend was over and was watching us play, he put his hand down and she broke skin before he could get his hand back.
                            Over The Hill
                            What Hill?
                            Where?
                            When?
                            I Don't Remember Any Hill

                            Virtualized Server 2k3 Ent X86 Guest on VMWare ESXi 4.1 with 3 SunRay thin clients as access points - HSPro 2.4.0.48 - ZTroller - ACRF2 (3 WGL 800's) - iAutomate RFID - Ledam - MLHSPlugin - Ultra1wire - RainRelay8 - TI103 - Ultramon - WAF-AB8SS - jvESS (11 zones) - Bitwise Controls BC4 - with 745 Total Devices - 550 Events - 104 scripts - 78 ZWave devices - 42 X10 devices - 76 DS10a's 3 RFXSenors and 32 Motion Sensors

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Automate_It View Post
                              Hey Guys, I havn't been around the HS board for years, had a new son and just got busy. Anyway I came home last week, and my front door was wide open, broken down with trim wood pieces all over the hallway. Bums got away with a 52" plasma and a game console in the middle of the day!!
                              Sorry to hear that, that is a ****. (Begins with a S and ends with a T)

                              OK, staying away from full blown alarm systems, here is what I would suggest.

                              1. Outside lighting that comes on automatically when movement is detected.
                              2. One of the scripts/plugins that turns on lights at random when the Home is vacant
                              3. I have been playing around with a HS scenario.

                              On leaving the house I push a button that sets the house as being vacant, it also enables the script that turns lights on at random, well not so much random, they are sequenced as if someone came out the bedroom and went to the Loo (Jim Doolittle script, although he can not remember it) or left the living room and went up to the Loo. You set it up how you wish.

                              I have a greeting announcement which is triggered by movement in the living area after that area being vacant for a time, it informs me the time of day and that sort of thing. If the house is set to vacant it also says "Movement Detected, Security devices will activate in sixty seconds. Please enter the security code in the appropriate panel. NOW" Oh it then does a neat countdown from sixty - actually does work this bit even for I, I know I am running out of time. You could add an announcement to say "Video Surveillance Started"

                              If "Home Vacant" is not reset within one minute HS turns on all, and I mean all the lights, (you want to see the trouble resetting it all back to normal if you miss the trigger) It will then trigger three Klaxon's, and I mean Klaxon's. I miss ordered the first one, thought it was something else, but the noise they make is something else.

                              And if they rip out the HS computer the Klaxon's keep going, as the lights stay on.

                              Anyway. It is not an alarm system, but a not bad diterant.

                              On a lighter note, there was a post, long time ago, may have been in HS1 days where a description was written of how to have complete anti-aircraft batteries set up in you garden controlled by HomeSeer. I wish I could find it, it was written thong in cheek, and brilliant.

                              Finally, all above plus cameras.
                              sigpic
                              A founder member of "The HA Pioneer Group" otherwise known as the "Old farts club!"

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