Home Security

Safety and protection is now the top priority of those who are conscious about the growing crime rate brought about by increased poverty and crisis. To those with money, it is not a problem to protect their families and properties since they can afford all the security and safety money can buy. However, for those who are always on a budget and are struggling to make ends meet, purchasing the innovative security devices are simply out of the question. Bolts may be affordable but highly technological devices such as alarm systems and security cameras are simply too costly.

There are those who say that there is no need to worry since only those with money will be the target of burglars. However, criminals are not limited to burglars only. There are in fact only a small percentage of the types of criminals existing in the country. There are a lot of serial killers who will not need any reason to kill. Simply put, protection is a commodity needed by just about anybody.

It’s a good thing there is a solution to this problem. If you want to get the effectiveness that is almost the same as those security devices only the wealthy can buy but at a cheap price, then all you need is to have your home installed with several fake security cameras. The price is far from the real ones. The effectiveness however, is almost the same.

By placing these fake security cameras in the areas of your home that will easily be seen by thieves and intruders, you can be assured that they will not put even a foot in your property. To make sure that seasoned burglars will not recognize dummy cameras, be sure to equip them with cables and connections that are also found in real cameras. Also, put them in areas where you are giving the illusion that you are trying to hide the cameras and that the burglar is intelligent enough to have found it. As any other fake objects however, this one will not be able to give your home true security. They are an effective deterrent but of course, no shots or videos will be taken.



By: Ron S. Thames

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Security surveillance cameras offer a method of keeping off unwanted guests and of course, prevent future thefts and robberies from happening inside the home. With a surveillance, homeowners can monitor their homes more closely and keep an eye on people who come and go especially in the usual places that robbers and thieves would target.

There are various kinds of surveillance cameras and systems designed to give the home owners a clear video and also audio reception of what the camera is capturing within the house premises. Aside from the usual home surveillance camera, there are also hidden cameras or spy cameras which can also be mobile devices used within the house and remotely monitored by the home owner.

An outdoor wireless security camera has features that include:

Camera – The surveillance camera can have color and can capture both video and audio; DVR or digital video recorder – The DVR contains channels for multiple video monitoring; Cables – These are needed for wired surveillance camera systems that run at least 100 feet long; Brackets – These are used for mounting the cables on the walls; Hard drive – Hard drive memory is needed for recording the videos captured by the surveillance camera.

Remote video monitoring has been a useful tool for home owners especially for those who have other businesses to attend to besides watching their home. They can remotely monitor their house from a safe distance by the use of a handheld receiver, or they can remotely monitor their homes with a PC that has internet connection. Surveillance camera software is also needed for further video monitoring with a computer.

When purchasing surveillance cameras, choose a system that fits the needs of the house. For instance, a house as big as a mansion would usually need more than one security camera, and a monitoring room where all the video monitors would be located so that a person can come in from time to time to keep watch. If a home is considered a mass of apartment rooms and floors, two or three of these cameras would be appropriate and each floor should be have separate monitoring devices.

As for purchasing more advanced security surveillance cameras, there are remotely monitored cameras that have mobile device monitoring. Home owners can also use digital video recorders or DVRs that can be connected to digital video cameras hidden inside the house. These DVRs record videos from the cameras and directly archive them for future use. The videos can also be transferred to external devices using a camera surveillance software program.

Security surveillance camera software can be purchased at affordable prices at online stores on the internet. They are usually compatible with most Windows formatted PCs and Mac computers. The surveillance software allows home owners to access their surveillance videos with their PCs and be able to edit or transfer the video files onto an external device (such as a CD).

Only with effective and well set up security surveillance systems would assure more home owners of their home’s safety.



By: Patrick Ault

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It seems that crime is on the rise and no one wants to be a victim. But how can you effectively protect your home and property? You can create home security without consulting expensive companies or spending a lot of money. Just use these few tips and common sense to keep your valuables safe.

Thieves generally go for the easy target, so if your house is easy to get into or your property is readily accessible you are setting yourself up for the possibility of getting robbed. However, by using a few simple theft deterrents you can dramatically reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

Lock your house up. This is an obvious suggestion, but you would be surprised how many people neglect to check garage or back windows. Check all your windows and make sure they are not only closed, but locked as well. On doors, use dead bolts with at least a 1 inch extension into the door frame. If you have a door that leads directly to your garage, make sure it is locked as well. It is surprising how many times people neglect this door!

Lock your car. Again, another obvious recommendation but it is one that many people neglect. They feel that if their car is parked in the garage or next to their house it is safe. Just because your car is at your home doesn’t mean it is safe. Don’t leave tempting items such as cameras, iPods, GPS systems, etc. in your car. Items like this encourage a would be thief to smash and grab. By the time you hear the glass break it will be too late.

Post alarm signs. We have all seen the little, unobtrusive signs in yards and on home windows from security companies. These little signs can be a great way to ward off thieves, even if the signs are just decoys! A thief would rather not take the risk of the sign being a fake so they will likely move on. It is amazing how a small little thing like a sign can be a great protection to your home!

Add motion lights outside. This is something people never really think of but it is a very simple and wise thing to do. You can install new light fixtures that have motion sensors built in, or you can get a simple light socket adaptor that will turn any light socket into a motion sensor light. It is good to put flood lights with motion sensors around large areas such as backyards, garages and carports, etc. Illuminating a large area will give a thief fewer places to hide.

Plan for Vacations. When you aren’t home it shows and thieves begin to notice little things that indicate that no one is home. But there are several easy things you can do to make your home looked lived in even when you are away. Of course we all know about putting lights on timers, but have you thought about the times those timers turn on? Have a light turn on in the family room in the evening. As that light turns off have one turn on in the bedroom for a while. That will make it look like you are following a usual routine. Also consider putting timers on televisions and radios. The blue glow from a television screen is more likely to make your home look lived in than just a few lights. Have a neighbor shovel snow from the walk, water plants inside and outside, etc. All the lights in the world won’t detract from the fact that there are no tracks in the snow or all your plants are half dead!

By using a few simple and easy to use techniques, you can protect your home and valuables from the sneaky hands of thieves. It is possible to stay safe and do it without spending a lot of money!



By: Cecil Flynn

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Burglary is a phenomenon: thieves seem to discover each day new ways of violating our homes. There are so many countries where people live each day with the fear that when they come back from work they might find their homes burglarized. Police cannot do much and many burglars go on unpunished. Burglary represents for thieves an easy way to make money. Most of them will not bother to develop scenarios for complicated burglary, unless the target can bring them the “queen’s diamond”. So the burglars look for homes with easy access. Therefore, the best thing you can do to minimize the risk of having your house on the burglars’ list, is to make it difficult to enter. To do this you need to fortify your entrances, secure the windows, employ good lighting and use reliable alarm systems.

Fortify Your Entrance Points

Although they don’t look very pretty and bring a “heavy look”, metal entrance doors transform your home into a difficult target. Most burglars do not possess the skills we see in movies. If a house is too difficult to burglarize, they will simply avoid it. Statistic, housebreakers prefer to enter via the garage door. Followed by the back door, the garage door is known to be the most accessible point of entry in a house. For this reason do not use metal doors solely to fortify your main entrance, but to secure all the other points of entry as well. Remember: a door with a wooden jamb is very easy to kick open. Fortify such entrances and make sure to use quality locks that resist lock-picking attempts for all your doors.

Secure All Accessible Windows

Despite the common belief, burglars are not intimidated by the daylight. Statistic, most of the break-in incidents happen during the daytime, when people are away at work. An open window is an invitation. Do lock your windows when you are away from home. Windows with latches are very easy to slide open, that’s why you should use secondary blocking devices that will discourage burglars. Usually housebreakers prefer ground floor windows and windows that are accessible from a balcony, fence or a stair. When you secure the windows make sure burglars cannot reach and remove the blocking device. If you have an alarm system in your home, connect it to the accessible windows as well.

Use Lighting to Show Signs of Activity at Night

When away from home in a business trip or in vacation, make sure your home will not stay darken night after night. To avoid sending such an invitation to the thieves, use light timers. The light timers can be also used to turn on and off lights, radio and TV sets that will intensify the false impression of occupancy.

Don’t undervalue the importance of exterior lighting. Since burglars do not want to be seen or identified, good exterior lighting will discourage them to come near your home. For this purpose use security lights with infrared motion detectors.

Use Reliable Alarm Systems

Burglars do not want to be caught, that’s why most of them will bypass a home with visible alarm signs. An alarm system is effective and reliable when properly installed and maintained. Take care of your alarm code and don’t write it in visible places. Your purpose is to make it difficult for burglars to break in into your home and not to make their job easy.



By: Michael Russell

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If you look around you will find burglar alarm systems almost everywhere from shops to restaurants, offices and homes. If you want to be protected from burglary then the first security precaution that should be installed is a alarm system. As these systems can be quite expensive, how easy is it to make your own burglar alarm security system?

Securing your home from intruder attack is extremely important. Many years ago home alarms were only affordable by the rich and less well off folks used the family dog to deter thieves from entering their homes. You have probably spent thousands on setting up your home with electronic gadgets, TV’s and computers so these all need protection from theft.

Building your own burglar alarm system is a fun challenge and wont cost a lot to build. The most basic of home alarm systems simply involves a current form a power supply going through a wire that is made or broken. The power supply should be either a battery or step down transformer to provide a safe low voltage. If using a AC step down transformer, the supply will need to be convert to DC, like a battery.

Using a magnetic reed switch will provide a means of making and breaking the power supply. Attach your reed switch to a door frame and the magnet on to the door itself – in such a way that the reed switch is made when the door is closed. Wire up the reed switch to a bulb and the power supply and you have a very simple burglar alarm system.

Of course, this is simply and bit of fun and a burglar alarm security system in your local DIY store doesn’t cost the earth these days. Home alarms are so much cheaper than they were a few years ago so it’s worth investing in a professional burglar alarm system.



By: Andy J Jones

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wilife asked:

2nd Place: February 2011 Customer Success Story and Video Contest. The restaurant’s video security cameras recorded this armed robbery. The robbers took off with $200. The video was given to the police but the thieves have not yet been caught. This video captured by a Logitech WiLife camera. Learn More: www.logitech.com

Security Cameras: Clearing the final hurdle. The final frontier of these amazing devices has been breached. First, size was the biggest factor to be overcome. The cameras did deter crime because potential thieves could easily see the devices. They could hardly miss them!

As microchip and charge coupled devices (what picks up the image: measured in pixels) got smaller and smaller, the security cameras became harder and harder to see. Before long, many thieves got prison time for crimes they were sure no one had witnessed.

The camera systems still had to be hardwired to each other and to a central processing recorder of some sort. After a while, as cell phone and wi-fi technology blossomed, wireless surveillance cameras began to take their place in the world of security.

This brought forward a new set of problems, however. Because the remote cameras relied on radio signals to get their images to the central recorder, the image tended to be blurred or full of static. The signals were prone to picking up interference from the environment.

Engineers built systems that used lower frequencies which made the signals able to stay cleaner, but that caused other problems. One difficulty that has dogged designers since the early days is the amount of memory required to store all of the video images.

First, tapes were used and reused. Once recording chips became widespread, images were stored in large quantities in tiny spaces. This helped, but still the problem persisted of having someone wade through hours of no activity to maybe having someone come into view for a few minutes.

The latest breakthrough is having motion sensors built into the cameras. When there is no one present, the camera remains in standby. When motion is detected, the usually hidden camera energizes and records till the movement is no longer detected. Then, it shuts down again. This saves an incredible amount of memory and time.

One solution uncovered another problem, however. What to do about a place where little kids might go and play? What about wild animals coming by for a visit?

This is where this new development really conquers the final frontier. The latest hidden surveillance cameras have the same built in motion sensors, but they have changed the programming so that the machines can be made to not recognize the lower quarter of the viewing area. If little children play in the area, they are not tall enough to trigger the motion sensor and the camera stays dormant.

If an animal wanders in, unless it is as tall as a moose, cow or something similar, the security cameras won’t pay it any attention.

This “deadening” of certain areas of the viewing field is probably the most ingenious design yet. A classic example is one where nobody hardly goes, but is brightly lit. The best trap to lay here for a prospective wrong-doer is to hide a wireless security camera in a floodlight base. He wouldn’t suspect a floodlight and a camera mounted inside can be pointed in any direction. The area is not safe from intruders, but any damage or other crimes committed would be dutifully recorded awaiting the attention of the security officer.



By: Octavien J. Remillard

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Burglary is most often a crime of opportunity. A thief will usually look for the easiest target, so to protect your home there are some easy, do it yourself projects that you can do to make your home less appealing to criminals. This article will give you some tips and ideas on the simple things you can do to improve home security.

One of the most effective things you can do would be to install a burglar alarm system. There are alarm systems available today in the big box stores that you can buy, take home, and install yourself quickly and easily. These systems are wireless so you don’t need to be an electrician to install the system. You simply follow the directions that come in the box and you can have your alarm system set up in under an hour.

Another relatively simple project you can do to make your home less appealing to thieves is to install some outdoor lighting with motion detectors. Installing this type of light fixture will require some very basic electrical work but it is easy to do for the do-it-yourselfer type. Having a light triggered by a motion detector will act as a deterrent to would-be thieves that would prefer to work under the cover of darkness where they can remain unseen.

Along those same lines of not providing cover for a potential criminal to work undetected, you may want to keep shrubs and hedges trimmed away from the house. If you have a large shrubs and bushes right up next to your house a criminal can work on getting through a door or window without the possibility of being seen by a neighbor. By keeping the big bushy landscaping a little further away from the house a thief would be forced to work in a more open space where they risk being seen.

Wireless cameras are another option that can be used as a deterrent to burglars. Wireless systems are easy to install because as the name implies you don’t have to do any extensive electrical work. Like a wireless alarm system discussed above you can usually take them out of the box follow some simple instructions and be up and running in an hour or two.

One last tip for you, whatever security measures you decide to take be sure to activate them. For example, you’d be surprised how many people have an alarm system and fail to activate the alarm system when they leave their house. If you don’t turn it on it’s not going to work for you. Lock your doors and windows before you leave the house. Make sure that motion detector activated light is switched on. The idea is to make it as difficult as possible for a thief to break into your house. A thief is going to look for the easiest mark and if your house is too difficult they will move onto the next one.



By: Stan Jenkins

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Some people who should use security cameras do not use them, while there are others who probably do not really need them who do have them. Because these cameras can be expensive, there is no reason to buy them if they are not really needed.

Some of the ways a person can determine if they would be better off owning these kinds of cameras include:
Here or gone – One of the most obvious questions a person should ask himself or herself is how often do they reside at the place where they are considering installing cameras. For example, if a person never leaves his or her home for extended periods of time, chances are a camera is not needed. On the other hand, if a person owns a summer home or a weekend home that they only spend time at occasionally, there could be a greater need. Although it does sometimes happen, it is rare that a home or business is entered into by a thief while somebody is there. It occurs much more often that these homes and businesses are entered during times when there is nobody inside. Crime in the area – If there is a home or business that is in a high-crime area, then it may not be a bad idea to buy security cameras. It is best to keep the cameras obvious. This will make would-be thieves think twice about what they are doing. If this is not enough to deter a thief, these cameras can be helpful to police because they allow police to get a better idea of who they need to look for after a break-in occurs. What is inside – What is inside of the home or business might be one of the factors that would help a person determine if he or she should use cameras. For example, a jewelry store should typically have every kind of security measure needed thanks to the fact that it is a pretty popular target and because the things that could be stolen are worth thousands of dollars. On the other hand, a thrift shop might not need a camera quite as much simply because the items inside of a store like this are not going to garner as much attention from thieves and others. Has it happened before – This is usually a big factor for somebody when determining to use a camera or not. If a person has been robbed before, there is a good chance that they will want to use a camera in the home or business to try to protect against another break-in. Although, the other point-of-view is that if a person has been robbed, then they are already too late. There is validity in both of these frames of thinking.

The important thing is that security cameras are available to people if they want them. By taking a few minutes to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to owning one, a person should be able to make the proper choice.



By: Anne Clarke

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Are fake security cameras effective? The answer is a resounding “Yes.”

Fake security cameras have helped to prevent many crimes. Mounted in high profile, totally visible locations, these cameras are not hooked up to anything, they mostly operate for a long time on batteries and sometimes have a few flashing lights or other obvious characteristics to make them look as if they are doing something.

Many a would-be robber has changed his or her mind about entering someplace illegally after spotting one of these dummy security cameras looking right at them. With today’s technology, an inexperienced thief really has no way to know whether or not he’s looking at a wireless, state of the art surveillance device or a fake security camera. Some of them actually pan back and forth, although these require more frequent battery changes.

Fake security cameras are especially effective in areas that you expect to be covered by security cameras. For instance, many of the cameras in subway stations around the world are fake security cameras and nobody can tell the difference. During hard times, when the crime rates inevitably rise and cities are strapped for cash, the ratio of fake cameras to real ones was about 2-to-1 in some metropolitan areas.

Knowing that the fake cameras would be regarded as real, the fakes were sprinkled in among the real ones to provide an extra incentive for would-be robbers and thieves to practice their trade in another location. Except for the lack of recorded footage provided by the real cameras, dummy security cameras are almost as effective in reducing crime rates in subways as the real ones are.

Only sophisticated thieves can tell — at a distance — whether they are being observed by a real security camera.



By: Damian Sofsian

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