Always lock your doors
Well that is not as easy of a question as it might look at first. And those of you who have read any of my posts or have surfed around and seen any of my websites know that I am the President of a company that manufactures and sells security cameras. So one would think that my instant answer to the question would be NO you are not secure, and YES you need security cameras. But my answer is not that simple either.
I do NOT advocate security cameras as the only method or the only means of providing security for your home. By no means should you ONLY use security cameras to secure your home. That’s right, a manufacturer of security cameras IS telling you to secure your home first…before installing cameras.
There are many methods of securing your home, that should be put in place before you consider your budget or needs for a security camera system. I would recommend starting with step 1, and by the time you get done, you will have a house that will probably be passed over by a thief looking for an easier target.
1. Install or update the locks on your doors - I know, I know, you already have locks in most cases. But are your locks up to date? Does anyone have keys, or possibly have keys that shouldn’t? Making sure that only authorized persons have keys to the locks, is the very first step in securing your home. If there are possibly unknown persons (ex-girfriends, ex-boyfriends, ex-husbands, etc) that have keys or might have made copies of your keys…change the locks. Simple but effective.
2. Make sure you ALWAYS lock your doors – Again, very simple but very effective. Break-ins can occur at any time, and a professional thief needs only a few moments to successfully make money off of your indiscretion. The danger of constantly locking the doors – at some point in time, you will be locked out…forgetting your keys inside. I know first-hand how annoying this can be…as I have spent hours waiting in my socks in the garage for someone to come home and let me in. But when I look at the inconvenience, it is still much smaller than the feeling of loss associated with a burglary (also known first-hand).
3. Forget the hide-a-key – Yes, there is convenience to hiding a key under the mat, or in a fake rock or buried in the mulch. But in reality, doing this will undermine any other security measures you take. If you think no-one can spot a hide-a-key, think again. Professional thieves have seen every hide-a-key device that is out there, and are very efficient at finding them. After all, several minutes of looking outside will save them the trouble of prying or picking at your locks. Instead, leave a key with a TRUSTED individual, that you can contact in case of emergency, while you are locked out.
Deadbolts can make entry difficult
4. Use Bolt Locks on all exterior doors – Normal latches can be easily circumvented. Bolt locks are a much better method of stopping intruders and thieves. The other good thing about bolt locks, is that when leaving, they have to be locked by the key…makes it impossible to lock yourself out, if you always have key in hand when walking out the door.
Use safety measures to prevent entry through sliding doors
5. Sliding Doors need love too - Sliding doors can be the easiest point of entry for many thieves, even without breaking the glass and alerting those passing by. There are many devices out there to help secure your door: bars to place in the track of the door, additional security latches and more. Just remember that your home is only as secure as the weakest entry-point.
6. Windows are messy, but they can be used – Armoring your windows from entry would be so expensive that it would be ill-advised. And bars across the windows would not be safe for your family in case of fire (not to mention the eyesore). But there are other things that can be done to help prevent intrusion through the windows. The Firethorn bush (also known as the thorny Pyracantha) is commonly used around windows for security reasons. This bush looks pretty with shiny green foliage and bright red berries, but the thorns will quickly make an intruder think again about trying to enter. But keep children away. Other than agressive plants, you could also take simple steps such as cutting back bushes that are close to your windows…too tall or full of a bush could easily hide a would-be intruder, making entry more desireable for them.
7. Close the Garage door – Many thefts occur from our garage, where we keep our bicycles, tools, lawn mowers, ladders and vehicles. Leaving your garage door open, can mean an invitation to thieves to step in and take what they can…with no forced entry, it can be difficult to find who did it…and with no alarm sensor to cover the garage, no alarm will sound. Many Thieves even will step into the garage while you are at home, because they can still make a rapid escape if they are startled. So close your garage door, even if you are right inside, or will only be inside for a minute, or if you are just walking around the block.
Garage door keypads might not be a great idea.
8. Forget the Garage Keypads – A garage keypad is a great convenience if you will be out riding a bike, to let kids in, or to take a walk around the block and regain entry into your garage. However, there is a great flaw in the plan. These garage locks have plastic buttons…in and of themselves, plastic buttons are not a bad thing…but these buttons have raised printed lettering on them with numbers 0 – 9. With a 4-Digit combination, these locks initially have 10,000 possible combinations. Don’t believe me? Listen to a Scientist if you must. Well that is no small number of possible combinations, so why are these not a good enough? Well if you have ever used a laptop for a good amount of time, or had to replace a PC keyboard because the letters were wearing off (or just getting a disgusting glaze over them), then you know that any keys that are used eventually begin to wear off, or at least get a funky glaze on them from the oils in your skin. So it is easy to assume that a frequently used garage keypad can do the same thing. now if we reduce the number of possible numbers from 10 per digit to 4 per digit, then we would be looking at only 256 combinations! Or if you have a combination with a repeat of one digit, there will be only 3 possible numbers, leaving only 81 possible combinations! – Do you see where this begins to become a problem (unless your fingers, unlike everyone else on the planet, do not have oils in them). Beyond the possible combination issues, the kepad itself is simply a wireless transmitter that is programmed to the garage door opener, and could easily be opened up and circumvented completely by a good professional.
Home Alarm Systems are great for alerting police
9. A monitored alarm system – Even though we do not sell any of the items above, nor do we currently sell alarm systems and monitoring for your home, we do HIGHLY recommend that every home has an alarm system installed. These alarm systems serve many basic fuctions that are necessary for your home and family. When religiously set, an alarm system will quickly alert the monitoring station when any windows or door in your home is opened, so that Police can be alerted and respond quickly. This will also push a thief to move very fast, and often make mistakes. Beyond entry while you are NOT at home, there is also HOME INVASION, which is basically a burglary that occurs while you or your family ARE home. This can be a very deadly situation, and an alarm with an audible tone can wake you from your sleep, at the same time alerting the police. This functionality provides you with absolutely necessary protection and should be considered a definite staple of home security.
By this point, you should be able to answer YES with fairly reasonable assurance to the question “Is my home secure?” But we should keep in mind, that even the most secure homes can still fall victim to home invasion, burglary or vandalism. The Security measures we take simply help make our home less likely to fall victim by deterring thieves and turning them on the next home that might be easier for them. We should never fall into the trap of believing that we are completely secure, because falling into that trap breeds complacency which leads to mistakes, and remember that the bulk of our home’s security measures are manual – Meaning YOU have to lock the doors, YOU have to set the alarm, YOU have to account for all of your keys. Staying vigilant in the security of your home, even fanatical will assure that you pay attention to the little details.
10. Now is when we talk about the additional benefits of Security cameras - Yes, as an advocate for security, and a manufacturer of security cameras and systems, I must talk about security cameras as well. But not just for those reasons, but for the reason that if you have done everything to help prevent theft and burglary, now it is time to think about what happens if someone decides to burglarize or vandalize anyway. All of the steps above will help protect your home and family…but now it is time to look at how to further prevent intruders, as well as at the same time provide evidence to police.
Security Cameras and Prevention - Visible outdoor security cameras can provide a great way to deter theft further. When someone walks up to you front or back door, and sees a camera staring them in the face, they will generally make it look like they are simply a door to door salesman, and quickly walk away.
Security Cameras and Prosecution - As I have said before, the greater majority of homeowners who call us to help them select and install a security camera system, have already experienced a loss at home. Unfortunately, most of them never saw justice for their loss…because when the police arrived on-scene and the customer gave them a description of the occurrence, they were always asked if they saw who did it, or if they had any evidence. Why would the police ask that? Because unfortunately, with the number of individuals that are currently present in and around every neighborhood, it can be difficult to narrow down. Couple this with the number of vandalism and theft calls on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, combined with reduced budgets for Police protection, leads to a backup in caseload, where only the most promising and prosecutable cases are pursued with a priority. So how do you move your case to a priority position? Well either be close friends with your local politicians, or provide convincing irrefutible evidence to the police, such as video footage of exactly what occurred.
A quality security camera system will even provide evidence when the perpetrator never intended on invading or breaking in, they only intended to vandalize. No other home security measure will help deter or provide evidence for outside vandalism. So consider a home security camera system a measure that can help take your home’s security level up a notch, and increase your chances of recovery if something is stolen, as well as prosecution.
Home security is definitely foremost on all of our minds, especially when vandalism or theft begins to occur in our neighborhoods. First make sure to take all of the steps above, to properly secure your home…Then you should consider a quality home security camera system, which will allow you to provide evidence, and even allow you to remotely access your cameras for viewing while away.
Yes, please consider home security cameras, if not from us, then from someone else…hopefully before they are needed, and not as a knee-jerk reaction after you have suffered a loss. But please make sure you have followed dilligence in ensuring that the rest of your home is also secure.
- Let’s protect our families together -
- Michael
Platinum CCTV Surveillance Solutions
http://Platinum-CCTV.com
http://Ez-Toyz.com
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