Can you clear my doubt about home security system?
jeckjiem
10 years ago
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10 years agokudzu9
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Security system? Safety of bedrooms in ranch style home
Comments (32)I'm a woman. I also understand statistics. >I understand your stats that we are more likely to get into a car accident than have a child abducted from their bed but do you think that Polly Klaas's parents would take comfort in those stats. So if it was your child you would just say wow, they had more of a chance being killed in a car accident than being abducted from home. That's insane thinking. If my kids died because they got a phenomenally rare form of cancer, I'd be devastated, but I wouldn't spend time obsessing about the possibilities of really rare cancers and wouldn't make sure I lived close to a great cancer center, just in case. Nor would I go around hysterically advising parents of the same if it DID happen. >The biggest risk from an unlocked window is burglary and a possible encounter with the burglar(s). That risk will vary greatly by location and time of day. The VAST majority of robberies are during the day--for a reason! If someone who knows you wants to kill you, having a bedroom on the second floor isn't going to help. And the vast majority of murders are of this type. If a stranger is interested in a crime of opportunity, there are many other things to think about before decided that having no first-floor bedrooms window is the solution. A stranger can enter just as easily through any other window and then CLIMB THE STAIRS. Windows can be broken, believe it or not, too. Want to block off all windows with bars? Then you're far more likely to die--from a fire! If you live in a bad neighborhood or a neighborhood with high "crime exposure," then you should have burglar alarms, lights, thorny plants, a dog, etc., before worrying about what floor your bedroom is on. Best advice for not getting murdered? Stay away from unstable people. Seriously. Be careful who you marry! And stay away from drugs, gangs, etc., and those who are involved in them. Don't work in a convenience store or gas station. or be a food delivery person. Don't live in the most crime-ridden neighborhoods, and don't walk through them, either. There. You've just taken out more than 98% of the risk of being killed....See MoreHome Security Systems?
Comments (24)We, too, have had an ADT system for about 17 of the 20 years we've lived here. It is monitored 24/7, but not by the police -- it's monitored by the ADT folks. I don't know how much it costs per month because Hubs pays that bill, but I know it's not bad. (Of course, peace of mind and security are worth any price they'd charge.) As for keeping windows open -- the way that a window is monitored is that there is a contact point on the inside of the frame, and a corresponding contact point on the part of the window that moves. When the two points are in contact with each other, everything is fine. When they lose contact with each other, it sets off the alarm. So, if you want to have a window open, the alarm installer can put the inside-the-frame contact point high enough to allow the window to be open enough to allow air/breezes in, but not high enough that someone could crawl through the space and into your home. Motion detectors can also be set so that the beam is low enough to catch a human going, for example, up the stairs, but high enough that your animals can roam through the house without being caught by the motion detector's beam. As Lynn just mentioned, if for some reason our alarm goes off (say, for example, Hubs opens the door from the breakfast nook to the back deck, but forgets to turn off the alarm), and we enter the proper code to turn off the alarm, all is well. If the wrong code is entered, ADT will immediately call us and ask for a preestablished code word. If we say the right word, all is well. If not, the police/sheriff are notified. If we don't answer the home phone, ADT will call our cell phones. We have two control pads for the system -- one is near the front door, and the other is upstairs in the master bedroom. When you enter the house when the alarm is on, you have a preset amount of time to enter the code to turn it off. We have plenty of time to come into the house from the garage and get to the keypad by the front door. We wanted the extra keypad in the master bedroom in case, Heaven forbid, we thought someone was attempting to break into the house during the night. We don't want to have to go downstairs to enter panic codes into the system. We live in an unincorporated area of Sacramento County, so in our case, the Sheriff's Office would be notified. And, we have to pay $75 to them every other year for an "alarm permit."...See MoreHome security systems
Comments (9)I'm with Sophie. Even if you're not willing to adopt the dog, you can do quite a few things to convince burglars to skip your house. In contrast, a security system does NOTHING to prevent the break-in from occuring, and neither you nor the police are likely to be quick enough to get home to catch the thieves in the act. Having their picture is great -- if they're dumb enough not to cover their faces, and if you or the police happen to know them. My plans: - Solid deadbolt locks - No pretty little pier glass windows by the front door (so easy to smash, then just reach in and turn the lock) - Don't over-do exterior doors - Electronics, etc. not visible from the front door /windows - Motion-activated lights - A fence and a dog to deter people from coming to the more-vulnerable back door - Inside, a safe for valuables...See MoreHome Camera and/or Security System?
Comments (17)I ended up using the Amazon Cloud Cam suggested above. It works almost perfectly for my needs. My only complaint is I have 1 camera which is occasionally very touchy about not being able to re-establish a wifi connection if the power gets interrupted. The other cameras never have any issues rejoining wifi, but 1 particular camera can only automatically rejoin as it is supposed to about 50% of the time. Of course this started about 1 week after the warranty was up. Ha. Because isn't that the way life always works! So I have that camera located in the least important location for now, and I'll probably replace it at some point. (Yes, I've rebooted it. It just seems to have connection gremlins that can't be resolved.) Other than that, I've been very pleased. There are about a million options out there, and what works well for one person may not meet your particular needs though, so you'll still have to do some researching....See MoreAdah Roi
9 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
9 years agokudzu9
9 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
9 years agoNuBryte
7 years ago
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