I'm afraid you need to give a little more, like, are your doors locked? Windows secure? Garage secure?

Ring Doorbell

Many choices. Permanent or temporary?

There are battery operated wildlife cams with motion detector triggers and daytime visible light /night infrared operation, record to onboard SD cards. Or Wifi-enabled Baby monitor cams. Or installed security cams that record to a server, also wifi (and so internet) accessible. Nest cams. Or, other things.

Yes I have wifi cameras indoors and exterior. I can view them using my phone and tablet or computer any time any where. I can set it up to send me an alert if the motion sensor is activated and it starts to record. I can speak through my phone to the camera speaker. I scared the heck out of my neighbor when she was over watering my plants while I was out of town. The cameras are easy to use and not expensive. Lots are available on eBay, I bought several from a company there.

Yes, we lock the doors and windows. It's not that anything is missing, but several strange things have either been left behind or things moved, etc. Raven, I would love to know more about these cameras....do you have a brand name or anything to help me narrow my search?

I don't want to sound paranoid, but does anyone have a clue how I can find out if my home is bugged in any way? Someone who lives close by always seems to know of conversations had in our home...it's beginning to be a bit concerning. Again, I'm not paranoid, but concerned.

You need to have your locks rekeyed or changed, someone could have a copy of your key. If you have a baby monitor, they send a lot further than people think and they could have one on the same frequency.

Good point Sherry! I do have one for my grandkids, but keep it unplugged because of a conversation I once heard of my neighbors....my older grandkids had walkie talkies on and we could hear the neighbors through their baby monitor! Yikes! I know I sound ridiculous, but I'm just always amazed at how this person always seems to know our business!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_sac=1&_ssn=hi-etech&_armrs=1&_osacat=27432&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1311.R5.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XWifi.TRS0&_nkw=wifi+camera&_sacat=27432

I would do an experiment and have a conversation with your husband in the same place where you normally have conversations and say that you're going to do something completely off-the-wall, like you're going to put in a pool or you're going to blacktop your half mile long driveway or you know just something strange and untrue. And see how long it takes to get back to you. Don't talk about it anywhere else, just at home. Something like that would drive me crazy if I thought it was happening in my home. And I'm sure that an electronics store like RadioShack would have something that would help detect recording devices in a home.

In my previous home (19 years ago), my next door neighbors seemed to know about conversations said in my home. Things not said to anyone else in the neighborhood or mutual friends, only between DH and myself. We had no monitors, etc.. All doors, windows closed and voice levels low. When I would see this neighbor outside, she would repeat things DH and I discussed, but would say "so and so in the neighborhood told her stuff". Ummmm... I think not! I felt paranoid living in my own home. One day DH and I decided to fabricate a story about us getting a divorce, we talked in low voices in our house. In less than an hour, next door neighbor was at my door telling me how sad she was to hear that DH and I were getting a divorce. I asked who she heard it from and she said it was "floating around the neighborhood". DH and I confronted her about the things she seemed to always know and told her we were calling the police. To make a long story short, it turns out her husband used to work for the phone company and had "equipment" that could attach (to their home) that could pick up conversations elsewhere. It was the teen son who was doing it, mom had knowledge, but dad did not. They were doing it to other neighbors as well.

that, is frightening matti! I'm glad it's your previous home.

It's also troubling that they seem to want you to know that they know your business.

If you figure it out, please let us know.

If you have an ipad, iphone or smartphone you can down load this free app called Manything

It's FREE for 1 device. I have my old IPhone 4 sitting on my fireplace mantle facing the front door. If anyone comes in the door or walks down the hall, I get an email. You can set up the frequency and intervals that it emails. I can also monitor it LIVE on my phone.

It's worth the price. (free)

Cordless landline phones are very unsecure. You can listen in on most scanners. In the 80's the phones were only in 40 something MHz (megahurtz) range. Later, sometime in the 90's, 900MGz phones were supposed to be more secure. Scanners that will pick up 900MHz are now outlawed but still readily available online. Phones in the 80's had 10 channels and later they added 15 more. Today new phones are gigahertz (GHz) phones.

So if you have an older phone that may be the issue.

I have a game camera in my carport,which has caught many a lurker snooping before we moved in. It got a great shot of the lowlife who tried to steal our boat, before he realized the trailer hitch had a lock on it,and he had nothing to break the lock. And it got the plate number of the busybodies who backed into the carport before going around trying to look in all of the windows. (Apparently, they claimed they thought the house was still for sale,regardless of the fact that we bought it 6 months prior) We also have an 8 camera surveillance system, which has good video quality,and is supposed to be able to be viewed remotely through a free app, but I cannot get the darn thing to work. But it does record,so I can go back and watch. I bought the system (8 cameras and a dvr) from ebay for around 300 bucks. Honestly,I tend to go more towards the game camera for day to day surveillance. If something looks askew or disturbed, i just check that camera,and if anything is on it, I go look at the recording of the time stamped on the game camera pic. It's better than sitting through hours of video. I recommend getting one with invisible infared, sometimes called black infrared. This way, if they come at night, they won't see the flash and be tipped off to the cameras presence so they can make off with it. I have a Moultrie. It's small,easily hidden, and has a small screen to view the pics on the camera so you don't have to hook it up to a computer or TV every time you want to look at the pics.

THIS whole scenario is really creepy! Major difference between the tow is the "police officer" element?!? I would imagine the guy "spying" with phone company equipment HAS to be illegal. I would NOT have threatened... would have called the police, even if kid was a teenager... let him and parents face the consequences. If person spying was a cop... you have the potential of needing to deal with that "blue line".

Well Julie. For free you can stream live video from the camera on your laptop to a free server that you can log in & watch.

You can also do as recommended above & get security cameras. You can buy & install them urself or get a security company who monitors them. AT&T has a great special going on now.

Sadly, don't get too excited for either of these options. If this person is as talented as you say, I'm sure they've already hacked into your internet modem & router which is super easy. From what you describe their background, they can hack your cameras too.

Even a dog won't work if they know the person & wont attack.

I would call your local police, have them come out & search. Unless they send the officer next door.

What a terrible situation to be in. I'm sorry u are going thru this.

" I'm sure they've already hacked into your internet modem & router which is super easy"

It is?

Oh my goodness...I never even thought of hacking into my computer! ughhh...

Of course it's easy. A 13 year old could do it. Especially if that person is already in the house. I'm not going to say how but YouTube & Google are a wealth of information, and I can think of 2 easy ways right now & no, I don't even need to know your wifi password.

Home security cameras purchased without a monitoring company will require you to set up port forwarding on your router which can easily be turned off or changed if someone else as wireless access.

On that note - the best part about professional security system companies is their wifi modems are virtually un-hackable as it's constantly in touch with the "mother ship". Also, if it's turned off or unplugged it will go wireless & still function. Unless a device is used to disable all wifi reception in that immediate area. But even then an alert should go off & the monitoring company would call u, and ask if they should send the police.

Technology is amazing but never 100% secure. Google & Facebook pay big bucks to former computer hackers to try and hack their systems on purpose. Just to find a weakness & fix it before it gets outta control.

I think surveillance hacking might be possible but unlikely to happen to most of us. Many thefts are simply opportunity thefts, a monitor may well record them. Intentional planned criminal activity including those done by experienced criminals that may include hacking is more difficult to prevent, but far fewer than opportunity crimes/thefts. To me, surveillance is money well spent.

As far as ADT, perhaps it is true that their systems are secure, that does not automatically mean they are your go-to choice for security.

ADT Reviews

Any wireless system can be hacked. ADT has been hit with recent lawsuits.
Putting an ADT or similar sign out for the public to see is an open invitation to hackers.

VERY interesting about wireless systems and hacking.

I think it's important to be able to put cameras around the house (and of course, plenty of lighting) in not just to get video footage that can help capture criminals after the fact, or report them if they're casing your house.

Please future posters!! Regarding what I posted for JULIE is because of her situation. If she believes her house is bugged, and people are coming and going then obviously this is a more severe situation than most of us will ever experience.

My goal is NOT to promote, demote or debate professional security systems but to explain in Julie's situation, anything is possible.

I mentioned AT&T because they are now branching into home security and my friend got an excellent promo deal & free installation. I'm in no way recommending or representing any company.

They all have their faults. But the "do it yourself" security systems advertised also have a different set of vulnerabilities.

But dealing with Julie's creaper is quite a challenge depending how tech savvy they are or even what they want.

"My goal is NOT to promote, demote or debate professional security systems"

Often our conversations here on KT taken interesting turns that are of benefit to readers. I certainly had never entertained the idea that home security systems were hackable (hadn't thought much about it) , but of course these days that is probably a piece of info that might be valuable to know.

Julie I would be scared. And Pissed! Rotten b@stards that do this crap. I detest them with a passion. I hope you figure it out, quickly and safely. I hope if there really is someone invading/spying on your personal space you catch them and they go to jail.

o.k., now Pawprint, what can be done to protect your regular home internet modem and router from being hacked? Does it matter who your internet provider is?

Well I've purposely tried to hack mine but was unsuccessful, tho I'm sure a pro could.

My personal line of defense is security system, 2 dogs & 9 millimeter Smith & Wesson. And believe me, I don't ever want to use it.

I've scoped out my neighborhood & there are places much easier to burglarize so I hope they pass me by.

Our neighborhood has a fair amount of what's called "casual theft" - the quickie 5-min break-in/run-away type. Using a professional alarm company reduces, but won't eliminate, the threat of break-ins. We have an indoor camera that sends automatically to ADT's database every 15 seconds. Video is kept for 30 days and then deleted if not requested (you can save specific daily history via the website if desired).

More homes here don't have alarm services than homes that do. We've noticed people who don't have the alarm services are more likely to be victims of burglary or attempts at it, than those who have nice big "Protected by XXX Services" signs in their front yards. Makes sense; the 'smash and grab' types are opportunists looking for the easy score.

Some homes are extraordinarily easy to break into; others aren't. When the ADT rep was evaluating our home, he commented that our neighbor's house would cost twice what we would pay. It was built by a different developer and has numerous doors and windows on the ground floor, many of which can't be seen by neighbors.

One tip I gave to the new neighbors on the other side of us - you can always have the alarm company call the police directly if an alarm goes off, rather than waste time calling you on your cell. I started doing this when we began doing longer trips in retirement.

"One tip I gave to the new neighbors on the other side of us - you can always have the alarm company call the police directly if an alarm goes off, rather than waste time calling you on your cell. I started doing this when we began doing longer trips in retirement."

Where we live, you have to have a license for your security system, issued by the Sheriff's Office. You have to renew the license every other year. You get ONE false alarm allowed per year - after that, you have to pay for any and all false alarms. Therefore, we have the monitoring company contact US first, before calling the local law enforcement to respond. If we know we are going to be out of town and wouldn't be able to quickly check the house, we can tell the monitoring company to call the local LEOs immediately.

Pawprint wrote, "Also, I didn't mention ADT. I mentioned AT&T because they are now branching into home security and my friend got an excellent promo deal & free installation. I'm in no way recommending or representing any company."

Sorry, Pawprint, but you DID mention ADT. You had written the following:

"Of course it's easy. A 13 year old could do it. Especially if that person is already in the house. I'm not going to say how but YouTube & Google are a wealth of information, and I can think of 2 easy ways right now & no, I don't even need to know your wifi password.

"Home security cameras purchased without a monitoring company will require you to set up port forwarding on your router which can easily be turned off or changed if someone else as wireless access. The ones from ADT and competitors would be the most secure bet." [emphasis added]

pawprint, I think you're taking an extreme case and stating it as if it were the everyday case. I'll take what you said and put it into the same category as these statements:

1) Any car can be stolen by a determined and knowledgeable thief

2) Any home can be broken into by a determined and knowledgeable thief

3) Any wifi signal can be accessed (which by the way doesn't necessarily include access to data on PCs on that network) by a determined and knowledgeable thief.

Nothing is absolute, we all live with risks that can't be fully mitigated. Except in exceptional (and often predictable) situations, life goes on. Julie, it should be easy enough for an expert to determine if your neighbor somehow has your house bugged or accessed. Good luck

With each generation comes a a new wave of "hackers". I was in on the early days of blue boxing (woo-hoo free phone calls), DS took blue boxes for granted and became interested in computer hacks along with advanced phreaking and later war driving.

Today it is security. Prevalence might depend on where you live. The SF Bay Area culture has always been a hacker's paradise. While much of this is done as a hobby, quite a lot is not. With everyone having computers in their homes, with wireless everything and the many being as placid about their encryption as the frequently sighted shopper with the large open handbag in their cart cyber theft is the new wave. Not only for data but to breach security to commit in home invasions. As tech has become more and more user friendly for the consumer it has also become somewhat easier for the potential hacker. You no longer need super skills to "hack". Ease of use threatens security. Most people buy new stuff, plug it in and use manufacturers defaults. Yes chances are remote that you become a victim but the risk is there so why take it?

As for Julie I think maybe hiring a PI would be in her best interest. She mentioned the fear of people entering her property. Just make sure that the PI doesn't have connections with the local PD. Retired or not the neighbor will still have his buddies on the inside that will cover for him.

The "left behind" and "things moved" would be my first concern. That would be easily remedied by securing all windows/doors and changing locks. Don't forget a garage opener code if you have an attached garage and leave the door unlocked. Garage door openers are used often by burglars.

For the conversations, without some more detail it's hard to say without using total paranoia and speculation. If it's when you're on your phone, a friend just had where the lines were crossed and he and his neighbor could hear each other on the phone. If it's conversation, could be lip reading, listening at a window or a myriad of other possibilities too numerous to go into in this manner.

Lindsey, your right. I apologize. I'm sorry, I forgot that part. But I'm still not recommending one over the other. I don't have a favorite.

Elmer, I'm just warning Julie as it sounds like her case is "extreme making it more difficult to stop if someone that seems to be so determined.

99% of us won't experience the possibilities I mentioned. Thankfully.

Also, I spent a better part of my career in tech support & networking for businesses. So although it might sound crazy to you, or overkill....I've seen and heard the worst. It's just food for thought.

If someone goes far enough to bug someone's house, you best believe they've done more than that.

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. We are in the process of figuring this all out....will keep you updated!

If you want to know that you have been burgled, an alarm system will do that.

No self-respecting burglar is in your home more than three minutes. Unless there happens to be a squad car one minute from your home, the police are not going to apprehend your thief and get your belongings back.

Most burglars don't even need to 'smash' to 'grab'. People leave doors open/unlocked.

We lost $20K in watches and jewelry one evening while I was in the jet tub and DH left a garage door up while he walked our dog down the street. Police reported a rash of car thefts from suburban Chicago homes last month where people left their cars unlocked in their driveways overnight.

I can see the use for an alarm system that senses fire or flood. The odd vandalizing teen could be caught -- not the in-and-out burglar.

My brother and his family have some kind of door bell app on their smartphones. If anyone on the porch rings the doorbell it rings on their phone and they can answer it and talk to whoever is at the door whether they are home or not. He also has an old iPhone in his window that works on wifi and if anyone walks past the camera it sets off an alarm on his phone and he can see who is on his porch whether he is at home or not.