Ways To Make A Home Secure?

[TGO David]

Actually, ...I hold a Master's in IT so I do know one or two things about this stuff (at least I did yesterday) and besides, David, I WAS MAKING A JOKE!

Cool... I had a guy with a master's in IT working for me once.

[RobertNashville]

Actually Kim Komando says WEP sucks:

Secure your wireless network - USATODAY.com

And she's really not that good looking, all though she certainly thinks she is.

I think we are confusing each other. Yes, WEP sucks; WPA and really, WPA2 is much better. Of course, with this or any security measure of any kind, nothing is foolproof; all we can do is to use tools that making breaching our "security" as difficult as possible.

And in any case, Kim is still hot.

[RobertNashville]

Cool... I had a guy with a master's in IT working for me once.

Yeah? Well I've had forum admins working for me!

[TGO David]

Yeah? Well I've had forum admins working for me!

Really? Those guys are usually pretty smart. They usually don't do it as a day job either.

Of course the last guy that I worked for that had his master's in IT was perfectly suited for his job of attending meetings all the time. It would have been a total cluster if he'd ever tried to do any tech work.

(back to your regularly scheduled home security talk)

[Guest 73challenger]

Well...I have taken a networking class and a security class! :-P I'll have a degree in a few years. I guess i'm the underdog...

[Guest Tn.Mitch]

Buy a 12 Gauge Pump Shotgun.. End of story..Easy as pie.

[Guest DRO]

Buy a 12 Gauge Pump Shotgun.. End of story..Easy as pie.

This.

[Guest robert83]

A Large Dog bowl on the front porch.

[Guest TnRebel]

A Large Dog bowl on the front porch.

and don't forget to shed an old pair of jeans and leave beside the bowl LOL

[Guest DELETED]

Interior and exterior lights on timers are important, but being on a first name basis and exchanging phone numbers with your neighbors is best. A big, partially chewed dog bone on the front porch is good or even a large pair of mens workboots. I knew an elderly lady who asked the neighbor to park his Harley in her carport.

[RobertNashville]

I've got an additional question for anyone who might have some thoughts to share.

In making it more difficult for an intruder to break in through my front or back door (I'm especially thinking of a "home invasion" type of event here)...how difficult might be "too" difficult?

By that I mean, as a single man (no wife or children at home to let "good" people in or call for help; if I were to need emergency help (for example - I can "call" for medial or fire or LE through my monitored alarm remote that I keep with me all the time) so EMS, etc. could be summoned but if they can't easily get in because of efforts I've made to secure my doors, could I be placing myself in danger more than if I didn't secure my doors?

I know EMS, Fire, Police could eventually get in (through the windows if nothing else) but that will take more time.

Maybe this question doesn't really have an answer but I think the issue is worth of some thought and/or discussion.

[DaveTN]

I've got an additional question for anyone who might have some thoughts to share.

In making it more difficult for an intruder to break in through my front or back door (I'm especially thinking of a "home invasion" type of event here)...how difficult might be "too" difficult?

By that I mean, as a single man (no wife or children at home to let "good" people in or call for help; if I were to need emergency help (for example - I can "call" for medial or fire or LE through my monitored alarm remote that I keep with me all the time) so EMS, etc. could be summoned but if they can't easily get in because of efforts I've made to secure my doors, could I be placing myself in danger more than if I didn't secure my doors?

I know EMS, Fire, Police could eventually get in (through the windows if nothing else) but that will take more time.

Maybe this question doesn't really have an answer but I think the issue is worth of some thought and/or discussion.

When I was a cop my father-in-law was a Fireman. I heard a guy ask him that he replied “Don’t worry about us; we’ll open your doors when we get there.â€

Of course it may slow things down if an ambulance is all that is responding. But the alternative is not an option if you are preparing to be able to stop or slow down a home invasion.

In every home invasion I responded to the home owners were specifically targeted and the home invaders knew what they were going into. You may stop burglars, but I doubt you will stop a home invasion. In a home invasion you need to be able to get a functioning gun in your hand in seconds.

[Guest tnfireman]

DaveTN has it right, often in my career in fire, rescue, and EMS I have encountered situations like this. Yes it will slow us down, especially working EMS, but usually not by much. If working with or for fire or rescue there are some really handy tools available to make entry with.

[RobertNashville]

Thanks for the replies, fellows...about 20 years ago I was a volunteer paramedic with our local Fire/EMS (Port Orchard, Washington) so yeah...I do know they can get in...I guess the little bit longer it might take is probably less risk than a home invasion.

I've no illusions about "stopping" a home invasion event; just slowing it down enough to allow me to get to one of my weapons....I suspect that even slowing it down from one kick at the door to taking two or three could be the difference between gun in hand and still reaching for it when the bad guys come in.

[tnhawk]

A Large Dog bowl on the front porch.

Several large dogs looking out the windows when anyone approaches the door, has worked well for the last 15 years.

[RobertNashville]

Several large dogs looking out the windows when anyone approaches the door, has worked well for the last 15 years.

I'm sure it's a big deterrent but that isn't an option for many (including me). One dog is as much as I have time to care for properly and many people don't that option at all depending on where they live.

[Guest rsgillmd]

If you are looking to just place something by a window as a deterrent, but like me don't have the time to take care of a dog properly, what about a large stuffed animal of a mean looking dog? They've got to be available somewhere. I you place it far enough back from the window, maybe to the casual observer it'll look real.

[RobertNashville]

Humm..Do you put a fake person in your vehicle so you can use the HOV lane???

[soapy]

Humm..Do you put a fake person in your vehicle so you can use the HOV lane???

my blow up doll

[Guest Blown4v]

German shepherds, and firearms strategically placed.

I can tell if the dogs are barking "at an animal in the woods" or at someone there or close by, two clearly distinctive barks. I feel pretty good about that early warning system, plenty of time to AR up and get defensive mode turned on

[Guest rt_steve]

My 2 cents. . .

I have a large dog with a loud deep bark and I have firearms.

When I lived in West Tennessee, (significantly higher crime rate than east Tn) twice my dog woke me up frantically barking at my front door. I took all precautions and approached slowly with Mossberg 500 in hand and saw no one around through the windows nor any evidence of an attempted break-in. It may have been squirrels or my dog may have saved my life.

My dog sounds mean enough to scare away most sane people. He also would give me enough forewarning to prepare for anyone who does not fall in that category (A desperate meth-head might be a little less cautious).

As a side note, the guy who is currently renting my house in West Tennessee had his vehicle stolen from the driveway recently. Not only may my dog have saved my life, he may have saved my truck too.

[RobertNashville]

I don't think that there is any question that dogs, especially "big" or at least "big sounding" dogs can be a significant deterrent to a would-be robber. The kind of guys that worry me are guys like the desperate meth-head you mention...the ones who just don't care and will break in anyway and hope for the best.

Quite a different world we live in these days from what I remember as a kid...we often didn't lock our cars our our back doors and I don't remember anyone getting robbed or their car stolen....that was the stuff of Dragnet and big cities like LA or New York.