Yes unless you are surrounded by rednecks then they just carry on.

Our home was set up with a security system when we built the house 20 years ago, but we never used it. Then we decided to have it activated to an outside company a couple of years ago. We were on the road a lot since we retired and live on a river green belt and decided there was a definite risk. We were on a trip only a couple of months later and got a call that our system had triggered an alarm and that the police had been called! Five police cars and police dog were at the scene and my daughter let them in the house. A couple of windows had been damaged but no one got in because of the loud alarm! The police met a stranger coming back in our backyard. He had hid his bike down by the river. Needless to say he was eventually convicted of attempted burglary! We were hooked and definitely believe in an alarm system, especially if your home is in an area like ours!

Have you any idea how scary it sounds to hear that you keep a gun in every room? The murder rate is Australia is about 1.3 per 100,000, the US is about 4.5 per 100,000 and since the gun buy back we haven't had a mass shooting. The vast majority of people who are murdered are killed by someone they know.

I don't think guns cause crime, but in any conflict a firearm ups the ante to a life and death matter.

Sure criminals will always have guns, but we need to work on why our society has criminals. Unfortunately our government has decided to make criminal action much more likely due to its plan to withdraw all income support for the unemployed under 30 for at least 6 months. There will always be some people with a criminal outlook, but let's not force people into it.

I had a stranger come to the door late one night. I held my great dane by the collar as she barked and lunged towards him. I never did find out what he wanted.

I don't know who has guns in every room--remember when England even the police didn't carry guns. If I remember by criminology course there are more homicides in countries with more guns. Also, many guns get used against their owners. I am still far more afraid of human intruders than the cougars and bears that frequent our area.

We have a monitored alarm system, plus motion-activated cameras, plus a 90-pound German Shepherd Dog, plus signs advising "visitors" of all of the above. Plus, we leave our property lit up like an airport at night. Works. For us, so far!

I should add that our community is considered something of a target for residential burglars, attracting criminals from surrounding areas. If you read the weekly crime reports, the vast majority of items were stolen because a house, car, or garage door was left unlocked. (Which is why this town is so popular--it has, or HAD, a reputation of being the kind of place where people don't lock their doors.)

Also regarding the preferred security system--research indicates that plentiful lighting and a barking dog have the best chance of deterring an average crime of opportunity. Doesn't matter if the dog is big or little--it's the bark that counts! :)

Choose a great neighbourhood, in a great city, in a great country.

A dog, and guns. Hate to say it.

A home security system and a safe will keep you at ease while away. Brown Safe even has an option of adding a silent alarm feature to your safe that can quickly send a silent signal if you are in a hold up situation. See our website for further security information.

www.brownsafe.com

I have cameras that are linked to my cell phone.

Thanks for sharing .

A big dog is the most effective. The draw back is your living and taking care of a big dog. Lol. If you consider that a drawback?

We just got a 4 camera security system that my husband has partially installed after we found out that the guy two doors down has tried to break in to our next door neighbor's gargage not once but twice!! The first time our neighbor chased him to his driveway where he claimed he was working in his garage. We're going to put a big sign on the front of our garage that juts out in the driveway saying 'you're being watched' with a picture of a security camera. I hope he gets the hint that we're on to him.

When we got married some one read the notices in the news paper and broke into our house with us in it as we did not go on a honeymoon. The first wife (a Brittany) jumped out of our bed and attacked who ever it was. By the time Robert was down the hall with his gun the robber had retreated without his pants. She never barked.

If thieves want to get in, they get in. The best deterrents I have found include a strong sense of relationship in the neighbourhood. A neighbour down the hill has a winter party to which two-blocks-plus of the entire street is invited, facilitating us ALL knowing each other at least a bit). We've had all of those on our block in for a dinner at least once and plan to host a neighbourhood garden party in late Spring--same guest list as the winter party, with a few up the road as well.

A concurrent theme in our area is to be unpredictably present--made easier with retirees and home-based professionals, of which there are a number (including me). We also strike up friendly conversations with those cutting through the neighbourhood on foot, those who go through the recycle looking for bottles, etc.

Typically, houses in the area have some form of exterior lighting, as well. Light is a tried and true, historically significant means to influence social behaviour ;-)

I would love to see our society tackle the causes of crime from the roots up. The connection between educational disadvantage and criminal behavior is very well documented and yet we happily let kids receive a substandard education because we don't want to pay any more tax than we have to. When kids leave school with little or no job prospects what do we expect? I am not saying that this can be solved purely by throwing money at it, but continuing as we have will continue to reap the same results.

We use a combination of things. We live on acreage just outside of the city limits of a small town with low crime. We live on the corner of dead end road and watch the comings and goings of the house for sale at the end of the road. We know our immediate neighbors. All the neighbors have dogs. We have a sign posted that We call the sheriff if we say anything. We have a pair of Texas Lacy Game Dogs that alert to anything out of the ordinary. The dogs are bonded onto my husband and i and our families. They scared the carp out of the telephone guys who were trimming trees. The UPs guys know they won't get bit if they walk in the center of the stairs.
At our old house in New Mexico, my blue male Texas Lacy Game Dog, Comanche, scared the carp out of a religious lady who stuffed literature in the front door. He bayed the door and she ran off as fast as she could with her cane.
http://s34.photobucket.com/user/Ocotilla/media/dogs/DSC02225.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6

http://s34.photobucket.com/user/Ocotilla/media/dogs/00064.jpg.html?sort=3&o=7

Dogs will never fail you!

5 basenjis and a sign on the door that says: Pets escape, please close door.

I don't know how true it is, but I read that this is better liability wise than Caution, big dog!

Off subject but does anyone know where I could get get a bat rack like this one?

My answers would not be politically correct!

My big dog wouldn't hesitate to bite a male he didn't know.....however females are a different story. Rocky would knock them down and lick them to death. I have a sign that says "My dog can make it to the fence in 2.8 seconds.....can you?"

I have an alarm system in my house as back up. We had a false alarm before Christmas and the security company was on the phone in less than a minute. They called both of my sons and the police department in less than 5 minutes. So I know it works well. With my system there is also an emergency code you can punch into the system to let security know you are being FORCED to turn off your alarm.

My Great Dane Rocky

SimpliSafe.com is the system I have. I installed it myself and I can take it with me when I move, if I move.

I now live in a small town that 95% of the time is very safe, so our cars may get robbed, but noone is going to kill us to do it.

I read over half way through, so forgive me if someone said these things. When you hire a security company, you are telling a lot of people who make under $10/hr when you will not be home and for how long. I in no way wish to state that all these people are out to get you, but if you were in the business of robbing those with money, those who have security systems would be a good place to start.

i have a little yappy dog - well he growls and barks, but when you weigh 15 lbs those are relative terms. what i like though is that unless i am there, he is going to run and hide, so i do not have to worry about him.

i do believe in knowing and playing nice with your neighbors.

I am also seriously considering this one:

Laugh all you want, i will laugh with you. But you know the whole neighborhood will hear it, if this goes off. I think a strobe light to a motion sensor might also be good. lol

Secret passageways. If you're a wealthy home owner who has multiple houses or takes long vacations, an overt safe will only stand as long as it takes for a criminal to go back out and get Home Depot tools he needs to break in. With a secret passageway, they'll never find it.

Creative I get it, you have to advertise, but could you at least look at the dates? you are flooding us with old threads. thanks

We have an alarm system, 3 big dogs, & plenty of guns. I don't believe it would be a good idea to break into our house.

Sorry Have Fun you're right! I haven't been on Houzz for a few years so have been catching up on all the nifty projects people have been working on. I'll take a closer look at the date to see if it's still relevant!

We went for the full shebang. We have 6 camera exterior wired In security system with night vision that can be remotely monitored by the alarm company or by us with our phones or any connected device. It records 24 hours a day and stores for two months. Plus we have a 6 foot high security fence with camera entry and when people ring the bell I can remotely let them enter or talk to them or just watch. Inside the house every door and window has sensors and we have lasers that cover main areas when we are gone. We also have wired in smoke detectors on all floors that will alert the alarm company if it goes off. We have a silent alarm on the electrical box plus a silent alarm on a keychain so if anyone tampers with the system or comes in our house without an alarm they send out an armed agent with an attack dog. Otherwise if the alarm goes off they send private, armed security which will come before police or fire respond. So pretty much it's like Fort Knox here haha

Home security has become an indispensable part of home security because you never know if your home is the next target of burglary. Insurance companies might help you cover some of the items stolen, but they won’t help you with priceless items.

Home security system would alert the concerned authorities in the event of break-ins.

I would suggest you go with home security systems which have interactive features. The convenience with home security systems is getting better day by day. To make things easier, one can connect cameras and other useful home security products and control them through a computer or smartphone. Do your research well before settling for a particular brand. Check this article which says how to select the best home security system http://cspalarms.ca/blog/security/how-to-choose-right-security-system-for-your-home/. Having said that, vulnerabilities in home security systems make you an easy target for hacking. But proper installation and procedures would help you keep yourself and your security system safe.

The biggest weak spot with a home security system is their network. Ensure strong and not weak or default passwords for exposed systems. Keep changing the Default password on all of your devices. Check if the system is installed properly and that there are no exposed wires so that a subject cannot cut them easily and stop the surveillance. It would be wise to keep the cameras out of easy reach and possible obstruction and set up alarms for video loss, and video tampering.

Good points. We have ours set up so any tampering with the wires sends a silent alarm. I opened the power box once as I didn't know what it was and 5 min later an armed security guard with an attack dog showed up! At least I know it works!

my worries about such companies is the same as all organizations, do you know how much the people dealing with your most important info actually make? i am sure almost all are respectable and would not think of doing something untoward, but it only takes one.

my mom has lived for years in a very nice neighborhood in tpa. she is one of the few unrobbed, she does not have yard sales and limits repairs etc to those who are vetted and often with her for years. she points out, you see work done, there will be a burglary within 2 weeks.

now this one seems quite appealing and comes in a travel version.

it even come with the red green tape of approval. lol

Giant dog is the way to go! For years I had a 150 lb. Akita-Rottweiler who scared off the bad guys but in reality loved everybody.
I was so crazy about Remy that I designed and manufactured modern pet furniture for a few years.

nope had a 100 ' supposed to be 130 named chewy. bad guys go in, did no know he was there, they slip past, close the kitchen door. end of their problem.

and he was a door guarder, went in and out with us. would lay there all day growling at whoever walked up!

How about giant wolf!

ha ha, love the pic! now he would keep everybody out, but how would we ever escape?

how about a petronis? at least there the homeowner does not get eaten.

I know this is an old topic, but I think security cameras around the house is best.. that way you have evidence of someone's illegal entry or even a way to identify intruder.

Having said that best way to protect your stuff when on holiday is to arrange with a family member to hold anything valuable while away or have your bank hold it until you get back.

Have someone to pick up the pile of mailings or newspapers, has these are what intruders look for to see if any activity at home or not.

In our neighborhood , the police do rounds daily if you request them to while away.

Eques Veiu & Veiu Mini Smart Video Doorbell: protect your home from anywhere. The doorbell has PIR, and automatically detects motion outside your door. It will send an alert to your phone, or start recording video when motion is detected. VEIU allows you to speak directly to whoever is at your door, talk to VEIU's two-way mic right in the app, or through the in-house LCD monitor.

Dogs tend to do the job just fine. Alarms are great deterrent, but won't have an effect on someone whose determined enough. As for the baseball bat, that's got to be very last resort.

A dog paired with an alarm system should be pretty effective!

I have personally rented assistance from dragonsofhell.com.

berniemt, no, Australia did not ban guns, and lots of people still own them. Putting checks and balances on who can buy a gun has made Australia much safer than countries where anyone can buy a gun. Most 'criminals' don't own guns in Australia. They're too expensive and hard to get illegally.

gosh rina would not know who to fear more? lol

A dog paired with an alarm system should be pretty effective!

A dog paired with an alarm system should be pretty effective!

I watched videos on YouTube about various security systems. Ajax recommendations drop out. The presenter said that with this system, you can simultaneously monitor fire sensors, smoke detectors, leak detectors, as well as add security tricks, intrusion sensors, and so on. In general, such a question. How reliable is such a system? Isn't it better to hang all this on different systems, rather than control everything at the same time? The question is purely in reliability, comfort is definitely a plus here.

Loaded shotguns, and an experienced hunter / husband who is proficient in their use!! All our grandchildren know how to safely handle shotguns too, so when they visit, its not an issue; several are in the military now. I am a retired US Air Force Captain, so I have had training in weapon use. Barking dogs are good!!

Paisano's Roost Farm (American Blackbelly Sheep) in Southern New Mexico: A fully fenced property, 2 guard donkeys, chickens, 4 mature rams, 3 dogs. You don't get on the farm without something going off and alerting us. Even the local deputies took one look at my rams and agreed they wouldn't want to meet

them in a dark alley.