Home Security

blackbird98

Hi all, don't really know where to put this, but can anyone recommend a DIY wireless security system?? Some scumbags tried to steal my car twice in the last 6 weeks. Cops have warned that it seems to be a prof. gang and they may be back to try and steal the keys from my house. Any advice would be appreciated.

Ag marbh

The fairyhouse market has a home security stand with loads of good little gadgets and video systems

SoupyNorman

blackbird98 wrote:

DIY wireless security system??

Sit on the stairs with a baseball bat!

Is your car alarmed?

crosstownk

Have a look here http://www.****/hometech/Wireless-Alarm-Systems.htm

You might get some more responses if you post in the Gardening/DIY forum.

spoofilyj

Theres a few things you can do reasonably cheaply to act as good deterents to this gang, but ultimatly if they are determined enough i'm afraid theres not much you can do.Every security is only a form of deterent.

The first thing I'd recommend is car security like car alarm, immobiliser and wheel and gear stick lock, Can be bought in any car accessory shop or argos.
Then i'd suggest buying some CCTV equitment you can get the real thing for about 100 euros or a dummy cam in argos again for about 30.

After that theres the usual precautions you can take like house alarm 3 point locking on exterior doors. Also dont leave your keys out around the house. Hide them somewhere when you go to bed. Keep the Gardi informed.

Best of Luck and I hope the gang feck off and leave you in peace.

r3nu4l

If you're not parked in a garage, you could try one of those poles that you lock into your driveway just behind your car, although if they are a professional gang that will not deter them for long. I would suggest adding a tracking device, linked to GPS to your car as well. That way you can at least tell the cops where your car is.

Or buy a large dog, train it to attack anything wearing a Nike/Reebok/Adidas symbol, let it patrol your garden at night and you should be alright!

Archeron

blackbird98 wrote:

Hi all, don't really know where to put this, but can anyone recommend a DIY wireless security system?? Some scumbags tried to steal my car twice in the last 6 weeks. Cops have warned that it seems to be a prof. gang and they may be back to try and steal the keys from my house. Any advice would be appreciated.

I'd recommend that for something this important, your best bet would be to get a pro in and give you a (obligation free) quote. At least that would give you an idea where to start and what to look for.
I am aware that some electricians work in security as well, and have experience in hidden cameras, cctv etc, so might be an idea to give your local nixer-doing electrician a call. Probably do a good price and save you the bother of doing it yourself.

ChityWest

Might be worth getting a 'drop lock' in the meantime ( not sure if thats the right name for it - a hollow metal pole filled with concrete which drops about a foot into the ground behind where the car is parked and you lock it in place preventing it and your car from moving).

It wont stop it getting burned out but it will make stealing it a lot more of a pain.

Terry

a couple of my friends install alarms. i can give you numbers if you're interested. they'll do you a deal.
or you could just move to my estate. 106 houses and only 4 break ins in 30 years.

pclancy

Archeron wrote:

I'd recommend that for something this important, your best bet would be to get a pro in and give you a (obligation free) quote. At least that would give you an idea where to start and what to look for.
I am aware that some electricians work in security as well, and have experience in hidden cameras, cctv etc, so might be an idea to give your local nixer-doing electrician a call. Probably do a good price and save you the bother of doing it yourself.

Agreed with below, if you value your gaff/car that much invest in a pro job. I rememeber my old lad buying a wireless alarm system from argos years ago and it never gave anything but grief. Our alarm at home cost around €1200, that was for a three bed bungalow, sensors on all doors/windows, PIRs inside, two panic buttons and remote control. The system texts us if we want it to if its disarmed/set and rings us/nieghbours if it goes off.

blackbird98

Hi guys,

thanks for all the replies. I have a car alarm, but they had some sort of scanner and were able to deactivate it, smashed the window, but luckily they couldnt open the doors from inside due to the deadlocks. I have an installer calling tonight to quote me. I just thought I'd take a crash course in alarms so at least I'd know what to ask!!!. I'm waiting for some info on bollards from a couple of different suppliers:)

Doolittle51

Take out the fuse for the fuel pump before you go to bed. Even if they steal the keys, they won't get far with your car! Bit of a pain doing it every night (and morning) though.

Calibos

I know its anethma to let the scum get there grubby hands on your pride and joy but your own safety and that of your family is more important.

Poles at the bottom of the drive, steering wheel locks, hiding the keys.....all a waste of time. If they actually break into the house to get the car keys and threaten you and your family to hand them over, whats the difference in them demanding just the car keys and you handing them over and them demanding the car keys, the pole keys and the steering wheel lock keys....and you having to hand them over to protect your family. So is it worth the time and expense installing a pole and a steering lock when you may just have to hand all 3 sets of keys for them over to the scum anyway.

If the car has an immobiliser they need the keys anyway (unless they are ultra pro ie. the guys using the laptop to rob Beckams BMW X5) so in effect a pole and a steering lock is no more of a deterent to them stealing the car than the immobiliser is. ie if they are not the kind of scum that will break into the house to get the keys then the immobilser has already deterred them, if they are the type to break in then the pole and steering lock are no more of a deterrent.

As for hiding the keys. Don't! Sure don't put them on the table beside the halldoor where they can use the coat hanger through the letterbox to get them, but don't hide them or take them to bed either because if they do break in they won't find them and they will have to go upstairs and threaten you or your kids to make you tell them where they are. On various motor forums I frequent, the advise seems to be to leave your keys half way up the stairs. Not accessable by the letterbox. Not easily visible if they break in but aren't prepared to confront the homeowner and they will leave empty handed. If they are prepared to confront the homeowner and brazen enough to go upstairs to threaten the home owner then tbh you don't want them to confront you or you to confront them. So if they do go upstairs they'll see the keys on the stairs and you will avoid confrontation with obviously brazen and dangerous individuals.

As for the tracker. Worth it if the car really is your pride and joy and you want it back no matter what, or if the car is very high value. Me, The scum can keep it. God knows what they have been doing in it, driving the boll1x out of it for all I know. The car would feel tainted to me and I am not sure I'd want it back. I'd probably just get a new car with the insurance.

As for Cameras and Better house security.Well that is worth it for both a deterrent to regular burglers and to car thieves. So yeah I would say its worth improving House security and installing a camera to watch the car but I don't know if I would bother with driveway poles, steering locks or trackers and I definately wouldn't be hiding the keys.

jimmycrackcorm

That's all I need to add to my paranoia after seeing a couple of guys tonight in a hiace staring in the window at my lovely plasma tv...

dubtom

Fair play to the cops for frightening the s hite out of ya.
1. If they were pro's they would have had your car by now.
2. pro's rob cars to sell, they don't smash windows to steal them, a damaged obviously stolen car is not going to attract buyers.
3 Because they have scanners doesn't mean they are pro's.
4. Get the house alarm/cctv/dog, whatever makes you feel secure.
5. Buy a baseball bat, use it if need be.
6. Ignore the advice of some who would make you believe you are doomed, that includes Guards who are jaded from not solving any crime but would rather make the victim feel as if it's inevtable that they will be victimised again, therefore making frequent patrols of your area unnessary so they can stay in the station and drink tea.
And 7, change your car alarm to a clifford with hijack function, this enables the thieves to take your car but it will cut out and stay out after a 1/4 mile or so.
They get their joy ride but it's short, you get your car back.

r3nu4l

About ten years ago our house was burgled. At the time we didn't have an alarm. The garda who came to the scene as he told us that when they do eventually catch a burglar in our area they take the guy out in the car and ask him to point out recent burglaries he has done. This cooperation usually works out well for the burglar and allows the gardaí to close the file on a lot of cases.

The point here is that the garda said that a burglar will sometimes look at a house and say "I thought I did that one but it has a (alarm) box."

Apparently most burglars wll not attempt to rob from a house wiht an alarm, hard as that is to believe as I ignore any house alarms I hear but there you have it!!

Now, having an alarm won't stop the most determined burglar but it will deter a lot of them so maybe some peace of mind for you there.

Wibbs

While I partially agree with Calibos(the keys on the stairs bit anyway), I'm in more agreement with Dubtom. If we collectively abdicate responsiblity for our security and say " ahh sure if they want it, they take it" we'll end up nearly as culpable as the scum.

Make it as hard for them as possible. Security is all about layers. Pro's or not the longer it takes and the harder you make it for them, they're more likely to sod off somewhere else. Steering locks(except the ones that cover the entire steering wheel) are utterly useless. In fact they help the scum break the steering lock when used as a lever. A bloody big chain would be far better. A snap off removeable steering wheel is the best deterrent. A driveway post will add another layer again. Gear locks are as much use as a chocolate fireguard. They're crap.

Car alarms are excellent if and only if they're fitted correctly. I'd rather a 100 quid one fitted well than a 1000 quid one fitted poorly(I've seen the latter too often). Anti hijack is a good idea and you can get cheaper ones online than the clifford one if you reckon you're handy with car electrics. Also you can just get the clifford one fitted on it's own. You don't need the whole clifford system, so if you have an alarm already you don't need to replace it(will confuse the scum too). Fit a hidden(not on the dash) fuel pump cutoff switch for yet another layer. Etch all the glass AND the headlights(v expensive nowadays) with your chassis number/reg. In some cars you can reroute the ignition loom so it confuses them further. Locking bonnet pins or similar will stop or seriously hinder the scum from disconnecting your alarm and/or nicking your headlights etc. It's shocking how easy it is to open the bonnet from the outside on some makes of car.

A really simple thing to always do is when you park at night, is to turn your steering wheel all the way to the right or left, leave it in gear and make sure you apply the handbrake. That will hinder them from simply pushing the car out of your driveway and towing it. Good locking wheel nuts are another good bet. I know a couple of guards and one night 5 high end cars were stolen from the one road by pros. The only one that wasn't belonged to a yankee chappy, who always turned his wheels all the way one way or the other. Apparently they used to do that in case the brake failed on a hill. Just a thought.

House security is next on the list. Number one, if you have double glazing the windows are stupidly easy to remove. You can get new windows(expensive) or get security tape(if you can find it) to seal the windows. Or you could just run a bead of silicone sealer around the inner window frame reciever and replace the original window on top of it(cheap and effective). Wireless house alarm is good. Connecting it to the car is yet another option. An angry dog is even better. Deadbolt all exterior doors(including any sheds) and don't leave windows open. I know there not fashionable, but get curtains and close them at night. Net curtainsa re even sadder , but are better than letting the world know what's in your house. Infra red security lights are a given. CCTV seems like over kill, but could be worth it. Close your driveway gates(if you have them). A big padlock at the bottom is not a bad idea. Again it's all in the layers and it has a cumulative psychological effect in the "mind" of the common or garden thief(Homo automobilious skangerous).

If you do all that, even if they get the keys, it'll take them long enough to take the car, the house alarm will be going off and it'll conk out half a mile down the road. Even if they then torch the car, the f*ckers won't have the satisfaction of "joyriding' in your car or injuring someone while doing it.

If everybody did this, car scum would have far fewer options. If you do it, they'll likely target the person who thinks " if they want it they'll take it".

blackbird98

Hi Guys, sorry for delay in replying. Thanks for all the advice. Got house alarm installed over the weekend. I now lock the gates on my driveway every night. Hopefully this will be a deterrant if nothing else!

Gregorious

I recently bought a new high performance car. I had not sold my old car so I was parking my new car at the end of the road in my quiet respectable neighbourhood. One week later the house at the end of the road was broken into. His car was stolen. They had gotten the keys to his new car. 2 weeks later his neighbours house was attempted.

I came to the conclussion that they were after my car. This area of late has been targeted by a gang. We are very close the the M50 and as soon as they are out of the estate, they are gone. The guardai dont even try to catch them as it is too dangerous.

They are entering the houses very easily. The beads of wood on the windows can be quietly and easily removed. They then take the glass out and slip inside the house. If they dont find the keys downstairs, they will come upstairs to get them. This gang in particular are known to boil the kettle before coming up. If you dont hand over the keys they will hand over a pot of boiling water in your face. Very nice indeed!!

What I reccommend doing is nailing in the wooden beads on the windows which hold the glass inplace. This will make it much harder for the intruder to get to the glass. In order for them to do so they will make a lot more noise too. Somebody mentioned silicone - good idea.

Put the alarm on at night. Leave the inner doors open so you can hear things better. I believe that car alarms are a waste of time. if you have a nice car, they want your keys. They will try to get in to your house for the keys.

Im going to get a wiress motion detector and place it by my downstairs front and back windows (inside house). If somebody approaches the window, the bell will ring in my bedroom. I will wake, check to see from the upstairs what is going on. if i see somebody trying to break and enter, i ring the guardai or triggor panic alarm. The entruders will be sure to run off then.

Leaving the keys on the stairs is a very good idea too. If you fancy taking on an entruder, by all means hide the keys or bring them upstairs. For me - I have kids in the house and don't want them to experience anything scary.