Lets talk Home Security

jerryjg

Hero Member
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506
In a Guitar related sense specially.
I'm not worried about what happens when Im here at night.
I'll take my chances and I have the tools necessary to protect myself.
What I'm worried about is someone comeing in and grabbing alot of my stuff when im gone. The odds would dictate that sooner or later it WILL happen.
I am insured, but as we all know alot of are stuff is irreplaceable.
I am going to check into a home security alarm system.
Anyone know what they run per month and any info. on them?
I am also going to put motion lights on all 4 sides of the house, not just the two sides I have them on right now.
I do dterrent stuff, like leaving lights and radio on when I leave , and putting small girls bikes n the porch and a couple of big dog bowls ( i dont have dogs) and Beware of Dog " signs.
I also have a couple of vehicles parked out front at all times.
Finally, I am going to get a great big safe to put in the closet and bolt it to the floor and keep my guitars and soem other things in there.
I also try never to have anyone over who I am not 100% certain about just incase they are caseing the place.
What do you think?
 
> Ya can't be too paranoid these days.

Agreed. For the record, my security system runs $49.00 a month.
 
jerryjg said:
JamesL said:
:laughing11: :icon_scratch: :-\ :sad1:?!!!?!??!?!

You're entirely too paranoid....
Ya can't be too paranoid these days.

Right on, but really? Is that really anyway to live your life? Pretending to have dogs? And a SAFE for your guitars???

I live in West Hollywood and I don't lock my doors, I'm not afraid, call me naive... I just think that's a tad overboard.
 
JamesL said:
jerryjg said:
JamesL said:
:laughing11: :icon_scratch: :-\ :sad1:?!!!?!??!?!

You're entirely too paranoid....
Ya can't be too paranoid these days.

Right on, but really? Is that really anyway to live your life? Pretending to have dogs? And a SAFE for your guitars???

I live in West Hollywood and I don't lock my doors, I'm not afraid, call me naive... I just think that's a tad overboard.
West Hollywood you say? What time do you eat? Address?
 
Depends on where you live and what the crime rate is, as to whether your concerns are more real or an over reaction.

I know that when I originally moved out of my parents' home and into a unit in a leafy inner city suburb in Sydney, I was shocked at the higher crime rate and the effect it had on me ( car broken into stuff taken out of it, unwelcome folks coming to my door late at night etc.). Like has been mentioned, I changed my habits and left lights on, ran the TV on at times, installed a silent phone answering system - one that would answer the phone after a few rings, but not broadcast the message so folks outside could hear it work. Luckily I was only renting the place and things quietened down after a while - but I only stayed 4 years and bought my own place miles away from the rat race.

And even when I had moved into a lower socio-economically environment, the contents insurance went down instead of up. So much for living in the snobbier parts of town  :dontknow:.....

I did security work for about 13 years. Your back to base sort of security system is only as good as the security company you sign up to.

If they don't pay a lot of attention to how their security folks respond to alarms, quite often they'll just drive past, flash a light, and see if the front door isn't smashed in. IF they have time, they may wander around the back and take a look.

All too many times, security companies will try and get by with as little overheads as they can have - and that means only a few guys driving around at night checking on alarms.

Their security people quite often get loaded up with  a stack of checks to do each night AND respond to alarms, which creates a 'tick off the box' mentality on each shift.

In the middle of them going about the nightly checks they will get an alarm call, have to drop what they are doing and go attend that place in alarm. I have seen these guys drive up to a place, see the alarm light flashing, shine a light on the front windows and doors - see nothing broken and jump straight back into the car and call it in as checked, nothing adverse to report from the external. They then rush back to tick off the remaining checks they have to do for the night.

In many cases that is about all they can do, as property owners are often very reluctant to leave a set of keys to a security company, so they can enter the premises and really give a good check.

As for guitars, a good locked cabinet is something that may come in handy if you live in a higher than usual crime rate area. If you are using a spare bedroom as a studio, it may come complete with a built in wardrobe. This would be handy to install a lock on and keep the guitars in.

I don't know if there's a safer way to store your guitar aside from the obvious way of getting a tall and wide firearms cabinet bolted into a  concrete floor, but one of those standing in your spare bedroom would be a bit of a giveaway, and I don't know if you'd want to store your guitars in a garage - where a firearms cabinet wouldn't look out of place - either.

In respect to people casing your place, a small external camera might help you establish if this is happening. You can get a small camera and attach it a hard disk recorder unit and run it on slo-mo for a full 12 hour surveillance.

But more importantly are you using an amp when playing guitar? If so, that is certainly advertising to all who walk past your place that you have a guitar and an amp  - so maybe you might want to think of playing through a DI system into your computer and keeping the noise down, if that's a worry to you.

Passive infrared detectors can be too sensitive and installation is one thing, but getting them working properly is another! Too often they'll detect the moths flying around, or a mouse you didn't know you had, and forget about them if you have small dogs and cats that jump up on furniture and play around when you are not home.

Often a number of small changes and minor security measures will enable you to be more comfortable about the safety of your place.

A work colleague of mine, had a father who was a locksmith. Because he could use all the locks he wanted, their family home was set up with a series of locks - and good ones at that - which could all be locked when they left the house unattended. If anyone was to break into the place, they'd only get into one room, and have to leave the way they broke in. All the other rooms would be isolated from each other, by each door having a very good lock and door frame on them. The amount of time - and the noise they'd cause - trying to break into the other rooms would be unacceptable to the average house breaker. Obviously, if you were renting a place, that sort of security measure may not be available to you, as I'd doubt the landlord would consent to double dead latch locks being installed on all rooms.
 
Get a pack of those ^^^^^^^^^^^^ and no one will come near your place!!!!! :headbang1:

Mind you, they'll also kill the occassional cat and the odd kid who's tempted to jump over the fence to retrieve his football.
 
As far as stealing goes.. I don't have much. Worse that happened to the residents of my house (and it might have been before my parents got this house) was the theft of a ton of cassettes. Kind of a bummer for me when I started collecting music.

Who has the attack cat again?
 
You're too paranoid.  In fact, you're kinda scary.  Just lock your doors when you leave.
 
dbw said:
You're too paranoid.  In fact, you're kinda scary.  Just lock your doors when you leave.

This is usually enough in most neighbourhoods....
 
OzziePete said:
dbw said:
You're too paranoid.  In fact, you're kinda scary.  Just lock your doors when you leave.

This is usually enough in most neighbourhoods....

I used to think my neighborhood was wonderful. This year, a friend who lives down the street got a lot of stuff stolen. A lot of Xbox games, I think. I think the xbox stayed  :dontknow: Some other stuff went too.

Actually, the sheriff or deputy or something lives right up the street, too. His mailbox has taken a lot of abuse.
 
We have a safe down the shed for guns thats big enough for 5 guitars with a proper lock, non of the padlock bull............
The guns got taken away because we don't have a license for 'em anymore.

On a side note i do know how to pick a padlock, it's very easy. :evil4:
 
Make up some signs that say "Video Surveillance by Securitek", post them in the windows.  Make up some fake cameras from Jboxes and PVC, mount them around the place.  Motion detector at the front door... triggers yer 100w Marshall on the other side, playing an endless loops of a large dog barking.  Don't forget to put a name on the dish, fitting of a big dog.  Get a large tie up chain, attach it to the front porch by the bowl, so folks see the bowl... the large chain.. hear the dog bark...
 
=CB= said:
Make up some signs that say "Video Surveillance by Securitek", post them in the windows.  Make up some fake cameras from Jboxes and PVC, mount them around the place.  Motion detector at the front door... triggers yer 100w Marshall on the other side, playing an endless loops of a large dog barking.  Don't forget to put a name on the dish, fitting of a big dog.  Get a large tie up chain, attach it to the front porch by the bowl, so folks see the bowl... the large chain.. hear the dog bark...
Or get a big dog.  :laughing7:

Don't turn that Marshall up too loud. If it distorts, the dog will sound...
Actually, turn it up all the way. I want to hear that.
 
Max said:
=CB= said:
Make up some signs that say "Video Surveillance by Securitek", post them in the windows.  Make up some fake cameras from Jboxes and PVC, mount them around the place.  Motion detector at the front door... triggers yer 100w Marshall on the other side, playing an endless loops of a large dog barking.  Don't forget to put a name on the dish, fitting of a big dog.  Get a large tie up chain, attach it to the front porch by the bowl, so folks see the bowl... the large chain.. hear the dog bark...
Or get a big dog.  :laughing7:

Don't turn that Marshall up too loud. If it distorts, the dog will sound...
Actually, turn it up all the way. I want to hear that.
HAHA!
 
The Discovery channel has a program called "It takes a thief" which has a guy break into homes and steal stuff. then they show the owner how to fix the problems that let the guy break in and decide the house was a good target to begin with.

I dont play through an amp at home just my line6 pod and head phones. No advertising what I got.


Brian
 
I just use a DI and go through the computer via an A/D/A box (Novation Speedio).

I sold my amps when I moved into an apartment and needed to sell them to pay off a tax bill, and because my hearing wasn't the best (now wear hearing aids, dammit). Kept my Mesa Boogie Studio Pre Amp though.

Good tones, but I can keep it whisper quiet if I have to.
 
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