Garage Security "When a monitored system isn't enough"

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

Bear and Andrew, what video system are you using? I'm looking into motion driven video capture & surveillance but only 4-6 cameras (outdoor, day & night use type). You can PM me if you prefer.

 

[sparky1562]

Bear and Andrew, what video system are you using? I'm looking into motion driven video capture & surveillance but only 4-6 cameras (outdoor, day & night use type). You can PM me if you prefer.

I would be intersted in that as well...

 

[jdsac]

This is scarey- all they need is one of these-

http://superbumpkeys.com/viforbu.html

You can't have common locks and be safe.
I know a guy that used to manage a chain of camera stores and all they would use were locks from Medeco.

http://www.medeco.com/en/site/medeco/Products/

http://www.medeco.com/en/site/medeco/Products/?groupId=948805

 

[Toolhunter]

I lock my garage but if somone wants in they will get in regardless of what you do....the thing that keeps me less worried is I have some vigilant (aka knosey) neighbors and its great Im nice to them help them out when I can and they do the same the one guy has called me a few times when Im at work to let me know about a car or when my dogs are going nuts haha

 

[Defender Chassis]

I lock my garage but if somone wants in they will get in regardless of what you do....the thing that keeps me less worried is I have some vigilant (aka knosey) neighbors and its great Im nice to them help them out when I can and they do the same the one guy has called me a few times when Im at work to let me know about a car or when my dogs are going nuts haha

^^^Agreed^^^

My 87yo neighbor ran a guy off that legitimately came to look at a car I had for sale. The car was in the shop and I was gone so the guy was peeking in the window. My neighbor snuck up behind him and asked what he was doing. The guy explained but when he could not remember my name my neighbor pulled his jacket back to reveal a revolver in his waist band and suggested he head on up the road. I later talked with the guy and got the story. He said that the advice to head up the road might have been the best he had ever gotten.

Locks only keep honest people honest.

Criminals are lazy. You do not have to make your stuff impossible to steal, just make it harder to steal than your neighbors.

 

[sethmo]

I have a few Logitech Alert cameras. They work decently well, have night vision, and an email/text alert system. I can view my cameras from my phone or any internet abled PC. They aren't the most expensive cameras considering the surveillance market, but they aren't cheap. They are super easy to setup and configure though, that is a huge plus.

I need to mount one more on the side of my house and on the back and I am done. I have one on the front of the garage now and one on the front porch. We had issues with our mail being opened/stolen and I had my stereo jacked out of my Jeep last year, which pushed me to get some recording devices.

 

[Kirkvkid]

There was a show on history or discovery channel a few years ago, called 'it takes a theif' They found a former burglar and had him case some houses and then break in like he was actually robbing them. Smashing cabinets, emptying out cupboards, etc. He actually robbed the houses. I dont know how much of the show was rehearsed or not, but it was still very informative. I learned several things.
1)The theif will pick an easy house, i.e. no dogs, cameras, or is well hidden from the road. 2) Dogs are easy to get around, but he normally doesnt pick those houses first because of the noise.
3) They will use anything available to break in. That ladder sitting in an unlocked shed full of junk can easily get up your barely unlocked 2nd floor window. The keys on a hook in the kitchen, make your van the perfect tool to get all of your stuff out of the house.
4) Everything you think he will take, he won't. Same goes for what you think is safe.
Bank statements, check books, art work, jewerly, expensive rugs, antique guns on display, cell phones.
5 year old laptops, stereo equipment, and big tv's are not on his list.

Now a crackhead..thats probably different.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Criminals are lazy. You do not have to make your stuff impossible to steal, just make it harder to steal than your neighbors.

 

[FluxCore]

Harbor Freight sells a super inexpensive carbide tipped engraving tool...super cheap, and it works well.

Etch your driver's license number into all expensive stuff you own-just do it.

My neighbor up the road just recovered 19 guns, a Lincoln 225 welder,, his compressor and generator from pawn shops days after they were stolen because he wrote down gun serial #'s and etched his DL # on everythng...******** every thing.

I bought same engraver yesterday and started on my stuff today.

 

[Andrew LB]

This is scarey- all they need is one of these-

http://superbumpkeys.com/viforbu.html

1. Luckily my locks aren't listed on that site.
2. Those things won't work with a deadbolt.
3. I'll make it a point to break all their fingers if I catch them unarmed... then I call the cops. If they're armed... i'll make the call after the thief bleeds out.

 

[Andrew LB]

My neighbor up the road just recovered 19 guns,

Damn... he's lucky to have recovered them. Typically stolen guns are the first thing a thief will sell off due to each weapon is a big federal offense.

I really hope he wised up and bought a proper safe... the last thing we need are more guns in the hands of the bad guys because contrary to what pro-gun control nut jobs tell you, 95% of firearms used in the commission of a crime are stolen. Which flys in the face of their entire position that claims background checks, cool-off periods, etc somehow keeps guns out of crimials hands. The only thing those laws do is make it harder for law abiding citizens to protect themselves.

 

[nismomans13]

People see Jerry Lea throw this Boat Bumber ten feet in the air and they change there mind about coming on our property,

really, nobody else caught his dogs name is Jerry Lea..ahha, I love that movie.

 

[Freefall_Doug]

There was a show on history or discovery channel a few years ago, called 'it takes a theif' They found a former burglar and had him case some houses and then break in like he was actually robbing them. Smashing cabinets, emptying out cupboards, etc. He actually robbed the houses. I dont know how much of the show was rehearsed or not, but it was still very informative.

That was a great show.

 

[Freefall_Doug]

1. Luckily my locks aren't listed on that site.
2. Those things won't work with a deadbolt.

Where did you come up with the conclusion that you can't bump key a deadbolt.

 

[RCStocker]

A couple weeks ago there were several break-ins near here, & all the talk on the forum got me thinking I need to start a security thread. There may already be one but I can't remember seeing it.

About 7 years ago some turd broke into my garage & tried to break into the house, I came home early that night so I think I surprised them & just got here before they had a chance to kick in the door on the house.

The funny thing about it was that I couldn't find anything they got away with except a red case that once held a drill or something, but I had it full of "stick air nails" because the box that the nails come in are so flimsy & I didn't have many left anyway but it was full & heavy so they probably thought they really had something. I would have like to seen their faces when they opened the case LOL.

So I took 3 days off to beef up the security in the garage.

I have one window & made bars out of angle & attached them to the wall with 24 Lag Bolts and they're all sunk deep in wood ! I think you'd have to knock the whole wall down to get in that way.

I have one entry door & I barred the door with 2x6's & other scrap I had laying around. I bought 1/4 inch L brackets & bent them one more time to make a U & dropped the wood down into them. These brackets are mounted with lag bolts also. If you look close you can see there is not a gap between the door & the wood, & it's barred all the way across the frame of the door & mounted to the framework of the wall. If they try to kick this door in they might break their ankle.

The only way in is via a remote door opener.

Your probably not going to believe it but I actually locked both my remotes in the truck & left the keys in the truck one time so I couldn't get in the house & didn't have a remote to open the door with.
So how did I get in ? well thats an ancient chinese secret.

Regardless of whether or not your system is monitored, if they can get in they can be gone before the cops get there so the point is to keep them out !

If you locked your remotes and keys in the trunk you do not drive a Ford,.
Thier keyless entry to the car are fantastic. When we meet back at the car the family can get in the Linclon's and trucks. When I go on a hike or to a fun park I lock the keys in the trunk. I don't loose them out of my pocket that way.
I can always get in no matter what. I would buy a Ford just for that reason alone.

I installed 2 welded tubes behind my entry door to my shops. I have 3 that slip in and the brackets are bolted into the wall. You can hit it with a ram and not get in. I never build a shop with a window just because it leaves a place to break in. Where I have 2 roll up doors or more I have pad locks on the inside. The last one I put 2 pad locks on from the outside. I have a steel cover the lock that swing from the structure. You can not saw or hit it off. The only way to get in is with a cutting torch or using a chain saw to go through the roof which is done all the tie. I don't have cameras. Can't be bothered. I don't have alarms not even on the house and the antique contes are worth more than the house. I don't even insure the antique value. You can spend all your money on insurance.

I had one person try to break in at 4 am. I was sleeping by the sliding door on the sofa. I have the door pined and there is no way it will open. I hear a click when the latch moved. I am a light sleeper. I went to the next room and looked out the window There was a small guy with acap looking at things on my patio. I called 911 then picked up the shot gun and went out the side door. The moment I stepted around the back the lights lit up like a runway. I had the lights truned off. They are motion lights. You should have seen the jerks face when they came on and saw me what a 12 guage pointed at him. He did not move. They cuffed and stuffed him That is the only time I have come close to having a break in and I grew up in Detroit. LOL

I have a block wall in back and there is a fense 1 foot behind it. I have the dirt ledge for plants. From the bottom of the wall to the top of the fence is a good 9 feet. Twice I had someone jump the fence running away from a breakin. I was sitting on the patio one tie. The guy flew over the fence and came down and broke his back on the top of the block wall. He just layed their in pain until they haulled him away. The other time my son said the guy hit the wall and smashed his face in and kept running. My son is 6'-4" and did not bother to chase him. The cops were already after him.

I will shoot and ask questions later. I dont' worry about the junk I own. I am just worried about the family. My guns are only locked up when I leave for a vacation. I have a slide out drawer bolted to the frame of my bed. It has a 45 in it. I can just reach down when in bed and put my had on it. The drawer has a lock installed but it is never locked. My kids all know how to use a fire arm. They beter they are all adults. One is 51 years old. My kids grand kids and grat grand kids never touch them. They know better.

My grand father was born in 1876 and his mother bought him a muzel loader for his twelfth birthday. It cost $2 used.

Guns don't kill. Everyone should own a dozen.

 

[Trevis Prentis]

Guys.....it's a common question and problem....

We all hate thieves.....truth is, if they want in bad enough...they will get in....one of the problems with baracaded doors like that....they thear up your doorway kicking it in....

I personally think dogs are the best and 1st item to have....

Next....loud alarm....95% of bad guys will run when they hear an alarm....

If your out in the boonies.....video.....you may not catch the guy...but in rural areas, the cops/sheriff's know who the bad guys are....give them a video of them in the act, and they go scoop them up post haste...

Video will catch a guy if cameras are of decent quality and properly installed (not like those images they show in news asking for help where you wouldn't even recognize yourself). I use this and these and am happy.