RVty9MWY9Ga0RUjLoL0ft4gP9hk37A0: December 2012

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Securing Your Garden Shed Against Thieves

Sheds are favourite target for burglars, because they tend to be relatively easy to break into without too much noise and effort. Despite their vulnerability, many of us keep all manner of expensive goods in our sheds, for example bikes, power tools, and camping equipment.

As a rule, anything of value should be stored overnight inside your house to make it harder for thieves to get to. However, if you have no choice but to keep goods in your shed, this article offers advice on how to make them as secure as possible.

There are several different types of sheds, from sturdy brick or breeze block ones to simple flat-pack wooden ones. The latter type is easily the most common, so it will be the focus of this article.

Obviously the level of security you need depends heavily on the area you live in; if you live in a safe area with low crime you might only need a regular shed and cheap padlock, but if you live in a big city with higher crime levels you are going to need to go to much greater lengths to deter intruders.

Realistically, you are never going to make a wooden shed completely burglar-proof, no matter what you do. In some cases, thieves are willing to lever off the roof or entire side panel of a shed to get at the goods inside. Therefore, your main objective should be to make it as difficult a target as possible, in order to hopefully persuade any potential intruders to look for easier targets elsewhere.

When deciding where to place your shed, try to find a spot that difficult to reach, but exposed enough that burglars cannot work away without being seen. So ideally it will not be shaded or concealed by bushes or trees, but will not be so visible that it makes a tempting target to a passing opportunistic criminal.

If the shed is only used for storage, and you don't need to use it as a workshop, it makes sense to get one without any windows. In the eyes of a burglar, a window is a potential weak spot that may make their job of getting inside a lot easier, and it also enables them to look inside to see if there is anything valuable in the shed.

Locks are perhaps the biggest defence you have against burglars. However, there is always a trade-off to be made here because the better the locks you put on your shed, the more you are communicating to burglars that you may have something valuable to protect inside. Generally it is better to have one high quality padlock that several cheap and easily bypassed ones.

The hinges of a shed door are a common weak point. Often, if you have hinges attached to a thin wooden door with short screws, a burglar can simply shoulder barge or kick the door with heavy force to rip the hinges off. And if they wanted to take a quieter approach, it will be little trouble for them to simply unscrew each screw and then take the door off.

A little superglue applied around the screws should help to make them significantly harder to unscrew, or you could purchase some one way security screws, which are made to be impossible to remove from the outside.

Ultimately, if a burglar is genuinely determined, they are always going to find a way to break into your shed. If you are serious about protecting valuables inside, then your last line of defence should be an alarm with a movement sensor, so even if they get inside they will not be able to take your belongings and slip away unnoticed.

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Home Security - Safes For Every Need

The need to protect items of value is as old as time itself. It basically represents, in a way, that conflict between good and evil. People who own things of value want to protect them and save them from people who wish to steal them.

Safes that were made before 1917 were made of cement and water to protect against fire. Fires burned at 1300° so the metal straps that surrounded the outer shell of the safe melted and the support weakened, the water would evaporate, devouring the contents of the safe. 1917 was the date that safes started being scientifically tested and improvement started changing the quality of safes for the good.

Safes are engineered so that there is a minimum amount of heat penetration to the interior, and tongue and groove doors are used to further impede the path of heat.

A home security safe should include features that prevent removal of the door including hinges that are not exposed to the outside, interlocking door designs, dead bars and inactive locking bolts. These safes should be designed to withstand an attack from a professional burglar for as long as possible and should be able to resist crowbars, torches or drill attacks for as long as it is rated. Security safes are rated in 15 and 30 minute intervals. These are particularly effective if properly bolted down and secured in place.

A good example of the safe that can protect against fire and burglary is called a hybrid safe. They typically have a two-hour fireproof rating, chrome plated steel active locking bolts, heavy-duty vault hinges, high-intensity auxiliary re-locking device and a vertical locking bar to prevent burglary. They usually have anchor bolt hardware to secure it to a floor.

The re-locking devices are a way to ensure great security and prevent knocking off the combination lock and driving out the spindle-a favorite way of gaining entry into a safe in the old days.

Diversion safes are in another category of their own. They are not designed to protect against fire or a safe cracking burglar, but simply to hide your cash, credit cards, jewelry and other small items so they can't be found

Diversion Safes are containers of household products that are emptied out and weighted down to give the feel of the real thing.

Safes are the best way to secure your valuables such as hunting rifles, handguns, cash, credit cards, important documents or anything else that you deem important enough to protect from fire and or burglary.

Key Pad Lever Door Lock - A Safe Home and a Tension-Free Mind

Security of home has become an important issue for everyone today. I am not an exception to this worry. It does not matter anymore as to where you live. You just can't afford to be worry-free for the reason that I have heard of news on theft even at most secured areas in the neighborhood. A key pad lever door lock comes in handy to solve the situation.

Recently, one guy entered my friend's house through the backyard and drilled the lock out at midnight. He then sprayed something inside the house to make everyone unconscious and looted everything. I was just thinking, if they had a key pad lever door lock, he would not have been able to drill the locks off for these are way too strong and heavy.

Day by day, thieves are getting updated with new technique to loot. But one thing I have noticed about these burglars is that they loot those who fall prey as an easy target for them. So, having a key pad lever door lock is the best way to challenge them and get out of their hit list.

The best part is there are no more keys to handle. I am so relieved to hear this because once I lost my house keys and struggled so much to open the door. I had an important video conference to attend from home and was stuck without keys outside the house. Finally, I had to break the door to get in.

This product is a sure worth for the money you pay. In fact, you are bestowed with huge benefits for the scanty money you pay for it. It is very simple now. You just have to remember the codes and press them to open rather than fumbling with a bunch of keys to open the door every time. Another thing I heard from my friend who is using this product for many years now is that the number printed on the lock is coated with something that keeps the print intact. They do not wear off easily.

Also, there is provision to reset the password any number of times. So, I can keep changing my codes frequently to ensure better safety. The lights are helpful to see the keys at night, in case of darkness due to power failure or something. What's more fascinating is that, this key pad lever lock is not like other normal number locks that freeze up during zero degree or below weather conditions. Finally, I have got a lock that I am completely satisfied with.

AX11652 Biometric Rifle Safe

The AX11652 biometric rifle safe has a removable storage shelf for guns and ammo that allows secure storage for up to four rifles depending on their size and attached peripherals such as scopes and magazines. The smaller dimensions, 8.6 inches by 9.8 inches by 52.17 inches, of the gun safe means that it can be kept in little spaces out of reach of everyone but still accessible to the owner. Access to the state of the art locking mechanism is through the high-tech art of fingerprint recognition. The safe recognizes only the fingerprints selected by the owner and does not recognize any others.

Some owners may want to have one or more fingerprints of other people who can open the safe in case a need arises in their absence. The AX11652 biometric gun safe holds up to 120 different users in the safe's memory. Registering fingerprints for the biometric gun safe is very easy and takes only a matter of seconds and only the registered users selected can open the safe. Biometric safe owners no longer need to remember the right combination or find the right key to access their guns.

Storing firearms in a biometric gun safe at home is being responsible; however, owners also need to be able to access firearms in an emergency and in most cases that emergency will happen at night. The dark of night and being under stress will make it very difficult to enter a combination or enter a keypad code to access the gun safe. Should such a stressful situation arise all it takes to open the AX11652 biometric safe is a simple touch of the finger in the correct position against the locking mechanism and the lock will open giving immediate access to weapons. The AX11652 biometric safe comes with back-up keys for traditional access in the event access to the fingerprint is not available.

The AX11652 rifle safe is small enough to hide in a cupboard or wardrobe but it is strongly recommended that the safe be mounted to a wall or through the floor using the provided mounting hardware. Empty, the safe weighs 66 pounds and considerably more than that when loaded. When mounting to a wall, be sure of the load bearing to hold the weight of the safe and the contents. Failure to do so could result in the safe falling and damaging property and or people.

While the AX11652 rifle safe does have state of the art fingerprint access and is CA DOJ approved the safe does have some drawbacks. The safe's construction using 2mm steel provides minimal protection from a professional thief and in the event of a fire contents will be damaged due to there be no fireproofing. Otherwise this is a good safe for those looking for a biometric rifle safe at budget price.

Safely storing a firearm for home defense is being responsible. The AX11652 rifle safes are designed for quick secure access of firearms and valuables.

Home Security: Cheap Products That Work - The Top Four

Anybody who owns a home or lives in an apartment has to be concerned about their home security or apartment security. Of course that includes just about everybody in the US. So the market is huge. But that isn't why home security is such a big $60 billion a year business. The reason it is big is because there are so many people who find home burglary easy and profitable. If it weren't for the burglars, there wouldn't be any need for home security products such as burglar alarms or home security systems.

But unfortunately, homeowners don't do much to discourage home burglars. The fact of the matter is that nearly 60% of all home burglaries happen through unlocked windows and doors. One of the reasons that more people don't have security products such as home security alarms is that they feel they're too expensive. And in fact, depending on which product you are looking at, a home security system can actually be very expensive.

But look-put everything into perspective. For most people the home is their most expensive investment. They have on average $200,000 or more tied up in the home and another $50,000 in furnishings. So what is expensive? That's a relative term.

Here are four home security products that are cheap by any standard, and the best part is they're very effective.

The first is a glass guard window alarm. It goes on any window you want to protect with strong adhesive tape. When the window is hit, knocked or broken you will be alerted to a 101 dB alarm that sounds for 30 seconds and then resets. It also works on wooden or metallic windows or doors. It sells for $9.99.

The second is a very popular product that provides security to windows, doors, sliding glass doors or closets and cabinets that you want to protect. The alarm sounds the moment protected doors open. The 110 dB alarm is enough to scare anybody away. It is battery-operated and comes with adhesive tape to secure it in place. It sells for $7.99.

The third one is a mini alert sensor alarm that uses passive infrared technology and can protect an area up to 26 feet away. Anybody that enters that area will set off the alarm. It sells for $15.99.

And the fourth inexpensive home security product is the famous door stop alarm. It can be used in an apartment, dorm room, home or even on the road in motels or hotels. It works to effectively block the door from opening, and when someone forces the door the 120 dB alarm sounds. It is a $15 product that is one of the most effective home burglar alarms in the market.

Home security need not be expensive. With these four cheap home security products you can protect your home, dorm room or apartment.

Alarm Systems - The Different Types Help Prevent a Home Burglary With These 10 Easy Steps Boost Your Home Security - Guaranteed! Staying Safe in Your Home

Home Security - Cheap Insurance For Your Valuables

Recently there were several items that caught my attention regarding home security and home burglary pertaining to protection of your valuables.

The first was a story about an elderly woman who had a home invasion and had $46,000 worth of cash and jewelry stolen from her home. In the process she had a heart attack and died. As it turned out, the crooks were her granddaughter and her boyfriend wearing masks.

The second incident involved a burglar who broke in through a sliding glass door and stole $73,000 worth of cash, jewelry and handguns. That burglar is still at large. You just wonder whether he got lucky or whether he knew the owner of the home and what was inside the home.

In both of these cases even with a very large deductible on the policy it would still be cheaper to have an expensive policy than lose that amount of cash, or jewelry.

I guess I just don't understand why people would leave that amount of money and/or jewelry unsecured in their home when close to 20% of all homes are burglarized annually. And if you have a lot of valuable items in your home, doesn't it seem obvious that you may be a more likely target? But I've never been there, so I don't know.

There has to be a reason why insurance companies give homeowners a discount for having a safe in their house. Think about it. The two biggest threats to a home are fire and burglary. A hybrid safe can protect valuables against both.

Home security safes that are designed to be hybrid safes can provide one or two-hour protection against the ravages of a fire. The "walls of the safe and the smoke seals around the door are insulated and expand in a fire. Fire ratings are given in half-hour increments which are a level of indication of the resistance to escalating temperatures over that time." A one or two-hour fire safe is usually more than sufficient to meet your needs.

Hybrid Safes offer additional protection against a professionally orchestrated burglar attack with armor-plated protection around the lock and heavy-duty hinges and vertical bolt in the door which helps make the safe burglary resistant.

The so-called hybrid safe can provide valuable protection against the ravages of fire or the threat from a professional safe cracker. Even a $1,000 safe to protect your valuables is a worthwhile investment.

Team A Security Camera With Your Burglar Alarm

As technology advances and the gadgets in our houses increase, along with the value of the furniture, furnishing and other household belongings means we also need to make sure that we also protect those belongings and what better way than to utilise the latest in technological advances.

Unfortunately the days of being able to leave our houses and cars unlocked have passed and we now need to ensure the protection of our things using security measures such as security lights, locks, and burglar alarms, these cover us in most part for our day to day security measures, however there are times when additional security can come in to the fore, particularly in the assistance of the recovery of items.

During Construction

Building a new home is an exciting time and there are many things to think about, one of which is ensuring that the building and other materials are safe. Having an unsecure construction site will allow burglars to take advantage of the opportunity of an unattended location. Installing a camera onsite will allow you to monitor the site from another location, and capture images of any would be burglars. This will assist you in deterring burglars as well as identifying trespassers, or vandals.

Holiday House

Our holiday homes are often left vacant for weeks, if not months, on end, so ensuring the property is kept safe and secure is essential. Of course keeping up with maintenance is an important part of this, ensuring windows and doors not only close securely but are also locked, installing a burglar alarm is also key, and with modern technological advances you can also connect this with your mobile phone so you are alerted to any activity, however installing a security camera will add an additional layer of security and will serve as a very big incentive for your property to be passed over by opportunists and burglars.

Home

Our homes are our castles and we keep our treasures there, not only our day-to-day belongings but treasured and irreplaceable memories, so ensuring them kept safe goes without saying. A burglar alarm not only keeps your belongings safe from theft but also your family if the system has a smoke detector integrated into it. A security camera also assists with reducing the chances of being a victim of theft, and will also help to reduce the premiums on your insurance policy.

To summarise, adding a security camera to your burglar alarm system offers you:

- A deterrent to would-be burglars - Added security - A video record of any intruders, trespassers, vandals - Reduced insurance premiums - Peace of mind

Alarm Systems - The Different Types Help Prevent a Home Burglary With These 10 Easy Steps Boost Your Home Security - Guaranteed! Staying Safe in Your Home

The Best Ways to Keep Your Home Secure

It's not something we like to think about, but fires, home invasions and thefts are all very real threats in our towns today. Home security is something that should be important to everyone - it doesn't matter if you live in an apartment, just purchased a townhouse or have lived in the same quiet neighborhood for the last 10 years.

Doesn't knowing that your house is protected give you peace of mind? Regardless of if you are out of town on vacation, at the office, or sitting in your basement enjoying a movie, you'll know your home is safe and protected.

But what if you have a great police department, highway patrol and fire department? You won't need a security system, right? Technically, you still do. There are a lot more homes in your city than there are police officers and who knows how many thieves there are floating around. It's absolutely crucial that you do everything you can to make your home a safe and secure place - without relying completely on other people.

Let's be honest, when you think of protecting your house, you think about purchasing one of those really expensive home security systems with all the bells and whistles - you know the ones I'm talking about, they send their people door to door selling and installing them all summer long. And, while those systems are a great options, there are other security measures you can take that won't break the bank. Depending on your home and neighborhood, you may decide you don't need a fancy system; but if you live in an area with a lot of crime, it may be worth it to pay the money to get a high-quality security system in your home.

If you aren't ready to take the plunge and get a home surveillance system, there are quite a few small and simple things you can do to make sure your home is as protected as it can be. Sometimes people worry about big home security systems and forget to think about the small things. Making sure these small things are done can add up quickly and help your home become a safer place.

Inspect your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and make sure they work. Dust and lint can build up on the sensors and cause them to perform poorly, so make sure they are clean and have fresh batteries. Also, if you can, try to install interconnected smoke alarms. These alarms are pretty amazing. If one alarm is triggered, all the alarms will go up - which will ensure you wake up in case of a fire in the basement or other end of the house. Choose roofing that is fire resistant. Don't leave notes on your front door for delivery or service people if you aren't home. That's a big tipoff to burglars that your home is empty (and open!). Don't use indoor extension cords outside. A freezer can hold food safely for 48 hours after the power goes out. Don't try to charge non-rechargeable batteries, the batteries can explode. Don't toss oily rags into the trash. These rags combust easily, even if they aren't exposed directly to a flame. Hang the rags outside to dry and then throw them away in a metal can with a lid. Use a locked mailbox at your home. Try not to send mail with your personal information in an unsecured out-box. If you are going to be away for an extended period of time, turn your phone ringer down to the lowest volume possible.

If you don't have the money to invest in a home security system right now, try starting small. By following these simple steps, you can ensure your house will be a safer place.

Alarm Systems - The Different Types Help Prevent a Home Burglary With These 10 Easy Steps Boost Your Home Security - Guaranteed! Staying Safe in Your Home

Ways of Protecting Your Home From Noise

Do you live by a busy road or near a railway line? You might be wondering if there are things you can do to block out the noise. One way of doing this is to use earplugs but you might find they are not particularly comfortable or that they irritate your ears. There are, though, a number of things that can be done to limit the amount of external noise that comes into a room.

It is important to identify the noise first and, more importantly, where it is coming from, meaning you will be better placed to prevent it. In the case of road traffic, for example, it will be easily identifiable, but sometimes it isn't so simple. Some people believe they are hearing external noises when it is internal; that is to say problems in their ears such as tinnitus. Assuming this is not the case, below are some ways of protecting against noise coming into a home or room.

Double Glazing Windows

The majority of noise that comes into a home is through windows and doors rather than through walls which are thicker and more solid. In regard to windows, upgrading from single glazing to double glazing can make a big difference in the amount of noise coming through, as well as keeping warmth in.

Window Shutters

Window shutters can have much the same benefit as double glazing by providing an extra level of noise protection. Whether you have single or double glazing there is still a small amount of space between the frame and the opening of a window. Wooden window shutters are particularly effective at keeping this noise out, with solid shutters being preferable if the sole purpose of them is to keep the noise to a minimum. Wood is very effective in keeping out noise and investing in double glazing (if you don't have it already) as well as window shutters will significantly reduce noise.

Insulation

If noise is consistently a major problem then you may wish to go as far as to improve the insulation of your home or certain rooms. At the extreme end is professional sound proofing, which is fairly expensive. Other things that can be done include adding dry wall between the two boards that typically make up a wall in modern homes or to use foam-like insulation as you usually find in lofts.

Towel Under the Door

If noise through a door is the problem, for example in an apartment block, then simply placing a towel at the bottom of the door will deaden the noise coming through the gap at the bottom. This could prevent low level noise from coming through or simply quieten the noise you can here. This might be sufficient to make the difference between getting a good night's sleep and lying awake.

Carpet

For those living in flats where noise from the flat below is a problem, having carpet is much more effective at preventing you from hearing noise than wooden flooring is. Even using a mat can help a little, although that is unlikely to completely block noise out.

External noise is something that many find a problem. There are things you can do to prevent this being an issue though. If it is unrealistic for you to keep noise out you could use other sounds to prevent external noise from frustrating you. You can use a fan or music for this effect.

Andrew Marshall ©

Surviving a Home Invasion

No matter where you go, be it a large metropolitan area, mid-sized American city, or small rural town Americans have taken their personal security for granted. True, there was a day when we could leave our windows and doors unlocked without having to worry about a burglary. But those days are gone.

Waiting until something happens in your neighborhood before you take action to protect your home and family is not a wise decision. That "something" could find you as a victim.

Installing an Alarm System

Alarm systems represent one of the most practical ways you can protect yourself against burglary and vandalism. Basic systems monitor for forced entry into your home using sensors placed on your doors and your most vulnerable windows. When a basic system is connected to an alarm monitoring company anything triggering it will cause the alarm company to automatically dispatch emergency services unless you dictate otherwise.

More advanced systems can provide further security by way of additional options like:

• extra sensors on unprotected windows • motion detectors in strategic places • video surveillance cameras • sensors to detect smoke, water, and carbon monoxide

Adopting a Safety Mindset

As great as alarm systems are there's no way they can provide 100% protection. Being safe at home also requires the entire family to adopt a safety mindset that motivates them to use common sense approaches that fill in the gaps left by alarm systems. For example, one of the things burglars look for when targeting homes is a yard that is not well maintained. A yard that's in rough shape is an indication a homeowner may be careless in terms of locking doors and windows, protecting valuable assets, etc.

Part of the safety mindset is to keep the exterior of your home in good repair. It also means keeping clutter out of the yard and making sure toys and lawn tools are not left out. When homeowners stop and consider what type of image their homes are presenting to potential burglars it makes it easier to see whether or not they are likely victims.

Teaching Children to Be Safe

Lastly, parents need to teach children how to be safe at home. That includes teaching them how to use alarm systems, how to use the 911 phone system, and how to recognize potential problems before they occur. Parents should also make sure there are one or two families in the neighborhood where children can go if they are in trouble.

Don't wait until something happens in your neighborhood. Take the necessary steps right now to protect your family, yourself, and your property. Hopefully you'll never experience what it's like to be the victim of a crime. But at least be prepared should that day ever come.

Secure Your Valuables - Hide Them in Plain Sight

While many burglaries are indeed random acts of crime taken by opportunistic thieves, there are many professional burglars that go to lengthy and meticulous lengths in order to choose the right victim and make out with as much loot as possible. These "professionals" typically have a list of things that they look for, and will spend extensive amounts of time casing a home before acting. During interviews with some of these long-time criminals, there are several things that stand out. The main theme with all of them is that most houses did not even need to be broken into.

After choosing a home to break into and spending some time learning the habits and schedules of its inhabitants, a professional burglar will then enter through an open window or unlocked door. This is not only easy for them, but also leaves behind the least trace that anyone was there. After entering the home, professionals say that they spend 10 minutes max in each home. During this time, they search for cash, handguns, jewelry, credit cards and any other items that are both valuable and small enough to grab.

Naturally, these career criminals have a pretty solid system for choosing and looting the homes that they burglarize. Aside from the obvious step of always locking all doors and windows, what else can you do to foil their plans? Over time, robbers develop habits that they follow fairly closely after entering a home. As a rule, homeowners tend to keep their valuables in very similar and predictable places. One of the best ways to avoid your valuables being picked up is to put them in places that are not so predictable. Believe it or not, one of the most secure places to hide something during a home invasion is in plain sight.

While most people choose "hidden" places, such as shoeboxes, pillows or underneath beds, these are the first places that a robber will visit to find your property. Hiding your items in plain sight doesn't necessarily mean leaving items out on a table. Although this can sometimes work, your best bet is to hide your items in something that is seemingly invaluable. One great invention for doing this is the diversion safe or hidden safe.

The diversion safe is an item that appears to be a regular household item. It could look like anything from a soda can, to a bleach bottle, to a flower pot or even a book. You can incorporate these into your everyday décor, keep them in your pantry or place them on your bookshelf. Because these safes are often difficult to open, and blend into the decorating scheme of your home, they are typically the last place that a burglar will look in the 5 to 10 minutes that they are in your home.

By employing basic home security and home surveillance principles such as always locking doors and windows, closing your garage door and employing diversion safes for cash, valuables and weapons, you can be more likely to not only deter thieves, but to divert them away from your actual valuables. When you do this, you can sustain smaller losses and less disruption in the event that your home is actually targeted.

Getting Your Yard Ready for an Aluminum Fence

If you've recently made the decision to install an aluminum fence on your property, then congratulations are in order! This is an excellent way to bring added security, value, and attractiveness to your home or other establishment. Before you place your fencing order, however, it's important to make sure that your yard is up to the task. There are a few things you need to know and make sure are in order before you get started on this process.

First and foremost, you need to be aware of what the zoning codes and other restrictions surrounding fencing are in your area. Keep in mind that the rules as they apply to your location could be quite different from the rules governing a fence placed just a few miles away! This is especially true if you live in a subdivision or other housing development where rules have been passed for the entire neighborhood. There could be restrictions on where your fence may be placed, how tall it can be, and more. It's best to be aware of these restrictions beforehand so that you can stick to them, rather than later, after you've wasted a lot of time, money, and effort!

Also, it might sound overly simplistic, but it's incredibly important to know exactly where your property ends and your neighbor's property begins. Many people think they know their property line, but end up encroaching on their neighbors' property accidentally. This can not only cause legal battles and the tearing down of your fence, but it may also breed some pretty bad blood between you and your neighbors. Since nobody wants that, make sure you get the details down for sure. This might mean checking your deed of sale or calling the city. Also, remember that it's always a good idea to build your fence a few feet inside of your property line, rather than right on the border. This makes everyone more comfortable, and can prevent trouble between you and your neighbors.

You'll also need to make another important call to the city before you get started on your vinyl fencing project. This is one you should make to find out where your utilities are located. Pipes and other important parts of your water and sewage systems are buried in the ground, and you don't want your fence hitting them and causing major problems and expenses. Therefore, it's important to know exactly where everything is located so that you can avoid erecting your fence in all the wrong places.

Finally, make sure to get your yard-especially the area where the fence is to be placed-nice and tidy. Remove any debris, like leaves, sticks, or fallen tree branches. Also give your grass a good mowing if you're putting up your fence during the summer months. This will make it easier to see what you're doing, to identify any potential problems with the placement of your fence, and to get the job done right all around!

Alarm Systems - The Different Types Help Prevent a Home Burglary With These 10 Easy Steps Boost Your Home Security - Guaranteed! Staying Safe in Your Home

Home Safety and Children

The story of a 14-year-old Phoenix boy who shot an intruder last month sent shivers up the spines of many a parent around the country. Just thinking of what could've happened to the teenager and the three siblings he was babysitting is the stuff of every parent's nightmares. Fortunately this quick thinking boy protected not only himself and his home, but also his three younger sisters.

The story should be cause for concern as well as motivation for parents to invest in home security. This was not a case of a crime-ridden neighborhood being victimized by burglars in the middle of night. It was a typical, middle-class area where teenagers are commonly left home alone while parents are at work. And this attempted burglary occurred at 4:30 in the afternoon to boot. Perhaps the only reason the boy was able to defend himself is the fact that one of the perpetrators rang the doorbell ahead a time to see if anyone was home.

Home Security as a Deterrent

There's no way to know for sure if a home security system would have deterred the two Phoenix burglars, but statistics say security systems are effective to that end in most cases. According to research burglars who see a home security placard on the front lawn, or stickers on the windows and doors, are more likely to move on to easier targets rather than risk getting caught. They know homes that are alarmed and monitored are much too risky when compared to those that aren't.

If this Phoenix home had been alarmed, and the alarm wasn't active when the break-in occurred, the boy could have hit an alarm panic button in addition to defending himself and his siblings with his parent's gun. And if he had not been armed, the panic button would have immediately put the alarm company dispatchers in contact with local police officials to get help there as quickly as possible.

Educating Children Is Crucial

With or without a home security system, it's crucial for parents to teach children how to be safe when home alone. That starts with helping them understand the need to keep doors and windows closed and locked at all times. Children should never open the door for anyone, including people they know, unless the visit has been prearranged. When they see adults outside the home they don't recognize they should be well versed in calling for help using the 911 system.

For added peace of mind parents can install security cameras as part of their home system. Security cameras can be monitored remotely using a laptop computer, tablet, or mobile phone. This lets parents keep tabs on what's going on inside the home even when they're not there.

We are eternally grateful that the children in the Phoenix incident were not harmed in any way. We hope the unfortunate events will be used as a motivation for parents to do everything they can to protect their own children from being victimized.

Alarm Systems - The Different Types Help Prevent a Home Burglary With These 10 Easy Steps Boost Your Home Security - Guaranteed! Staying Safe in Your Home

Home Security - What To Look For In a Good Safe

Before you go looking for a safe to improve your home security you need to decide what kind of safe it is that you want and what exactly it will be used for. Will it be used as a fire safe or to secure valuables from home burglary? Will it be used as a gun safe to secure rifles? Will it be used in a business to secure currency? Those are the first sets of questions you should ask yourself before you start shopping for one.

Then where will it be located? If it is going to go in a basement for example, there's the question of logistics-getting it down there and of humidity. Humidity is murder on a fire safe. If it's going to be used to store rifles, does it meet the minimum requirements as set up by the Department of Justice regulatory standards?

After you make those basic decisions, here are some other things to think about when looking to get a safe.

If you own a business that takes in a lot of cash or credit card receipts, you may want a drop safe.

If you are starting to store cash, gold and silver at home as a hedge against a financial disaster, floor safes are perfect for these types of situations.

If you're looking for a safe to protect documents, then you want a fire safe. And the longer that is capable of protecting those documents, the more expensive it will be.

A burglary safe today has many features designed to deter a criminal from breaking in. Many safes have anchors so they can be mounted on the floor or wall.

A good locking system should "consist of a minimum of a mechanical or electronic combination lock with at least 10,000 possible combinations."

Safes should have three steel locking bolts of at least a half-inch thickness that intrude from the door of the safe into the body and the wall should be made of 12 gauge thick steel for single walled safe.

Door hinges should be protected to prevent the removal of the door and hinges should not be exposed to the outside. "Interlocking door design, dead bars and active and inactive locking bolts should be used."

Walls and doors should resist items such as crowbars, blowtorch and drill attacks for as long as the safe is rated and they are rated in 15 minutes increments. Obviously, the longer that the rating extends, the more expensive it would be.

Those are some things you should be considering in making a decision about a home security safe to improve your home security and protect items from a home burglary.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

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