Home security - alarms & CCTV..?

Biggles

K_P83 wrote: »

The quality locks thing is obvious. My only question here is - how do you know what Is quality? Price doesn't necessarily equal quality.

They are tested to a certain British (or European) Standard - http://www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention/doors.htm

paul17104

hi i am i alarm/cctv installer of 15 years, firstly to answer your questions on cost vs quality, the old saying you get what you pay for is never truer than in this case.
most modern cctv systems have a hard drive which stores all the recorded images with a usb to extract if needed. i would stay away from wireless systems as they can be effected from external signals possibly blocking any signals sent by your cameras. look for cameras that will auto switch from colour to black and white and have a good -lux.
you will need to display signs on your property to advise the public you are recording (easily available)
on the alarm side again stay away from wireless if possible, the beauty of wireless is its quicker to install and does not disrupt your decor as much, but will need replacement batteries on a regular basis.
the best option on the alarm is a fully monitored system where the police/fire brigade are called via an arc should anyone break in and trigger two or more sensors.
always go for an approved company.
we could go on about options all night if you have any questions just send me a message here and i'll try to answer it for you.

fatbikersbouncebetter

i guess the camera option is a 'piece of mind' thing. The typical average of burgulars acording to government figures is 11-15 yrs old. 89% are opportunists, I do believe that the low quality video footage is still no deterant to hoodies and scarves and peak caps.
Monitored systems (forgot to mention that) ours cost £35 a month for full 24/7/365 live monitoring, with direct to to the panel audio connection and covers Break in, panic with seperate call tones to the monitoring company for medical and fire via a smoke alarm/PIR combination.
Within 5-15 seconds the monitoring company speaks through the box, asking if we are there, what is the medical requirements, if its a break in alarm they ask for a pass word then if movement is shown via the PIR;s a Catagory ONE (burgulary or forced entry in progress) is relayed to 999. Police come out to Cat 1 calls.

If a normal bell box on the wall it relies on 3rd parties to a) check your property, b) Call the police for you C) Ignore it to stay safe. With the new 101 versus 999 system, the police will ask if anyone is still in the house, otherwise call 101, Call-out times can take up to 24hrs.
£1 a day........ no comptetion. Th ekey holfder callis also included, inmy case thats 1st my mobile 2nd my neighbour.

It would seem the latest option is a one off payment for a full system, lifetime full service, ONE OFF payment, no other fees, 100% service and call-out. For life ....... yowza.

G2S is on 0800 630 0010 and I am sure they cover the UK, but don'tquote me on that.

PS NO do not work for them. 80i

Waldir

paul17104 wrote: »

hi i am i alarm/cctv installer of 15 years, firstly to answer your questions on cost vs quality, the old saying you get what you pay for is never truer than in this case.

Hi K_P83

I'm not convinced this is true.
Being in the same case as you, a bit paranoid and preferring to feel safe than sorry, I made my own surveillance system out of a few old laptops, webcams, cheap electronics and free software... and it works great. So I wouldn't say that cheapest = worst.

As many said, there's no way to stop a thief who really wants to enter but most of them are opportunistic, so after checking that you have good enough locks, it's better to deal directly with your anxiety and have a system that can reassure you when you need it, for example by giving you a live view of your living room and reporting that you locked all doors correctly. I completely recommend making/buying one with remote access to video feeds: if you feel worried, you just check online that everything is in order. If you're expecting a delivery, you know when it's here.

One advice based on experience: Whatever the price of the system you're going for, try to imagine (because the vendors will never tell you) all the possible causes for false alarms. Getting an alarm every 15 seconds while you're far away because of the postman didn't close the garden gate properly can be annoying...

Edit: Before (or as part of) the surveillance system, get one that checks that all your doors/windows are locked when you leave your home.

Edit2: Additional advantage related to the paranoidy itself (but not to the real possibility of theft): After having such a system for a while, you (well, I) became less worried and am checking it less and less often. Self-medication!

London_Town

Hi K_P83

I can understand you thinking about getting CCTV fitted at your first home if you've had vandalism before. However, I really would wait and see how you feel once you've bought a house.

I honestly think it's better to put all your resources into buying a house in the best and safest area you can. Also, make a real effort to get to know your neighbours as another poster suggested. This can be the best deterrent of all. If you're part of a community that cares about security, it makes all the difference. Two of my neighbours are retired and have my mobile number so will ring me at work if anything is wrong. This sort of human kindness and support is priceless, so it's worth nurturing relations with those you live near.

Beyond this, consider an alarm if you're out all day, but I'd hold back on the CCTV at least initially. A final thought on CCTV, it may make a property harder to sell when you want to move on if this is going to be your first house. When I was house hunting, I dismissed any house that had CCTV, or a neighbour nearby having it. It just suggested to me they'd had trouble with feral kids, so I wouldn't want to live there. This is only my opinion, but it may occurr to other potential buyers too.

paul17104

Waldir wrote: »

Hi K_P83

Edit: Before (or as part of) the surveillance system, get one that checks that all your doors/windows are locked when you leave your home.

i'd love to see the cost of putting contacts/shocks on each and every window and door in the house.
most systems i know will detect if a sensor is "open" by using force arming anyway.

Nine_Lives

Thanks for the replies.

As for any disruption to decor - i don't think this would be a problem, as it'd be one of the first things to get sorted (i think - although nobody can predict the future).

London_Town wrote: »

I honestly think it's better to put all your resources into buying a house in the best and safest area you can.

Hi

thanks for your reply & don't take this the wrong way, but the safest area in the world can still house a loony who decides they want to break in & kill you.
Ok i'm being extreme, but i think you see my point. It doesn't matter how safe a safe place is - it only takes 1 nutter. How many times have we seen on the news "...and this is such a quiet place too..."?

Nine_Lives

Hi.

I'm just gathering information at the moment. I've 12 months minimum from getting my house. Thanks all the same though.

Waldir

paul17104 wrote: »

i'd love to see the cost of putting contacts/shocks on each and every window and door in the house.
most systems i know will detect if a sensor is "open" by using force arming anyway.

"Miniature Glass Magnetic Reed Switch" work wonders: £1 each with a mini-magnet in small quantities...
The hard part (to get a pretty result) is the wiring (that or changing batteries all the time if wireless...)
Actually, the prettiness of the wiring is also something worth checking when buying from a company: some may drill holes everywhere in your house, others would leave visible wires everywhere...

Waldir

To provide more ideas: something that now comes top of my list is the ability to monitor water and electricity consumption.

An abnormal water consumption can alert you about a broken pipe as soon as it happens, preventing big damage.
An abnormal electricity consumption can tell you that you forgot to switch off a hob as soon as you leave your home...