Home security while away

Eborexile

As soon to be retirees, my wife and I are starting to plan an extended vacation.
We've checked what we need to do with travel insurance and general home/contents cover extensions.

Now we're wondering whether we need to beef up our (admittedly ageing) home alarm.

Does anyone have any views/experience on home security systems?
What should we consider?

I'm wondering about CCTV/Doorbells with cameras/ Floodlights with remote control sirens etc.
Nest, Hive and Ring seem to be the best options but they are expensive and I'm wondering if some will prove to be over priced toys.

I have a moneysaving Realme3 Pro smart phone so would need to consider compatibility I suppose.
This is my first personal smart phone so you can probably imagine my lack of background technology knowledge.
Although I'm not fearful of technology as such, I haven't felt the need to be constantly connected...

Instead of "smart" technology should I just get my existing system serviced? (Sensors plus external siren)

I would appreciate any ideas on how to keep my house secure whilst we are away.

TELLIT01

The most effective security is somebody being in the house. Is there anybody who would be willing to house sit for you?

Silvertabby

Ask a neighbour to park on your drive when you are away.

Fit timers to your lights, so different rooms are lit at different times.

Undervalued

Eborexile wrote: »

As soon to be retirees, my wife and I are starting to plan an extended vacation.
We've checked what we need to do with travel insurance and general home/contents cover extensions.

Now we're wondering whether we need to beef up our (admittedly ageing) home alarm.

Does anyone have any views/experience on home security systems?
What should we consider?

I'm wondering about CCTV/Doorbells with cameras/ Floodlights with remote control sirens etc.
Nest, Hive and Ring seem to be the best options but they are expensive and I'm wondering if some will prove to be over priced toys.

I have a moneysaving Realme3 Pro smart phone so would need to consider compatibility I suppose.
This is my first personal smart phone so you can probably imagine my lack of background technology knowledge.
Although I'm not fearful of technology as such, I haven't felt the need to be constantly connected...

Instead of "smart" technology should I just get my existing system serviced? (Sensors plus external siren)

I would appreciate any ideas on how to keep my house secure whilst we are away.

Even the most sophisticated alarm is only as good as the response it triggers. Many opportunistic burglars will be deterred by the presence of an alarm system but the more determined will not.

A popular trick used to be to deliberately set of the alarm, often using a laser pointer aimed at a movement detector. So no visible sign of activity. The intending burglar would hang around in the area and see how long it took for a response. If they were really keen they might do this two or three times over a week until any keyholder was well fed up. Then break in, grab and go.

I would also imagine any half serious burglar, as opposed to a crack head, would ring the doorbell with a plausible excuse ready just in case anybody answered. Maybe that is less common now with video doorbells becoming popular?

onomatopoeia99

Undervalued wrote: »

I would also imagine any half serious burglar, as opposed to a crack head, would ring the doorbell with a plausible excuse ready just in case anybody answered.

Some people (I'm one of them) ignore the doorbell if they are not expecting a caller. I've got more important things to do than jump and the sound of a ringing thing (see also telephones).

knightstyle

We are thinking of getting one of these ERA miGuard AW1iP116 Wireless WiFi Alarm System with IP HD Camera so our DD can monitor the house with her phone whilst we are away.

jackomdj

Our ring doorbell caught the Amazon driver delivering to our neighbour crash into our pillar and drive off. We got the order info from our neighbour and managed to get Amazon to pay for it to b rebuilt. Pillar was 2.4m high, so it wasn't a cheap rebuild!

Undervalued

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

Some people (I'm one of them) ignore the doorbell if they are not expecting a caller. I've got more important things to do than jump and the sound of a ringing thing (see also telephones).

Indeed, that is fair enough. Obviously an unanswered door doesn't completely prove there is nobody at home. However statistically it must increase a 50:50 chance to, let say, an 85% chance.

sandsy

You can also make a house look like someone is there by having lights/lamps that turn on and off on a timer. These days, as well as mechanical timers, smart lights can go on and off on a schedule or be linked to sunrise/sunset.

Eborexile

Thank you to everyone for their kind replies.
Several good ideas to consider.
I'm leaning towards the Ring CCTV floodlight with manual siren for the back garden to replace a motion sensor floodlight that has seen better days. It's quite expensive so not yet fully committed.
A couple of smart plugs for indoors to switch lights on and off may also be on the cards.
(I can get 50% of hive plugs currently but want to check other brands also)

AlexMac

And don't forget the obvious; robust locks on doors and windows. We were burgled three weeks after moving to a new home some years ago. We'd re-comissioned the existing intruder alarm, so they only got as far as one bedroom before exiting, pronto, when a PIR triggered the siren. But they got in by forcing an upstairs rear window, using a ladder carelessly left unlocked on a neighbouring building site. We thought the locks looked OK, but they were only secured to the wooden frames by pathetic half-inch screws... now replaced by beefy 2" jobs.

And although it's probably a one-off, the local baddies actually stole my neighbour's "Ring" video-CCTV-bell unit; forcing it off the wall and damaging the render in the process. At least he had a clear video record of the scally's eyes between the hooded top, beanie hat and scarf over his lower face!