What else can you do?

neilnruth · Guru

What else can you do?

Brenda and Alan · Guru

Sorry to hear about your trouble. We are lucky to have our son looking after the place when we are away (he is one of those offspring who will not leave home no matter how much you hint). We also have very good neighbours who keep an eye on the place during the day when no-one is home, but in spite of all that if someone wants to break in then they will find a way. I remember hearing many years ago about an alarm that sounded like a large ferocious dog barking. I expect that would scare people away, but I can't remember what set the alarm off or where you get one. Sorry I can't come up with any decent suggestions. Brenda.

Happywanderer · The Master

My only suggestion would be to have someone stay in the house while you are away.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Oh dear Ruth, I can imagine how horrible you must have felt to know somebody had been into your home!!

I don't know what else you can do either, we've done all that you did. When we lived in Canberra we used to have house-sitters for security, but I've heard of a house being broken into while the house-sitter was there, and she lost her jewellery too!

You could get a "Back to Base " alarm, but they are expensive and not much use outside the big cities.

milo · Guru

sorry you guys got broken into, know the feeling well, happened to me a few years ago,
unfortunately my dog was staying with my parents at the time...

capricorn and pisces · Senior Member

Not sure of the effectiveness of "back to base" alarms. Our neighbour had one some years ago, it took a very long time before someone (security service, police) arrived, the burglars had been and long gone by then. Maybe things have improved with time. cheers Capricorn

brian · Guru

Consider a back to base alarm system.

They are not expensive, and you will generally get a discount on your insurance for having it.

The mob that we use will ring us within a minute or so if I accidentally set it off, I then have to give them a keyword which, if not correct will see them or the police at my place within a few more minutes.

The system also has fire, panic and duress alarm functions for extra peace of mind.

Just having the alarm going off is often enough to cut an intruder's visit short, but the added back to base signage and promise of an early visit by the law seems to be the icing on the cake.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Hi Neil and Ruth,

Not good at all my friends, that is just one of the reasons I have the base camp I have.

Maybe you could think of roller shutters on all windows, especially out back. Just make sure you have them closed a few times even when your home. Another thing, maybe as already mentioned bring in a house sitter or maybe if a good neighbour that has 2 cars might be nice enough to leave their car in your driveway.

Not sure if it can be done but maybe even a radio set up on a timer and at a volume you can hear from outside both doors but not loud enough to annoy neighbours.

See you both later in the year.

Edit.....if not in a few weeks.

-- Edited by Dougwe on Monday 17th of March 2014 08:11:24 AM

magraret · Senior Member

not nice but can relate as i have been broken into a few years back and the next month after the breakin i got burnt out but what can you do the first time i was away the second time up the road

the house i am in now is like fort knox and i hate it but my new hubby says he wants me safe we even have an alarm to come in and out

what i am trying to say is i learnt a lesson from my lose i survived it i was as mad as hell at first but reliazed the important things where me and mine and the dogs and cat and we where insured

we are insured here as well and i have to keep reminding my new huddy that as he worries when we go away and leave the house as he has not had a lose like that

you can only do so much to protect ones property the rest is up to the gods so to speak

it may sound silly but i dont realy worry about the house when away i am more worryed about how the pool is going and are people looking after it

Rip and Rosie · Guru

We have invisiguard on all windows and on security doors, and all security doors triple lock. All exit doors dead lock.

But, with a tiled roof, all they need to do is remove a tile or 2 and there you go. I've even heard of them going under the house and goming up through the floor boards.

You can only do your best, have good insurance, notify the appropriate people when you will be away ............. that's all you cn really do, or become a hermit and stay home.

freehazzas · Senior Member

Simple for us. We sold it all so we have no worries.

Kiwi-as · Guru

That's to bad Ruth, but at least no trashing and smashing inside. What about just a loud alarm that would alert neighbours. The one we have also has a very loud siren inside the house, that makes it unbearable to be inside.
Our thoughts are with you both.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

sorry to hear about your breakin, but there is not a lot you can do, the problem with lights or radio's comping on with a timer is that usually means a set time each day to come on, and the crook will watch the house for a while and see that happening or listen to the radio at the same time every day or night and they will know there is nobody home.

Have a talk with Jaycar and tell them what you want, I think there are model's out there that turn on at diff times, see what they have got.

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

Crimsafe on all doors and windows will stop the amateurs but the cost for that would be quite large.
We have Crimsafe on all the doors and windows that we want to leave open during the day and night but the rest are just kept locked with dead locks, if we have a break in it will be the insurance companies problem.
Cheers
David

brian · Guru

Roving-Dutchy wrote:
if we have a break in it will be the insurance companies problem.
Cheers
David

Not quite.. Apart from the fact that you will pay an excess and your premiums will increase in the future (insurance companies base their premiums and excesses more on burglary incidents than on any other type of claim), the feeling of personal violation after a robbery is intense.

-- Edited by brian on Monday 17th of March 2014 04:13:01 PM

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

any insurance co will not loose money.

native pepper · Senior Member

We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.

neilnruth · Guru

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Everyone's situation is different. Different houses, different towns, different neighbours. native pepper's solution sounds good but I'm not sure we have the technical know-how to do it. Our neighbours are good but they can't stay home just to watch our property. We live in a very quiet street and enjoy the quietness. I guess we have to take the risk with it. A neighbour has lent us a time switch. We'll try that and pray it doesn't happen again. It was clever kids this time. Hope there isn't a next time.
Stay safe everyone.

briche · Guru

Sorry to hear about your break-in while you were away. It appears that no matter what you do they will still find a way in. Trust that is was not too much hassle in getting things back to normal.

Brian

neilnruth · Guru

Thanks briche. Not much trouble at all thankfully. Just nuisance value and a pane of glass to pay for. But makes us more security conscious of course. Hope all is well with you both and the 'girls'.

Dunmowin · Guru

Having been broken into twice now, I feel for you. House sitters are the way to go. Mind you, both times were when we were at work, so would not have had sitters for then. Try to get an older couple who are not working. We have been house sitting on and off for most of this year which gives peace of mind to the home owners.

johnq · Guru

native pepper wrote:
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.

What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.

Vic41 · Guru

johnq wrote:
native pepper wrote:
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.
What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.

Better still make another thread so others know too if you don't mind.

Sorry to hear about your break in NeilnRuth, we have sensor lights back and front for night, security screens on our windows and an audible alarm system which also gives a perimeter alarm when inside at night, still no guarantee it will work though. We have some close neighbours that help keep an eye on the place too and have our contact numbers and our daughters but that is no guarantee either.

I think the worst part is if your RV/Caravan is parked out front people know when you have gone away, also if they see it out front while you are loading it etc......

-- Edited by Vic41 on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 07:01:31 AM

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

johnq wrote:
native pepper wrote:
We have a surveillance system which is connected to the internet, it consists of camera, thermal imaging and movement systems inside and around our houses and buildings. The computer switches on when a detection happens, lets us know via phone and over the net what's happening. We can also have a look round our house and property whenever we want to see how things are and works great. Cost nothing but for the cameras and detectors, the rest runs through the computer and easy to set up with open source systems. Great to be able to see what's happening at home when you're a long way away. It all runs of 12v and we use a 12 year old laptop running linux puppy, excellent for keeping an eye on your hone when away.
What about some details on how to set one up, thanks? PM rather than disrupt the thread.

Sorry to disagree but other members may like to know about this so PM would not be my suggestion.

native pepper · Senior Member

We made ours up from various bits and pieces, you can get most of what we used from these people www.ozspy.com.au/security-systems/business-and-home-security/diy-security-camera-systems

It's virtually the same as this one friends of ours got the other week. http://www.whywaitaustralia.com/electronics-59/hss/home-security-system?gclid=CPPr1fiOnb0CFc7QpAodSEQAdQ

We have wireless rotating camera's, theirs are wired and fixed. Really easy to do and gives you great piece of mind when travelling. All it takes is research, trial and error and before you know it, you've made it happen.

-- Edited by native pepper on Wednesday 19th of March 2014 09:37:19 AM

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Thanks NP, going to look at those sites now