Security systems (locks/alarms/cams)

[campbellcj]

Any recommendations for security equipment and/or services? I learned a little while ago that my wife's office building was burglarized and portions of her computers along with various other stuff in the building were nabbed.

There is a "back-story" behind this particular incident and we have a strong feeling we know who is behind it, but I will not go into that right now for various reasons.

I was always underwhelmed with the security in her building/suite but unfortunately we had not done anything about it yet we we just moved in a few months ago and all the other startup frenzy took precedence. I feel better about our home w/ good locks, lighting, vigilent neighbors, 2 dogs, (and me ) as well as my own office which has a more secured entryway and an alarm system. But I don't consider any of these environs to be truly secure by a long shot.

Are the "monitored" services such as ADT or ProtectionOne worthwhile in general? Or is one better off having un unmanaged alarm perhaps with its own dialer that calls your cellphone etc. (That is what I have in my office, i.e. a dialer that calls 4-5 numbers in series).

Fortunately at this point this seems to be a "crackhead" incident with minimal damages (<$10K and all insured) where they left behind a ton of more valuable stuff and did little or no costly damage. But obviously personal safety and more substantial loss are big concerns.

Any thoughts on either home and/or small-office security would be greatly appreciated. I don't recall seeing many threads here along these lines but it is increasingly a concern for many of us...

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Club & factory alarm for me. So far no issues. Oh, lock the doors & roll up the windows too!

Here's my "security" system on an average night:

Porsche goes into parking space (angled spot on side street), normally with a curb / tree / building in front and cars on either side. Doors locked, club on, steering wheel locked, windows up, sunroof closed, all valuables taken with me. I normally put the car cover on it too after putting the factory alarm on. I will then pull my motorcycle in directly behind it (I use this to "hold" a parking space for myself 'cause it's so cutthroat around here). I'll stop the car, get out, back the bike out, pull the car in, do all this stuff to secure it, then pull the bike in behind it. The bike is DIRECTLY behind the rear bumper, 6"-12" from it, locked with a kryptonite "U" lock through the front wheel & rotor. It also has a cover which is secured with a cable lock. I have not had a problem with either vehicle.

If someone wanted to steal my car, they'd have to cut the cable lock on the bike, remove the bike cover, cut the U lock, bust the lock cylinder for the bike and move it out of the way, defeat the factory alarm on the car, break in, defeat the ignition lock and drive off. Needless to say, they're not going to do this. Even in Long Beach, with its plethora-o-ghettos nearby. I've had perfect luck with this so far. I DID once have a motorcycle cover ripped off, but that's why I now use the cable lock on it and the car cover.

[adrian jaye]

Originally posted by campbellcj
Any recommendations for security equipment and/or services? I learned a little while ago that my wife's office building was burglarized and portions of her computers along with various other stuff in the building were nabbed.Any thoughts on either home and/or small-office security would be greatly appreciated. I don't recall seeing many threads here along these lines but it is increasingly a concern for many of us...

Hey cambell,

ok, your US based so my reply is from the UK.

I'll try and say a few things..

1> Security:
NO security is perfect, hell. If somone can break into buckingham palace and sit on the queen bed (with the whole Met Police) you've got as little or no more chance of protecting yourself.

Nothing is foolproof, and everything can be broken/hacked. Given enough time. and that is the MAIN issue. TIME.

Same for your car. if somone wants your car bad enough, they WILL take it. If you make it that hard, whats to stop them from car jacking you at gun point ?

Also people now break into houses to steal car keys, because car security is so good.

2> Car security:
a few tips.

i> get a properly installed alarm
ii> take precuations as to where its parked
iiI> dont leave keys in the car or valuables on display
iv> use a combination of things, ie wheel lock/alarm and if poss a cut out switch. try also removing the DME relay
v> park cars in a locked garage over night, or in a brighly lit street


3> House Security:

1> Monitored alarms are best, but not fool proof
2> an alarm which goes off (unmonitored) are usually ignored
3> use random timers for lights and stereo's to give the impression your in
4> use a proper deadlock on front and rear doors
5> have a proper door fitted, with solid, armoured frames,
6> lock all doors and windows when not in or could be distracted
7> keep valuables out of sight of people
8> dogs are good
9> dont throw away or leave lying around boxes advertising that new PC or stereo you just bought.

another thing that helps is community.

Keep an eye on your neighbours houses, when you hear a noise, go out and investigate. Burglers thrive on the fact that people dont worry about others and dont keep an eye out.

If somone is going away, take in there papers or stuff left on the door.

Dont advertise to people that dont need to know that your going away on holiday.

Given all of that, you can and will get turned over, sometimes you need a higher power to "watch your back"

I'll give you 3 examples.

i) 10 years ago I left my car in a car park with the keys in the drivers door, over night, car was not touched
ii) I was burgled whilst I was at home sleeping, was threatened with a gun, but not shot
iii) 3 weeks ago, I left my keys in the front door, unlocked and the house was empty for 12 hours whilst I was at work (bearing in mind down my road is a drug dealer, all round are thicves and crackheads) and yet my house was safe and sound.

Yep having a little faith and belief helps as well !

At the end of the day, be sensible and you should be ok

laters

and hope this helps

Ade

[david914]

Chris,

I work for a company that does commercial security (access control, intrusion detection, cameras, etc.). My suggestion is;
- Make sure you have good deadbolts on all the doors.
- Install a monitored security panel with;
Contacts on ALL doors.
Glass break detectors covering all glass windows and doors.
Dual tech motion detectors.
- Video cameras covering all possible entrance/exit areas of office with a time lapse recorder or better, a Digital Video Recorder (DVR).

Most criminals with at least half a brain will stay away if you make sure it's obvious the office is well protected. If someone does attempt to break in, the equipment will make sure the authorities are alerted and the incident is caught on video for the police.

[campbellcj]

Thanks for the replies. Fortunately we have confirmed the office loss was 'limited' to maybe $8-10K but NOT including the time/effort to repurchase and reconfigure the computers and ramp back up to normal. We are well insured but want to prevent future incidents.

So at the wife's office I think I'll go ahead and install a motion-triggered camera and recorder system, some kind of basic monitored entry alarm, and beef up the window and door locks.

Just to comment, this happened at a very high-end and high-traffic/high-visibility location on a Sunday night. (There are $2-6 mil homes nearby, a Gelsons Market across the street, restaurants and boutiques all around, etc.) The thieves were clearly pros, as they rapidly cleaned-out the computers from multiple suites with nobody reporting unusual activity. They didn't even unplug cables - they cut 'em. No fingerprints found by local LAPD CSI. (Big surprise, LOL).

As mentioned above I feel in much better shape security-wise in relation to other locations and vehicles but hopefully all the board members here will heed stories such as this, i.e., anyone can become a theft victim at any time. Be prepared and stay safe...