May 31, 2012

Spy Cameras And Residential Protection


With crime on the rise, technology has lead to a decrease in home security prices.  Although many devices have dropped in prices over the years, the spy camera is one of the most popular to experience a decrease in price.  What was once only dreamed about in movies such as James Bond is now a reality that is very affordable.

The spy cameras of today are included with pin cameras, pens, and even cameras that are hidden in a pair of sunglasses.  Most kits cost a few hundred bucks and will come with sensors and remote Internet access – complete with alarms.  This way, you’ll have the chance to hook up your house wide cameras to your main cable system and watch the spy camera from any screen in your house.  To watch the video though, you’ll need to have your television set to a specific channel.

Along with spy cameras there is also a variety of other devices that you can use to protect your home and yourself such as motion sensors, alarms, trip wires, spy cameras, surveillance cameras, finger print locks, digital locks, and many more.  Almost everything is available at an affordable price, unless you choose to have professional installation.  Professional installation will cost a lot more money, possibly even thousands of dollars if you have a big house.

If you aren’t familiar with the way spy cameras and other spy related security works, it may be in your best interest to hire a professional.  A professional can show you how to work the equipment and answer any questions that you may have.  Even though it will cost you a lot more than if you were to do it yourself, it would be a lot better than messing something up.  Spy cameras and equipment can be very tricky – especially if you have no experience with home security.

The pin and sunglasses spy camera is among the most popular.  These cameras may require professional installation, as you’ll need to hook the wireless panel up to a monitor or your computer.  Depending on the type of spy camera that you are using, hooking everything up can be anywhere from novice to professional level.  Sunglasses can be great to use at home or anywhere else you travel within distance, as the camera is completely undetectable to those who are standing within your field of vision.

For protection around the home or anywhere else you travel, a spy camera can be a great investment.  These cameras are becoming more and more popular these days due to the drop in price.  Although they were very expensive when they were first introduced, those times have changed.  You can get a spy camera now for just a few hundreds bucks – making it an investment you can never go wrong with.

May 22, 2012

One of The Best Ways to Actually Stop Burglary


These days, home burglary is one the rise.  Over 70% of all crime these days relates to property crimes, normally involving the home.  Although police and local authorities are doing everything they can to put a stop to crime, burglary is something that cannot be stopped.  Even though there are ways to protect yourself, burglars will always be lurking out there - waiting for their next victim.

Even though there are ways to prevent unwanted entry to your home, a determined burglar will always find a way to get in.  Breaking and entering is his job, and most burglars are extremely good at it.  Statistics show that burglaries occur every 15 seconds.  What that means, is that every 15 seconds there is someone out there getting robbed.

Over the years, home burglaries have received a lot of attention, some of which have even been on the news.  Although some burglars eventually get caught and arrested, most seem to disappear without a trace.  To protect yourself and your home, there are tactics such as security alarms, burglar alarms, and even security cameras that you can use.

Property marking is a great way to protect yourself as well.  Property marking involves marking everything that you own with a signature or mark that you can easily identify once the property has been recovered.  You can use micro dots, UV pens, or even laser pens.  The idea here is to mark your property so it won’t be easy to sell on the black market.  Even though it may sound weird, most burglars do study their targets quite a bit before they decide to rob them.

One of the most effective forms of home security is the home security system.  If a burglar tries to rob your home and notices that you have a security system set up, he will normally start to get second thoughts and eventually change his plans.  On the other hand, if the burglar decides to go ahead and rob a home with a surveillance system anyway, the system will normally catch him on video, making it easy for the police to identify who he is.  Home surveillance and security cameras are great to have, and can either be wireless or wired, dummy or real, outdoor or indoor, or even a combination of several.

Alarms are also a great way to prevent burglary.  The police will tell you that home burglar alarms prevent over 50% of attempted burglaries in the home.  There are several types of burglar alarms, from those that aren’t expensive to those that are monitored around the clock.  Alarms will let burglars know that robbing your home isn’t going to be easy, and that they should really give it a second thought.  Tried and true over the years, alarms have be proven to be very effective and above all else - they work.

No matter what direction you decide to take, there are indeed ways that you can protect your home from burglary. In the United States, home security systems have really become a big business.  Millions of home owners throughout the U.S. are investing in security and surveillance systems, knowing that the day will come when they will come in very handy.  Even though you may never be robbed, there is always a chance.  Burglaries can happen at any time, which is why you should always be protected.  If you think ahead and invest in a security system, you’ll be prepared for anything that happens. You have to think in terms of self defense - and ensure that your home is protected for anyone who decides to make you a target.

May 17, 2012

The Cons Of Home Intruder Alarms


Although home intruder alarms are thought of being an integral aspect of home security, research has shown that these alarms aren’t difficult at all for professional burglars.  The reason for this is due to the fact that most homeowners tend to forget to set the alarm or fails to lock up the windows and doors like they should.  Although the technology behind home intruder alarms is great, the technology can’t really do anything for you unless you use it properly.

Even though you may set your alarms when you leave, there is always that one chance that you may forget.  On that very day that you forget a burglar can easily cash in on your mistake and break into your home.  Most professional burglars are very familiar with home intruder alarms and know exactly how to deal with them.  Even though you may have the most expensive alarm on the market today, it won’t be able to do anything if you forget to program it.

Almost all home intruder alarms need to have the windows and doors properly shut before they are activated.  When you enter or leave your home, you’ll need to enter a password into the control panel to activate or deactivate the alarm.  If you arrive home and forget to deactivate the system, it could go off on you.  This can be very embarrassing, especially if the alarm sounds and the police show up – only to find that you are trying to “break in” to your own home!

Most burglars out there can rob a home in as little as 15 minutes.  Although some burglars choose to work with others, most prefer to work along.  The experienced burglars almost always do their research first, and go from there.  A professional burglar will never enter a home he isn’t familiar with, for the simple fact that he could get caught.  Instead, he will spend a lot of time studying the home and the family.  If there is a home intruder alarm present, the burglar will watch from the shadows until he has learned how the system works.  Once he sees that you have failed to input your password or activate the system, he will make his move.  Once the burglar is inside the house and the alarm is off – he can be nearly impossible to catch.

If the alarm is set and the burglar happens to trip it, he will immediately flee from the area and move on to a different home.  Home intruder alarms can be very loud, with most contacting the police or other law enforcement agency the second they notice a break in.  Even though they may have their faults – home intruder alarms are still great to use with home security as long as you remember to activate them before you leave your house.

May 8, 2012

Theft Proofing Security Your Mailbox


Although most people only think about their home and property when dealing with home security, the mailbox is equally as important.  On a daily basis, there is a lot of personal information that goes through your mailbox.  Even though burglary is a concern, identity theft is just as big of a concern as well.  Most people don’t even think about theft proofing their mailboxes, which easily explains the increase in identity theft over the years.  Almost all mailboxes can be easily broken into, giving thieves instant access to personal information.

Even though there are many mailbox designs in the United States, most of them are outdated in terms of security.  They may perform their duties of receiving mail quite well, although they normally don’t offer the security needed to protect people from identity theft.  These days, identity theft is a common thing – simply because people don’t do a better job with protecting their mailbox.

Each and every day we all get personal information delivered to us by mail.  In some cases, we get credit card offers or bills that contain our personal information.  Although we don’t think anything about it, most of us head out to our mailbox, collect the mail, and then go back in our houses.  All it takes is a thief to beat you to the mailbox, just a couple of minutes.  Once the thief has collected a few pieces of your mail, he can easily use your personal information to charge credit cards and other bad things using your identity.

To protect yourself against identity theft you should always include your mailbox in your plans for home security.  The mailbox is very important, and should always be protected.  If you have a traditional mailbox now, you should get rid of it immediately.  As a replacement, you should look into a safe and secure mailbox.  The ideal types are those made of solid steel.  The top of the box should be accessible to the mailman, allowing him to put the mail in without a problem.  The bottom side of the mailbox however, should only be accessed via key.  Mailboxes that require a key to get into will protect you from identity theft – as the thief simply won’t have access to your mail.

You can find secure mailboxes at a local hardware or department store, even online.  There are very affordable these days and will go a long way in protecting you for identity theft.  Mailboxes that are constructed from solid steel are nearly impossible to break into, yet they will open easily for you to check your mail with the lock and key system.  The next time you go out to the mailbox to check your mail – you should think twice about your safety and theft proof your mailbox to protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft.

May 2, 2012

The Internet and Residential Surveillance


In the past, many have often wondered how they can keep check on things at home while they were on a trip or vacation – hundreds of thousands of miles away.  These days however, keeping tabs on your home while you’re away is quite possible.  With the Internet and today’s technology – you can keep watch on your home no matter how far away you may be.

Although the technology may sound a bit out there at first, this day and age it certainly isn’t out of reach.  The hardware used for surveillance is inexpensive these days, and ready to use all over the world.  All it takes is someone with a bit of common sense and the curiosity to try new and exciting technology.

To use these types of equipment, you’ll need a reliable connection the Internet.  The Internet is the heart and soul of distance surveillance equipment, enabling you to keep a check on your home from hundreds of thousands of miles away.  If you are planning to invest in an Internet powered surveillance system, you should first make sure that you can get a high speed Internet connection to your home.  Dial-up isn’t recommended, as the speeds are far to slow to broadcast video.

There are two solutions that you can choose from, each one varying in features and complexity.  The first solution utilizes a personal computer.  Several home surveillance cameras are connected together to a system that will survey their areas and record what they see at either a set rate per second, or going by movement they detect.  Depending on the system you get, you may or may not be able to adjust these settings.

The computer will play back the video via the monitor, and record the video to the HDD, or hard disk drive.  You’ll need to connect the computer to the Internet through an ISP (Internet Service Provider), in order to watch the video from a distance.  To watch the video while you are away from home you will need to log into the computer with a unique username and password.  You can log in at any time, and to operate the computer or watch the video images that the computer surveillance system has recorded.

The other solution you have available is much easier.  Normally, this solution is used to check on a home through a single surveillance camera.  Setting things up this way will allow you to use a single camera through your IP (Internet Protocol) address.  By setting it up through your IP, all you need to do is check on things is to link directly to your IP.  Once you have brought up your IP address, you can see live views through the camera.  This method works similar to a webcam, in the sense that it streams video around the clock.

No matter which solution you choose, both are somewhat easy to use.  Of course the second solution is much easier to use and setup, although it does have it’s downsides as well.  Both have great things to offer you as well, including the ability to log in at any time.  You can check video any time you wish, even chance your preferences based on what you need.

Anytime you need to monitor your home from far away, home surveillance and the Internet is all you need.  The Internet is a common commodity these days, capable of doing far more than anyone ever thought possible.  By investing in a surveillance system that utilizes the Internet – you’ll be able to keep a watchful eye on your home from wherever the road takes you.