We have a Frontpoint system that works the same way. Got the system via an Angie’s List deal. They ship the stuff to you, you install it yourself, and you set up monitoring with a short phone call after you’ve set up all the equipment. There is a wide range of options for what equipment you can get (door/window sensors, “glass break” sensors, motion sensors, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide sensors, exterior sirens, remotes, etc.).
From what I have seen online, the Frontpoint system and services are roughly twice the cost of Simplisafe, and do require a monitoring contract. They offer a “Wireless Light Control” so you can turn your house lights on and off remotely. They also have some Home Automation available. I don’t have either of those things so I can’t speak intelligently about them. Frontpoint’s equipment is built by GE, if that means anything to you.
Here’s a pretty detailed article and handy side-by-side comparison of the two systems.
Really sorry to hear this happened to you. The invasion of one’s personal space is especially disturbing.
If you want a great primer to learn how to shoot, I’d suggest Project Appleseed (appleseedinfo.org). You have to grit your teeth and smile through their Constitutionalist dog whistles, but credit where credit is due: They will teach you how to shoot. You’ll learn on a .22, but the principles are the same for any gun. Also, attending their events will put you in touch with a bunch of people who can teach you to shoot your gun of choice better. If you’re liberal like me, best to keep your politics under your hat. And fuck the NRA, indeed.
For a hand gun, I’m partial to a .38 revolver. Semi-automatics are fine, but revolvers are nice and reliable, less chance of a jam. Unless you are willing to put in a lot of hours practicing, however, I’d be leery of introducing a firearm into the proceedings. Handguns often end up used on their owners. Personally, I think having preplanned avenues of escape is a better approach than planning for confrontation. Plan for both.
This thread is a perfect example of why I often say, “I like dogs. I hate dog owners.”
Properly caring for a dog takes a huge investment of time and a not insignificant investment of money. Owning a dog can be very impractical if you work long hours or travel frequently for business or pleasure. A lot of people are allergic to dogs.
Of course, none of the preceding is relevant because the OP has already stated that his landlord does not want dogs in his property. At least cat lovers are occasionally self aware about how weird they are.
The OP could get one of those Beware of Dog signs and prominently display it. You know, create the illusion of dog ownership.
As far as shotgun recommendations go, I own a 12 gauge pump action Mossberg. Inexpensive, simple, and effective. Of course, it doesn’t work if you’re not home or you don’t wake up.
Little_Pig assuming this is the case, talk to the PD; ask them what happens [del]if[/del] when Mr. Repoman comes to take the collateral for the ‘loan’ you haven’t been paying & is there any type of ‘fraud alert’ you can put on with your state DMV, like one would do with the credit bureaus.
Was her car locked or did they break something to get into it? Entering the garage with the opener sounds like a crime of opportunity, just like a (possibly) unlocked car door). To prevent these, you want something that’ll scare the criminal off; something that makes noise, either a dog (which you can’t have) or an audible alarm. A professional thief could be in & out before the alarm co notifies the PD & they dispatch it & arrive.
Also, not to beat up on you anymore, but you should keep registration in your wallet, along with your DL & not in the car.
On point 1, above, I don’t understand this oft-repeated sentiment regarding the NRA. Sure, if you hate guns, or want gun control, I can understand not liking the NRA. But if you own and shoot guns, why the hate towards the NRA, even if you are a liberal? They are a single-issue lobbying, education and information group. They do not support only republican or conservative candidates, just ones who support the second amendment, whether they are republican or democrat. If most liberals and democrats don’t support gun rights, then that’s not the NRA’s problem when they support pro-gun candidates.
On point2, really? Often? Really? Guns are used many, many more times to thwart crimes, often with no shots fired, than they are turned on their owners. Even if the statement has some validity, I liken it to “cars sometimes injure their operators”. Yeah, it happens on occasion, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t own a car.
Yeah, I know, this is a tangent, and someone is sure to pipe in that the thread shouldn’t devolve into gun control/gun rights arguments. I would agree, but that door has already been opened.
Yeah, we have a monitored system and I honestly think the stickers on the doors and sign in the lawn probably does a better job than the system itself. I even slapped a sticker on the side door to out detached garage – it’s not actually protected but they don’t know that and why take chances finding out?
This will come across much more snarky than I intend it … but it sounds like the best way to avoid this type of situation in the future is not to keep a remote garage-door opener in a vehicle that’s parked outside.
LP we may be neighbors. I’m in Sunnyvale, near Evelyn @ Mary. Former NRA member, and a firearms and shooting trainer back in my USMC days. I’m no longer an NRA member, they’re too extreme. Anyway, Reed’s Indoor Range in Santa Clara teaches classes, and they have rentals. A great way to get comfortable without buying right away and ending up with a firearm you’re not comfortable with.
Another place is Target Masters in Milpitas. Same thing, rentals there. Not sure about classes. I recommend Reed’s over Target Masters, they’re cleaner, and from the times I’ve gone to both places I feel safer at Reed’s based on the clientele I’ve witnessed at both. My opinion, of course.
Taking the step towards a firearm is a big decision, and not for all. Please weigh carefully. Yes it takes a second to rack a shotgun, but a DA/SA semi can be fired so quickly and with so little trigger pressure that a negligent discharge can readily occur.
My wife has her pistols in her safe. I keep mine in mine. Mine are loaded, round in the chamber, ready to go. I am comfortable and confident in my training. She isn’t so much, so hers are kept unloaded in her safe. If a burglar enters and she is at home, we have discussed and agreed that she will likely NOT go and get any of the guns. This is for her own safety.
Sorry to hear of your experience. Today I will remove my garage opener from my car which is parked in the driveway .
PM me if you’d like to talk. If I can help, I’d like to.
Jesus Christ people he cannot get a dog. And you don’t even know if he wants one. My coworkers - and you people - are always regaling me with tales of how your damn dogs threw up in the middle of the night and you stepped in it and then you had to clean it up. Plus I like being able to go on vacation without having to board the damn dog. I don’t want a dog. And I can’t get one either. Rental house landlords are pretty strict, and no wonder why - bad dog owners have burnt them badly.
My rule of thumb is to call three places and get three quotes. Sometimes I’ll even call one place back and say “so-and-so gave me a much higher/lower price, can you tell me what the difference in your services is?”
I have three rifles but they are safely and properly stowed away, so they wouldn’t be much defense to me. I do have a lot of my valuables in a safety deposit box. Also we have a safe.
I do want to get a shotgun eventually. But I do know how to fire/handle/take care of a gun. I’d never put a killing device in my home without knowing how.
Security stickers/signs work but the companies don’t really like you doing this without buying their product so if they are in the area they will repossess the sign. So stickers are better.
Also no more leaving the garage door opener in the car! Bad!
No kidding! All these suggestions of gun! dog! security system! and the guy’s house didn’t even get broken into. Not that I’d be unnerved by this sort of thing, but the best thing you can do is not keep the garage door opener in a car kept outside. Was the car unlocked? If so, then that’s now your #1 thing to fix. Lock the damn car. If it was locked, why didn’t it alarm when it was broken into? If you want to secure your house a little better install some motion lights, stronger deadbolts on the door (including the one from the garage) and maybe some individual window/door alarms. All with approval of the landlord, of course.
A dog really is best. The OP may not go for it for various reasons, but a dog works better than a system.
Alarm systems have such blisteringly high false alarm rates that police departments often set policies that result in delayed response. Many jurisdictions require that alarm systems not directly contact emergency services. They also require an alarm monitoring company make attempts to contact at least two different key holders before calling police.
And after all that effort to weed out false alarms, many major police departments still find that the false alarm rates are commonly in the 95-98% range. Charlotte, NC even found they were MORE likely to catch a burglar in the act in premises without an alarm.
I had been working in my job at a 9-1-1 center for more than a year, averaging 7 alarm calls per shift, before I ever had an alarm call turn out to actually be a burglary.
Unless you’re planning on getting an attack dog, it’s going to serve the same function as an alarm – early warning that someone is entering your home and noise that lets the burglar know that he isn’t going unnoticed.
But as the human race would not have taken over the world without dogs to scare off intruders and bears, everything else is second best. One security system I designed had bomb-proof (literally–surrounded by ballistic matting) safe-suite and man traps with indoor smokescreens (won’t harm your antique furniture!) and teargas and potentially lethal Halon dispensers. (“Al, not everybody has an Uncle Vito to clean up little messes like dead burglars.” “When they get that rich, everybody has an Uncle Vito.”) Another guy was happy with a handgun and a couple Dobes, which he thought would enjoy helping with the cleanup.
And, if it’s any comfort, another lost a Renoir and a Monet he had hanging in the hallway off the garage because his wife forgot to close the garage door when she went to WalMart.
There are self-install security systems with features like door sensors, motion detection and so on that don’t require drilling into walls, and you can take the equipment with you when you move. They can trigger loud alarms, be connected to remote monitoring that doesn’t require phone line access, or both.
Placing a sign outside your home that warns of a security system (whether or not you have one) has a deterrent function.
With a “monitored” system, a security guard will drop by 30-60 minutes after the alarm goes of, if they haven’t been able to contact you. They’ll contact the police, and someone will organise security shutters, if your door/window/roof has been damaged by break-in.
With a “stand-alone” system, your neighbours may complain about it next time they see you.
A thief is typically in and out in 5 minutes, and they aren’t paying any attention to the alarm: you get used to it after a while. Dogs bother them because dogs are unpredictable, and you can’t deal with a dog while on auto-pilot.
