I’m moving into a new room, but there’s a gap in the door, and my younger siblings used to pick the lock when someone else was in there. Now that it’ll be my room, I want to make sure my stuff is secure. Should I replace the lock, or could it be an issue with the door itself? What should I do?

Due to military orders, I have to transfer to another state. My wife decided to stay in our current state due to pursuing a Master's degree, and is going to be living by herself for a few years. We were discussing actions in the event that someone tries to break in, and we reached a point that we couldn't agree on, so I'd like to ask for others' opinions.

My wife will be living in the second floor of a two-floor house. This floor only has one point of entry, but there are three windows that could be escaped from: the two bedrooms and the living room. Each room on that floor is carpeted, and has a window that opens to the outside with a ~25-degree slanted roof extending from the wall about 3 feet below that window, and about 5-7 feet away from the wall of the house. The drop from that level is about 8-10 feet.

Her plan is that if someone is breaking into the house, she would first put a door stopper against the door handle to her room (a extendible locking rod with a rubber hook on one end for the door handle and a rubber foot on the other to press against the floor), then open the window, deploy an emergency fire escape ladder out the window (the kind that hook on the inside and have metal footholds connected to nylon straps), and then climb the ladder down to the ground, and get to safety from there.

I argued that not only would this plan take a lot of time to execute, which would increase the risk of being spotted or caught, but the door stopper only works to stop a door from being opened normally and would not withstand a sharp kick, especially on a carpeted surface, rendering it almost useless as a delay tactic. I argued that it would be better to lock the door, climb out the window, squat down on the edge of the roof and quickly lower yourself and drop down so you can run to safety faster. She argued that this only increased the risk of you breaking your leg or feet and was a stupid idea.

Does anyone have any advice or know of any alternatives? Thanks.

Without going into to much detail, I'm in a position of responsibility over money where an organized crime group thought to extort me to participate in the theft of the money. Not only did I refuse to participate, but I engaged with law enforcement to help gather evidence against the group.

Since then, the group has been escalating physical threats against me, and has already harassed me in my home. I need to defend not only myself but a wife and young children. The police have been useful, but they can't provide 24/7 protection. I've retained private armed security for now, but won't be able to afford this indefinitely. I'm relatively wealthy, but not money is no object wealthy.

I've read a lot of the subreddit, and much has been very useful. But would like to get more advice for my specific threat model. In particular a lot of the standard device around "make your house harder to rob than your neighbors" isn't as relevant because I'm potentially dealing with motivated adversaries specifically targeting me.

I'm also dealing with potentially more sophisticated, well-resourced adversaries. This group has been known to hire independent hitmen operating in groups and getting paid $100k+ per job. I have to consider multiple invaders and well planned attacks like cutting power or impersonating police.

My main priority is being armed and ready for a home invasion. Assuming they come, doubtful they're going to be scared off by floodlights or an alarm siren. Average police response time is probably 15 minutes where I live, so think an armed conflict is inevitable if they show up. I've been a pistol owner for a long time, but have purchased AR for home defense, been training heavily in marksmanship and CQB on both weapons, and consistently carrying the pistol home and outside. I've also run drills in the home focusing on fatal funnel points.

The other thing I am focusing on is hardening entry to the home to maximize the prep time from being alerted. The nightmare scenario would be bad guys getting the drop on me while I'm still sleeping. Here the focus is on reinforcing doors, adding security tape to windows, and door/motion alarms throughout house to give warnings. We have a lot of exterior cameras, but unfortunately WiFi and those can be jammed.

Anything you can see that I should be focused on or that I may have overlooked? Especially given my specific threat model? Know this is relatively open ended and a lot overlaps with existing advice, but this subreddit has been extremely helpful so far so would really appreciate any help as my family navigates this difficult time. Thanks!

Hoping someone can help. Looking for a floodlight bulb that when on, is dim but when someone walks by my motion sensor the light gets brighter. So basically, the flood,light, when dusk hits, is on but not full brightness. Then when motion is detected it gets brighter. Does anyone know hat type of bulb this is? Thanks

I think I want to do continuous recording, in case anyone walks through my front or back yard. I have a spare cat6 ran from my tech box to attic (2 story). Can I split this cable and run to the front and back eaves of 2nd story? What cameras would be good for that height (~20 ft)?

Hi everyone,

I was wondering what I can do to secure my back door PVC french doors? I have heard they are a big security risk and I need to increase my home security after recent events.

I've seen this product called patlock, I was wondering if anyone had any expirence with it?

It seems to be a set of bars you place over the handles, and also a replacement spindle for the handles. It seems to have good reviews on Amazon, but I'm unsure with all the fake reviews out there id this is actually effective.

Would this be any more effective than say those U lock bike locks or a long padlock over the bars?

Could anyone offer any recommendations?

Hi everyone,

A few months ago, I shared my experience with a break-in and received great advice from the community. (Here’s the post for reference: https://www.reddit.com/r/homedefense/comments/1ehuh52/breakin_experience_need_advice_on_improving_home/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). This experience got me thinking about ways to enhance home security using technology. I'm a machine learning engineer, and I’ve been considering an idea for a tool that could work as an add-on to popular home security cameras. Here’s the concept:

1. **AI-Enhanced Threat Detection**: If an intruder breaks in, the camera would use AI to evaluate whether there’s a legitimate safety threat. If so, it would automatically trigger an alarm, deterring the intruder immediately.

2. **On-Demand Live Agent Response**: If the threat is confirmed, an alert could go to a live safety agent who can actively intervene by sounding the alarm or notifying the police. Unlike typical subscriptions, this service would only charge when a threat is detected, so no monthly fees—only a one-time fee when action is needed.

For me, having experienced a break-in, I’d definitely purchase a tool like this. But I’d love your honest feedback: does this sound like a helpful solution? What features or concerns would you like to see addressed?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! 

I have a revolver (.856 Taurus Ultralite) as my home defense weapon. It is normally kept unloaded in a locked Pelican case with the key in a separate location at all times. I am uncomfortable with the thought of keeping it loaded in the house because it seems irresponsible, even if its in a locked case, but I also realize that it is less useful if I have to take the time to load it in an actual home defense situation.

I've considered keeping it loaded in the locked case, with the first chamber unloaded as a sort of built in safety, as if I'm presented with a situation where I would need to use it, I would more than likely be firing more than once anyway. Thoughts? I know it's silly to have a gun if I can't readily use it in a scenario where I'd need it, but I want to be a responsible gun owner. Also I have no kids or roommates other than my adult spouse who is very familiar with gun safety.

Been wanting to buy a gun for home security but given the horrible shit the NRA does I can’t bring myself to spend money on something to their benefit. Any ethical gun makers that have a suitable gun for home security?

Hi there, I have recently moved into a new home that has several cameras installed linked to a central Swann security monitoring system. I am not technically savvy at all and have tried and failed to understand it.

I can view the cameras on the projector in the media room where the dvr monitoring system is located and still connected. I want to be able to access the cameras from my own computer or phone but assume I need more accessories to accomplish that.

Beyond the company (who was not very helpful) or seller (whose husband set it up and controlled it and passed away), who would I reach out to for help on this??

I have tried scanning the QR code on the machine and it doesn’t recognize it online or in app. Please advise somewhere I can search next! 😂

Hello there. First time poster, first time homeowner.

For context: my wife and I bought a house in March and have done a complete remodel on it. Built in 1946 and everything in it was the original. Before us, it was a one family house - we make #2.

We moved in Friday night after getting married. We haven’t had time to install security cameras, or an alarm system just yet, but it is high on my priority list.

I’ve never lived near a road, or had neighbors so this is new to me. Our front door is ~50ft from a moderately busy road.

For security reasons, should we leave our front porch light on at night or does it matter? We have motion activated lights around the house that stay on for 5 minutes after detected motion. We have two large, loud dogs that would alert us to any potential dangers. I have self defense items inside as well, just in case.

I also would like any other tips or experience regarding home security as I would like to make this place as safe for the both of us as possible.

ETA* we don’t in any way feel uncomfortable here. However, there is always that chance that something happen and I’d rather be safe than sorry.

This video perfectly explains the need for home/door hardening hardware

Home Burglary is TOO EASY! Let's Fix That (Starts at 9:45)

Hey! I'm sure this has been asked before, but in kind of a hurried safety situation for a loved one so I have not had time to look through the sub. Essentially, I am looking for an affordable security camera that can be accessed without having to own a smart phone. I have an older family member who does not own a smart phone, but does own a computer, who is in need of some sort of surveillance system on their house after a devastating situation involving her pets. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

If you own a S2 launcher, do you only use S2 ammo from Salt? I've seen some folks at YT using something like small steel balls, but those videos were not using a S2.

I've been using the kinetic ammo, but it seems expensive, so I'm looking for alternatives.

And yes, I'm aware that a heavier ammo = less Joules produced when shooting.

Hello everyone, I am building a new home in a very rural area. I am adding 4 floodlights to my house. I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I need floodlights that are hardwired, have dusk dawn capability but are not on at all during that time unless a motion sensor picks up movement.

A lot of the options I'm finding with the dusk to dawn option have the light very dim at night and brightens if the motion sensor picks something up. Because I live in a "dark sky ordinance" area, that's not possible. They have to have no light on unless they pick up something moving.

I really want the dusk to dawn feature so I don't have to worry about a switch.

Any help would be great. Thanks everyone.

Vivint Alarm System Review

10/25/2024

I have been with Vivint Systems for over 15 years; I could not wait to be free of them soon enough.  Well, the day came when my contract term ended.  Vivint tempted me to renew my contract by lowering my monthly payments, but Vivint was unwilling to abide by my decision not to renew my contract.  Again, Vivint tried to lower my payments by $10.00 and then by $20.00.  I said NO MORE!  Here are some of my complaints: Vivint company is not local and will NOT send anyone else out to fix a problem; instead, Vivint will use your phone for hours to troubleshoot.  If you call, you will rarely get an American, most likely someone from India or Asia with an accent that is difficult to understand.  I had one at home answering calls with kids screaming in the background, and I was trying to understand her.  I had to hang up and call back the next day.  I have spent hours on the phone with them.  I don’t know about you, but my time is valuable.  I now have another local company with no contracts that will come out to service me at my request and provide up-to-date equipment, and I could not be happier.  Incidentally, Vivint had the nerve to bill me one more month after my contract ended, which I paid.  My present alarm company said Vivint equipment is so outdated that they could not use any of it.  Vivint said they did not want their equipment back either.  Buyer BEWARE!

SA

I've rented my home for almost 3 years now, and have this neighbor across the street that's been a nuisance since day 1, though I feel that it's starting to escalate. I'm pretty positive this guy has schizophrenia, or some severe mental disorder, and lives with his mom. He's about 40. Almost every day he's outside roaming the neighborhood screaming profanities and racial slurs at seemingly no one. And he does this weird whistle routine all the time, too. The cops have been to his house DOZENS of times and they've never done a thing. My other neighbor called the cops on him once and once they'd left he destroyed her son's basketball hoop and chucked his basketballs all over the place. Still nothing. My neighbor with 2 little kids actually moved away very suddenly, recently, and I can't help but think it's because of this guy. He belittles the cops every time they're there, but I guess they can't find a reason to detain him? Reason I'm posting this now is because he finally had his go at my mother and I today, calling us all sorts of names and threatening us. We'd minded our own business until now, but I guess he decided we're his new target. He very rarely talks to anyone specifically, so it's unusual to say the least. We're scared to call the cops, because he'd probably know it was us, and don't know what this guys capable of. He's been staring at our house all day from his window. What would you guys do? We're considering trying to talk to his mom and see if she thinks we're in danger, but I'm worried about him disliking that, too. We’d see him smoking/drinking often, as well. We are armed, luckily, though it still makes me uneasy having a guy like this angry at us just for looking at him the wrong way. What if he snaps?

UPDATE: Went to the police station today to file a report, they are very aware of who and what my neighbor does, but couldn’t do anything for me, not even take a note down. Im planning to just ignore him for now and triple check all the locks every night. We’ll see what happens in time…

If one wanted to install a safe in a vehicle, how would they bolt it? In a house, it would be bolted to concrete walls/floors or be installed inside the wall. In a vehicle, there are no such walls. What would be the best place and way to install it so the safe can't easily be removed? Also, is there a way to make a GPS tracker work INSIDE the safe (I've read that they won't work due to the safe being a faraday box, but someone suggested to use the safe itself as an antenna - is that possible?). I can't insure my belongings inside the car in other countries (insurances here do not cover theft at night from vehicles), so I need to find ways to make it harder for thiefes.

I saw my neighbor's car being broken into last night. I called the police but they told me only the owner can report a robbery. So I just recorded them breaking in. After they left, I knocked on the owner's door but he wasn't home. A week later, he gets back from some trip and I tell him what happened. He was furious the cops couldn't start looking for them sooner. Is this normal? Should I have complained to the police station?

Edit: Thanks for the responses! My neighbor will file a complaint with the report. Based on the comments, it won't do anything but it never hurts to get everything on record.

Essentially I called, the cop asked me if I knew the owner or if he was around to call them because I can't. Even with an active robbery, address, and license plate. I'm wondering if they are concerned I can't verify that he called a locksmith but locksmiths don't wear hoods and break windows at 2am idk.

Lots of enlightening comments about needed police reform! Thanks guys! Lobby! Vote! Protect your homes! <3

is it possible to enhance his face ? car stolen

I’m not a fan of surveillance but:

-someone is messing with my mail and I would like to discourage it (I suspect it’s the kids upstairs but I don’t want to make an accusation with no proof)

-I don’t have a peephole at my door and I would like to see who’s there before I open the door

I’m looking at all these doorbell cameras that are in my price range and they all utilize cloud storage. I don’t want to pay some subscription fee just to see a video if someone is messing with my mail

Hey guy so I feel like getting a better shotgun after cheap Turkish 12ga pump action shotgun failed. I'm looking at either Mossberg or Remington. Like Mossberg 590A1 for example. Any American gun owner here can recommend good, reliable shotgun under $800? This is for backup defense plan in case another trespasser is armed and hostile. Thank you in advance

I want an affordable outdoor camera system that says “you are being recorded”. I would like ones that record all the time. I need wireless and we don’t have a wired connection. A mix of flood lights, regalar/spotlights and doorbells are ideal. Please note any fees/subscriptions. We currently have Blink and they do not say you are being recorded.

I have a basic door lock and for whatever reason it'll unlock at random times. A few months ago this happened a few times and I had the locks changed. It stopped completely after that. Then, this morning it's unlocked again.

I have a ring camera and it shows me locking my door and pulling the handle to make sure. Yet, my s/o will wake up with the door unlocked. I don't have any dogs or kids, nor do any of us sleep walk. My ring camera doesn't show anyone trying unlock/break in either.

Any ideas?

Im looking a doorbell camera and floodlight cam combo for my new house, cant decide on anything. would rather not have a subscription but if it works out more value efficient then i suppose i would consider