Thoughts on security systems??
It has finally dawned on me that my campervan in the driveway or not in the driveway is like a neon sign announcing we're away and the house is ready to plunder. Instead of Rolexs I own rotary dial phones and a vintage sewing machine collection (yes really) so it's not the theft so much as an invasion of privacy.
I'm not into tech (no cell phone) so setting up something myself could be a daunting task. I'm wondering about ADT and the likes .
Can anyone chime in?
We had a break-in decades ago and had Chubb put in their system with monitoring. It was a multi year contract to cover the installation. I'd have to go over the paperwork to see if Chubb still has any ownership of the equipment. It's worthless on the market and would cost them $$ to pull it out but doing so would discourage us from just switching to a cheap monitoring system.
One of the RFID fobs stopped working and they wanted $800 to fix the system. We just use the code now.
After the contract expired we were able to get discounts by mentioning switching. Our present rate just went up to about $100 for three months. The cost to alarm over the years is more than we lost in the break in and the insurance discount is a pittance.
As I understand it the system works like an extra telephone that auto dials Chubb if the system is triggered. Identicall lets them know there's an event at your address, they call you to see if you forgot to log in your entry. If you don't respond with your password they call the police.
Once I came home from a ride and was walking around the house with my helmet on, not hearing the polite reminder beeps. Then all hell broke loose with the alarm horn and phone call.
I don't know if the cheap monitoring systems are good. They are in essence telephone answering services. Your alarm calls in, indicating a problem and they call you to confirm the possibility of a system error. Then if warranted they call the police.
Problem 1 is answering services are notorious for slacking off after a while once the account is settled in.
Problem 2 is there are so may false alarms they don't get priority from the police.
IMO alarm systems primarily stop the trashing of the house. A random break in is over before the police get the call. The thief breaks in triggering the alarm and heads to the master bedroom for cash, jewelry and watches, then to the rec room for small electronics and is gone in two minutes. Then they head to their fence to get drug money.
A fake sticker is a deterrent as is a non monitored noise maker, particularly with an outside horn. In a rural setting there's a different logistics scenario.
If there is no alarm system and the thief realizes no one saw them break in they can take their time going through every drawer and even trash the place. Friends arrived at their cottage in PEI and found all their copper piping stolen.
The psychology of a break in:
You feel violated. Women possibly are more sensitive to having their underwear handled by strangers and want to throw everything out. Some people want to sell and move.
Things of sentimental value can't be replaced as easily as a laptop. Your grandfather's Timex meant more to you than a Rolex.
Targeted break ins are different. A lady we knew had a rare valuable clock and some TV program showcased it. She had a break in within a week and it was the only thing taken.
In the days of lax gun storage a friend's son had a few schoolmates in to watch videos. While they were OK it is suspected that one had a less stellar sibling that overheard about the guns at dinner and helped himself.
