Home Security

This week I want to touch on Home Security.

In this article I am going to be looking out for your personal safety, because, in some instances, you do not. The first one comes from a friend who had a car parked outside his house every night around 10:30 PM for sometimes 20 minutes, other times less. This was getting to be a regular habit, and he wanted to know who it was, and why this was happening. He asked me for my advice on a Camera that could see in the dark, record this guy’s actions, and if needed, he was going to confront this individual himself.

I could see he was agitated, and everything I was saying he was feeding off, then I stopped the conversation and asked him why he hated this guy so much, it wasn’t hate, more like fear, fear of what he might do, or why, why was he doing this. So, this week I am starting off simple, then get complex as the article goes on. I won’t lose you anywhere along the way, because, this is not super techy.

1^st Plan of action.

Keeping your home safe is easy, and to be honest, not always costly. This is a guideline, not in any way a directive. My friend obviously was fed up, and wanted satisfaction, but, I feared for his personal safety, and gave him a non- engaging plan of attack. Put up a Motion Activated lamp, lock your doors and windows, if you have sliding windows or doors, get a 1-inch dowel rod, and cut it 2 inches smaller than the side of the window that slides, put that in the track or groove, keeping the window from opening fully. Keep a record of what time and when, and do this regularly, having a record of any suspicious activity will make you look less paranoid to the authorities, and may help them track down the individual. In no circumstance should he engage with this person. Admittingly he did not like my reply. But, he did follow along, and found out later, it was someone picking up a person next door for 3^rd shift hours, not an intruder casing the house.

2^nd Not all locks are equal

Security for my PC is about the same level for my home, getting in or out. To avoid locking one’s self out of the home is a simple solution, have a dead bolt above a standard non- locking handle. You need the keys to lock the door from the outside, instead of using the turn lock on the handle, thus, you can never lock yourself out of the house. Add a slide bolt to the inside of the door to further fortify your home, also the dowel trick will save you from intruders who would cut the screen, and slide open the window. As for my PC, one anti-Virus of choice works best, not 2 or 3 out of date or expired. Scan the PC regularly, for dropping the ball on this, is like leaving the front door open. As for the PC, keep your password written down on paper, store that paper in the safe. Sometimes as we get older we forget, and when the PC goes down, it too forgets. Best to have a hard copy of your thoughts at that moment of being secure. Never make passwords during a stressful moment, you will never remember what your password was, after you calm down. (brother & sister fighting)

3^rd Eye see you

Security cameras are everywhere, and the cost depends on the need, the need to keep what it is you want safe. Most of you have some sort of security camera in your home, or around your home, but then, the quality of your defense, relies on the camera, and just what it can see, and what it can’t.

HD or high definition is the key here people, a cheap camera that shoots anything less than 720p, will not help you when you need it most. A blurry image of a license plate cannot be image-enhanced if it was recorded blurry. Again, cheap in/ cheap out. Rule here 1080p, night vision of at least 150 feet, the ability to turn on or off the night vision is a must, battery operated are not a wise choice, constant power supply with battery backup, is a plus. Wireless is a great option, it saves on running cable up to and beyond 150 feet. Motion detection, sound detection, temperature detection, yes, I said that, as in heat like fire, or freezing, like no furnace. These are common things to be found in a security camera, my choice is the latter, it may cost a bit more, but then is your home and family only worth 50 bucks? Don’t get me wrong here, we are not talking a baby monitor, or Nany cam, we mean business, home invasion is real, protecting your family both in the home and on the web, is something I take personally. There are many aspects to this line of defense, and if you want, I can discuss these topics more in depth, just stop in at Hunt Technology LLC located at 320 Watson St. in Ripon and let us find the right solution for you.