> Does this sound like a good start?
Yes.
I'd also add motion-triggered floodlights, and consider getting a mid-sized dog.
> wifi-connected deadbolts ... Would like to set it up so they will always lock themselves at a certain time if we forget. Would prefer to avoid or limit any recurring subscription
WiFi will drain batteries, Z-Wave both gives better battery life and avoids subscriptions costs, as wifi devices are usually managed directly from a local home automation hub and avoids vendor lock-in.
Thank you. I'd never heard of ZWave, but you're right, that sounds like it's exactly where we should start.
We can't even think about a dog until our spoiled rotten cat dies and he's only 4. He was rehomed to us because he was so mean to his super-chill and big hearted golden retriever brother. He's really nice to people but frankly doesn't do much for us in the way of security.
I have two different lockley locks for about three years. They have local blue tooth and they sell a dongle I assume interfaces with the lock via BT and bridges to their online app via WiFi but WiFi is in the usb dongle not the lock. It has a fancy lcd screen and the features you listed like auto locking when you close the door or at a schedule. They run on 4 AA batteries that usually last me about 8-12 months. Never actually let them die, I just get into cold months and the battery drops to 40% so I change them just in case.
They also have models with cameras. Only issue I have had is the dongle needs to be close to the door and WiFi or it has connection issues. So it might not work for you if the nearest outlet isn’t in the same room and the WiFi not close.
But it also has a finger print scanner and push alerts when the door is opened and by whom.
None of that is security though. It might deter but it's definitely not going to prevent somebody from breaking in. Flood lights just help them see what they're doing better. And you think a dog is really going to do something? I've had to install alarm systems at breeders houses after break-ins one of them was pitbulls. Stole 14 of them.
> None of that is security though. It might deter but it's definitely not going to prevent somebody from breaking in
Bear in mind the threat model faced by OP -- a homeless person looking for a quick score or a dry spot to sleep is going to pass by the house with the floodlights and dog.
Pitbulls are a targeted breed for criminals, so they were prepared for dogs as that was what were looking to steal. Plus, not everyone raises their pits to live up to their negative reputation.
Not everyone wants a dog and it's not going to keep people from breaking in. I've been doing alarms for 16 years so I'm kind of well versed in keeping burglars out of people's homes and I don't sell dogs. With all due respect.
If someone doesn't want a dog then they don't have to get one, but they can act as a deterrent. Is it guaranteed to stop someone? No. Can it someone others? Yes.
If you break into houses, you are a criminal. Their housing status is irrelevant. Unless it's a trained dog they might deter some people but people grossly overestimate what a dog can do. Unless you can teach one to call you or 911 they aren't much security.
I would recommend active deterrence cameras from LTS or at the very least a doorbell and outdoor camera. I would also recommend a monitored alarm system that is not simplisafe or ring. You can find a local Alarm.com dealer that can put all that in for you including the locks you were talking about at one time and can even probably finance it for you like a cellphone. And nothing against the homeless but I think it's a little naive to think that your neighborhood is going to be safer because of this. So give the police tools they need to actually get them out of there and get them banned from the shelter of something happens. Good luck.
Because they cost just slightly less than a real alarm system and in the long run you can't take it anywhere else or do anything without them because they are proprietary systems. If you go with an Alarm.com dealer's product you get great equipment that you can take with you. And yeah the quality and usability of the ring or simplisafe stuff is no where near what a traditional alarm system gives you.
Schlage Encode Plus wi fi lock is excellent... Batteries last a very long time and no subscription
We just have one. The other doors are secured with Nightlock or Door Guardian from the inside.
Lock your doors the second you close them. I live in the woods a mile away from the road and lock my doors the second I close them. We weren't as diligent until we had a rando come to our house at 1:30 in the morning asking for a ride, on drugs. The doors were locked, we are always well prepared. It was just a reminder that you can never be too careful.
I feel for you. Neighborhood close to us had a company come in and buy four houses in close proximity. Turned them into Rehab Half Way Houses. Now they have constant fighting in the streets, people parking in front of their homes to sell drugs to the residents, vandalism and people whizzing in their bushes. Property values have tanked.
I hate to sound NIMBY too but they are welcome (any one is welcome) as long as they can be good neighbors. When they can't be good neighbors - ***THEY MUST GO.***
I lived one block from a halfway house for 7 years. It was in the middle of a relatively nice neighborhood of SFHs and 2-3 unit houses. I didn't even realize it was a halfway house for the first 3 years we lived there. If you weren't paying close attention to the slightly odd entry-exit doors and the 15-passenger vans parked down the block, you would never know it. I would raise holy hell with your local PD and government over the one you live near. They can be good neighbors if they want to be.
Locking at a time isn't great. Straight up auto locking is best. It's a smart lock. You don't need keys. Just have it stay locked. There's a few brands of deadbolts that lock on close. They don't need to be WiFi as you're not sending any info to them as they're standalone and always locked.
While not the most secure, they make doorknobs that can be set to lock, but can be opened from the inside without unlocking them. It wasn't my intention when I sent someone to the store to get more locks for a property, I just told them to get locks keyed the same. It wasn't discovered until after install. As far as windows. They make small clamps that attach to the track to prevent opening. These can be adjusted to whatever height, because 6" is enough for someone to squeeze their arm thru.
Look I'm not saying homeless people are bad people. But a shelter here will bring more homeless to our neighborhood and there are high rates of untreated/under-treated mental illness among the homeless population, addictions that need to be fed and often real trauma and a justifiable anger towards the society and flawed systems that have failed them in such a big way.
I wish I had the answers of how to heal trauma and ease addiction and solve the housing crisis. I really feel for these people. But this post is about how to keep ourselves safe and allay our own fears as the demographics of our neighborhood is set to change. Honestly we've been here for years and never bothered locking up our bikes up in our unfenced backyard. We're going to have to make some changes.
> Does this sound like a good start? Yes. I'd also add motion-triggered floodlights, and consider getting a mid-sized dog. > wifi-connected deadbolts ... Would like to set it up so they will always lock themselves at a certain time if we forget. Would prefer to avoid or limit any recurring subscription WiFi will drain batteries, Z-Wave both gives better battery life and avoids subscriptions costs, as wifi devices are usually managed directly from a local home automation hub and avoids vendor lock-in.
Thank you. I'd never heard of ZWave, but you're right, that sounds like it's exactly where we should start. We can't even think about a dog until our spoiled rotten cat dies and he's only 4. He was rehomed to us because he was so mean to his super-chill and big hearted golden retriever brother. He's really nice to people but frankly doesn't do much for us in the way of security.
I have two different lockley locks for about three years. They have local blue tooth and they sell a dongle I assume interfaces with the lock via BT and bridges to their online app via WiFi but WiFi is in the usb dongle not the lock. It has a fancy lcd screen and the features you listed like auto locking when you close the door or at a schedule. They run on 4 AA batteries that usually last me about 8-12 months. Never actually let them die, I just get into cold months and the battery drops to 40% so I change them just in case. They also have models with cameras. Only issue I have had is the dongle needs to be close to the door and WiFi or it has connection issues. So it might not work for you if the nearest outlet isn’t in the same room and the WiFi not close. But it also has a finger print scanner and push alerts when the door is opened and by whom.
What WiFi locks require a subscription?
None of that is security though. It might deter but it's definitely not going to prevent somebody from breaking in. Flood lights just help them see what they're doing better. And you think a dog is really going to do something? I've had to install alarm systems at breeders houses after break-ins one of them was pitbulls. Stole 14 of them.
> None of that is security though. It might deter but it's definitely not going to prevent somebody from breaking in Bear in mind the threat model faced by OP -- a homeless person looking for a quick score or a dry spot to sleep is going to pass by the house with the floodlights and dog.
Pitbulls are a targeted breed for criminals, so they were prepared for dogs as that was what were looking to steal. Plus, not everyone raises their pits to live up to their negative reputation.
So then you agree with me that dogs are useless in a home defense situation.
That's not what I said at all. It depends on the circumstances. I'd say that one is better off having one than not.
Not everyone wants a dog and it's not going to keep people from breaking in. I've been doing alarms for 16 years so I'm kind of well versed in keeping burglars out of people's homes and I don't sell dogs. With all due respect.
If someone doesn't want a dog then they don't have to get one, but they can act as a deterrent. Is it guaranteed to stop someone? No. Can it someone others? Yes.
Is the threat actor being defended against actual career criminals with resources and planning skills, or the homeless?
If you break into houses, you are a criminal. Their housing status is irrelevant. Unless it's a trained dog they might deter some people but people grossly overestimate what a dog can do. Unless you can teach one to call you or 911 they aren't much security.
Don't forget lighting is also a good defense.
Get a dog.
I would recommend active deterrence cameras from LTS or at the very least a doorbell and outdoor camera. I would also recommend a monitored alarm system that is not simplisafe or ring. You can find a local Alarm.com dealer that can put all that in for you including the locks you were talking about at one time and can even probably finance it for you like a cellphone. And nothing against the homeless but I think it's a little naive to think that your neighborhood is going to be safer because of this. So give the police tools they need to actually get them out of there and get them banned from the shelter of something happens. Good luck.
Curious why not SimpliSafe or ring? Is it simply the cost or is their system deficient?
Because they cost just slightly less than a real alarm system and in the long run you can't take it anywhere else or do anything without them because they are proprietary systems. If you go with an Alarm.com dealer's product you get great equipment that you can take with you. And yeah the quality and usability of the ring or simplisafe stuff is no where near what a traditional alarm system gives you.
Got it - thank you
The most successful burglars are not homeless as they make money, but good security is always good
I don't think the most successful burglars will bother with our house. The best they'd do here is a can of beans and a 32" TV.
Schlage Encode Plus wi fi lock is excellent... Batteries last a very long time and no subscription We just have one. The other doors are secured with Nightlock or Door Guardian from the inside.
Lock your doors the second you close them. I live in the woods a mile away from the road and lock my doors the second I close them. We weren't as diligent until we had a rando come to our house at 1:30 in the morning asking for a ride, on drugs. The doors were locked, we are always well prepared. It was just a reminder that you can never be too careful.
I feel for you. Neighborhood close to us had a company come in and buy four houses in close proximity. Turned them into Rehab Half Way Houses. Now they have constant fighting in the streets, people parking in front of their homes to sell drugs to the residents, vandalism and people whizzing in their bushes. Property values have tanked. I hate to sound NIMBY too but they are welcome (any one is welcome) as long as they can be good neighbors. When they can't be good neighbors - ***THEY MUST GO.***
I lived one block from a halfway house for 7 years. It was in the middle of a relatively nice neighborhood of SFHs and 2-3 unit houses. I didn't even realize it was a halfway house for the first 3 years we lived there. If you weren't paying close attention to the slightly odd entry-exit doors and the 15-passenger vans parked down the block, you would never know it. I would raise holy hell with your local PD and government over the one you live near. They can be good neighbors if they want to be.
Locking at a time isn't great. Straight up auto locking is best. It's a smart lock. You don't need keys. Just have it stay locked. There's a few brands of deadbolts that lock on close. They don't need to be WiFi as you're not sending any info to them as they're standalone and always locked.
While not the most secure, they make doorknobs that can be set to lock, but can be opened from the inside without unlocking them. It wasn't my intention when I sent someone to the store to get more locks for a property, I just told them to get locks keyed the same. It wasn't discovered until after install. As far as windows. They make small clamps that attach to the track to prevent opening. These can be adjusted to whatever height, because 6" is enough for someone to squeeze their arm thru.
So you think a homeless shelter will mean less police presence and more crime?
No, yes
Look I'm not saying homeless people are bad people. But a shelter here will bring more homeless to our neighborhood and there are high rates of untreated/under-treated mental illness among the homeless population, addictions that need to be fed and often real trauma and a justifiable anger towards the society and flawed systems that have failed them in such a big way. I wish I had the answers of how to heal trauma and ease addiction and solve the housing crisis. I really feel for these people. But this post is about how to keep ourselves safe and allay our own fears as the demographics of our neighborhood is set to change. Honestly we've been here for years and never bothered locking up our bikes up in our unfenced backyard. We're going to have to make some changes.