Before i am accused of plagiarism let me start of by saying that i found this on another website and i thought it would benefit first time home buyers and hence i am reposting it here
Quote """"""Here's my rundown after I've been comparing and surveying/discussing the different house-security measures to be installed in my new house:
GRILLES:
Acts as a simple first line passive "Defence" which doesn't require power/eletricity/tel.cable etc. to be effective unlike CCTV and Alarm which when there's no power/telephone cut/battery dead they will be useless;
To deter would-be burglars and unprepared opportunist/inexperienced thieves who just want to easily/quickly climb thru windows/door without too much work/hassle.
Pros (eg.from construction industry) on the other hand know how to deal with grilles and make short work of it(except maybe rough/solid steel). ANY grille can eventually be cut/sawn (just like car steering/gear locks). It's just a matter of time and burglar's determination depending on material and hardness before being detected. If got the whole night and making no/low noise, even the best grille can be cut by a(or several!) professional/s; At least it buys time to get alerted and get help/respond;
+ Aluminium grille: The softest of all metal grilles, this light metal can be cut in no time; Maintenance: No need to paint; Looks nicer than it can protect; Not recommended for anti-burglar unless got very good alarm;
+ Iron grille: One of the cheapest and most common; hollow grille (not solid), can be eventually cut/sawn; simple designs. Usually come in 0.8mm(4 point), 1mm(5 point) and 1.2mm(6 point) thickness of the actual iron, not the external width/breadth of the grille. "4 point"(direct translated from Chinese, not sure what's it called in English) usually used for flats/condos; "5 point" usually for landed houses; "6 point" usually for restauarants/shops.
Maintenance: Need to paint every couple of years or so otherwise it rusts.
+ Wrough Iron: Solid grille(not hollow), they're thinner than hollow ones, additional ornamental value/designs(eg.antique look). MAY take slightly longer to cut/saw(please correct if I'm wrong) due to solid metal (but externally is thinner than hollow iron grilles).
Maintenance: Needs to be pro-painted every 8-10 years (4 layer coating). No need to paint yourself.
+ Stainless Steel: Estimated to be 3 to 4 times stronger (and therefore longer to cut/saw) than iron. Very expensive also(unless money no problem); Hollow inside; Looks more class(depending on taste;personally I think it looks better on large/huge villas/bungalows than a 1-storey 18x50 house).
Maintenance: No need to paint; No rusting;
+ (Rough)Steel(those use for concrete footing/pillar/slabs): I believe it's the toughest of all above since it's steel AND solid. However, looks rough on outside(not nice to look at unless you don't mind) therefore seldom seen(except perhaps police lock-up?). Seen in a storeroom window of a petrol station in Damansara.
Maintenance: Needs paint(due to rust);
+ Gate height: The higher, the less easy to jump over or climb in;
+ Grille "Spikes"/pointed grille tips: The more pointed grille tips on wall grilles/gates, the more he think of simply jumping over; I swear I saw a house with large barbed wire(those used during war/by the army as quick perimeter fencing) at the back of the corner house land! Flat, square gates and grilles(on the fence wall, not the windows) are very easy/safe to climb/jump over; I've seen last time house with exterior walls top cemented with broken glass bottle pieces (very effective and sharp! but ayo, so ugly looking and out-of-date ler...).
ALARM:
Supposed to wake up the crap out of you(or others if you're not around!) and/or scare would-be burglars away. Fact: If your system not constantly triggers false alarm(due to owner or technical), your neighbours either always thinks it's false alarm or if not, they won't bother anyway. Unless, you're connected to the police station(is that possible?) or a private emergency control centre(those security companies) who may send a security patrol to your house to check(check with your alarm vendor). Otherwise, they'll just come during tropical heavy thunder/rainstorm in the night where nobody will be able to hear and see your alarm siren and strobe light!(happened to my friends house before). So there goes your 3k alarm system. However, what is interesting is now alarm comes with 4 or 8 predialled numbers, so if any sensor is triggered, up to 4 phones will be called automatically to alert of an intruder.
- The alarm and sensors wiring have to be done in the house upfront (the location of the main board must be fixed). If the installer knows the location and leaks out that info to 3rd parties somehow, they will know exactly where to locate it and disable it (not so flexible where I can just hide it anywhere and anytime, like wireless).
- If the alarm is visibly installed outside the house(the box with the light on top), it can(what most people are made to believe) deter thieves or tell them exactly what alarm they're up against with so they can study how it works and then come full prepared(to disable/by-pass it).
- Cut phone line, eletricity then alarm won't work (even battery won't last long).
CCTV:
I agree, it's to capture burglars "face" (provided he don't wear mask!) etc. to pass the info/tape to police. By then, it's already too late (house already ransacked/broken into).
Here, more commonly to monitor your maid (ie.indoor cameras) rather than burglars. Although, front porch and back door camera (outdoors) will be good idea as that's where it seems the favourite spots. At least if your new car stolen within autogate, you may record how they did it and MAYBE catch their plate number! (If camera is really good).
Again, this is after everything happened, not prevent (maybe deter, but not prevent/hinder) burglars.
CCTV can be set/programmed to record upon motion (ie.motion sensor) automatically. CCTV runs 24h (w/o recording). Recording happens upon motion sensor (eg.persons/objects passing in front of camera view).
Need to know how to operate PC.
Again, no power and no battery, no CCTV.
They claim to be able to be remotely operatable via H/P or even internet (I suppose need to enter password and IP address of your PC) but if someone cracks the code, heck they can see inside/outside my house! Not to mention, can disable my CCVT etc.! hm....make sure get from reliable established CCTV company and not some Ah Beng contractor...
GLASS:
- Normal: One brick and the glass is shattered all over the floor. Burglar walks in and out freely and quickly before anyone can do anything.
- Tempered: harder/stronger than normal glass(especially if area is smaller!), more for safety than security purposes; Takes slightly longer/bigger to break I suppose?
- Tinted: will keep whole glass in place after shattered, takes more time from burglar which may be crucial to get alerted/response time to escape/call for help;
- Tempered & Tinted: Wow, wouldn't this be the best type?
BIG BIG DOG:
If got ppl inside house all day, fine. Need to take care of dog, don't just treat it as cheapo alarm(how would you like to be treated that's how you should treat a dog).
Dog's "sensors" usually quite good/sharp (not sure how true/successful is the so called throw-a-poison/drugged-sausage trick...if anyone knows/experienced please post) due to very good sense of smell and hearing. Besides, most thieves scared of big dogs;
Since my parents had a big dog in the garden, I noticed significant drop in backlane activities....really noone loitering around in the middle of night 'cos he really barks! But please don't get those fierce fierce/aggressive ones that also attack innocents!
ALTERNATIVES:[/
- I believe best protection/security if when thief/burglar doesn't know what and where your security system is;
Reason: They'll have to spend more time to find and disable your system and then they may not have brought the right tools and knowledge with them the first time 'cos there are many different systems around(so need to come a 2nd time whereby then you are already alerted/can prepare or "reconfigure" or relocate your security system or install additional cameras etc.);
Another reason for "hidden", secret or low-profile security is that if the thieves see the house is so impregnable or loaded with high-tech stuff, he may think there's lots of valuables inside (then they'll rope in the pro's and share the loot) and/or they'll just mug you outside when leaving home or coming back (which could be worse!).
This is one of the reasons I'm not too keen installing stainless steel gates and grilles and back door (stainless steel backdoor starting from RM2.3k is I believe actually quite strong/effective against break-in) 'cos they're very high visibility(think of shining sun reflecting off the "chromed" steel, it's like calling "rob-me! rob-me!") !
- Fool/confuse them with a combination of fake systems (highly visible) and real systems (hidden, not visible to them).
I heard many ppl claim to show off your CHUBB etc. alarm system outside your house, flash all your stainless steel doors and grilles and prominently display your CCTVs will deter them and they will choose an "easier" target. If you remember Sun Tzu's Art Of War (and to me this IS war in a way!haha ), never show your true capability and strength; Always bluff them with lots of power and strength whereby there isn't;
- Night lights(porch and back door): I believe thieves don't like bright lit areas. So, should be a cheap and effective deterrent (of course, taking it one step further or if very determined pro, they can always break the lights, cut the wires etc. like SWAT/commando style....hehe. We just base on common, opportunist burglars who learned a thing or two from construction industry which I think should cover the profile of majority burglars -pls.correct me if I'm wrong).
- Hide your house keys at night: Ever wondered how come your car suddenly disappeared which is "secured" perfectly behind your auto-gate? When going to sleep, relocate/remove your house keys (if you normally put them near the main door) to a totally different area that only your family knows.
- Keep a small pet (eg.dog) inside the house at night, so that any intruder will be detected(the pet dog will start making noise).
Fakes:
- CCTV "Camera" look-alike that rotates by motion sensor. No actual working camera; (RM20)
- Hide your real camera in opposite place/direction, maybe next to similar looking items outside so that it's not so outstanding (near to hanging plants/pots or use camo netting if you want!)
- Black empty CCTV dome(deterrant and dummy to distract from real camera located totally elsewhere);
- Fake "CHUBB" etc. alarm box: Look for similar sized metal box and install outside house. Add fake(or real but not connected) strobe light(available in car accessories shops/dept).
If you really got alarm, don't install the box outside to see, instead maybe install the strobe light only on top roof (not easily visible from ground but at night will be very visible even on roof top) and install the box inside the house (sound/siren travels thru walls!).
- Modify/change the alarm name, eg.if box is printed "CHUBB", stick different name over it, eg. COBRA etc. and vice versa.
- Get wireless CCTV instead of wired so you can place them and the (also wireless) receiver anywhere, anytime so noone knows their exact locations.""""""""" Unquote