Home protection systems

4 or 5 days ago I posted a message on here about home security systems.
I greatly appreciate all the comments that were given. Some very good ideas.

I made up a long list of items that need to be taken care of, some of which I have done already.
like.......Door alarm, front door only, shred bank statements and mutual fund statements. I had a good size pile of them cause I dont throw stuff out.
My wife put a password protect on an investment excel file. (should have done this years ago)

And today I went to tractor supply and looked at gates that they have there. (I think I will put in a gate on my driveway to help deter a scumbag or solicitor) Has anyone bought a TSC gate before? They arent real sturdy but I guess they are for cattle, The nice thing is that for $140 I can buy a painted tube style gate with a hinge type mechanism. I just have to sink 2 steel poles in the ground and mount the gate, + run power out to the gate and buy a gate opener. Does anyone have opinions of gate openers? I would like a robust one that will last many years and not be a piece of crap. I would like to get an electric ball screw, not cheap but possible compared to the regular linear electric actuator. If you have an electric gate system then chime in and describe it, and the pros and cons of what you have.

The gate system will be about $600 total, not bad.

You can't just put up a target with three or four holes in it?

Gene

Gun Guru: First off I think maybe your getting carried away! It could of been a couple of jehova's or someone looking at wrong address.Don't get yourself in a bind,you still need emergency people easy acess to your property in case of a accident or fire.Second why only front door alarm? Most crooks are going to go to a rear door or window. Good Luck Mike

I don't know how well they work but they have solar powered gate openers.

thats my security system, big dogs [3] and big guns, never been broke into yet

You need to get a system and put a sign in the front yard so they know which system you have and then they will know how to de-bug it. Heard a convicted buglar on the radio, He says thats a great idea then we know how to beat the system. Makes sense to me.

My in laws have a (I think) mighty mule gate opener. Works pretty good. Theirs is rigged up with a solar charger and a 12v battery. The remotes have a pretty good range on them too, if you ain't in too big a hurry you can hit the button and it's open by the time you get there.

Good luck.

Dave

I just have to be a smart pants... My family and I have lived on the same road for 26 years now.. I guess ever since I could drive (and even before) I kept the place looking like a junkyard.. no one seems to bother.

As for my house.. (the one next to the junkyard).. well, if you broke into my house and took everything in it, I'd be out about 15 bucks.

I guess the point I'm getting at is the fancier a place looks, the more likely it would be to get hit (in my eyes).

I'm not saying all places should look like trash pits either.. As some people take pride in their castle (such as my dad..) But some people also have kids like me (such as my dad.. LOL)

I myself like the dog idea.. and the shuffling of vehicles. I guess thats another thing about me.. my work schedule is crazy, no 2 days are the same.. and with 6 plated vehicles in my driveway (and sometimes 7) and not always driving the same thing, it makes it really hard to establish a pattern..

I guess the main point is, if they want in nothing you can do will keep them out "A LOCK ONLY KEEPS OUT THE HONEST MAN" is how the quote goes, I believe, and if you're that worried about being burglarized, maybe you should find a better, safer neighborhood

Brad

OH.. and I had to come back and edit to say another thing, The more you try to "protect" up the place, the more johnny robber thinks you REALLY have something worth stealing... But again, that's just the way a 29 year old farmkid who has lived in the same neighborhood his whole life sees it. It's rarely the old farmsteads that get hit round here.. it seems like it's usually those newer 250k+ homes that been popping up on 5 acre lots here over the last 10 years..
You know, the people who flocked from AnnArbor, Ypsi, Detroit, Downriver and so on to get away from the crime, but we'll make the place look flashy, make it look like we're loaded.. make it look like we got something worth stealing..

I guess I don't get it.. Or do I? Ok, I'm done ranting

My home would not never make Better Homes and
Gardens. But, if people in the area think you
have money you are a target. More time devoted
to this subject is a good idea.
Your idea of not having much may not be the same
value system a robber might have.

We rescue American Eskimo dogs, commonly called Spitz. Even our mailman asks to deliver packages!

My place isnt fancy but I have a home that I want protected from losers. Plus a few firearms that I dont want to have get ripped off.

I dont want to come home to a ransacked house, That happened to an aunt of mine many years ago.

My home is secluded and is easy pickens for Johnny robber. I do realize that a professional thief will get in no matter what you do. I just want a few deterents.

We have several of the green tube gates from TSC. We've never had a problem with them. They seem to hold up well.

When someone tried to break in to the house at the farm, local sheriff's dept. recommended this site for security cams. Last I looked, you could get 4 for under $500. www.supercircuits.com.

We had our welder build a steel gate across the driveway and we replaced the wood entry doors on the house with steel doors with deadbolts.

Haven't had any snoopers (that we know of) for a couple of years now.

Find someone with a different system, and trade signs with him.