Home Security
Whether we’re talking about normal urban living or post-apocalypse survival, home defense is broken down into two categories. Perimeter defense is essential. As long as potential attackers are kept outside your home, you have a major tactical advantage. Once an entrance has been breached, interior defense kicks in. The situation becomes much more volatile and dangerous at this point.
The keys to keeping your home and family safe are avoiding confrontation at all costs and making your home an undesirable target. The more forewarning you have, the better chance there is of thwarting a potential attack. These three tips won’t make your home Fort Knox, but will give you a chance to abate bad situations.
Security Cameras
Big Brother is watching us. The Telegraph, citing data from the British Security Industry Authority, estimates there is one surveillance camera per 11 people in the country. Americans are already well aware of mass surveillance programs executed by the NSA. Now the American Civil Liberties Union is warning U.S. citizens about the increased use of surveillance drones by police and private corporations to watch your every move. If the government is doing it to protect whatever it’s trying to protect, you can do it to project your home and family too.
Multiple outdoor security cameras that are viewable on one split-screen monitor are a lot less expensive than you might think. Lorex, for instance, has cameras for an outdoor home security system starting at $130. These particular cameras are weatherproof and have night vision. They connect to a monitor via cables. Those with a lot of property to cover should consider Bluetooth cameras with a range of 100 feet or more.
Camera positioning depends on your property. Rural homes need cameras at all points of accessibility to the property (driveways, paths, etc). Urban homeowners can simply place them in four directions so you know what’s happening from every angle at all times.
Outdoor Deterrents
Knowing intruders are present before they reach your front door gives you a window of opportunity to react accordingly. The situation gets much more intense at this point, which is why it’s best to nip it in the bud prior to further escalation.
Dogs are great for home security and scaring intruders off. But you don’t actually need one to get the same effect. Barking intruder alarms emit real-sounding barks of big, angry dogs when anyone gets within a preset distance of your home. The barking sound continues to amplify as intruders get closer. Booby traps are also great deterrents. One of the more common, easily set-up and effective options is fish hooks suspended from vegetation on camouflaged line. This option is great for those with trees or bushes near the front doors.
When booby traps are part of your perimeter defense, make sure the entire family is aware of their presence and reminded of them daily. A warning message posted on the front door serves this purpose. Some states have laws making booby traps on your own property illegal, so research your local laws before investing in them.
Repulsar IV
The criminals have gotten past all the outdoor deterrents and kicked down the front door. By this time you and the family are in a safe room, armed and prepared for the worst. But there is still an option for one last line of defense before it gets to that point.
The Repulsar IV is ceiling-mounted anti-burglar device that works in conjunction with your existing home security system. It automatically discharges pepper spray when it detects the presence of intruders based on your alarm settings. You can set it to discharge one can of OC spray at a time or all four simultaneously. The device can cover up to 4,000 square feet of area, basically protecting the entire ground floor of just about any family home.
The last resort in home security is physical confrontation, which will likely involve firearms. The more deterrents you have present, the less likely the situation will escalate to that point.
