Weird home security devices that might actually work

There are many home security products available, most of them are fairly straightforward, like the average home security system or motion activated lights. On the other hand there are many strange and unusual devices that have been made in order to keep your home safe, here are some of the weirdest home security solutions:

FakeTV – The FakeTV is a cheap, clever home security measure. Having a timer or timed lights is a common security feature, but the FakeTV Burglar Detergent is something else entirely. It is a clever little gadget that that emits a light that is supposed to be the same as the glow from your TV, giving burglars the impression that someone is at home watching TV.

SmokeCloak – The SmokeCloak is the top of the line product for security fog, it is said to be highly effective, because burglars cant steal what they can’t see, right? The smoke from SmokeCloak is odorless and harmless, so it might be one of the few strange security products that actually work effectively.

Meet Tango – This is a clever home security audio that gives nosy neighbours and burglars the impression that there is a big, noisy dog in your house. Meet Tango is sold on CD and MP3 format and the audio can be played for as long as needed, while it might not be the most effective solution it is simple and cheap!

The Mosquito – If you have a problem with people loitering near your business or home then this just might be the solution for you. The mosquito makes an annoying buzzing sound at a frequency that only people aged between 13 – 25 years can hear, but there’s also a setting to annoy adults older than that too!

To be fair, some of these devices are clever and made add a level of security to your home, but majority of them are weird, useless and show how much people misunderstand about home security, they’re much better as harmless items for entertainment and a few laughs.

For a proper, professional home security system, contact SIS–Security & Investigation Services. They’ll protect you, your home and your business without any fake TV’s, security fog or annoying sounds.

Written By: Christine Romans

Easy ways to make a safer community

I know that being best buddies with your neighbour isn’t the most enjoyable thing to do, they could become really nosy and end up annoying you, but one of the easiest ways to cut down on crime rates and reduce your chances of burglary in your home is to be an active member in the community! Talking to your neighbours, starting a neighbourhood watch and interacting in your community are free and simple to do (depending on how friendly your neighbours are).

Get to know your neighbours
The best watchdogs you could ever have for your home are your neighbours! Mrs. Curious who always walks her dog in front of your house and Mr. Nosey who likes peeking through his blinds constantly are actually your best bets for someone who will carefully monitor your home. When new neighbours move in the number one rule is to try to be extra friendly, make sure to introduce yourself and they’ll become familiar with you. Getting to know your neighbour – no matter how painful it is – means getting comfortable with their habits and you’ll be more likely to notice when something is out of the ordinary.

When you go out of town always let your closest and most trusted neighbour know, fill them in on what to expect whether it’s the timers for the lights or the pet sitter coming over to feed Fluffy. If anything goes wrong they can spot it right away and contact you right away, make sure to return the favour when they’re out of town.

Start a neighbourhood watch program
If you start a neighbourhood watch program you can easily cut back on crime, begin by investigating crime rates and reports in your neighbourhood. The next step is to form a small committee to address the needs in your area and then notify your local police department that you want to start your group.

As a neighbourhood watch, it’s important that you hold meetings and come together to see what you can do to increase safety in your community and don’t forget to include every member of your neighbourhood for the best results, whether they are, old, young, married or single.

Create change through your local government
Although the government is not exactly the best example of things getting done quickly, your local city council members are the best people to talk to. If you’re ever concerned about your street being too dark or having too many potholes, you need to let them know because you know your community best. It takes the work of concerned citizens to truly enact change in the local government and it definitely takes a huge amount of patience.

I takes an entire community to make things safer, so take advantage of your nosy neighbour! The change might not be immediate, but the results you see on the long run will definitely be worth it.

For a reliable, high standard and professional security service, contact SIS - Security & Investigation Services, they offer anything from guarding to farm protection. 

7 common homeowner mistakes – A burglar’s view

Do you know how a burglar thinks? A lot of research has been done lately to really see what’s going on in the mind of a burglar, and what exactly leads them to target your home instead of the one next door. Here are some things your neighbourhood thief doesn't want you to know:

- Ladders are awesome

Do you know how easy it is for me to climb through a second story window when there’s already a handy ladder leaning against your house or hiding behind your shed! You probably aren't even worried about locking your upstairs windows when your front door is bolted up tight, ladders just make breaking in a walk in the park.

Solution: Keep all your windows and doors locked, even the windows on the second floor and always make sure any ladders are hidden away in the garage or shed.

- Rubbish is like a catalogue
The holidays are the best time of the year, I can rummage through your trash and find out exactly what’s in your house. Where did that brand new flat screen TV’s box go or the box for your fancy new iPhone? It went in the bin, great!

Solution: Never, ever leave boxes of expensive items outside your house by the bin. If its possible take them directly to the garbage dump.

- Piles of mail are a dead giveaway
Who lets there postbox overflow and pile up? People on holiday, that’s who! I’m going to be pretty serious about robbing a house that’s so obviously empty.

Solution: Before you leave to go on holiday call the post office and tell them to hold your post until you’re back, or you can just get a neighbour or friend to collect your mail for you.

- Untrimmed bushes and dark areas are my favourite hiding spots
The more overgrown your bushes are, the more excited I am to hide in them especially if they’re near a window! Even better there are no outside lights that are set off by motion, now I can break into your home and you won’t even notice me.

Solution: Make sure your bushes and trees are as neat as possible so they don’t double as hiding spots, it is also a good idea to install motion sensor outside lights for extra security.

- Nothing is better than an alarm system with a view
I simply love being able to see your alarm system, whether it’s in a reflection or through a mirror I can easily see if its armed or not and tell what I’m getting myself into. You’d be surprised how many times reflections and mirrors have helped me break in.

Solution: If you’re planning to leave the house or go on holiday and your alarm system is visible through a window or in a reflection make sure to cover it up properly with blinds or shades.

- Burglars love Facebook too
When you sit and brag about your trip to Miami or post pictures of your current location in Cancun, I definitely won’t like it, but I will like breaking into your home, knowing that your house is empty.

Solution: It’s so tempting to post pictures and statues about your amazing trip in real time, but it’s safer to just wait until you've returned home.

- Dark houses are the main attraction
If the lights in your home aren't on for 7 days straight it’s a dead giveaway that no one is home, I like to wait a few days just in case, but if no one shows up, I get the show on the road!

Solution: Install a timer in some rooms that will turn lights on and off, that way your house will look lived in. burglars will be more cautious to break into a home if they see changing lights at different times of the day.

When a burglar does decide that your home is the one, only a monitored alarm system has the power to ensure that emergency personnel are dispatched to your home immediately, contact SIS – Security & Investigation Services for a professional home security system, they pride themselves on protecting your home or business.

Written By: Christine Romans

Where to place your panic button

Having a home security system can do more than just protect your windows and doors when you’re away, they can protect you and your loved ones when you’re home, whether or not your system is armed – just add a panic button!

Where to place a panic button?
A panic button can be placed almost anywhere in your home, the most common place is in your bedroom, right next to your bed. This ensures that if you hear any strange noises nearby, you’ll be able to trigger the alarm immediately!

Here are some great places to put your panic buttons:

- On your nightstand or on the wall next to your bed for easy access
- In your children’s bedrooms (make sure they know to only push it in an emergency).
- Under your desk in your home office. You may spend a lot of time alone; working late in your office, having a panic button available will allow you to alert others quickly in an emergency.

If you own a business, you can also use a panic button with your system to keep yourself and your employees safe. A panic button would work well under a counter, receptionist desk or in any room where you keep valuables.

Silent or audible alarm?
When you set up your panic button you might get the choice to choose if your panic button will trigger the siren of your home security system or if you’d rather like it to be a silent alarm. Ask yourself a few questions:

“Who will be using the button?”
“How close are your neighbours?”
“Would anyone hear the siren?”
“Do I live alone or with others?”
“Do I want to have monitoring?”

“How close is the local law enforcement to your home or office?”

If you would rather have a silent alarm then monitoring is definitely a necessity, this way a signal will be sent to the home security company immediately. If you choose to have an audible alarm and you trigger the panic button the company will phone you first and if they are not able to get hold of you they will send emergency personnel, an intruder will not stick around when an alarm is going off!

Having a panic button is a great feature to add to your home security system, if you place them strategically around your house you can ensure that yourself, your family and employees are safe and sound.

For complete peace of mind, contact SIS - Security & Investigation Services, they pride them selves on protecting your home or business.

Written By: Christine Romans

Pets and home security systems

Most people consider their pets to be part of the family, and protecting your home and family is your first priority. No matter what pet you have, whether it be a dog, cat, hamster, goldfish, rabbit or Bengal tiger, they’re an important part of your life and your home security system should benefit them too. Here are some facts and tips about pets and security systems that explain that the two of them can actually mix well!

It is believed that because you have a large dog or animal in your house you don’t need a home security system. Yes, dogs can be great at smelling or hearing an intruder long before your home security system detects them, but they’re only part of making your home safe and secure.

Security systems are monitored 24/7, which means whenever or whatever the emergency, someone will respond right away and get you the help you need. Dogs on the other hand need sleep so they’re not a 24/7 service and unfortunately they can’t make phone calls to the police or other emergency services when you need them.

Another reason pet owners don’t really want a home security system is because they worry that their pet will set off the alarm, your smaller pets might move around after you've armed your alarm, they either break a beam or they’re picked up by the sensors – the alarm will then be triggered. There are many ways you can avoid having your pet accidentally trip the alarm system.

A variety of home security systems are pet-friendly though! These alarms are only set off by a certain weight, so your pets weighing less than that will be able to wonder around your home carefree. Another option is Passive Infrared sensors (PIRs), they’re made to be resistant to picking up animals, so they won’t be set off when they sense your pets.

Pets and home security systems are a great combination, no matter what you may have heard before. Pets make good company and they often make your home so much more secure. Having both a home security system and a pet will protect your loved ones and make your life more enjoyable.

If you would like to find out more about home security systems or any other security products and services contact SIS - Security and Investigation Services, they offer everything from general guarding to farm protection for your home and business.

Written By: Christine Romans

How to avoid those nosey neighbours

Don’t get me wrong a good neighbour is great to have, they can improve your experience living in a community and they can help protect your home. A good neighbour can watch your home when your away, pick up your mail or even report suspicious activity around your house, but there is a line that needs to be drawn. Just because you may have become friends with your neighbour doesn't give them the right to snoop on your home! Take a look at these tips to keep your nosey neighbour from getting a little bit too invasive:

* Block their view
There’s nothing creepier than that feeling when you know someone is watching you! A tall fence, line of trees or some hedges can keep those nosey neighbnours out of your hair, just make sure the trees or hedges are trimmed and maintained so they don’t become hiding spots for criminals.

* Change your curtains
There are a wide variety of different curtains and blinds you can buy, I've heard of blinds that open from the top instead of the bottom or maybe buy some lined curtains that you can hang on your windows to block their view.

* Add a privacy window film
Basic films can be installed on your windows so your windows are tinted but light is still let in, you can insert and remove them yourself, which means you can keep your neighbour’s unwanted eyes out.

* Install security cameras
Security cameras are not only useful for keeping out burglars, but they can also keep your nosey neighbour’s from invading your space! Let’s face it, no one wants to be caught on camera snooping around where they shouldn't be.

* Place signs on and around your house
Every security provider can include signs to place around your home to indicate the security system is there, it’s good for their business plus it’ll put your nosey neighbour off if they know they're being watched.

It’s amazing to have a helpful neighbour, it’ll make you happy to know your home is being looked after when you are away, but while it’s great to have them around, we all need to have our privacy!

Are you interested in finding a great home security service or maybe you just want to know more about home security? Contact SIS - Security & Investigation services, they'll get you on the right track when it comes to protecting your home or business.

Written By: Christine Romans

Home security system myths movies taught us

Somewhere in the future, if you ever have to fend off a horde of hungry zombies, you probably don’t want to take security tips from any movies especially Resident Evil. Like a lot of home security systems in movies, they give a false sense of what security systems actually do, but that doesn't mean there aren't some great products out there, however here are a few movie security systems that are a bit off from reality:

RESIDENT EVIL
In the movie there is a scene where a certain room that will lock down on both ends when an intruder walks into it, a wall of lasers is then activated to cut through anything in its path. A home security system like this doesn't exist and it probably never should! The home security system is also run by an artificial intelligence that later decides to start murdering, in the real world security systems haven’t reached that crazy level quite yet.

THE PURGE
The family in this film live in an impenetrable fortress, at the touch of a button fortified walls and windows will fall into place, protecting them from the dangers outside. The concept that a whole house could lock down in this way is a little unrealistic and highly unlikely.

PANIC ROOM
The panic room found in this movie is actually surprisingly accurate, except they could've portrayed things a bit better. Some panic rooms can protect you from fires and explosions, some also come equipped with fridges for storing food, phones, backup generators and oxygen scrubbers to clean the air, these things definitely would've come in handy in the movie.  

THE PACIFIER
If you remember the movie you’ll know Vin Diesel hopping from one panel to another in order to disable the homes security system, unfortunately you won’t have to do a special dance in order to beat your home security system anytime soon, technology isn't quite there yet. Realistically this method definitely wouldn't be the most efficient way to protect your home either.

Though they won’t be very useful to fight off zombies, murderers or government agencies, home security systems are still a great investment. The security offered by SIS – Security & Investigation Services will do a great deal to protect you and your loved ones from more realistic threats, like robberies and home invasions.

Written By: Christine Romans