Home Security Services?

[stuartd1]

Given the pretty tragic thread below, I would think quite a few people are wondering how best to secure their homes from intruders. There seem to be quite a few companies in the area offering the standard range of security systems, (JP Safest, Good Point Security, Lanna CCTV, etc.). Does anyone have any experience of any of them, and are there any who offer an automatic call-out service if an alarm is set off, preferably a couple of beefy guys rolling up with baseball bats!

If not it sounds like a commercial opportunity for an entrepreneurial spirit.

[Paagai]

Plenty of private "Security" companies in Chiang Mai; a lucrative business definitely only for the well connected. Any newbie "entrepreneurial spirit", especially farang, would most likely soon find themselves on the receiving end of a visit from the beefy guys with baseball bats.

[Lobo4819]

The answer to home security is not "buying a system", but implementing passive preventive measures and adopting a "security mindset", doing a security assessment of your home, having a plan and perhaps a backup plan. By the time the guys with the baseball bats roll up, if they do, the bad guys will be gone. If your home is the most difficult one on the street to hit and also the most risky, they will not hit it - unless they are after something specific of high value, in which case they will probably get it anyway.

[worgeordie]

I have several PIR alarms installed ,cheap and effective,leave the radio

on if I go out in daytime, plus lights at night,have several geese in garden,

sleep with a machete by the bed,lock bedrooms doors at night.

So if I am in the house at least I know they are coming, not overly concerned,

but like the Scouts I am all ways prepared,and better safe than sorry.just dont

let yourself become a victim.

After all that I must say I feel very safe in Thailand,not like say in UK where you

are guaranteed to be robbed ,mugged,assaulted, burgled, depending on the area.

So stay safe,regards Worgeordie

[tj10110]

While this does NOT work if you are out - a good protective device for burglers if you are in the house is a FIRE EXTINGUISHER - the type you can carry and either liquid like for electronic equipment or dry powder in the face is most discouraging. Also the laundry spray bottle with some "Nasty" surbstance like bleach or Amonia OR use your immagination for worse things works great - set the spray for a stream and NOT mist and aim for the face. Just a little tip as a friend used the fire extinguisher in the face trick and his GF poured a bucket of bleach oln the guy - needless to say he was on the way to the hospital rather quick.

[tigerbeer]

While this does NOT work if you are out - a good protective device for burglers if you are in the house is a FIRE EXTINGUISHER - the type you can carry and either liquid like for electronic equipment or dry powder in the face is most discouraging. Also the laundry spray bottle with some "Nasty" surbstance like bleach or Amonia OR use your immagination for worse things works great - set the spray for a stream and NOT mist and aim for the face. Just a little tip as a friend used the fire extinguisher in the face trick and his GF poured a bucket of bleach oln the guy - needless to say he was on the way to the hospital rather quick.

fantastic idea! buying one really soon to be kept in the bedroom.

[uptheos]

Just a little tip as a friend used the fire extinguisher in the face trick and his GF poured a bucket of bleach oln the guy - needless to say he was on the way to the hospital rather quick.

Good luck eh.......having that bucket of bleach so handy.

[BB1955]

Chili peppers crushed in water in a spray bottle works wonders too just make sure you dont spray into a fan pointing at you . Make sure you have it set to stream at least a distance of 6 to 7 feet . Good to keep abouta four foot bamboo club/ stick handy too. With a knife you must get to close to the person plus I want him out of the house not laying bleeding on my floor ....

[elektrified]

Don't bother with an expensive alarm system. A friend who lives in an upscale moobaan was robbed twice in the last couple of years. The first time it took the police 2 hours to respond to the alarm (they never came back to take fingerprints or anything) and the 2nd time they never came at all. All the alarm company signs posted, stickers on the windows, etc. did not discourage the thieves from entering the house.

[FolkGuitar]

Nothing is going to stop a determined thief. Not even a 6ft thick bank vault. Any sort of alarm can be bypassed. But you CAN make a thief think twice before trying to rob you by making it more difficult than other houses in the area...

Think: Layers of protection...

A lock on the gate is the first step. If you need to use something more, choose a cable rather than a chain. Chains can be cut very easily, and many people have bolt cutters in the back of their trucks. But a cable is much harder to get through unless you have a dedicated cable cutter. An ordinary bolt cutter will take several minutes to get through a 1/2" cable.

Putting motion-sensor flood lights outside the house that cover all four sides is actually pretty cheap, and no thief wants his work lit up. Putting them on two separate circuits means that if the thief cuts one, the other is still functioning. Twice the work for the crook might just be enough to turn him away.

Removing large bushes that block the view of windows from the streets means that a thief can't hide behind one while working to open a window and climbing in.

Placing items inside the house in front of the windows that can break and create noise will make someone think twice. .

Dogs make a lot of noise. Yes, a dog can be poisoned the day before, but if that happens, it should alert you to the possibility of an imminent robbery anyway.

Lastly, you need to decide if you want to confront the thief or keep him away/out of the bedroom, etc. If you choose to confront him, choose a non-lethal weapon than can have other functions, such as that hand-held canister of liquid or powder (not gas) fire extinguisher. It's almost impossible to aim it incorrectly, and you can't be accused of keeping a weapon if the thief's family insists he was just drunk and stumbled into the wrong house by accident. "Bear Guard" pepper spray is also quite effective and can't be fired in the wrong direction, and you can always claim it is for animal protection. It's tough to justify a spray bottle of battery acid...

Super-gluing his hands to his feet will keep him around long enough for the police to arrive...

[Mekong Bob]

I have several PIR alarms installed ,cheap and effective,leave the radio

on if I go out in daytime, plus lights at night,have several geese in garden,

sleep with a machete by the bed,lock bedrooms doors at night.

So if I am in the house at least I know they are coming, not overly concerned,

but like the Scouts I am all ways prepared,and better safe than sorry.just dont

let yourself become a victim.

After all that I must say I feel very safe in Thailand,not like say in UK where you

are guaranteed to be robbed ,mugged,assaulted, burgled, depending on the area.

So stay safe,regards Worgeordie

Where do you recommend going to buy PIR alarms? Easy to install?

[uptheos]

Super-gluing his hands to his feet will keep him around long enough for the police to arrive...

Yep, this is dead easy.

[dickyknee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_prevention_through_environmental_design

[DisainaM]

key question,

which company can you give a pair of your house keys.

If you are spending a week on an island, you get an alarm from your IP cam, that is connected with your router,

and sending the picture to a automatic monitoring alarm website,

who can you call, to look after your house in that moment,

who can make the first police report for you ?

[worgeordie]

I have several PIR alarms installed ,cheap and effective,leave the radio

on if I go out in daytime, plus lights at night,have several geese in garden,

sleep with a machete by the bed,lock bedrooms doors at night.

So if I am in the house at least I know they are coming, not overly concerned,

but like the Scouts I am all ways prepared,and better safe than sorry.just dont

let yourself become a victim.

After all that I must say I feel very safe in Thailand,not like say in UK where you

are guaranteed to be robbed ,mugged,assaulted, burgled, depending on the area.

So stay safe,regards Worgeordie

Where do you recommend going to buy PIR alarms? Easy to install?

Hi Bob,I got my PIR alarms from the UK,my friend carried them here for me,You can find them on Amazon and Ebay or buy the from HK a company called dealextreme.com, they are very cheap, only installation is 2 screws in the wall,they come with a remote ,so you just arm them when you leave the house.

They will not prevent anyone entering your house,but at night you will sure know they are coming,as they are loud,and in the daytime if you are not there, the noise should scare them off, Security is all about time, the longer and harder it is for them to break in,also simple things like leaving a radio on or lights when you go out at night, Burglars ,well most are not stupid they will aways pick the easiest property to break into

regards Worgeordie

[dickyknee]

Think: Layers of protection...

better known as the Defence-in-Depth principle for those who wish to give google a workout.

[Ulysses G.]

The OP asked, "are there any who offer an automatic call-out service if an alarm is set off"? Is the answer no?

Edited June 16, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[cmbe]

http://www.paradox.com/ or maxwell.co.th There are many companies in Thailand who sell and offer automatic call out security system in different brand which you can set on/off by phone from anywhere(also from abroad), protection system when telephone wire or electric wire have been cut off, 24 hours or 48 hours automatic call out to 2-8 telephone numbers (mobile and home line),...

[Ulysses G.]

Thanks!

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Most of this sound more like people are making prisons for themself then really having security.

I am happy I have none. I have neighbors who keep and eye out for each other. I don't have a locked gate or bars on my windos and doors and an very happy I do not. Back in April when my heart stopped and I fell, the neighbors hear and rushed over. My life was saved by their quick actions. If I was all locked up It may have been weeks or months before someone noticed my rotting corps.

A few days ago a Thai begger came to my home as I was working in the yard. being the only expat in the moo baan with sadly limited Thai skills. 2 neighbors were over in less than 30 seconds telling him he had best more on. and he did.

Best security is good alert neighbors watching out for you (as I do for them)

[Dante99]

Putting motion-sensor flood lights outside the house that cover all four sides is actually pretty cheap, and no thief wants his work lit up.

I have tried the motion sensor lights but the motion sensors have lasted less than 2 years. Do you know a brand available locally that survives well in an exposed location? Thanks.

[FolkGuitar]

Putting motion-sensor flood lights outside the house that cover all four sides is actually pretty cheap, and no thief wants his work lit up.

I have tried the motion sensor lights but the motion sensors have lasted less than 2 years. Do you know a brand available locally that survives well in an exposed location? Thanks.

I don't know of specific brand names, but I do know that it's a good idea to use UV protection on the covers. Remember the old convertible top rear windows, that after a couple of season were just barely translucent, to say nothing of transparent?