In today's world of break-ins, burglaries and home invasions, it's hard for one to feel safe even with the most expensive alarm systems monitoring our homes. Some alarm systems cost ten times the amount that you are paying for your home insurance, yet they fail to keep the invader out and away from your family and your valued possessions.
The problem arises in the nature of the alarms and the fact that most thieves know that they have a set amount of time before any real action (the police or the security company arrives) to make a clean getaway. The alarms of today go as far as to announce in a computer voice, “Please enter your security code or we will disperse our security unit and the police will be called.” Some alarm systems will even repeat this announcement to give the person a chance to enter a code if they have breached their own dwelling forgetting that the alarm is turned on.
This gives a would be thief ample time to hit the main areas of the house be fore leaving with your jewelry, stereo, computer, or whatever else they might think is of value. It is a common scenario to arrive home to find the police taking notes and the security companies vehicle parked out front of your already ransacked home.
So what is the solution? Do we get a guard dog to constantly guard our family and possessions? For some this has been the solution. For most however this is neither practical, nor desirable. It was by happenstance that I came across this idea and I'd like to share it with you. I was at a yard sale and one of the items being sold was one of those joggers pull string type of alarm systems. It was being sold basically brand new in the box. It was apparently never used and for whatever reason I bought it. It sat on the refrigerator untouched for sometime and then in the mist of a cleaning episode I found myself examining it more closely. My son by chance (being young and curious) pulled the string. An ear piercing almost deafening shrill came from the small device as I tried in vain to put the “rip cord” back in. Later I learned that you couldn't simply stop the alarm like this and in the process of all of the noise, an idea came to me.
Knowing that noise to a burglar is like kryptonite to Superman, I wondered what kind of difference that an instant burglar alarm like this would make in securing my home. I got a role of Velcro tape from the store, and a small screw-in hook screw from my toolbox (if you don't have one handy they are about 25 cents each at the hardware store.) I attached the jogging alarm to the door with Velcro and screwed the hook screw into the door frame. I slipped the sting of the alarm over the hook screw and presto! I had an instant 130DB loud alarm anytime that door was opened. I invested in another joggers alarm for the sliding patio doors that we had at the time. The string allowed us just enough finger room to slip it over the hook screw on our way out. I'm no rocket scientist but these very reasonable alarms helped my family sleep better and they produced an instant ear-shattering sound if breached.
All in all we had our home alarmed for under $20 and any burglar who could withstand the sound let out by these devices was not human. Do not change your current alarm system for these cheap ones but if you have no alarm at all, I would suggest you give the jogger alarms a try. You know what you have to lose. Protect yourself and your family.
