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Do It yourself home security getting easier

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How would you like a home security system that’s also your personal assistant? Angee Inc., a new company out of San Francisco, knows you’d like one.

ANG2Features of the Angee Device

  • Smartphone controlled
  • Has a Full HD camera with night vision.
  • Learns habits of and senses presence of household members to automatically arm and disarm.
  • Camera rotates 360 degrees—and does so as it detects motion; intruders will not be able to get out of view while they’re burglarizing.
  • Security tags provide security of a property’s entire perimeter, so that entrance via a tagged door or window will be detected.

Furthermore, says an article on gizmag.com:

  • The Angee system is portable, is powered by a battery and has local data storage.
  • So if there’s a power outage, Angee will be able to keep monitoring your home for at least eight hours.
  • Angee can record about an hour of high definition footage, and longer at lower quality.
  • Footage can also be stored in the cloud. However, Angee can distinguish between benign activity and suspicious activity, so there shouldn’t be any useless footage time.

How can Angee tell suspicious activity from normal activity?

  • It learns to recognize the movement patterns of household members. Intruders move differently.
  • Burglars also enter and exit their target homes in a peculiar manner.
  • If the burglar has an accomplice, there’s likely to be conversation, and Angee will detect these unfamiliar voices.
  • Angee will recognize familiar people by their voice or by a Bluetooth signal that connects with their smartphone.
  • If the Angee user has an iOS or Android, they will receive an alert when Angee detects suspicious activity; Angee will then stream video of this activity.

The gizmag.com article further explains that Angee can be controlled by voice commands, including recognition of vocal passwords. Angee is practically human, as it can even remind you to close windows if rain is predicted. It can also check your calendar and answer the phone. There are many ways the user can “program” Angee to behave, and Angee also gets smarter and more personalized the longer you have it in your home.

Through a Kickstarter campaign, Angee Inc., has raised over $260,000 and is still going. The unit is projected to retail at $429, and the expected delivery date is October of 2016.

Robert Siciliano, personal and home security specialist to Angee. Learn more about Angee in this Video. Support Angee on Kickstarter. See Disclosures.

Internet of Things and Home Security

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Hah, that dual chamber deadbolt and the door jamb reinforcement! Yup, they’re good at keeping thieves from getting to your jewelry box and stash of $100 bills, but what about your bank accounts and identity?

5HIf you have any “smart” gadgets in your house, cybercriminals may be able to hack into these and burrow straight to your financial information, credit card information, Social Security number and everything else about you—and rip you off like no masked man picking your front door lock can.

In vulnerable devices, a hacker can gain access to your bank account number, passwords, usernames, etc., through your “connected” thermostat, baby monitor, even home security system. The Internet of Things is a godsend to cyberthieves. In short, if something in your house is wireless, it’s hackable, says a report on forbes.com.

Now this isn’t to say that you’d better toss that smart baby monitor or milk-spoilage detector, but it simply means that now is as good a time as ever to be aware of how hackers could exploit these gadgets. And that people should weigh the benefits and risks of convenience vs. hackability.

For example, will your life really be easier if your connection to the Internet is activated by your voice rather than finger on a mouse? So rather than go the route of convenient gadgets that don’t consider security, choose security devices that come with “smart” security features too.

For ideal security, all of a home’s connected devices should communicate with each other. This can’t happen if gadget 1 is from Company A; gadget 2 from Company B, and so on.

Again, there’s no need to fear that the connected baby monitor will give a hacker in Russia access to your savings account, but the Internet of Things has reached a point where we must give some pause to all of the possibilities.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

How to Choose a Home Security Safe

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Home safes aren’t just for expensive jewels and wads of $100 bills. They can be for anything you’d be crushed about if it were stolen, lost or burnt in a fire. This could be a birthday card that your child made for you when they were five, or a photo of you and your grandmother.

4HHome safes come in all sorts of designs and sizes. An article on community.homeclick.com provides tips in choosing the home safe that best suits your needs. Let’s first look at the three types of locking mechanisms: keypad combination, cylinder dial and keyed lock.

Keypad Combination

  • Fast access
  • Can be customized
  • Uses batteries (which means replacement is necessary).
  • This type of safe may be small enough for a burglar to just carry away, intending to figure out how to open it later. Bolt it to the floor.

Manual Dial

  • Requires knowledge and skill (including a screwdriver) to change the combination.
  • Because of this, most people settle for the manufacturer’s preset combination.

Keyed Lock

  • Some models/brands can be easily picked with paperclips; YouTube is full of tutorials. Buyer beware.
  • No thief is intimidated by this kind of locking system. At worst, he’ll just take the safe with him and deal with getting it open once he’s home. Bolt it to the floor.
  • Nevertheless, these safes can protect from water and fire damage.

A big heavy safe with a good locking mechanism is not inviting to a burglar. Ideally, the safest safe is big, heavy and has a digital or manual dial locking system. Even if you have only a few valuables, a big hulking safe will deter a burglar. But if you’re not concerned about burglars, at least be concerned about fire protection—or rather, slowing down a fire.

The ability of a safe to withstand searing heat varies. They are rated for this ability. For example, says the community.homeclick.com article, a common rating is that of one hour at 350 degrees. But this rating probably will not protect sensitive electronic items in a house fire. All safes have a fire and water protection rating.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

How to hide your Cash at Home

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It’s good to have a stash of cash for emergencies. If the grid goes down and the power goes out, an ATM or bank does you no good. But there are security issues too. Where do you put it? A safe is certainly a smart idea. You can get creative too.

1SWhat burglar would not think to look under a mattress for money? The mattress isn’t exactly a most ingenious place to stash money. However, if you have lots to stash, and put just a little under the mattress, this decoy could trick a burglar into thinking that there’s no other hidden money to search for.

At any rate, whether you want to go the decoy route or avoid the mattress altogether, here are some great locations for hiding cash in an envelope.

  • Inside an old sock (roll up the envelope)
  • Taped to the bottom of a low shelf or drawer (e.g., bottom of sock drawer)
  • Think of other places to tape the envelope: back of refrigerator, bottom of crib, bottom of sofa, top of sink cabinet, top of interior of the credenza, etc.
  • Inside a Tupperware container in the freezer
  • Beneath the passenger seat of your car
  • Inside a Band-Aid container or empty vitamin bottle (tightly roll up a wad of cash)
  • Inside a bible. There’s that saying, “A person who would steal would never open a bible, and a person who’d open a bible would never steal.”
  • Inside a picture frame between the support and the photo
  • In an empty cereal box, rice box or canister that once contained oatmeal flakes, protein powder, ground coffee or whatever
  • Inside a muddy pair of boots that you never wear
  • Underneath a heavy potted artificial plant (a real plant, since it gets watered, would require a saucer to separate the envelope from the bottom of the pot).
  • Between the stack of paper in your printer (but when you use the machine, remove that stack and insert a second stack for actual use, then when done, replace it with the stack that contains the envelope).
  • Taped to the inside of the door to the electrical cabinet
  • Inside a photo album
  • Inside a fake electric wall socket (these can be purchased)

Ask your kids to come up with additional ideas; you never know just what “crazy” but clever idea a child will come up with.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Sheriff’s office offers Home Security Tips

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Here’s good advice from a sheriff’s office about how to protect your house.

1SBurglars and home invaders don’t give a flying hoot if you keep thinking, “It can’t happen to me and this is a safe neighborhood.” In fact, the issue isn’t how safe your neighborhood is or how watchful your neighbors are. The issue is how easy it is to simply break into your home.

Think of the other safety precautions you take daily even though the odds of an unfortunate outcome are very small, such as making sure you take your vitamins, or making sure not to miss brushing your teeth before bedtime. Yet you leave your garage door open because you think your neighborhood is safe? What the…?!

Keep your garage door closed. A threat may not be imminent, but any passer-by may actually be a thief scouting around to see who has the goods, and he sees some real goodies in your garage; he’ll make a note of your address for a later crime.

Don’t leave boxes that contained expensive items sticking out of garbage cans. Did you know that burglars love to see what’s poking out of garbage cans? Trash cans are the windows to the soul of your house.

Religious thumpers. Savvier burglars will go door to door pretending to represent a religion—they may even have a bible on hand—but their goal is to feel you out. I’m not suggesting that you shout at them to get lost and slam the door so hard that it shakes the frame. But if you present as wishy washy and unable to say “No thank you,” this tells the burglar you’re easy prey.  It’s better to talk through the door opposed to opening it.

Petition supporters. The burglar may be pretending to sell something or collect signatures for some strange petition.

Product sales. Another scam is for the burglar to name a date and time they’ll be back to deliver a product if you show an interest in it. They’re hoping you’ll say, “I won’t be home then; can you stop by another time?” The crook will be sure to show up at the time you won’t be home—to rob you cold.

Alarm company employee. If someone’s at your door claiming to be from your alarm company (if you have one), or some alarm company (if you don’t), this IS a ruse to find out if you have an alarm system that works—even if he’s wearing an outfit with the company’s name. Alarm companies don’t send people out in the field for unsolicited visits to homeowners.

Secure all entrances. Don’t just layer up the security of your front door. What about a porch door in the back? What about windows to your basement?

Makes sure valuables are not visible through your first-floor windows. This is another way thieves case houses.

Before leaving for out of town, contact the local police and request a vacation patrol check of your house. Be sure to indicate whether or not anyone is expected to be there such as someone to mow the lawn.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

12 Home Security Mistakes We Make

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Smart criminals love dumb homeowners, but even a dumb burglar can score big when the homeowner makes just a little slip in security measures.3B

  1. Don’t nickel-and-dime your door locks; get high quality locks. A cheap lock is cheap.
  1. Don’t hide keys. Anyone knows to check under the flower pot or on top of the ledge above the door frame. Consider a keyless lock.
  1. Make sure valuables aren’t visible through windows—including those of your car.
  1. Flatten boxes that valuables came in like flat screen TVs so that you can then put them in large garbage bags, then put those out for trash pickup. Don’t tip off the bad guys what you have in your house.
  1. Imagine you’re a burglar…or rapist…on the prowl looking for an easy crime opportunity. You’re jiggling one doorknob after another in a neighborhood, knowing that sooner or later, you’ll find an unlocked door. Why oh why, then, would you try to break through a locked door? Homeowners need to see things from the perspective of the bad guy. LOCK YOUR DOORS! Stop making excuses: “I keep forgetting,” “It’s a hassle,” “I’m going in and out.”
  1. Keep your house alarm on—because some intruders will try to break through a locked door—or get in through a window. The second he penetrates, the alarm will emit a piercing sound that will instantly drive him away. But keep the alarm on even when you’re home. Yes, sociopaths think nothing of breaking in during the day.
  1. Keep your garage door locked at all times except during the seconds it’s in use.
  1. Used timed lighters inside and out so that your place is never dark.
  1. Don’t leave any ladders in the yard.
  1. Don’t post anything on social media that indicates you’re away from home.
  1. For when you’re away on trips, arrange for a vacation hold of your mail and newspaper deliveries.
  1. To increase an occupied-look to your house while you’re traveling, have a trusted person park his car in your driveway and mow your lawn (overgrowth suggests vacancy).

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Survival is about being Persistent

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“Survivor.” What comes to mind when you see or hear this word? A victim of a disease or of a perverted crime? A TV show? We’re all survivors in that every day, we do something to stay alive—life-saving things we don’t even think about as life-saving, such as eating healthy and exercising. People die every day from killing themselves with food.

1MSurvival also may conjure up true spectacular stories of survival, like the man who cut off his arm to free himself from a boulder because he was starving to death, and the man who ate a caterpillar and lotion from a bottle because he was starving to death after getting lost in the wilderness (both men fully recovered, though one has an artificial arm).

Sometimes we get a chance to survive, like being lost in the wilderness or adrift at sea in a raft. Sometimes that chance is shorter, like being in a house that catches fire.

And sometimes you don’t get a chance to employ tactics, like the guy who’s hit in the head from behind (or even from the front), falls to the cement and the pavement shatters his skull, causing a fatal acute subdural hematoma. Of course, that’s a better way to go, perhaps, than experiencing the terrifying six minutes it takes for an airplane to take a nose dive from 35,000 feet.

You can’t do much when you’re sitting in that plane or your leg’s in that wood chipper that’s rapidly pulling you in and nobody could hear you screaming. Ouch!

However, many people die because they simply didn’t have their wits. They had the time to survive, but made the wrong choices. Sometimes, survival begins with a choice. Do you want to get into that stranger’s car just because your legs are a little tired? Will walking kill you? Probably not. But the stranger who’s offering a perfectly able-bodied, young woman a ride in perfect weather likely has something sinister up his sleeve.

So many people worry about survival in terms of things that they’re very unlikely to ever die from, such as a terrorist attack. Don’t forget that the No. 1 killers are heart disease and cancer. And believe it or not, medical errors rank right up there in the top five too.

Perhaps the greatest weapon for survival, however, is the mind. Are you a screamer or a fighter? Panic disables, but anger enables! I’m reminded of a woman who was assaulted by a tall teen boy. After struggling, she eventually got him on the ground, pinning his arms over his head and sitting on him till police arrived. She states in an article at torontosun.com: “When I get angry, I have a lot of strength. The secret to getting through something like this is, ‘Don’t panic, but think through what you’re going to do now.’ ” Love her!

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

11 of the Biggest Home Security Mistakes

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One type of mistake that you should never have to learn from involves home security. Don’t wait till something bad happens to you to learn a lesson. Here are the top mistakes that people make; learn about them here rather than from personal experience:BeOn

  1. Leaving doors unlocked. Yes, leave your door unlocked often enough overnight, and a burglar will find it. They’re all out there, working their third shift while you’re asleep, jiggling hundreds of door knobs to find that one unlocked door. Yours will be next. Be smart and lock up! This also includes during the day and when you’re gone.
  2. Penny pinching when it comes to locks. You get what you pay for. Don’t put a price tag on your home’s security.
  3. If you have a house alarm, use it. It should always be on. Don’t make the excuse that you’ll forget to turn it off when you want to step outside to see a rainbow.
  4. Keep the garage locked at all times.
  5. Don’t leave ladders out. Don’t say, “I’m too tired; I’ll put it away tomorrow.” A burglar is never too tired to climb a ladder to your second story window.
  6. Don’t hide keys near the door. Give the spare to a trusted neighbor.
  7. Leaving windows open. Okay, so maybe you don’t have a fly or moth problem, but guess what else will come in: thieves. Lock windows even if you’ll be gone for “just a few minutes.”
  8. Don’t post your vacation plans or adventures on Facebook, etc., until after you return.
  9. Don’t leave intact boxes, that expensive items like flat screen TVs came in, outside for trash pickup. Break them down and stuff in a trash bag.
  10. Make sure your valuables aren’t visible through windows.
  11. Keep your house looking occupied at all times while you’re away: Have a neighbor collect your newspapers and mail; used automatic timed lighting devices (including outside at night); leave a kid’s bicycle lying by the front door, etc. Another way to give it that “lived in look” is with the BeOn proactive smart lighting home security system. Check it out.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BeOn Home Security discussing burglar proofing your home on NECN. Disclosures.

Tips to Home Security Lighting

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“Don’t be afraid of the dark” is a reassurance that burglars never need; they need to hear, “Be afraid of the lights.”

BeOnA house that’s often dark sends a flare to burglars that nobody’s home, or, at least, that nobody will see the burglar doing what he does best.

Most people know of the automatic timing devices that flip lights on when the house is empty. These devices also can turn on TVs, fooling prowlers into thinking someone’s inside. The programming for the times should be changed up, and so should the lighting implements used.

A second tool is the motion detector which flips on a light when it detects movement. A popular kind is the one over the garage that comes on when someone comes up the driveway. And a bright light that goes on at the front door can deter a burglar from trying to get in.

All areas of possible entry should have a light cast upon them at the detection of motion. This includes the windows underneath the deck in the back, window wells to the basement and any side doors. These lights should be out of reach of criminals.

Sometimes, a sociopath awaits in the dark for the homeowner to return home (after casing the place and learning the occupants’ habits). Imagine how easy the criminal’s job will be if no light turns on when the garage door is opened. He could have you around the throat in an instant. But if a bright light goes on as the door opens, this can repel him, or at least enable the occupant to see him and then prepare for defense.

A more advanced option is a sensor that flips on a light but also sounds an alarm at the detection of movement. Some devices can be set at a higher threshold so that cats, raccoons and other critters don’t set them off.

The latest advancement is a system that “figures out” the occupants’ light-use habits. The BeOn system duplicates this when you’re not home, making it seem that you’re inside and doing your usual living. BeOn has a Kickstarter campaign that anyone serious about home security should check out.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BeOn Home Security discussing burglar proofing your home on NECN. Disclosures.

20, Yes 20 Home Safety Security Tips

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There are really so very many ways to protect and make your home safe as well as secure—ways you’d never even think of, so here they are, as well as the classic ways that many people still neglect to implement.3B

  1. Big numbers. Make sure your house’s address numbers are very visible to EMS and firefighters.
  2. Fire attractants. Don’t let dried up brush/leaves accumulate on your property.
  3. Locks. Locks are worthless if you don’t use them, so keep all doors locked (with top quality systems) even when you’re at home in the afternoon.
  4. Bad habit. Rinse cigarette butts with water before discarding. Better yet, quit. Seriously, stop it.
  5. An occupied-appearance. Grass overgrown? Several newspapers scattered in the drive? Porch light on incessantly? Duhh, the occupants are out of town. Make your home look like someone is always there. Have someone mow the grass while you’re away, park their car in your driveway, collect your newspapers, etc. Lighting fixtures that are timed to go on and off will also help.
  6. Storage. Keep firewood and other flammable items away from your house.
  7. Treat unexpected visitors like a telemarketer. If the phone rings and you think it’s a telemarketer, you wouldn’t answer it. Yet many people brazenly whip open their door when the bell rings or someone knocks without first checking to see who’s there. Always check first!
  8. Can’t fool burglars. Don’t bother hiding the spear key under the door mat or under that plastic rock. Find less classic hiding places.
  9. Treat garage door like bathroom in use: Keep the door closed at all times.
  10. Smoke alarms. Many people don’t have these, but they really do make a difference. Make sure they work, too, by testing them regularly.
  11. Escape routes. Pre-determine how you’d escape from a fire and practice the escape.
  12. Use a safe. If you hardly wear your grandmother’s valuable broach, keep it in a locked safe, along with other valuables you don’t use.
  13. Door reinforcement. Your doors jams, especially if they are wood, are flimsy and can be kicked in very easily. Beef up the jams with Door Devil door reinforcement technology. This makes kicking in doors very difficult.
  14. No notes. Never tack a note on your door saying “I’m out for just a minute.” And keep your social status updates private. Don’t tell te world you are out.
  15. The ring. When you’re out, even for short errands, turn your phone’s ringer to mute so that a prowler doesn’t hear ringing and ringing that means nobody’s home.
  16. Fire hazards. Never leave the house, even to chat with a neighbor, while a candle inside or fireplace is burning.
  17. Turn them off. Don’t leave on hot things (curling iron, stovetop, etc.) unless you’re right there using them.
  18. Charlie bar. Wedge a wooden cylinder-pole or metal one or dice-sized gadget designed for this purpose in the track of any sliding glass door or window to block it from being slid open.
  19. Don’t get trapped. Make sure any deadbolts don’t lock from the inside which could potentially trap you should there be a fire or intruder pursuing you.
  20. Keep blinds and curtains down at all times. ‘Nuff said.

Robert Siciliano is a home and personal security expert to DoorDevil.com discussing Anti-Kick door reinforcement on YouTube. Disclosures.