One of my neighbours on Whitby Shores Grnway (between Portage and Anchorage) had their house broken into this morning - probably sometime between 8am and 12pm after they left for work.
I don't have all the details, it's just being investigated now.
Although I can't give many details because I have to protect my neighbours' privacy, I wanted to let everyone know.
If I find out anything else that I can share, I will. If anyone has seen any lurkers in this area or strangers, please send me a note so I can pass it on to the police.
You just never figure someone is out breaking into houses in such freezing cold weather.
Not yet that I can share - but should know more soon.
Sorry Brian, forgot to get back ...
No leads on who did it. They took everything, it's so very sad. They are such wonderful neighbours and have been here since the beginning.
Police think it had to be more than one because they hit every single room. They just pushed their way through the front door.
Be vigilant - keep your eyes open - report strangers - because I'm sure it's bound to happen again. Someone must have been casing the area. We never see anyone. We live across from the conservation area and it's always so quiet. We also work from home and keep an eye out and usually apart from strollers and dog walkers, it's very quiet.
Someone must have been watching though. My husband was working from home when it happened and didn't hear anything.
Mancubus,
What monitoring system or company are you using?
LOL. And the robber will have captured your garage door opener signal thus gaining access to your garage only to find the spare key in the jar of bolts... The reality is that no (yeah no!) alarm will keep potential thieves out of your house. Sad to say, but true. And unfortunately we will all pay for peace of mind. And that is really what an alarm buys us. So paying for a state of the art system is a waste in my opinion. Relying on a PC based system is ridiculous as the power can be cut as easily as can be the phone line. A simple system with glass breaks and maybe motion sensors (we have cats so that's out) with a battery backup should suffice. Know your neighbours and pay attention to what's going on when you're outside. Most alarm companies don't charge a thing for the alarm. They charge for monitoring and that's how they make their money. If nobody had locks on their doors would crime exist...? Most likely... It's a given.
Jabber.
Ok, I'm getting inundated with requests regarding the type of alarm system I'm using. For obvious reasons I don't want to post which system I am using on a public forum. I am also weary of sending info to people on this forum via PM. I'm sure you're all nice people but you never know who's on here. For all we know, it could be a neighbour who is responsible for the recent break in so let me apply a filter to avoid excessive inquiries:
- Cost: For the features I described in my post the start up cost is over $1200 for the equipment alone. You will either need to install the system yourself or pay an installer to do it for you. I did everything myself to save money.
- Technical level: Installing and configuring a system like this requires a certain technical level. I.E. you need some computer saavy along with some elementary electrical and security wiring understanding.
- Features: This system is the gold standard of home security hence the price tag. It's capacity is huge and even though I am using more features than most would care for, I am using LESS than 1% of it's capabilities. Some day I hope to be around 10%. I'm a tweaker/gadget geek by nature so I actually enjoy this kind of stuff. If bells and whistles aren't your thing then this system most likely is overkill for you.
It sounds like we have provided a range of options and both sides of the story to the people here which is great! Personally I don't have the time or desire to obsess over my home's security system. I would prefer to set it and forget it. Mancubus has the time and the desire and therefore feels it is valuable to lock down his house. (I love the bit about weighing your cat with the alarm system!)
Just so we're clear though I have had alarms in all of the houses I have owned and yes, I sign contracts and yes, perhaps I pay more than the actual value of the system. But I have never had to pay to break a contract. I sign up for a new one in the new house with the same company. And they don't own the system. It stays in the house. It would cost more to come and rip it out than it's worth. The new owners can then choose to sign a contract with the same company or not. As to whether the system is obsolete the minute it gets installed, that's the truth. However, your state of the art system was state of the art the minute after design. But not two minutes after... Designs change constantly and I'm sure that in the time it takes to ammortize the cost of your system it too will be obsolete.
You want to know how to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to alarm systems? Ask your neighbour for a couple of alarm company stickers and paste them on a few key windows and doors.... The stickers are free and given the choice between a house that might have an alarm system (stickers) and one that might not have an alarm system (no stickers) I think the crook's choice would be academic.
Jabber.
LOL. And the robber will have captured your garage door opener signal thus gaining access to your garage only to find the spare key in the jar of bolts... The reality is that no (yeah no!) alarm will keep potential thieves out of your house. Sad to say, but true. And unfortunately we will all pay for peace of mind. And that is really what an alarm buys us.
Grabbing my code might work if I was using a normal GDO. Mine encrypts the signal and rolls the codes so let them grab away, it won't get them anywhere.
So paying for a state of the art system is a waste in my opinion. Relying on a PC based system is ridiculous as the power can be cut as easily as can be the phone line.
The system isn't PC based but to get the most out of it you need a PC to run the configuration software that talks to the panel. It can run for about a week no power. As for line cuts, that's why we have things like cellular back up. It's not as expensive as you might think and a few of the over the counter solutions are offering it now since cutting the line is becoming all too common these days.)
A simple system with glass breaks and maybe motion sensors (we have cats so that's out) with a battery backup should suffice.
Actually, I have a cat too. The motion detector in my system is configured to measure the weight of the subject in range and ignores the cat. No false alarms here.
Know your neighbours and pay attention to what's going on when you're outside. Most alarm companies don't charge a thing for the alarm. They charge for monitoring and that's how they make their money. If nobody had locks on their doors would crime exist...? Most likely... It's a given.
Sorry, but the system isn't free. You have to sign a contract for at least 3 years and they give you an inferior system. At the end of 3 years you will have paid over $1400 for a dated system you don't own. In fact, it was dated the day you bought it. If you want to change monitoring companies you'll have to remove your existing system and replace it with another proprietary system.
It all boils down to different strokes for different folks. Anyone who knows me personally knows I like to do things to the extreme which is why I went with the system that I went with.
LOL. It truly sounds like you're more "obsessed" than me for sure. Maybe rightly so maybe not... But I choose not to live my life like that. And with choices come consequences... If you work in the security industry then you know better than I do hands down. But I refuse to make my daughter's boyfriend go through an eye scan just to get in the house. I choose to live with the "simple" system I have had installed. And I would never go with ADT BTW. Nor would I go with the "voice call" company.
And as for upgradability, man you can spend tens of thousands upgrading stuff only to find that too is outdated. Check out Windows 2000...!
BTW, the stickers are a deterent only and are in no way meant to provide protection. (Legal statement.) Deterent is the key for me. The truly irreplacable things are gone all day: daycare and work.
Jabber.
Actually I thought we were sharing valuable info here... If not then PM is the way to go for sure!
Jabber.
LOL. And we can hire Mancubus to monitor it for us! I work on the Internet all day long and couldn't be bothered to monitor my house. That's what I pay people to do.
And if the UPS is powering the PC, cable/DSL what happens when the coax/phone line gets cut? You might have it on hard disk but the thief is gone... I love the cellular backup though. That was an upsell for my system. Didn't take it...
Jabber.
If thief really wants in, they will get in. Now the question is, why would a thief really want in? Opportunity of chance, ie. left garage open when you went to work, or planned, ie. they perceive you have valuables and it's worth their effort. Either way it's terrible crime when a stranger has entered your home and I do feel for the victims.
Comment on PC based system and cut power.
A simple UPS where the PC, router, cable box, and cameras are attached too, will solve the problem. With software based motion detection the cameras pick up motion and start recording or notify you. You can even monitor from work and see what your cameras see. Cable/phone line cut? Not a problem, use the cellular network as a back up. Besides.. if you had a camera positioned you'd pick up the person cutting the line and recorded the action before loosing the signal temporaily.
Cost? Price of cameras, s/w and/or capture card, assuming you have a wireless network in place already. On going support costs are nil, as you are leveraging your existing home network.
Oh yeah, if you use speech software, you could have a sexy voice (female or male) notify you