View Full Version : Garage security- how can I improve it? Battery alarm in mind.
My garage neighbour recently had his quad (:pukel:) pinched from his garage after kindly showing them where it lived after they followed up his for sale advert. All they had to do was one single drill through the euro type barrel of the lock. This has got me a bit concerned and I want to sort out some security for mine which has the same rubbish lock. I must tell you that my garage is more than a mile from my house and has no power.
I don't want to put any external locks on it as that will only advertise there's something worth nicking in there. I will try and get a better barrel for the lock to at least slow down any would be thieves. I was also looking at the Xena (http://www.xenasecurity.com/product/pir/main/XASeries/XA201/page1/) battery powered PIR alarm and the extra (http://www.xenasecurity.com/product/pir/main/XASeries/XA301/page1/) siren to go with it. Has anyone got experience of these alarms and if so are they any good? I was also going to modify a personal attack alarm and link it to a heavy duty window reed switch as the first deterrent should they try and jemmy the garage open.
Also is there anything else I can do besides camp there overnight? I've started looking for a different garage in a better neighbourhood but they're few and far between around here.
tigersaw
03-03-10, 02:03 AM
Trouble is, will anybody notice the siren going off before the baddie smashes it?
Maybe something like a hidden mobile phone that rings your mobile (which you would disarm when you entered yourself). Not sure if such a thing exists, might need inventing.
Well I was thinking about posting generic leaflets around the houses which circle it to at least try and encourage them to have a look.
I have a Datatool system 4 which can have a garage sensor plugged into it and also a text alert system whereby it would text me if the alarm sounded. I've yet to find a GSM phone dialler up to the job.
The extra siren I posted about means that they would have to smash them both before it packed in and the main one would be hidden at the back of the garage.
barwel1992
03-03-10, 02:44 AM
what about a ground ancher ? for the bike
sunshine
03-03-10, 03:07 AM
if its the middle of the night someone would complain about the xena, like the security guards at my work did before, they had to get off there lazy **** to see why it was going off, i think there useful and loud.
I also agree with barwel get a ground anchor and big chain.
davepreston
03-03-10, 05:08 AM
abro locks are the dogs danglies, ground anchor, a rape alarm is fecking loud and easily moddified, or what about a good old tripwired flashbang or flare
carternd
03-03-10, 07:51 AM
abro locks are the dogs danglies, ground anchor, a rape alarm is fecking loud and easily moddified, or what about a good old tripwired flashbang or flare
Pyro's in a garage, sounds like a recipe for disaster!
The problem with ground anchors and chains is that I have three bikes and a classic scooter in there. One of the bikes belongs to a mate who I share the garage with too so the logistics of it wouldn't work.
I am a believer of less is more with regards to the outside like you. Defo dont put locks on the outside etc.
Inside I just have a wireless sensor on the door attached to the main house alarm, if it opened then off it goes. They can smash the sensor as much as they like the alarm will still go off.
sunshine
03-03-10, 04:10 PM
ok a ground anchor either wall and a chain running through all the bikes then both of you have keys problem solved?
you can get alarms which you load with blank shotgun cartridges. They're not expensive either. They've been posted here before, so do a search. At least then, even if your bike gets stolen, you'll know that the thief has brown trousers.
carternd
03-03-10, 06:47 PM
you can get alarms which you load with blank shotgun cartridges. They're not expensive either. They've been posted here before, so do a search. At least then, even if your bike gets stolen, you'll know that the thief has brown trousers.
How do the police see those? You'd have to be careful, if a tea-leaf got deafened or burned by being too close, he could go to the court of "human rights".
You'd need to be bl**dy careful with your flammables as well. Would be a shame to lose all those bikes cremating a thief.
if a tea-leaf got deafened or burned by being too close..
Just don't use blanks. Problem solved :cool:
found one on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Alarm-mine-for-detering-intruders_W0QQitemZ110500443795QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ UK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET?hash=it em19ba56f693
carternd
03-03-10, 06:52 PM
Just don't use blanks. Problem solved :cool:
What you deserve for stealing, but unfortunately in this country it'd be "oh, poor heroin addict" not "serves you right".
I'd say it seems quite harmless. Probably not loud enough to scare someone off if they realised what it is, but loud enough to draw attention, if anyone in the vicinity of the garage is likely to care. But any sort of alarm is useless if no-one within earshot cares.
ethariel
03-03-10, 09:14 PM
Ground Anchor, almax chain and a 400lbs rotweiler (ok the dog is optional), if you are REALLY worried, move in a bed and a generator, get a shotgun and wait for them :)
Ground Anchor, almax chain and a 400lbs rotweiler (ok the dog is optional), if you are REALLY worried, move in a bed and a generator, get a shotgun and wait for them :)
400lb rotty would be rather useless - way too fat to even move :p
Probably not loud enough to scare someone off if they realised what it is
You reckon :D in a relatively confined space like a garage a shotgun cartridge will make your ears bleed... all they would hear was a ringing for about 5 minutes afterwards.
You reckon :D in a relatively confined space like a garage a shotgun cartridge will make your ears bleed... all they would hear was a ringing for about 5 minutes afterwards.
Probably. But its over too quickly to be a good deterrent on its own. It relies on alerting someone nearby.
What would be awesome would be to channel the blast so it sets off another one, and so on :smt096
yorkie_chris
03-03-10, 10:04 PM
Mate of mine had setup with alarm mine full of rock salt, knocked the guy on his 'arris squealing. By time lads had finished with him he did not report it ;-)
urbane1
03-03-10, 10:13 PM
What about a bear spray booby trap?
yorkie_chris
03-03-10, 10:25 PM
Illegal over here, section 5 firearm. Same category as a pistol :rolleyes:
Nothing to say you couldn't load a 12 bore shell with a bag of something irritant, dunno how effective it would be. (actually there is, but be right)
Ground anchor would be best, but then it's only as strong as the chain you use.
Illegal over here, section 5 firearm. Same category as a pistol :rolleyes:
I thought section 5 covered everything offensive, not just pistols, so things like rocket launchers too! :smt032
yorkie_chris
03-03-10, 10:32 PM
They will attack the chain, not the ground anchor IMO. Almost every ground anchor is stronger than most chains.
Prohibited devices/weapons section or something, CS and pepper spray are included in it.
Quite funny, I did not get charged for combustion cannon that I'm fairly sure could put a D cell battery supersonic, don't think forensics quite knew what to make of it :smt043
Don't derail the thread please fellas.
The only way I could use a chain is to go through two bikes from wall to wall which would have it's own problems.
I've just started negotiations with someone at parkatmyhouse.com with a view to renting the garage attached to their house.
carternd
03-03-10, 10:56 PM
They will attack the chain, not the ground anchor IMO. Almost every ground anchor is stronger than most chains.
Prohibited devices/weapons section or something, CS and pepper spray are included in it.
Quite funny, I did not get charged for combustion cannon that I'm fairly sure could put a D cell battery supersonic, don't think forensics quite knew what to make of it :smt043
Don't derail the thread please fellas.
Please do! I think I saw something similar on Youtube that destroyed a load of speakers (and smashed a golf ball in two).
Without letting it show, make it hard to get in the garage. And then make it hard to see the bike. And then make it hard to move the bike. And then have a tracker of some kind to give the :pig: a fighting chance of finding the bike before it's wrecked.
Or just spend all that money on F/C insurance / high interest savings to replace the bike upon theft.
Or sod it, turn the garage into an x-rated Home-Alone rip-off and let us laff at chavs dying in immense pain and hopefully humiliating circumstances on You[havenolife]tube.
:offtopic:
urbane1
03-03-10, 10:57 PM
Pepper spray is prohibited here except:
"Pepper spray is legal if it is intended for use on vicious animals, and is a prohibited weapon if intended for use on vicious humans. On the other hand, if you carry it to protect yourself from vicious animals, and are attacked by a vicious human, it is legal to use it on that vicious human. It doesn't have to make sense, it is government policy."
carternd
03-03-10, 11:18 PM
Pepper spray is prohibited here except:
"Pepper spray is legal if it is intended for use on vicious animals, and is a prohibited weapon if intended for use on vicious humans. On the other hand, if you carry it to protect yourself from vicious animals, and are attacked by a vicious human, it is legal to use it on that vicious human. It doesn't have to make sense, it is government policy."
Try telling that to the beak. He may very well not believe you. Like "I WAS going to play rounders at the park, but I was jumped by a repulsive chav and had to defend myself". For obvious reasons the police don't like anything that could be used as a weapon, and I should think their judgement will generally be taken as sound in that regard by the authorities.
keith_d
03-03-10, 11:20 PM
1) Solar panel on the roof to supply power to sealed battery
2) Cheap MP3 player with speaker hidden in a corner
3) Blank firing mechanism
4) PIR motion detector
When Motion detector is triggered MP3 player starts, "I'm armed, you've got five seconds then I'm gonna start shooting... one...two...three...four..."
If you haven't hit the concealed disarm switch, the blank firer is tripped at this point and it'll sound f-ing loud in a garage.
The MP3 continues, "S**t, missed...."
I guess you'd probably need to put a polycarbonate shield in front of the blank firer to prevent the risk of blinding yourselves but still deliver a convincing flash..
Brown trousers anyone.
yorkie_chris
03-03-10, 11:28 PM
Blank firers are not allowed to fire anything forwards, they must port gasses upwards or sideways otherwise they come under section 5.
keith_d
03-03-10, 11:33 PM
True enough, and I'd imagine they look at you pretty hard these days if you start inquiring about electrically fired thunderflashes.
MattCollins
04-03-10, 03:01 AM
Maybe something like a hidden mobile phone that rings your mobile (which you would disarm when you entered yourself). Not sure if such a thing exists, might need inventing.
Auto diallers have existed for at least 30 years.
MattCollins
04-03-10, 03:04 AM
Well I was thinking about posting generic leaflets around the houses which circle it to at least try and encourage them to have a look.
Leaflets will hold attention no longer than what is required to read them... if it doesn't go straight into the rubbish.
Better to go and talk to your neighbours face to face.
tigersaw
04-03-10, 10:04 AM
Auto diallers have existed for at least 30 years.
Not GSM, and that was my suggestion.
Its quite possible to modify an old nokia 3310 to become an autodail alarm, and that becomaes a cheap solution. However, there are no commercial cheap GSM alarms out there yet that I can find that would help the OP
Captain Nemo
04-03-10, 12:27 PM
has anyone any experience of those xena alarms, are they any good ?, loud?
MattCollins
05-03-10, 04:13 AM
Not GSM, and that was my suggestion.
Its quite possible to modify an old nokia 3310 to become an autodail alarm, and that becomaes a cheap solution. However, there are no commercial cheap GSM alarms out there yet that I can find that would help the OP
Gawd... I really should have thought about my earlier post a bit better instead of dropping a one liner in the middle of the night...
Fair point, but why does it need to be GSM? I thought that it is garage security being discussed in which case it is likely that there is a fixed line available nearby or the possibility of running some cat5 cable... and a good chance of internet access - edit: I really have to learn to read the whole lot. This is where I go for a PC based solution.
Old P3s are a dime a dozen for a standalone system, are easy to set up for internet and remote access, have no problem dialling a mobile, are easy to monitor, often have 6-8 expansion slots and will support a multitude of cheap ethernet and/or wireless cameras dotted (combined with sensor lights) around the property.
I built my system based on one of those other operating systems and long forgotten hardware, but there are commercial products for the pointy clicky types such as this:
http://www.ircas.com/
It was a first hit on google using "pc house alarm" as search terms.
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