I put the radio on a random timer for similar effect - to NPR so there's a lot of talking. We also got some hardwired timers so our outside lights can go off too (did this when we were away during Christmas one year, but had put up lights on our house.) Another great tip that I came across recently - if possible/applicable, leave your car parked in the driveway.

We just alert the neighbors on our cul-de-sac, and have a friend stop in regularly to feed the pets, so not too worried. If anybody stops in unauthorized, they will be seen. (Our house was wired for an alarm system, too, but we haven't implemented it yet. Could, though.)

I find it alarming how people are ready to spend lots of money on theft protections, and how frightened people are in their lives.
I hardly keep anything in my house that is worth stealing, I try to wear things out before I replace them. My TV cost less than 400€ 1 year ago. Although the picture quality is fine, savvy burglar would hardly bother with it. My laptop is over 4 years old, I'd be glad for an excuse to replace it. If it was stolen the biggest loss would be the information on it, but the important stuff is backed up. My Ipod Nano is 4th generation, bought on sale when 5th generation came out. I don't even insure my stuff, saving me enough money to buy replacement items should the need arise.
Think about it this way. If the whole family goes together on a vacation, then what you value most is with you on the vacation. The rest is just easily replaceable stuff.

My biggest fear is that someone will break into my place while I'm out at work, steal nothing of any real value (the most valuable thing in my place is my couch, not exactly a smash and grab item), but either hurt my dogs or - and, apparently, this happens a lot - just lure them outside and they'll be lost.

@andsetinn I find that a burglary would be more upsetting emotionally than in the loss of my stuff. Ya id be pissed if I had to replace things, but i would be more upset at the feeling of having my space violated.

I am careful to never announce travel plans except to family and close friends (no facebook notices!!) and i never post my address to any social networking sites. I also try to get a friend to housesit- i live downtown so its easy to woo a suburban friend with the idea of a shorter commute for a week

Andsetinn-

I don't necessarily think its the stuff that is stolen that bothers people as much as the invasion of your home. The thought that some stranger broke in and rifled through your stuff is what is the most disturbing, and the thought the they or someone similar coud do it again when you are home and put your family in danger.

I don't care about the stuff. My freinds six year old kid walked into his house with his mom and asked why his bedroom was turned upside down. It turned out it was a neighbor.

@andsetinn

I don't know if you've ever been burgled, but I can tell you that for many people, regardless of what is stolen, it's a horrible, terrifying, invading experience. It can take months to feel safe in your own home again, afterwards. After all, they already know where your home is and how to get in --plus they know now that you're going to have brand-new shiny toys!-- what is to stop them coming back?

Studies have shown that our brains actually perceive the "inhabited" parts of our environment (cars, homes, even offices) into an extension of our bodies. When a stranger breaks into your home, it's like someone has violated your body. (This is also one possible explanation for why many people report feelings of trauma when their car is hit--even if it is hit while parked and empty.)

In short, it ain't just about the stuff. I sincerely hope you're never in a position to find that out firsthand!

This is so neat! And now, with Spring break around the corner will be a great time to use it!

I have been burglarized twice in the past; neither time where I am currently living. Both times it was in a condo and due to "helpful" neighbors letting gang members into our high-security building because they didn't want to look like bigots. I too use the radio on while I'm away trick, but only for when I'm gone for less than 24 hours. I have lamps and the TV on timers so it will look as though someone is home.

Agree about the feelings one has when one's home has been ransacked, TinyStudio. Until it's happened to you, you can't begin to imagine what it is like.

I've been robbed 3 times. It's not a fun experience to come home to a ransacked house, then have to deal with a broken window or broken door. Neither time did the crooks take anything of value, but it's a huge stress and annoyance. Once the burglar cut himself on the window glass, and guess who had to clean up the blood? Hint: Not the police. Also, my cat did escape through the broken window, and it took me days to find him again. So . . . basically, I very much like the idea of keeping thieves out of my place (and thus I appreciate this post). :)

or, you could get a state-of-the-art security system for around 3 grand and never have to worry again.

or do as andsetinn does and just not have stuff. your grandmother's ring? pawn it and put the cash into your bank account. absolutely need a new desk top? craft it to look like a sex toy and keep it under your bed in a locked trundle for safety and convenience.

i must be the only person in the world who isn't scared of having a break in. there's nothing a person can do to prevent it except having a 'home security provided by ----' card on your front lawn and the alarms to back it up. my mother was in the kitchen one morning, shortly after my dad left had left for work, and a guy just walked into the house. he immediately saw my mother and backed out, but there's no doubt he was there for sinister reasons. she locks the door, he breaks a window. she leaves the radio on, he keeps an eye on the place and gets to know her schedule. my recommendation: have the proper insurance and hope for the best.

The thought of someone breaking into my house is so scary and I can't even imagine how violated I would feel, but this reminds me of the security measures Kevin McAllister took in Home Alone, just a little bit.

The best piece of advice I got on this was from a houseburgler himself. He told me many years ago to never keep the remote controls to anything at home when you are not there - without the corresponding rempte control, an item has zero resale value.

Remote controls are very replaceable, even with $12 universal remotes from Target, and the person has to already be in your house to determine whether your remotes are around or not, so that's not a deterrent - definitely doesn't keep anyone from breaking in in the first place.

Sure stuff is replaceable, but information in your home & car can help a thief empty your bank account and cause real havoc in your life, or an intruder can hurt or release your beloved pets, or they could hurt you & your family if someone actually IS home, etc. so it IS worth some expense & effort to avoid making your home an easy target for someone who comes in and does damage & may not even take anything valuable.

Thieves in our house broke the door off of our media cabinet, cut cables off of appliances, dropped our laptops, broke in our door and all of that required $$$ to repair even though they took very little. PLUS the clean up of our emptied dresser drawers caused me a neck injury that lingered for weeks & they'd stolen our Rx pain medication .... all in addition to feeling violated and nervous they might return or what else they might be up to with your SSN, an extra checkbook, etc. And just try getting the phrase "return to the scene of the crime" out of your head when you're home alone 2 nights later.

Don't live paralyzed by fear or caught up in material possessions, but don't feel ashamed of protecting your homespace from those who are looking to take something from someone. And please don't judge others who believe it is worth protecting a home.

Great ideas to keep in mind before I vacation

My newly purchased apartment was burglarized on my 2nd day living there. I had a rotating set of friends lined up to take turns staying with me - bc it was so traumatic. And I don't own anything of value so that point is moot. I got a burglar alarm and felt much better after that (real or perceived).

But actually, I just got a new alarm that AT users might appreciate bc it's a wireless DIY system, and less than 1/2 $ of what I was paying for ADT (which I had used since the yr 2000 burglary) and the technology is awesome for people who go for that sort of thing.

www.lifeshield.com

And if you move a lot like I have, this is great bc you can take it with you go and just set it up at the next place.

I should add: I didn't have to pay for the equipment -- it was sent free and I just pay the $34.99 a month.

Before living here, I had to buy the equipment, have an installer drill into my walls (which my landlords wouldn't let me do when I rented) and pay a higher monthly monitoring.

So this one is good for renters and owners.

I'd like to think that between my friend's dogs downstairs and mine upstairs, we've got a natural burglar alarm for the building. However, I dread to think what would happen if they ignored that and did break in. My dog welcomes all visitors exuberantly but a wary burglar might interpret his barking and jumping (since they wouldn't know the command to stop him) as a threat and hurt him.

alarm system for your peace of mind. about $1 a day. worth it knowing my house is at least protected.

also install these wireless cameras..foscams are what they are called. get the iphone app and you can check in on your house whenever you're out. it also has motion detection where it'll take pictures and email it to you when it detects motion.

Because I travel a lot for my work I don't keep pets. I would never leave an animal alone at home, not even for a day. In my family that is an unthinkable behavior and would be considered cruelty to animals (as a bonus I will never have to worry about my pet escaping during break in). When I was a kid, our pets traveled with us. If I had suggested leaving Nero (our dog) at home, I would have been left there too, to keep him company. Our home was always open to strangers. Anyone in trouble had shelter at our house. It happened that they took things when they left but my parents said that they needed them more than we did.
An uncle of mine refuses to this day to lock his house. His reasoning is that expensive locks encourage break ins and if the door is unlocked, thieves will not break doors or windows down. His is the policy I follow, of having almost nothing worth any real money in the house.

Check out the FakeTV. It really does a convincing job.

This has been on my mind lately. I'm moving into a townhome that has been burglarized before, and while I don't go on many vacations, hearing that the exact unit that I'm moving into has been burglarized makes me nervous. As for the whole "don't have stuff worth stealing" thing, I can't get rid of my privacy or my feeling of personal space, but someone could steal that just by kicking in a door. So, yeah, I would like to keep people out.

Andsetinn - "I would never leave an animal alone at home, not even for a day."
Isn't that a bit extreme? Whenever I'm away from home, I have someone stop by to feed, clean up after, play with, and check on my cats and dogs. If I'm going to be gone longer than 1 night, I get a house sitter but that's mainly for the dogs. I think the cats would be OK alone with a daily check-in.
If someone broke in our house they would be very disappointed. Most of the break-ins in my neighborhood are from people being stupid like leaving their door unlocked or putting something valuable right next to the window. Or even just forgetting to set the alarm.

I really admire the lifestyle Andsettin has laid out in his/her comments. The bit about not leaving the pet at home alone is a bit extreme to my mind, but the rest of it makes sense, considering in other posts s/he has referred to his/herself as a "former fisherman in Northern Europe."

When I lived in Finland (a good sized city on the southwest coast), nobody locked their house doors. Nobody. The neighbors put their babies in carriages out in the snow along with the house rugs to "air out." Drunken old men would find their way into the sauna in the basement and would, at worst, fall asleep and stink the place up. 16 year-old girls could walk from the bus station to their townhouse at 2am and the worst that would happen is a bum would heckle her for being under-dressed.

I'm not sure how much has changed, but I miss that sense of security. When I first started driving, here in the Midwest, I left my car keys under my driver's side floor mat in my car. You locked the front door of your house only at night, before you went to bed. You left the windows open on a spring day even while you were at work.

What works for some doesn't work for others. I don't have much that anyone would want to steal, but I don't want them breaking in to find that out for themselves. However, I don't ever want to live in fear, and I don't want to rely on systems and tricks to feel secure when I travel (which I do- both the reliance and the travel). I suppose the only long-term solutions are to un-know what I know about human desperation or to move above the arctic circle. The short-term solutions are to make it look like I'm home when I'm not, and ask my mother to check in on my apartment when I'm out of town. :)

i like the foscam idea. thanks for the tip arc310!

i wish andestinn would show some respect & compassion for the experiences and feelings and beliefs of others. it's cool if these products are not for her/him. but not everyone lives his/her same existence and some of us really appreciate these products and tips!

Ferris Bueller's Day Off must have been the inspiration for this application!

Andsetinn--

I'm curious where you live and why you think everyone who worries about their home being invaded is essentially a materialistic jerk? Am I misreading your snootiness? Do you really not understand that the feeling of violation is the worst part of a burglary?

When issues about home security come up here on AT, it surprises me that there are always a few people who are unable to understand that an individual's level of safety can vary based on their city, street, or even by building. If you feel truly safe, that's awesome, but for some of us it would be downright stupid to feel the same way.

It's really all relative. There are things I can do in my third floor apartment that would be unwise for my first floor neighbors. My deck is inaccessible to anyone but me, so I leave my grill out there, but when they did the same on their accessible back patio, their grill went missing. I can sleep soundly with my windows wide open, but it would be a huge risk for them. But hey, if I didn't live in a comparatively safe Chicago neighborhood, I would even rethink my actions. Friends who went to school on the south side would laugh at the idea of leaving a nice grill out even on a "protected" deck. In their experience, it would be gone overnight.

But being somewhere safe doesn't make you immune to break-ins either. My parents live in a nice, quiet suburb and always lock their doors. Several years ago, some dumb high school kids forced an old door open and took small items like iPod docks and purses. They were caught really quickly and things worked out fine. But living in a safe suburb didn't keep my parents' home 100% safe.

never ceases to amaze me the ignorant comments posts like this can draw.

of course, I think we all know it's "just stuff", but also, I know plenty of people who would not be able to replace a $500+ television, $200 iPod, $100 DVD player, $400-1200 laptop, $300 Xbox, $300 stereo receiver, DVDs, etc all at once -- even with homeowners insurance there's a deductible. the lovely price you get to pay for being the lucky one the thieves chose. which then obviously leads to the feeling of violation to the whole act.

I'm in Chicago, too, and while I don't live in fear of this kind of stuff (because I have plenty of other things to worry about), it really is a big problem and there have been plenty of break-ins in my neighborhood over the past two years. I'm sure it's very nice if you live out in the country or in a small town where no one has to lock their doors, blah blah blah, but that's not everyone's reality so please don't come here posting with the attitude like you've got everything figured out.

Wait, doesn't this require leaving your computer at home? Which, for a number of us, is the single most valuable thing in the house, and something most of us have to take with us when going out of town. (I know some people may have more than one computer, but most people I know have only a laptop.)

No matter where you live, there is always the chance that your house will be broken into. And there is nothing you can really do to stop that. Some things can lower the odds, but nothing will make you perfectly safe for "savvy burglars", all items mentioned in the article can help a little bit (Neighborhood watches really help to cut down on crime in the neighborhood, but it is very difficult to get volunteers for them, especially for the long run).
Since people seem to misunderstand me a lot, I want to repeat my opinions.
A. When no one is home, your most valuable things are not in your home.
B. Cheap or old stuff in your home is less likely to be stolen AND makes your home less likely to be broken into.
(CCINCA. For the last two years, Amsterdam. Owning nice and expensive stuff does not make you a jerk. Yes. No, but if you remove the "not" from the question the answer becomes yes.)

FYI: I'm revisiting this article because we've had another awful incident on my street & I want cameras. THANK YOU AGAIN AT & commenters for a very valuable post!

My dog is here when I go out and she's the most valuable thing in my home & life after my & my husband (and NO, I cannot take her everywhere I go all the time; most places in the US just don't let dogs in). And my financial records, medications, and lots of other stuff I don't want stolen are at home too.

Theives can't tell that all you have is cheap stuff until after they get in & mess lots of stuff up. Although yes, I hear that if you put some kid toys out front thieves might assume you are home during the day & that you have no really nice things because you have young kids.

No one is claiming you can stop break ins 100%, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take measures to improve your odds! You CAN do things with sound & with lighting to make them much less likely to target your home. No one can promise you won't get sick ever, but that doesn't mean it's worthless to wash your hands during flu season, right? That's what this article is about - how to reduce the chance your home and you will be a target. I see no point in dismissing the value of these measures just because they don't promise to "stop" a break in or because you personally don't need or want them.

Deterring a break-in has benefits because intruders may not be able to distinguish whether you are there or not. Best to do what you can to make it seem like you are home because most of these criminals really want easy targets & they do not want to encounter a person in the home.

I'm an integral part of my neighborhood watch & the one thing I agree with Andesetinn on is that neighborhood watch is a good thing.

Nice talk on TED about security and the difference between being secure and feeling secure. http://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_schneier.html