Best security is good neighbours.

[terry]

We don't 'socialize' with any of our neighbours, except daughter who lives right behind us but travels a lot. But we have excellent relationship with other neighbours them, one in particular. And we electronically monitor each others houses and any other activities around them when any of us are away. Offer to take messages accept deliveries etc. My friend from across the street comes over many evening for a quick cuppa. before his early morning job start. If/when I travel he has the little fob gadget that turns on some of my lights from across the street and also my vehicle and door keys. So he occasionally moves my vehicle around and enters to check the house interior. The best security IS good trustworthy neighbours. PS. I may also hook up my security camera so that his wife who is retired and at home most of the time can watch anyone coming to my front door!

[Matty F]

I long ago gave up worrying about what my neighbours did, despite how bad it was. And it was bad. After my catching a number of criminals in the area, my neighbours are now friendly and have donated video cameras to me, which I use to monitor people going on to their properties, and the whole neighbourhood. There used to be tagging and vandalism several times per week. Almost all of that has stopped. There have been three incidents in six months and I caught them all. Word must be getting around. I do have one scary looking camera that glares down on the footpath from a pole. There are five hidden cameras recording anyone who attempts to touch the visible camera. Somebody tried to put a road cone over the camera at midnight, and was surprised to see me watching him five seconds after he stopped his car.

[Man at B&Q]

You must live a very sad and lonely life if you have nothing better to do than watch the monitors all the time.

MBQ

[Matty F]

I seldom watch the monitors, but they are next to the TV and this computer so I notice movement late at night. The vandals always have noisy cars. If I'm home I hear them stop, so I see what they are doing. The cameras all record 24 hours a day. If any tags appear or damage is done I check the recordings.

[dennis]

A good system sends emails when something happens. The emails serve as alerts and make it impossible for anyone to steal the recorder.

[Jim K]

messagenews: [e-mail]...

do you mean "steal the evidence"?

Jim K

[Matty F]

messagenews: [e-mail]...

I'm not allowing for people actually breaking into my house. There are neighbours who should notice that if I'm away. They have cameras too. My computer records the time that any movement is detected on three of the cameras. It takes only a minute each day to see if anything has happened. If anything has happened I can look at the other cameras to get rego numbers and pictures of the intruders.