Remote control outdoor lighting?

[Jeff Cochran]

The post didn't mention motion sensors. A simple X-10 controller could do the job just fine.

Jeff

[xrongor]

lets get to the meat of the issue.

why do you feel so strongly that you would KILL someone over your VCR? you dont see the problem? trust me dude, you have a problem. you're actually hoping it happens.

randy

[Doug Kanter]

consciousness

Actually, no. I have no interest in killing an intruder, as long as he is

100% obedient when we meet. Only a psychopath looks forward to killing. But, let's turn the question around:

You're home with your family. It's 3:00 AM. You wake up with a parched throat from the heat and walk into the kitchen for a drink of water. There, you find some nut with a flashlight. Assuming you are sure you have a way to deal with him in varying levels of intensity, please describe your next move.

[xrongor]

first, i bet you have a better chance of winning the lottery twice than you have of being in the situation you describe.

second, i suspect a loud yell would solve things 98% of the time. if kids are robbing you they will run. another 1% you cant solve no matter what you do. if a true psychopath came in to kill you, you're dead. this leaves about 1% middle ground where your weapon may do some good.

stop watching tv. ignore those stupid brinks commercials designed to scare the hell out of you. the person robbing you is someone you already know. your guns wont save you from them.

how many people each year actually deter a robbery in their house because they have a gun? three maybe... your time is better spent making sure you look both ways when you cross the street. just put the guns away man. stop with the overkill approach to your yard lighting. cancel your cable tv. get with reality.

randy

[Doug Kanter]

Actually, Randy, I watch little or no TV. And contrary to the dream world you live in, home invasions aren't as uncommon as you suggest, and intruders are dissuaded by a gun more often than you've chosen to believe.

Now, if you can't offer any technical suggestions for the issue at hand, go sit in the corner and drink your chocolate milk. And, learn to use the Shift key where appropriate.

[xrongor]

pure bullshit.

tell you what. ill learn to use the part of my brain that activates the shift key if you learn to use the rest of yours.

go get em killer!!

randy

[willshak]

Any MF that breaks into my house while I, or my family, is home will be shot. Whether he/she is killed, or not, depends upon my aim at the time. I will not wait to see what his/her intentions are toward my family. I will assume that they are hostile and act accordingly. An old saying amongst Police officers is that "I would rather go to trial for killing him, than for him to go to trial for killing me".

[xrongor]

shoot first and ask questions later. death to all intruders.

yee ha

randy

[HA HA Budys Here]

Then simply mounting 1 halogen (3-500 watts) per standard wall switch module anywhere convenient will afford local control of each light.

Then a couple of hardwired controllers in ideal places (bedside, near door) with 1 rocker switch.

All modules set to same address.

[... ...]

I would go with the lighting contactor and a couple of swicthes at different locations. BTW The gun theory is great but given the scenerio you described , 3am walk to the kitchen ,confront a scumbag. Where is the gun? Are you planning on running back to the bed room in the dark and getting your gun? Or were you planning on taking the gun with you on your way to the kitchen? Try posting in rec.guns you can pick up some good home defense tips.

Bill

[Ann Onymous]

Sorry to hear about that, but the fact remains that the vast majority of burglaries occur during the daytime.

[Ann Onymous]

Simple: "Please leave now, or I will call the police." 99.9% of burglars, given the option, will leave.

The next step would be to figure out why my doors weren't locked, and why my alarm didn't go off.

[Ann Onymous]

Actually, home invasions ARE extremely uncommon, in pretty much all cities and towns in North America. The ratio of regular break-ins (in unoccupied homes) to home invasions (where the intruder knows the home is unoccupied) is something in the range of 10,000 to one.

You can guess at whether intruders are dissuaded by guns all you like, but the reality is that we have no way of knowing whether gun ownership dissuades break-ins. As I noted previously, most burglars will only attempt to break in if they know the home is empty. Whether a gun is in the home or not, it's not a deterrent if the home is unoccupied.

As to the security lighting, there's nothing wrong with regular, plain motion sensor lights. The idea isn't to convince the potential intruder that there's a person home - it's to make it easy for neighbours and anybody else nearby to see the burglar. If somebody's going to break into a home, they're going to do it where they're least likely to be seen.

I'd also suggest getting to know your neighbours. Having watchful neighbours is an extremely effective way to deter break-ins, especially if they will challenge people who aren't normally around the neighbourhood.

[Ann Onymous]

Why not just make your home look occupied, and avoid the problem in the first place?

My best wishes for your family. I'm sure you'll do a fine job supporting them from behind bars. And yes, if you shoot an intruder, you're highly likely to be convicted of murder in most jurisdictions.

[Ann Onymous]

Why do you assume that somebody who disagrees with you must be irrational?

[Beachcomber]

The rules have changed. You would think that the burglars would be rational and not pick the occupied houses over the obviously unoccupied houses.

Not in the states that have METH problems. There have been home break-ins in my neighborhood that defy all logic and reality. These guys are so high on drugs and desparate that they apparently loose their sense of fear and are breaking into open windows and through weak latches. They come into inhabitited households in the wee hours of the morning and start looking for valuables (wallets, purses, jewelry. cash, car keys, guns, women, etc.). When discovered, some just choose to fight instead of run away. The worst of all worlds.

Beachcomber

[Doug Kanter]

1) I'm defining a "home invasion" as an instance where intruders waltz into a home, ready to rock & roll, during normal waking hours, lights on, occupants awake & doing whatever people do at 7:30 PM. Based on this definition, there have been a half dozen around Rochester NY in the past 5 years. Only one involved drug situations (perps knew the occupants). The rest were simply random. 2) Your "10,000 to one" statement: Source, please.

In countries where guns have been collected from lawful owners by the government, the crime rate has risen. The reason is obvious.

If my home's unoccupied, I don't care what happens. No bodily harm can come to me or my family if we're not there.

1) If I want to step outside and enjoy the night sky, I don't want motion sensor lights coming on. 2) If I install a switch to temporarily shut them off, I'll forget to turn them back on some of the time. Not worth the trouble. 3) Motion sensor lights are an obnoxious greeting to people out walking at night, people who also may want to enjoy the night sky. Entire communities are trying to get residents to rethink how lights are used.

Thanks for the tip. There are 5 houses whose residents can theoretically see my house. Neighbor #1 is actually capable of doing so. House #2 is unoccupied and probably will remain so for another year while the son of the deceased owner gets it ready to sell. The other three homes are occupied by ancient people who take 5 minutes to come to the door. One of them mistook me for neighbor #1 last week when I stopped by to ask if I could take some of her leaves to use as mulch.

[Doug Kanter]

And your solution is to greet an intruder and ask how crazy he is? Remember: I asked you earlier about how you'd handle the situation. You provided no information.

There is only ONE safe assumption to make about an intruder, and you know what that is. Your problem is that you're trying to second guess your survival instincts. Any animal that does that ends up extinct, and like it or not, you're an animal. (At the moment, you're thinking like a vegetable, however).

[Doug Kanter]

I assume that by "jurisdictions", you're referring to the United States. If so, you will NOT be convicted for dispatching an intruder who has forcibly entered your home. Are you able contact the last lawyer you were involved with, perhaps for your house closing? Call and ask about the "castle theory". It's the foundation of law for this area of justice. The same concept exists in Great Britain, although their justice system has gone temporarily insane.

[Doug Kanter]

Source of statistic, please.