Things that go beep in the night.

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Hum. Good 9 volts batteries have a cost.

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Nice. Not sure we have that in my city.

A beep can drive people nuts, instead of attending the possible actual emergency.

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That's a fine here. 200€ and 3 points, even if they are not connected.

Some countries have rules about which lane to clear. Don't think, just clear it.

Going through the intersection in red to make space for the emergency vehicle coming behind is dangerous. Sometimes, after the ambulance passes by, I have difficulties moving again because the other, dumb, drivers impede my moving.

About then the police will arrive.

The only time it was sort of triggered in anger was when a farmer hedge flailed the telephone interconnect box and all monitored local alarm circuits went dead simultaneously as did all the phone lines.

Police arrived in about 15 minutes whilst I was cutting the grass and asked if I was OK and why I hadn't answered the phone. A quick check in the house showed no dial tone and alarm in phone line disconnected mode.

They asked directions to the pub which was next on their list.

It took BT the best part of two weeks working solid with signal tracers for them to reconnect the random coloured spaghetti that resulted and the truncated and sometimes double spliced copper phone lines were never quite the same afterwards. I'm on optical fibre now.

I know how to beat my alarm as do the real pros but it would be way more effort than the meagre pickings here would justify.

On my type of alarm, they use inhibitors. They block communications between sensors and control unit. Some units can detect the inhibitors and alert headquarters (they claim), so the bad guys could also inhibit mobile phone connections.

Even in that case, when they leave the alarm would alert me that the door is open, which is enough for me to go there and close it again. I have nothing of value worth stealing. I had an oil painting, but they would not recognize it, and it is easy to identify it when trying to sell it (nor is it worth enough to bother) :-D

Of course, they could steal the fridge (some do), but that's a sweat that most thieves will decline, they go for small things like jewels or money (fat chance). Maybe expensive sound or video equipment.

My alarm is old school all hidden hard wired as required (at the time) by the insurers. Wireless kit has come on a very long way since then.

Back when I was a student someone broke into my car and left 50p that fell out of their pocket whilst trying to start it unsuccessfully. Car keys back then were so bad that almost anything would open a car door.

My anti-theft technique was simple but effective. It took more than just a key that fitted to start the car. So they gave up.

The land line can be cut.

In my case, land line was not available (beach place). And my goal was not initially as deterrent, but to know that the house was "open" and that I had to drive there to close the door. Never happened, the deterrent was good.

:-)

:-D

Doesn't happen that much.

Actually, the security company campaigns to scare the public into believing it is an actual danger and buy more security. It works. I mean, they sell a lot of alarms.

Homeless people are way more polite over here :-)

Yeah, never happened. Still, the alarm would warn and I can send the police.

The only incident related to that was some youths (my guess) camping in a terrace outside of the house. They brought a mattress, chairs, a lot of drinks (soft), and a lot of junk food in bags. All of that rotten and very smelly, because of the sun.

I cleared it out, then I put a very visible camera sensor in that part of the house.

Those cables can't start a fire, the current is very low, even with a short circuit. The equipment room is usually equipped with automatic extinguisher system (gas, not water).

:-DD

Depends on your budget.

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Sometimes that is not the proper reaction. Houses here are made of brick, stone, and mortar, so the house itself doesn't catch fire, it is the stuff inside. Often the proper reaction is to extinguish the fire yourself _appropriately_. I have been in that situation more than once.

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Here, it is illegal to hold your phone while driving, to manipulate it, and to use any kind of earphones.

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A Swedish friend told the story of his Father, who frustrated car thieves by a brass valve in the fuel line to the carburetor, the valve being mounted in a dark corner of the floor around the driver. If the valve was closed, the car could still be started, but would run out of gas just as the thief war trying to drive away, out in the open. It did happen a few times, but never with success.

Joe Gwinn

So the carmakers build a phone interface into the car, which is just as problematic to operate, but legal.

Just yesterday I was driving and the phone rang. I couldn't even take my eyes off the road to see who was calling. Sometimes you just have to drive!

One I really hate is when there's something odd going on and I focus on the road ahead, not giving any attention to how I'm holding the steering wheel. Sometimes that is the point where the car warns me that I'm not putting enough pressure on the steering wheel! No, of course not. I'm paying attention to the damn road, like I'm supposed to!!!

Yes, excellent idea. Run a gasoline line through the passenger compartment! God! The things people think of.

Not so fast. Valve body below floor, valve handle above.

Joe Gwinn

Ok, fair enough.

LOL.

But that doesn't work when you are absent, maybe for months.

(if someone thinks of recovering his home by force, here they would see the inside of a jail for some, non trivial, time).

The key here is to find out soon and going to the police. If it is your home, even your vacation home, the police can act fast. The first day the squatters can not claim it is their home, that they have lived there for months and that they don't have where to live.

There is that.