Slowing down a Home Invasion

I like the looks of this one. Vaguely like some of the cheesy “attach to the door trim” devices, but seriously attached to the house and appearing substantially built.

Aluminum?
Do you have a product name or URL?

3 Likes

Here you go, I have these on all my doors. :us:
P.S. Sorry crappy link, click on the ratings and scroll up.

Defender Security Satin Nickel U 10827 Door Reinforcement Lock – Add Extra, High Security to your Home and Prevent Unauthorized Entry – 3” Stop, Aluminum Construction Finish

[ 4.7 out of 5 stars ](javascript:void(0)) 18,093 ratings

2 Likes

Thanks a lot! I be shoppin’ soon. :star_struck:
Here’s a cleaner link, but the reviews are worth checking out:
https://www.amazon.com/Defender-Security-10827-Door-Reinforcement/dp/B00D2K367Y/

1 Like

Your welcome. :slightly_smiling_face:

The way I see it is 1. Don’t advertise what you have in your house and garage. 2. Make sure you have alarm on all you door and windows. 3 carry in your home because you never know what crazy people are out there. 4. Have your doors strengthen with four screw hinges a good deadbolt and maybe a couple of them.5. Carry your cell phone and call 911 as soon as you know some crazy is trying to break in. These are just 5 suggestions I’m sure that there is more but each house has it special needs. Stay Alert and don’t get Hurt.

6 Likes

Agree! :100:

Defender Security Bronze U 11126 Door Reinforcement Lock - Add Extra, High Security to Your Home and Prevent Unauthorized Entry - 3" Stop, Aluminum Co

My bride ordered from Amazon in 2019…thank goodness they keep records!

1 Like

Claymore mine in the living? I like your style. Maybe a WP grenade as well.

1 Like

The door stop is a good idea. It’s low maintenance and effective.

I have a security door on our front door so I’m not too concerned about that. Our setup is more of a condo. When we first moved in there was a warning on the community flyer to keep your patio doors locked because people were getting on roofs, dropping down to the patio, and breaking in. My neighbor said he had somebody on his roof not that long ago. I put a camera on the patio and my phone generates a loud alarm at night when something is moving on the patio. The side door has a big glass window and opens outward, so doorstop won’t help. Then there’s the glass patio door. Not entirely sure what else to do there.

The patio is definitely the weak point and not sure how else to secure it. Thoughts?

@Jason148 Just a thought. :us: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/home-window-solutions-us/solutions/safety-security/

4 Likes

That’s cool. I imagine that would slow them down a bit. Thanks Bruce.

1 Like

We open the door only for relatives. That removes doubt about bad intentions. A sworn officer knocking at the door would cause me to call PD and verify why he was here, and I can not imagine why one would ever come here unless one of our vehicles was parked on the street illegally, etc.
But yeh, I do not open the door, and my wife and son have been instructed not to do so either. Not family or a known invited guest, no door opening.

As for “time to get to a gun,” my solution to that is, when dressed, there’s one holstered. When in bed, that pistol is on the nightstand next to me. A gun is never more than 5 ft from my reach, ever ever ever.

3 Likes

There’s another angle to this, at least here in Rhode Island.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

Our castle doctrine requires that the intruder had physically broken in or had felonious intent. Breakage from forced entry is much easier to prove than felonious intent.

I try to keep at least two physical controls on every entry point and always keep every door and window locked unless it is actively in use.

This doesn’t make our defense of our use of force a slam dunk, but anyone entering our home without us letting them in has provided us a rebuttable presumption in the system that we were in fear of death or serious bodily harm.

In general, home security should use a defense in depth methodology. You can’t have too many layers. Exterior surveillance, multiple physical controls on every likely entry point, entry sensors, a practiced invasion response plan, self defense tools and training. For when we aren’t home: motion detectors, judicious interior surveillance, professional remote monitoring and safes for the high value targets.

Eventually I’d like to safe-room my bedroom but that’s serious money. All the other layers are relatively affordable these days. Bullet resistant walls, floors and doors cost thousands of dollars.

1 Like

A huge dog bowl!

1 Like

The single best thing you can do at the doors is to replace the 1" screws with 4" screws. The shorter screws that come with door kits go into the jamb, the 4" screws go into the structure.

Spreading any attempts at entry by force across a larger area is a good idea - which is why Door Armor is a good idea. This provides protections at the hinges and at the locking side of the door as well. Cost is under $100 for the complete set and it does an excellent job.

If you have windows in the doors or have sidelights, 3M security film or hurricane windows add an additional level of protection to them as well. They not only have to break the glass but get through the film as well.

As for supplementals. If you own your own home, they have devices which drop into the floor which prevent the door from being opened. This is a more permanent solution than a door stop and provides a higher level of protection.

If you have doors that open out, security hinges are a MUST. Even if you remove the pin (which is often welded in) then the hinges cannot separate.

Hinge pins can be useful as well. These are pins that replace one or more screws on the hinge plate which make the door difficult or nearly impossible to remove.

Next is a good alarm system that uses hidden sensors on the doors to detect when one is opened. Glass breakage sensors help to supplement protections at the windows.

If you really want some incredible ideas I highly recommend reading ‘Secrets of a Super Thief’. He recommends a note that says, “We don’t need cleaning service today. Our son’s pet rattlesnake got loose in the house and we need to catch him before we let anyone else in the house.” or something similar.

Remember that setting ‘traps’ has been proven to be illegal. Particularly those that cause severe harm. Noise is one of the biggest deterrents. Most burglaries happen DURING THE DAY rather than at night. It’s easier to pull up a work truck in front of a home and burglarize it than it is to do in the middle of the night. People tend to be at work during the day so their homes are more vulnerable.

And a good camera system with both visible and hidden cameras is a good idea as they act as a deterrent to thieves. The most difficult thing with committing a crime isn’t doing the crime - it’s getting away with it after the fact. Cameras help to identify those that are committing a crime.

Rambling a bit… but my day job (cybersecurity) makes me a bit paranoid and it rolls into multiple facets of my life. :slight_smile: It’s not paranoia when they really are out to get you. :wink:

2 Likes

You guys are amateurs. We have the rooms so packed out and cluttered that even in the light of day it takes 20 minutes to get from the back study to one of the exits! Good luck to any burglar who tries to get in!

4 Likes

From my understanding it is the wooden frame that breaks and not the hinges?

1 Like

Correct. It is also recommended that you check the screws on the hinge plates, these will be the short ones also, so replace one short screw with a longer one on each plate. :+1:

1 Like

You guys have a lot of good ideas on securing our homes. I know this is a serious issue. I thought I would bring some humor in the mix. I really did this. When I got my first suppressor I had to get the County Sheriff to sign off on it. I asked him since the were liberals putting signs in their front yard saying, This is a gun Free home. I asked him if I put one in my yard and someone broke in and I shot them. Would I be written up for false advertising or bait and switch? He laughed and gave me his business card.

3 Likes

With short screws they pull out or break the door frame. If you replace the short screws with 4" long screws they go through the frame and into the king and/or jack studs that create the opening that the door frame is attached to. In short, instead of the 1/4 frame it’s screwed into the actual structure of the home and is much more difficult to break.

1 Like