Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Security

I. A CLOSER LOOK AT HOME (IN) SECURITY. 1. Why You Need a Home Security Plan. Somebody Call a Cop! It Won't Happen to Me! Isn't That Why I Have Insurance? Reducing Your Insurance Premium. What Insurance Can Do for You. How Much Is Your Home Security Plan Worth? 2. Principles of Protection. A Quick Sketch of Crime. Crime Is a Three-Way Street. Think Like a Crime-Stopper. Do I Smell Smoke? Only You Can Prevent Most House Fires. Think Fire-Free. Strong Threads in Your Security Net. 3. Home Security Snafus. Is There a Burglar in the House? Case Study #1: A Get-Away for Victim and Crook. Case Study #2: We Have New Stuff! Case Study #3: The Check Was in the Mail. Case Study #4: That Darn Cat! Playing with Fire. Case Study #5: I Think I'll Smoke for a While. Case Study #6: I Like My Kitchen Well-Done, Thanks. Case Study #7: Kids Love Fire. Case Study #8: Look up in the Sky! It's Handyman! Say Goodbye to Your Car. Case Study #9: I Was Just Warmin' It Up for You! Case Study #10: Can I Take You for a Ride? Not in Your Backyard, Eh? II. RISKY BUSINESS. 4. Calculating Your Risks. Is This Really Necessary? Do-It-Yourself Assessment. Stage 1: Fact-Finding, Sleuthing, and "Neighboring". Stage 2: Analyzing the Facts. Stage 3: A Good, Hard Look at Your Weaknesses. What Do You Stand to Lose? People vs. Things. Is It Replaceable? The High Price of Worry. Is That a Risk You Have to Take? Say Bye-Bye to That Risk. Encouraging Risk Sprawl by Spreading Risk Around. From Me to You: Transferring Risks. Accepting the Risks That You Can't (or Choose Not to) Lose. 5. Pulling Together the Facts. How to Fill Out the Checklists. How Safe Is Your Neighborhood? Look Around Your Neighborhood. Check the Police Blotter, and Chat Over the Fence. How Safe Is Your Home or Apartment? The Great Outdoors. Down on the Farm. Inside Your Castle. How Safe Is Your Lifestyle? And Now What. 6. Grade Your Public Safety Agencies. Tracking Down Your Local Agencies. Local, County, and State Police Agencies. What's Cooking at Your Local Fire Station. Useful Utilities Information. Emergency Help Is on the Way. 7. What Your Assessment Reveals. Putting a Face on Your Security Risks. Your Neighborhood Risks. Your Home or Apartment Risk Assessment. Your Lifestyle, Baby! What Are My Risks? Adding Up Crime Risks and Susceptibilities. Adding Up Fire Risks and Susceptibilities. Adding Up Your Susceptibility to Accidents. How Much Can You Lose? What's the Worst That Could Happen? How Good Are the Rescuers? Adding It All. Bam! Your List of Must-Fix Security Issues Is Ready. III. HOME SECURITY DOESN'T HAVE TO BREAK THE BANK. 8. Calculating Your Security Budget. Options for Reducing or Eliminating the Risks You Face. Stay on Your Side of the Fence, Please. The Classics: Locks, Bolts, Pins, and Titanium. Alarm Systems and Other Hoopla. For a Really Moving Security Experience. Somebody's Watching You. Step Away from the Car! In Your Own Estimation. Price Check. Don't Forget the Savings! Security in the Balance. 9. Fast, Easy, Cheap Crime-Fighting Basics. Your First Layer of Security. Neighborhood Security Shape-up. Minimum (Cost) Security at Home. I'm Cheap-but Safe! And While You're at It...! 10. Low-Cost Commonsense Fire Safety Techniques. The Fireproof Hearth and Home. The Great Detectors. Planning Your Great Escape. 11. Be Your Own Bodyguard. Everyday Security Smarts. A Word About Self-Defense. Home-Alone Security. Mind the Baby Sitter! Home-Away-from-Home Security. Before You Leave. On the Road (or in the Air). To Rage, or Not to Rage? That's a Question? 12. Your Name Here : Branding Your Stuff. So, What Do You Want to Record? Take a Picture, Why Don'tcha? Taking the Photos. Putting Together Your Photo Record. Beware, the Mark of ME! Make Those Lists! 13. Stir It Up: Start a Neighborhood Crime Watch. Count the Ways Neighborhood Watch Helps You. Get Things Going. Your First Meeting. Things to Watch For. Keep the Ball Rolling. 14. What's Left to Do? The Way We Were. How Hot Are Your Fire Security Fixes? What Does Your New List Tell You? Ready to Take It to the Next Level? IV. BELLS AND WHISTLES: USING ALARM SYSTEMS. 15. The Shocking Truth About Security Alarms. All in the Family: Alarm Basics. The Four Horsemen. The Parts Department. Some Sensational Add-Ons! Hard-Wired or Wireless? Would You Like Monitoring with That? You're Ready to Design Your System. 16. Choosing Your Alarms and Diversions. Choosing Your Components. Eliminating Windows (and Doors) of Opportunity. I Second That Motion Detection. Do You Need an Exterior Alarm System? Above and Beyond. Security by Design. A Zoned Defense. Get Out Your Floor Plan. Calling in the Pros. 17. Do-It-Yourself Alarm Systems. Using Your System Design. Getting in the Zone. Untangling the Wireless Installation. A Few Basic Tools. Everything in Its Place: Siting the System Console. Installing the Console. Installing the Window/Door Sensors. Installing a Wireless Motion Detector. Installing Other Wireless Components. Hard-Wiring Made Easy. Get Your Tools Ready. Work from Your System Design Floor Plan. Wire It Up! Check Your Wiring, as You Go. Wiring in the Sensor Switches. Installing the Control Panel. Installing Magnetic Door/Window Switches. Installing a Motion Detector. Installing Panic Alarms. Installing and Programming Your Telephone Dialer. Installing Strobes, Sirens, and So On. A Little Troubleshooting on the Side. V. I'VE GOT AN EYE ON YOU, BABE! SETTING UP HOME SURVELLIENCE. 18. Smile, You're on Hidden Camera! Looking at Video Surveillance from Both Sides. What Your Video Surveillance System Can Do for You. What Video Surveillance Can Do to You. Is Surveillance for You? What's It Gonna Cost Me? Wireless Component Prices. A Brief Look at Hard-Wired Component Prices. Even Big Brother Needs an Attorney. 19. Installing That Eye in the Sky. Is This a Do-It-Yourself Project for You? A VSS Installation Glossary. Installing a Wireless System. Figuring Out Your System's Point of View. Installing the System. Connecting the Components. Special Concerns for Outdoor Installations. Hooking Up a Nanny-Cam. Recording What Your System Sees. An Eye Toward the Future. VI. PUTTING A LID ON OTHER ISSUES IN HOME SECURITY. 20. Here Comes the Judge! A Homeowner's Rights of Protection. Let's Be Reasonable About This. Citizen's Arrest! Citizen's Arrest! Man Traps, Booby Traps, and Other Ways to Get into Trouble. You Need to Know a Bit About Premises Liability. Limiting Your Risk of Liability. It's a Dog-Eat-Dog World. Some Parting Thoughts on Judgment-Good and Bad. 21. I Love My Car: Guarding Against Vehicle Theft. What Are You Protecting Your Car From? Chop, Borrow, and Steal. Alarm It! Some Physical Deterrents. If You Can't Stop the Theft, You Might Catch the Thief. Don't Forget These "Don't Steal My Car" Basics. 22. When Bad Things Happen to Good Security Plans. First Things First. What to Do if a Fire Breaks Out. After a Burglary or Theft. Be an Evidence Preservationist. Be Sure About Insurance. Talk to Your Neighbors. Can Lightning Strike Twice? Prosecution Without Persecution. VII. APPENDIXES. Appendix A: Glossary. Appendix B: Resources. Index.