I was a bit bemused by the idea that anyone would even consider putying up a sign informing thieves about the exact sort of alarm system being used-- maybe it's just to ensure that only high-class thieves that can afford powerful 2-way radios would break into your home (I mean, does anyone say, "I wouldn't want any of that low-class trash robbing me-- I want only upper-class badguys!"?)
The research about what thieves avoid is interesting, especially since "monitored burglar alarms" is at the very top, way above "weapons in home" (of course, the study only included robbers who had been caught-- we don't know about the more skilled or lucky ones)). Given that fact, the LaserShield does seem like an inexpensive way of keeping at least a large percentage of thieves from robbing your house.
Of course, the only way that a monitored alarm will deter burglars from trying to break into your house is if you have a sign or stickers saying that you have a monitored system (the signs needn't specify which system, to avoid 2-way radios). Given the research cited, there's something even cheaper than the LaserShield, though.
Just put up some nice, professional-looking 'monitored alarm' warning signs, and if you want to get fancy maybe a little box with a battery-powered flashing red LED that can be seen through a window. It'll cost you maybe $20. The amateurs will hit your neighbor's house instead (why risk the monitored alarm?)-- the real pros will get through any alarm you've got, if they want to badly enough, or else go in (ignoring the siren), grab the computer and wide-screen TV, and be gone before the cops get there anyway.
As long as we're only keeping out the amateurs, the teenages punks, and the whacked-out looking for something to pawn for drugs, the plain sign seems as effective as anything else, and is certainly the cheapest way to go!
The Triumph proved to be one of the better looking and performing pre-paid handsets we'd had the pleasure of holding in our sweaty mitts, but we had one major hangup: the name.
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I was a bit bemused by the idea that anyone would even consider putying up a sign informing thieves about the exact sort of alarm system being used-- maybe it's just to ensure that only high-class thieves that can afford powerful 2-way radios would break into your home (I mean, does anyone say, "I wouldn't want any of that low-class trash robbing me-- I want only upper-class badguys!"?)
The research about what thieves avoid is interesting, especially since "monitored burglar alarms" is at the very top, way above "weapons in home" (of course, the study only included robbers who had been caught-- we don't know about the more skilled or lucky ones)). Given that fact, the LaserShield does seem like an inexpensive way of keeping at least a large percentage of thieves from robbing your house.
Of course, the only way that a monitored alarm will deter burglars from trying to break into your house is if you have a sign or stickers saying that you have a monitored system (the signs needn't specify which system, to avoid 2-way radios). Given the research cited, there's something even cheaper than the LaserShield, though.
Just put up some nice, professional-looking 'monitored alarm' warning signs, and if you want to get fancy maybe a little box with a battery-powered flashing red LED that can be seen through a window. It'll cost you maybe $20. The amateurs will hit your neighbor's house instead (why risk the monitored alarm?)-- the real pros will get through any alarm you've got, if they want to badly enough, or else go in (ignoring the siren), grab the computer and wide-screen TV, and be gone before the cops get there anyway.
As long as we're only keeping out the amateurs, the teenages punks, and the whacked-out looking for something to pawn for drugs, the plain sign seems as effective as anything else, and is certainly the cheapest way to go!