Home Security Gadgets & Reviews

A garage door monitor is a device that simply lets you know if your garage door has been left open. If you’ve found yours up more than once (hey, it’s easy to forget to push the button when you’re herding kids inside while toting bags full of groceries), then his gadget could make sense from a home security standpoint.

If you have an attached garage that provides access to the house, then you don’t want any old person to be able to walk in from the street and get into your house. Also, you don’t want them to be able to steal your valuables out of the garage.

Most thefts are simply crimes of opportunity, so a garage door monitor can help you ensure your door is never left open, inviting a theft from a random passerby. Knowing you have a monitor like this one can provide peace of mind.

The unit shown here is from Chamberlain, and it’s supposed to be easy to install (no tools required). Just stick it up in the kitchen by the refrigerator, in your bedroom, or in some other area you visit frequently, and you’ll be alerted if your garage door was left open.

Available via Amazon for less than $30:

Chamberlain Garage Door Monitor

We’ve talked about what a good idea secure locking mailboxes are before. In this day and age of identity theft, you have to worry about a lot more than someone swiping a check out of your outgoing mail pile and cashing it. Being the victim of identity theft can do a lot of damage to your finances and credit rating, damage that can take years and lots of hard work to recover from.

So doesn’t it make sense to make sure your mail is secure?

If you have a perfectly good mailbox and don’t want to buy a whole new unit, you can just pick up an insert like the one shown here. It fits into standard mailboxes and makes it so only you and the mailman can get into your box. It looks to be less expensive than replacing your entire mailbox.

http://www.mailboxworks.com

I’m not one to advocate putting fake security company stickers on the windows in hopes of fooling burglars into thinking you have a high speed, professional alarm system installed, but I can certainly understand the allure of paying $3 for some stickers instead of $3,000 for a full-fledged home security system.

If you’re concerned about home security but money is tight, you can get stickers like these from Amazon.com for a couple dollars. I’m not sure how well they actually work, but it is a proven fact that burglars want the easy jobs (who wants to get caught and go to jail and who wants to work harder than necessary?), so if they see these stickers, they may leave your home alone and target a less likely house down the street. If you go for the window stickers, do at least invest in good doors and door and window locks to help protect yourself (and present a solid front for the enemy).

4-Pack of Intermatic Window Stickers

Do you ever forget to close the garage door at night? Then in the morning when you leave for work, it’s sitting there gaping open, and you realize anyone could have walked into your garage (and probably right into your house, if you have an attached garage) any time during the night? Kind of creepy, hunh?

Well, it happens to the best of us. A way to make sure it doesn’t happen to you any more is to get a device such as this automatic garage door closer from SmartHome. The Autocloser-GA has “micro-controller technology, infrared light sensors and advanced software algorithms,” which makes it smart enough to realize when the door is open but you’ve left the area. It will close the door for you, so there’s no need to worry about an absent-minded moment compromising your home’s security. (The gadget comes with a disable button you can use for those times when you intentionally leave the garage door open.)

According to the site, installation is simple (you only need basic tools), so you don’t need a pro to do it for you. The Autocloser-GA costs $70 online:

Automatic Garage Door Closer

Even if you haven’t experienced mail theft in your neighborhood, a secure mailbox just makes sense. Why take chances when you’re mailing out checks? And in this day and age, sometimes all it takes is for someone to snag a piece of your mail to perpetrate identify theft on you. That’s why locking mailboxes are smart ideas in any neighborhood.

Most secure mailboxes don’t look all that attractive though. They tend to be rather industrial and minimalist (nothing more than a stainless steel box that gets mounted on a pole or the side of the house). Fortunately (for those of us who care about curb appeal as well as home security), I found one company that makes stylish and contemporary boxes.

The Mailbox Dr. features custom-made locking mailboxes in a variety of styles. Basically they’ll create whatever you want, so you can get one that perfectly matches the design of your home. Check out the picture gallery on their site for ideas:

http://mailboxmd.com

A driveway alarm or monitor can be a handy device since it chimes when someone drives up to your house or comes up the walkway. It alerts you to a visitor before they’re actually on your doorstep (and if the alarm chimes but no one ever knocks on the door, you can check outside to see if something nefarious is going on). Installing a system can be a bit of a project, however, if it involves running a lot of wires. (Usually there’s the alarm outside and it has to be hooked up to an announcer inside the house somewhere).

This wireless “Driveway Patrol” should make installation simple though. It runs off batteries, so no wiring is required. It’s available from Prevent Security for $25.

If you have a fence that extends all the way around your property, then you’ve likely got to drive through a gate in the front to get to your garage. Let’s hope you’ve got an automatic gate opener, so you don’t have to get out of your car every time you drive home. As important is convenience is, you’ve probably got the fence there for security purposes.

If you do have a fence, it will be the first thing a potential burglar see–it’s your home’s first impression, so to speak. If thieves see that it’s easy to get through your gate, they might reason that it’s easy to get into your house… That’s why it’s important to present a strong front.

If you’re looking for a secure automatic lock, the Mighty Mule Automatic Driveway Gate Lock might do the job. It adds stability as well as security (helping those gates more than 8 feet in length) and comes with a keyed manual release. The horizontal electronic lock combines with an opener system for “maximum security.”

Mighty Mule Automatic Driveway Gate Lock

You can spend a lot of money having someone else install a home security system for you, or you can join the DIY (do it yourself) crowd and install your own system. Home Depot, king of the DIY home improvement movement, has DVDs on numerous topics including this one.

“How Do I? DVD How-To Lessons for DIY Home Projects: Safety & Security” has a title so long one wonders how they fit it on the box but otherwise seems to be filled with good information. The DVD includes walk-throughs and advice for 31 home-security-related projects.

At $10, it’s a lot cheaper than hiring someone to do the work for you (although you’ll still have to buy the system and parts yourself), so if you are handy with tools, this could be the way to go.

http://www.homedepot.com (search for “home security” and you’ll find it)