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Homeowners Turn to Technology to Help Thwart Thieves
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Once designed for commercial use, now many manufacturers are making models for homes.
Artemis Solutions Group's BioCert Guardian XL biometric door lock runs on battery power and can store fingerprints for up to 30 users. It's available for $189.
The unit should be used in areas of the house that are not exposed to extreme moisture, like an interior door leading to the garage, said Artemis chief executive James Childers.
"We actually have a lot of people that are using it for securing the master suite inside the house and outside in condominiums," Childers said.
Alarm systems and souped up doors may still not bar a determined prowler. What then?
Experts recommend homeowners have a safe bolted to the floor in which to keep their jewelry, key personal documents and other valuables.
Safe technology hasn't changed much in the last 50 years, said Jim Riccardi, who handles East Coast sales for Gardall Safe Corp.
But now there are models with biometric sensors instead of combination keys, for example.
How much safe do you need?
"Safes are similar to an insurance policy," Riccardi said. "The more you spend, the more protection you're going to get."
Still, for the average homeowner, an old-fashioned mechanical turn-dial or push-button safe will do. Gardall's 1812/2-G-C model, for example, is about $740.
Riccardi recommended at least five working bolts -- including some on the side where the door meets the hinge -- and a bolt so it can be anchored to the floor.
Santamorena said homeowners can employ other measures to dissuade the casual burglar.
In addition to putting indoor lights on a timer when you're out of the house, also put the television or a radio on the timer and set it to go off during the course of the day.
One inexpensive way to dupe burglars into thinking someone's home when they're not is the Fake TV. The device flashes intermittently, simulating the light output of a television. It retails for about $31.
