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Re:Fake Dog for Home Security by registeredcorn on Wednesday July 27, 2022 @02:40PM (#32254687)
I agree with the majority of your statement, but I would personally shy away from a specific "Monitored by company" sign, because I try to avoid advertising my security procedures. "Oh, they use Y instead of X? Guess I'll need to bring that other device, instead." I suppose a home owner could be really tricky, and just buy the sign for Y, but have a security system for X?

Oh! On a technical note, I was watching a TV show recently (Better Call Saul...?) where someone broke into a persons house undetected. When the home owner found the person and asked how they got in so easily, the person stated that they "Cut the phone line", and that was apparently all it took. Know if there's any truth to that?

Re:Fake Dog for Home Security by actually_a_dog on Wednesday July 27, 2022 @04:44PM (#32256674)
Yes, there is some truth to it. Many older systems communicate with the central station over an ordinary telephone line. More modern systems will use either a cellular communications link or VOIP.

But, the real truth here is that most criminals are pretty unsophisticated and won't even bother cutting phone lines or other cables. Most break-ins also happen through the front door, so, although it sounds great (and it is actually pretty great) to have contact sensors on every window and blanket the whole place with motion detectors, it's not really necessary. If anything, you only really need sensors on the first floor, because in spite of how the movies sometimes depict these sophisticated, cat burgler types, it's mostly just thugs who bash in or take a crowbar to your front door. That's also why advertising exactly what company your security system is from isn't a big deal: they don't care. They see "security system" and just move on to the next house.

Re:Fake Dog for Home Security by registeredcorn on Thursday July 28, 2022 @11:14AM (#32265438)
Interesting! I hadn't considered that. :)
Re:Fake Dog for Home Security by classichasclass on Wednesday July 27, 2022 @03:33PM (#32255603)
Not in this house. The alarm system has a cell connection. By the time you find it, the alarm signal will have already been transmitted.
Re:Fake Dog for Home Security by Thorrez on Friday July 29, 2022 @03:41AM (#32274126)
Would a cell jammer stop it?