I was thinking of buying some ADT or another company’s security stickers as an additional deterrent - or at least cause a potential burglar to look closer and see the motion sensors and door contacts.
I’m assuming a brand name security sticker is better than a generic - thoughts?
I’ve been a very firm believer for many years that the most effective component of an ADT security system is the sign they stick in the front yard. You can buy them online cheap.
I think using another company’s sign is a Trademark and/or Copyright infringement.
Lowes IRIS sells signs and stickers by themselves, so those seem fully legal.
This is been discussed from time to time in the forums. A lot just depends on your own neighborhood. In some places the signs are a deterrent. In other places so many people are known to buy just the sign that it tends to not make any difference.
Amazon carries a whole bunch of different generic signs and decals. I think the most effective ones are probably the ones that say “24 hour video recording in progress.” Because those signs are required by law in some states and I think they are often taken more seriously than just the generic “security” ones.
Previous discussion here:
It wouldn’t touch on Trademark or Copyright infringement for personal home use. This only applies to commercial infringement, where as a commercial entity is profiting from the use of said trademark.
Well… I’m not a lawyer, but my intuition tells me that I think the major alarm companies (ADT, etc.) have some objections to the practice, but perhaps they just go after the printers, not users.
My concern is that XFinity, ADT, etc., browse neighborhoods and can easily identify “fakers” … I just have no idea if they do anything about it.
If there’s not infringement risk, then … by all means … I’d recommend replicating the most reliable company you can think of (ADT?).
I wonder if there may also be Permit issues in some Cities. In many cities you need to have a permit to have an alarm system (again, rules vary greatly). So putting up a sign may or may not be a violation, or may trigger an inquiry from an inspector.
Buy a real ADT sign from Ebay. Cannot possibly be infringment. They printed the darn thing.
I also own books printed by major publishers, I have bought on ebay second hand. I can have them in my front yard as well.
No legal issue.
As for security… My understanding is that multiple studies show ( you need to google to confirm or refute) - that a security systems effectiveness is derived from the following:
Distant 3rd - the response. By the time the cops come or you are able to personally respond it’s too late.
And this is all very intuitive anyway. Even if your sign is suspect - are they going to break into yours or your neighbor who doesn’t have a sign or system?
Unless someone is targeting you specifically.
if you have a sign that says “Protected By ADT” and it deters a would-be intruder, then your home was indeed protected by ADT!! How can that company dispute that?? lol
I have the sign and the decals (not ADT, but another major company). My windows have visible sensors. That alone should deter all but the stupidest burglars. Oh, and that sign is giving that company free publicity. A win-win.
This one seems to be a good deterrent…
I love it!
My father was a bit of a character, especially as he got older and gave less of a damn. He had signs like this all over.
I wouldn’t use them in my HOA neighborhood however, doesn’t do well for keeping friendly with neighborhood types. Which is important right now as I have a child to raise and socialize, etc…
But once I am at a point I build a place outside of a neighborhood, I will have these types for sure.
I think that one is good, but it gives the impression that there is something worth stealing (a handgun) if no one is home.
Exactly. Guns are stolen all the time. Signs like that might make the owner feel macho, but they are less effective than a regular security sign and alarm system.
Based on research with people who have been convicted for burglary (because people who haven’t been convicted usually aren’t talking about their methods 
)
And remembering that many of these burglaries are impulsive and driven by drug or alcohol addiction, and that the thief would probably be happy if they found $100 in cash.
The factors that will most likely to stop someone from this group intending burglary from actually entering a presumably empty house were, in order of deterrent value:
One) an audible siren
Two) a visible or barking dog
Three) visible cameras
entry visible to the street ( Motion sensitive lights apply here)
prominent professional window stickers (Company name didn’t matter)
Yard signs don’t even make the top 10 because most of these would-be burglars don’t appear to notice them or if they do they don’t care about them.
The problem with all this research, of course, is that it doesn’t include the professional sober burglars who case specific targets, sometimes for a couple of weeks in advance. These almost always rely on knowledge of probable valuables. These are the ones who work off of wedding announcements or sales reports or even information from babysitters and cleaning services. But then they also tend to hit affluent neighborhoods where almost everybody has an alarm system anyway. And those houses probably aren’t Using DIY security.
Research also shows that people that advertise an alarm system also have something to protect and therefore may be worth a go.
This is interesting. I want to add external cameras, but I want them to be hidden. I am hesitant to have them unless they blend in really well - I think neighbors in my area my think creep thoughts about noticeable cameras.
I have external cameras. Mine are reasonably hidden, not obvious to the passerby, but impossible to completely conceal without losing visibility or clarity (or at least that has been my experience).
I dump the data to a NAS with motion activated clips saved to the cloud.
Interestingly, my neighbor across the street has a kid that gets bullied a bit. Other kids mess with their house or his car. One day the police stopped by and asked if I could look at my cameras and see if I caught anything. They wanted a clip of the video. Big brother knew I had them.
For me, mostly I’ve found a random raccoon, deer, or animal from a nearby farm loose in the yard. But, I have them more as a deterrent, provided they’re smart enough to understand the concepts of the internet and the cloud and that I will have their image or maybe even a license plate number.
Frankly… I’m more afraid of outside cameras getting stolen than my house getting burgled.
Really? I can’t imagine anyone stealing the cameras at my place. Just the HOA soccer moms thinking it’s weird. Which, I wish I didn’t care but I do. I have a child to raise and socialize.
I understand, and again issue is that there are many different types of burglars.
The impulsive drug addict repeat thief who is the one most likely to be participating in the research because they were caught and are in someplace where they may be rewarded for participating doesn’t typically want to steal the cameras themselves because they’re not sure what They’ll get for selling them.
And "visible "in the scenarios doesn’t mean visible from the street. It means the thief saw the camera before they got all the way in the house. Just like the audible siren.
But pros don’t like cameras either because presumably their image will be captured before they actually stole the camera.
As far as the “advertising that you have a security system makes you a more likely target” again, there are different types of thieves. The impulsive drug addict thieves don’t like the idea of alarm system. Professional thieves generally expect them and have a plan for dealing with them. And are often targeting neighborhoods where most of the targets have them.
The most unpredictable group are the thrill seekers. This is the only “harmless” group that may intentionally choose a House where people are home. That is, they are going to enter the house but try to avoid people. This group often finds the idea of a security system more exciting. They are also often very young and not stealing anything valuable, so they don’t always get put in jail even if they’re caught.
When I was in high school a friend of mine had a younger brother who was about 13 and he and his friends had A “game” where they would try to sneak into houses of people that they knew and take something to prove that they had been there, most often a video game controller. It was really stupid and they were lucky none of them got hurt. I don’t remember exactly how many of them there were but it was more than three. They had a rule that nobody could use a lookout, either. Total idiots. But one of the things they did steal was security system yard signs.
Then how can you imagine someone breaking into your place? i.e., why do you need an alarm system and cameras?
I’m just saying that if I put cameras outside my home, they would be he easiest and most valuable thing to steal! (Well… other than the rare aloe collection).