Would you trust a smart home security system to protect your home?

Surely, if one’s home network is secure enough for home banking, it’s secure enough for home security. If it’s not secure enough one shouldn’t be using it at all.

You would think that Rob but the “authorities” dont want the public believing it isnt safe as that would affect business , show me the authority that will state in open print that wi-fi/ the Internet / cell-net /is safe ? why do you think the CIA etc use satellite phones connected in highly scrambled data transmissions , as a matter of fact the Chinese are working on a new system that is nearly impossible to snoop on and the West is not happy. Public confidence Rob thats what it is down to. HMG are looking to employ hackers , they have even advertised it , so has the FBI , why ? because the hackers are only minutes behind each new security measure . There were 17 more vulnerabilities in the Windows system that had to be patched as well as a large number in Flash Player, nobody should now be using it ,it is so vulnerable to hacking.

The Metropolitan Police have stated they will NOT respond to normal house alarm systems (type B ) , only type A which requires a special standard and supplied with a code that the Police have accepted which BB normally have installed in business premises . To get the police to call to a premises /home under type B requires a witness who is at the house to phone the police to say that a bugler is in the premises.

And you are having a laugh when saying that the BT home hub is secure. Either that or you don’t know a lot about internet security.
They are slightly more difficult to hack, but don’t take much longer than any other router.

You know what Paul ,you are right , but forget the screws , as someone who grew up in a tough working class area and spent time working in very tough areas , screws are useless , even the police say so. The answer is dome headed BOLTS and inside the shed door the screwed section hammered over to stop any chance of slackening off.

Or simply nuts?

That depends on what you keep in the garden shed Ian , its “BB” for the crooks in my area as they bus themselves into the rural area I live in, from towns 20 miles away . Some were even caught waiting at the local bus stop with big bags of electrical tools and garden implements , Kent online-38 shed break-ins in a week-Herne Bay-Darlington+Stockton Times- 3 sheds on one night get crooks £2000 worth of goods. same all over the UK .

I suspect that the average garden shed needs a lot more than a secure lock, as most can simply be either opened with a screwdriver through a panel or simply lifted onto a wagon, leaving the contents behind for perusal. here were cases of entire sheds being stolen some years ago in Liverpool.

Couldn’t have put it better LTG , all part of Universal surveillance in cooperation with BB (Big business ) USA speeded up by “Globalisation “+ IoT,s .

It is gratifying that you have much concern for your mothers welfare and safety Em2 but you mention a price of £200/annum for -“click to call ” alarm system (monitored ).Can I ask if that is a commercial company , as I have the same for my wife , but because it is Council run ( Regional Council ) it is only £104/annum . If for any reason I as a carer drop dead in the house then my wife presses the button and calls for assistance , social workers are sent out , if they cannot access the house due to my wife,s severe handicapped situation then the police are called and they break the door down . Many OAP,s live alone, isolated from relatives and friends so don’t have the advantage of their children living nearby, every month you must contact their base by pressing a button on the control unit to speak to a controller to make sure you are still alive , if no contact is made the social work get sent out.

@Duncan lucas.

The cost is based on the Age UK personal alarm at £216 per year (inc. VAT) and ignores the £82.80 (inc. VAT) self setup fee. My mother is not disabled or chronically ill, so is not eligible for a VAT rebate.

I am certainly not advocating this as a better solution than those provided as part of a social care package, but as an elective “insurance policy” for my mother who does not yet qualify, I feel it is better value for money in the interim.

As I am sure you and everyone else involve in home care realises, there is no one size fits all in these sometimes changing, sometimes difficult situations. One additional benefit I didn’t highlight is that with the benefit of broadband installed at her house, I can now use my laptop if I need to sleep over to look after her, or help her to make decisions and shop over the Internet (mobile data is terrible there).

And the hinges likewise if they are Tee-hinges with outside fixings as most sheds have.

The best housebreaking tools [like spades] are usually kept in garden sheds. Burglary is bad enough without having your own tools used to break in with. They won’t wake you up – they’ll wait till you’ve gone away. A ladder is a powerful battering ram as well so should also be well-secured with brackets bolted to a wall, strong chains, and heavy duty padlocks.

Hopefully John’s comments don’t result in a rash of burglaries. 🙂

I have replaced door bolts on a building and a shed owned by a charity and was able to see how how insecure they were. It was very useful to take advice from others and that helped me to improve the security of my home and garden.

Every week in our local paper there are two or three reports of garden sheds being easily broken into and articles stolen. They usually seem to be quite high value items like racing bikes or toolsets. Makes you wonder . . .

Hello Laurie, thanks for your comment and for the feedback. To clarify, the image used in the article was not intended to guide our advice to members on home security. We do try and make every effort to use images that reflect the content of our articles, but it’s not always possible. That said, your feedback has been shared with the relevant teams for future consideration when selecting imagery.