light fingered porch pirates.. how do you keep stuff secure?

[marmalade]

As per the topic, I seem to be on a roll starting threads lately


Some have quite an investment sitting on their front lawns, and we've all heard stories of things disapearing overnight. Most thieves would be casing out the display whilst it's going and then have a pretty good idea on what they want and how best to get it.


So what measures have you guys taken to combat this?


I'm installing temporary security lighting on the side fences (to cover everything) and a temp wifi camera. And staking the expensive stuff in with spiral ground anchors.


I had contemplated electrified barbed wire and a man trap but wife said it would detract from the pleasantries of the display


Ideas/experiences?

 

[the grinch]

Haha yes luckily touch wood havent had trouble for years now but we temporarily fence off front yard for the period and any valuables get padlocked or taken in each night . Was suggested by electricity bill man today he recommended barb wire dipped in holy water lol . My concern generally is vandalism but hasnt been a problem for many years seems the youths have grown up and left suburb until next generation I suppose . also have many security signs as warning friend is alarm tech so was handy sensor lights also and my wife sleeps with one eye open . Spiral ground anchors what are they mate sounds interesting and where do you get them ?

 

[scamper]

I have a 3 foot wire fence sitting on top of a 2 foot rock wall that surrounds most of my front yard. So I am reasonable secure for the most part when it comes to vandals.
The power supplies and controllers that are out in the yard are mostly attached to fixed objects in steel box's with key locks the same as you get on arcade machines and the like. So if they were to attempt to get anything, they would be there long enough to show there face on the security camera's I have out the front.


Hmmm. paranoid much :

 

[marmalade]

vandalism!? Luckily we don't have many local teens that would be considered feral.



Spiral pegs... I have a few of these for my arches under construction, almost impossible to pull out and pretty cheap as well. Or just screw them right into the ground and use a bike cable lock around stuff


https://www.bunnings.com.au/whites-outdoor-280mm-spiral-tent-peg_p3321426


either that or a big block of concrete wrapped up as a present

 

[i13]

I've also been lucky but I added CCTV anyway.

CCTV would let you watch the problem unfold but it won't stop it happening. You can add sensor lights or trip wires that set off buzzers.

Not sure where I read this but one way to make an anchor point is to separately hammer in two star droppers and then padlock them together. Haven't tried it but it sounds secure.

 

[Sluggo Doug]

Hi all, i had this problem last year ripped out wires on purpose on the fence :'( . Thought OK can fix, do some soldering and heat shrink . But no such luck the wires had shorted and fried the the controller chips. So have 2 strings Just dinging them back out today and see if i can build something to use them elsewhere.Really makes you want to throw it in, But the Happy people make it worth while .Unless it happens too often. Decided to install a security camera they are cheap now days and with luck have evidence.

 

[marmalade]

That really sucks Doug! A good reason to have inline fuses.


There's also the probability of parents with little kids wanting to play with the lights/cables.. actually this is our biggest worry as we have no front fencing, just a lawn. Was thinking of a temp garden bed type fence around the perimeter but it's quite expensive! You end up almost having to spend as much on protecting the display as the display itself lol

 

[Sluggo Doug]

Hi ,Marmalade .Yeah i live on the main road Warrago Highway around the corner from a pub so that's probably the source of the problem ,3am Full of pi$$ they came in the yard to tear up wires so i started to turn them off on the timer about 12.30am. Been a one off so far so we will see lol. now looking into stepping up to more programing stuff watching a few videos on that ,lots to learn for next year lol . Wealth of information here .

 

[scamper]

There's also the probability of parents with little kids wanting to play with the lights/cables.. actually this is our biggest worry as we have no front fencing, just a lawn. Was thinking of a temp garden bed type fence around the perimeter but it's quite expensive! You end up almost having to spend as much on protecting the display as the display itself lol

I got around this problem by using some rope lights on poles to completely block off the front lawn.
The first year I had kids running under the mega tree trying to use is as a maypole and with all the wiring I was worried someone would get hurt or damage the cabling. So ever since it is fenced off with props.

 

[OzAz]

great idea scamper, have you got a photo of that?


I will have my 4 arches in front of the front wall of the property, so I'm going to need someway to stop people touching them. The other good thing with your idea is I guess you could leave the rope light lit all night as a further deterrent.

 

[scamper]

great idea scamper, have you got a photo of that?

I actually use the reindeer as part of the fence, then the rope lights. I have the arches that people can come in and look around and then there is blowups behind the little bollards.
I forgot that I changed it last year. it was the year before i had more rope lights, but we added 2 more reindeer last year.

 

[dennismc]

I got some screw anchors and use vinyl covered stranded wire cable with crimp-on clamps to fasten it to the screw anchor on one end and expensive fixtures on the other. It'll slow someone down if they try to grab something.


Dennis the Menace

 

[marmalade]

Doug, I sympathise, having lived not far from 2 pubs recently... that certainly sounds like a challenge!


Scamp you are a genius! Gonna dig out the old boxes of bigw lights today. What did you use for posts?

 

[scamper]

Scamp you are a genius! Gonna dig out the old boxes of bigw lights today. What did you use for posts?

Last year I used the fence post and there is a pole that I concreted a sleeve in the ground and I put it up to attach wires for overhead strobes and the like. I also run a firework up it.
The year before I just used star pickets and strung lights and tinsel between them.

 

[OzAz]

from another forum - a warning