HD tips for an apt?

[Cavè Canem]

I live in an Apt with my wife. We deadbolt our outside doors 24/7 and lock the bedroom one with we go to sleep. As some of you may know, Apt are not exactly safe or sturdy as far as construction goes. I can pick our bedroom door with a coathanger or a butter knife since the the jam and door are not flush. Since this is an Apt, there really isn't a whole lot that I can do without permission and usually it will be turned down by the Managers anyway. Also, I do not want to spend a whole bunch of money reinforcing my Apt just to move out in a year or two. Im in the military so we move around a lot.

My question is, are there any small items/alarms that a person could get to put around the house to notify me or my wife if someone were to break in? The reason I ask is b/c im a fairly heavy sleeper and it would take someone kicking my door down to wake me up and even then I sometimes sleep through it. I have my weapons close to the bed if need be but they are no good if I dont wake up to use them.

I have seen some items that you can hang on door handles that will sound an alarm is the knob is turned. I was wondering if any of you know of a good place to get these items. I was also wondering if there is such a thing as a battery operated (in case the power goes out) motion sensors that you can put in various places to wake us if something should happen like a window being pried open or broken.

We have no children or pets to that is not a problem.

Any and all info/tips will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rovert]

Cave, just a suggestion - if your wife is a normal or light sleeper, perhaps you want to get her comfortable with shooting, and buy something for her. If anything happens the bang from her gun will wake you up, and you can take it from there.

 

[stick]

Sounds like your main concern is robbery/home invasion. Without knowing a layout and location (ground or upper floor) here's a few ideas.

1) Brace your exterior door(s). You can buy (or make) a brace that works much like sliding a chair under the door knob. Typically the top has a "U" shape to jam under the knob, the base has a "non-skid" plate about 6" in diameter and a stout shaft. In the event your door is kicked, some of the force is transfer to the floor. It will buy a few more blows than just the deadbolt.

2) Widows and sliding glass door. Place a dowel in the window track. Optimum length is such that the dowel can barely fit in the track with the window closed. Also keep the diameter small enough to keep half of the diameter blow the top of the track. This keeps it from jumping out when the frame is struck. Tape a short piece of string to the wall side (opposite the window) of the dowel so you can lift it out easily.

3) Alarms. Check out "Pool Monitors for Kids". These are the things people with swimming pools put on the back door that shreiks when the door is opened letting mommy/daddy know the young one is headed out. Works off a magnetic contact switch.

Don't forget you know the place better than the hostile. Strategic clutter is useful. Tripping over a coffee table or magazine rack is rather distracting and noisey.

 

[gryphon]

They also make door stop sirens. These little babies shriek like mad when a door is pushed against them. They also help keep the door from opening, so it gives you a little time to assess and arm yourself if need be.

Also agree with what everyone else said too.

 

[blades67]

HD tips for an apt?

Don't miss.

Get a good dog.

 

[Cavè Canem]

Thanks for the tips. We are on the ground floor (Not my choice) and yes im worried about home invasion/robbery. Im majoring in Criminal Justice in college so I see a lot of crimes where people break in then beat the husband to death and rape the wife. These things worry me so I am trying to come up with ideas on how to help prevent it. I think I might do the door stop and dowel in the window. Those are fairly common and good ideas. I should slap myself for not thinking of them.

My wife is already a good shot but doesn't really care for firearms so she chooses not to learn about them no matter what I do. She can load my pistols (slowly) and I just recently taught her how to load my shot gun but im sure she forgot already.

My wife has asthma and wants to wait for a bigger place or a house before we look at getting a pet so a dog is out for now. We intend on getting a Boxer (I want a Rottie but she is afraid of them).

For the most part I was worried about people coming in the windows but the dowels should fix that problem and if they break the glass, I hope the wife hears it. Oh yeah, she can be a heavy sleeper too, not nearly as deep as myself though. Ill check on those pool alarms, they sound like what I am looking for.

Thanks for the tips and if you can think of anymore, please post them.

Thanks again.

 

[blades67]

A Standard Poodle (not the mini-dustmops) would make an excellent dog for your asthmatic spouse. They are the concealed weapon of the canine world. They're smarter than Rottweilers, bite like Rin-Tin-Tin, don't shed and they don't look like your average Personal Protection Animal. If I couldn't have a Doberman, I'd take a Standard Poodle.

I was a professional dog trainer for eight years before getting into emergency medicine and health care.

 

[ENC]

Get a rottweiller mixed with a red heeler.

Nice freindly loving family dog smart as hell ten times tougher (not meaner) mine loves to bark at intruders (live in the country) though they are usually varmits. She will start to bark and then run to the back door and shut up. She knows that that is where I will come from armed and ready. Then we sweep the area together. I think alot of times she does it for the attention. But once she was right on. Since then I don't hesitate

 

[Zundfolge]

Here's a site with some apartment type alarms (don't know anything about the company)
http://www.guarddog.net


Also, make sure you take into account the best positions to fire at an intruder from that endanger your neighbors the least. You don't always get to choose when and where you will have to shoot an intruder, but it's something that should be in the back of your mind...if you miss and take out the old lady next door that would suck (unless you don't like her or something )

 

[Cavè Canem]

Funny you should say that Zundfolge b/c I hate my upstairs neighbor. We are on the end so i really only have him and one side neighbor to worry about but with the positioning of my door, neither would be in danger of a stray bullet.

Thanks for the advice on the dog breeds, we will look into that.

Thanks to all for the advice so far!