What home security do you recommend?

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Conscious that we are the only house on our street without an alarm. Whilst we have very little worth nicking (broken Fisher-Price toys, anyone?) obviously we would rather not have our house picked on as an easy target.

I am totally swamped with choices:

• Stand alone alarm (just makes noise)
• Alarm linked to security company (monthly costs will add up)
• Ring doorbell and camera (not even 100% sure how these work)

What do you have and what do you recommend? Anything you've had that you've regretted?

We’ve got the ring doorbell. It’s good to be able to see who comes to the door, even when you are out. You can pretend you can’t come to the door and speak through it. It’s really useful for deliveries too as you can consent to them leaving it somewhere but it doesn’t confirm that you are out.

If someone was actually breaking in, your options are to either try to scare them off by shouting at them that you have them on video, and/or calling the police. We currently only have it set up at the front so would be no good for rear entry!

We have new good shiny locks (ie don’t try and slip this lock, it won’t work) and a best cam above the front and back doors pointing down the paths (ie you’re already on camera and we’ve had a good look at your face before you’ve got to the door so don’t try anything)

The cameras really seem to put off people selling door to door as a nice added bonus

Thanks - we have pretty good locks on doors and windows I think. We are a new build, so multi-point UPVC doors and windows are standard. I think we just want to look at deterrents against anyone who's desperate enough to try.

We have a yale alarm, not connected to anything, just a noise one, but you can get ones that call you.

And have a ring doorbell and cam, which has an app on your phone you can check, which is why I went for the cheaper yale alarm, I will be able to hear on the ring app if its going off after motion! Ring cameras and doorbell, sit on your WiFi, if they detect motion or if someone rings the doorbell, a notification comes through on your phone showing a live stream, you can pick up and talk to someone (like a delivery person) via it.

Are you friendly with your neighbours? We’re in a new build and there are a fair few security cameras etc but I put far more faith in our lovely, retired NDN asking what on Earth a stranger was doing (he knows DM and DPILs by sight!). We also have nothing worth stealing.

I definitely don't recommend a Labrador. Useless bastard.

We are renting ATM so our choices are fairly limited, however we swapped out the existing doorbell for a Ring - it alerts me of any motion and records it, as well as letting me know that someone is at the door - as PP said, all accessible by app.

I also bought internal cheap plug in CCTV - again accessible by an app - you can set them to alert you to motion, record permanently, and even sound an alarm - think they were in the region of £40 but really work well. Oh and you can operate them by an app so can swivel L-R up and down.

I definitely don't recommend a Labrador. Useless bastard.

I have an actual live in security guard and he's a bit shit, leaves the back door unlocked and all sorts, would not recommend.

The chihuahua on the other hand, a flea could fart half a mile away and she's on the case.

I have a manned alarm service. The response isn’t great to the panic button!
They do act if an entry point and motion detector are both triggered though.
Had a ring, but it didn’t notice me jumping up and down in front of it, so took it back.
The Labrador is great though and scared off 3 men trying to break in before Christmas. Highly recommend him!

Standard house alarm here. And CCTV. We also fenced off the front with a metal fence, harder to climb over!

So a chihuahua is sounding like the best bet currently.

I'm home most of the day, as I work from home, but cars out front (or more precisely lack of cars) on the driveway make it pretty clear when we're not home.

I'm thinking manned response might be over the top but CCTV might be a good deterrent.

I was speaking to the Police about this the other day after 2 burglaries in our street. One was a house with no alarm, and one tiny lamp on a timer in the front of the house, curtains left open. Car was on the drive. The owner admitted to pulling the door shut but not double locking it, and not locking the internal porch door which was left wide open. I don't know about the other house as I don't know which one it was, but there are still houses with older front doors that are easy to pop open with a large screwdriver and it happens a few times a year, for some reason no alarms go off.

Some of the houses are so obviously empty when you walk by. Some people think that the posh alarm system and locks will stop them being broken into, it is not always the case.

The best thing to do is make it look as if someone is home, get an alarm that has a little winking light and make sure you lock everything you can lock. Lights on in various rooms, throughout the day and night and a radio or TV playing near a door or window.

If you are in an area where a Ring doorbell will work they can produce good results, but not everyone has success with them as there is a delay of about 40 seconds before the trigger works. Bear this in mind and make sure you can return it for a refund if it doesn't do the job.

Doberman and a 1911A1, but a tad illegal in UK!

When I first moved over here, I couldn't understand why no one had metal shutters over their windows like we do back home, so the first thing I did was have them installed. They are metal but coated in white upvc.
They are operated by remote control on the windows, but manually on the doors, for safety.
They not only help to keep burglars out, but also the noise and cold in winter and noise and heat in summer.