Okay folks, let me break down my whole burglar alarm sign experiment. See, my neighbor Mike got his shed busted into last month – tools gone, lock snapped like a twig. Got me thinking: how do I keep my place safe without spending big bucks?
The Whole Backyard Setup
First off, I skipped the actual alarm system install. Didn’t wanna drop hundreds just yet. Instead, went down to Harbor Freight and grabbed two cheap plastic signs. Bright yellow, says “24HR SURVEILLANCE” in big red letters. Honestly looked kinda tacky, like dollar store quality. Stuck one right next to my front doorbell – eye level where anyone walking up can’t miss it. Slapped the other one on the back fence facing the alley. Used zip ties for that one since the ground was rocky.
The Waiting Game
Left things normal for about a week – car keys on the porch table, couple packages delivered. Zero reaction. But here’s the twist: I started telling my regular delivery guy, old Carl, about my “new security upgrade.” Said it real loud when handing him his tip. “Yeah man, got the cameras hooked up last Tuesday!” Wanted word to spread locally, see?
Also bought a cheap dummy camera off eBay for $8. Plastic junk with a fake blinking red light. Mounted it crooked above the garage door where it’d be visible from the street. Total setup cost? Under fifteen bucks.
When Weird Stuff Went Down
Two weeks in, woke up to my trash cans tipped over on Tuesday morning. Found footprints near the back gate but none near the house. Then Wednesday – this is wild – some dude was just standing in the alley staring at my fake camera sign for like ten minutes. Saw him through my kitchen window wearing a hoodie. He kept looking up at that dummy camera, then back at the fence sign, before just walking away real quick.
But the real test came when Mike’s place got hit AGAIN last Friday. His kids’ bikes stolen right off their patio. My place? Not a single scratch. Even left my ladder out overnight near the shed – thing was untouched.
What I Figured Out
- Burglars are lazy as hell. They’ll always pick the easiest target – signs tell them your place ain’t it.
- The trick is making it look legit. Had to drill that fence sign deep so it didn’t blow sideways in the wind. Nobody trusts crooked security signs.
- Word-of-mouth helps! That UPS guy Carl? Turns out he mentioned my “cameras” to three other guys on his route.
- Signs work best as psychological armor. That hoodie dude probably thought my setup was real because I bothered putting multiple warnings up.
So yeah, do signs work? Hell yes – if you make them look like part of a bigger system. It’s like poker: bluff strong and they’ll fold every time. Saved me a fortune on real cameras… for now.