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SimpliSafe is one security system that does not require a landline phone. There is phone service at the intersection about 100 yards away. I have not had a hardline phone in 10 years and if I have to get one just for a security system I will use SimpliSafe again.
It has it's on wifi connection to cell towers. When I first got it there was problems until they sent me another sim card for another carrier. I can't remember if it was AT&T or Verizon. It has worked for us being I have set it off a few times. I had a camera, motion detectors, door/window sensors and a smoke alarm which is required for a 10% insurance discount. To view the camera via my phone/tablet/laptop while on trips I had to have internet service which I had.
When I first started this thread I was looking for updated ideas on what people do now days for security. Right now SimpliSafe may be my best option. I can install the equipment myself and I can have it monitored for a reasonable fee.
IMHO, we humans are at the top of the food chain, and most woodland critters fear us and want no part of human interaction. That being said, we always need to be careful around wildlife, especially depending on where one lives - polar bears still see humans as a tasty treat, stepping on a poisonous snake or wasp nest is never a good idea, a rutting deer or elk will seriously ruin your day, and the last thing I'd want to encounter in the brush is an ill-tempered boar. But using common sense and awareness of one's surroundings can mitigate many of these encounters; my own fear is walking around the property at night and spooking a skunk (I'm currently in a suburb, but we had rural property growing up). Most people don't live within a thousand miles from the nearest polar bear.
Which leaves the "real" danger to humans - other humans. Which is a contradiction in terms, because other humans are also what keeps us safe from harm - who do you call when your house is on fire, after you step on a wasp nest, when your kid is having trouble breathing in the middle of the night, or when your car breaks down on the side of the road? So the trick is knowing how to identify and protect yourself from the dangerous ones, while not alienating the like-minded and helpful ones. Mindlessly slinging shots through the darkness because you hear a branch crack, especially when neighbors' homes are well within range of one's weapons, is never a good idea. So, firearms need to be a "last line of defense" thing, never the first. The last thing I'd do is holler "I have a gun" when scared. Let a predator realize that you were armed when they're loading him into the bambilance, but only after he's broken through your door, blood-sucking lawyers are worse than a drunk who thinks he's at his house instead of yours at midnight, or worse yet, your husband coming in later than expected. There are a LOT of videos online that will teach you how to set up defensive positions and build a mindset for dealing with people of bad intent, check out "Active Self Protection" and "Massad Ayoob" on YouTube. But being paranoid is also a danger, the vast majority of people do NOT have bad intentions, you just need to be prepared for those who do. https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=JGe_G3HDKFQ.
Dogs are always a good idea, but mostly as early-warning and deterrence, many dogs are only an Oscar Mayer away from making best friends with Mr. Stranger Danger. I don't want a bright light directly over my porch, I would prefer lighting to illuminate the perimeter of the property and backlight any intruders, and provide a better chance for the homeowner to maintain their night vision. Plus, lights attract bugs, whoever put the porch light right above my back door needs to be kicked in the nads, whenever I come in at night, a bunch of gnats follows me indoors. You don't need to read the newspaper when outdoors at night, only be able to recognize silhouettes and moving objects, the moon will do this on most nights in places like Wisconsin, especially if there's snow on the ground. I remember walking back to the house from the local watering hole in central WI at 2 AM once, hearing something above my head, looking up and seeing the biggest bird I've ever seen, in or out of the zoo, circling maybe thirty or forty feet above me - Gramps said it was likely a "Sea Eagle", never saw one since.
Which brings up probably the most important point - ask most cops, and they'll tell you that "Nothing good happens after midnight". Whether in the city or rural areas, the Bad Guys come out at night, and mostly where they serve booze. Darkness serves as cover, and horned-up young guys are NOT out there to help old ladies across the street at 0-dark-thirty, so avoiding them eliminates a lot of opportunity. A closed gate across your driveway with a "No trespassing" sign surely can't hurt. Harden your entry doors such that a Bad Guy can't get in without making a lot of noise and take extra time to do so, allowing you to clear the cobwebs and prepare.
Sun Tzu said, "When weak, appear strong, and when strong, appear weak". Think that through, and make friends with the idea. My preference would be to appear meek to my friends, and at the same time have the ability to lull truly dangerous predators into a circumstance where they will soon regret their Bad Life Choices. The thing you always need to remember, is that human predators always set the time and place for an ambush, "surprise" is always on their side. But at the same time, most people manage to make it through life without any kind of significant and violent conflict, even most cops make it through their careers without ever firing their weapons. And that should always be our goal, as well.
The place we live in the city (200,000 pop.) has never been broken into. The rural place I had in the most sparsely populated county in the state at the time was broken into once and miscellaneous bits of property often disappeared. Country folk aren’t scared, they are prepared. Bad things happen outside the city limits too, and you don’t have neighbors on the the other side of your wall to call the law for you.
Surely you jest? I mean...rural folk don't commit crime, right?
I own a Logging busness along with a four season hunting,fishing lodge.
Without going to much into that we have a 3/4mile long pvt drive.There is about 800 yds straight line of sight from the State road to the Lodge.I include this information in that we use solar power closed circuit TV. to monitor the gate and is somewhat inexpensive.
I started building this house in 2005. My wife moved into it in 2007. I made a big deal of giving her house keys to her new home. The front door has never been locked since that day.
When we moved here the doors had no locks. The house is 230 years old. It has had quite a few different owners in that time and some of them had some real stupid ideas about home improvement, but not one of them put locks on the doors, even the ones who only used it as a summer place. Think about that.
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