Burglars always attack the easiest targets first. They don’t take risks when they don’t have to, and they prefer breaking in to obviously empty homes rather than occupied ones because they’ll have longer time to search, steal, and they definitely have greater chances of not getting caught. If you’re going to leave your home unattended for a lengthy period of time, here are several things you can do to deter burglars from targeting your home.

Use a Dummy TV
When the television set is on, then it’s very likely that at least one person is at home. The presence of occupants is more than enough to deter most burglars. This method, while proven effective, is quite costly. Television sets consume a lot of electricity. You might find yourself surprised at how much your electricity bill for the month has gone up just because you left the TV on whenever you’re away.

A cheaper but just as effective alternative would be to use a dummy TV. More specifically, it’s a light box that produces an accurate simulation of light emitted by a TV screen. Its built-in computer ensures that the light display varies widely, just as it would with an ordinary TV set. There is no pattern to its display. After all, program producers don’t exactly allow light changes to dictate the flow of their program, do they? What happens, happens and it’s the same with the light box.

More Burglar Deterrent Tips for a Safe Home
Light boxes are just the first step to deter burglars from breaking and entering your home. Burglars can be stubborn so it won’t hurt to use other tricks to discourage them from their targeting your property.

Lights On Outside
Push away the darkness from your home by installing bright lights outdoors. If you have money to spare, consider using lights with motion detection. That’s sure to make burglars think twice about attacking your home.

Use Timer Switches for Appliances
Set different alarms for different appliances. Have them switch on and off at random times and different rooms in the house. This will paint a more realistic picture of an occupied home.

Maintain Normal Routine
Lastly, blinds, shades, and curtains must not be kept in their normal position. If you never leave them closed when you’re home then it should remain so even when you’re not. Remember: you need to paint a convincingly accurate picture of an occupied home and you can’t do that if you stray from the usual.

Sometimes the best way to protect yourself is to fool an attacker into believing that you are stronger than they are. Animals do this through camouflage or physical trickery. Humans can, too. Here are the top 5 fake but effective self-defense gadgets you might consider buying to protect yourself:

Fake security cameras
Security cameras are part of a surveillance system that may be a bit costly to install. To help save money and still give you some amount of protection in the form of a deterrent, you could use fake security cameras instead.

Fake gadgets such as these heavy duty plastic replicas look and act like the real thing. They can be installed easily on a wall or pole where they will be easily noticed by would-be attackers or thieves. Since they move like real security cameras, there will be no doubt left in the minds of criminals as to their real purpose.

The best fake security cameras are those equipped with a blinking LED light and basic left to right motion. Two to three AA batteries are used to power the gadget.

Fake mobile phone
A cellphone is probably the most ubiquitous gadget there is today other than an iPod. It can also be used to disguise a very effective weapon for self-defense – a fully functioning stun gun. The phone of course will not work but the stun gun will.

Fake lipstick
Fake lipsticks that disguise a stun gun or a knife can be very effective self-defense gadgets. These, of course, are specifically designed for women and can be very effective for preventing and stopping a physical attack.

Fake lipsticks look like real lipstick cases and can be kept conveniently inside a purse or a pocket. In case a threat is suspected, they can be carried in the palm of the hand and deployed in case the threat becomes real.

Fake keychains
Fake keychains look like harmless little things that hang from your pocket but unlike fake security cameras, they actually work. Fake keychains can be very efficient self-defense weapons when wielded correctly. They are usually made with heavy stainless steel, fiberglass or wood and are equipped with sharp edges.

Some, such as the Romatron, are designed with heavy, rounded edges for hitting an attacker. Since these keychains are not very heavy, they have to be used with sufficient force in order to stun or knock out an opponent.

Fake guard dog
Can’t afford to keep a real guard dog? Use a fake one. This is actually a gadget equipped with a sensor that sounds off when tripped by an intruder. It then lets out the loud, low barks of a large, mean dog.

box housing dummy camera image