Securing a room you are sleeping in.

I don't contribute to this forum often but there is a thread up at the moment with a Mom who discovered someone tried to force a hotel room door and described needing to block the door to sleep there tonight. Well, my contribution to the survival forum won't solve a problem tonight but it occurred to me that others may benefit by how I solve this problem when traveling and providing for general personal security in a strange place.

It seems to me that someone forcing their way into an occupied room is looking for two factors to be present for whatever they have in mind to work. Privacy and Advantage. Advantage would be surprise or a male vs. a female. Privacy is insuring no one outside the room hears anything. Again, it seems logical that removing either of these elements makes the situation something to run from, not continue into for the evil doer out there.

This is how I manage to remove both factors and it's not even $20 to purchase.



This is a motion sensor/monitor combination available at Harbor Frieght. Every hotel I have been in has a layout where I can place the sensor facing the door without activating on me as I move around the room as normal. It's not activated by light or sound or anything but motion. Motion it's very sensitive to.

The receiver side has a Low and High setting. On low, it's a friendly and soft chime. On High, it will wake the dead and when I have this set up at home, it's in my carport. The sound of the monitor registering movement while I'm in the carport can be heard through the wall it's on a table behind. It's not only enough to be woken by but plenty to let the intruder know there is no surprise involved and rooms on both sides are also hearing it in a hotel situation.

The chime continues every few seconds that motion continues within it's field, so it's an ongoing alarm in more than a passing way when on High. The monitor is roughly the size of a book and the sensor, a bit larger than a pack of cigarettes. The unit I bought also had a sticker indicating frequency being used so I believe more than one can probably be picked up to operate at once without conflict if those are set differently. I've only used the one I bought. They're battery operated, portable and when the monitor is turned off, very easy to throw in the suitcase and forget about for packing. I've also had the one outside through last winter and so far this summer. No problems on temp or exposure issues. (it's not in direct sunlight or rained on, but outside)

I hope this helps someone else with a way to give positive security in a strange place, guest room, hotel room or other location where a simple closed door may not be enough to discourage someone from trying to enter.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


sadly if you have an animal in your house (cat, dog) this wouldn't work so well is my thoughts...

great idea for hotel rooms though...

reply to post by here4awhile


As a matter of fact, we do have cats that love coming in and out of the carport. Along the side is a 2x4 framed railing and lattice arrangement. The sensor is on the 2x4 frame section about 3 1/2 feet off the ground. We simply played with setting it back from the edge until it was blind to a point about 1 foot off the ground on the opposite wall of the carport. That made a virtual wedge the cats could move in but not trip the sensor.

Sure, someone very clever and determined could look at that and see the blind spot to duck walk through, but it's not there to defeat that determined an intruder in my carport.. They'd discover other things past that.

Whenever I need to ensure no body comes by the door I put a bottle of something upside down on its cap right where the door opens... anyone opens the door a bit and it falls and make enough sounds to wake you up. Big hair spray bottle made of aluminium works fine... Also have a good Ol' Kabar at reach quick and easy from where I sleep just in case it wouldn't be a friend lol...


I have friends you have to expect will try to prank you so I developed some little tricks with the years lol...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


well if it's set up at ur house with a blind spot to the cat port then that would work...they would have to come in through the cat port i'm assuming because any opening of that door would trigger the sensor amiright?

hopefully your windows are secured is all

reply to post by here4awhile

Oh, at home it's a matter of simply making use of a useful gizmo. It was bought to secure a hotel room. It's most useful aspect in my carport is letting me know when my wife pulls in or, at night, if someone is messing with our vehicle. Our neighborhood has had issues with vehicles being broken into but, knock on wood, we haven't had any issues.

As odd as it might sound, I even used this when we went down to Disney World in 2010. It just removes the entire question of security on the door and makes for peace of mind, even at a place that nice. Heck, the place doesn't control everyone in it, right?

I have exactly two things to secure any house, apartment, hotel, room I have ever and will ever sleep in.

1. Dog.
2. 18 inch Machete.

I only stay places and use modes of transportation I can bring my dog (read: drive), and I can bring my machete anywhere. A 9mm is helpful also, but not necessary.

I don't think very many people are going to be able to handle themselves very well when a dog that looks like a timber wolf is attacking them and some dude in boxer shorts walks in with an 18 inch blade in his hand.

great tips! with our current world's dilemmas and such; precaution never hurts. depending on local it can be scary (for me) travelling and staying in foreign hotels. with technology now days i assume it's not too difficult for an individual to hack a card reader lock (which is another thread altogether).

found this a few days ago thought it would be good for camping trips in bear country but could be a great way to fend off burglers or anybody who enters ur place or just to scare the # out of ur friends/ roommates www.americanspecialtyammo.com... who's gonna keep coming after a 12G goes off blank or not

Google "alarm doorstops", there are rubber wedges that go under the door and set off a loud alarm if moved.

Hard to open a door with a wedge the other side. Will at least let you have a few seconds warning.

There are gadgets to put on the door handle too that gives an extra lock to the door.

CX.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


It will work fine if you place it up by the top of the door on the wall. When the door opens it will trigger without worrying about dogs or other critters running around waking you all night.

Another handy device in a hotel where you will stay more than one night is the little magnetic door jam alarms. They trip when the door is opened and you can simply buy a roll of Velcro have one part permanently affixed to the alarm and stick it to any door wasting only a small piece of Velcro each time. They work great and can be had most anywhere for under 10 USD.

www.amazon.com...

Originally posted by here4awhile
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

sadly if you have an animal in your house (cat, dog) this wouldn't work so well is my thoughts...

great idea for hotel rooms though...

There is a laser version that my brother uses, and instead of motion it has to have the beam broken. He puts one down the long wall where all of his windows are, and one corner to corner in the central room, above the level a cat would walk (just a little under waist height for a human). Similar in price, you can buy multiple ones if you need to protect multiple windows or walls, or entry areas.

So, if anyone comes in through a window, or walks across that room, it sets off a screaming alarm, and then for the second part of Wrabbit's scenario, he has a little safe by his bed with his 40 caliber in it, and he opens the safe when he goes to bed at night. Screaming alarm = 40 cal gun and 250lb man hairy man going to check out the commotion. It seems like a pretty good combination of deterrrent and defense to me.

I have solid wood doors on the inside of my home, and a dog. If someone gets in the outside doors or windows, it will wake either me or the dog, and they'll then have to contend with my solid wooden door on the bedroom, and I don't use a handgun for home defense, I use a Mossberg 12 guage pump, with double pistol grip, and a 500,000 candle power xenon light, thumbswitch activated, and I load it with light shot, light shot, heavy shot, heavy shot, slug, slug, slug. If someone gets in the outside door, then they have to contend with a blinding, disorienting light, a big dog, and flying buckshot.

For hotel rooms, I always have my hand gun, and I've had a maid walk into my hotel room at 2 a.m. before. I heard the door unlock, I hopped up, naked, grabbed the hand gun, and waited behind the door, as she walked into the room I put the gun to the back of her head, and she started apologizing in Spanish, and after some cooperation and mutual spanglish, we eventually discovered that she had been staying in that room unbeknownst to management, and the room was almost never rented out. She slept outside that night, probably with some wet pants, but I didn't tell the hotel manager. I'm a very light sleeper, and I don't trust hotels, so I didn't need Wrabbit's alarm, but it would have been a GREAT time to have the alarm! It would have worked perfectly.

When traveling, wedging the door is the most effective way to prevent "unauthorized entry into your room. The door is solid and the door jamb is often made of steel. So, wedging will not only prevent access but the offender on the other side will make enough of a racket to arouse the whole hotel.

At home, for permanent installation check this bad boy out Its called the On Guard door Brace.

www.globalsecurityexperts.com...

The door jamb fails and the door still stands. Until they start working the hinges still a great product to ward off the average smash and grab punk.



Aside from that, there are also ways to reinforce your door jambs to further slow down an attacker

simple and effective
kickproof.com...

I made my own out of some thin bar stock from Home Depot. You may have to do a little planing on your door edge. But, its a great layer of protection.

Its all about the layers. Deadbolt, Night Latch, Wedge, Reinforce etc etc

Good Stuff. You can apply all of these techniques to the door of your master bedroom. Just replace the standard interior door with a steel entry door and you have a nice safe room to protect you until the police arrive or until you are able to grab your 12ga. Just keep a cell phone in your bedroom JIC the thugs cut your phone lines.

Cheers!!

reply to post by getreadyalready

There is a laser version that my brother uses, and instead of motion it has to have the beam broken. He puts one down the long wall where all of his windows are, and one corner to corner in the central room, above the level a cat would walk (just a little under waist height for a human). Similar in price, you can buy multiple ones if you need to protect multiple windows or walls, or entry areas.

Is it possible to give him a call sometime and see what unit he's using? That would be a great addition to the thread and I'd be personally interested in looking it up. It would cover things like windows that this definitely isn't good for. Just the swish of the curtains inside the room would trip the motion sensor. Sounds like a great combination for someone like a Mom with kids or others who feel vulnerable, to sleep comfortably. Thanks for the addition!

Personally, I do carry a gun as well and thankfully CCW reciprocates across almost every state for travelling. I would note a warning though on guns. While trucking, I paid a lot of attention to stories of how firearms were treated in different states which aren't as friendly as most. California was where I spent the most time since I delivered and picked up as the other end of my round trips.. More than one story ran in California where maids were responsible for the hassle, at the very least...and arrest in some I recall when coming across firearm related things or the firearm itself. (People leave it behind for maids to come across apparently. Anyway, main point being to be real aware of laws for that when traveling and that maids or others do see and do talk so legal is real important.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I've emailed him, and I'm waiting for a link to the device. I'll post it as soon as I get it.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The link is blocked from my computer, because they don't want us shopping at work, LOL, but here it is. I hope this is the right one, let me know if it doesn't work.

www.thinkgeek.com...

For me, I lock the door. I figure most that want to do me harm are too lazy to break in. If they are bent on breaking in, not much will stop them. The alarm will be going off about the same time the attack is. Not worth the effort. I rely on the odds for my security, as I can't change them much with guns and devices. Change the odds by getting a room away from the threat.

The OP has come up with a great idea to keep yourself and your family safe while not at home.

good stuff.

E

I like all of the gadgets being discussed here but none of them prevent entry. They just alert you to someones presence. I mentioned wedging doors in my last post and this is my wedge of choice
www.tacwedge.com... The blue one is reuseable and the black one is nearly permanent and will destroy your floor due to its metal spikes. With the blue wedge, you can wedge any door in any location thereby limiting access and buying you precious time. It's light weight and requires no batteries.

In a situation like this you need as much time as possible to either make an alternative exit or to establish your counter attack.