In your golden years the only thing you should have to worry about is how to enjoy the remainder of your life to the fullest but sadly that is not the case.
Now, more than ever, senior citizens need to worry about their personal safety and do what they need to in order to remain safe.
1. Auto Dialer alarm system for your home. Criminals enjoy preying on the elderly and this can keep you from coming home to an intruder. It will call you if it detects motion in your home and you can then call the police instead of walking in on the criminal.
2. Electronic Dog Chaser. This will help keep you safe as you walk around your neighborhood or local parks. It emits a 130db ultrasonic frequency as well as utilizing pulsing lights to scare off aggressive dogs. This is perfect for you as you walk your dog or simply walk by yourself out in public where there is a risk of an off leash dog attacking you.
3. Runt Mini Stun gun. It is a very small, light and easy to use stun gun. It fits nicely in your hand or pocket and can be used on the attacker even if he is touching you since the electricity will not pass through to you.
4. A small, lightweight Pepper Spray for your key chain. If you happen to use any type of wheel chair or walker, you can hide one in the pocket of the chair so you always have it on hand. Be sure to aim for the eyes and get to safety as quick as you possibly can.
5. Personal alarms. They are a must have addition to your safety tool chest. When you need assistance, having the 110db alarm can mean the difference between life or death. This is true for security as well as medical situations. Should you need help for any reason, a Personal alarm can help get you the attention you need.
All of the items on this list are lightweight and very easy to use which is something you should be sure any self defense weapon you may choose has for a feature.
The last thing you need is more stress when trying to protect yourself from an attack.
Many home burglaries can go from just a property loss crime to something much more heinous if the criminal is interrupted by the homeowner and usually the results are devastating to the homeowner and anyone with them.
But at least you can lower your odds of coming home to find some lowlife there for very little money by getting an alarm system. Most people think right away about monitored alarm systems when you mention home alarms and these can be very expensive to purchase and get installed not including the monthly monitoring fees.
The monthly fees and expensive contracts that can come with monitored alarm systems can put these types of alarms out of the reach of most us, especially these days. The good news is that thankfully there are other options from which you may choose.
I am referring to auto dialer home alarm systems which generally range in price from $75.00 to about $200.00. The real beauty of these devices being that once you purchase them there is no additional fees to pay as you have with the monitored type of alarm systems.
Now you may be thinking “so what is an auto dialer type alarm anyway”?
Simple, auto dialer alarms are generally motion activated and are connected to an active phone line. When the alarm detects any motion it will sound a loud alarm as well as call the first number on the phone list you programmed into it during installation.
Many of these alarms will allow you to listen in to the room to see if maybe a pet or authorized visitor accidentally just set off your alarm before you incorrectly dispatch police to your home. Some even allow you to broadcast your voice.
Most of the better models of this type of alarm will continue to dial a predetermined amount of phone numbers until the alarm has been properly deactivated by using a code.
This is especially helpful if you have family, friends or neighbors that you trust to be backups for you in the event that you cannot be reached.
Since an auto dialer alarm will call you to warn you that someone is in your home, I am sure you can see how it can help to prevent ever coming home to walk in to a bad situation with a criminal.
Whether you need to protect your family while you are working nights or you are a woman living alone, these types of home alarm systems can help you lower your odds of becoming a victim!
No matter what kind of vehicle you drive, there are still blind spots that prevent you from seeing what you need to see in order to prevent a car crash. Many car crashes could have been prevented over the years if only today’s technology had been available. Now that it is available in the form of a rearview mirror hidden camera, you can feel more secure when driving. The use of a hidden camera attached to your rearview mirror will give you better vision for what is coming up around you and aid in preventing an accident.
Since even today’s newer cars have blind spots, the option to add camera surveillance in the form of a hidden camera aids in better vehicle security and safety. It is a safety precaution we all need in today’s world. Now that you know how a rearview mirror hidden camera can benefit you in preventing an accident, we will cover how it works and the product features.
This particular hidden camera attaches to your rearview mirror and has front and rear color cameras along with built in DVR functions as well as audio.
The following is an overview of the features available on the rearview mirror hidden camera.
• Built-in Color Camera – Featuring digital technology that is compatible with an SD card (8 MB card included but accepts up to 16 MB card) all contained in this small 1/4 inch color camera.
• Rotation and Recording – This tiny color camera rotates 330 degrees and allows for recording via built-in DVR. The rotation includes interior and exterior views so you can see inside and outside of your car with no blind spots.
• External Wireless Camera – Included with this is a wireless camera that can be mounted in the rear dash or to an area on the outside of your vehicle.
• Easy to Read LCD Monitor – The monitor is a 3.6 inch LCD Thin Film Transistor style that plays or replays activity on your rearview mirror. You can switch from external to front camera options with the touch of a button.
• Battery – This also includes a convenient built-in rechargeable battery that you can charge through your cigarette lighter or a USB option for your computer. This is completely portable and easy to use.
This rearview mirror hidden camera is truly the most revolutionary way to provide yourself with more effective vehicle safety and peace of mind. You can get more information on this amazing piece of vehicle safety equipment and even see videos of it in action online.
There are two easy ways to use your PC for recording video from hidden and professional cameras as well.
The first way is to use an IP camera. They are extremely versatile devices that can connect to either your DVR, PC or right into your existing network using an Ethernet/CAT5 cable.
Most IP cameras come with software that you install on your PC or DVR to allow you to view the recorded video as well as to adjust any available features the camera may have.
If you also have your home network connected to the internet. You can generally use the software for the IP camera to create a secure webpage that can been seen only by you across the internet.
This means that you can access either real-time or recorded video from the IP camera across the internet from any PC in the world. This is very useful if you are away from and want to keep an eye on, things at home.
The second way to use your PC to record video is by using an USB DVR. These devices are generally small and are connected to an open USB port on your PC.
Most USB DVR’s come with software that you install on your PC to allow it to record video and for you to view that video live and recorded video across the internet, not unlike the IP camera.
One limitation to the USB DVR is that most only allow 4 cameras maximum to be installed at any time and if your needs require more, this may not be the right option for you.
IP cameras generally allow up to 16 cameras to be installed and are generally a better fit for those with larger needs.
So depending on how many camera you would like installed, either of these two options will allow you to use your PC record the video coming from your hidden or not, camera.
As their names imply, wired hidden cameras need to have a wire connected between it and its’ recording device; while wireless hidden cameras do not use a wire to send their data but instead it sends it right through the air to a receiver.
There are pros and cons for both wired and wireless hidden cameras. For instance, with wired cameras you must run a wire all the way from the camera to whatever device you may be using for recording which can severely limit your options on where you can place these devices.
A con for the wireless camera is that they are susceptible to interference from other devices and they also have distance limitations but they are small in comparison to wired cameras.
For most decent wireless hidden cameras the range is generally 1500 feet or more, line of sight. Line of sight means that everything in between the camera and the receiver diminishes the signal, shortening the distance.
As far as operation and quality goes, there is generally no major difference in operation and as long as the signal is strong, no difference in quality either.
So as you can now see, the only real difference between the wired and wireless hidden camera is how they send their video signals and how they are installed.
It makes deciding between the two, much easier. With a wireless hidden camera, you simply place the camera where you want it. Supply it power by either battery pack or electricity and plug the receiver into your recording device.
With a wired hidden camera, you place the camera in the location you want it. You then connect the cable to the hidden camera and run it to the recording device. There is no need to worry about power because most wired hidden cameras utilize a Siamese cable to carry video and supply power.
Your main job with a wired hidden camera is to find a way to run the cable from the camera, all the way to the recording device and have it not be noticeable by others.
Protecting your privacy from a potentially nosey or just plain perverted landlord, is more of a worry today than it has been in past years due to the volume of options and availability of hidden cameras. Hidden cameras disguised as every day items are the best known but hidden camera can also come in the form of pinhole cameras.
When you first move into your new apartment, rented room or home you need to do a thorough walk through and pay attention to all of the little things. This is especially true if the place comes fully or even partially furnished.
When you do your initial inspection you need to check the following very carefully:
• Air vets for the air conditioning and heat.
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors.
• Any mirrors, paintings or wall decorations you don’t install yourself.
• Corners of each room, check the ceiling for small holes this also goes for the walls to any adjoining apartments.
• Check the bathroom carefully paying close attention to the shower and toilet areas
What you are looking for are wires that appear out of place and seem to go no where, and small holes that make no sense. If you turn out the lights and get it pitch black in your place you can look for lights in odd places.
Most cameras come with some type of power on light that can much more easily be seen in the pitch dark through careful examination. As I mentioned before you need to pay close attention as you do your inspection.
The bad thing about apartments and rented houses are that the landlord can come in under false pretenses and install cameras at any time after you move in. So you may also want to consider buying a bug detector.
Bug detectors can let you find any wireless cameras or microphones. Best of all you can occasionally sweep your living area to be sure nothing gets slipped in after your initial inspection.
Another bonus to getting a bug detector is that it can be used to ensure your privacy in dressing rooms and public bathrooms as well. We have all seen the news stories of perverts placing cameras in these public places and you don’t want to fall victim.
A little prevention can save you a lot of heart ache down the road.
It never ceases to amaze me. Ocean city Maryland was the newest mislead city to ban stun guns and tasers.
What kills be is that they do it under the guise of wanting to keep people safe when that isn’t it at all. They just want another way to get money from people and keep you scared and reliant on them to keep you safe. It is sad really. These people wouldn’t even have the right to concealed weapons if it wasn’t for the fact that the NRA has more money than Bill Gates, ok not really but they have a ton and can buy quite a few politicians’ support.
As you can see by the links ALL of these items and many other regular everyday items have all been used in crimes at one point or another.
Like I said it is silly. All they do is make it harder for the non gun toting people to protect themselves by using non lethal weapons like stun guns or tasers.
We need to get a leash on our politicians cause I think they have forgotten they work for us and they may need a reminder kick in the pants!
Maybe it is the fact that most sexual predators are men or that I just could never see myself doing it but the whole manny thing is a bit creepy to me.
It is different if you plan on being there the whole time and he is there more for support than to be alone for long periods of time with your children. But other than that, you may want to re-think that idea.
Take for example 23 year old Donald Shepherd, who was just arrested for molesting a 10 year old boy he was babysitting. The police believe there may be more victims because he sought jobs all over the US that would put him alone with kids.
Whether it is a man or a woman, be sure you know WHO is alone with your children. A little diligence on your part can save your child from a lifetime of scars.
Don’t forget nanny cams, they can be a life saver.
I have noticed in the news as of late, an increase in home invasions across the country. If you go to google news and search home invasion you will get back thousands of recent news stories of home invasions, many of which ended in death.
The worse our economy gets, the worse crime will get; any third world nation can show you that. Eventually our economy should recover, we are pretty good at that but in the meantime, we need to take steps to try and avoid becoming a target.
This may sound silly but things like not placing electronics boxes out in front of your home, can help keep from drawing unwanted attention. Too may times we get the urge to, well frankly, show off what we have. Bear in mind that doing that just ups your odds of becoming a target.
I am not saying build fake walls and hide your stuff. Just be smart and not draw a lot of attention your way. Take electronic boxes (after breaking them down) to be recycled and then no worries about them sitting out for people to see and you help the environment so it is win win
Get some solar powered lights for your walkway and get motion activated lights for the all 4 sides of the house. If you can’t afford to do it all at once do it in phases. Something is better than nothing.
I have before and will again, recommend getting a door brace for both front and back doors and secure sliding glass doors (as much as glass can be secured). It may sound paranoid but better safe than sorry. Inside your house you have better control of your situation so keep it secure.
This includes not being lured out of your house at night or into opening the door for a stranger. Also, be sure to talk to the kids, they should not be opening the doors even in daylight. These crimes happen as often in daylight these days as they do at night. If only adults are in control of who enters your “safe zone” you will be much better off. More than one crime has started but some little child opening the door for the wrong guy.
As far as your own self defense, some may choose a gun next to their bed, I prefer they never get in by following the steps above. But if they do you need to be prepared. For those of you with kids, determine a hiding place where they should go should you tell them to. If they are safe then you can concentrate on getting help and protecting you and your family.
I like the steel baton approach. I keep one next to my bed, in close reach should I need to get to it. I also have pepper spray in various spots around the house so no matter where I may encounter an intruder, I can get something in my hands to help protect myself.
In my truck, I keep one of the new double trouble stun guns in my center console and have both a heartattack keychain weapon and a pepper spray on the keychain as well. I would make a good boy scout cause I am a firm believer in being prepared for any situation.
A while back I told you story about a deaf woman attacked while walking her dog along a busy street and no one stopped. A lot of my preparation goes into not just protecting myself but in being able, should the need ever arise, to intervene and protect someone else as well.
I know many families who are trying to sell of their homes because foreclosure is looming. The bad part is that more and more people are choosing to do it themselves to save the real estate agent fees.
The problem with this is simple, you are opening your home to strangers and if they come when you are alone and you still let them in you can find yourself in trouble.
We just had a homeowner attacked here over the weekend. She was selling her own home and having an open house. A guy showed up early and was supposedly interested in the home and wanted to see it.
Here is where desperation came in, she let him in thinking she might get the sale. Instead he pistol whipped her and then tied her up. She was lucky enough to break free and run for help.
She is VERY fortunate to only walk away from this with a beating cause you can imagine what could and probably was going to happen to her.
This goes for more than just selling houses, it goes for anything like that. There have been many people selling some type of item who have been robbed, raped and even killed by someone who used this as a way in.
People tend to drop their guard when potential money is involved but it can cost you big.
If you have something, whether it be your home, car or even a bicycle, there are some simple rules to follow.
The most obvious rule, keep your self defense weapon of choice handy no matter how harmless someone looks.
Tell your friends, family and neighbor if you plan on having strangers come over; especially if you are crazy enough to be alone doing this.
Make sure you never let them walk behind you. When walking them into your home, they go first and you follow. Better to be attacked from the front if it is going to come.
Keep yourself an out. What I mean is simple, keeping them in front of you like I just mentioned, allows you to have a clear path to a door out. If someone goes wrong you can run for it.
Like I mentioned, selling things to strangers when alone is just plain crazy. This goes for any female realtor you may know.
Be prepared to defend yourself which means a lot more than just having some type of weapon. You need to mentally decide you will NOT be a victim. Attitude can make a huge difference.
And the golden rule…..when in doubt kick em in the junk and run screaming your head off! Much easier to apologize to the now high pitched man than to take the chance and be attacked.
A friend brought a young man to my attention and it got me to thinking about something I haven’t really covered yet.
Who was brought to my attention was a kid from Arizona, 14 year old Michael Six. Earlier this year he was home as usual while his parents were at work and a lowlife named Thomas Garza decided to break into the home.
Michael saw Garza breaking into the sliding glass door and ran to his room to get the phone. He called 911 and hid in his closet but it had no door so it offered little camouflage. While on the phone Garza broke into his bedroom and started rummaging through his things. A mix of fear, panic and anger overtook Michael and he grabbed his good ol’Louisville Slugger and began to swing away!
He said he only struck him twice and then the kid apologized to Garza who took the bat from him and threatened to kill him. Thankfully the police were arriving and their sirens caused him to just run into a neighbor’s yard where he was caught by police.
I am truly thankful, as I am sure his parents are, that Michael is alive and well today to tell his story. This is what got me thinking. Do people actually have and teach emergency plans for various types of life threatening problems?
I asked many of my breeder friends and family and the answer was a resounding NO. I find that scary.
Do you realize how close Michael may have come to death? What would this man have done to him had the police not been arriving. Not pretty.
I believe all parents should have emergency plans for fires, burglars, bad weather and serious health issues. These plans should be tailored to your child’s age and taught to your children over the years evolving as they grow. You want to remove all guesswork from the equation.
Take Michael for instance, he did great by going to his room and getting the phone. Bad part is he had no “safe spot” to go and hide and call to wait for police. A closet with no door is no help. Second when he swung the bat I said BRAVO! But then he stopped and said he was sorry. When dealing with an intruder, since there is no way to know his real intentions, your kids need to take that as a fight for their lives!
He should have went for the back of the head to disorient him, then groin kicked as hard as he could and maybe even kneecapped him so he couldn’t chase him. Michael should then have run away out of the house as fast as possible to ensure that Garza never would get an opportunity to hurt him.
So that leaves me to ask you, are you prepared? Had Michael been conditioned to handle such an event he would have known that if you see the intruder coming in the back door you bolt out the front and straight to a neighbor’s house, 911 can wait. Call 911 from safety if they can. I would have preferred that Michael never had the face to face encounter with Garza.
You should also have a plan for when surprised by an intruder, where should they hide? Is there a phone there or on the way? Are there self defense weapons that they have been shown to use, hidden there for protection? These are the types of things you need to think about, prepare for and condition your children to respond to, exactly the way you want.
As those brave Boy Scout’s proved with the Iowa tornado disaster just recently. Be prepared it really can save lives. My thoughts and prayers to all the Scout families touched by this disaster.
Be sure to stop by and see us for your supplies as you set your plan. Self defense Products
I always do my best to try and keep you a step ahead of the crooks. I haven’t mentioned this before because quite frankly it was rare. But with the price of gas these days it is beginning to happen a lot all over the place.
I am talking about gas thieves, not from the pumps but from YOUR car/truck’s gas tank! Now for those saying but don’t most if not all vehicles have a locking gas cap or lock to even get to the cap? The answer is yes your car/truck probably does have some type of locking mechanism preventing your gas from being siphoned.
But you see that doesn’t help here. What they do now to get to that high dollar gas you have just waiting for them to steal is drill a hole in your tank and drain it that way. No more mouthfuls of gas trying to siphon. Nope, now they just drill a hole and empty your tank.
The loss of gas here is only a small part of this problem. As you probably already thought to yourself, the tank now needs to be fixed. This requires for the tank to be dropped and either replaced or fixed if it is even possible (I am no mechanic). This can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on what type of vehicle you drive.
They are mostly targeting bigger cars/trucks. They want the bigger gas tanks because this isn’t even a little bit efficient way to steal gas and a lot gets dumped out on your driveway. Bad for your pocket and for the environment.
So what can you do? There are some things you can do to try and prevent this.
1. Light is a crooks enemy. Get a motion activated light and put it right over the driveway. This serves 2 purposes. It helps scare off people who may want to do something to your vehicle. The 2nd thing this does is help protect you and everyone else that comes over to your house during nighttime hours. A dark driveway is not a good thing to come home to.
2. Another thing you can do is get a motion activated camera. You have a few options here. You can go with something like the Cybereye which sits in your vehicle and is discreet or you can go with something more visible and try and stop the crime from even happening. This can be done by placing either a Dome surveillance camera or dummy outdoor camera right in plain sight so everyone can see it.
3. You can also try an inexpensive alarm that alerts you when someone is in a area you are monitoring. We have the Voice Alert which works as a wireless driveway alarm system. You could place a sensor in your driveway and set it up to say (yes say) “someone in the driveway” or whatever you want it to say. This way you know when it happens and can do something about it.
4. If your neighborhood has a watch group, join it. If it doesn’t then now might be a good time to form one. The police can only do so much and be in so many places at once, it is up to us to help out. Be smart and careful though.
Until our Government gets off its arse and forces a change from fossil fuel burning engines we will be at the mercy of a part of the world that hates us and is enjoying watching us squirm as they reap record breaking profits at our expense. Crimes like this shouldn’t even exist but unless we force a change things will only get worse! Write those politicians and tell em to get to work!
There is a disturbing increase in the amount of home invasions reported in recent years. Home invasion takes on a few forms but in this case I am referring to daylight home invasion robberies and burglaries.
What’s the difference between robbery and burglary?
Easy robbery is when they take something from your person, burglary they take it from your home.
In reality either way they are taking your stuff but robbery is much more risky since it is you and the crook face to face. Anyway, as I was saying.
Looking at the crime statistics across the country you will find many of these home invasions are happening during the day when people go to work. They basically wait until you are gone then walk up and kick your front door in. Within less than 10 minutes (on average) they have what they want and are gone.
Unfortunately not all of the crooks do their homework and what they think is a home with the homeowner gone, isn’t. Imagine your a young mother home with the new baby and some lowlife kicks your door in. Scary thought. But it happens.
There are some things you can do to help try and prevent this type of crime on your home. When home it is much easier to stop this crime, besides a good reinforced front and back doors you can use a few inexpensive security products. A door brace is simply a bar that props against the door. With a door brace your front door would be more likely to break then a door brace would be to give. They are very inexpensive, around ($15.95), yet are a very effective way to make your door extremely hard to kick in. You can see it here Door Brace
There is also safety bars that you can get installed but they are a permanent thing so be sure it is what you want. They get bolted to the doors and the frame and then you slide a metal bar across to help secure the door. Prices on these vary due to installation and different manufacturers. You can find them at local security stores and/or at various front door retailers.
Another option which may help to make your house undesirable to the crooks are dummy cameras. No need for an expensive surveillance system just setup the dummy cameras in plain sight as if they were real and the crooks without close examination will never know.
Now installing a monitored or non monitored surveillance system is also another option. The difference being price and choice of equipment and of course that monthly monitoring fee. But a surveillance system can help to lower insurance costs and deter criminals so if you have the funds it might be the way to go for you.
Most of these things don’t matter here due to the fact that these scumbags just walk up and kick in the front door in broad daylight. No finesse, no skills, any lowlife can do this which is bad. Here only reinforcing the door with either a safety bar or door brace can you stop these type of home invasions.
A while back I wrote about some fraud alerts that had recently found. One from the FBI was about email death threats were they try and exhort money from the victims and that they might have a bunch of info but were from outside the US. The FBI suggested to just ignore it.
Now I mentioned that scam could easily move over to phone calls and it just so happens it did but with a scary twist. Earlier this month, 3 men one of whom, Olvin Velasquez, is under arrest, decided to perpetrate this crime on a local Austin family.
According to police, Olvin Velasquez and two other men (I use this term loosely) over the course of five days, repeatedly phoned an Austin woman and threatened to kill her or someone in her family if she didn’t pay tens of thousands of dollars. Now the twist I mentioned, they did these calls from a pay phone right in Austin! Reportedly they were actually following her and lived close by. Thankfully she was smart enough to report this to the police who traced it back to Velasquez who is a Honduran national here in Texas.
Police also said when the victim asked them why they were doing this to her they replied “This is how we make our living”. It has also been reported that this victim was the 7th one so they have done this 6 times before and it hasn’t been reported by anyone due to fear.
Bear this in mind, if you get an email making threats just report it but don’t reply, odds are extremely good they aren’t even in the US (they would most likely call to scare you more than email would).
BUT if you get a phone call like this, take it very serious because as this story shows, they might be right in your neighborhood. Immediately report it to the FBI so they can get things setup to trace and they will tell you what you need to do from there. This is a must, some law enforcement, either Federal or local needs to be involved so get these people off our streets.
Real quick I need to tell you a story that hopefully will outrage you enough to get involved in any way you can. The problem, we are not properly protecting children who cannot protect themselves.
What I am referring to is a case here in Texas (but this issue is every place) where a thing named Melody Whatley and its mate Michael Denson are accused of child endangerment. Melody has already plead guilty and has been sentenced to one year and Denson’s trail is next. Sickening!
First I’ll give you some background on this thing called Melody. It has been in trouble with child protective services previously because two of its children, one of whom died, tested positive for marijuana at their birth. The one who died did so when this thing rolled over and smothered it to death while it was sleeping next to the poor baby.
In 2005 it was in trouble for violating its probation from a felony drug possession charge so it had to serve 9 months in jail. Somehow still having possession of the 3 babies that are still alive this thing gets in trouble once again because they tested all three of the kids and they came back positive for methamphetamines (ages 1, 2 and 3).
Now if all this wasn’t bad enough this thing will likely get her kids back once again when she gets out in a year!! What in the hell do you need to do to loose custody of your kids? How many screw ups should one get? Why do we not do more for our children?
I am not a parent but I am still outraged that this could take place and have started contacting local legislators to express my disgust. ANYONE who would do drugs in front
of their children no longer deserves the privilege of raising them. Drug use is no excuse! These kids didn’t ask to be brought into this world and anyone who would put drugs before their children (like doing drugs while pregnant) needs to loose their kids and be sterilized! This thing in this story and its mate should both be neutered so they can never harm any other children.
Sad part is this story happens all over the US over and over again and has for quite some time. It is our responsibility as adults to protect those that cannot protect themselves… our little ones.
Crooks seem to come at you every way you look. We all know that crooks use PC’s to steal identities and things like that. We all know there are viruses all over the internet and in emails. But what many don’t think about a few simple things that can stop many crooks in their tracks.
For those saying “whoa judge you know PC security too?”, the answer is yup. I have loved PC’s since I first saw one in 1989 or 90. But I am NOT a geek . Just fascinated by em and have a knack at learning things quickly.
Ok back to the easy things to do. Many people deal with PC security at work, the annoying password changes, all the dang logins you know the stuff that makes a Monday a fun day
But those same people no matter how much PC security is beat in at work, never practice this at home. I have friends who actually work in the PC industry yet still fall short on their home machines.
What am I talking about? That simple act of logging in using a password. If you go to your XP pc and just click on your username to get into your desktop you have zero security for your login.
This means that anyone can have access. This includes a rogue PC that winds up on your wireless home network or even worse a virus you unwittingly activate. But when you have to type in a password to login to your PC then it is much more secure (it can get better but this is an easy start).
That simple change in your home PC habits can make a world of difference and here’s why.
I mentioned a rogue PC on your home wireless network gainig access to everything under your login (my documents, the desktop, my pictures all you can see they can see). This is surprisingly easy to have happen and in fact many times I am the rogue PC.
If I am out and about and need access to the net real fast and quick drive about any neighborhood street will yield open networks all over the place. One may be yours! I then jump on hit the net and do what I need to do then drop off and away I go. The owner never knows.
Now I am not trying to hurt anything but I easily could. With no password set I could browse through your things (pc of course but still your private stuff) I could place a virus file on your PC and then make a change in your registry to run it or even place it in your startup menu. This virus could contain a key logger which records every keystroke and sends it back to me. I then run another program to look for logins.
Now I have all your login names and passwords to anything you login to from your home PC. That easy! Put a password on your login and now I have to hack your PC and work too hard to make it worth it when your neighbor’s PC is wide open. So I move to him.
It happens all of the time! Nothing is fool proof but the more roadblocks you can place in front of a crook the better off you are..makes you a bad target. Ok so now you have the why you need to set your password down lets see how we can stop people from “jumpin on” your wireless network.
This is another easy fix. You simply need to turn off your SSID broadcasting. Now don’t freak it sounds worse than it is. All this means is we set your wireless router to no longer say “hey I’m here” to the world. When you pull up a list from then on your network will no longer show in the detected networks box, which is a good thing.
It won’t require any changes on your PC or anything since it already “knows” about your network since you are hooked to it now. But any new connections you will have to manually type it in cause your PC won’t “see it”. Another plus is the network name is case sensitive so since they can’t see it they would have to already know it to find it.
Now how do you turn off SSID broadcasting follow these instructions and you’ll see a spot where they talk about setting a unique name (the case sensitive network name I mentioned earlier) but in that screenshot you’ll see the radial button to turn OFF broadcasting. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/wireless.mspx
For those who are brave enough (it is a good idea if you can do it) follow those same instructions and at the bottom you’ll see where they have you turn on security and set a “password” or key. This also stops people from getting on your network you just have to be sure to remember it in case you ever need to add a new device although you can reset it easy using the same instructions. This is a more advance but highly recommended precaution.
I hope I didn’t geek out too much it is hard to talk about this stuff without geeking out some at least :>) The whole point is that a couple little things like this can help protect you from identity theft, privacy invasion and just plain pain in the arse. All this password stuff is annoying but much less than the alternatives for sure!
| 
but they have a ton and can buy quite a few politicians’ support.