Securing your workshop

[Jonm]

Many thanks for the various ideas, we dont have an alarm in the house and I dont have thousands of pounds worth of gear in the shed but I dont want the bug gers breaking my doors or nicking anything,,Im a little concerned that a smart alarm box would only encourage theives to think there was somthing worth nicking. I like the shock sensor devices, somone trying the door would set it off, but the Honeywell Viper sensors etc seem to be stuffed full of electronics and are part of a professional type alarm,,,is it possible to use one of these in a diy system of say a power supply, siren, shock sensor and perhaps a hidden switch?
On a different tack there are various cheap Car Alarms for sale, many link to central locking etc but there are simple ones which might be Shock Sensing only or shock combined with an interier light being triggered (ie switched on) so as a thought, could the shock sensor be fitted to the door with a door switch as back up if the door was opened? These come with a couple of remote controls too,,not necessary perhaps but smart all the same.
Steve.

The sounder can be mounted anywhere, hidden inside the shed or outside with an inconspicuous cover. You could decide what you want and email a number of suppliers and see what they come back with. Here is one I found but has timed entry/exit and codes, Mains but with AA battery backup. I suspect you want something switched on and off from a key Located outside the shed. Let us know if you find anything simple, cheap and effective.

 

[Jonm]

The sounder can be mounted anywhere, hidden inside the shed or outside with an inconspicuous cover. You could decide what you want and email a number of suppliers and see what they come back with. Here is one I found but has timed entry/exit and codes, Mains but with AA battery backup. I suspect you want something switched on and off from a key Located outside the shed. Let us know if you find anything simple, cheap and effective.

Link attached this time
https://cpc.farnell.com/lynteck/ly52-000-33/alarm-kit-2-wire-ls400/dp/SR07478

 

[Pallet Fancier]

Carpet gripper on top of the wall . Smeared with excrement - nothing like a good infection for the thieving scum
What are you going to do when the alarm goes off ?
Run out side and get stabbed .

Yup. Best policy is to keep them out or deter them from coming in, but once they're in, keep your head down! And I speak as one who, in younger days, took off down the road in his dressing gown after two of the bar stewards. I think my command of foul and depraved language is what saved me from them realising they just had to stop running. (In a former life, I must have been a parade ground sergeant. I woke up the whole neighbourhood and scandalised half of it.)

But don't do that. Seriously. Even though the police caught the pippers... still, don't do it!

I recently built a new side gate. It's seven feet tall, has a triangular top that comes to a sharp point, only opens from the outside, only swings inwards and bolts top and bottom. I'm going to add something spikey to the top sides (pest control, if anyone asks) which will also run along the adjoining fence panel which they would naturally place a hand upon to climb, and will also run across my neighbour's side gate because, as you have learned, if your neighbour itsn't secure, you aren't.

My neighbour has a gate with open slats that you can see through. I hate that. Mine does not. No lines of sight on my side, which eliminates their ability to see into the garden from the front of the house, and see what's there. Anywhere they can see into, they feel safer breaking in to. If they have to jump into the unknown, they usually won't. I'm going to talk to my neighbour about providing a free upgrade...

 

[Pallet Fancier]

The problem with the wall height is that my land is about 1.5m lower than my neighbours. Which means the wall would be about 4m high in some sections and block loads of light coming into our garden.

 

[Pallet Fancier]

Best thing is an alarm that will go off before they get to the building. I have beams and slot pirs. Can't get within six to eight feet of the building without all hell breaking loose, whole set up cost about £100. Ditch the rubbish siren that comes with most of them, I have mine wired to a 300db airhorn. Just make sure you set carefully up to avoid false alarms, otherwise you will be unpopular with the neighbours.

I have a siren from a Fire Engine! And now I know why I kept it all these years!

 

[Fergie 307]

Many thanks for the various ideas, we dont have an alarm in the house and I dont have thousands of pounds worth of gear in the shed but I dont want the bug gers breaking my doors or nicking anything,,Im a little concerned that a smart alarm box would only encourage theives to think there was somthing worth nicking. I like the shock sensor devices, somone trying the door would set it off, but the Honeywell Viper sensors etc seem to be stuffed full of electronics and are part of a professional type alarm,,,is it possible to use one of these in a diy system of say a power supply, siren, shock sensor and perhaps a hidden switch?
On a different tack there are various cheap Car Alarms for sale, many link to central locking etc but there are simple ones which might be Shock Sensing only or shock combined with an interier light being triggered (ie switched on) so as a thought, could the shock sensor be fitted to the door with a door switch as back up if the door was opened? These come with a couple of remote controls too,,not necessary perhaps but smart all the same.
Steve.

You can buy shock sensors on e bay for less than £10. You just need to make sure that whatever you get is compatible with how you intend to control it, normally open, normally closed etc.

 

[Fergie 307]

An alarm may have annoyed them but would it have actually prevented the theft. These days so many people hearing an alarm going off just think of it as a nusuiance and take no further action.

As I have said security is a process of layers, there is no single preventative measure and a determined thief is hard to stop. What you can do is to make it difficult and time consuming, they do not want to hang around too long as it increases the chance of detection. Your power tools are probably the main target, easy to take, transport and sell so make it hard for them. I have already said that a branded, defaced tool is functionally the same for yourself but has little value to the thief, Smart marking is also a valuable detterent.

So they have managed to get into your workshop, yes I know it is nice to have all your tools nicely layed out ready for use but that makes easy pickings for them so use a secure storage vault within your workshop where you put all the expensive portable power tools, infact use a couple because each one requires time to attack, don't leave all your tools in one basket! but leave some cheap Lidl wonders and the like laying around so they have something to take, they may well just grab and run. If you really want to go that extra mile and think its worth the expense then the marking systems like Smartwater also do spray systems designed to cover the thieves and prove they were there. SmartWater® Forensic Spray System - Moore Security Systems Ltd

Have to agree. Sadly the aim here is not so much to prevent someone thieving your stuff, as to persuade them that it would be a lot easier, quicker, safer to thieve someone else's. Most of them are going to be opportunists, if you make it difficult or uncomfortable for them they will go and find somewhere else.

 

[Pallet Fancier]

but leave some cheap Lidl wonders and the like laying around so they have something to take, they may well just grab and run.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

But seriously, I knew a guy who had a big old-fashioned sailing yacht with a windscreen/dodger over the cockpit. When he gets it lifted out at the yard he obviously ends up keeping a lot of tools inside, while he's working on it. No one with any experience of keeping a boat (not just messing about in one) will tell you to bother trying to make it theft proof. Only a battleship could withstand a lump hammer. They'll just wreck your hatchway getting in, but they will get in. So my friend got a spares and repairs brushless drill off ebay and got into the habit of leaving it in the open cockpit, tucked under the dodger as though he were trying to keep it out of the rain. The idea was that anyone wandering around the yard who looked over the side and saw this drill would go for the easy, quick option - they'd grab the drill and go, rather than risk drawing attention by battering their way in, or hanging around long enough to be noticed.

And of course, if he came back one day and found the drill gone, he'd know there was a problem.

I'm wondering what the workshop/garden shed equivalent of this tactic might be.

 

[stevek]

You can buy shock sensors on e bay for less than £10. You just need to make sure that whatever you get is compatible with how you intend to control it, normally open, normally closed etc.

Hmmm,,starting to sound complicated,,,normally open/ closed,, then leads me to think a little more, no good having an alarm that switches on then off again when the door is closed,,the clever bit is a signal sensing gizmo that once triggered keeps the alarm going,,Im going to look at the cheap car alarms which have a shock sensor,,,and I imagine a Gizmo too.
Steve.

 

[XH558]

Sorry for your losses. sprouts. A good set of punches so you can punch your postcode is great or laser etching. You can buy these on line and you can use it to tattoo THIEF on their foreheads if you catch any.......

Dawn to dusk light at back of house, Same at side and front. PIR lights in garden and outside sheds. It all lights up like a bloody Christmas tree!! 2" weldmesh over the windows. This also makes great hanging for clamps and hammers etc. Double locking Yale nightlatch. The hooligan on the left is quite good too.

 

[jcassidy]

So when we moved into our 'forever home', typical 2-story semi-d, I was concerned about the possibility of thieves hiding in the front garden and at the side gate. This is due to the street lighting casting deep dark shadows in those places. So I installed dawn-to-dusk lights on the front and side (with a light sensor), as well as an additional pair of PIR-activated lights on the door pillars. I also replaced the slatted side gate and fence with 7-foot tall 12mm T&G gate, painted in prison grey anti-climb paint (I thought the prison grey might deter ex-cons!).

I then found out the local police sergeant, a lovely man but a great big hard-nosed old copper of the type that they don't make any more, lived right in front of me, and the burglars, dog-nappers and ne'er-do-wells never go near our street. LOL. Ah well.

 

[Spectric]

Hmmm,,starting to sound complicated,,,normally open/ closed,, then leads me to think a little more, no good having an alarm that switches on then off again when the door is closed,,the clever bit is a signal sensing gizmo that once triggered keeps the alarm going

What the contacts need to do is latch a relay, so once triggered it remains on until reset by a keyswitch or some other means. Similar in operation to a DOL starter where once you hit the start button the machine remains ON until you hit the STOP button.

 

[stimpy]

An alarm may have annoyed them but would it have actually prevented the theft. These days so many people hearing an alarm going off just think of it as a nusuiance and take no further action.

As I have said security is a process of layers, there is no single preventative measure and a determined thief is hard to stop. What you can do is to make it difficult and time consuming, they do not want to hang around too long as it increases the chance of detection. Your power tools are probably the main target, easy to take, transport and sell so make it hard for them. I have already said that a branded, defaced tool is functionally the same for yourself but has little value to the thief, Smart marking is also a valuable detterent.

So they have managed to get into your workshop, yes I know it is nice to have all your tools nicely layed out ready for use but that makes easy pickings for them so use a secure storage vault within your workshop where you put all the expensive portable power tools, infact use a couple because each one requires time to attack, don't leave all your tools in one basket! but leave some cheap Lidl wonders and the like laying around so they have something to take, they may well just grab and run. If you really want to go that extra mile and think its worth the expense then the marking systems like Smartwater also do spray systems designed to cover the thieves and prove they were there. SmartWater® Forensic Spray System - Moore Security Systems Ltd

As per the rest of my post, in my situation I am lucky to have neighbours that would be around during the day and straight on it. But you are correct, many get ignored...

 

[Spectric]

Just remembered, lot of talk about how but here is the padlock and hasp to use, in my opinion very hard to get anything better but not cheap. The padlock uses a Boron steel shackle, and over £200 depending on keys and registration.

This is the hasp to use Abloy PL201 / PL203 Padlock Locking Plates only £42.50

with this padlock

https://www.barnsleylock.co.uk/abloy-pl362-padlock-4068-p.asp

 

[stevek]

Link attached this time
https://cpc.farnell.com/lynteck/ly52-000-33/alarm-kit-2-wire-ls400/dp/SR07478

Hi and many thanks for doing this Jon, I looked up the link, very surprised how cheap the basic alarm was,,,only one review though and thats a 1star stinker!,,plus the systems are all centred around PiR sensors,,Ive been looking at Car Alarms,,trying to get my head around what they consist of,,I couldnt do a proper link but if you get a chance have a look at item number 124165739018. Is it something I could do something with,,,
Steve.

 

[Dabop]

Most beam sensors, and many pirs simply need a 12v dc power source. When activated they return 12v. If you wanted to keep it really simple you could just get a timer relay, about £10 on ebay. This, when fed 12v will then output 12v for an adjustable period of time. You can use this output to power a sounder. You could easily power the whole lot from a car battery, and use a car horn as the sounder. Add a flashing led mounted outside as a warning. The standby power consumption is trivial so a typical car battery would run this for several weeks probably, or use a simple solar charger to keep it topped up. You would need to have a switch somewhere to turn it off.

This is exactly what I put in my stepfathers shed about twenty years ago- it was broken into the very first night it was up (the typical round doorknob with key, they just twisted the entire mechanism with a pipe wrench!!!)- luckily all the tools were still inside the house and hadn't been moved in....
Fitted a PIR, that runs off a 12v plugpack, and sounds a loud piezo siren on a timer, has the flashing LED and all lol- I used a key switch lock thats mounted in the wall next to the door and flashing led so you just turn the key for the alarm, and then the key for the door...
A nice touch was another LED that was on a 'latching relay' circuit (just a 12v car relay) that if the alarm was triggered, would stay on until you turned off the power supply and then turned it back on to reset it...
Real easy to do, I didn't worry about the 'kill' button, just fitted a wire instead, just turn the PSU off then on does the same thing, and the LED connects to the 'load', the PIR relay is the 'start' button
If you see that LED lit, means the alarm has gone off...
total cost was about twenty bucks (ozzie) back then- probably cheaper now

 

[CornishWoodworker]

My Advise
Secure to the satisfaction of your insurance company.
If you see someone breaking in , call the Police.
If they steal things, claim of your insurance
Not worth your health or life to intervene.
A friend of mine got up from bed as some people were stealing his car from his drive, he intervened and tragically was run over several times and killed, whilst trying to defend his car.
Really , really not worth it.

 

[Paul200]

Sorry to hear this. I owned a tool shop in Somerset and one piece of advice I had for customers who had been robbed was beware of a return visit. The thieves know that you will be replacing some or all of the tools they stole so will likely return at some stage to lift all the nice shiny new ones. It was advice based on customer experience so you are wise to enlist your dogs help until your security is beefed up.

 

[Jelly]

Alarms can be good but not wireless, and anything that can be triggered to cause a noise will deter the thieving b******s .

With that in mind, what cable would you generally run to signal back to an alarm in the house?

I'm getting to the point where I'm ready to regularise the issues I had with my workshop electrics and will be putting in new buried SWA 3 Core & SWA Cat6; whilst I don't have the cash for an alarm installation right now, it would be stupid not to take the chance to run the cabling whilst I have a trench open.

 

[Spectric]

Depends upon the location and distance, but alarm system cables should be multicore with at least one pair being part of an alarm loop so just cutting it will trigger. With more elaborate systems you also want a tamper loop so if it is cut but alarm is not set it will still trigger to warn you. Same applies to all component parts, jb's, panels etc which need anti tamper switches incase they are accessed. In my last setup I ran two three inch corrugated pipes between utility and workshop so could always pull in additional cables. Being old school I would also run internet to the workshop, but if you are modern phone user then probably not needed, I don't get on with so called smart phones at all, need a keyboard!

Have you thought of putting the alarm in your house and then the workshop as a zone from that. Make sure the alarm sounder is up high, not on side of the workshop because expanding foam can do a great job of keeping them quiet.