Reddit reviews Mr Beams MB360 Wireless LED Spotlight with Motion Sensor and Photocell, Dark Brown

This is a great idea. My boyfriend is out of town a lot, leaving me home alone with our two year old. I was extremely uncomfortable alone at night until we invested in some basic, inexpensive home security devices.

1: Bump-proof your deadbolts. These things are super cheap, easy to use and install. They prevent your deadbolt from turning, so no one can pick or bump the lock.

2: Battery-operated alarms. We went to Home Depot and got tiny little battery-operated alarms for each door. These work by having two pieces (one on the door and one on the jamb) with a magnet in each. When the bond between the magnets breaks, as when the door is opened, it goes off. It has "off", "alarm", and "chime" functions, so it's the same device that a lot off convenience stores use. Cost us $15 for two. They work on windows also. (For the record, the alarm is ridiculously loud.)

3: Motion sensor lights. We put one of these on each side of the house. Battery operated so easy to install. Put them a few feet out of arm's reach if possible, check the batteries so often, good to go.

4: As the previous commenter said, get a dog if you can. Preferably a large one, but even a small dog instills a lot of security. Your son will find the companionship totally invaluable, he'll feel more in control if you give him responsibility of taking care of it, and small dogs are great alarm systems.

I hope this helps!

I used this amazon link

It uses 3 D batteries

I'd also recommend buying a motion-activated light: it turns on if it senses movement, which is proven to be efficient in discouraging a good portion of home intruders. Being under a spot-light when you're try to commit a crime can be very intimidating.

There are some that cost under 20£, but try to shop around and see what's best. You're putting cameras in front of the house only, but do you have a back that needs cover, too? This could be a compromise between additional cameras and nothing, or could be in support of cameras.

Since the goal is to stop your abuser from even wanting to come in, you need to make clear and evident that there are cameras on, as a deterrent, so I'd put a sign that says "this house is covered by cameras" or something on the same effect.

There are apps that can work as panic buttons, and alert your contacts in case of emergency, like ICE. In the US there's a cool app called Smart911, that basically makes you register, and when you call 911, the 9-1-1 call takers can view your addresses, medical information, home information, description of pets and vehicles, and emergency contacts. I think you could ask on r/FindAnApp or other subreddits if there's anything similar in UK.

Stay safe OP, cuddle your pets, and know that you're doing a lot to protect yourself!

I got one of these, they work fine.

www.amazon.com/Mr-Beams-Wireless-Spotlight-Photocell/dp/B002P6EQPW/ref=pd_sim_263_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=31m9UHF4mrL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160SR106%2C160&refRID=13CJJXS21P4R12AZSDXF

Depending on which state you're in, I'd say go through a Honeywell retailer and pick up a wireless Lyric system to handle the door/window contacts, glass break sensor, siren, and Yale electronic lock. You can put your indoor cameras on the Honeywell app as well.

I've had a positive experience with Honeywell since the wireless set-up process is simple, and the retailer's customer support should help you out should you have any tech issues or need guidance with the app. Makes it real easy to teach family members to use the apps, even people who are really bad with computers. Plus, whenever you move, it's no big deal. Just toss everything back in the box and install it in the next place.

With monitoring, your retailer or security system supplier might have someone they work with. Main thing to look for is that they're UL-listed and meet all the industry standards. Find out if they protect locations like schools and government buildings, too. That's always a good sign. I don't have any specific monitoring companies I can plug, unfortunately.

My only issue with Honeywell is their new wireless outdoor cameras are untested, so until I get my hands on one and put it through it's paces, I'm not going to recommend it.

I prefer wired exterior lights myself, but if you can also get battery-powered like this one on Amazon for cheap. With lights, there's really no need to get fancy unless you've got a lot of area to cover and you plan on being there on a more permanent basis.

For outdoor cameras you can get something like Amcrest's outdoor option. Decent camera, ticks all the boxes, not too expensive. Put your cameras on BlueIris or iSpy.

Hopefully that gives you a good starting point. Since your home is small, you probably don't need many cameras so that'll help mitigate some costs.

It's tough finding the balance between a cheap security system and a reliable one, but I think the added peace of mind makes it a worthy investment.

It really depends how often they would be triggered.
THese:
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beams-Wireless-Spotlight-Photocell/dp/B002P6EQPW

advertise 1 yr with 8-10 activations a day...but not sure how long in the real world

Mr Beams MB360 Wireless LED Spotlight with Motion Sensor and Photocell - Weatherproof - Battery Operated - 140 Lumens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002P6EQPW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZemNAbN45V0PN

I have this one it is great

I have a small ~10x10 garden shed and I use a battery operated motion-detecting light from Mr. Beams:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beams-Wireless-Spotlight-Photocell/dp/B002P6EQPW

It uses D batteries and is wide enough to light most of the shed when I go in there at night. It has a photocell so it won't turn on during the day. It was not worth running power out to this small shed so this was a perfect solution.