Hi,

I have a problem..Should I switch on pillar/car porch/terrace lights on midnight (before going to sleep)?

Is it really an effective method on scaring thieves? but at the same time it will make the thieves easier to open your locks too because of bright view..

I can't make decision at this time..I need some inputs from you all..

Anyone pls give me some opinion?

thanks a lot

You switch it on so it obvious if someone enter your premises, your neighbor can check from far, or you can see it inside the house.

I will for sure switch it on.

not for scaring thieves, just for easy spot by neighborhoods and yourself.

everybody already going to sleep...who going to check your house and how can you see it inside the house while you are sleeping?

When its bright, your neighbours or anyone passing your house would know if there is an intruder trying to break in. If its dark it would also make it easier for an intruder to hide and ambush the owner.

These are my views, I keep both front porch and rear garder lights on at night. Get LED bulbs or energy saving bulbs if you are worried over high utility bills.

I understand that but after everybody already going to sleep, is the purpose can be achieved?

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Added on March 19, 2012, 9:59 amthieves only will break in at late midnight while everybody already slept like pig....at that time, nobody will check your house any more....the lights will only help them to open your lock, isn't it? and 2-4am hardly can see any car pass by your house....

This post has been edited by tiensong: Mar 19 2012, 10:01 AM

Well my Porch and Back light will always be on at night......i guess is a for psychological reasons...would thiefs prefer to break in in a brightly lit place or dark places? I guess this depends on the thief

This post has been edited by coconutzz: Mar 19 2012, 10:08 AM

Do you feel safe when everyone switch off the light? Look outside the windows, and see nothing just dark?

Not everyone sleep like a "pig", my wife is not one of the "pig", some people sleep late, for me i sometime sleep around 2am because of late night call. It also feel safer, and for passer by or guard on duty (guarded area) easy to spot any suspicious person.


I have a feeling you already have plan what you want to do, but just need to find more reason to execute your plan.

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Added on March 19, 2012, 10:12 amWhen people wake up to Pee, hear sound they can quickly see or peek what's happen outside.

Do you think thief want to break into bright area or a dark area if given a preference?

This post has been edited by weikee: Mar 19 2012, 10:12 AM

I don't have plan....I just can't accept the fact that at midnight, our neighbour will not look out windows and check our house...even myself never open windows and look outside at night/midnight..We are busying watching tv, play computer, after that sleep....who r going to care what happen on neighbour houses?

I don't manage to take any risk....because my housing area is not gated and even guarded...I don't want to switch on lights and at the end lure the thieves to come to my house...

I feel sorry if somebody think that I shouldn't open a stupid post like this...

I dont like too dark
1) You can hear sound but will not able to see what going ON
2) Prevent people hide at dark site
3) You could spoit if anyone around your house but if you turn the light ON to check, than what will be happen if he hide again and appears after you switch off.
4) Other will able to have better view on your housing area...

In fact, nobody will care what happen to neighbour house....this is our world...you can ask yourself, how many times you open windows and look for neighbour house at night a year?

not everyone is sleeping pig. some are very sensitive to sound and they actually woke up and peek through the windows. You know lah, some will woke up pee mah although midnite.

and if you planned properly your lighting, you should have no blind spot area in your porch or backyard.

This post has been edited by KIntos: Mar 19 2012, 10:19 AM

my neighbour opened lights every night at back house.....but few days ago, the thieves broke in their house through back house...the lights will avoid them to hide or make them easier to work?

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Added on March 19, 2012, 10:20 amnot every break in will cause sound.....some can do it very quietly....

This post has been edited by tiensong: Mar 19 2012, 10:20 AM

Sometime we read news paper, neighbor call police after found / suspect someone break into house. We still have good neighbor. Sorry to say, I find many Chinese are very selfish when see things happen, try to avoid and only come out "kepo" after police is here. Malay, and Indian are much helpful in this kind of situation. I am not bias, but heard many case already. In small town / kampung area these things never happen.

When I wake up to pee (which I seldom do), I'll look outside if we did not switch on the a/c. My wife do too.

Nope..whenever i hear noises...I will look out my windows...My my neighbours next and opposite will also look out at other houses if we hear noises at nite...

Whenever my neighbours balik kampung, we will be on the look out as well ...its vice versa...it depends on how close you to your neighbours....not all neighbours dun care..

haiz, I know my neighbour won't look out at other houses.....most chinese are like that...

ya. true but you cant stop thieves breaking in if they targeted you, you can just prevent and slowing them and buy you time. How your neighbours helping is depend luck and how comm. between you with them.

Just imagine everyone have the same thought and the entire street is like back lane of Chow Kit.

Aiyo bro..dun la like that...its always good to look out when u hear any noises...u never know.ur house might be targeted..

whenever i hear noises even at 3am damn blur..i will take an effort to check it out...my neighbours on same row are chinese...oppsite are malays...and we do look out for each other....regardlesss malay, chinese or indians...we all do not want any unfortunate incidents to happen..that's for sure!

and most of our houses have been broken into before ...maybe because of that....we don't mind to be on the look out

I would like to give more inputs...my house facing playground....so, i don't have any neighbour opposite me....so, even I switch on car porch lights, nobody will know if thief break in through front house main door....in this case, what can I do? We cant see each other from side =.=

This post has been edited by tiensong: Mar 19 2012, 10:31 AM

You are thinking the wrong way. Your mind must be in the thieft shoe and understand how they think.

Why do you think they like to come at night to steal your thing and not dyalight? Because they like dark. So they prefer you not ON the light for easy hide. They are pro in stealing and open lock. Have light or no light is not a problem for him.

When you hear a sound and want to look outside for a check, do you have difficult to see in dark? And the advantage for the guy to hide while your eye try to serach for something.

Another thing I learn from the thieft for the daylight entering is (or night), they like those can't see thruogh fencing and gate house. It give them plenty of time inside to open your door.

Still, car pass by on and off. Even in my area, very frequent even middle of the night / 3 to 4 am.

another questions.....will you all close all the windows curtain in house before going to sleep?

neighbour must help each other's and having a good comm with them is a very good start. We have to take initiative to comm. with them. Must have theirs contact number so anythings can call them to inform or check for us. Going vacation have to inform them too.

yes..agree....hope they are willing to help...

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Added on March 19, 2012, 10:42 amanother questions.....will you all close all the windows curtain in house before going to sleep?

This post has been edited by tiensong: Mar 19 2012, 10:42 AM

For ground floor windows, sometime I do sometime I don't. This is because I forgot and never really think is critical. Curtain usually leave it close for ground floor. For first if did not switch on the a/c will of course open up the windows, and curtain.

Day time, i leave the first floor curtain open at least 1/3, so let the UV bath my wood flooring

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Added on March 19, 2012, 10:47 amI couldn't agree more.

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Added on March 19, 2012, 10:51 amHow about another question?

For double / multi story house, do you'll switch on the stair light when going to sleep?



This post has been edited by weikee: Mar 19 2012, 10:51 AM

Playground? hmm...well..even better isnt it ? a lot of couples middle of the night love to hide at play grounds...so maybe if anything happens..then they will notice..


anyway..it is really up to u to on or off ur lights...some of my neighbours do not on their lights..its ur call..ur decision

I usually close all the curtains during night...so, my practise is correct?

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Added on March 19, 2012, 10:54 amno choice...not gated and guarded...usually will think a lot about security...although I am very happy to have my own house, but every night, I did pray for god...



This post has been edited by tiensong: Mar 19 2012, 10:54 AM

My taman whole row of house is facing the sky. No opposite neighbour. And 99% of the house is ON their car porch light.

Switch on the lights better than not switching on the lights.
Not a fool proof plan but at least a slight deterrent.
A theif operate better in the darkness, you just lessen their advantage.

oh.....how about windows curtain? will you close all the curtains before going to sleep?

I will close the sheer but not the curtains.
Sheer is good enough for privacy when the inner house light is off, you can still see outside (with the outside lights on), but outside can't see in.
If curtain close, anything happen and you suddendly switch on inside light, nobody outside can see in thus even if neighbour is friendly and helpful, he dunno if there is an emergency happening or not.

Bro..i think the best bet for security at night is to install an alarm...

once it goes off at least u would be awake immediately...

my sheer is still pending from supplier since the batch came with defect. now only with black out curtain and i got no choice to close the window at night as my wife is sensitive to mosq.
Open window and curtain when in daylight for moist./humi control.

Of course we close all the curtain. Even after 8pm, my hall curtain already close. While the bedroom MUST close. You don't want morning the sun interupt your sleep.

I almost get there....thanks for all the warm and helpful feedbacks...

thanks everyone...

Alternative is put sensor spotlight...detect object movement than Turn ON...

Makesure no cat around. If not they use your sensor like for disco light at night party.

So many cats around me? Wont be like disco lah unless the cat(s) like it so much, hehe ... some more you can adjust your sensor mah

sensor light easy to DIY or not?

r u going to install cctv ? with light u can see clearly what is happen outside your porch/ back lane, off course lar, your dvr/ monitor must be in your room lor..

i close all my curtain & switch on all the compound lighting, as the guard on duty can help to see see look look my house

no difference lar guarded or not guarded if your house is marked as target, my neighbor opposite just kena two weeks ago, the thief try to pry open his back door but went gila after found out the owner inside are awake, they use big hammer to break his door, chase the owner & want to tie him with wire....luckily the owner run out to his front porch + shout few neighbor switch on lights to see/ check what happen then only the bugger WALK back into back lane

my area, all house with alarm + gate n guarded still happen that neighbor now move back to his parrent's house, re-renovate the house by add a door at staircase, master room door change to security door so that they can lock themselves inside and call for help when things happen again

It have different with guard. To have better security, You have to look beyond your fence. Guard is your first defend.

To me try be low profile. Look simple is good enough.

In some case dog better than guard lor, the guard must be sleeping at that time, around 2am

Weikee bro, your house stand out from your neighbor woorrr

This post has been edited by skng03: Mar 19 2012, 08:01 PM

Not really, my opposite neighbor house look better, driving nice car, than now my left neighbor much more grand Reno

My left neighbour dog got poison by thieft.

Haii, no place is save in malaisia:(

My latest plan..add jimmy lock to main door, master room door. additional lock to alum sliding door n Add external photo beam alarm, share with few neighbor to hire one extra guard for night shifts......

As for me, I always have the habit to leave it on. Burglar will tend to target dark house as compared to house with lights right? Well, it's also easier for the security guards to check my house. So why not?

just like normal lighting point (connect the wires lol)...
You could get those with timer / sensor or Night sensor type.
Check this out http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2257076

i think i have to look for those sensor which can be connected to my existing downlights....

well, lighted or not lighted up to each individual.

i agree with those sensor. my hse was broken into in the day time and both my neighbour are around and they did not notice that my hse was broken into till we are back and saw our doors open... both my neighbour are good neighbours whereby they are always on the lookout specially at night (one of my neighbour works in hawker stall and dont sleep at night as need to prepare for next morning's business).

i have a dog too and the thief feed my dog with food.... till the next day my poor dog is having diahorrea.

thief nowdays are very smart. they broke open my sliding door and close it as it normal... hence my neighbour that is walking in and out also dont notice....

haiz, seems like conclusion is, all depend on our fate and pray for god more often.....do more charity and good things.....

well, the only thing we can do is to install alarm, cctv... nothing much we can do to prevent these thief to aim us as all of us are working and there will not be anyone at home most of the time...

After do all this thing and still kena thieft how? Blame the guy ontop?

If thinking doing charity can stop this, is wrong thinking. Charity to help other, not to hope something good in return.

Want to do the right thing. Vote for it.

for me, i sure will turn on car porch light till next day morning.
nowadays, THEY are really smart and really banyak pattern. i stay in apartment for the passed 15yrs, never heard ppl broken in to any lot around the apartment,maybe apartment they will expect not much to steal gua. however parent just booked a new 2sty terrace house which will completed next year, i start feel worry will we be the next victim? (choiii chooiii chooii) aiz. for myself, i think alarm system is more important than cctv ( if i got budget sure i going to have both of them ) bcoz THEY usually will FULL MASKED come in one, with alarm system maybe can "scare" them gua? and we have to learn how to protect ourselves, standby long wood, steel bar for emergency use.
my 2cents~

if you have sliding door, you can put wood behind the sliding door... this will prevent the thief to slide open your sliding door... all the locks we'll put xtra cap, to prevent these thief to easily cut our lock... learn this after my hse got broken into...

my new hse i m installing alarm only and also subscribe to a monitoring system where if there's unusual things like wire got cut off, alarm trigger they will call us and if cant get us will call guard hse, emergency call etc...

forgot to suggest this also... bcoz i saw the security guard from hartamas complex they also using the same way to block their entrance.

May be a night vision binoculars good for those who outside is a open area, so that you could check whether anyone outside there...

if the thief has targetted on u he will break in regardless ur lights r on or not la
even u off ur lights to 'blur' his vision he could oways use a torch light or sth, he will do it if he wanna do it. get it?
imho u shd put more attention on ur grills or other safety features to prevent break-ins than spending time thinking whether to leave ur lights on / off

Which brand of alarm you are using?currently surveying..

What kind of cap are you talking about, for the lock?

we confirm using ADT... coz they have system monitoring and 5 emergency numbers. although there's monthly payment but we think it's worth it coz our hse got broken into before and i lost almost everything valuable (including my wedding ring)....

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Added on March 28, 2012, 10:50 amit's an additional cap to cover your lock.... you can get this at those hardware shop....

This post has been edited by adelechin: Mar 28 2012, 10:50 AM

can show me the photo of the cap?

mind to pm me the installation cost and also the monthly fee?

no problem... i go back and take the pic...

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Added on March 28, 2012, 6:15 pmPMed u....

This post has been edited by adelechin: Mar 28 2012, 06:15 PM

eh? no receive any pm yet?