What actually protects a property — and what just records it
Evidence-based guides on burglar behavior, deterrence, and property protection — written by the team behind the first Automatic Property Defense System.
Deterrence, by the evidence
What actually deters burglars: the evidence
We grade every common burglar deterrent strictly by verified research — alarms, cameras, signs, lights, dogs, occupancy — and name the stats you can't trust.
Read the guideWhat scares burglars away? People, mostly
Two interview studies of convicted burglars — 422 incarcerated and 86 Oregon inmates — agree: what scares burglars away most is people. Here's the evidence.
Read the guideDo security cameras deter burglars? Honestly, only a little
Cameras deter burglars only weakly — they record, they don't respond. What burglars actually told researchers about cameras, and what deters them more.
Read the guideDo motion lights deter crime? What a randomized experiment found
A randomized NYC experiment cut nighttime outdoor crime roughly 36% with lighting. What that means — and doesn't — for the motion flood over your garage.
Read the guideDo fake security cameras work?
Fake cameras rely on a bluff — and surveys of convicted burglars show bluffs get tested. What decoys can and can't do, and what happens when someone calls one.
Read the guideDo security signs deter burglars?
The top results for this query cite studies nobody can trace. Here's what verified offender research says about security signs, and where evidence runs out.
Read the guideDo dogs deter burglars?
Two independent surveys of burglars agree: dogs are one of the strongest deterrents. The reason isn't teeth — it's real-time detection and response.
Read the guideDoes Ring prevent break-ins?
Researchers keep failing to find evidence video doorbells prevent break-ins. A second-by-second timeline shows why a notification is not an intervention.
Read the guideProtecting specific properties
How Burglars Choose Houses: A Walkthrough of Target Selection
How burglars actually pick targets: what 422 incarcerated burglars and 86 Oregon inmates revealed about the signals that push a scout to move on.
Read the guideHow to Secure a Detached Garage
Locks, anchoring, window treatment, and lighting for a detached garage — plus the gap phone-alert cameras leave and how to close it at the structure.
Read the guideHow to Protect a Long Driveway and a Rural Property
A layered plan for long driveways and rural homes far from police: detect at the entrance, identify, track the corridor, and challenge at the house.
Read the guideWhen something happens
Signs Someone Is Casing Your House — and What to Do About It
The same car keeps passing. A stranger knocked with a thin excuse. How to recognize casing, document it, involve police, and make your home fail the test.
Read the guideWhat to Do After a Break-In: A Calm, Step-by-Step Plan
A calm plan for the hours after a burglary: safety first, police report, insurance documentation, securing the entry point — and whether burglars return.
Read the guideHow to Stop Porch Pirates: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why
Package theft hit 31% of adults last year, median loss $143 (SafeWise). What stops porch pirates — lockboxes, pickup points, instructions — and what doesn't.
Read the guideCar Broken Into in Your Driveway? Here's How to Stop It
Handle-pullers can work a whole street in minutes because nothing reacts. What to do after a driveway car break-in — and how to be the house they skip.
Read the guideMonitoring systems watch. PerimeterEye defends.
Every guide on this page comes back to the same finding: visible, active response deters intruders in ways passive recording never will. That is what PerimeterEye was built to do.