Beef up your household and personal security
Stash laptops securely
Laptops are designed to be portable, but that doesn’t mean that you’re compelled to cart them around all of the time. The Mascot Digital Electronic Laptop safe (model MD-45L) provides a secure stash spot for your mobile PC while you’re away on holiday or trying to get a life. This battery-operated safe features a digital electronic lock, LED display, low battery-level alert function, a manual override key and master/management override function. Its carpet-lined innards measure 190 mm high x 440 mm wide x 350 mm deep to accommodate laptops easily. It comes with predrilled holes on its base and back, making installing it a breeze (sturdy mounting bolts are included).
Price: about R1 300, excluding delivery.
Contact Saunderson Security on 0800 204 563 or visit www.saundersonsecurity.co.za
Non-lethal defender
No reasonable individual would resort to violence as a first option. However, there are times that reasonableness has to give way to the very practical consideration of defending oneself with maximum effect. In these kinds of situations, the Duel Black Piece pepper pistol makes a great non-lethal solution. This 10-shot CO2-powered semi-automatic pistol features an all-metal body, rear cocking knob, removable magazine, tournament-style velocity adjuster, quick change CO2 compartment, sight rail and contoured rubber grips.
It shoots pepper, scent and solid rubber rounds up to distances of 20 metres at a maximum velocity of 116 metres per second. The pepper balls are said to be capable of totally incapacitating an individual for up to an hour, and the scent balls help police dogs stay on track for a number of hours (even after the target has taken a vigorous shower). The solid rubber balls are capable of cracking ribs at distances under 10 metres. Intruders wouldn’t know what hit them.
Price: about R2 000.
Contact Dad’s Toys on 021-551 3471 or visit www.dadstoys.co.za
Just lock up and go
Passive high-tech security solutions are all very well, but there’s nothing quite like a sturdy physical barrier to make you feel really safe and secure, or to protect your hard-earned assets while you’re out of town.
If you would like your freestanding suburban home to have the same lock-up-and-go convenience as a townhouse, then Maxidor’s Maxishutter domestic roller shutter doors are worth a closer look. They’re suitable for many home applications, from simple patio enclosures to electrically operated inscape doors. In fact, Maxidor is so confident that their barrier can withstand a malicious attack that the company will buy back any product that has been successfully breached for up to ten years after installation.
Working much like those shop-front roller security barriers you find in high-crime areas, but decidedly better-looking, they consist essentially of a curtain of interlocking slats that form a continuous hinge along their entire length. Curtains are raised or lowered via a spring-loaded barrel mounted on to steel support brackets. The curtain’s bottom rail strengthens the barrier and allows for the fitment of handles and locking devices. In addition to this, the curtain is prevented from moving sideways by side channels, and the rolling mechanism is tastefully enclosed in a canopy hood.
The curtains, made out of aluminium or steel, come in three different styles; solid, perforated and window slat. You can choose between hand, chain, gear or motor operating mechanisms. There’s a choice of three standard colours (white, brown or oyster white), but it’s possible to request a specific colour of your choice. Because each installation is unique and there are a number of options available, it’s hard to provide any prices.
Best is to call ahead for a quote on 0860 131 131 or visit www.maxidor.co.za
Open-and-shut case
If you’re looking for a more personalised, convenient access control solution than off-the-shelf remote controls, why not take advantage of the device that nearly everybody seems to have these days – the Bluetooth-enabled cellphone?
The BlueGuard VK Bluetooth virtual keypad controller turns any Bluetooth-enabled cellphone into a universal remote control. It allows you to switch almost anything on or off around your home up to 10 metres away.
Yes, that includes opening and closing gates and garage doors, and arming or disarming your home alarm.
The beauty of this system is that you don’t require any special software for your phone.
The unit’s weatherproof PVC housing can be used indoors or out and comes with multiple mounting options, making it possible to easily connect it to items such as electric gate motors or electrical junction boxes.
And, once you have selected your unique PIN code (it can be changed at any stage), an unlimited number of mobile phones can be used – no more multiple remotes and the potential security risks.
Contact distributors Cyber Vault on 076 200 8787 or visit www.blue toothwireless.co.za
Now you’re smokin’
Prowler checks out the house, notices nobody’s home, spots some attractive goodies and decides it’s worth breaking in. Setting off the alarm is no problem. He’ll have enough time to make his escape before armed response arrives.
But what’s this… smoke?
Suddenly, he’s in the middle of a choking cloud. He can’t see a thing. He’s just been zapped by a smoke cannon. Cue screeching tyres, wailing sirens…
We’ve all seen the fake fog effect used to add atmosphere to live shows. The Protect Smoke Cannon works the same way. The “smoke” itself consists of dipropylene glycol, which is harmless to humans and animals – and, of course, electronics and furniture. Pumping a water/glycol mix through a heater creates vapour: the fluid becomes a dry, white impenetrable cloud, similar to white smoke.
Smoke cannons come in various sizes to suit everything from a warehouse to a suburban home. The model pictured, the P600, is the smallest in the range: it can fill 600m³ with a neutrally buoyant, opaque smoke in just one minute. (The mixture ratio is designed to allow the fog to distribute itself throughout the entire room, upwards and downwards.) It leaves no moisture residue, though ventilation is recommended afterwards.
The smoke cannon is compatible with conventional alarm systems and is triggered when the alarm is set off. The cannon itself can be adjusted for different times and with or without a pulse effect. Styled to fit in with domestic environments, it can be installed in a ceiling or behind a wall.
Once installed, it’s fuss-free. It uses less electricity than an electric bulb (there is battery back-up) and needs no maintenance other than dusting. It’s also designed to operate in systems that make use of fire alarms.
To find out more, contact the distributors, Norbain SA, at +27 11 887 1546 or e-mail Jacques Botha at jbotha@norbain.co.za
You can’t touch this
Electric fencing is a great perimeter protector – when it works properly. Apart from being extremely fickle performers in bad weather, electric fences require constant maintenance.
Their high false alarm rate (everything from squirrels to short circuits) also has the potential of causing security companies to respond less than enthusiastically to alarm signals after a run of unnecessary callouts. Even worse, as a consequence of false alarms, homeowners turn the damn things off, effectively leaving their properties defenseless.
Smart fencing is another story altogether. Star Walls rotating spikes are designed to keep the bad guys where they belong: outside. The tough spikes, made out of glass fibre-reinforced nylon, rotate on galvanised tubing to prevent anyone from gaining a handhold while attempting to scale the wall.
The rotating spikes alone make a great physical deterrent for potential intruders. But, when coupled with the optional fibre optic detection system, it creates a smart fencing solution in which both components combine to create a stable and decidedly high-tech security solution. This is how it works: the fibre optic cable is threaded through the tubing to form a circuit. Light is propagated through the fibre installation and, when this light pattern is disturbed (such as when someone tries to climb over or saw through the tubing), it raises an alarm. This alarm can be linked to a normal domestic alarm and security company. It can also switch on lights, send SMS messages and sound a buzzer or alarm.
Here’s a significant plus factor for the fibre optic system: it’s not subject to the same kind of disruption as a conventional electrical installation. Simply, criminals have not yet figured out ways to attack it undetected.
The rotating spikes can be fitted on all types of walling, including precast, and are suitable for DIY installation. Cost is about R80 a running metre. Because each installation is unique, it’s hard to put a price to the fibre optic detection system, which requires trained, accredited installers. As a guide, though, expect to pay more than you would for electric fencing.
Contact Star Walls on 0861 114 109 or visit www.starwalls.co.za
This Article is a back issue of Popular Mechanics taken from the December 2010 issue
Compiled by the editors, popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za.
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