How do you open door after a knock, how should you open the door after a knock..??

[Magus]

What sort of people do you have coming to your house????
You guys all are either very paranoid, or live in very bad neighborhoods..
Even in Orlando I generally opened the door if someone came over after looking who it was through the little widow in our door ( not peephole but actual small window
I was more worried there than here obviously
But if someone comes up here with a vehicle in the dark late, I get the shotgun ready
So far that has only happened once , it was the people that dropped off the dead deer they shot at our barn by mistake. They never made it to our house, they turned around at the barn below
( I hope I don't jinx myself by saying all this, now we'll probably have a home invasion by some crazy next....)

I live near the corner of methville and crack town. Old habits die hard. I had some jokers try to break in KNOWING I was home. I never have been a sound sleeper, but this retard let his pager go off!
Side note:
A cocked 44 magnum a foot away from one's face is the best laxative on earth!

 

[SoJer]

The problem with windows is that while you're checking them out, they are also checking you out. ...
Cameras just work better for me given my concerns above.

Ehh, "depends" (on the lighting-conditions), ie: If it's Full Sun outside - and Dark, inside - no one is gonna see you, 5' or more 'deep' inside, observing them.. Easy to prove this out, at home. Conversely, if it's Dark Outside, and ya've got full-lights on, Inside (or, lights are Behind you, creating a silhouette..) then Ya, yer likely gonna 'get made'.

This is where careful tailoring of mini-blinds can be helpful (usually, if the blades are left 'pointing Up', You can see Out, well - but an Outsider can't see In very deep, if at all..) And / or some of the 'mirror film' (though, that needs to be Eval'd, carefully, for still being able to See Out, well, at night, but.. Requesting a 'sample' / doing a quick test on yer chosen view-port window, will reveal that pro/con quickly.)

That all-said, IMO, one Other *Extremely Important* task / layer of security - for ANY 'ground-level windows' - is getting them fitted with 'Anti-Smash film' / a good-solid rubber-seal around the frame, we just finished doing that at our place.. Used: VViViD 12 Mil Clear Vinyl Shatterproof Safety Window Film (30 Inch x 50ft) (and, did Both sides, because why not..) 'Cheap, first-line-defense Insurance', imo..

This is in Addition to 10' H exterior wrought-iron gates, preventing easy access to any ground-level windows in the first place. They'd have to either 'bring a ladder' / get over the 77 inverted roofing-spike 'caltrop bed', up top the passageway crossbeam, and either jump or climb-down the other side without plans-wrecking injury.. Or bring a cut-off saw / sawzall, etc - and This, all the while transmitting their activities to our live-feed cams..

...Then defeat the Dogs, Then pray none of us are actually Home. Yeah, Good Luck, Pal..

Only point I'm making, here (without going Too-far OT in SD's thread.. is IMO, 'Entry-points security' has GOT to be a 'multi-layered' approach - Can't Just be 'what's the Door-answering protocol', because even If a Good one, well.. As we all know, the 'Chain is only as strong as it's Weakest link'..

I have this irrational fear of peepholes. I figure as soon as I look out one, the person on the other side will notice it darken from my shadow...

There's 'an App for that', too, Mon Frére - the 'Doorscope': ie: www.amazon.com/Angle-Peephole-Viewer-Doorscope-Metal/dp/B000NKPWF0 ..All's a 'perp' sees from the Outside, is a Prism:

..that won't 'reveal You' (and, you can further 'mask yer proximity', by ensuring there's no silo-casting Lights on behind ya, when you get close.. That said, because of the Very Large 'sight-picture', you don't Have to get 'right on Top of it' (like the standard peep-sights..) so, that gives ya even Better 'obfuscation', viewing from a few feet-back.. And more clearance for yer 12 ga barrel..

Fwiw..
jd

 

[Haertig]

'Anti-Smash film'

I wonder if our windows have some of this functionality? We didn't buy them for that. We bought them for better insulation. They are double pane glass with a special plastic sheeting in between the panes for slowing solar gain through the window. I guess you'd call them triple pane windows where the middle pane is a plastic sheet. I've never tried smashing one to see if that built-in plastic layer makes them more break-in resistant or not. To the best of my recollection, that internal plastic sheet is not attached to either pane, it's just stretched and mounted in the free space between them. That doesn't sound like it would help with break-ins to me. But who knows?

 

[Dani]

It's been years, maybe 10 since I got an unexpected knock. Once we put up the farm gate and privacy fence between our closest neighbor, it's just been very quiet. Neighbor furthur out gets a farm style fence with barbwire. He is a turd and if he wants to start something, the Sheriff's Department already knows about him, especially since he was one of them at one time. We know the Sheriff for our county very well since she started out in the police department where my Hunny worked.

 

[SoJer]

I wonder if our windows have some of this functionality?...double pane glass with a special plastic sheeting in between the panes for slowing solar gain through the window.... doesn't sound like it would help with break-ins to me.

Yeah, like you say, pretty-sure that's just for Thermal-attenuation / UV-blocking (most-likely) because in order for the 'anti-smash film' to Work, it's got to be in-Contact with the glass - and - 'sealed well', up into / around the frame-edges (if the 'film' doesn't go Under the OEM rubber-seal, then all an intruder would have to Do, is smash those 'vulnerable' edges, and be In, quickly..)

..But, with a Heavy-layer of Super-HD 'RTV-like' rubber-sealant (Not just yer typical 'silicone window-caulk') covering-over the film-edges, and Over the frame-edge lip, that 'smash-resistance' is carried-thru all the way into the frame..

Anyway, there's Many great vids on YT showing how-well this stuff Works (but, also it's 'limitiations' - it's Not 'impenetrable', certainly..) but so-as not to get too much further OT in SD's thread.. I'll just let Your 'fingers do the walking' on that homework..

jd

 

[SoJer]

How do you safely open the door after the knock..??

..You Don't, you simply...

Sorry, SD, that was just an old Gem I happened-upon looking for something else.. But it seems to fit..

jd