The other week our house was burglarized. The thief broke-in through the balcony door of our parents’ room (our parents didn’t hear a thing and slept through the whole incident) and managed to take a laptop, a digital camera and an ipod. 

Our mom, who couldn’t take the thought of another break-in, went jo-burger and bought barrel bolts and these anti-theft devices from the hardware store the next day.

The Sheperd alarm is installed on doors either using the velcro patch or screws. I recommend installing it using screws since the velcro patch wouldn’t hold it sturdily. 

The alarm has actually two parts, the smaller one is to be installed on door jambs and the actual device is to be installed on the door itself.

The alarm is armed by pressing “4” and is disarmed with your passcode. You program your passcode by keying-in any 4-digit code after popping in the AAAA batteries.

When the alarm is activated, it would beep after 30 seconds (too long, I think)  if a person opens the door without keying-in the passcode. The alarm is irritatingly loud which is good for its purpose.

The Qusun motion detector is also for use in doors and windows. It can run on AAAA batteries or through a 12-volt adaptor. The package says it can detect movement from 10 meters. When installed horizontally it functions as promised, but when installed underneath the door, vertically, it couldn’t detect me unless I wave my hand directly in front of it. 

These are actually cheap anti-theft devices when compared to security systems that require professional installation. The Sheperd alarm costs 750 from Ace Hardware and the Qusun is 500 pesos from Ortigas Home Depot. So I guess you take what your money’s worth.