It depends where you live. Some municipalities have bylaws against fortifying your home. However that would not prevent me from protecting my family. Just remember that and windows can easily be broken and this is easy to do quietly. So if you want secure windows just keep in mind that you may wish to use them for an exit in case of fire. Therefore whatever you do don't block it in such a way that it cannot be opened easily and very quickly from the inside.

I leave bit of the road and in the bush so I prefer motion sensors further around hose that send signal to the house and than it is up to me.My basement is 3/4 in the ground so that gives me enough protection in case.
Sensors are very cheep.
Henry

If anyone has ever wrapped their hand around a wild rose stalk or walked into a hawthorn bush you can appreciate what a deterrent they would be at ground level windows.

Henry I use motion sensors in the bush around my home too. I find they work very well. You can have multiple sensors with each base unit. I use two base units one basically east, the main approach, and one for the west. These are further broken down into zones. This when the alarms are tripped I know from what area something is approaching and also the direction of movement. Sensors are cheap, work well and are not heavy on batteries. I had to adjust them a lot so that smaller animals like foxes and raccoons don't set them off. They work well on humans, bears and big cats. A moose and deer have set them off coming down the driveway too. Usually here if the sensor goes off in the middle of the night it is not good news.

If anyone has ever wrapped their hand around a wild rose stalk or walked into a hawthorn bush you can appreciate what a deterrent they would be at ground level windows.

A thorny bush makes a great perimeter fence also. My wife grows a type of Rose that spreads like a virus. The damn thing will take root when one of it (vines, branch?) is buried while still attached to the main plant. One of the Japanese roses sport a 1 inch thorn, and is a great hedge rose, in cold climates.

IRCC, not sure if you'll get this as it is an old thread but I'm wondering which mfg you went with for the sensors? I'm curious about the ability to have multiple zones on a wireless, aftermarket system.

We have a quote for rolling shutters for when we go camping... probably be looking at them this year.

I just went with the cheapie ones; SKY Link. They have worked very well for about two years. So cheap that if a few of them fail I'll just replace them.

Here is the link: http://www.skylinkhome.com/us/products/ha/ha434rtl.html

I think the best way to provide a early warning from intruders is a watch dog. It does'nt need to be a attack dog, like a german sheppard, pit bull, rottweiler, etc...Even a little yappy ankle biter is effective. Any type of dog that lets you know that someone is at your door, is a good watch dog. It also tells a intruder that its easier to go to another house other than yours, because no thief does'nt do recon first, and will usually avoid any house with a dog, when another house without a dog is more vulnerable. Lots if deterents can be done, like motion lights, alarms, bars, etc....but simple stickers on a door that advertise a security system, or beware of dog are cheap ways to make your house less desireable to be broken into.

Dogs are good and will deter some intruders for sure.

A buddy just shared this website with me lol...

http://www.readytodefend.com/

It will provide you with some useful passive deterrence perhaps? 😮

Possibly but I think it would be more of an attention GETTER. In this country IF someone broke in and IF you defnded yourself and property and IF you caused physical harm... it COULD be construed that you had a preconcieved INTENT to do harm.... making it harder to defend your actions in a court of law.
Just sayin'

JAB

We have 3 dogs, the pizza man only has to pull into the drive way, and it sounds like a kennel. 👿

Depending on where you live and how the house is setup in bush or open area etc, one thing I have heard of off the net are wood panels cut to fit the windows. Put two handles on the panel left side and right side and make sure to cut out a cross in the middle of the panel so you can see outside and if needed put your rifle through the panel. A couple of latches to secure them to the window and there you go.

Alternative is a board on the ground under the window outside full of carpet tacks. Paint the board black so it blends into the ground colour and grow a bush prefer a thorn bush in front to hide the board. If you drill two holes at each end of the board you can hammer in rebar to keep the board from moving or being picked up easily and thrown away.

Now keep in mind the first suggestion is extreme and to be used only if the SHTF and you want to keep guard of your house during the event.

As long as you are not restricting your access in event of a house fire and you are not creating a trap that might inadvertently stepped on by an unsuspecting animal, wild or domestic, I think all solutions should be considered. Again some municipalities have restrictions on these types of actions so it is always good to check first. In my experience many of these bylaws are poorly written and not enforceable. They may threaten prosecution but it might well turn out costing the municipality big bucks in a counter lawsuit.