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Sentri – Smart Home – Nathan Ng – Video - January 10, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

Sentri - Smart Home - Nathan Ng
This is a video I did for Sentri, which is a home monitoring and automation device. It was a wonderful project and I #39;m glad they #39;re seeing so much success! From their page: Sentri is a complete...

By: crazychopstix

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Sentri - Smart Home - Nathan Ng - Video

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CAUGHT ON CAMERA: FedEx Driver Swipes Puppies - January 10, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

"He knew somebody was home," homeowner Armando Correa says. "All the trucks were out there, the door was cracked. He knew we were home."

(KPRC) A FedEx driver has been suspended after being accused of taking two puppies from the front of a Houston, Texas family's home.

The incident was caught on the home's surveillance cameras. Around 4:30 pm Wednesday, a delivery truck is seen stopping in the middle of southeast Houston cul-de-sac.

A driver gets out and for nearly 10 minutes attempts to put Bruno and Sheila, 6-month-old French bulldogs, inside his truck. While securing Bruno inside, Sheila escapes and runs back to the home's front door.

The driver is then seen picking up Sheila by the front door, taking her back to the truck and driving away.

"He knew somebody was home," homeowner Armando Correa says. "All the trucks were out there, the door was cracked. He knew we were home."

The family posted the video on social media and went viral.

Thursday, Correa said he went to FedEx offices looking for the driver and called the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Just after 6 pm Thursday, the family got a call from Kirkwood Veterinary Hospital.

The vet said someone found the puppies wandering the cold streets Wednesday night more than 20 miles from the Correa's home.

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CAUGHT ON CAMERA: FedEx Driver Swipes Puppies

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Toshiba releases its first DVR for 960H resolution security cameras - January 10, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

Home security is always in demand, and many people pay to have alarms systems installed and monitored. These systems can call the police when intrusion is detected or the fire company if there's smoke. Cameras are one of the newer additions to this home arsenal, though they've been around for a while. However, they come with an added complication -- the recording and saving of the video. After all, it's useless if you can't see what happened.

For this recording of video, you generally have two options -- a DVR or the cloud. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The DVR is obviously local and allows for more control and less chance of your video being hacked. Now Toshiba is looking to provide you with that solution, announcing the new EAV16-480 DVR, built for 960H resolution cameras.

"Configured with 16 channels, the EAV16-480 records at frame rates up to 480fps and supports the latest ultra-high resolution 960H analog cameras. Although analog, 960H cameras produce an image similar in quality to a one-megapixel IP camera. Their 960 horizontal by 480 vertical pixels resolution is 34 percent larger than D1 (720 x 480) and more than 500 percent larger than CIF (360 x 240), allowing the cameras to capture more scene details and making subjects easier to identify by police and security staff", Toshiba announces.

Capacity isn't entirely clear, as Toshibs simply states that it can hold several days of video and audio. It does feature Toshiba's SCS Video Management system which allows for both local and internet access to the recordings. There are also apps for iOS and Android which will allow you to access the footage.

There is no mention made of pricing or availability date, so we'll have to wait on further news. You can head for the Toshiba Security site to keep tabs on those things when they become known.

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Toshiba releases its first DVR for 960H resolution security cameras

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Deadbolts are best security, locksmiths agree - January 10, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

There are many things you can do to boost home security, such as adding an alarm system or getting a guard dog, but unless you have working deadbolt locks and actually use them, your home isn't secure, according to locksmiths.

Lance Cronk, owner of Metro Lock Service in Portland, Ore., said intruders use force to gain entry in a majority of home burglaries. "Because the locks or deadbolts are not functioning properly or they are inadequate, the intruder is able to kick the door in," he said.

A deadbolt is a type of lock with a steel bolt that extends into the door jamb and strike plate of a door frame. The most common type is the single-cylinder deadbolt, operated by a twist knob on the inside of the door and a key on the outside. Some people prefer the double-cylinder deadbolt, which doesn't have a twist knob and requires a key for operation both inside and outside the home.

According to the latest FBI statistics, there were 1.9 million burglaries in the United States in 2013, resulting in $4.5 billion in property loss.

Out of all burglaries, 59 percent were the result of forced entry.

Residential burglaries accounted for 74 percent of all burglaries, and a majority occurred during the daytime.

"You should definitely have a deadbolt, and it needs to be a quality one with a hardened steel bolt," said Eric Ball, locksmith at Broad Ripple Lock in Indianapolis.

For the deadbolt to function properly, the bolt must extend fully into the hole on the door jamb. The hole should be reinforced with a metal strike plate. If the bolt doesn't extend all the way into the hole or if a strike plate isn't used, the lock and door frame can be compromised.

"Typically when someone kicks in a door, it's not the door that breaks, it's the door frame," Ball said. "You should use 3-inch screws to reinforce the strike plate into the studs of the frame of the house."

Even if you have a deadbolt lock on your door, it won't make a difference if it's not used regularly. Cronk said many homeowners find it easier to lock the doorknob and often neglect to lock the deadbolt.

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Deadbolts are best security, locksmiths agree

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A phone call leads to service technician helping people inside a carbon monoxide-filled home - January 10, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

- Carbon monoxide can cause serious health issues for people.

It reduces oxygen delivery to the body's organs and tissues and at extremely high levels, can cause death.

A phone call to a heating repair company likely saved the life of two Northwoods residents.

Frasier's Plumbing, Heating and Cooling hopes the experience will serve as a note of caution for other homeowners.

On Wednesday night Frasier's got call from a man with boiler issues.

The caller said something had been wrong for about three days.

"We're having problems with our heater. It's making really [weird] sounds, the house is dropping in temperature and both my wife and myself have extremely bad headaches. We're thinking we have a carbon monoxide leak," said the caller.

A woman inside the home was unconscious when a Frasier's service technician got there.

The tech called 911 and the couple was taken to an area hospital. The woman was later flown to Marshfield.

The Frasier's technician found extremely high levels of carbon monoxide both outside and inside the home.

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A phone call leads to service technician helping people inside a carbon monoxide-filled home

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Evening Anchor/Reporter/Producer - January 10, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder