Door Stop Alarms

You've spent thousands of dollars shoring up every conceivable point of vulnerability at your home. You've wired the doors and windows (including the glass itself) with triggers, installed infrared motion detectors, and purchased a 24-7 surveillance plan. Now, however, you're going on vacation, maybe to a foreign country, and you're less sure about your safety. To make matters worse, you're thinking of proposing, so you've got a three-karat diamond in tow. Needless to say, you're a little bit antsy.

While door stop alarms aren't perfect, they're one of the most reliable cheap safeguards you can buy. Install one by the door on your hotel room while you sleep and you have your very own night watchman with you to help keep your luggage, cash, and jewelry safe. For 15 or 20 bucks, you're buying some 125 dB of assurance, which is more than enough to rouse neighbors, hotel staff, and police. It's also more than enough to scare off snoopers.

The Genius of Door Stop Alarms

Door stop alarms are designed to wedge underneath the crack in your hotel room door. Their sloping shape lets them act just like any door jamb but with one difference. This door jamb is wired to a sensor that's connected to a shrill alarm, which will sound once the door is so much as cracked. It doesn't matter whether your intruder has a key or manages a forced break-in; either way, everyone within earshot will know about it. Sure, a 120- or 130-decibel siren in the middle of the night can be distressing to say the least, but it's a lot less distressing than having your wallet or purse stolen.

Door alarms are designed with travelers in mind, and to that end come equipped with simple on/off switches to prevent their inadvertent triggering. It's therefore safe to pack your alarms in your suitcase when traveling or even keep them on your person. Security workers are familiar enough with these devices, so there's no need to worry about rousing suspicion at metal detectors either.