MCYSEKA-Maritime Cyber Security Knowledge Archive

DISCLAIMER: Please forgive me if format is bad. I tried to do it on my mobile app, but the app is not working at all. Also, if this is not the appropriate sub for my question, please let me know where I should look to instead. Finally, if you need any additional details please let me know and I will add to my post and/or in comment responses.

Onto my question:

I am looking into some affordable security options for the apartment I live in. I currently live in a garden-level, 1 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment with one door to get in/out, 3 windows (1 in the bedroom, 2 right next to each other in the living room). The windows all have locks, but they are of very poor quality, so I have added additional temporary locks to the windows and plan on placing some dowels in the windows as well.

My concern is that given I am at garden-level, it would be incredibly easy to enter my apartment from the windows if the would-be burglar/invader got the windows open or broken. Therefore, I am considering an extra layer of security by trying to make the potential burglar/invader believe that someone else is home even when I am not. I know light timers and the like exist so lights turn on, but I’m wondering if there’s some sort of equivalent for sound. Basically, I’m trying to find out if there is anything that exists I could use to time it so at different times some background noise, music, some other sound effects, whatever comes on so it SOUNDS like the apartment is occupied. I have really bad anxiety about someone breaking into my home as I live alone and I’ve experienced a car being robbed in the past. My thought is if I not only make it harder to break in, but also make it look AND sound like someone is home, that might reduce my risk even a little and give me some peace of mind.

I know some might suggest “just turn on your tv” which I can do for short time periods, but if I’m gone for more than a night, that isn’t practical for a few reasons:

1. My TV automatically shuts off if nobody interacts with it for more than 6 hours; I’ve tried to adjust my settings and it just doesn’t work
2. This would contribute to a not-insignificant increase in my electricity bill
3. This only works for a continuous playing of something like a tv show; My tv does not have the capacity to be turned on/controlled remotely from another location or be turned on with “timers”.

Any advice would be super helpful and appreciated