DO:
Set the alarm even if you are only going out for 15 minutes. Knowledgeable burglars snoop neighborhoods and learn when residents go to work or run errands and how long they will be to be gone. They're ready to move as soon you are gone.

Get a zone alarm system that has room to room settings. You can leave the bedroom alarm on when you're spending the evening in the dining, for example.

The best alarm systems offer multiple layers of security, motion, heat light sensors, etc.

DON'T:
Posting alarm signs that indicate what alarm company you are using. Burglars can buy diagrams on how the systems are hooked up and can easily bypass them..

DO:
Buy non-specific signs that read, 'This house is protected by an alarm system. As long as it does not give specific information, it can be an excellent deterrent.

DON'T:
Leave lights on. A light that stays on all the time is no more of a deterrent than a home that is dark. Use timers that turn lights on and off in various parts of the house at different intervals. Web retailers and home-improvement stores offer motion detectors that turn on lights or appliances if someone enters the house.

DON'T:
Conceal items in the bedroom. It's the first place burglars go. Most robbers spend 15 minutes or or even less in each house.More than half of the time is spent in the bedroom, checking the usual hiding spots, an dresser drawer under the mattress closets, etc. Don't hide all of your valuables in a single place. A burglar is less likely to get everything if you spread out things in different locations.

DO:
Store valuables or jewelry you seldom wear in a safe-deposit box. Conceal other items in spots where burglars don't normally look, like the garage, or above removable ceiling tiles. Or hide valuables in the deep freeze or in diversion safes made for this purpose.

DON'T:
Bother getting a big dog. A rottweiler or German shepherd might look scary, but burglars don't care. Most big dogs, unless they're real guard dogs, don't bark much. What you want is a "yapper," a small dog that makes a lot of racket when disturbed.

DON'T:
Conceal windows with shrubs. Tall shrubs allow burglars a safe, dark place to jimmy windows without being seen. Keep bushes trimmed to below window level.