Reply #1: No doubt someone will chime in with Security by Smith&Wesson, but...

[TreasonousBastard]

that won't help if you're out of town. (And doesn't help that often when you're home.)

Beware of the auto dialers-- had one and they work well but if they are set off accidentally the local gendarmerie wil be pissed. In the past, some have refused to answer the calls because of so many false alarms. And, if the thieves snip the phone line...

DIY can be expensive and a pain, too, if you want to arm every window and door. Proximity or infrared sensors might be a better choice, depending on your layout.

A huge alarm bell up by the roof has the same effect on the neighbors if it doesn't have an auto shutoff after an appropriate amount of time. From what I heard, though, it scares off most intruders, who generally prefer not to be noticed.

Most intruder alarms seem to be sold in conjunction with fire alarms, at least as important as burgler protection.