Frequently Asked Questions & Engineering Standards

Traditional alarm companies and equipment installers offer "free quotes" as a lead generation tactic for high-margin hardware sales and mandatory 36-month monitoring contracts ($50–$80/month). Their technicians are incentivized by equipment sales quotas, leading to over-spec'd camera counts and proprietary lock-in.

Shield & Shelter is 100% independent. We sell $0 hardware, earn 0 kickbacks, and require 0 monitoring contracts. You pay a transparent, one-time fee for certified ASIS CPP/PSP engineering advice, saving you thousands on equipment while building a system you own forever.

Our assessments are priced at a transparent, flat one-time rate agreed upon before you book. Pricing depends on your property size and selected consulting tier (e.g., standard residential audit, comprehensive camera placement blueprint, or full smart home privacy design).

There are zero subscription fees, zero ongoing retainers, and zero surprise charges. View our full service tiers on our Services Hub.

No. Never. We operate under strict independent engineering ethics. We have zero vendor partnerships, accept zero affiliate payouts, and earn zero commissions. When we recommend a specific 4K turret camera, strike plate, or PoE switch, it is selected solely because it delivers the highest reliability, build quality, and value for your specific home.

We provide focused, modular consulting options. If you only need optical sightline calculations, you can book our dedicated Camera Placement Planning service. If you only want to stop false alarms or unify existing apps, our Existing System Optimization is ideal.

We conduct a live, 45–60 minute interactive video walkthrough with you over a secure connection. You hold your smartphone while our certified security engineer directs the tour—examining approach pathways, street visibility, lighting quality, window sills, exterior door strike assemblies, and existing camera angles.

Combined with satellite elevation models and your floorplan, this delivers the exact same forensic precision as an on-site audit without scheduling delays or high travel surcharges.

Preparation is simple and takes less than 5 minutes:

• A charged smartphone with a working camera and stable Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
• A rough floor plan sketch, builder blueprint, or a few key photos of your property exterior.
• A list of any existing security hardware brands or specific pain points (e.g., false alerts, dark blind spots, past incidents).

Never. Walkthrough video streams are strictly live and ephemeral. We do not record or archive your video call. Any architectural sketches or property notes provided are encrypted with AES-256 and permanently purged from our systems upon client request after your report is delivered.

D.O.R.I. is the international optical standard (EN 62676-4) used by forensic security engineers to calculate whether a camera will capture usable evidence based on Pixels Per Meter (PPM):

• Detection (25 PPM / 8 PPF): Verify a human presence is in the yard.
• Observation (63 PPM / 19 PPF): See clothing color and general activity.
• Recognition (125 PPM / 38 PPF): Recognize a known person or family member.
• Identification (250 PPM / 76 PPF): Positive facial identification and license plate capture beyond reasonable doubt for law enforcement.

Our blueprints calculate the exact lens millimeter (2.8mm, 4.0mm, 6.0mm, or varifocal) required at each mounting point to hit 250 PPM at critical chokepoints.

Usually far fewer than sales companies quote. True coverage is determined by optical sightline geometry, not device quantity. Four to eight mathematically positioned cameras with overlapping coverage cones routinely outperform 14 uncalculated cameras while eliminating blind spots and reducing maintenance.

A 2.8mm lens has an ultra-wide field of view (~105°), which disperses pixel density across a vast horizon. Beyond 20 feet, pixel density drops below the 250 PPM threshold, turning vehicle license plates and faces into pixelated blur. For driveways longer than 30ft, we engineer narrow 6.0mm or motorized varifocal lenses focused specifically on vehicle bottlenecks.

The optimal elevation for facial identification is 7.5 to 8.5 feet with a 15°–20° downward depression angle. Mounting cameras on second-story eaves (12–16ft high) creates steep, top-down angles that capture only the tops of hats and foreheads rather than court-admissible facial features.

Consumer smart devices (smart TVs, robot vacuums, cloud doorbells, nursery monitors) often transmit continuous diagnostic telemetry and unencrypted video feeds to overseas cloud servers. We design local-first architectures using local RTSP/ONVIF streams, encrypted local hard drives (NVR/NAS), and strict outbound firewall filtering that stops unauthorized telemetry dead in its tracks.

A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) divides your home Wi-Fi and ethernet into isolated digital compartments:

• VLAN 10 (Trusted): Laptops, personal smartphones, work computers, and private NAS drives.
• VLAN 20 (IoT Isolated): Smart doorbells, cameras, smart locks, thermostats, and smart TVs.
• VLAN 30 (Guest): Visitor phones and temporary contractor access.

If a smart light bulb or cheap Wi-Fi gadget is compromised, strict firewall rules prevent the attacker from moving laterally to access banking logins, taxes, or work computers on VLAN 10.

Yes, absolutely. Over 60% of our consulting engagements involve optimizing existing hardware (Ring, Nest, Arlo, UniFi, Eufy, Reolink, Lorex, Hikvision, Dahua). We re-aim sightlines, tune AI detection zones, eliminate reciprocal blind spots, and consolidate fragmented systems into a single responsive dashboard without requiring you to buy new equipment.

False alerts occur when camera zones detect swaying tree branches, shifting sun shadows, car headlights, or insects. We solve this by configuring precise polygon activity exclusion masks, enabling intelligent human/vehicle AI classification, setting line-crossing tripwires, and adjusting infrared sensitivity thresholds to reduce 40+ daily nuisance alerts down to 1–2 actionable events.

In many cases, yes. If your cameras support standard ONVIF or RTSP streams, we configure local recording to an encrypted NVR or home server (such as Home Assistant, Scrypted, or Synology Surveillance Station). This allows you to record 24/7 in full 4K resolution with zero monthly cloud subscription fees—saving $180 to $420 every year.

The ideal window is 2 to 4 weeks before closing or pre-drywall inspection. This allows us to plan structured Cat6 ethernet drops, low-voltage power conduits, and sensor placements while framing is exposed—saving thousands compared to post-construction retrofitting—and ensuring your home is 100% fortified on Day One.

Yes. Modern residential security hardware is straightforward to install when you have an exact blueprint. We provide exact drill-hole coordinates, masonry drill bit specifications, basement cable conduit routing paths, and direct links to order hardware at direct wholesale/retail prices without installer markups.

Yes. We engineer damage-free, no-drill security blueprints tailored for renters. We specify non-invasive door bar braces, peephole camera replacements, wireless contact sensors with non-marking adhesives, and portable security hubs that you can pack and move to your next residence.

Your comprehensive report contains actionable engineering specifications, including:

• Executive 0–100 Risk Scorecard: Detailed breakdown across 5 concentric defense layers.
• Forensic Vulnerability Matrix: Graded by exploit likelihood, severity, and priority fixes.
• EN 62676-4 DORI Optical Sightline Map: Exact lens specs, mounting heights, and coverage cones overlaid on your floorplan.
• Smart Home IoT VLAN Topology: Network firewall rules and privacy configuration guides.
• Prioritized 3-Tier Budget Roadmap: Tier 1 (<$100 quick wins), Tier 2 ($300–$800 tactical fixes), and Tier 3 ($1,500+ fortified pro ecosystem).
• Vendor-Neutral Bill of Materials (BOM): Direct retail links with zero equipment markups.

Your complete Assessment Blueprint Report is delivered as a permanent PDF to your email within 48 hours of completing your live virtual walkthrough.

Yes. Every assessment package includes a dedicated post-delivery review call and direct email access to your lead engineer. If you or your local contractor have technical questions during setup, we are available to assist.