Fake TV Burglar Deterrent Review: Does It Really Work?

Does a fake TV burglar deterrent really work? I believe it can help, especially when you’re away from home at night. I’ve used a FakeTV for more than 10 years, and mine is still working today.

It isn’t a replacement for good locks, outdoor lighting, or an alarm system. What it does very well is make a dark, empty house look occupied. From outside, the changing light looks surprisingly similar to someone watching television.

There are a few tricks to making the effect convincing, including where you place it, what window you use, and when you turn it on.

The current model I would look at today is the FTV-11 Extra Bright:

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→ FTV-11 Extra Bright FakeTV

Does a Fake TV Burglar Deterrent Really Work?

The idea behind a fake TV light is simple. If someone looking at your house believes a person is inside, they may decide that it is not worth the risk.

Burglars are often looking for an easier opportunity. A home that appears occupied may be less attractive than one that is completely dark and obviously vacant.

A fake TV can be especially useful when you’re away on vacation, visiting family, camping, or simply gone for the evening.

I think of it as one more layer of home security.

For example, you might already have several lights on timers. Adding the appearance of a television being watched makes the house look a little more natural than having the same lamps turn on and off at exactly the same time every day.

That is where the FakeTV comes in.

How a Fake TV Light Makes Your Home Look Occupied

Seen from outside at night, a real television does not normally look like a steady light.

Instead, you see a flickering and shimmering mixture of light, colors, and brightness reflecting on a wall, window shade, curtain, or blind.

The FakeTV is designed to imitate that effect.

It uses multicolored LEDs behind prism lenses. The combination produces changing patterns of diffused light that reflect off the walls, ceiling, windows, shades, or curtains.

The intensity changes. The colors and hues change. The speed of the flickering changes too.

Some changes are rapid, while others are slower, similar to scene changes on a real television.

The result can look much more convincing from outside the house than simply leaving a lamp turned on all night.

FakeTV Prism Lenses and Multicolored LEDs

My original FakeTV model is slightly different from today’s FTV-11, but the basic idea is the same.

Fake TV simulation

Where to Place a Fake TV for the Best Effect

Placement makes a big difference.

You want the light from the FakeTV to be visible from outside, but you generally do not want someone standing outside to see the actual device.

I would place it in a room that would normally have activity during the evening, such as a living room, family room, or bedroom.

Aim the FakeTV toward a wall, ceiling, window shade, curtain, or blind where its changing light will spread through the room.

Then go outside after dark and look at your house yourself.

That is the best test.

Try several positions until the light looks natural from the street, driveway, or other area where someone might view the house.

You don’t necessarily want a brightly flashing window. You want the softer changing glow that would normally come from a television operating inside the room.

Also consider nearby lights. A bright exterior floodlight shining directly on the same window could make the FakeTV effect much harder to see.

I would rather have the TV effect visible through a shade or curtain than have the FakeTV device itself plainly visible through the glass.

FakeTV FTV-11 Settings and Timer Options

The FakeTV has several settings that make it easy to use while you’re away.

Depending on the setting, it can operate continuously or use its light sensor to detect when the room becomes dark. The FTV-11 can also be set to operate for 4 hours or 7 hours after dusk.

Personally, I prefer a different method.

I use the always-on setting and plug the FakeTV power supply into a separate 24-hour outlet timer. That lets me choose the exact hours when I want it operating.

For example, I might have it come on during normal evening television hours and then shut off later at night.

That looks more natural to me than having something operate continuously.

It also gives you more control if you’re combining the FakeTV with other lights on timers.

You could have a lamp come on in one part of the house, another light operate at a different time, and the television simulator run during the evening.

The goal isn’t to create a light show.

The goal is simply to make an empty house look lived in.

→ FTV-11 Extra Bright FakeTV (Amazon)

My Experience With FakeTV After More Than 10 Years

One reason I’m comfortable recommending this little device is because I’ve actually owned one for many years.

I originally bought mine more than a decade ago.

It is an older FakeTV model, and it has held up remarkably well. It still works today.

The device itself is fairly simple. It is basically a small LED lighting device designed to produce a very specific effect.

That simplicity is probably part of the reason mine has lasted so long.

The newer model I would look at today is the FTV-11 Extra Bright.

My original unit still produces a convincing mixture of blue, white, red, green, and other changing colors behind its prism lens.

When viewed directly, it obviously does not look like a television.

But that isn’t the point.

The effect is intended to be viewed indirectly, especially from outside the home where you’re seeing the changing glow through a window covering or reflected around a room.

That’s where it becomes convincing.

What a Fake TV Burglar Deterrent Cannot Do

I would not depend on a fake TV as my only home security measure.

It creates the appearance that someone may be home. That’s useful, but it doesn’t physically stop anyone from entering.

Home security and burglar deterrence should be thought of in layers.

Good exterior lighting can help.

Strong deadbolts matter.

Long screws securing the strike plate and door frame can help.

Door security bars can add another physical layer.

Security cameras, alarm systems, driveway alarms, and other measures may also have a place depending on your home.

The FakeTV serves a different purpose.

It influences what your home looks like from the outside.

That’s important because we tend to think about security from inside the house. It is also worth stepping outside after dark and looking back at your own home.

What would someone else see?

Does the house look completely empty?

Are all the windows dark?

Do the same porch lights stay on continuously?

Or does the home look like someone is inside going about their normal evening?

A little attention to that appearance may help discourage someone who is simply looking for an easy target.

Is the FakeTV FTV-11 Worth Buying?

For what it is designed to do, I like it.

It is simple, inexpensive compared with most home security equipment, and uses very little electricity.

More importantly, it creates an effect that would be difficult to reproduce with an ordinary lamp.

A lamp on a timer simply looks like a lamp.

A fake TV produces constantly changing light that suggests someone may actually be sitting in the room watching television.

If you’re regularly away from home during the evening, travel frequently, or want another inexpensive layer of burglar deterrence, I think the FakeTV FTV-11 is worth considering.

I’ve used my older FakeTV for more than 10 years. That’s a pretty good test of whether I think the basic idea has merit.

Just remember that it should be part of a larger security plan, not the entire plan.

Set it up, go outside after dark, and see how convincing it looks from the places where someone might view your home.

You may be surprised how realistic the effect can be.

Have you used a FakeTV or another method to make your home look occupied while you’re away? Let us know what has worked for you.

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