Lamps that stay on all night long says “we are out of town”. We leave the microwave/stove light on overnight but that’s it. No way, I’m going outside when I’ve got plenty of firearms, ammo, and my family inside. Come through the door and you’re getting shot before you clear the threshold.

Do this, it's cheap and be aware any time they come on.

On the floodlights get good bulbs. I’ve changed ours out with Duracell Led 75w daylight 40 degree floodlight bulbs. They will light the whole place up.

Far as the no lights on in the house. We where doing the no lights on but late one night about 6 months after we had moved in this house the alarm went off. It was pitch black in the house and the key pad was on the other side of the house. Grabbed my gun and had to clear the house. One other problem was they the previous owners had an extra siren installed and it was in the hallway by our room. It was so freaking loud there could have been elephants running in the house and you could not have heard them. At that point I was wishing there was a light on in the kitchen area, which is where all the entrances are. Luckily it was just a glitch in the alarm. The next day I had the alarm guy come out and replace the old keypad, disconnect the extra siren by our room, and added a keypad in our bedroom closet. Now we leave one small light on in the kitchen and a light post outside in the front yard
If you ever have an alarm system make sure you have another keypad close to your bedroom.

I go outside. Sometimes I let a dog out first, sometimes not. I cut off motion flood lights and carry a flashlight and gun. I live in the country so my situation is probably different. If i don't go out i lay there wondering and cant go back to sleep. If i do perimeter check it calms my mind and i can go right back to sleep. My wife stays in the bedroom armed with my most protective dog, and gunshots is cue to call police. Even if i let one dog out with me I still have another in the living room. Also have a dog in a pen that stays outside all the time.

This was my first thought. You have to be a pretty bad burglar to go around tapping on the windows of the home that you are about to enter. Your asking for a face full of lead. Not saying this is the case just food for thought. We used to sneak out all the time, Of course this was in a neighborhood and not out in the country like it sounds like you may be describing. Why go to one window, tap and wake up the dog, then go to the other side of the house, tap again. Any burglar worth his weight is trying NOT to wake anyone in the house or draw attention to himself. I hope I’m right but want to put that scenario in your head in case it may be a kid. Kinda a bad situation. It’s certainly worth running it by him by saying you thought you heard what sounded like kids outside the other night. This may be a way to bring it up to him since he knows something’s up. See what his reaction is.

Good Point

Wouldn't you think his friends would know which window was his ? A friend wouldn't just go tapping on several windows IMO.

It's the circling of the wagons. Defend a fortified position instead of giving it up and going outside. Get everybody in one room with few entrances to defend and call the police. Let them search the outside.

When we were kids, my friends car was being broken into and the dad went outside to see what the hell was going on and was murdered by the car thief.

is this standard protocol for every bump in the night?

Could have been a pervert, a burglar, or a stupid kid. No way to be sure.

I would think getting my my hands on a gun and my eyes on my family would be first, then dialing 911. I'd have probably turned the dog loose on them as well. It helps to have a 110 pd. German Shepard house dog.

Probably not, but what he is describing seemed a little more than the average noise.

I will recommend these to anyone looking for good exterior motion lighting. Ugly but very bright.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant...oor-Security-Light-DFI-5983-WH/205937583

Amazon also has a ton of different LED motion ones to choose from wired or solar.

Yep. Secure everyone you love in one room and close the door. If the door opens, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang....etc.

It ain't the movies. Unless you're into bad things, once you shoot about 9 holes through the 1st SOB that comes through the door, anyone that was with him hauls azz. No need to save ammo on the 1st guy. Empty the magazine in his azz and let the neighbors call the law. You're too distraught. .

I like your style.

Nothing good is going to happen by going outside. Remember, you're not law enforcement, you're a civilian. Stay inside, call the police and protect your family. Doing anymore, could potentially put you in both physical and legal trouble.....my .02

I don't count on law enforcement to protect me, though that would be my first call. Kind of like Fred, I live in the boondocks, and the one time I've called , it took 30 minutes to get a car out.

Easy solution.... get a class 3 trust and put all your family members on it and acquire multiple fully automatic riifles…. stage one pointed out each window of your home and assign family members to each post, TRAIN, next time something goes bump in the night unleash hell. Problem will be solved and I promise you won't have to deal with that particular problem again.

Sheriff deputy brought a crackhead TO MY HOUSE not long ago, at nearly midnight. Dude told them his sister lived here. So he just drove up and let the guy out. Of course my dog alerted me and I stepped outside to ask WTH was going on. Deputy said, "is soNso here"? All while the crackhead was strolling toward my barn. I stepped in front of him and informed both of them that he had taken his last step in that direction. After several minutes of conversation he put the dude back in the car and left. I don't know what he was going to do if I hadn't come outside.

All i'm gonna add is I'd swap the buckshot for a 7.5. You ain't shooting 50 yards...anything within 50' is gonna be cut in half with bird shot and collateral damage thru walls is minimized.

the law says i have a right to defend myself anywhere I have a legal right to be. The castle doctrine reiterates that it applies anywhere on my land.