WAYS TO SECURE YOUR HOME

As a follow-up to the initial post about home security, I wanted to write a post that breaks down the major areas of focus for securing your home. A major part of being prepared for anything life brings you is protecting your home from intruders. Below is a list of methods of making your home more secure:

1. HOME SECURITY ALARM

Home security alarms consist of motion detectors, door and window contact sensors, glass break sensors, keypads, a control panel, and other miscellaneous components.  Security alarms are meant for intrusion detection - not prevention. When an intruder causes an event to occur, such as a door contact opens when the alarm is set, the alarm panel sends a communication alert to a monitoring station, who contacts the local police to dispatch an officer to your residence.

2. HOME SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

Home surveillance systems consist of cameras and a recorder. Older, and less expensive analog cameras are readily available, however the video quality will not be as great as more expensive HD cameras. Consider the fact you would be able to provide surveillance footage to the police if you experience a burglary. If your surveillance camera is of low quality, the face of the burglar will show up blurry and unrecognizable on most analog cameras. Spend as much money as you can afford on your surveillance system.

3. DEADBOLTS

Deadbolt locks will let you sleep easier at night. They make your exterior doors much more difficult to break into. A normal door handle with lock is not enough to secure your home on it's own. Most exterior doors have a deadbolt lock, and if your home does't have one, this is probably the first thing you should get. Stores such as Lowe's and The Home Depot sell not only the deadbolt lock itself, but the hole saw and kit to drill the appropriate size hole in your door and frame to install the deadbolt.

4. WINDOW LOCKS

Although thieves will most often choose the door as a point of entry, do not count out windows as an option. Most, if not all, windows have some form of a lock. Older windows have a metal bracket that you slide from left to right to lock or unlock. Make sure you slide the lock all the way over because it is easy to slip in a knife of jimmy to push the lock out of the way of the latch and gain access to your home. Most modern windows have a similar latch lock that is enclosed, making it more secure than the older style locks, as well as window "stops" that, when pushed out, prevent a window from being opened more than 4 inches (which is smaller than anyone can fit through) thus adding another layer of security to your window.

5. STEEL DOORS

A steel door is another great way to make your home more secure. They will not break with a crowbar being forced between it and the door jamb as easily as a wooden door. The steel provides added reinforcement to the exterior of your home. Double that with a steel door frame and you are making it even more difficult for a burglar to access your home. 

6. MOTION LIGHTS

Motion lights are great to deter thieves from using out-of-sight areas around your home or property to their benefit. Place motion lights in poorly-lit areas during nighttime. Install them high enough so that no thief can reach them and unscrew the bulb, thus defeating their purpose. Add as many as necessary to cover all the areas not easily visible during the night. Adjust the motion sensor so it doesn't pick up small neighborhood animals such as cats and raccoon. This way, when the light turns on in the middle of the night, you will be alerted someone is in your yard that should not be.