Every now or then we keep hearing about the reports of burglary around our city or neighbourhood. More than 90-percent of the time, the robbery cases occur in the absence of homeowners. Either amateur crooks looking for opportunities or skilled burglars are behind such house break-ins. We have some tips on how to beef up the security for your home.
Burglar image from Shutterstock
It’s little easy to keep amateur thieves away from your house, but what about the pro burglars? They often thoroughly keep an eye on a particular home before targeting it. Therefore, the chances of robbery increase to a great extent. To be honest, if anyone wants to break-in your home bad enough, then they’ll surely find a way to get in.
So, what measures to take for protecting your house from such unwanted burglars? Everybody doesn’t have extra cash flowing in their bank account to drape their entire house with high-end security systems or install traps/land mines throughout the front and backyard. Well, it’s your home not any sort of demilitarized zone (DMZ), which require such high level of security.
Instead of converting your home into a complete FBI belt, you only have to focus on how you can make your house a less of a target than your neighbour. For that you only need a fully-protected security system that’s simple and affordable to install, but strong enough to immediately respond in case of housebreaking.
We’re going to acquaint you with few some technologically advanced home security systems to help you protect your house even if you’re away. Here are seven of the most essential security measures for your home that you should take now, without emptying your bank balance.
#1 Strengthen front door’s kick-in resistance
Almost two-thirds of robberies are due to the door’s weak resistance and weak locks. Thieves can easily take advantage of such situation and break-in your house. It would be better to enhance strength of your locks by replacing the strike, mounting extra metal plate on the door jamb for sliding bolt into it. You can even replace short mounting screws with large screws to reach the door’s studs. It would add extra strength to the doorframe and prevent even the most serious attempt to break through.
#2 Install digital locks
Replace weak locks, as these are the easiest way to access any home. Instead, invest in smart or digital locks. Smart locks are basically electronic devices that provide additional shield to your front door. So spending few dollars on a smart lock can prove more beneficial than a smart watch or any other electronic device.
Moreover, a smart lock means you don’t have to carry bunch of keys in your bag or pocket. This is because the latest technology allows you to simply synchronize your smart lock with your Smartphone, regardless of your location. In market or online you get wide range of digital locks to meet your needs. So no matter where you are and where you go, your home will always be protected with technology-integrated digital locks.
#3 Protect your abode with alarm system
Home alarm system is a great way to scare off intruders when you’re not at home. Security alarms are installed to buzz soon after anyone tries to break-in. It will not only alert the police, but also drive an intruder from your home because they know police is on the way.
If you don’t want to invest in too expensive alarm systems, there are plenty of budget-friendly alarms in the market to meet your requirements. Many of these systems are integrated with an auto-dial system that contacts the appropriate authorities, so they can respond as soon as possible.
#4 Safeguard your abode with surveillance camera
Surveillance cameras are another good option to make you aware of what is going around your home. So, you can respond appropriately and inform police immediately to take quick action. Besides notifying you and capturing a video clip of any unwanted visitor, these cameras also record useful information for later use. There are wide varieties of home surveillance cameras available in the market, from the small and simple to the relatively complex systems.
Even Smartphone-controlled cameras are available, which instantly send you notifications on your mobile phone when any unwanted activity is detected in your house. It’s a smart way to keep an eye on your home even when you’re away. Whether you’re sitting in your office or out of town, these Smartphone-connected cameras always ensure safety of your home.
#5 Motion detector lights
Motion detector lights are a simple but quick way to ensure no unwanted visitors trespass your property. These smart devices can quickly detect an unwanted activity and immediately inform the homeowners to further take appropriate actions. The motion detector lights are integrated with sensors to detect any change in movement within any specific area.
According to the built-in sensor, the device flashes certain lights in response to sudden changes. Changes in temperature, light, or sound waves can be detected by the device, so there’s no change that any intruder can get away easily. Moreover, the sensor-embedded lights are easy to install on any corner of your home, garage or backyard cabin. All you need to do is install the device onto any desired section of your house, activate it and finally you can relax- as the device will take all your worries regarding burglary or housebreaking.
#6 Integrate light timers into your house
Going for a long vacation and worried about safety of your home in your absence? Don’t worry, if you’ve smart light timers installed in your house. As these devices are app-controlled and can be monitored from any corner of the world, provided you’ve sufficient Wi-Fi connectivity in those specific regions. These timers keep the house looking occupied even without any human presence. The timers can be attached to different electronic appliances such as televisions, radios and lights. All thanks to the respective mobile app, these electronics can be turned on/off at predetermined times throughout the day. This would make the intruders feel as if the homeowner is present inside.
#7 Home automation
Smart home automation is the futuristic technique to monitor overall activity of your home including security. This is one-time investment to install a smart hub into your home and rest everything in your house will be managed by the smart system. From your routine habits to keeping check on your house when you’re away, the home automation device can easily manage on its own.
On detecting any unwanted activity in your house, the system can send notification alerts to your Smartphone. Based on the given data and notification, you can take appropriate measures for protecting your home.
These were come of the important steps that you can opt for defending your home. With a strong home security system, you will certainly feel more confident and safe all the time. Besides investing in all these home safety devices, you also have to be alert and never share your home’s digital access with anyone, expect your family members. These simple yet beneficial tips and techniques will help you to keep intruders away and make your feel secure.
Cameron Gibbs is an Author and Business associate for Diamond Lock and Security, an Australia based locksmith service provider. He has extensive experience in the field of digital security solutions for homes and businesses.
Comments
5 responses to “7 Essential Security Measures For Your Home”
Get a dog…
I’m not sure how adding digital locks to your place makes it more secure? To me they’ve always sounded like a bit of a boondoggle. Doesn’t make it any harder to forcibly break in by smashing in a window or door, but opens the possibility of everything being completely unlocked if the right digital signal is blasted at it, just like keyless entry on cars or garage door openers.
in case of security, the first benefit a digital lock will provide, is no keys, so the chance that some one can have a key copy is zero.
there is no digital security system in the world that will prevent forcibly break in by smashing in a window or door.
Last but not least an important part of the security discussion in digital locks is the
cost/benefit ratio.
A hacker, 1000 km away does not have any tangible benefit from hacking into a homes
infrastructure. He will invest his criminal energy in more profitable projects like hacking the
same persons bank account. Being in front of a home gives more options for attack but even here a stone is cheaper and easier to get than a complicated jamming electronics, no even mentioning the fact that the knowledge about how to throw a stone is easier to obtain than the knowledge how to built a jamming transmitter or make a signal replay attack.
Even the danger that an attacker may electronically unlock the door becomes mitigated
knowing that an trained burglar takes less than 5 seconds to break the contemporary mechanical
’security ’ lock.
As a locksmith by trade i can tell you adding digital or bio metric locks gives you no extra security as most available domestic models use the same mechanism to secure the door as their non digital key type locks, what it does give you is more a convenient way to open your door. I’ve found that improperly fitted doors e.g wrong size door for frame either thickness be it too thick or thin and width, hollow core internal doors fitted externally, frames poorly fitted, door locks of lesser quality (you do get what you pay for most of the time) and poorly fitted locks in general are what people need to address before anything else..
A top quality digital lock retro fitted over an existing poorly fitted lock is going to be no better than the one its replacing. And window locks are a good investment as plastic catches are easily snapped.
Also if you get a kit home built make sure you check the contract and specify the type of door that you want used externally as I’ve come across plenty with hollow core doors on the external laundry and garage and check the frame when the house is being built.. nothing like fitting a deadlock and drilling the bolt hole only to hit six inches of dead space and when the deadlock was locked the frame moved 10 mm when the door was pulled or pushed..
I am building a new home and I think adding a home alarm system is really essential. I didn’t know that some security systems could alert the police. Like you said this would be good if there ever was a thief in the home because it cause them to flee the scene, saving us from recovering too much of stolen goods. I need to invest in one soon.