Protecting your family and your property should be homeowners’ top concerns. The good news is that there are some simple measures you can take to help boost your home’s security and reduce your risk for a break-in or theft. Here are five simple but smart ways to improve your home’s security.
1. Secure Your Entrances
Statistics on home break-ins indicate that many burglars are looking for easy targets. In fact, the most common entry point for a burglar is a home’s front door, and the second is through a first-floor window. Intruders are most often looking for homes with easy access, so making your home difficult to enter should be your first step to improving your home’s security.
Here are some quick tips to help you reinforce your home’s entrance points:
Change the locks (especially if you’re moving into a home someone else owned previously)
Ensure all doors have deadbolts
Install a video doorbell
Reinforce sliding glass doors
Avoid doors with glass near the handle
Install window or glass break sensors
Plant prickly bushes under first-floor windows
2. Light Up The Outdoors
Criminals and burglars don’t want to be detected, so they most often strike at night. Ample lighting can help keep them away. Lighting up your home’s landscape, like around your front and back yards and along pathways will not only help keep you safer when you’re outdoors at night but also make intruders think twice about targeting your home.
Here are some other tips to consider:
Install motion-activated lights
Don’t shroud your home with shrubbery and trees
Save energy with solar-powered lights
Put lights on a timer
3. Safeguard The Garage
The garage is an entry point into your home that is often overlooked by homeowners but is becoming more popular for criminals to target. It should become habit to lock interior and exterior doors to the garage.
Even if they can’t access your home, there may be plenty of valuable items for them to steal in the garage. Taking steps to make sure the garage is just as safe and secure as the rest of your home is important.
Some garage safety tips to consider:
Cover the windows
Install extra locks
Keep a security code secret (never entire in front of delivery people or neighbors)
Upgrade to a smart garage door opener
4. Invest in a Security System
Security systems run the gamut from more involved to less — and, subsequently, more expensive to less. The good news here is that homeowners have options. There are several DIY home systems that sync to your smart phones and don’t require a contract with an outside security firm. Some of those include:
These systems are all easy to install and set up. They have basic packages with add-ons to meet your needs, and some even have the option of turning on remote monitoring.
If you’re looking for something more professionally installed, there are several other security firms that will come out and assess your home’s insecurities and make recommendations. One really positive aspect of this option is the 24/7 monitoring that comes with all the systems. An alarm going off doesn’t just make a loud noise; it activates action on behalf of the security team. Some examples include:
One drawback of more professional security systems is that they often require lengthy contracts, and the equipment belongs to them, not to you. But the constant monitoring can be a huge bonus, especially for busy homeowners who often aren’t home. Whatever your needs are, there’s a home security system that’s right for you.
5. Lock Up Your Internet
We live in a digital world now, and cyber-criminals are just as prevalent as in-person burglars. When you consider home security, you have to also think about your home’s Wi-Fi network.
Your home’s wireless network is an entry point into your family’s personal and financial information. And if you use home automation or have your home’s security system on the network, it can make your home vulnerable to break-ins.
Here are some tips to securing your home’s Wi-Fi:
Secure your wireless router
Install a firewall
Regularly change your Wi-Fi password — and other important passwords
Install antivirus and anti-malware protection on all your devices
As you strive to keep your home and family safe, these tips can help improve your safety and your overall peace of mind.