Did you know that in every 4 seconds there’s a property crime going on in the USA? Who knows your home could be the next target! Did you also know that with a home security system, the chances of getting robbed get reduced by 33%? But home protection systems do come at a hefty price, so there’s a better alternative – simply set it up yourself. That way, you don’t need to spend too many bucks and you’d still have effective safe home security measures. It’s not just the hardware that’s important, practicing regular safety measures is just as important. Also, making sure that everyone in the family understands these measures is also crucial.
How to Make Your Entry Door Burglar Proof?
The door is the first thing you need to look out for. It needs to be kick-proof, so the door should be made of strong materials. A metal door should come with a lock block. Some steel doors are reinforced, but these require more maintenance as they rust easily. Try to avoid doors with windows, and even if you have a window, make sure the glass is reinforced. The best solution to prevent a burglar from barging into the door is using keypad door locks. You can keep a check on the door lock with apps that will allow you to check the use of the door lock remotely, from anywhere.
Avoid planting shrubs around the door so the burglar has nowhere to hide. Choose a good deadbolt for your door for good reinforcement. You can consider adding a secondary deadbolt that can only be locked from within the house before going to bed. Some companies offer microsensors which you can hang on the top of doors and windows. These sensors could send off a signal to alarm systems in case an unwanted entry into the house is suspected.
How to Set Up Motion Sensors and Alarm Systems?
Burglaries do not only just cause property loss, but they also cause mental and emotional trauma that often leads to feeling insecure. Thus, additional measures need to be taken for home safety. One of the best ways to do that is to install home alarm monitoring systems. These systems usually require a passcode that shouldn’t contain repeating numbers, the birth date of yourself or your close acquaintances, strings of the same number or any number that’s similar to your debit card PINs. The passcode should be a number that you can remember quite well but doesn’t mimic any important numbers.
A key factor to think about is how you would determine the trigger points for these alarm systems. Place the keypad on a wall, but in a way that doesn’t ruin the aesthetics and beauty of your home decor. Advanced motion sensors can pick up the slightest movements in the air. You should place it in a way that it can cover the maximum amount of area as possible. This way, you can place two or three sensors around the house. You could place one through the hallway to cover the bedrooms and another one near the family room to cover the kitchen and dining room and so on. It really depends on your home size.
You need to be careful as to not produce false home protection alarms. When certain doors open, the alarm ensures a false alarm won’t ring in two ways. Entry delay is a period of time the system considers before triggering an alarm, which is usually 30 seconds. Another way is the exit delay. This is a delay of up to 2 minutes which the system allows so that you can exit the house after entering the correct passcode without triggering a false alarm.
There are basically three types of alarm modes. Select the ‘away’ mode when no one is home or if you have a pet inside. There’s a ‘stay’ mode which you can use if you’re not there but your kids and pets are. When everyone goes to bed, use the ‘night’ mode. Depending on how you set the timings and settings, it will trigger an alarm.
Placing CCTV Cameras and Dummies
Your safe, home security is incomplete without the presence of CCTV cameras. Most burglars would stay away just by the sight of CCTV camera stickers. Consider all the points around your house that a burglar would use to break in. However, a clever rule is to use cheap dummy cameras in these places, but place the actual cameras hidden and a bit far from the perimeter of your home. This way, if a burglar tries to break the cameras, he would only break the dummy ones, while the real ones are safe.
If you don’t want to install dummies, simply place a camera around the front door area, high and out of reach for a burglar. Cover it with mesh wire so that a burglar can’t easily tamper with it. You can even install a peephole camera, which I personally feel is a better alternative. This way you can see who’s at the door and take measures. Some burglars try the back door. You could place a camera there, probably one with night vision and the weatherproofing feature. Place a wireless camera that can be accessed remotely through the internet on rear windows.
The backyard can have a camera in a very obvious place to ward off the intruders. You could keep it next to the backyard fence or gate. Basements are also dark, so install night vision cameras near the stairs that lead up to your home to get safe home security.
Voila! Your home would now have the perfect home security system, which you set up all by yourself without dealing with home security companies.
Practicing Home Protection Measures
With the hardware all set up, you’re still not done with your safe home security. A few practices should be followed by heart by all family members. For example, try to build healthy relations with your neighbors. You can ask them to check your mail for you or mow your lawn while you’re away, and you could also do the same for them when they’re away. If you have a tree on your front or backyard, trim the branches so that burglars can’t climb their way into the house. Also, trim any shrub that grows more than one meter tall because otherwise, that would become a good hiding space for burglars. Never hide extra keys outside your house. A really good option is own a pet dog that can scare away burglars like it’s no big deal. These are just a few tips to help you practice home protection measures.
The FBI has stated that more than half the burglaries that occur in the US involve entering forcibly. It takes a burglar a maximum of 60 seconds on average to break into a home. The burglar would typically steal cash, jewelry, electronics and drugs, and the whole process may take up to 12 minutes. So you see, burglary can take place in a ridiculously short period of time, and you need to be prepared for this. Taking self-defense classes is a good idea that will help you deal with the burglars with confidence in case you ever happen to encounter. With some clever use of hardware and good security measures, your home is guaranteed to remain safe at all times.
