No matter how many spy cameras you have set up, or what sophisticated alarm system technology you have, to have a safe home, you need safe fundamentals.
We’ve complied a list of low cost upgrades that boast high security returns.
- Trim back those shrubs.
- Trim back tree limbs that extend to your house.
- Make sure every entrance is lighted.
- Leave outdoor lights on at night or on motion detectors.
- Move the exterior lights higher.
- Put all ladders and climbing materials away.
- You need to make sure your house numbers are large enough and unobstructed so that you can see them from the street.
- Make sure you place bicycles away and lock them out of sight at night time.
- Make sure you know everyone with a key to the house.
- Make sure all roof openings, Sky lights, old coal chutes, and exhaust vents are lockable and kept locked.
- Make Sure Emergency Phone numbers are kept posted near the phone.
- You have a phone and flashlight in every bedroom.
- Secure Sliding Patio Doors.
You don’t want to give anyone a place to hide on your property. This may mean Jr doesn’t have as good a game of hide and seek, but it also means its less likely that someone will be popping out of the bushes the minute you open your door.
Not only can tree limbs can allow criminals access to second floor entrances, they also provide ways for children to sneak in and out past curfew, and possibly injure themselves in the process.
Shrubs and hedges aren’t the only place crooks like to hide. Shadows can provide enough coverage for them to hide as well. Illuminating the are allows you to not only see potential danger from afar but helps prevent danger from arising
Again. Motion detectors are for more than just saving the batteries on the hidden cameras outside your home. The suddenness of a light coming on in many cases is enough to scare away a potential thief.
Light should be high enough that nobody with tampers with them. If you can unscrew an entrance light bulb easily, so can a crook.
Anything that can be used to climb up to the second floor entrances should be kept away and secure. If they are kept outside in a garage or shed make sure they have a lock and turn your electric garage door off at night to prevent someone from using a code grabber. It is rare, but some older garage door models don’t use encryption.
This will aid emergency units in finding your home during an emergency. Every second counts, you don’t want them cruising up and down the neighborhood.
Bicycles can invite someone on to your property who will then decide that they want to steal more. As well, you are giving them a nice easy way to escape in a hurry should they get caught in the act.
Other than the obvious trust issue, if there is no sign of forced entry during a break in, you will need to assume its an inside job. If you can’t track down everyone who has a key, you won’t be able to figure out who is responsible, and may even falsely blame an innocent party.
Every way out is a way in, but not every way in is a way out. You need to think about things that enter into your home that might not be used for human entrances. For example, a pet door is a common entrance most people forget to lock, fireplaces another. Try and think outside the box
This is very important if you suspect an intruder in your home. It also provides safety during power failures, or midnight trips to the bathroom where there is not outlet for a night light.
Adjust the tracks of sliding patio doors so they can’t be pushed off their tracks, and fit them with a sliding patio door lock, or place a broom stick between the back of the door and the door frame.
These are some quick and easy, cost effective ways to give your home security an upgrade. Following these tips will improve the safety of you and your family, and are meant to be used as part of a complete home security plan.