Keeping your home safe and secure is an important part of ensuring your peace of mind.
In an age of increased crime and technological advances, there are many ways to protect your family and property.
Here are 10 ways to keep your home safe and secure.
1. Install A Camera Doorbell
A camera doorbell allows you to see who is at your door without having to open it. This gives you the added security of being able to identify visitors from a distance and decide whether or not to let them in. And, some doorbells come with a 2-way talk facility, so not only can you see who it is, but you can ask what they want! These type of doorbells are also brilliant for capturing some hilarious moments on camera, and are perfect for playing pranks on people. If that’s your thing, of course!
2. Install A Smart Lock
Have you ever left the house and thought to yourself: “Erm, did I actually lock the front door?” We’ve all been there! You’ve gone out for the day, you’re on a night out, or maybe you’re even at the airport ready to jump on a flight and enjoy a well deserved holiday! Then you start second guessing yourself and wonder if you did lock the doors! The last thing you want to do is to leave your house exposed to burglars, especially when nobody is home! In the past you would have to call a family member or a neighbour to check for you! However, in this modern world where technology has thankfully advanced, you can solve this problem yourself from anywhere! Smart locks allow you to lock and unlock your door using an app on your phone. This provides an extra layer of security by giving you control over who has access to your home.
3. Install Motion Sensors
Picture the scene… You are lying in bed at night, fast asleep. You locked all the doors, all the windows in the house were closed, everything was fine when you turned off the lights. Or so you thought! Downstairs, a burglar has somehow found his way into your house and is hellbent on taking anything that he can get his hands on! If it’s valuable or expensive, he will take it! But, how could this be avoided? Well, the simple answer is to install motion sensors! Motion sensors are a great way to detect any movement in your home and alert you if something suspicious is going on. If somebody is snooping around downstairs and has spotted an iPad, a phone or a TV that he’d quite like to steel from you, having motion sensors would be an almost fool-proof way of stopping him in his tracks! If you have any SENSE (get it?…) that you will get the wheels in motion and up your home security as soon as possible!
4. Install Window Sensors
First floor windows are the second most popular entry point for burglars, so installing window sensors is an excellent way to keep your home secure. Window sensors are similar to motion sensors but they detect vibrations when someone attempts to break into your home through the windows. They are extremely cost effective and because they are triggered by breaking glass, the moment an intruder tries to get into your property through the window the alarm immediately sounds. In short, window sensors are an important part of any security system and a very effective deterrent.
5. Install A Home Security System
Most home security systems can be customised to suit you and your family, although at the very least most do include indoor and outdoor cameras, motion sensors and window/glass break sensors. However, some may also include protection from fires, floods, and even carbon monoxide poisoning! A security system can be so much more than something just to keep intruders out, it can be used to keep your property safe from any possible threat.
6. Utilize Smart Lighting
If you are looking for a way to fool the burglars while you are out of the house, smart lighting is a great option. Smart lighting allows you to control the lights in your home from anywhere using an app on your phone. It’s all done remotely, so you can be out having dinner with friends, working, even on holiday, and you can turn your lights on and off with the touch of a button. Gone are the days where you need to rely on a light switch. You can even turn the lights on and off in different rooms, as long as you have installed Smart LED bulbs that contain the software needed to connect to your app. Installing lighting is a very SMART idea if you want to stay safe!
7. Utilize Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting is a great way to make a burglar think twice before attempting to enter your home. Motion-sensing lights can be especially helpful as they will turn on if someone approaches your home. This can be especially useful if you have a back garden or yard that could potentially leave your property vulnerable to a break in. Think of it from a burglar’s point of view – you see a house that looks empty and you decide to go around the back because it would appear to be the easiest and less risky way in. Next thing you know, a light comes on as you walk up to the door. At the very least, the light will stop the burglar in his tracks, and even if it doesn’t, it could attract the attention of your neighbours. The last thing a burglar wants is attention, so outdoor lighting is an outstanding deterrent and it is not as expensive as you might think.
8. Install A Safe
A safe is a great way to store any important documents or valuables that you don’t want to risk being stolen. Sometimes burglars are clever and manage to get into properties that they have no right being in. In a situation like this, you at least want to keep vital possessions out of sight, and more importantly, out of reach of the criminals! If you invest in a safe, you are going to have very little to worry about! Unless the intruder is an experienced safe cracker, of course! But what are the chances of that? A burglar wants to get in and out as quickly as possible with as little fuss as possible. He’s not going to want to spend hours trying to force open a safe that contains a watch and the deeds to your house! If it’s an important item, put it in the safe, it’s for the best!
9. Get A Guard Dog
When you think of a guard dog, you picture a Bullmastiff or German Shepherd! A loud, aggressive dog that would scare the living daylights out of any burglar, because, let’s be honest, nobody wants a big angry dog chewing on their arm (or other parts of their anatomy)! However, size isn’t everything! You see, if you do have a dog, you don’t necessarily need it to attack any would-be intruder (as much as you might like to see that happen)! Just a dog that barks worse than it bites is sufficient because, at the end of the day, you aren’t buying a pet to maim somebody! All you want is for the dog to startle the burglar and send him on his merry way! If you were trying to break into someone’s house and a dog started yapping away so loudly that the entire street could hear it, would you still try and break in? Or would you think “nah, this isn’t worth it” and move on? A dog, no matter how big, is a very useful home security measure, even if it is relatively harmless. It’s all about deterring the burglars! The more noise, the better!
10. Utilize A Smart Keyless Lock
A keyless lock is, well, a lock that doesn’t require a key! Pretty simple, right? But how do these keyless locks work? There are a number of different ways to implement these locks, but the most common is to use a pin code, similar to how you would unlock a phone or a laptop! Just don’t forget your pin or you may have to break into your own home! Some Smart keyless lock systems also use facial recognition, fingerprints or combination codes in order to allow access to the property! If you buy one of those systems, just make sure you aren’t wearing gloves or a balaclava or you won’t be getting in! But, in all seriousness, these keyless locks are another great way to make burglars think twice about breaking in!
Conclusion
By implementing these 10 ways to keep your home safe and secure, you can rest assured knowing that your family and property are protected. Some people prefer to pay for a complete security system, others don’t have the budget to do that so they compromise and settle for a simple video doorbell or a security camera.
No matter what you decide to do though, it is recommended that you take some form of action to prevent any burglars getting into your home. Sometimes just seeing a camera or being made aware that a home is protected can be enough to deter criminals, the last thing they want is to be caught! Your home doesn’t need to be like Fort Knox, but basic home security is definitely advised. Choosing one of the above options would be a great start, and it would help give you peace of mind in an age where crime levels are on the up!