Home security is a big market. There are burglaries that occur everyday no matter the area you live. Thieves pick houses that appear to be easy targets. If you want to protect your home, read this article to find out more about home security.

Be sure you have secured your attached garage. There is a way to prevent burglars from entering your home through the garage. A C-clamp is very useful for garage doors that lift on tracks. It will prevent garage doors from opening up whenever it is near the roller and is tight on the track.

Create the illusion that your home is constantly occupied. You can purchase inexpensive timers that will control different electronics and lights in your home. It’ll make it seem like someone is home. This is an excellent technique that helps avoid robberies while keeping the property safe.

See what the local police offer when it comes to home protection programs. Some police departments offer things like code numbers to help find your valuables should they get stolen. Call and see what is available.

Always change the locks after moving into a new home. Many people may have been given keys by the former owner. To make sure you’re the only person that can get into your home, contact a locksmith. This is also a good idea in the event that you misplace your keys.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to check it annually. Have a worker from the security company take a look at it. Wild animals, domestic pets, and weather are all factors that can affect the reliability of your home security system. If the problem isn’t visible, you may be unaware of it.

Home security systems have different kinds of features that can sound an alarm when someone breaks into your house. Most systems can be set to sound an alert when anyone enters the home. This is a valuable safety feature for parents of small children since they know if their child has exited the home.

Always change the locks if you have someone move out of your home. Maybe you’ve had a roommate leave or a bitter ex-lover, so changing the locks can keep you safer. It doesn’t cost much and they can usually show up within a day.

Compare different systems when looking into home security. Prices can be very different from one product to another. Get quotes from several companies before making a decision.

If you do not reside in a big city, you may not worry as much about home burglaries. On a different note, some people believe homeowners in more rural areas are more likely to experience robberies because of the lack of nearby neighbors. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.

Think very carefully about where to hide your spare key. The doormat is too obvious of a place to hide it, as robbers will look there first. Try to find somewhere less obvious.

Walls make the perfect hiding spot. If you own small valuables that require protection, try hiding them in the walls. Just open up an electrical outlet or a phone jack that is not in use. If you use all of them, you can always have fake ones installed.

Keep your car in the garage. Keeping the car inside is a good way to keep criminals from stealing or harming it. When it is in hiding, people won’t know if you’re home.

You could hide some valuables within your walls. You do not have to damage your walls to keep your valuables safe. There’s plenty of places in a house with pre-cut areas that can be used. For example, you could take the wiring out of an electric socket that is not in use and put your valuable jewelry in there.

Have lights that sense motion. They turn on only if someone is nearby. This lets you know something is moving and also drives off criminals. Test the bulbs frequently, though.

If the home you are moving into is not brand new, you should change the locks on all the doors. The previous tenant or owner may not have the keys, but you don’t know if they made copies for themselves or others. If you own, you can have the locks replaced and only you will have had the key.

Do you have skylights? If so, you should keep them in mind when protecting your home. Although skylights provide your home with a lot of light, it is also very helpful for burglars to break in. Use heavy-duty hardware to secure your skylights to the roof.

Check references before giving anyone access to your home. A background check which includes any criminal history is warranted. You can never be too sure about anyone you hire to enter your home, and giving them access can work against you.

A wall is a great hiding place. If you own smaller things that need protection, think about keeping them hidden in the walls. Just open up an electrical outlet or a phone jack that is not in use. If you have no unused plates, you can put in a fake one.

A wireless security system could be a good option. Systems that are wired can be a little cheaper, but may need significant reworking of your home’s electrical wiring and can fail in a power outage. Systems that operate in a wireless environment can be easier to manage and are not as likely to cause extensive rewiring issues.

You can hide your valuable items inside your walls. You don’t have to damage the walls to do so. You can find areas in your walls that are pre-cut and use those. Perhaps you could deactivate a few unused electrical sockets to use as a place to store stuff.

If you buy something that is expensive, you need to make sure you don’t leave empty boxes curbside. If thieves see these type of boxes outside your home, they may want to break in to steal the items. Cut up the boxes when they’re empty.

Safety starts with home security. Crime can occur when least expected. Remember the tips from this article, and spend some time in implementing an effective home security system. Do not delay. Following the advice from this article can really end up saving you a major headache in the future.

Can someone standing in the middle of the street see clearly your house numbers? If the numbers aren’t legible, police may drive right by. This is easy and inexpensive to fix if you believe there could be a problem.