How much do you know when it comes to home security systems? If you don’t know about home security, it’s time to become educated. You should keep reading to learn how you can keep your family safe.

Invest in a safe in order to secure very valuable items. This is vital since it means all of your things will be safe if someone breaks in your home. Your safe should be placed somewhere it is not readily noticeable.

Make sure your home appears occupied. Buy timers so that lights, radios, TVs and all other electronics turn on and off at various times. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This should help you make your home safer and not attract the attention of potential intruders.

Don’t talk about your vacations on social media. You may be very excited about your impending vacation, but there is no need to let potential burglars know when you will be gone.

Put your spare key on your dog. This works with a dog that stays outside or a dog with a pet door. Simply affix a spare key to the collar of the animal. You’ll always have a backup plan if you lose your key!

Do not let people you don’t know in your house. Even if they tell you a sob story about needing help, this warning remains true. Some people will knock on your door simply to see whether you have a security system.

Change the locks after buying a new house. You’re not aware of any copies that have been made by the previous owners of the house. Call a locksmith as soon as you can for maximum security. In addition, replace your locks if your keys ever get lost.

Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. People you do not know could have bad intentions or want to get an idea of how many valuable objects you own. Enforce a rule within your house that no one opens the door to unexpected people.

If you want to have a spare key close to your house in order to prevent lockouts, make sure you give its hiding place some careful thought. The doormat is too obvious of a place to hide it, as robbers will look there first. Try to find somewhere less obvious.

Consider changing your locks as a part of your home security program. Whether you just bought your home or someone just moved out that you were living with, this is an important step to any new situation. It is not expensive and you can do it in less than a day.

Be sure to secure your attached garage. Lots of folks are concerned about burglars gaining access to the garage and then the home, but this can be addressed. Simply attach a C-clamp near the roller on the door track.

Do you live outside the city? You might be less worried about home invasions than if you lived in an urban area. Interestingly, many think those living in rural areas are actually more susceptible to break-ins since neighbors may not live close by. Still, many believe that rural environments are less frequently targeted by burglars.

If you own a garage, be sure to use it to place your car, as opposed to using it as a storage. This will help to keep your vehicle safe. When it is in hiding, people won’t know if you’re home.

Avoid placing spare keys under door mats or in plant boxes. You are allowing people to invade your home when you make it easy for them. Any thief knows all the typical hiding spots. If you have a neighbor you can trust, have them hold your extra key.

Remember to have an annual inspection of your home security system. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. There are many things that can be problematic with regards to home security systems, like wayward wild animals and the environment. If you don’t see the problem, you may remain unaware of it.

Always lock your home, regardless of how short your trip out is. Most burglars gain entry to a home through an unlocked door. It can be a quick job for a burglar to steal items of great value.

Put up motion activated lighting. They will illuminate your property if they sense any movement near your home. Not only will you know that someone is out there, it will also deter burglars because they want to be inconspicuous. Just remember to change out the bulbs every so often so the lights remain in working order.

You should change all the locks if you just bought or rented a new home. It may seem as if the former owners of the home are honest, but really you don’t know much about them. Remember that other families may have lived there before that person as well.

If you reside in the country, you may be less worried about break-ins than urban dwellers are. With neighbors so far away, it may seem like a tiny risk. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.

When allowing a representative from any security company to enter your home, look for someone in uniform and ask to see an identification. It is easy for potential thieves to present themselves as representatives of a company in order to gain access to your home. This can be risky for you and your belongings. Be careful if you want to avoid danger.

Were you aware of how valuable your house wires are? This is something few homeowners realize until they become victims of wiring theft. Experienced criminals can make a decent amount of money quickly by stripping copper wiring off of houses in order to sell it at a scrapyard. Therefore, ensure you hide your wires so that burglars cannot see them, or make the wires extremely hard for the burglars to get to.

You can make your home safer by investing in some motion detectors and outside lights. These lights illuminate your home during the night. As an added bonus, they are affordable and quite efficient. With good positioning and properly set motion detectors, intruders will not be able to sneak up on your home unnoticed.

Keep a flashlight with good batteries in every room of your home, just in case you lose power. Flashlights are critical, and provide you with the freedom to move about as needed. Your whole family should be trained on the proper use and maintenance of flashlights.

Having your house lit up during the night is a good way to scare intruders. Burglars don’t want to be visible. When your house is well lit, intruders have no place to hide. This makes it hard for them to get things from you. Have lights that come on when they detect movement for best results.

Make sure to ask for identification for any home security company representative. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This is dangerous to your valuables and your family. Be cautious to stay away from those potential dangers.

Whenever you are landscaping your home, you should consider safety. Doors and windows should not be obstructed by trees, plants or shrubs. This makes it where people can’t hide in different nooks and crevices. This will give your home additional safety.

Look online for a reputable home security business. Check out reviews you find on the web. Put together a list of the different home security companies you want to know more about and give them a call.

Think about getting a home security system that is wireless. These systems are much more efficient and can save you time and hassle. A wireless system is easy to install and to maintain. Besides, you will still be able to count on your wireless system in case of a power outage.

Anytime you come home and notice that the door is open whenever you are quite certain you closed it, don’t enter on your own to investigate. The thief might still be inside, and you don’t have any idea whether or not they are armed. Instead, you should call 911 and wait in a safe location for the police to arrive.

If you purchase a new, pricey electronic like a TV or computer, don’t leave the empty box near your curb. Burglars will see these boxes and recognize that there are new valubles in your house. Break them down and put them in a bag or take them to a recycling center.

Are you more confident, given your new knowledge base about security systems for the home? The more you’re learning, the better it will be when you have to make this decision. Use the tips you’ve read here to begin.

If you aren’t at the house, keep the windows and curtains closed. You don’t want potential thieves knowing you are gone. You do not want any part of your home visible to the public. You may have things inside that will tempt them to break into your house. Keep them down as you sleep, too.