Protecting Yourself From Intruders: Home Security Basics

August 28, 2020 - Comment

If you wish to learn all that you can about home security, this is your chance. There isn’t any reason you should settle with regards to keeping your home safe. You should take control of the choice and have the best information handy. Continue reading to learn more about what options you have. Make your

If you wish to learn all that you can about home security, this is your chance. There isn’t any reason you should settle with regards to keeping your home safe. You should take control of the choice and have the best information handy. Continue reading to learn more about what options you have.

Make your house look like it’s always occupied. You could purchase timers and have your TVs, lights, radios and other types of electronics to go on at various times. This will make your home appear as if someone is there. This is an excellent method for avoiding burglary and keeping your home secure.

TIP! Look for ways to make your home seem occupied. Put timers on the TV, lights and radios.

Do you keep your dog outdoors when you are away from home? Using Fido to hide your spare key can be a clever trick. Put it on their collar. Especially if pets don’t like strangers, this can be a useful way for having easy access to your house.

Does your canine stay in the yard while you go out? Your pet might just be the perfect place to stash a spare key to your home. Hook your key to the dog’s collar in a place that is shielded from view. This is very effective if your pet is afraid of strangers; therefore, burglars are not very likely to notice the key.

TIP! Does your dog stay outside while you are gone? This is a good spot for keeping your spare key. Stash the key on the pup’s collar to keep it out of sight.

Don’t let strangers enter your house. Even if they tell you a sob story about needing help, this warning remains true. Even home security representatives could be intruders who want to check the kind of protection you have.

Solicit word of mouth recommendations from friends, colleagues and family members to find a great home security company or system. Your friends have gone through both bad and good experiences and they will be able to share them with you. Therefore, ask everyone you can in order to obtain the most advice. With thorough advice, the best decision can be made.

TIP! Seek recommendations from friends and family when choosing a security company or system. Others may have had bad and good experiences that they share with you so that you may be able to save time and stress.

You need to secure your garage if it is attached to your home. A common concern expressed among homeowners is that someone might enter their garage and use that as an entrance to their home. There is a solution, however. If the garage door lifts via a track, you can use a C-clamp to stop your door from opening at the hands of intruders.

Don’t let any person you don’t completely know into your house. This includes a salesperson or people looking for help. These people might want to actually do you harm or could be casing out your house for a future break-in.

TIP! Don’t let strangers enter your home. This includes a salesperson or people looking for help.

Use your wall spaces to hide your valuables. You do not have to damage your walls to keep your valuables safe. Many spots are already cut that can be used for this purpose. What about un-wiring an electrical socket which isn’t used to utilize as a cover to hide your jewelry?

Be sure you have secured your attached garage. Intruders could easily break into your garage and access your home. A C clamp helps for garage doors on a track. The clamp actually keeps the door closed if tightened close to the track roller.

TIP! Your garage should be as secure as your home. Some people are concerned about burglars entering through an attached garage.

You should change all the locks if you just bought or rented a new home. As nice as the previous person may seem, you don’t really know them. Don’t forget that there were likely other owners and residents in the house before the last set.

Walls are a great hiding spot for your valuables. Hide valuables inside of your walls. Just open up an electrical outlet or a phone jack that is not in use. You can easily install fake unused plates.

TIP! Walls are great for hiding things. This is a great way to hide jewelry, for example.

Did you know that the wires on your home are valuable? Most people are unaware of this fact until a burglar takes it from their house. The copper inside the wire is very valuable and may be stripped off the exterior of the house in a short time span. Hide your wiring to secure it.

Avoid placing spare keys under door mats or in plant boxes. While it may seem like a convenient way to give you access to your home, intruders are aware of this practice. Any thief knows all the typical hiding spots. Rather, give your spare key to a neighbor or friend that you trust.

TIP! Avoid leaving spare keys outside of your home. While you may feel that you are keeping yourself safe by allowing a way in for yourself, you are also allowing everyone else to visit whenever they want.

If you scheduled an appointment for a member of the security company to come to your house, ask them to show you some identification first. Criminals can easily pretend to be from a security firm as a means to gain entry to the house. This could be quite dangerous. Act cautiously in order to stay away from potential dangers.

Are you aware of the fact that your home wiring is worth money? Some intruders could strip your home of every bit of copper. The wiring has copper and is easy to be quickly taken off a home. In order to protect yourself from this risk, make sure wires on your house are difficult to find and hard to access.

TIP! Are you aware of the value present in the wiring in your home? Often homeowners are unaware of this fact until they find that their wiring has been stolen. The wiring contains valuable copper than can be quickly stripped from a home.

Before allowing anyone into your home, check their references carefully. Check if they have any history of criminal activity. You can’t know for sure about the integrity of people you hire, and blindly giving them access to your home can be a huge mistake.

Replace any wood surrounding your door frame that is rotting. Rotten wood is easily removed and can give an intruder a way into your home. Always replace rotting wood with fresh wood immediately to keep your house strong and secure.

TIP! Rotten wood on door and window frames needs to be repaired. If a person wants to enter your home, rotted wood can easily be pried away.

If you need to make the outside of your home secure, you can achieve this relatively inexpensively by installing lights with motion detectors. These lights provide extra light for your home and are very cost efficient. Positioned correctly, these lights can make it impossible for intruders to get on your property undetected.

Any time you let a stranger into your home that is doing some kind of work, it is best to ask for references. A background check may also be a good idea. You can never be too sure about anyone you hire to enter your home, and giving them access can work against you.

TIP! Don’t let any service people into your home without checking their references completely. Be sure to perform a background check and look for any criminal history that might be in evidence.

Think about safety when designing your home. Don’t provide burglars with cover by planting big shrubs in front of your doors and windows. Keeping these features free of vegetation robs would-be burglars of concealment and hiding places. Plan these features for further away from your home.

Ask about the history of any home security company you are considering. It doesn’t take long for a quality company to prove itself in the security business, and you should look for a track record of satisfied customers and successful work. You should not trust a company that does not have a good record with your local Better Business Bureau or few years of experience.

TIP! Ask your home security company how long they have been in business before you sign up for service. A long-standing company has a track record in the industry that people can attest to.

Have home-security companies come to your home so they can design the best possible system for it. Everyone has different needs, and your security system should be designed to protect your home and family. A good company will tailor your security plan to the needs of you and your family.

Wireless alarm systems are a great investment. While wireless systems are often cheap, the cost of installation can be sky high. Also, you will have a very easy time installing them.

TIP! You may want to get a security system that is wireless. 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.

Invest in a high quality paper shredder. Thieves may look through your garbage for information. You can tear your documents up by hand before disposing of them if a shredder is out of your price range.

Install a surveillance system in your home. Setting up hidden and visible video cameras is a good way to keep your home secure. A visible video camera acts as a warning to an intruder. If the intruder disables the visible camera, the hidden camera will document it! A lot of surveillance systems may be accessed through a cell phone, letting you check on your house when you’re away.

TIP! It’s a good idea to install a surveillance system in your home. Installing video cameras, both visible and hidden, are a great way to secure your home.

Install a home surveillance system. You can have great home security with both hidden and visible video cameras. Visible cameras deter the majority of intruders, and if they try to disarm them, a camera that is hidden will keep capturing footage. You can sometimes access security systems using your cell phone, keeping you informed on the go.

Don’t let anyone peek into your garage. Frost your windows so people cannot look inside your home. Also, don’t leave your door open for long periods of time when you work there.

TIP! A smart way to prevent burglars from entering the garage is to keep them from seeing what is inside. Use a frosted film to cover the windows.

Keep burglars on the outside of your garage by making sure nobody can actually see inside the garage. Have your windows frosted so they aren’t as easy to see through. Do not leave doors open for lengthy periods while you are doing work.

If you buy a new, expensive electronic, such as a television or computer, do not leave the empty boxes on your curb. If a burglar sees your empty box, he or she will know that valuable item is inside your house. That’s good motivation for a break-in. Remember to cut up the boxes when they’re emptied.

TIP! When you purchase an expensive item such as a computer or TV, be sure to take the cardboard box to the recycling center rather than leaving it on your curb for all the world to see. If thieves see these type of boxes outside your home, they may want to break in to steal the items.

You need to know your options with companies concerning either leasing or purchasing equipment. Buying the equipment might cost more up front, but it means a one time cost that does not continue every month. Leasing is usually the cheaper option; however, it does mean higher monthly bills and a contract. Compare these two options before making your decision.

When standing in the street, can you see your house numbers? It is important for the authorities to find your address in the event of an emergency. Fortunately, this is something that can be corrected quickly and cheaply.

TIP! Are you able to see the numbers on your house from the street? If an emergency happens, the police can’t get to the home as quick if your numbers are obscured in any way or are too small. Fortunately, this is something that can be corrected quickly and cheaply.

Never keep the registration papers for your vehicle in your glove compartment. If someone breaks into your car, that person can view your registration and instantly know where you reside. Keep them on you or hide them somewhere else in your vehicle. You should have easy access to them if you should be pulled over.

If you want to hide your house key, find a spot that is not obvious. A very obvious location is underneath fake rocks. The doormat is the first place someone will look. It’s better to have a friend, neighbor or relative keep a spare set of keys for you. If you cannot do that, try to be creative when it comes to hiding places.

TIP! Do not hide your key in obvious places. An easily moved object close to the door is the first place a burglar will look.

You should now have a better understanding of how to keep your home safe. Having the proper system installed and knowing how to employ it effectively is key. Consider what has been presented here, and use the information to keep your family safe and secure.

Be sure to close your curtains at night in rooms that face the street. It’s best to discourage peeping toms. If valuable items can be seen from outside your home, it is an open invitation to burglars. Be careful about what you expose to the public so that your likelihood of a burglary will decrease.

TIP! If your family room window is facing the street, keep the curtains drawn every night. You don’t need to have an invitation to people through your window.