Monday 4 November 2013

Understanding Your Many Options For Home Security

By Sara Ezan


Home security is a very major topic for a homeowner. People who own a home want to do all they can to keep their homes and families as safe as possible. In order to do this, they must educate themselves on home security strategies. Continue reading to learn excellent suggestions on protecting your home.

There are cheaper alternatives to installing a home security system that deters criminals from breaking into your home. Simply putting up a fence or a "large dog" sign can help immensely. Criminals want to make the process as simple as possible for themselves, so dealing with a large dog would deter them.

At the end of the night, close the drapes and blinds to your home. In addition to giving you more privacy, this blocks the valuable items in your house from view. Keeping your blinds open only serves as an open invitation to anyone who wants to take something from your house.

Changing the locks on your home can be a great way to increase security. Locks should always be changed when buying a new home. There could be numerous people that had copies of the keys, from the real estate agent to the previous owners. Locks should also be changed whenever your keys become lost, or after a break-up in a relationship.

Make sure you always do your research before hiring a company to install your home security system. Find company reviews on the Internet and make sure they are in good standing with the Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. You are hiring this company to furnish your home with a security system, and you want to make sure that you can trust the company your dealing with.

Don't show off your expensive possessions to the entire neighborhood. Take a step outside and look through your windows. If you can see expensive items that are potential targets for thieves, consider moving those items out of plain view. Or invest in a set of curtains that can be drawn to prevent potential intruders from targeting your valuables.

Walls are great for hiding things. If you have small valuables you want to protect, consider hiding them inside your walls. You could utilize an electrical outlet, phone jack, or unused switch plate. If you use all of them, you can always have fake ones installed.

Clean up that dirty garage and park your car in it. Parking your car in your garage can really help keep criminal activity at bay. First, your car will be less of a target than if it was sitting parked on the street. Second, it makes it tougher for criminals to track your daily activities.

Use exterior lights that have motion sensors. They turn on only if someone is nearby. Not only will they notify you of movement, they will also deter potential burglars, as thieves want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Remember to keep working bulbs in them at all times.

Because so many people are numb to the sound of alarms, it is important that you have your home security system linked to the local police station. This is helpful in case you are home and can not call 911 yourself, or you are away from home during a break in.

Whenever you lose one key, you must replace that lock. You never know if you actually lost it or someone who knows where you live stole it, and this puts you in peril. Even if it is a key to your car, it is important to have the lock rekeyed or replaced for your safety.

The best lock for an external door is at least one inches and a throw deadbolt unit. These are nearly impossible to break into and ensure no one will be getting through your defenses. Interior doors don't need such locks as they're not open to the outside world, so you can use doorknob locks there.

Lock up your home, even if you are around. Many people think that their neighborhood is the safest out there. They'll leave their doors unlocked all day (and night long) without a second thought! This is inviting trouble. Make it a habit to lock those doors (and windows) even if you're home. It's probably the most important basic thing you can do for your family's overall safety.

All of your exterior doors should have the hinges facing inside. Hinges are easy to break if you have access to them, so that means they need to be within your home so that no one outside can get at them. It may take some effort, but it will be worth it.

Ask about a maintenance schedule for your home security system. Many companies offer this free of charge. A maintenance schedule allows a qualified technician to enter your home and make adjustments, improvements and upgrades to your existing system, as well as checking to make sure it is working correctly. Your system will not help you if it is not working, so this is important.

Watch out for the home security company that tries to over sell everything to you. There are many offerings from home security companies, including video monitoring, keeping on eye on your home on your television, keyless entry and other such innovations. While all interesting, some might be more than you need. The salesman who tries to sell you everything under the sun is not really looking out for your best interest, and is likely looking at his own bottom line.

All of your exterior doors should have the hinges facing inside. Hinges are easy to break if you have access to them, so that means they need to be within your home so that no one outside can get at them. It may take some effort, but it will be worth it.

There is no point in investing in an alarm system which doesn't fully protect your home, of course. You need to have sensors in place on every single window and door to be sure no one can get inside. If you don't, you will be gambling with the fact that the burglar may not think of entering in the same way you expect them to.

Keeping a home safe is extremely important to a homeowner. However, if you want to ensure your home's safety, you must make use of excellent home security strategies, such as the ones provided in the above article. Utilize these ideas, and you can keep your home and family safe from any threat.



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