Home Security
Advice
When the topic of home security springs to mind, most people seem to
think of burglar alarms and little to nothing else. Alarms can
be a great way to protect your home, although they are only a small
part of what makes up an effective home security system.
Burglar alarms are a key to protecting your home – although there
are other things you’ll need as well.
Believe it or not, the windows are actually the key to home
security. Homes that have poor constructed windows tend to get
broken into a lot more than homes with secure and sturdy
windows. When you are dealing with your windows, you should
make sure that you have tough glass and locks that fit to the
windows. When you are away from home, you should always make
sure that your windows are locked. Even though some windows
may be hard to reach, you should always lock them. Burglars
make a living out of stealing – and they will normally find a way in
if they see the opening.Along with the windows, doors are also known
to be a weakness of security around the home. Doors should
always be strong and sturdy, complete with tough locks that aren’t
easy to force open. If you have a spare key, you should be
careful where you leave it. Losing your keys can also make you
a target, especially if you have anything on your key ring that
reveals your home address.To better protect their homes, most people
choose to invest in a home surveillance system. These systems
are great for monitoring the home, as they can record video and keep
it stored for you to view later. If you travel a lot, a home
surveillance system can be an ideal way to keep a check on your home
while you’re away.Guard dogs are also common with home security as
well. A guard dog can protect your home from burglars,
thieves, and other types of trouble. Guard dogs can be very
handy to have around, as most dogs are more than capable of scaring
away trouble with their bark. The only downside to guard dogs
is the fact that you’ll need to train them and ensure that they
always have food and water. Last, but certainly not least are
burglar alarms. Burglar alarms can be effective to an extent,
although they are primarily good for scaring thieves away. If
you put an alarm in a visible location from the outside of the home,
most burglars won’t even attempt to enter your home. Even
though burglar alarms are great for scaring off thieves – you’ll
still need to have other areas of your home safe and secure as well
to get the most of your home security.;
A dog can be your best friend when it comes to home
security.
Burglar
alarms are not the be-all and end-all of home security. There are
plenty of other things you can install in your home that will help
to stop a burglar from gaining entry – and many of them are very
simple and inexpensive.The key is to secure the possible points of
entry. This means that doors should be made of strong, solid
material (definitely not plastic or glass), be properly secured to
their hinges and have tamper-resistant locks. Ideally, you should
have an extra deadbolt that you put on at night, made from very
strong metal.Windows should be made from toughened glass, preferably
double-glazed, so that they are almost impossible to break. Although
window locks are relatively uncommon, they help greatly with
security, and you should consider installing them. If your house has
windows in a position where they can be easily and discreetly
accessed from the street, such as basement windows, you should
consider putting metal bars on them.It is also important for your
garden to be secure, as far more burglars enter through the back of
your house than the front. This means that your fences should be
high and have some kind of anti-climbing measures (spikes or
anti-climb paint can work well). If you don’t like fences, get big
hedges instead. Another thing to consider is getting a dog –
surprisingly effective against burglars, who don’t generally want to
mess with dogs if they can avoid it. For this strategy to be more
effective, put up a ‘beware of the dog’ sign. Smaller dogs are not
so great for this because they are not generally scary – something
like a big German Shepherd works best, not only because of their
size, but because of their strong guard instincts that cause them to
be hostile to strangers.
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