I am going to provide you with some valuable tips to beef up your homes physical security. There are an estimated 3000 home invasions in America per day.
When planning of home security think of the following.
- Deter
- Detect
- Deny
Deter: You want to be that house on the block which is passed up. Generally, similar to the movie Home Alone, criminal observe their mark. You want to be the home on the block which the criminal decides to simply pass. Easiest way is to light it up. This makes the criminal feel vulnerable. Light up your property using several different methods. lightsofillinois.com has a great showcase of the different methods of doing such. Its critical to light the areas which are access points into your residence. Pay close attention to the areas around windows and doors.
Equally important that your lighting is designed in a way to prevent dark areas which could be used by the criminal as cover from passing cars/neighbors. Below is an image showing the different layers of light. As you can see the wall behind the foliage is well lit and anyone attempting to seek cover behind it would be well lit. Its also important to note that this side of the building does not have any first floor access points. However its also important to think about all sides of the property equally.
Detect: Detecting someone lurking your property is another important step in overall physical security. A great tool to alert you of the presence of someone breaking that perimeter layer is a simple perimeter monitoring system. One system which I have been utilizing for the past 5 years is the Chamberlain Group CWA2000 Chamberlain Driveway Alert. I have had great performance with this system, and would highly suggest it to anyone looking for a simple alert system. This system allow for a audible notification when someone passes one of the sensors installed. The system can be expanded as needed with additional sensors.
Another method is to install a motion light. This causes a prowler to be suddenly stunned when illuminated with a large intensity of light. Generally causing them to flee the area and retreat into darkness. Installing a fixtures similar to the LEPOWER 35W LED Security Light is a great way to accomplish this task. However, keep in mind motion lighting may fail to light when needed, so it is important to add this as a second layer into your physical security design.
Lastly Deny
The best way to deny, is to lock up. Make sure all of your doors and windows have tight fitting and secure locks. For doors it is super important that along the sides you install 3 inch screws every 6-12 inches. This will help increase the strength of the door and make it harder to kick in. If you have not invested in an alarm system yet now is the time. Several do it your self type of systems are out on the market and generally have a low cost monitoring option or even a self monitoring option which alerts you on your mobile phone of any issues.
A good quality lock is a great place to start. Not to often I hear from others that they have never had their locks rekeyed after moving in. Big mistake, although the likelihood of the previous owner breaking in is slim, who did that owner give the key to in the past? You want to look for a high quality lock, one which has “bump” protection. Lock bumping is a old locksmith trick which with the aid of a key blank allows unlocking of a lock by bumping the pins.
While this list is not an all inclusive or guaranteed protection against a break in, it is a good start. Stay educated on home security, and remember to follow my blog for more tips.