When you think of home security, usually the first thing in mind is alarm systems. And while alarms can be useful if you are home when they go off, or they are monitored by an outside source, they are often used to replace other areas of home security, particularly in the structure of the home itself.
While most people opt for the most common things, such as a security door (and we’d always advise looking at the best security doors), we wanted to highlight some of the less common security enhancements you can do.
So here are a few areas that will improve your home security, and make you feel safer by actually making you safer from intruders.
Doorjambs and Hinges
The most common entry point for when a house is broken into is actually just breaking down or unlocking the front door. In some cases people just leave their front door unlocked, making the whole process even easier. That’s why one of the best options for keeping your home safe is to make it so your front or back doors can’t be kicked in, or lock-picked. By adding security screen doors in front of the main door, you can make the entry point even safer.
This is done by upgrading the door, particularly around the hinges and doorjambs. Both are usually composed of wood or a plastic, which makes them easily breakable. If you aim for steel with both, you make it more difficult to actually kick a door in. Additionally improving the bolt lock on the door so that the piece of metal that extends into the doorjamb goes further than an inch will make it harder to kick the door right out of the frame.
Windows and Glass
The second most common entry point for a house is through a window. Luckily with windows there are multiple areas you can touch up. Not only can you make sure to install a real window lock on each of your windows, but you can also add one-way mirror films or tinted films to your windows, which will prevent anyone from being able to see inside your home during the day. This will prevent burglars from being able to scope out your home to see if anyone is there. Unfortunately because of their design, it means you are usually incredibly visible at night from inside your home if you have a light on, so blinds or a cover of some kind can be useful in those cases.
However, being visible at night is not always a bad thing when preventing burglars, as they are less likely to invade if they know you are home.
Lights
Speaking of visibility, lights are the other area that can be useful for complete prevention and they are often one of the easier objects to install into or around a home. The lights that turn on from movement are the most useful, especially if you have a big or messy enough animal at home that can trigger them regularly. Installing some around the inside and outside of your home is the most effective, but even just a couple near the front door of your place can be effective, as anyone that passes by will have triggered them and still make it look like you are home.
Don’t forget you can always add more than one lock to your door and there are plenty of other areas to reinforce with a few remodeling tweaks, but just covering these main three will improve your chances of never having to deal with a break in by upwards of 50%. Alarms are meant to be a warning system, not your complete form of home security, so take advantage of other ways to keep you and your family safe. And don’t forget to lock those doors!
About the Author: Lukas Nicholson is a home security specialist and reviewer in the effectiveness of home security systems with Top Consumer Reviews. He works hard to provide honest reviews and inform others about what they can do to better protect themselves, their family, and their homes.