5 Ways to Protect Your Home from Criminals
The rapid rise of crime in suburban and semi-rural communities has citizens concerned about protecting their homes and property. Safety is a major concern for over fifty-eight percent of Americans, according to a national study conducted by SafeWise, well-known for their annual “Safest Cities in America” report. What can you do to keep your home, property, and family safe? The following suggestions will help you improve the safety of your home, starting will all possible entrances to your home.
Upgrade Door Locks
Many entry doors have simple doorknob locks. The door stays closed, and can not be opened by simply turning the handle or pressing down on a latch. If this is the type of door you have, adding a deadbolt will increase your security, and make entry difficult. Single deadbolts are the most popular as they require a key only from the outside. Double deadbolts require a key to open from the inside as well.
Safety Screen
Criminals usually enter the home through the doors or windows. When the weather is nice, people like to have their windows and doors open to enjoy the pleasant breezes that freshen their home. Installing a high tensile grade of stainless steel mesh screen into first floor window screens, and into a tempered aluminum door frame deters home invasion as the screen can’t be cut with a knife. The strength of the frame protects the door from being bashed in.
Outdoor Lighting
Keep your home safe with strategically placed outdoor lighting that illuminates the walkway to doors, the driveway and garage entrance, and the back yard. Install lights that turn on automatically at dusk, and also place solar lighting in other areas where you need additional light.
Security Cameras
Technology and smart phones work together to provide you with a visual of the areas covered by your cameras. The program you use to monitor your cameras will notify you of any suspicious activity which you can then address by calling the police when indicated.
Protect Your WIFI
The very technology we use to keep our homes safe can be compromised if we are careless. Your wireless network that connects all your “smart” gadgets can give criminals easy access to your home if it isn’t protected. Secure your wireless router by doing the following:
- Enable encryption
- Rename your home network (Example: Change the Jones Family to Harry Potter)
- Use a firewall
- Create a strong password that contains a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Your password should be a minimum of 12 characters in length.
- Installation of antivirus and anti-malware protection is essential
Taking the five steps listed above will help you enjoy and feel safer in your home over the coming months. Whenever you are not at home, be sure to lock all windows and doors and enable your security system. Relax and enjoy your home more in warm weather knowing your home is protected