No matter where you live, home security is a big deal. People all around the world know how important it is to secure their homes.
However, not everyone has the money to invest in a high-end home security system. I’m here to share with you simple ways to secure your home.
Protect your home by following these easy tips that won’t break the bank. By following these easy DIY home security ideas, you can keep the intruders out and your personal valuables safe at all times.
13 Home Security Ideas
1. Security Decals
When burglars are casing a house, they want a quick and easy job and not something that involves a lot of risks.
- Put up security signs: That’s why you can see other houses with plastered decals placed on around the house. These signs are put up outside that says “Protected by XYZ Company” after installing a camera or home security system. This is part of the service provided by security companies. Check out Fortress Security System.
- It leads to fewer break-ins: Often, that’s all an intruder needs to see to make them want to pass by your house as a target. These cheap signs are excellent deterrents and drastically reduce the overhead costs for home security companies since it leads to fewer break-ins. Surprisingly, it’s effective to keep the intruders away.
- You don’t need to spend a lot of money: You don’t have to pay for an expensive system just to get these decals. A cheap do it yourself idea is to go online and buy the decals. There are many suppliers out there on Amazon and eBay for fake security company decals and signs that you can buy for less.
- Beware of Dog: Another easy safety option is to buy a “Beware of Dog” sign or sticker to put outside your house. Just the thought of having to deal with a barking or aggressive dog will keep most burglars off your property.
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2. Shut Doors and Windows at All Times
More than 30% of break-ins happen without force and through an unlocked door. 23% occur through a first-floor window. Imagine putting your house at risk because of one window or door open.
Burglars will try and check every point of entry in your house and you’re making their job easy when you left the door and windows open.
So do not focus your attention on one door or the first-floor windows alone. Keep an eye and check all points of entry, including the garage door and the porch.
These are important home security tips that every homeowner should remember. Try to keep every door and window locked at all times, no matter if you’re home or not.
Recommended Article: How to Secure French Doors
3. Close Blinds and Curtains
Another great tip to keep your home safe is to close all blinds and curtains. This is not just a privacy tip, but for your security too.
- Close all blinds and curtains: Burglars like to peek into one of your windows to see the layout of the home and any potential loot that may be available for the taking. If they can’t see anything, they can’t make a plan. So get in the habit of protecting your home’s security by closing your curtains and blinds, especially when you’re not at home.
- Wall Safe: An additional safety and security tip is to hide your valuables and expensive items out of plain sight of your windows. A wall safe is a good idea to protect your valuable items. This is much safer than having a portable vault. At least with a wall safe, they will have a hard time looking for it and will keep your valuables safe.
- Conceal glass doors: If you have a glass door, make sure to put blinds or anything to conceal it, so it’s not visible outdoor.
- Avoid displaying expensive items: Also, avoid displaying expensive outdoor equipment in your front yard. You’re giving intruders an idea that you can afford to purchase expensive things, and might be interested in more valuable things indoors.
4. Add a Deadbolt
If you don’t have a deadbolt security system on every door entry points, you should think about installing one.
- Bolt your door: A door security deadbolt is a relatively inexpensive security system that is not too difficult to install if you have the proper tools and screws.
- Latch protection plate: You can also burglar-proof your door using a latch protection plate. A latch guard is a metal plate that covers the exposed latches of the door along with a few screws, so there’s no tampering. The plate will prevent the burglar to jimmy the door.
- Smart Locks: While you’re at it, you may want to take into consideration to have a WiFi smart door lock installed for the security of your home. These kinds of locks are a lot more convenient than a standard deadbolt. If these devices are set up, and installation is followed correctly, you can even lock or unlock your door from anywhere in the world. You can also set a security alarm using these smart door locks. Smart locks has the system to let you open the door using the keypad or fingerprint scans.
The best WiFi door lock is a device that also enable you to give out virtual keys, so you can grant access and control codes to family members or other persons that you trust.
They can use the access code to your door any time without sharing a physical key, and even when you’re not home.
5. Install a Video Doorbell Camera
An obvious move for a burglar to find out if anyone is home or not is by easily ringing the doorbell. If no one answers, that’s their go signal for an easy break-in.
- Connectivity: A cheap upgrade you can make to your front door is a new video doorbell camera. These devices operate over your home’s WiFi signal send a direct video feed to your mobile device as well as record all activity within view.
- Two-way communication: These new wireless doorbell cameras also give you the ability to have a two-way conversation through the unit. This means you can pretend to answer the doorbell ring even when you’re not inside your home.
- Security camera: This is not your ordinary front door buzzer; it can also serve as a home security camera. You can also use this camera to let you view who’s creeping on your front door.
To find out more about this easy upgrade on your front door, and all the great features available, take a look at my best video doorbell camera reviews.
This page easily explains the ins and outs of these products and shows you everything you need to make the best buying decision for the lowest cost.
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6. Automated Interior Lights
One of the best ways to deter a burglar from breaking into your house is to make it look like you’re home even when you’re not. This is a safety and security tip that should be practiced by homeowners.
- Random On/Off: An easy way to do this is by having your lights turn on and off throughout the day and evening hours. You can also buy cheap timers that install in your electrical outlets that your lamps plug into. This timer can easily flip your lights on and off at random times to create the illusion that somebody is home.
- Smart Light Bulbs: Another effective safety and security option that’s a bit more expensive is the installation of smart light bulbs in your house. These devices can be controlled via a smartphone app. Then you can manually adjust your lights no matter where you are in the world as long as you have an Internet connection.
7. Exterior Lighting
People have used motion sensor lights for years as an inexpensive and effective security measure. If you don’t have motion sensor lights, you may want to consider investing in a few.
If motion sensor lights are out of the budget, another alternative is the installation of exterior lights and leaving them on throughout the night.
Illuminating your doorways and pathways to your house make it easier for a burglar to be spotted. So they’ll less likely come up to your home because of it.
8. Traveling? Hold Your Mail
Homes with overfilled mailboxes and packages left on the front door are clear indications that someone is not home. Trust me, burglars are always on the lookout to strike empty homes, so always keep your porch clear of unopened mails while you’re away.
- Hold all mails: When you’re traveling for more than a few days at a time, a security tip is to make sure to send in a hold mail request with your local post office. They’ll hold your mail, so it doesn’t collect at your home and then deliver it all at once on a set date, or you can go pick it up at the post office.
- Prevent mail theft: Suspending your mail delivery while on vacation while also help prevent credit card and package theft. Thieves can steal delivered packages and can open credit card bills and seek personal information about you.
- Do not leave physical keys: Also, don’t forget to remove the key in your secret hiding place. Make it a habit, and do not hide the key of your door under the mat or a flower pot. These are too obvious hiding places, and the thieves will look for your key in these hiding places.
When you’re not home, thieves will take more time in looking for a secret hiding place of your key, so avoid their putting them in your “secret hiding places”.
9. Don’t Advertise Your Travel Plans
When you’re going away on a vacation try to keep a low profile for your home’s security. Otherwise, you’re inviting someone to strike into your home.
Don’t post about it on social media, burglars now use social media to find their next target. It’s so easy for burglars to find out where someone lives these days even with the use of social media.
So, keep your vacation plans to yourself and your family before you head out and then feel free to brag about it once you get back home.
10. Partner With Your Neighbors
The cheapest home security trick is likely sitting right next door to you. If you don’t already have a neighborhood security watch in place with your neighbors, take action, and consider rallying everyone together to start one.
You’d be surprised how many break-ins have been thwarted just by a caring neighbor noticing someone out of place lurking around your home.
Not only will they help in securing your home, but your car as well. This is for your neighbor who parks their car outside. Thieves target the car as much as they target homes.
If you make a pact with your closest neighbors to report suspicious activities in your community, it might go a long way to keeping everyone’s house secure.
Besides, a community is really considered as family, and we must help protect each other.
11. Train Your Dog
If you have a dog at home, you can use them as a part of your home’s security. Though there are small dogs that have the instinct to protect, like a shepherd, other breeds are not suited for this.
However, over time, they might learn to distinguish strangers, and this can help with your home security. You can train them or bring them to a training school for dogs.
This is a big help, especially if your dog barks on strangers. Their bark might scare the burglars away, and once you hear them bark, you and your family will know that something unusual is happening. [1]
12. Add Inexpensive Door and Window Alarm
Your home’s first line of defense is to keep all windows and doors locked at all times. Another cheap DIY home security option is to install window locks or sensors on all windows.
- Window and door alarm: Installing a window lock and door alarm inside your house can be an extra reinforcement. These alarm sensors will emit a loud sound anytime a window is pushed ajar and are an excellent tip to keep intruders away.
- Easy to install: The alarm will get activated once an attempt to open the door or window is detected. You can attach the alarm on your door or window using a screw or a double-sided tape alongside the magnetic contact strip.
- Delay features: If an attempt to break in occurs and magnetic strip breaks, the alarm will activate. These alarms also have a delay feature so you can set it when you leave the house. When you come home, you can also deactivate the alarm without setting it off.
- Compatible with any kind of door and window: These alarms are compatible with any different type of door and window, it has an on and off switch, and the batteries could last up to two to three years.
13. Secure Sliding Doors
The last home security tip I will suggest is to secure all sliding glass doors and windows. Not all people practice this home security tip, but this can be very helpful.
You can prevent break-ins through the sliding glass doors by placing a reinforcement inside (a metal or solid wood rod) along the bottom track.
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This way, even when the burglars successfully fiddle with the lock of the sliding door, they won’t be able to slide it open because of the physical barrier inside, making it impossible to slide the door open.
Make sure that the metal or wood rod should be long enough to cover the sliding door’s bottom rack, allowing a minimal opening only.
Bottom Line:
Now that you know about the different home safety and security suggestions, you can start practicing it tonight and stay alert. Make it a habit to secure your home before you doze off to sleep or leave for work.
You don’t have to spend big bucks on protecting your home, but investing in a few cheap security products will help you a lot.
What would you rather choose? Let your personal valuables get stolen or invest in cheap security systems and prevent your small valuables from getting stolen? Think about it. If budget permits, check our Time Warner Intelligent Home review for complete home security.
What’s next? Check out our Best PTZ Security Camera Systems
References:
- https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/18/former-burglars-barking-dogs-cctv-best-deterrent
