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While owning a home security system automatically decreases your chances of being burglarized, there are many common mistakes and oversights that can compromise its reliability. Here are the most important safety precautions you can take in conjunction with your security system to ensure your home is safe from thieves.

Create the Illusion that Someone is Home

If you plan to be away for an extended period, leave a light or TV on in a room near the front door or other entry points like side doors or first-floor windows. For more extended stays, consider using timers or home automation to control when your lights come on. Use exterior lighting and motion lights to minimize places where a burglar could easily hide, as well.

Using smart home technology and tools like Alarm.com, you can easily create a schedule that turns on lights at peak hours to deter potential burglars.

Make Sure All Exterior Doors have Secure Locks

Install 1-inch deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and lock all doors before leaving your home or going to bed. Reinforce the lock further by swapping out the ½” screws provided with the deadbolt strike plate for 2½ – 3” screws.

Double Check Before Answering the Door

Always check to see who is at the door before opening it. Video doorbells are an excellent addition to your home as they are motion-activated and allow you to record the footage and the video feed from your smartphone.

Hide the Spare Keys

Spare keys always seem like a great idea, but the doormat and the fake rock next to the front door are easy marks for a burglar. You can find a far more obscure place much further away from the door or give an extra key to someone you trust, like a neighbor.

Using keypads and smart locks, you can create unique codes to give other people access to your home for limited amounts of time. This means that a pet-sitter or dog-walker could be provided access to your house when needed, but you can change the code so that they cannot go into your home at other times.

Secure Your Sliding Glass Doors

Growing up, we always used a 3/4” dowel rod in the door; it wasn’t until I got older that I realized it wasn’t stopping anyone. Instead, use a spring-loaded metal bar in the middle of the door.

Keep the Garage Doors Closed

Your garage door is an entrance into your home, just like any other. It’s important to keep it closed even when you’re at home. You can provide an added protection to your home by installing an overhead garage door contact, which is a magnetic switch that connects your garage door to your security system.

Hide Cash and Expensive Items Somewhere Unpredictable

Keep cash and high dollar items in a secure place such as a safe. A locked box will do you no good if a burglar can carry it away, so if you use one, keep it hidden away somewhere inaccessible. When thieves enter a home, they are already thinking about the typical hiding spots, so get creative and find somewhere random and unexpected. Avoid the master bedroom or your child’s bedroom as kids nowadays are likely to have expensive gadgets and tech that are prime targets for burglars.

Put Away Your Ladders and Trash Cans

If you have trash cans or ladders, keep them inside or locked to a fence or a pole. If an intruder can use it to make their entrance easier, keep it out of sight.

Make Sure Your Home is Secure

Homes without a security system are 300% more likely to be burglarized. If you don’t yet have a security system and are considering installing one, give our friendly team of security experts a call at 888-412-5356, and one of our specialists will help you figure out what would be necessary for your needs.