Tips to Prevent Burglaries

Secure all exterior doors and windows.

Did you know up to 34% of all burglars simply walk in the front door?. Even if you do lock your doors criminals can get in if your exterior doors aren’t completely secured.

You can prevent this by being prepared and knowing what to look for.

• Inspect all of your exterior doors and windows. Pay attention to making sure that the locks work, the frames are strong, and the hinges on the door are secure.
• Change the locks if you move into a new home. You certainly don’t want strangers having access to your home!
• Install high quality locks. Consider strike plates and deadbolts.
• Consider a video doorbell. They have been found to reduce criminal activity and deter burglars.
• Double check that all are locked and secure on a regular basis

The next best point of entry? Unsecured windows. There are a ton of ways to prevent entry from your windows.

• Install breaking and window opening sensors
• Reinforce the glass on your windows with security film
• Consider your landscaping- overgrown bushes and trees provide easy access, while prickly plants prevent climbing over them to get inside your home.
• Secure and lock up things like stools and ladders. You certainly don’t want to provide easy access to upper level windows.

Use Home Automation

Home automation makes it easier than ever to increase the security of your home and prevent burglaries. Home automation allows you to easily control tons of features in your home, including your gate openers, lights, door locks, cameras, and more. You can talk to people at your gate or door, get alerted on suspicious activity, and deter burglars through technology.

The best part- home automation is becoming increasingly common and more affordable. It’s easy to start small and continue to grow your home security. Remember, taking action and doing some things is better than waiting to do everything (especially when “everything” is overwhelming and doesn’t get done!).

You can use home automation is so many ways:

• Door sensors can tell you if someone opens your doors or windows
• Automatic lights can turn off and on to make burglars think someone is home (especially helpful when you’re on vacation)
• Sensor-triggered video feeds can let you know when someone walks up your driveway
• Smartphone apps that sync with CO alarms, smoke alarms and home invasion help keep you and your family safe.
• Bluetooth door locks make your home more secure. They can detect presence, connect to other systems, and give you peace of mind by knowing your doors are locked and secure.
• Glass break sensors are often the last line of defense. If you have done everything right, are all secured and locked up, and a criminal still tries to break through your windows, a glass break sensor can scare them off and notify you even if you aren’t home.

Install a security system

A security system provides so much peace of mind and is a great deterrent to criminals. You’ve probably seen crime shows that downplay the importance of alarms, saying seasoned criminals know how to disarm them. While this makes for compelling television, it’s not true in real life.

Consider this: only 12% of all criminals even plan breaking in before doing so. Most thieves are opportunistic, and nothing shuts down opportunities like a good security system.

Plus, 84% of all thieves check for an alarm system before attempting to break into a property. This means that installing a security system is one of the best ways to secure your home

The great news is that there is a security system for every budget and level of protection, making it super easy to make sure you and your family are protected. A security system is another great deterrent to criminals. There are home security options for every level of protection and every budget, making it easier than ever to make sure you and your family are protected.

To choose a home security system, consider the needs of your family, property, and neighborhood. Shop around, read reviews, and if you need to, start small. You can even DIY your own system. Every little security measure you take adds up big time. Don’t feel you have to do it all at once!

Make Sure your Property is Well Lit

Having considerable lighting on your property is a really great way to deter criminals. One study showed that increased lighting led to a 39% reduction in property and felony crimes. This is a huge decrease!

Placing lights in both your front and back yards, close to your garage or outside buildings, and along pathways makes sure that you have enough lighting so as to deter burglars and other criminals.

There are a ton of things you can do to use light to your advantage.

• Place lights on a timer to mimic various human activities. Breaking in while someone is home often increases legal consequences for criminals. Make sure you keep your outdoor lights on at night and off during the day. If you keep them on all the time, burglars might take this as an indication that you’re on vacation or not home.
• Use solar powered lights. Solar powered lights are very reliable. Plus they help save energy and decrease costs. This means you can save a ton of money to put towards other parts of your home security
• Consider motion detectors. Motion sensors provide extra layers of lighting and protection. They alert you that someone is on your property, which means you can alert authorities and prepare. Additionally, they startle criminals. This causes increased anxiety and fear, which will make them want to hightail it out of there!

Keep Your Yard Neat and Tidy (and not just for the neighbors)!

Landscaping adds a ton of curb appeal. Landscaping can transform your yard into your own perfect home getaway. However, you want to take care that it doesn’t transform into the perfect hideaway for a criminal!

Certain elements of landscaping actually work in favor of criminals and would-be burglars! Trees and tall bushes easily double as a ladder for a determined thief, providing easy access to upstairs windows that may not be secured. Shrubs are also problematic. They can provide the perfect hiding spot for a thief in case you are home or a neighbor wanders around near your property.

The best way to prevent your yard and hard work being used against you is to really take a look at your landscaping from a thief’s perspective.

Get a fresh view with a friend and take a hard look around your property. Are there ladders or stools hanging about? Tall bushes? Take a notebook and pen with you as you walk around your property. Make notes on things you may want to consider or change.

Here are some things to take a deeper look at:

• Gates. Make sure they’re locked and closed.
• Bushes. They shouldn’t be taller than 3 feet. Keep them trimmed to take away hiding spots.
• Ladders, tools, and stools. Make sure they are safely locked away in the garage or shed. Don’t leave a shed with a ladder unsecured.
• Security signs. Do you have them in your yard? Make sure they’re displayed prominently.
• Valuables. Do you have a lawn mower hanging around outside, or fancy expensive bikes? Lock them up when not in use.

Taking these precautions means you’re looking at everything from the vantage point of a burglar. You don’t want to entice criminals to your yard by leaving out goodies or creating excellent hiding spots.

Secure Your WiFi Network

This one is very important, especially if you’re using home automation for your home security needs.
When everything’s linked up to your WiFi, it is absolutely essential to make sure it’s secure. Not having your WiFi secure really defeats the purpose of all the home security measures.

Do yourself a favor and take your internet security as serious as other components of your system.

Luckily, it’s not too hard to secure your WiFi so that criminals can’t break into your home network.

• Make sure you have a strong password for your WiFi router. Change it from factory-ready, which has the WiFi right on the router in most cases.
• Keep in mind that when someone logs into your WiFi, he or she can easily see your password under the Internet Settings. Consider setting up a guest account that is not connected to home automation.
• Use WPA or WPA2 encryption.
• Use firewalls and antivirus software.

This can protect your WiFi, which in turn protects your home. Plus, there are a ton of internet criminals out there looking for a pay day. Keeping your connection secure makes sure that bank details, logins, and other valuable information is protected from scammers.