
10 Home Security Tips for Your Fortress
“Your home is your castle” still rings true to this day. This doesn’t mean you need to man your bedroom window with cannons or install a drawbridge instead of a front door to warn off intruders.
However, there are some simple steps that you can take to secure your property to deter break-ins and keep you and your valuables safe.
In this article, we’ll discuss 10 home security tips that you can enact to prevent your home from falling victim to burglars.
10 home security tips
1. Secure your windows and doors
The first thing you should think about when refreshing your home security is to ensure your entry points are nice and secure. Burglars will often try their luck with your front door before moving onto any accessible downstairs windows.
Replacing an old front door with a newer, stronger alternative can do wonders for your home security. As the ONS suggests, the front door is used as the entry point for 76% of domestic burglaries in the UK.
If you don’t feel the need to replace your front door, ensure that the lock system it uses is of good quality. Locks that adhere to British Standard BS3621 will prevent the risk of lockpicking or drilling.
2. Install security cameras
Security cameras are a perfect deterrent against any wannabe burglars, as they send out a message that the home is secured. Burglars won’t want to risk being identified in a clear, 4K view, which will lead them to look elsewhere.
The images captured on camera can usually be viewed at any time, from anywhere, via your mobile phone. This will give you peace of mind whenever you are away from home.
With the help of professionals, installing the right security camera system for your home is straightforward. They will guide you through the number of security cameras you will need, as well as whereabouts they should be installed.
3. Make your security measures visible
Whether you’ve installed a set of security cameras, an alarm system or both, you’ll want to make sure that they are visible. That’s because security systems are designed to be a deterrent as well as reactionary equipment.
While catching burglars on camera or being woken up by your alarm when they enter is useful, you don’t want things to get this far. You may have heard the phrase, “prevention is better than a cure” in a medical sense. Well, it works the same for home security.
In short, do everything you can to show that your home is secured and not worth trying to get into.
4. Change your codes
If you have an alarm system or key box that requires a code to unlock, you should be changing it around two to three times a year. This will prevent the code from being compromised if, somehow, you’ve been spotted typing the code in.
You should also avoid choosing predictable codes such as 1234 or 0000, as they will be the first attempts of most burglars. Avoid using your birthdate or birth year too, as this information can be accessed online if the intruder knows that you own the property.
5. Install sensor lights
Motion sensor lights are a highly effective burglar deterrent as they thrust the intruder into clear view. As you can imagine, night-time burglars prefer to stay under the cover of darkness, rather than directly in the spotlight.
They are also cheap to run, as the light will only be powered when it detects motion, rather than being left on permanently all night.
These lights should be installed at the front of your house, but also around any side or back entrances for maximum protection.
6. Use timer switches
Another way to secure your home is by installing timer switches in certain rooms to turn on lights when you’re asleep or away from home. This will give the impression that you are still up, which will be a huge deterrent for potential burglars.
While this is an effective method, it may lead to increased electricity bills, so it’s best to limit the lights to one or two rooms.
7. Put up gates or fences
A fortress isn’t a fortress without strong protective walls. While you don’t have to put up a 10-foot brick wall and built a moat around your home, strengthening fences or gates is a sensible idea.
Burglars will be put off if they have to scale a wall or breach an electric gate to get to your property. It increases the risk of being detected and makes it difficult to transport stolen goods away from your property.
8. Hide your valuables
If a burglar were to enter your home, you don’t want to have valuables like jewellery, money or important documents on display. Investing in a strong, secure safe will help you to protect the things that are most important to you.
As well as protecting your valuables from being stolen, having a safe can also protect against damage from fires, floods or structural collapse.
There are various types of safe, with the most burglar or damage-resistant ones usually being the most expensive. It’s best to consult with an expert if you are unsure of which type is best for you.
9. Don’t forget about your shed
A lot of people will be very conscious regarding the security of their house, but not everyone is as desperate to secure their garden shed.
Burglars are very likely to steal tools, bikes and supplies from garden sheds, as they are often only locked with a latch system. You should also avoid keeping a spare house key in the shed, especially if you haven’t invested in an adequate lock system for it.
Other methods of securing your shed include shed shackles, which reinforce parts of the wall. This means that the only way to gain entry would be to smash or saw the wall, which creates a lot of noise.
10. Don’t leave keys in reaching distance
While it’s very convenient to leave your house key on a table near the front door, it’s a dangerous thing to do. Thieves will often use hooks through your letterbox to reach the key to ensure an easy break-in.
Either keep your keys in a secure drawer or install a letterbox guard to prevent anything other than letters coming through your letterbox.
Transform your home into a fortress with Incognito Systems
With so many things to think about, securing your home may feel slightly overwhelming. But, with Incognito Systems, it doesn’t have to be.
Our experts will guide you through the process of turning your property into a fortress, without selling you anything you don’t want or need. All our home security products are of the highest standard, many of which have been tested in our own homes!
Don’t leave anything to chance, request a quote today to find out how Incognito Systems can help you secure your home.