What’s the Best Burglar Deterrent?

When a home is burgled, it’s not just the pain of losing valuables that ends up taking its toll on the victim. Break-ins cause feelings of vulnerability and violation, as well as fears that it might happen again.

That’s why it’s important to ensure your home is as burglar-proof as possible, with a range of deterrents in place to ward off potential thieves.

In this article, we’ll discuss the best burglar deterrents, covering how they work, what they do well, and how they put off potential intruders. Read on to give yourself that extra peace of mind.

What’s the best burglar deterrent?

Unfortunately, when it comes to burglar deterrents, there is no one-size-fits-all option. With the need to take your budget plus the shape and size of your home into consideration, it’s important you do your research before buying. So, let’s get into the options…

CCTV cameras

Once upon a time, CCTV cameras were cumbersome, difficult to install, and pretty much only used to protect businesses and high streets.

Nowadays, things are different, as cameras can be installed for a reasonable price on residential properties. You can also monitor the images they capture directly from your mobile phone.

CCTV cameras are a hugely effective deterrent, as burglars are less likely to break into homes when they know they’re being recorded or even watched live.

Before you purchase a set of home CCTV cameras, you’ll need to think about how many you need. Small to medium-sized properties will usually need around three to four cameras for adequate surveillance. Larger homes will require upwards of six, while businesses may require several more.

The number of cameras you need can also depend on your property’s shape, its different points of entry, and the area in which you live. If you’re still unsure, it’s best to get in contact with a home security expert.

Visible alarm systems

As you can probably tell, the visibility of your home security systems is vital when trying to deter burglars. Much like visible security cameras, having a visible alarm system on the exterior of your house will reduce a burglar’s willingness to attempt a break-in.

There’s obvious reasoning behind this, as a burglar isn’t likely to risk setting off an alarm that alerts or wakes up the homeowner and their entire street.

However, don’t be tempted to put up a dummy alarm box instead of the real thing. Most experienced burglars will have no trouble differentiating a real alarm from a fake.

This can be completely counterproductive, as burglars may assume that the rest of your home security system is performative and fake too.

Security lighting

Most burglars will attempt to use low light to their advantage, which can be counteracted by installing security lighting around your home. These lights have motion sensors and will automatically turn on when they detect movement.

Nothing spooks burglars quite like the feeling of being watched, which is exactly what having a light shone directly onto them will provoke.

Installing lights around darker areas of your home’s exterior will let any burglars know that you have all entry points locked down. This will further reduce their desire to try and enter your home, which will lead them to try and find an easier target elsewhere.

As well as being effective deterrents, motion sensor lights are cost-effective to install and run. This is because the light will only be generating power when motion is detected, unlike regular lights.

Other lighting techniques that can be used to deter burglars are timer switches. You can program these to turn on downstairs lights when you’re either asleep or away from your home. This will give the impression that you are up and about, reducing the burglar’s eagerness to break in.

Other effective deterrents

While the above deterrents are the most effective against burglars, there are a handful of things that are known to scare off thieves.

• Barking dog: While the sound of a dog barking every time someone approaches the front door is somewhat infuriating, it provides a highly effective burglar deterrent. Not only will burglars want to avoid being caused physical harm, but they’ll also know that the noise will alert people of their presence.
• Strong locks: When a thief is burgling a home, they want to be in and out as quickly as possible. If the front door and accessible windows are all protected by strong lock systems, they’re less likely to want to engage.
• Surrounding fences/gates: As the point above suggests, burglars want easy entry and access points to cut down the time they spend on the property. Having to scale a fence or gate will only add to this time, making the burglar more likely to go elsewhere.
• Gravel driveways: With a gravel driveway, it’s almost impossible not to make noise when approaching the house. Of course, burglars want to make as little noise as possible to avoid alerting homeowners of their presence.
• Locked side gates: If the front of your home looks secure, burglars will often try and find a way in around the back. Having locked, secure side gates will make this difficult and unappealing to intruders.

Overall, the best deterrent you can have against a burglar is not one single security measure, but instead a variety of different measures. Burglars will be way more likely to avoid a home that has a range of visible security measures protecting it.

So, the best thing you can do to protect your home is install a sophisticated security system which combines cameras, alarms, lighting, and more.

That’s where Incognito Systems can help you…

Secure your property with Incognito Systems

If you are still unsure of the measures you need to take to protect your property, Incognito Systems is more than happy to help. Our home security experts can provide you with all the help and advice you need to make your home burglar-proof.

We won’t try and sell you products that your home doesn’t need, instead tailoring a security plan to suit your property and your budget.

So, don’t waste time. Contact us today to learn how Incognito Systems can keep you and your home safe.