How to Secure the Home Against Modern Thieves

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You can take some pretty easy steps to secure the home against modern intruders, even those using technology. Modern homes may come with smart devices, but common sense tactics are just as useful for keeping out anyone who shouldn’t be there. For the most part, appearance can be everything, so from checking for weak spots to trimming the hedges, here are some ideas.

Install Different Types of Locks

Most homes are secured using pin locks. These are the standard because they work quite well. However, you can safeguard your home better by mixing up the types of locks you use. Why make it easy for a burglar? With pin locks, it can be very easy for a burglar to access your home with bump keys that act and look like house keys. Try using a mixture of pin locks, deadbolts, and smart locks with alerts across at least the internal doors and windows of your home.

Secure the Home by Looking for Weaknesses

A burglar will assess your home for weaknesses they can exploit when they want to enter your home. Everything, including banks, is vulnerable at some point in the security system. Securing access points, including upper windows, is vital. Fortunately, burglars are lazy and will target the easiest way into your property. This makes it easier to identify by thinking like a burglar. Imagine how you would get into your home if you were locked out, and it’s probably how they would.

Light Up the Entirety of the House

Around 50% of intrusions take place while someone is home. However, this is usually unknown to an intruder, and it is unlikely that a burglar will attempt to break into your house if they believe there is someone inside. Even when you aren’t home, one of the best deterrents you have is light. Automatic lighting systems make it look like there are people home, and a burglar won’t take a chance. It also helps to use external lighting to make it harder for intruders to stay hidden.

Protect Against Smart Device Hacking

Family and child safety is paramount these days. Smart homes are wonderful devices that offer all kinds of useful ways to make life easier. And security is one of them. Smart home devices such as Alexa offer many security features. These are vulnerable too and need to be secured:

• Buy the top-rated devices from reputable manufacturers such as Amazon.
• Change any default settings that come with a smart device.
• Keep smart device software and firmware updated to the latest versions.
• Enable multi-factor authentication for logging into smart home devices.
• Change the default SSID and password for your home’s internet router.

There are many devices you can choose from, but the smart devices from top brands are typically more secure, such as the Ring video doorbell. These devices are great, but your role is to ensure outdated software and hardware doesn’t offer criminals an easier way into your home.

Buy the Best Security System You Can Afford

Just the visibility of a home alarm system is often enough to make a burglar think twice. However, not all are made equally, and some are easy to get past. You should also assume that burglars know which security systems are easy and which ones are challenging. The more challenging the security system, the less likely a burglar will attempt to break in. A system with real-time monitoring and automatic security calling is always best if you can afford the fees.

Do Some Landscaping to Secure the Home

The most effective way to keep burglars away is to make it hard for them to access your home. Security is a major part of this. But given that the vast majority, around 60%, of burglaries occur at night, visibility plays a key role. Lighting your home is one way to deter intruders, as mentioned. But it also helps to make it easier for you to see them. Trimming and landscaping can help with this as it can often obscure the visibility from inside your home to the outside.

Store Away Valuables, Including Cars

Burglars will often attempt to break into your home when they know there are valuables. Some will actually leave symbols that inform other burglars about what you have or even the best time to enter. So always look for symbols that appear on or near your home. It also helps to make sure nothing is on display that can attract thieves. Store your cash, jewelry, and other valuables in a safe if you have one. And always cover your cars or secure them in the garage.

Summary

Using different types of standard and modern locks can help secure the home against criminals. Smart devices offer multiple security solutions, but you need to manage them well. It also helps to make sure burglars don’t know what you have by storing away valuables, including vehicles.