In 2019, the FBI estimated that more than 6.9 million property crimes occurred in the US. These crimes resulted in victims suffering losses estimated to be at least $15.8 billion.
Those figures should be enough to prompt you to improve your home security. Otherwise, you could become a victim of burglary, larceny-theft, or vehicle theft yourself.
To that end, we created this guide on how to protect your home, family, and valuables. Read on to discover what you can do to prevent break-ins and minimize your property crime risks.
1. Set Up an Alarm System
Invest in the best alarms and sensors for your driveway, gate, entry doors, and windows. These house security devices monitor potential unauthorized access by detecting motion or sound. When someone or something breaches their sensors and contacts, they sound the alarm.
It’s best to have multiple sensors on both the exterior and interior sides of your home. Exterior sensors can let you know right away if someone or something steps foot on your property. Interior sensors can tell you if a person or a large animal has infiltrated your home’s entry points.
2. Always Lock Your Doors and Windows
According to some statistics, 33% of home burglaries occurred by unlawful entry. This suggests that one in three burglars gain access to a home by entering an unlocked or open entry point.
That’s why it’s best to keep unsupervised doors and windows locked at all times. Besides, there’s no point in setting up an alarm system if you leave your doors and windows open.
3. Get Some Security Cameras
According to researchers, surveillance cameras can help decrease crime rates, even in residences. After all, these devices allow users to monitor properties in real-time. What’s more, modern security cameras now also take high-quality video recordings.
In addition, you can now link surveillance cameras with your smart devices. Meaning, you can see what’s going on in and out of your home, even if you’re away.
4. Make Your Locks Smarter
Smart home locks are locks that use digital technology as their unlocking mechanism. Instead of using physical keys, they can have a numeric keypad, a biometric system, or both. They are smart because they operate via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or both.
Smart locks allow you to engage and disengage them remotely using an app on your smart devices. So, if you think you forgot to lock the door, you can simply check your phone to confirm. If you did forget, you could activate the lock using your smart device itself.
Plus, smart locks provide you a way to authorize someone, such as a visitor, into your home without keys.
Many smart locks also notify you if someone attempts to unlock them with the wrong code. You can then check your smart security camera feed to see who’s trying to enter your home.
If you know or expect that person, you can let them in by remotely unlocking the door. If that person is actually trying to break into your home, you can then call the authorities.
Protect Your Household and Assets with These Home Security Tips
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to boost your home security, from using alarms to cameras and smart locks. Just make sure that you actually activate them and that you always lock your door and window locks. Remember, all it takes for a burglar to ransack your home is by entering an unlocked or open door or window.
Looking for more ways to make your home more secure, comfortable, and livable? Check out our other technology, real estate, and lifestyle guides then!
