Turn your house into a crime-stopper with these security features
Home is where the heart is, but if your home hasn’t had a security upgrade in years or even decades, you could be the perfect target for burglary. Fortunately, advancements in home security have made it easy to find tech-savvy ways to make your home safer. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best home security upgrades for your home to protect yourself from crime.
One of the best ways to ensure safety in and out of your home is by using security cameras—but not just any security cameras—smart cameras. With smart technology, you can access your security camera footage from the convenience of your phone wherever you are. Some security cameras have advanced features like speakers, microphones, and 360-degree rotations for angling the camera in any direction of concern.
On the theme of security cameras, ditching the old doorbell is a great way to prevent both harmless crimes like ding-dong ditches and more serious crimes like theft. Consider replacing your old doorbell with a video doorbell to see who’s at your door when they ring. An added bonus is you can avoid solicitors and suspicious people by checking the video camera before getting up to answer the door.
Lighting can ward off intruders by making your home visible and exposing potential access points. The best types of outdoor lighting for home security include spotlights and floodlights. These lights create angled beams that target specific locations around your property. Motion-sensor lights of both kinds can further deter crime by scaring away intruders once they trigger the lights to turn on.
Firstly, make sure that any window and door locks in good condition are locked. Replace old locks and latches with more secure ones to enhance your home’s security. Old, flimsy door and window locks can create a sneaky access route to your home. For your exterior doors, deadbolt locks are another type of lock that can prevent intruders from forcing their way into your home.
While you’re replacing your window locks, this is also a good time to replace broken window screens, which encourage trained robbers to target your home in the first place. A home with a secure appearance could be less of a target for crime than a home with broken window screens, as this could imply that your home’s windows are fragile.
Like broken window screens, dingy-looking windows and doors can make your home look easy to break into. Consider replacing your exterior doors and windows with high-quality, durable materials to make it harder for someone to get inside your house. Steel exterior doors offer high durability and low maintenance and can even increase your home’s resale value, so consider installing a security door to vulnerable access points.
Another part of your doors and windows worth inspecting and potentially upgrading is the frames. Look for signs of dry rot, termite damage, and looseness. All of these features mean it’s time to treat and replace old frames.
Not all home security upgrades involve crime. You should also ensure your safety alarms, such as smoke and natural gas detectors, are in good working order. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a silent danger that can arise from any appliances that use natural gas, including, but not limited to, dryers, water heaters, fireplaces, stoves, ovens, and vehicles. Test your alarms every month and replace the batteries as needed.
You can even consider upgrading to a smart detector to see specific details about your home's air quality.
Garage door openers that don’t work properly can fail to fully close, get jammed, or open spontaneously. Installing a replacement garage door opener with newer features and higher security can help prevent safety hazards while also making your garage door reliable. If you don’t know how to install a garage door opener, this upgrade may be best left for a local garage door opener installer, as working with heavy garage doors can be dangerous.
If you have a luscious landscape, you might not think twice about how carefully crafted shrubs and trees can create the perfect hiding space for a break-in. However, if your home is heavily wooded or has plants that provide coverage around windows and doors, it's a good idea to trim or prune trees in those areas. Aim to open up secluded spaces for both your front yard and backyard security.
Another method for securing your home is by using security signs—but do security signs deter crime? The verdict suggests that security signs aren’t the most effective way to deter crimes, but putting a few up around all entry points to alert intruders of security cameras or dogs can help to some extent. Place signs on fences and doors to make them extra visible.
Most of the best types of home security systems come with advanced features like whole-home automation. With a home automation device, you can access your security features from a smartphone, invest in 24/7 monitoring from top home security companies near you, and make your home that much more resistant to crime and safety issues.
