Maintaining the sanctity of our homes is the top priority for all of us. We want to make sure that our homes are safe places where we can live in peace. We want our families to be safe. We also want to protect our assets. When there is a burglary, people talk about the things you lose. People talk about the jewelry, the cash, and the electronics that get taken. The reality is that these aren’t the biggest things you lose if someone burgles your home.

No, the biggest thing you lose is the sense of security. Home is one place where you feel safe, where you can go and just relax and let all your stress melt away. Knowing that someone broke into it is a violation of this safe feeling. Home doesn’t feel like home once it has been broken into. It keeps making you think that it might happen again and keeps you on edge.

The good news is that it isn’t too hard to make your home more secure. If you want full security, you can always get a home security system. These systems are the best way to make your house safer. However, there are many other ways to increase the security of your home. You can do little things that will pay off in a big way. We aren’t talking about complicated or expensive projects – we are talking about small things you can get done in a day. Let’s look at ways you can make your home safer for you, your family, and your belongings.

Light up your home

Having a well-lit home is a great way of keeping it safe. It may sound strange – how does having more lights make you safer? But it definitely works. Here’s the simple reason why it works: thieves prefer places they can go in and out without anyone noticing. That is why so many burglaries happen during the night. Thieves and other criminals know that the dark provides them with a great cover. It is surprisingly easy to completely disappear in the dark.

On the other hand, a well-lit home is notoriously difficult to break into without anyone noticing you. Unless you live in a place where the roads are always empty, anyone will be able to see that someone is trying to break into a house if there is proper lighting. That is why you need to make sure your house is well-lit.

The first thing you need to check is your front door and the way to your front door. This is the main area you need light in. We would recommend installing some motion activated lights. Motion sensing lights are very cheap and can be easily bought online or from any home improvement around your home.

Motion sensing lights are such a great idea because they offer multiple benefits. One is that you save energy. No one wants to waste electricity by keeping the lights in the front all the time. Motion sensing lights ensure that whenever anyone is in your doorway, it will be lit up. When no one is there energy isn’t being used to keep the lights on needlessly.

The bigger advantage though is that motion activated lighting deters thieves. The last thing that thieves want is to be the center of attention. Them stepping on your porch and immediately being washed in bright lights is the exact opposite of what they want – they don’t want to be under a spotlight.

The door isn’t the only thing you need to look at. You should also look at how much lighting there is around your house. Sure, you may not be able to install more streetlights if the road in front of your house is dark, but you can definitely make up for it by increasing the lights on your home. Make sure no obvious entry ways to your home are dark – and that includes windows too!

Test your locks

Once you have looked at the lighting you need to take care of the locks. You need to make sure that you have good quality locks on all the doorways to your home. By good quality, we don’t mean expensive locks – we mean locks you can depend on. You should have two types of locks on your door. One lock which you use all the time, even while you are in the home, and a bigger, more serious lock for when you’re not at home.

One more thing – NEVER leave a key around your home. You may think you are being smart leaving a key below a pot or a rock. Someone may see you putting the key in there and then they won’t even have to break into your home – they will be able to simply unlock the door and walk in! If you are worried about locking yourself out of your house we recommend keeping a set of keys with your neighbors. You can also leave an extra set of keys in your car, so if you are locked outside you can simply get the keys in the car.

Check for entryways

People obsess so much over their doors that they completely forget about the windows. If you have any windows on the ground floor they are a much more convenient entry way for thieves than the front door. Test the security of your windows. How easy are they to open from the outside? Are all the windows even locked? Make sure you check the locks of windows before you go to sleep. Also make sure that they are made from sturdy materials. Try to get windows that are designed so that a person cannot enter through them just by breaking the glass. Anything with a grill or any design will be able to accomplish this.

If you do these small things your home will be much safer. If you want full security you should invest in a home security system. Make sure you test your locks, check for entryways, and light up your home.

Everybody knows that security cameras increase the security of your house. Keeping your house under a watchful eye of the camera is a good way of ensuring that people will not mess with your property. A proper security system will have motion activated cameras and an alarm system which lets you know if there is any suspicious activity. People who are worried about the security of their home or offices end up installing security cameras to keep burglars away.

Some people saw that burglars and other bad characters tend to stay away from houses with security cameras. They came up with an idea – why not fake security cameras? If the main purpose of security cameras is to act as a deterrent, then a fake security camera and a real one will deliver the same protection. Thieves will look at the camera and avoid the home/office, resulting in increased security.

This idea has spread so much that you can now go and buy fake security cameras to set up around your home. However, before you entrust the security of your home to fake security cameras, let’s look at them and their effects in detail. Let’s see the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Fake Security Cameras

The fake security camera sounds very dumb but the reality is that it does have a few advantages. Here are the benefits you can expect if you have fake security cameras.

Savings

If you choose between fake and real cameras, you will end up saving a lot of money on the fake cameras, for obvious reasons. A real camera can connect to the internet, to your home security system, has actual camera parts inside, while a fake security camera is just the body of the camera with no internals.

Ease of installation

Since these are fake cameras, you don’t have to worry about installing them either. With real cameras, you have to set up a whole system. You need connectivity and power to ensure that your cameras can run and broadcast the video to the security system which saves the video. With the fake cameras, you just have to nail them to the wall and you are done.

Amateur thieves will be deterred

Fake cameras are great at deterring small time or amateur thieves. If there is someone around your house who you think may be the one stealing things from your house, a fake camera will probably keep them away. They will look at the camera and realize that they will be in trouble if you take the video to the police, so they will stay away and not mess with your stuff.

Disadvantages of Fake Security Cameras

So fake security cameras do have some advantages, but now let’s look at the other side of the coin. Here are the disadvantages of fake security cameras.

Encourage professional thieves

Fake cameras will end up deterring small time thieves but on professional thieves and other criminals, they have the opposite effect. If they detect that you have a fake security camera, it basically gives them carte blanche to do as they feel around your house. At that point, not having a fake security camera will make your house safer.

Easy to Detect

Wondering how professional thieves will even find out that the security cameras are fake? The reason is that it is quite easy to tell. It isn’t easy to tell for you or for your neighbors – but for anyone who has dealt with security cameras, it is. It will only take professionals a few seconds to realize that a security camera is fake. There are little imperfections in the fake security cameras which give away the truth. Then, there’s the fact that you can just look at the lens of the camera and instantly differentiate between a fake camera and a real security camera.

Increases workplace liability

You should never install a fake security camera in a workplace. It opens you up to major liability issues. If everyone in the office thinks that they have security, but in reality they do not, they can take legal action against you. The false sense of security given by fake security cameras is basically a fraud. Sure, at home you won’t face this problem, but never think of using fakes in a professional setting.

As it must be plain by now, the disadvantages of fake security cameras easily outweigh the benefits.

Alternatives to Fake Security Cameras

Thinking about what you will do now that you know fake security cameras don’t work? Here are some alternative solutions.

Real Security Cameras

Yes, the obvious alternative solution is to get real security cameras. Security cameras are no longer prohibitively expensive. You should be able to pick a good one from a store near you or a website at very reasonable rates. Installing a whole home security system is an investment, but simply getting a camera or two is not a major expense.

Get a Dog

If you are truly worried about security and don’t want to get a home security system, you should get a dog. You get great companionship and security at the same time.

Motion Activated Lights

Motion Activated Lights are also great at making your home more secure. They don’t record the culprits but if anyone is doing anything suspicious around your house, these lights will lit up. It immediately puts a spotlight on whoever is outside your house which will make them run away. It also brings your house to the attention of anyone around – they’ll be curious what caused the lights to turn on.

The real solution is to get a full home security system. Yet, it is an investment but a home security system genuinely makes you and your family safer. Plus, if you ever sell the house, you can add the cost of the security system to the price you are asking for your house. Don’t spend money on security theatre – get the real deal instead.

The most important responsibility of the head of a household is ensuring the safety of the family. As far as home security goes, there are a lot of steps that you can take to safeguard your family. Here are seven important home safety measures that can keep your family safe.

1. Install Motion Sensing Outdoor Lights

Nothing instills fear in the heart of thieves than sudden bright light that can blow up their cover in darkness. Installing motion sensor lights outside the house will serve as the first line of defense against would-be intruders. These are not as expensive as they seem. You can buy a basic LED solar powered motion sensor flood light for less than $20 a piece.

2. Buy a Home Security System

A home security system provides all-round protection against potential break-ins. Some of the security systems quickly alert the authorities in case of a break-in. They can also alert the relevant authorities in case of power outages, flooding, and fires.

Consider buying a home security system that includes HD quality surveillance cameras and alarms. The alarms can make a commotion that will alert the nearby police and scare away any intruder.

Make sure that you compare different types of home security systems before buying one for your home. Also, you should buy a home security system that features a backup battery power or runs on solar power. In this way, your house will remain protected in case of a power outage during a flood or fire.

3. Keep Plants and Protruding Branches Away from Windows

You should landscape properly to avoid inadvertently giving a helping hand to a would-be thief. Make sure that there are no protruding branches near the windows from which the thieves can enter the house. Also, you should weed out thick and tall plants to ensure that there is a clear line of sight to all doors and windows. A thief may hide amidst the natural cover making it difficult for you to detect the intruder.

4. Install Smart Locks

Installing smart locks is another effective deterrent against a would-be thief.  You can buy a smart lock that offers solid protection. Smart locks have features such as biometric access, keypad access, or RFID access. Also, they can connect with your smart device, allowing you to unlock the house from anywhere. This is particularly helpful in cases when you forget where you kept the key. However, smart locks are generally not cheap. Prices start at about $200 a piece. Still, they can give you the peace of mind in knowing that your home is kept safe and protected.

5. Buy Fake Security Signs or Cameras

Most often, the thieves target homes that appear as easy target. They look for houses that don’t have any security system, and allow easy entry and escape. If you can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars in a home security system, you can just fake it.

Fake yard signs can help in warding off potential intruders. They can cost as low as $5 per sign. Consider writing fake warning messages such as:

• “Protected by Home Security system”,
• “Monitored 24 hours”,
• “Protected by Electronic Alarm System”,
• “Warning: The Area is Under 24 hours Video Surveillance”, etc.

Apart from fake yard signs, you can also buy fake security cameras to deter would-be thieves. The fake security cameras can be bought from Amazon for less than $10. The fake cameras generally look similar to real ones, and complete the charade with red blinking lights. You should install the fake cameras near the garage, front doors , and other visible areas. The fake yard signs and security camera will help in warding off would-be intruders.

6. Put Up Motion Sensing Alarms

Another cost-effective option to secure your home is to buy a motion sensing home alarm. You can buy a motion sensing home alarm on Amazon for less than $10 a piece. The security alarms should be put near the front door and the windows.

When a burglar tries to break open the window or door, a loud alarm will go off, loud enough to wake you up so that you can call the cops. Also, the noise itself will surprise the thief and cause the intruders to flee.

7. Keep the Lights On

Most thieves don’t target a house in case the family members are inside. So, you should keep the lights on — both inside and outside the house — whenever you leave home.

However, keeping the lights on during the day can result in energy wastage. Fortunately, you can purchase smart lights that can be turned on during certain times of the day such as after the sunset. This is a smart way to keep your house safe and protected.

8. Secure the Windows and Sliding Doors

You must burglar-proof the windows and sliding doors. Consider inserting a metal bar into the bottom track of the sliding doors. For windows, you can install a PVC bar that is nearly impossible to knock off the track. Just make sure that the bar is the same size as the track.

9. Avoid Leaving the Spare Keys Under Potted Plants or Doormats

Lastly, you should not leave the spare keys in obvious places. Never place the keys under the potted plants, doormats, or other obvious locations where the intruders can easily find them. Consider placing the spare keys in inconspicuous locations that can’t be easily detected by a would-be burglar.

End Note

Keeping the house safe and secure requires taking preventive measures. While this may require a little investment in the form of motion sensors, alarm, smart locks, and security cameras, the increased security and peace of mind will make any investment in home security worth it in the end.  Before buying any home security system, make sure to compare different brands and go for quality rather than price.