Home security systems are undoubtedly the single best vehicles for maintaining safety and security at your residence, with their mere presence often being enough to deter burglars from making an attempt at illegal entry. However, that doesn’t mean that a good security system has to be the only safety feature you make use of to provide total household security. These additional tips can go a long way toward enhancing and increasing the level of safety provided to you and your family.
Lighting
Strategic lighting is bad news for burglars, and it will often discourage them from even considering your house as a target, because it makes them and their actions entirely too visible for comfort. Both interior lighting and exterior lighting should be considered in your strategy, because well-lit areas expose the activities of a burglar too well for them to take a chance on your home.
Locks
No matter what kind of locks you have installed at your home, they will be effective to a large extent as long as you actually make use of them. One of the worst things you can do is to leave your home unlocked and open to burglars, or to leave the garage door open so that it provides access to the home. Also, don’t forget about window locks, because windows are another very common entry point for burglars, even if they happen to be on the second floor.
Curtains and blinds
Whenever it’s practical, keep your curtains and blinds drawn, because if a burglar has the opportunity to view the interior of your home and spot valuables which would be worth stealing, it provides good information that can be used during a burglary. During the daytime, when there is the most significant amount of daylight outside, turn off your interior lighting, to make it extremely difficult for burglars to see inside.
Security system signs
If you do happen to have a home security system installed at your residence, make sure to use the signs that announce the installation. Put one sign in a very visible location in your front yard, and include some of the decals on your windows. If you make it very clear that your home is protected by a good security system, most burglars won’t even give you a second look. Even if you don’t actually have any kind of security system installed, the signs themselves will be enough to scare away a potential burglar.
Pets
You might not think of pets as constituting front-line security, but even small dogs can function very well as little security systems, all by themselves. Unless your dog is of the type that is not fazed by anything going on around the home, you should get enough warning from your dog’s barking to realize that something is amiss, so you can call the local police. Even cats can alert you to the fact that something is wrong in the household, so paying attention to your pets’ behaviors can be a good safety precaution.