Easy Ways to Increase Home Security

No matter what, everyone can use a little extra security at home. Regardless of whether you lease, own, or manage a rental property, improving your security can help you protect your most valuable assets. Choosing the right type of home security system is usually the first step. Still, additional items like doors, windows, and even your Wi-Fi network can pose additional vulnerabilities. Here are a few easy tips to help you keep your home as safe as possible.

Selecting the Right Door Lock

Many burglaries could be prevented if the homeowner had just locked the front door. Fortunately, it's one of the easiest places to secure.

First of all, your doors should have a reliable appearance. Keep in mind that if you can spot any weakness in them, so can those who would like to break in. In contrast, a door that looks new and solid may signal criminals that it's risky business to try and enter your house.

When installing your door locks, take your time to choose the one that provides the highest levels of safety. Here are some of the alternatives to consider.

• Multi-point locking system - It provides an additional safety layer by covering almost the full height of your door and having various locking points along its edge.
• Deadbolt lock - Mostly suited for steel, fibreglass, and wooden doors, this type of lock can only be opened using a key and can't be forced with a credit card or a knife.
• Night latch - This lock is fitted on the internal side of your door and gives it additional sturdiness.

Keyless electronic door locks are commonplace in apartment complexes and commercial buildings, but this technology is also becoming more popular for smart home security. As well as the locks themselves being particularly strong, the convenience of having keyless access to your home (such as via codes or encrypted authentications) means one less thing to remember when you leave the house. Being able to issue one-time codes for visitors and trusted tradespeople is a handy perk too.   

Lighting Improvements

Focusing on improving the lighting in and around your home can have multiple benefits. 

For starters, a dimly lit home often indicates that no one is home. By enhancing your home’s exterior lighting, you’re instantly warding off many criminal opportunists. Additionally, motion detectors with automatic lighting positioned in key spots such as the porch, driveway, and backyard areas are another great deterrent, as well as being helpful for when you arrive home when it’s dark. 

Securing Your Windows

Windows is another often overlooked vulnerability. The most obvious protection for any type of windows is physical barriers such as grates, mesh, or bars. However, you should inform yourself about your local fire code before installing them, as you may be required to keep your window free as an emergency fire exit.

Outdoor lighting can also help discourage potential intruders from trying to break into your home through your windows. That's because good lighting can greatly reduce the extension of dark areas in which burglars and other unwanted visitors can hide. Those who are not excited about the idea of having their outdoor lights turned on all night can also resort to motion-activated security lights.

Installing Video Security Systems

Effective video security is probably the cornerstone of a sound home safety strategy. Some of the most effective locations where to install a camera include your front and back doors, windows that don't face the street, driveways, garage doors, and staircases that lead to entry points. If you are living in a gated community, cameras shared with other residents should also be installed at entry points and other areas where burglars may try to hide. Dome and bullet cameras are among the most common types of video security devices used by homeowners and gated community residents.

In today’s market, there is a range of wired and wireless options to choose from, with high-tech solutions that can be integrated with other smart home solutions and managed remotely via the cloud. The ability to check your home security cameras via your smartphone while you’re out or away has taken home security solutions to a whole new level, with options that even allow you to talk to visitors or intruders and warn them off. This real-time tech is also great for receiving deliveries when you can’t be there in person. 

Adopting Seamless Visitor Check-In Solutions

Increasing your home's security also means having complete control of who can access the property and any other private spaces around it. You should look for solutions that simultaneously facilitate the check-in process for your authorized visitors and prevent uninvited individuals from entering your property. People who may request access to your home include friends, family members, delivery workers, repairmen, and potential buyers or tenants. Devices such as a smart intercom and doorbell camera can allow you to use your mobile device to control who's requesting access to your home (and whether to grant access or not) from everywhere. If you live in a complex, ask your HOA about any plans to upgrade your building’s multi-family residential security solution.

Increasing Home Automation

The list of home automation devices that can boost your new home's safety doesn't end with smart check-in tools. Nowadays, you can install geofence automation solutions that close all your doors once your mobile phone, vehicle tracker, or key fob is at a certain distance from your home. Other examples of home automation measures that can improve your home security include baby monitors, pet cameras and leak sensors for water and temperature.

Securing Your Wi-Fi Network

We saw how relying on modern solutions and smart home devices can significantly boost your home's physical security. However, you should also take the necessary steps to secure your Wi-Fi network and eliminate any possibility unauthorized individuals could control your devices or access your computer and smartphone to access sensitive data. There are multiple steps you can take to achieve this goal. These include selecting a Wi-FI password that is strong and unique, turning off network name broadcasting to the general public, activating your wireless router's encryption, updating your router's software as frequently as possible, installing a good firewall, and using VPN solutions handling particularly sensitive information.

Make Your Home Safer Today

You can never be too careful when it comes to the security of your home or investment property. By following the tips outlined in this post, you can help deter burglars and give yourself some much-needed peace of mind. From choosing the right door lock to increasing your home automation, there are a variety of ways to make your property more secure. Which of these security measures will you implement today?