Home Security Tips
Crucial Home Security Tips That Will Actually Work. Home security is a vital topic for any homeowner but is also one that too many people fail to study with any sense of urgency. In order to ensure the security of your home, is useful to spend some time learning about what is available to help keep things secure. Continue reading to gain a deeper understanding.
Today many people consider it mandatory to have a good home security system. No matter where you live, there is always the risk of a break-in. A well-designed system can deter the vast majority of burglars, who would prefer to enter a house without any kind of security. To help you choose the best home security system for your needs, we have created this section featuring unbiased reviews of the Best-Selling Home Security Products.
Top Rated Home Security Products
Choose a deadbolt lock over a spring-latch lock. The spring-latch lock is much easier for burglars that are experienced in "loiding." Loiding refers to the method where a plastic card like a credit card is slipped against the latch tongue in order to depress it, which will unlock your door. The deadbolt will prevent an attack like this. Deadbolts are vulnerable only when there is plenty of space in between your door and your door frame for intruders to use hacksaws or power tools.
Install motion sensing lights. Darkness is a potential thief's best friend. Make sure all potential entrances to your home are covered by a motion sensing light. These lights will turn on automatically when movement triggers them, making it difficult for anyone to sneak around your property. Thieves will quickly move on to an easier target.
Be aware of what's being talked about in the neighborhood. The more you know about the people you live near, the more you can be sure of your home's overall security. You may hear something strange through the grapevine. But beyond that, all your newfound neighbor friends make excellent watchdogs for keeping your property safe!
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You can hide your valuable items inside your walls. This doesn't necessarily involve chopping up your walls, either. There are many places in your home that are pre-cut and available. Perhaps you can use an old electricity socket as a place to hide your valuables.
Make sure that your windows are thick and secure to reduce the chance of a break in. If you want to have extra protection, install a system that reads when a window is broken, signifying an intrusion. Try to upgrade your windows every 3 years as it serves as a vital part of your home's security system.
Make sure all exterior doors have their hinges on the interior. When a door's hinges are located outside, an intruder can simply remove the pin on the hinge, giving them easy access to your home. If you find exterior hinges on one or more of your doors, it is easy to remove the door and reset the hinges.
Home Security Systems
One of the things a home security system gives you is that feeling of safety when you're inside your home and when you're away from it. You can't really ignore the importance of having a good home security system what with the prevalence of break-ins these days. As you shop around for a home security system, keep these things in mind.
If you want a very inexpensive item that can help protect your home from intruders, the GE 45117 Deluxe Wireless Door Alarm is worth considering. All you have to do is attach this $30 product to your door and you're good to go. It has a four-digit keypad for activation and deactivation, plus it's simple to install. This particular home security system is not advanced, though it is inexpensive and easy to install. The system is very low cost and can only protect your door from burglars. This still leaves other areas, such as windows, vulnerable to break-ins. The GE 45117 Deluxe Wireless Door Alarm is a great first step to protecting your house, however, especially in a tight budget. For easy to use and install video security, you should consider the Lorex LIVE SD9 Wireless Digital Security System. Though it doesn't cost much, it will provide you with the video monitoring you may need. You can view live video from a wireless camera and the system can record video to an SD card as well. You can view several different angles or areas around your property with up to 4 cameras. Installation is as simple as putting up mounts and plugging everything into a power source. Cameras can be installed either indoors or outdoors. There's also a two-way intercom built in, so you can place a camera near an entrance and talk to people before deciding whether or not to let them in.
Home security systems have several functions. Your primary reason for getting one is to prevent thieves from stealing from you. You can also record the movements of intruders and get them later with some systems. There is also a panic button that comes with some home security systems. You can press it instantly, and alert people to the fact that you need help right now. You might have a medical condition, and this type of a button will also be able to help you, even if you are not being attacked. On top of the cost of installing the system, the home monitoring system is an additional monthly fee that you will have to pay for the service.
Some of the advantages of a hard-wired home security system is that it is more dependable than a wireless system. There are no batteries to replace, and the system does not rely on radio frequency waves. This means fewer false alarms which can mean a fine if the police respond for no reason.
Remember to have an annual inspection of your home security system. Your security company should send a representative to check your system. There are many things that can reduce the quality of your system. If the problem cannot be seen, you probably won't even realize there is one.
Inquire about a home security company's licensing and professional affiliations before hiring them. Having a company that is professionally licensed and affiliated with a highly rated organization helps you to know that you are hiring someone who must uphold a certain level of quality. This means your home and family are safer.
Make sure to arm your security alarm system anytime you leave your home, as well as in the evenings while you are sleeping. An unarmed system will not do you any good, as it will not help to protect your family and property from an intruder. Make sure your security company explains how to properly alarm your system, and use this feature.
It is important to activate your security system when you will be away or at night. If you should fall asleep and forget to set the system, it is useless. If you are someone who is often distracted or has a problem remembering things, add activating your system to your checklist of important things to remember.
Now you have an idea about security systems and their features. If you're not presently making use of a home security system, the most important thing is to change that. Don't let indecision about which home security system to purchase cause you to delay the purchase until it is too late. Burglars will rarely choose to invade a home with a good security system when so many other homes have no security systems in place.
Home Security Cameras
More businesses and homeowners are opting to use security and surveillance cameras. Let's face it, there is a great deal of criminal activity occurring all over the world. The poor economic condition in many countries only exacerbates the problem. Installing a reliable security camera is a good choice to make for anyone, and a camera with monitoring capabilities is a must. The many options for security cameras mean you should be able to easily find one that meets your needs. Make your choice carefully, though, because not all cameras are high quality. Before investing your hard-earned money, take the time to research and learn what you can. Here is some more information and reviews on some of the option available for security and surveillance cameras.
Lots of people find the subject of covert surveillance cameras quite interesting. You can tell, based on the names, that these are typically hidden cameras that you can use in lots of different ways that depend on what you need. For example, lots of common items can hold cameras within them securely enough that nobody else knows they're there. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that have happened in the world recently that have increased the demand for these cameras. These are specialty cameras so take some time to make sure you buy one that actually meets your security needs. Every camera, no exceptions, has a different set of specs and conditions that are required for optimum use. Pretty much everybody uses at least one kind of wireless technology. The security and surveillance industry has also been involved in the development of wireless technology and has seen some real success there. Wireless security cameras and other security systems come with unique advantages. They provide users with quite a lot of flexibility as far as applications and installations are concerned. You can probably imagine that these tools are also very mobile which, depending on your needs, can be appealing. Other characteristics that people like include the small size and the packaging these devices come in. Not only will you be free of complicated wiring, but this also allows you to be as covert as you need to be.
Some security cameras are not designed to be interchangeable between home and business applications. Security cameras designed solely for use by businesses tend to offer more features. The added recording and surveillance capabilities are reflected in the price, of course. So, in a word, you may find that cameras made for businesses can be a bit of overkill of the home application. Some people do like having all the bells and whistles included in their home security, as well. What you should do is make sure the camera you have your eye on is most suitable for your needs. By doing that, you ensure that you aren't paying for features that you don't need.
There is a robust selection of security and surveillance cameras. You can find security cameras for almost every need. You need to know your personal needs very well before you can start seriously shopping for a security camera.
Fire Safety
There are lots of responsibilities that come with living in your own home, and this is especially true when you are a family with children. The safety and well-being of your youngsters are important but there is always some hazard that you missed. One of the most frightening potential risks you could ever experience is a house fire but there are steps you can take to prevent this happening to you or to enable you to get out of your home quickly if there was a fire. Here are some recommendations to keep you and your family safe from fire in the home.
The first thing you want to do would be to review your entire home to see if there are potential hazards. See if you can spot any sources of danger like worn out or frayed cables and wires from your electrical devices. Guarantee that the sockets are not being overloaded and also be sure that any older appliances are replaced for the sake of your family's safety. If your home is very old, you should look for a certified electrician to help you check the wiring in your home and to have it replaced if necessary. In the event you intend to use Christmas lights to embellish your home, be sure that you follow the safety guidelines.
If you have young children that oftentimes distract you, you want to set up your home to attenuate any serious accidents. As an example, if you are cooking oils and you get called away, it's possible you'll forget the oil is still cooking. You need to have fireguards about the kitchen so that an open fire will not harm your children. If you carry out any type of improvements around the house yourself, don't try to tackle anything you are not qualified to do and be careful of cables and wires hidden behind walls.
It's important that you've got a proper urgent situation plan in case there is a fire, and you want your whole family involved in the discussion. If you put in solid safety measures in your home, you want to be sure that you are able to disable them quickly in the event of a fire. There are particular fire safety solutions you can purchase which are worth the investment if it saves lives. Included in this are smoke alerts, fire blankets, fire extinguishers in addition to escape ladders. The most crucial is a smoke alarm mainly because it can give a definite warning so that you will be able to escape before it potentially gets worse. It is a sad truth that every year we hear of tragedies in the home caused by fire, but you can prevent this from happening to you by taking the right precautions.
Self Defense
Gaining knowledge about self-defense, and learning these techniques, is something that you really should do. There is a lot of sound reasoning based upon pure experience that you will learn along the way. Anyone that aspires to learn self-defense techniques will find martial arts and tribal knowledge intermixed. Your goal is to learn what is useful in a street fight should you happen to be in one. Dealing with a situation in which there are no rules, where everything is excessively violent, is what you want to learn to deal with.
You need to be aware of your surroundings. This is a habit you need to develop. Where you are, even if it is broad daylight, has no meaning - you need to be aware of your surroundings every moment. Preventative in nature, it is primarily to help you from being shocked or surprised by something you are not expecting.
Assailants will always try to control the element of surprise. Remember that! Once they realize you know they are there, this will affect them in some specific manner. People will more than likely change their tactics when you do this. It may not prevent you from being attacked, but at least you will have time to think before it happens.
It is common for people, who have watched boxing movies, do believe that a fighter can break your hands outside of the ring itself. In most cases, the fighters are not used to this type of impact, and that's why the hands break. Typically, the pinky knuckles, and also the ring finger, are bent when making a punch. It is possible to break your hand when you do this. It is not something you want to try. The best way to hold your hand for a strike is with wrist straight and fist held at zero angle deflection from the wrist. When you strike, you want the large knuckle, which is the middle finger, to hit your opponent. When you do this, your hand and wrist will be protected while landing a strike.
People who have any training in martial arts have usually learned some kicking techniques. In the real world, you should probably not do this. Kicking will usually get you hurt and should stay in the dojo. You have to be very highly trained over many years to land a roundhouse kick. Kicks simply open you up to the possibility of getting hurt, even if you are proficient at them. Kicks are just not the smart thing to do in a street fight. If you do decide to do a kick, you should go for the shin or knee. You need to aim low when doing them. You need to be careful and judge the probability of your success when doing so. Self-defense methods and techniques are not the same across the board. It is possible that, if in serious situations, strategies like this may not be helpful whatsoever. What you should do is seek out as much information as you can. Most of these are useless for the average person, so avoid anything fancy or complicated. Techniques that are practical are probably your best bet. You can learn these in any self-defense class that you take
Do not keep your spare key in a place easy to find for intruders. Many people put the key in a mailbox, or under a plant. This is much too easy for a criminal to find. Think of an area a burglar would not look. One good way to hide a key is by burying it somewhere in your yard.
With all of the new technology nowadays, you can ditch your old set of house keys. The latest in home security now allows you to have the option of key-less entry into your home. A special device reads predetermined fingerprints programmed by you, and the door will only open with there is a match.
Install motion detectors on your driveway and link them to your cell phone. This way whenever someone comes on your property, you get a text message letting you know that someone is there. These work great with video monitoring as well. Then you can see who is at your home when you are not there.
Do not use spring latch locks on your doors. They are simple to open if you have a credit card. Burglars just slip a card between the latch and the door, causing the lock mechanism to open. IF spring latch locks are already in place, add a deadbolt for that extra layer of security.
Always keep your irreplaceable valuables secure. This includes important documents, jewelry and keepsakes. A fireproof floor safe is ideal for this. You could also look into getting a bank safe deposit box.
When it comes to lighting up your landscaping, invest in 120-volt lights which are not solar powered. While they do use electricity, you can connect them to motion sensors, so they only go on if a large mass goes by, such as a burglar who thinks your dark house is perfect for a break-in.
All too often, home security is treated as little more than afterthought by homeowners, until it is too late. The key is to dedicate yourself to gaining as much information as you can about home security before something unfortunate happens. The information provided above should have provided you a strong foundation for doing precisely that.