Silly House Security Errors That Homeowners Frequently Make

When it comes to home security, most people know what to do. Unfortunately, most people don’t do what they know they need to do. They become careless and complacent and eventually suffer for it.

I wrote this article to ensure that you don’t become a victim. In this article I’ll go through some of the foolish mistakes that homeowners regularly make so that you can avoid making them yourself.

Mistake Number 1

One of the biggest mistakes people make is not using their locks. There are times when homeowners decide they don’t need to lock some of their windows, or maybe they forget to lock all of them. I spend every night going around my house locking windows and doors only to find out that my son leaves his first floor bedroom window wide open every night. As a result, anybody could simply climb through his window and gain access to the whole house from there.

Mistake Number 2

Another error people make is in not setting their alarm systems each night. It is foolish to spend so much time and money on getting the best FrontPoint Security reviews, only to not use it. Wouldn’t you feel silly if your house was robbed and you hadn’t even bothered to turn your alarm system on?

Mistake Number 3

Leaving valuable items outside on the lawn. Fences are great for marking boundaries, but they aren’t great for keeping your property secure. It is very easy for somebody to go onto your lawn to take things. Even in a well-populated neighborhood, the criminal would only need to throw a uniform on to walk around your yard unchallenged.

Mistake Number 4

Mistake number four is related to leaving items out in the yard. While you’re putting away your valuable lawn items, make sure you put your ladder away as well. This isn’t just so that people don’t steal your ladder. The reason you will do this is so that people can’t use your ladder to gain access to your second floor windows. Of course, you should lock these windows anyway, but its good to cut off access to them as well.

Mistake Number 5

A big error that many do not even think about is the error of turning on the interior lights without closing the blinds. When you do this, people from the outside of your home can easily see into the inside of it. He’ll look inside and instantly realize that nobody is in that room. Also, he can make a noise near that window to lure you into the room and when he sees you are their investigating, he can send his partner into your house through another room. If he’s a violent criminal, he can simply shoot you through the window and then have his way with your home.

These are just five basic mistakes that many homeowners make on a daily basis. Its important to regularly analyze your own personal security methods so that you can check for other foolish errors you are making. Also, if you don’t have a good alarm system, be sure to take a good look at home wireless alarm system company reviews.

 

Safeguarding Your Home By Using Situational Awareness

When asked about home invasions, the average person conjures up images of criminals fighting through doors and windows. The Internet is full of home security videos that show criminals taking crow bars to windows and boots to doors. Unfortunately, many home invasions occur simply because the homeowner has let their guard down.

An example of this would be the homeowner that lets a stranger into the home because the stranger says he is with the water company. People see a nice uniform and a hat with a logo on it and don’t bother to question whether the man really is who he says he is. As soon as a person finds his way into the homeowner’s house, he can then have his way with it. The neighbors won’t think anything of this, because all they saw was a homeowner letting a man with a uniform into the house. Even the best list of alarm companies review isn’t going to help a homeowner that lets the home invader into the home unchallenged.

The proper response in this situation should have been for the homeowner to ask for the man’s name and identification. Once you have this information, go ahead and make a call to the company he claims to be from. This could even be done through a security door, a door with a chain lock latched, or even through a peephole and a mail slot. Getting this information behind a locked door ensures that the intruder can’t just push his way in. Also, it gives you time to push the panic button on your wireless home alarm company reviews if the intruder does try to break his way in.

Another problem many homeowner’s have is losing communication while being invaded. After self-defense weapons, a person’s primary form of protection is to call for help. However, many people do not keep a phone near them at night and therefore cannot call for help. An easy way to fix this problem is to keep a cell phone next to the bed. As soon as your alarm goes off, you can simply check your cameras to see if someone is attempting an invasion. Once you see that you are indeed being invaded, call 911.

In addition to these easy methods for increasing your situational awareness, you should also consider the visibility of your valuables. Many crimes are crimes of convenience caused by homeowners that have encouraged thieves to strike. People that leave valuables in plain site are just asking to be robbed. A kleptomaniac will not be able to resist the site of a nice cell phone or wallet sitting on a table near an open window. Make sure you keep your valuables away from your windows and your blinds shut. This will ensure that thieves are not tempted to break into your home to take your stuff.

As you can see, there are many steps you can take to increase your home security. These are simple steps and they are all about increasing your awareness of mistakes you may be making. Its hard for good people to think like thieves, but it is imperative that we do.

Should You Use Imitation Home Security Items Instead Of The Genuine Article

The prices on home security items can seem quite high at times. A nice set of surveillance cameras can cost well over a thousand dollars and alarm systems can be just as costly. As a result of this, a lot of folks have chosen to spend the little money they have on phony home security items. These people probably go to bed wondering if they’ve made the right decision. Can a fake home security item be as good as the genuine article?

I wrote this article to talk abut both fake and real home security items you can take advantage of. We’ll go over the three main real and fake home security items. I’ll even talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using the false items over the real deal.

The phony home alarm sign is one of the top selling fake home security items on the market. Rather than purchase a real alarm system, some have decided just to buy a sign that says they have one. These signs can act as a deterrent because criminals will fear that an alarm will go off when they break into the house. People assume that all an alarm will do is deter the criminal anyway. They feel that the alarm will only sound off and nobody but the homeowner will hear it.

This is not the case though. A good burglar alarm is monitored by a security company. One look at list of cellular alarm system for homes will show you just how much an alarm system can do for you. It will alert the authorities, it will alert you, and it will even let your neighbors know that you may be in trouble.

Also, getting the actual alarm system is going to save you more money than buying the fake sign. Most real alarm systems will give you a free sign, and your homeowner’s insurance will pay for the monthly cost of your alarm system. Just find a good alarm system blog and be sure to ask your insurance company what their discount rate is. If they don’t offer one – switch companies.

The next fake home security item that people like to get is the fake surveillance camera. Once again, this is used as a deterrent Folks hope that criminals will fear being on tape and will leave rather than invade. Unfortunately, phony cameras can’t actually record what is going on. Not only this, but a phony security camera might tempt people to break into your home. This is because people with cameras tend to have something valuable in their homes. Thieves will just come back with a mask so they don’t have to worry about the cameras.

Real cameras provide you with a line of site of the criminals invading your home. They can help you avoid a confrontation with the intruder and can help you identify the criminals later. My recommendation is to either get a real camera or to just go without one.

Another fake item people like to use is the fake, “Beware Of Dog”, sign. This sign is a deterrent because criminals are afraid of being bitten by a dog when they invade. For some people, this might be more useful than having an actual dog. The reason for this is that dogs are an ongoing cost in both time and money.