Door Peephole, Video Door Phone or Door Viewer?

Your home security when you aren’t at home is about protecting your possessions, saving you from making costly insurance claims and destroying your sense of safety in your own home. This doesn’t mean that you can ignore your home security when you are inside the house, though. When you’re inside, there is something much more valuable than possessions inside your home … you and your family. Knowing who is on the other side of the door is critical to your personal safety and home security -- but what product helps assure your safety best?

Peepholes

These were once common in homes, but have recently fallen out of favor. They don’t always do what they are designed to, as intruders could easily duck out of the peephole's way, or turn their back. Our natural curiosity means that we usually open the door anyway! Open style peepholes are a safety risk, with people able to poke things through them. And even if nobody who means you harm ever comes to your door, people can't escape the uncomfortable feeling that someone can see them, but they don’t have the same ability, when there is a peephole in a door.

Video door phones

Obviously, despite the problems with peepholes, they are the cheapest way to add to your home security by discovering who is knocking on your door. Most models today are quite vandal-resistant, and some have built in infrared illumination to allow you to see who is at your door even in dark conditions. While the audio version is obviously cheaper, being able to see exactly who is at your door gives you greater opportunity to assess their intentions and truthfulness.

Door viewers

In technicality, these land somewhere between ordinary peepholes and video door phones. They also land somewhere in the middle price wise, and are currently the preferred solution for many home security experts. You can get up to around 200 degree viewing angle quite easily, and while they need more knowledge for installation, builders are usually sufficient -- not as expensive as electronics experts. Look for one with an inner privacy lens cover, and expect to pay between $20 and $50.

4 Door and Window Solutions to Support Your Alarm System

While an alarm system remains the gold standard in home security (watch your insurance premiums fall of a cliff after you install a monitored alarm!), they are meant to deter burglars at quite a late stage in the break-in process. You can help ensure that you don’t have to deal with the mess of a break-in (completed or not) by securing your doors and windows. Today we’re looking at products to help you secure your doors and windows and support your monitored alarm system.

Electronic Deadbolt Locks

These work in a variety of different ways -- some use a PIN, some use a remote control, some use fingerprints. Some also have keys to activate them. Because they are electronic, they can’t be picked, but there are still methods to circumvent them or hack them. They aren't a replacement for your security system, but are an excellent addition.

Magnetic door sensors

This one is cheating a little -- because it really ties your window and door security, and your monitored alarm system together. A magnetic sensor will trip an alarm and a back-to-base call if the magnetic circuit is broken -- by someone opening the window or door, that is. They differ from other sensors in that the presence or absence of light doesn’t affect how well they work.

Glass break sensors

All the window locks in the world still leave your house vulnerable to someone with their hand wrapped in a towel to break a window and do a smash and grab. You need to tie your monitored alarm system to window breakage, either with an older style alarm that bonds metal strips to the window -- when they break apart they open an alarm circuit -- or a newer style system that detects the sound or motion of breaking glass.

Window films

These can not only help secure your home by preventing someone breaking your window glass to get into the house, they also add value to the home, guard against UV fading inside the house and help in disaster-proofing.

What Do Social Media and Home Security Have in Common?

Truthfully, not much! However, your use of social media outlets can definitely impact on your home security. When you post photos that include your home, you are giving potential burglars inside information. We you talk to someone on your wall about an upcoming vacation, you are letting the baddies know when your house will be unattended, and how long before you get back to find the damage. You never know what information people can use to compromise your home security -- and you don't need to post your monitored alarm system code online to feel the full effects.

Facebook users may have noticed a recent change to the "News Feed" style where your friends' interactions with others are posted on your wall. For example, if your brother shared a picture with his workmate, you can see it. It is system-wide changes like this that often create security breaches … what can people use the information on other people's movements and activities for? Keep up to date with these changes via the site blog.

What else can you do to protect yourself and your home when using social media?

• Check the privacy settings for whatever site you prefer. Allow only people you have become 'friends' with to access your profile and information. Look for external guides to the site's privacy values if you need decoding of the info.
• Clean out your friend list periodically. Many people have friend lists containing hundreds of people … and unfortunately, some that were previously friendly may now harbor ill will. Keep your friend list to a minimum.
• Make sure any pictures you share are cropped to exclude unnecessary detail
• Don't let people know of your new address or phone number via social media
• Make use of the private messaging services (your inbox) more than the public ones (like Wall posts and status comments)

Some sites advise that if you must use social media, to ensure you balance pictures of your prized possessions (or even just incidental house photos with your family in them), with pictures of your home security measures like whatever big mean dogs, guns/tasers/capsicum spray or monitored alarm systems you have in your home. This has both an upside and a downside. You may deter some burglars, but for the determined ones, you've just given them the information they need to better plan to burgle your house. Social media is best kept to a minimum - look at everything you put up there through the eyes of somebody who wishes you harm … and be careful!

Four Free Ways to Increase your Home Security

Having a security system is certainly the gold standard in home security, and for many people, it is the only acceptable way to protect their home. However, there can still be damage done, even with a security system. Here we look at four of the best free ways to protect your home, following basic principles that make you less attractive to burglars.

1. Become friends with your neighbors

You probably notice quite a bit about your neighbor's comings and goings, and don’t think much more of it. If something out of the ordinary were to happen at their place while they weren't home, you would almost certainly notice -- and would be the most valuable tool in preventing loss or damage to their property. Your own home security can obviously benefit from your neighbors' eyes, as well as your own. The simple act of going outside and asking someone close to the house if they can help them is enough to discourage most burglars.

2. Trim your trees and shrubs

Having a lush garden looks gorgeous during the day, but provides a wealth of opportunity for burglars to get close to your house unobserved at night. Think about whether you really need all that greenery around the front of your house. If the answer is yes, make sure for your home security's sake that they remain well-trimmed. Consider implementing extra measures if you have an especially leafy front yard, like amonitored alarm system.

3. Curtains and blinds

Use lace curtains on your windows for home security. They won’t physically stop a burglar, but will stop them seeing what is inside your house during the day. Never leave your curtains or blinds open at night, for best home security -- anyone on the street can see in, but you can’t see who is looking.

4. Lock your keys inside the house

Sounds strange -- but it is an effective, real-life way to make you think about how someone without keys can gain entry into the house. Arrange it so one of your family members can let you in -- but don’t make it too easy for yourself! Alternatively, some alarm system monitoring firms offer this assessment service.

Home Security Tips for Your Garage

The number of callouts that alarm system monitoring companies get to houses where the burglar has gained entry through the garage is amazing. Most residents leave the door between their home and garage unlocked at all times, for convenience … and simply don’t connect the fact that their garage has thin, easily accessed windows, a less secure door, and possibly an automatic opener that high-school kids can hack into. Home security efforts must extend to your garage as well -- we look at the top ways to secure this unusual room of the house.

1. Always lock the door into your house

Your garage is inherently less secure than the rest of your brick-and-mortar home. Yet many of us leave the door from the garage to the interior of our homes open all day, every day. Just don’t do it! Make the only convenience of having a garage connected to the house the fact that you don’t have to walk outside in the rain.

2. Ensure your security system covers the garage also

Your alarm system monitoring company can make sure there are sensors in your garage also -- use this safety measure. A major portion of the time taken to break into someone's house is spent actually gaining entry -- if you give burglars that free ride at the start, you may lose more of your possessions.

3. Upgrade your door opening device, and lock your door manually when you go to work

Upgrade your door opener to a newer, more secure model that uses a variable radio code each time you open your garage door. This will prevent thieves using a code-recording system (a code grabber), and inputting your frequency into another opener. It will also prevent burglars randomly driving around the streets, clicking their own remote to find a house that uses the same frequency as theirs!

4. Upgrade your garage window-glass

Use window films, glass reinforcing or double-glazing to make your garage windows more difficult to break, especially if they are located below head height. Make sure that you have window locks and use them. A good security system is one where you utilize what you have!

5. Mark your possessions

This home security practice is applicable to every valuable item in your home, but especially so in your garage -- because most of your valuable in here are engravable metal or heavy duty plastic. Even if they are stolen, they are more likely to be recovered because pawn shops don’t like trying to sell items with somebody's name, address and phone number all over them.

Home Security -- What You Can DIY, What You Can't

Home security is definitely a collaboration between the home owner and the alarm systems monitoring firm. Each half of the collaboration fulfils roles that the other simply cannot. Here we look at the steps you can take to secure your own home, and the home security steps you'll need to call in pros for.

DIY Tasks for home security

• Visibility: Home owners need to be the ones to take responsibility for trimming trees and shrubs, and ensuring that there are no major blockages that help provide cover for burglars.
• Motion detector lights: The procedure for installing these is fairly self-explanatory. You can get motion detector lights at most hardware stores, and they will come with comprehensive installation instructions. You can get a security assessment through many home security providers, which may offer you advice on placement and angling.
• Locking: You are the only one that can make sure your home is locked each and every time you go out. Not locking that door is an invitation to opportunistic burglaries.

Call in the pros for these home security tasks

There are some things you just can’t do yourself, and even the most watchful neighbors can't do for you! The following are recommended home security tasks that you may need professional help for.

• Lock installation -- In some cases a qualified locksmith will be needed to install locks with a good security level on your doors and windows
• Alarm system installation -- These typically involve quite a bit of work, placing wiring, programming the system and making connections. You could have a few hours of high-pitched noise on your hands if you try to install one of these yourself! Alarm system monitoring companies generally also provide installation services.
• Alarm system monitoring -- If you have an alarm system, there is little benefit unless it is monitored. Some thieves will simply keep working if they know that the alarm system is not monitored -- unfortunately public police calls in response to alarms are less common than you might think.
• Camera system installation -- These systems are typically quite complicated and may need to be installed by a qualified electrician.

McGruff Wants You to Know...

Everyone knows McGruff the Crime Dog – So we enlisted his help to get the word out about home security. McGruff let us know that:

38% of all assaults occur during a home invasion.

60% of all reported rapes occur during a home invasion.

Homes on a corner lot are more likely to be burglarized.

If your home has had a burglary, the odds of being burglarized again dramatically increase. The stolen items have been replaced with new items. Over 2.7 million burglaries were reported to law enforcement agencies in 1994 (the latest published data), with 2 out of 3 being residential. Sixty-seven percent of all burglaries involved forcible entry. Over half (52 percent) of the burglaries occurred during the daylight hours. The value of property stolen during burglaries was estimated at over $3.6 billion in 1994 and has consistently been on the rise since.

McGruff also wants us to know that a few simple changes to your landscaping can help to protect your home from would-be burglars. They are looking for a home they can get into and out of quickly; the more time they spend in your home the more chance of getting caught. Their best target is a home surrounded by tall hedges and shrubs, which restricts visibility from the street and your neighbors' houses.

Trim your shrubbery and trees so that your doors and windows can be seen by neighbors, and from the street; by forgoing a little privacy you will not be providing a hiding place for a burglar. If you have more than one floor, prune trees away from upper floor windows to prevent an intruder using them as a ladder, also make sure any trellises won't provide a convenient ladder to gain entry to the upper floors.

All planting close to the sidewalk, driveways, doors or gates, should be kept low; no more than two feet in height. As you move further away from the sidewalk you can increase the height but keep it down to no more than four feet. Any plant under the window should be kept below the windowsill. Trees should have their lower branches trimmed to at least seven feet off the ground.

Be sure to keep your lawn trimmed; an uncut lawn will indicate to a potential burglar that you have been away from your home for some time. By placing gravel on the ground under windows you will be warned if someone walks on it, this can be a useful psychological deterrent. Remember not to have any large rocks or stones near glass windows or doors. There's no point in providing a burglar with his tools!

Gain Peace of Mind

Imagine that you’re out to dinner with friends and family. It's been an enjoyable evening -- laughing, dancing, eating fine cuisine, and generally enjoying the company around you. You swing by the sitter’s on your way home to pick up the kids, make your way back and settle in for the evening. Perhaps you’re planning a little midnight snack for a late-night movie as you pull into the driveway and tell the kids that it’s time for bed.

As the family gets out of the car, and heads up the walk to the door, you notice something amiss. The front door is ajar…and as you draw closer, you notice that the door has been pried open. As you try to wrap your mind around what you’re saying, your spouse pushes the door open to reveal the shredded mess of the contents of your home.

As you hold the children back, you cautiously step through the door, wondering if the perpetrator is still inside your home. As you look around the room, you notice that your grandmother’s silver is missing, you glance at the empty space above your fireplace where television used to be and a thousand concerns flood your mind. You begin to feel violated, afraid, and unsettled in your own home.

As your spouse picks up a telephone call the police, you pick up your son’s baseball bat among a pile of rubbish on the floor and you slowly make your way up the stairs. You notice that every bedroom has been ransacked, every television is missing, your daughter’s stereo system is missing, and as you walk into your own bedroom you notice your jewelry box is gone, the antique cufflinks that your great-grandfather had passed down for generations are no longer within your reach and the story continues to unfold…

The good news is that all of this can be prevented with the simple installation of a home security system. Unfortunately, we live in a time of uncertainty and cruelty. There are thousands of people looking for something for nothing and they simply don’t care who they hurt to get it. When someone breaks into your home, you feel unsafe and unsettled in your own surroundings. A man’s home is supposed to be his castle, when that castle is pillaged, there is no more comfort. If you’re hoping to keep home “home sweet home,” consider looking into your home security options. Remember, all it takes is once to ruin your peace of mind.

Home Security Facts and FAQs

We’ve recently completed some research pertaining to the most frequently asked questions in home security, and having derived much of our information from the Home Security Facts statistics report, we’ve put together the following compilation of answers to the most frequently asked home security questions.

A man's home is his castle, as the saying goes. But homes today don't normally feature ramparts, drawbridges, moats and six-foot-thick stone walls to keep out unwanted visitors. Today, a house alarm, and preferably a managed home security system, is needed to ensure your home's security. Not only does installing a home security system improve the safety of your family and possessions, but it can also decrease your home insurance costs. The Top Five House Alarm and Home Security Devices list highlights ten devices and features of home security systems that can make your house a safer place.

Talking Devices help you to understand the status of your home and monitoring as well as program the system. Some security systems feature talking master control panels, key pads or remotes. The talking feature may not result in great conversation, but it will help you understand your system a little better.

Some home alarm systems include extras like Key Fobs and Remotes to control the system at a distance. Somewhat similar to a car's key fob, home security key fobs include buttons to activate and deactivate the house alarm system. Some even include a panic button that activates the house alarm and alerts the proper authorities in the event of an emergency. Remote controls are similar and often larger. The features of remotes vary greatly and can include a full key pad, a talking feature and a panic button as well.

Yard Signs and House or Window Decals advertise your home's protection. A recent study of residential security found that homes without alarms were 2.7 to 3.5 times more likely to be burglarized, and that the most effective deterrent was the alarm monitoring company's yard sign (SIA Research Update, Security Industry Association, October 2001). Some choose to post the signs to deter possible break-ins without actually installing a home alarm system. While this effort will lower the odds of an attempted burglary, a yard sign alone cannot fully protect your home.

Wireless Systems protect your home without adding extra cords to trip over or extensive installation of in-wall cords. In wireless house alarm systems, each sensor or keypad communicates with the master control panel via radio frequencies or existing wiring in your home. A burglar will never be able to disarm the system by snipping the wires. This ensures the system is fully integrated and monitoring all parts of your home without using up your outlets or creating an obstacle course of wires for you.

In the coming weeks, we’ll have more on proper home security and what it can mean to you!

Keep Your Castle Secure

As a homeowner, one of the more important things on your mind should be your home security. Your home is your family’s sanctuary and it’s the place you should feel the most safe and secure. Unfortunately, we live in a time when crime rates are high and security is hard to come by. The good news is that there are things you can do to protect your home and to provide yourself and your family with peace of mind in terms of home security.

Believe it or not, the primary goal of most burglars is to find an easy target. That means that homes with extra precautions taken in terms of home security are not desirable targets. So what are some of the best ways to protect your home against would be burglars?

First and foremost is the addition of a quality home security system. More than 90 percent of thieves will pass by a home with a security system and move on to one that’s left unprotected. Your first step for absolute home security should be to purchase and install a high-quality home security system, and then display indication (signs and stickers) of your installation on or near your home’s exterior.

You should also look into some standard security practices that include keeping shrubs and trees around windows trimmed so that thieves are less inclined to view them as concealed entry points. Vary your routines when possible so that burglars can’t monitor your daily comings and goings and pinpoint the times you won’t be home. Be sure and lock your doors when you are away, and even when you're home alone if this helps increase the level of security you feel in your home.

You should also be sure and take proper security measures when you’re out and about. Don’t allow strangers to view your address, keep your house keys secure, and make sure you don’t broadcast impending trips and vacations to people you don’t trust. Always assign a house sitter to keep an eye on your home and get your mail while your away. Usually, a friend or loved one makes a great house sitter choice.

Remember, your house should be your family’s castle, and that means it’s your responsibility to protect not just your home, but your family as well. Again, number one on your list should be the installation of a high quality security system…you’ll sleep a little easier. We can guarantee it.