Most Effective Ways to Secure Your Home and Make it Safer for You and Your Family

If you are moving into a new house with your family, it’s only natural that you instantly thinking of ways to make the house feel safe and secured. These tips will help you ensure that you and your family are safe in your own home. 

Lock the Windows

Windows are the most common entry points for burglars and that is why you need to ensure they are properly secured. Unfortunately, most of the latches on windows aren’t effective enough which makes them downright flimsy. And if you don’t like how your window latches look, you can always beef up security with locks or key-operated levers. However, you don’t have to stop here. There are other things you can add to ensure security.  For instance, consider getting the glass-reinforced with window security film. Try installing windows or glass break sensors and add window bars. Lastly, you can plant bushes under first-floor windows, but don’t forget to keep them trimmed. 

Light Up the Landscape

Burglars tend to avoid well-lit areas to avoid being spotted. So, sometimes all you need is good outdoor lighting to keep the potential burglars and vandals away. Consider placing lights around the front and back yard, near the garage, along the pathways and distribute them evenly. This will not only make your house more secure, but it will also help you get through the yard without stumbling on something in the dark. You could make the lighting system even more efficient if you install motion-activated lights. If you want to save energy, opt for solar-powered lights and put them on a timer. 

Secure the Doors

Making sure your doors are secured is important as much as keeping the windows secured is. Up to 34% of burglars end up strolling in through the front door. So, inspect all of your exterior doors and make sure the frames are strong and the hinges are well-protected. Make sure your mail slot isn’t positioned in such a way that a burglar can reach through it and unlock the door. In case you are moving into a house that someone just moved out of, change the door locks. This way you will ensure that there aren’t strangers out there with a key to your house. For extra precaution, you can install a deadbolt, add a strike plate, boost security with a video doorbell, or install a 24hr emergency lockout service to make sure you are safe in your own house. 

Set Up a Security System

Whether you decide to go for a basic DIY system or one of the professional ones, having a security system is something you should have installed in your house. There are plenty of security options you can choose from and they all have different levels of protection. 

In order to choose the system that will suit your needs, evaluate the needs of your neighbors as well. You can always contact your local police department for neighborhood crime statistics and they will help you do a home security evaluation for your house.  Some of the factors you need to keep I mind when installing a security system are the differences between DIY installation and professional installation, customer service and brand reputation, upfront and monthly costs, smart home capabilities and some extras such as smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring. 

Lock Down Your Wi-Fi Network

Another thing you should consider doing is locking down your Wi-Fi network since it is a doorway to your personal and financial information. In case you are using home automation, your house is even more vulnerable to break-ins. And since your Wi-Fi is most likely connected to smart home gadgets, criminals have direct access to your home. To prevent this from happening here are a few tips on how to keep potential hackers off your network. Firstly, secure your wireless router and enable WPA or WPA2 encryption. Consider renaming and hiding your home network and using a firewall to keep the intruders out. Create longer and more complicated passwords. And lastly, install antivirus and anti-malware protection.

Don’t Forget the Garage

Lastly, don’t forget the garage. This entry point has been becoming more popular within criminal groups. And even if they only manage to get inside your garage, there are still plenty of things they can steal from there. Make sure to always lock all of the garage doors, both interior and exterior.

Also, consider keeping your garage door opener in the house so that a burglar has no way of grabbing it out of your car. In case you are using a security code for opening the garage, keep it secret and don’t enter it in front of unknown people such as delivery people, new neighbours, or anyone else. Some of the additional ways you can secure your garage are to upgrade to a smart garage door opener, cover windows to hide the goodies inside or secure garage doors with extra locks. You could also try using home automation—and never leave the garage door open. And never tempt thieves by leaving pricey goods in the yard for everyone to see them.

Conclusion

All in all, making sure your house is well-protected and your family safe is the number one priority, especially if you are moving into a completely new neighbourhood. It all comes down to being aware of all the potential entries a burglar can use and making sure they are secured with high-quality devices. 

About the author

Ron Wolf is a hobby designer and a DIY enthusiast, and, above all, a very blessed father of two. Besides that, he has a strong passion for writing. He is a featured blogger at various blogs and magazines in which he shared his research and experience with the vast online community. If he is not working he enjoys being outside with his family. Hiking, bike riding, and BBQing are always a thing for him. In the evening, he likes to watch documentaries or build something with kids in their lego corner.