10 Low-Effort Ways to Increase Your Home's Security

Millions of homes are burglarized each year - never assume that this could never happen to yours!

Securing your home is essential to protect your loved ones and property from potential intruders. Most people might think that this has a slim chance of happening to them, but the truth is everyone can be a victim anytime, especially if you haven’t taken the appropriate home security measures.

Break-ins often result in devastating consequences both emotionally and financially for the family so never underestimate the need to beef up your home security. Vigilance and prevention will go a long way in protecting your valuable belongings and family from burglaries.

Is Your Home Vulnerable?

The offenders often choose homes based on a number of factors, such as timing, accessibility, position on the block, or the level of exposure to the street. Sometimes, the lack of knowledge in home security and being too complacent increases your chance of being the next target.

So how do you know if your house is attractive to thieves?

Look around and simply assess the vulnerable areas of your home and your risk tolerance. Here are some of the things you need to consider:

• Do you often leave your home empty, especially when you go to work? Burglars love to explore your home while you’re away!

• Do you have a secluded landscape or backyard that conceals intruders from nosy neighbors?

• Have you installed security cameras and alarm systems?

• Do you often forget to lock the doors, windows, and garage doors?

Remember that this is not a comprehensive list. Investigate further and you might discover other weaknesses in your home security. Burglars prefer an easy target and often love watching your routine before making a move to ransack your home.

Clever Ways to Protect Your Home from Break-Ins

No professional thief would dare to ransack a home with a strong security system.

Having multiple deterrents will make it difficult for most intruders to pursue your house and increase their chance of being caught if they won’t make it out in time. So the best way to defend your home from intruders is to have layered security both outside and the inside of your house. Here are some DIY ideas you can use to secure your home:

1. Lock Your Doors and Windows

Your windows and doors are the easiest entry points for opportunistic thieves without using brute force. So whether you are at home or away for a vacation, make sure that these are constantly locked. Remind family members to never leave windows and doors open.

2. Keep the Garage Door Closed

An open garage door is another appealing entry point for burglars or thieves of opportunity. Thieves love to take advantage of unlocked garage doors as they can easily prey on your valuable belongings they can spot through. If you regularly forget to close the garage after you drive away, now is the time to correct that routine. You can install devices like a smart garage door opener to ensure that your garage door is always closed, and you’ll have peace of mind.

3. Install Steel-Wrapped External Doors

Steel is a much stronger and secure option to kick-proof your main door. Unlike the traditional plastic or wooden doors, anyone who would attempt to kick or use brute force to open a steel-wrapped door would not stand a chance of succeeding.

4. Reinforce Your Door

An experienced burglar can easily break through a standard door in a few seconds. Try to check the weakest point on your front door, particularly the door lock, door hinges, and the door frame. 

Are you using a standard cylinder lock? Bad news, these locks can be easily opened even with a sturdy card. Consider replacing it with a high-quality deadbolt lock.

For the hinges, try using corrugated pins and set long screws. These are fairly easy to install, or you can call a professional for help. Securing the door this way won’t make a burglar’s job easier.

Standard wooden door frames can be vulnerable to forced entries because these are not resistant to sudden impact or shock. What you can do is to replace it with a metal frame which has higher impact resistance than wood. You can even paint it to match your door color or home decor.

5. Install a Door Barricade

One of the best ways to reinforce a door from the inside is by using a door barricade. The good thing about a door barricade is that it relies on the sturdiness of your floor, preventing your door from being easily kicked in. To open it, simply slide the barrier out from its base using a single motion.

Instead of a barricade, you can also use a security bar to reinforce your door. It doesn’t require installation and works well with sliding doors and hinged doors. Simply secure the yoke end of the bar under a knob or lever and place the pivoting ball joint on the floor. And you’re done! 

5. Install Motion-Sensing Flood Lights

Motion-sensing flood lights are another great DIY option to ward off would-be burglars. The lights do a good job in alarming any intruders as it only turns on when the device senses movements. It also comes with LED options to help you save energy and lasts longer unlike a traditional lighting bulb. 

6. Use Glass Break Sensors

Glass break sensors beef up your home security by sending alerts to your phone when someone tries to break your glass windows or doors. The device can also be integrated to work with security cameras where it triggers video recording when glass-break sensors are also triggered. 

Two versions are available. The first one is acoustic which triggers an alarm when it detects sounds. And the other type is made of shock sensors that can be triggered through vibrations. Whichever you choose, both offer an extra barrier to discourage a thief from getting inside your home.

7. Use Timers

Planning to take a long vacation? Then you might need to consider adding security measures to make sure your home is not the next target. Burglars find the best opportunity to ransack a home when it’s empty. On top of your existing security system, you can keep your home looking occupied even while you’re away. 

One way is to use a timer to switch your lights, radio, or other appliances on for a while, then off, as if someone is inside your home. Depending on the features you want, the price can range between $8 and $20 which is not a bad thing.

8. Use Door and Window Alarms

Door and window alarms offer a convenient, off the shell protection for your home. When someone tries to open your door or window, the alarms are triggered and send you notifications. The sensors need to be activated first before the device can do its job to protect your home. Installation is very easy since the alarms are designed to be portable, battery-operated, and completely wireless. 

9. Get a Dog

Although dogs can’t be a perfect alternative for home security, our furry friends can help boost home security by chasing out intruders. However, this may still depend on the type of dog you have since some breeds can have a friendly temperament even with strangers. Regardless, most dogs would bark to unfamiliar visitors and this should make a would-be burglar reconsider whether your house is worth pursuing or not.

10. Install Fake Security Cameras and Signs

Fake security cameras are clever ideas to scare off burglars if you are not yet ready to invest for the real one. But keep in mind that these dummy devices, although they perfectly resemble the actual ones when looked from a distance, can never be a replacement for a real, working camera. 

While naive and uneducated criminals can easily be fooled, most professional robbers can detect a fake camera which can lead them to thinking that they won’t be able to run into an actual camera onsite. Fake cameras and signs are fast and cheap solutions to ward off burglars temporarily so be sure to consider investing in a working camera in the future.

Conclusion

Burglars can easily take advantage of a house with no security measures. Fortunately, there are cheap solutions to temporarily keep potential intruders off your backyard. However, nothing can best replace a complete and functional home security system so it’s a best idea not to fully rely on DIY solutions to protect your family and valuables.

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