Securing your home in case of emergencies such as thieves and other intruders is a good idea, no matter whether you live in a stand alone home or an apartment. One of the easiest ways to protect your premises is to use surveillance cameras, strategically placed around your home based on the amount of space you have. These systems can be purchased with as many cameras as you might need, and are available in wireless or wired formats.
For most home surveillance equipment users, wireless models will be the way to go. They are easy to hook up and easy to mount, and you will cut down on the amount of floor space used by tangle-prone wires. The signal for wireless cameras will be sent to a receiver, which will be hooked up to whatever equipment you are using to monitor the premises.
How many cameras you buy will depend, of course, on the size of your home or if you have anything of particular value in a specific room. If you want maximum security, you will want to mount cameras on the entrances to your living space, including the windows, as well as the garage and driveway, at a minimum. Additional rooms containing valuable equipment or pieces of furniture should also have a mounted camera for added security.
All the security cameras in the world are useless, of course, without a monitoring system. You need to decide if your security camera system is to be utilized in the prevention of theft or to assist in the recovery of property.
Most thieves and other criminals will be deterred by the mere sight of a camera on the premises, despite movie depictions of crack shot take-outs of security cameras. The mere presence of the camera, then may serve to protect your home.
If maximum security is what you require, then you or someone you know will need to be monitoring your system throughout the day. Larger homes of wealthy families may be able to employ security guards around the clock, but for most of us the purpose of the surveillance equipment will be to aid in recovery. Make sure that your monitoring equipment is always on and that you either reset the tape manually or have the system set to reset itself.
Home surveillance equipment can do nothing to prevent loss of property on its own. Without proper utilization and monitoring, your surveillance equipment is only a drain on your resources. Take the time to install your cameras properly, checking the angel to make sure they cover all of the points of entry or objects you want watched to a high degree in terms of parameters.
Cameras which track motion or otherwise can swing to encompass a wide area are great options, although they may give the location of the camera away. Again, however, it is important to remember that most ne’er do wells will be deterred from their sinister purposes towards your property by simply being aware that the cameras are there.
How to Keep Your Home Secure Without Spending a Dime
Your home is your castle, and your family your greatest asset, so you want to keep everything safe. But if you’ve priced home security systems lately, you might have felt your bank book cringe.
I’m not going to tell you not to buy an alarm system, but if you’re not at a point where you can invest thousands of dollars, and you just want to do a few things to make your home safer, this article is for you.
I’m going to give you a list of tips you can use to make your home safer without spending any money.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that burglars are lazy. Like most people, they want the highest reward with the least possible risk and effort. The more challenging you can make your house appear, the more likely the burglar is to pass on by and pick on somebody else (or–let’s hope–go away altogether). So, how do you make your home appear secure without screeching alarms, video surveillance cameras, barbed wire fences, and a yard full of Dobermans?
Here are your tips:
- Trim shrubs back from doors and walkways (this ensures would-be thieves don’t have any shadowy nooks to hide in).
- Lock your storage shed and don’t leave tools out in the yard (burglars can use ladders, shovels, etc. to gain access to your home).
- Keep the lawn mowed and the exterior of the house maintained (a downtrodden appearance can suggest you are away from home a lot or that you just don’t care enough to worry about your house).
- Plant thorny shrubs beneath first-story windows (if you wouldn’t want to climb through a tangle of thorns to reach an open window, chances are a burglar won’t either).
If an outdoor light burns out, change it right away.
- Don’t display your valuables conspicuously (i.e. huge plasma TV on a living room wall that is visible from the street), as this only tempts thieves.
When you make new purchases (such as said plasma TV), don’t leave the boxes by the curb to announce your valuable acquisitions–break boxes down and stuff them in your recycling bin.
- Don’t store house keys under the doormat, a rock, etc. (thieves are wise to all the tricks–if you always lose your keys, consider a fingerprint activated lock instead).
Keep tree branches trimmed back from windows and your roof.
Make sure the garage doors are sturdy (no loose panels or damaged corners), especially if the garage is attached to the house.
Check your garage door opener if you haven’t changed it from the factory setting. There’s usually a row of 10-12 switches. If all except one is pointing the same direction, the combination is easy to break (the thief has a 1 in 10 or 1 in 12 chance of getting it).
Always shut and lock your doors when you leave the house.
Hopefully these tips will help you make your home less of a target. Remember, home security is as much a matter of employing common sense as it is a bunch of expensive gadgets and gizmos.
Hello, lovely readers! I’m Sheila Collins, and I’m delighted to be your trusted guide on this exciting journey of home improvement, design, and lifestyle. As the founder and editor-in-chief of Home Guide Blog, I’m passionate about all things related to homes, and I’m here to share my knowledge, experiences, and insights with you.
