Four Ways to beef up your home security system
As security technology advances, so do the methods of burglars. The top-of-the-line home security of yesterday may not be enough to deter a criminal from breaking into your home. It’s important that your home security system stays up to date to combat burglars who may target your home.
As eerie as it sounds, most burglaries aren’t spontaneous. They’re the result of days or even weeks of planning in advance. Burglars are looking for weaknesses in your system. Here are five upgrades you can make that will instantly improve your home security system and make a burglar think twice before attempting a break-in.
Smart lights
Putting your lights on automatic timers could actually be an open invitation for a burglar to break into your home. Remember the bandits from Home Alone, who knew exactly when the lights came for every house in the neighborhood? If a burglar is staking out your home, they’ll notice the pattern within a couple of days and figure out you’re probably not home when the lights go on.
By adding smart security lighting, you can program them to come on at random times of the day and throughout the night to confuse burglars so they never really know when you’re not at home. This is particularly valuable when you’re on vacation or on a business trip. You can even program the light in your bedroom to come on in the middle of the night, creating the appearance of someone getting up to get a glass of water or use the bathroom. If you have motion sensors, you can link them to your smart lights so that when a motion sensor is triggered, the lights come on, which may allow the criminal to be caught in the act or make them visible to your security cameras. If you ever feel that you should get out of the house, smart lighting can light the path for you to the nearest and safest exit.
Keyless entry
When you install a keyless entry lock on your doors, you no longer have to worry about a burglar figuring out where you put your spare key. Not only do keyless entry locks solve the problem of locking yourself out, they make entry much more challenging to prowlers. Just remember to be cautious with your code and who you give it to, and be sure to change the code frequently, as an extra safety measure. Keyless locks are also battery powered, so you’ll have to remember to change the battery on schedule. Some keyless locks have more advanced features such as a fingerprint scanner or even a facial recognition scanner.
Video doorbells
Some thieves may try to surveil your home by pretending to be someone else like a neighbor from around the corner or a solicitor. What they’re really trying to do is get the layout of your home. Having a video doorbell will put them on alert that they are being recorded, which could make them a person of interest in the ensuing police investigation if a robbery occurs. Some advanced video doorbells even have facial recognition technology that will make someone’s face easily transferable to a police database.
Camera surveillance
The mere presence of a security camera can dissuade a burglar from targeting your home. While a video doorbell will only keep a robber from approaching your front door, you can install cameras in multiple parts of your home and sync them with motion detectors. The motion detectors will cause lights to come on when they’re triggered, making your home a very high-risk gamble for a burglar. You can also get an alert on your smartphone when the camera is triggered and you can see exactly what the camera sees. If your camera does spot a burglar, you can dispatch the police to your home right from the app on your phone.
Trust Aaron’s Home Tech to help secure your home with the latest security features. If you feel you need to upgrade your home security, give us a call today to consult with one of our experts.