Cost-effective methods to boost the security of your home, Protect your property, Lock tips, Online house safety advice

Boost the Security of Your Home Advice

9 Nov 2022

Home security is not something you can afford to take for granted, and there are plenty of ways to protect your property and your precious possessions which won’t cost the Earth.

If you’re concerned by the levels of security that are currently available where you live, a few of the following options will work wonders for your peace of mind.

Cover windows to keep valuable items out of sight

Many thieves are opportunistic and will only bother targeting a home if they know that it contains objects worth stealing.

You can prevent this by ensuring that any first-floor windows are properly covered, whether with curtains, blinds, or shades.

Blinds and shades are the best options in terms of allowing natural light into your home, while still shielding it from prying eyes.

Embrace smart lighting

All sorts of automation devices for your smart home are available these days, and smart lighting is just one strand of this trend.

The benefit of having bulbs that are connected to the internet wirelessly is that they can be controlled remotely, and operated automatically. That way your home can appear occupied to the casual observer, even if you are away for the evening.

Adopt perimeter access prevention

By the time strangers have reached your front door, it may be too late to prevent them from causing mischief on your property.

The answer is to secure the perimeter of your premises, and you can do so with greater ease than ever before thanks to modern solutions. Having an automatic gate opener, for example, will let you grant access to members of your household and people you know while keeping unknown individuals at arm’s length.

Install motion-sensing exterior lighting

Having smart lights on the inside of your home is just one step to better security, as you can also dissuade crooks by affixing lighting to outside areas which are even easier to activate.

The latest motion-sensing illumination gear is a breeze to install wherever you need it and doesn’t require any kind of advanced connectivity to get up and running.

Adjusting the sensitivity of the motion detection will also help you ensure that only human-sized trespassers trigger the light, rather than it being tripped by every tiny critter that scuttles past.

Consider gardening choices

Having green spaces that are filled with large bushes, trees and shrubs might sound appealing, but what you’re really doing is giving interlopers lots of places to conceal themselves on your property.

Thus even the process of regularly pruning back the foliage to keep it in check and avoid this state of affairs is a step towards a more secure home.

You could also consider defensive plants to keep your home and garden safe, since if you choose thorny, prickly, or even irritant-delivering flora to grow at boundary lines, it’ll be harder for third parties to gain access, while still retaining the natural look you love.

Keep garaged goods doubly secured

Garages and other outbuildings tend to be less secure than the main body of a house, since they may not be directly attached, in which case this makes them easier for burglars to breach without detection.

As such you have to assume that any items you store in your garage are fundamentally at greater risk of being stolen. The answer here is to double down on security and keep things like bikes and heavy equipment padlocked and chained, on top of the locked door to the garage itself.