If a neighbor asked you for advice about how to make his home more secure, what would you tell him? Would you fall back on old-school advice, like installing heavy-duty deadbolt locks and trimming shrubs and trees to provide a good street view? That sort of advice would not be wrong. In fact, it would be spot on.
Our technology-focused world tends to give more attention to electronic home security systems. Home security brands continually point us to things like video cameras and motion sensors. But electronic devices have their limitations. They can only do so much to keep our families and properties safe. Meanwhile, old-school tactics still work as well as they ever have.
The Usual Strategies
An article recently published by the New Hampshire Union Leader perfectly illustrates the point being made here. The article offers local residents advice on how to secure their homes. Care to guess the three things the article mentions? Here they are:
- Upgrading Locks – The easiest and most effective strategy for any homeowner is to upgrade locks. Factory locks for both doors and windows are not the most secure. Homeowners should install a heavy-duty deadbolt on the front door along with frame-mounted locks on all first-floor windows.
- Modifying Sliding Glass Doors – Factory locks on sliding glass doors are notoriously weak. Experts recommend replacing the factory lock with a better alternative and installing an anti-slide bar in the track. The bar will prevent the door from being opened even if the lock is disabled.
- Eliminating Blind Spots – Criminals prefer to work in the shadows. Therefore, eliminating blind spots by installing adequate lighting and keeping landscaping properly trimmed gives you an advantage.
This list is by no means all-inclusive. There are plenty of additional old-school tactics, including installing block glass windows in the basement, managing lighting to create the illusion you are home, not allowing mail and newspapers to pile up, and so on.
Enhancing Electronic Home Security
Even without an electronic home security system installed, old-school tactics can be amazingly effective at preventing property crimes. Combining old-school strategies with electronic home security just makes things that much better. Perhaps that’s why well-known brands like Vivint recommend doing so.
A typical home security system includes window sensors, door sensors, and video cameras. You can add as many devices as you need to cover your entire home. As a bonus, Vivint offers professional monitoring on a monthly basis. Your security system is monitored around-the-clock at a remote center staffed by fully trained professionals.
Electronic home security enhances old-school tactics by creating yet another layer – or even multiple layers – criminals have to work through. They hate that. Criminals want to be in and out as quickly as possible. They want to work without being seen or heard. The right old-school strategies will make their work more difficult, but it will be even more so when those strategies are combined with an electronic security system.
Don’t Fix What’s Not Broken
If you are tired of hearing old-school home security advice, think of the classic idiom that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It is sage advice that reminds us that old-school security tactics still work. In fact, some of the simplest tactics are the most effective.
Electronic home security is good and necessary, yet homeowners should not rely exclusively on things like cameras and automated lighting to protect themselves. They should enhance the effectiveness of their electronic devices by practicing old-school common-sense strategies. The more strategies a homeowner can put into play, the tougher it is for criminals to do what they do.