Keeping your home safe is probably not as simple of a process as it should be. There are many different factors you need to consider when it comes to home security.
It’s worth investing just about any amount of time and money into ensuring you don’t have to worry about burglary or break-ins.
There are a lot of measures you can take that are pretty obvious and also readily available from most security companies. Strong locks on every door, an alarm system, outdoor lighting and, while it’s a little more expensive, many people also have cameras set up on their property.
All of that is well and good, but because it’s the safety of your home we’re talking about here, then you should probably think about these things a little bit deeper. There are some common pitfalls that people fall into when they are securing their homes, and it can be detrimental to not prepare for them.
Here are five home security mistakes that you should try to avoid.
1. Overuse of Social Media
It’s pretty well-known that overuse of social media is bad for a number of reasons, but you probably didn’t expect to see it on this particular list.
But think about it for a second. Think about how much you are actually sharing on your social media accounts. Are you tweeting every time you go on vacation or take a weekend break? If so, you are making it public that your house is going to be empty.
Even if you have a good security system in place, you are giving any potential burglars the opportunity to put together a plan on how to break in. Also, if you buy something expensive like a new car or some fancy jewelry, you might have the urge to show it off on Facebook or Instagram.
In doing so, you are letting people know that you have this in your possession. You’re essentially dangling your valuables in front of a thief’s face. Bad move. If there’s someone looking for a house to target, you don’t want to make yours any more enticing to them.
The best move here would be to just share less of your life. Keep anything that could put you at risk to a minimum. Or even better, make all of your social media accounts private. This way only your friends will be able to see what you’re up to. And hopefully they can be trusted.
2. Using Low-Quality Equipment
Look, a good security system is going to be expensive. That’s just the truth of it. You will get what you pay for, and it’s worth spending the extra money in order to keep your home and family safe.
It is worth repeating that this is your home being discussed here, and safety is paramount. A cheap alarm might seem fine at first, but durability, among other things, is something that more expensive equipment will provide.
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If you go for one of the more reputable companies, you could get some extra features too. You could have the capability of mobile alerts and cellular backup. Also, if you are installing cameras you need ones that are high resolution. Anything that’s less than 1080p resolution is useless for video analysis or face recognition.
Also, the best equipment will usually guarantee you warranties or damage protection. You could look at this guide to the best security systems from alarms.org for some ideas.
3. Static Lights
Having some outdoor lighting set up is essential to any home security system, especially if you’ve got cameras.
Any potential thief will be immediately deterred if they see a lighting system in place outside a home that they’re targeting. The lights that most people go for are static lights that will be activated as soon as it gets dark enough.
While the light controlled activation is a good feature, there is a bit of a problem with using static lighting. What this does is leave room for hiding places. Unless you have your entire property completely illuminated at night then an intruder can always find a place to conceal themselves.
While it’s possible to get enough lights for this, it’s much more efficient to go a different route and use motion controlled lighting. Once again, these are more expensive, but if you have lights that will react to movement then there isn’t really anywhere for burglars to hide.
You have the element of surprise on top of eliminating hiding places. If the lights don’t turn on until there’s something there to activate them, then intruders won’t be aware of them when scoping the house.
4. Bad Camera Position
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Well, it’s actually both. This actually applies to your cameras and any kind of motion sensor that you have. They need to be placed strategically.
The important places are any points of entry, such as the front or back door or any window that is easy to reach. However, these are also the places that burglars will be looking for cameras, and if they can spot them, they can plan around them.
Potential invaders will be strategic and you need to be strategic too. So find ways to hide those cameras. This will be tough because they need to still capture an image of the whole area, so if it’s possible, try to position certain wall plants in a way that hides the cameras or get inconspicuous cameras.
Also, make sure that they are positioned high enough to get as much of a view of the yard as possible.
5. Leaving Valuables in Plain Sight
In terms of anything valuable that you are concerned about being a target for burglars, it’s important to keep it of social media and out of sight entirely.
Jewelry should be kept in boxes, designer clothes in closets, and if you have an expensive car, keep it in the garage. As much as you might want to show your car off, it’s one of the most common things that gets stolen these days.
Certain things are harder to hide, such as a widescreen TV. But, you can make sure that it’s not in plain view of the windows or make sure any blinds in that room stay drawn.
Again, people will go out of their way to scope out the houses they plan to rob, and if anything expensive can be seen through the window then your house is even more of a target.
This is something that people tend to overlook, but it’s massively important.
Conclusion
Keep these safety tips and suggestions in mind when you’re securing your home. If you have already made any of these mistakes, please rectify them as soon as possible in order to keep your home safe.
Again, these are easy traps to fall into and many people do when they are thinking about a security system. You can stay a step ahead of any potential thieves or intruders by making yourself fully aware of some potential mishaps.
What do you think? Do you have any home security tips? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, or Facebook. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
