Are These Unintentional Home Security Mistakes Compromising Your Safety?
As the 2023 holiday season draws near, Southern Colorado homeowners need to take note of common home security mistakes to avoid to ensure they do not fall victim to theft.
Why is this especially crucial during the holidays? For the very reason expounded in Home Alone – many people are away from their homes, traveling for pleasure or visiting family out-of-state. But while this makes an excellent plot for a holiday comedy movie, in real life, the repercussions of coming home to a break-in can rob you of the joys of the season.
Home Security Mistakes to Avoid This Holiday Season
This month, we are looking at common home security mistakes to avoid so you can enjoy the season with all the festivities you love.
Assuming Traditional Lock-and-Key Solutions Are Sufficient Protection
“Don’t forget to lock up!” Many homeowners operate under the assumption that locked doors and windows provide sufficient protection. While this is a minimum requirement for your safety, the truth is that simply locking your doors might deter amateur burglars, but seasoned criminals can easily bypass this line of defense.
Solution: Investing in high-quality smart locks enhances your home’s security. Smart locks are not easily breached and have the added benefit of remote control. This feature allows homeowners to verify the status of their locks from anywhere, ensuring their home’s security.
Failing to Secure Your Garage
The garage is a common entry point for burglars, yet properly securing this entry point is often overlooked by homeowners. Let’s be honest: we have all awoken one morning to the realization that we have left our garage door open overnight. Life is busy, and sometimes, when we come in with an armful of groceries and kids at our feet, we forget to shut the door. But when we do so, we quite literally leave an open door for criminals.
Solution: Before bed each night, do a final sweep of all doors and windows (especially those on the ground floor) to ensure they are securely locked. As an added precaution, lock any side doors into your garage and the door between the garage and your home’s interior.
Neglecting the Exterior of Your Home
Another of the more common home security mistakes to avoid is concentrating only on the entry points to the home hand, not on the home’s exterior as a whole.
For instance, during autumn, many Southern Colorado homeowners spend time on ladders cleaning out the fallen leaves from their gutters. Leaving ladders out overnight is another open invitation for thieves to access the upper floors.
Additionally, inadequate outdoor lighting creates an inviting environment for burglars. A well-lit exterior deters potential intruders and reduces the likelihood of them targeting your property.
Solution: Perform an exterior security assessment, looking for any tools that can break windows or doors, and ladders that can provide access to upper floors, and secure these as soon as you finish using them for the day. Also, consider installing motion-sensor lights to illuminate your property and spook potential intruders.
Keeping Valuables in Plain Sight
One of the biggest incentives for a would-be burglar to target your home is keeping your valuables out in plain sight. Doing so is like putting a candy bowl on a counter in front of a toddler. They will scheme, climb, and do whatever is necessary to get to that sugar.
Solution: Fortunately, this is one of the easiest home security mistakes to avoid. Simply by keeping valuables out of sight, you can significantly reduce your home’s appeal to thieves. Close blinds after sunset to prevent outsiders from seeing your belongings clearly.
Announcing Your Absence
Announcing to the world that you are out of town, even for the night, can make your home an attractive target for burglars. There are various ways that you may be guilty of doing this unintentionally. Posting pictures on social media, leaving lights on throughout the night, and not arranging a mail hold or for a neighbor to pick up your mail and packages for you can trigger a burglary.
Solution: Only post pictures to social media after you return home, and take precautions to make your home appear occupied. Use digital timers or smart outlets to control your lights, and if you do not take advantage of the services of a kindly neighbor, schedule a mail hold with the US Post Office for your address.
Faking Security Cameras or Other Equipment
Fake security equipment (such as phony security cameras or “smile, you’re on camera” signs) may seem like a cost-effective deterrent, but they often do more harm than good. Burglars have a knack for identifying counterfeit security equipment and may view these attempts as a challenge, making your home a more likely target. The only one you may be fooling is yourself.
Solution: Explore the costs of installing actual equipment. You may be surprised by the affordable options for security cameras and access control installation available from professional installers such as System Links.
Related: DIY vs Professional Security Camera Installation
Relying on Doorbell Cameras Exclusively for Security
Doorbell cameras have gained popularity for their convenience and affordability. However, relying on them as the sole security device for your home can be one of the most crucial home security mistakes to avoid. Why?
While doorbell cameras can capture footage of anyone approaching your front door, they provide limited coverage of your property. That means the camera may not catch intruders approaching from the side or back of your home.
Additionally, doorbell camera services often come with limited amounts of cloud storage. They may only keep video on file for 90 days (check with your provider for the limitations on your plan). This means that any video you want to use for legal evidence may not be accessible when you need it.
Solution: Examine the installation options for comprehensive security camera systems with DVR capabilities. Such systems provide broader coverage of the exterior of your home or the common areas inside and will also record all activities on a hard drive, so there is no fear of losing data in the cloud.
Learn More: 7 Ways Home Security Cameras are Superior to Doorbell Cameras
System Links: Make No Mistake With Southern Colorado’s Most Trusted Home Security Camera Installer
At System Links, we know that ensuring the safety of your home and business requires more than deterring crime.
Our proactive approach to your home security is all about providing a sanctuary for you and your family, providing you with peace of mind. We know the most common home security mistakes to avoid and proactively determine the best locations to install home security cameras, optimize their field of view, and ensure that you know how to use your equipment before we consider our job done.
And even then, our five-star customer service rating on Google guarantees that we will be here for you to maintain your home security camera system for years to come.
Are you ready to secure the sense of security and peace of mind of protecting your family and assets? Contact System Links today to arrange for your free on-site home security consultation and free quote.
