Cost Effective Tips for Protecting Your Family From Outside Threats

When considering the best way to protect your family from outside threats, security alarm systems and general home upkeep may be the first areas you consider. Keeping things cost effective doesn’t mean sacrificing on the quality of safely, it simply means utilizing do-it-yourself methods whenever you can, and choosing the right choices for yourself and your family.

You can go a long way toward keeping your family safe by installing secure door locks on all points of entry. Secure door locks means the replacement of simple spring locks that intruders find easy to access with deadbolt locks. And not just any deadbolts, either. Choose a sturdy deadbolt with a sturdy strike plate and a ANSI Grade 1 rating specification. This means that the deadbolt lock has survived extensive testing, and that it can hold up against as many as ten hammer blows, and that it can open and close two hundred and fifty thousand times. The rating also indicates that the lock can project one inch into the door frame, making it much harder for potential intruders to get around the lock. And you should also look for the UL or underwriter’s laboratory standard. Sturdiest deadbolts are listed with a UL of four hundred and thirty seven.

Be sure to install deadbolts on all your doors, including any door between the garage and the interior of your home.

Another cost effective tip for protecting your family: keep your landscaping neat. Trim bushes and trees that can offer protection to intruders, concealing them from the street. And keep your house well lit. Make sure outside lighting is adequate, and can be turned on if you are away from home. Don’t let bulbs burn out or a walkway stay shrouded in darkness.

And fully protecting your home inside with the use of a security alarm system is increasingly cost effective. Wireless, do-it-yourself systems employ sensors that activate should an intruder attempt to enter your home. Most wireless systems offer home protection features at a low cost, especially compared to that of a wired system requiring professional installation. Wireless systems can do more than just protect your home from would-be intruders. You can also purchase systems that warn you against fire, floods, carbon monoxide, and even extreme temperature fluctuations. Installing a security camera is also a reasonable cost in today’s high tech marketplace, and footage can be sent directly to your smart phone or lap top when you’re away from home. Wireless security systems and cameras are controlled by a central key pad that will notify home monitoring personnel should an intrusion occur.

Most inexpensive of all are simple security signs and window stickers that warn away potential intruders. Indicating the presence of an alarm signals would-be thieves to try an ‘easier’ home.
Another extremely low cost deterrent is the visual cue of a large dog bowl and a Beware of Dog sign.

Exterior perimeter alarms for driveways or walk ways that sound an alarm, or trigger lighting, are another cost effective way to keep your home secure at all times, and notify you if an uninvited ‘visitor’ is approaching.

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