Home Security Tips
Home Security Tips
Home Security Tips
When designing your company or home security, remember that the best defense should be like an onion — that is, it should be multi-layered. A burglar has two goals (aside from making off with your possessions, that is): to be quick and unseen. Multi-layered company or home security delays a burglar and gives enough opportunity for him to be heard and/or seen.
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Here are some tips to help you create a multi-layered company or home security system.
Company or Home Security Survey
Survey your property through the eyes of a burglar. How much can a burglar see by looking into a door or window? If the entire length and depth of your office can be seen from the outside, consider creating an entrance foyer with dividers.
For home security, keep pricey artwork or electronics away from the line of sight of windows. Consider blind spots where a burglar can work to gain access to your property while being shielded from public view.
Company or Home Security Multipliers
Multi-layered need not mean multi-expense. Don’t think that a multi-layered company or home security system means that you have to invest in several, unsightly locks for all your doors and windows. Being a little creative can multiply your security budget!
An example of multi-layered office security is securing all exterior access points with grills or rolling/sliding metal doors at night, bolting down valuable equipment to the floor, locking all interior doors and cabinets after office hours, etc.
For home security, secure all sliding doors and windows with anti-sliding devices and doors with deadbolts that lock from inside the house, set up a security system that sounds an alarm (available for as little as $30), put some cacti or rosebushes outside your windows and something that’s hard to climb over inside, etc.
Hint: Just as spindly, thorny plants can be a security multiplier, overgrown bushes can diminish your security by serving as hiding places for intruders. Also watch out for tree branches that are allowed to grow so that they give easy access to a roof or window.
Company or Home Security Lock Settings
A good lock is only as good as the area it sits in. For each lock, you must think about extending company or home security to the next 18” to 24” around that lock.
For instance, a great lock in an easy to kick in pinewood doorframe is next to useless. So reinforce your door or change it to a solid core unit. And many deadbolts are useless since breaking a glass panel in the door or nearby window can give a burglar access to unlock them. So choose a deadbolt that requires a key to open it even from the inside.
Kerry Gibbs is an interior decorater in Phoenix, Arizona.
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