The best home security devices are easy to use and as low tech as possible. The good news is that few of them even cost more than $100. Remember, good home security does not actually have to be completely “bullet-proof” to be totally effective. Just the basics are enough to make potential intruders decide that your house is not an easy mark and that they should just move on. Burglars tend to be lazy. Unless you live in a $1 million house, good lighting, a barking dog and secure windows and doors are usually enough to keep you off the “easy mark” list.
Exterior Spot Light
Burglars will pass on a well-lit house almost every time. Its fun to have motion detectors connected to lights set up, but again, the simpler the system is, the less likely it is to break. Wire some spot lights and point them at your front door and all other easy access points, like the garage door and patio doors. If you want, buy a light sensor and set the lights to just automatically come on when it gets dark. By simply making it easy for an intruder to be seen, you will radically increase your chances of never being visited by unwelcome guests.
Of course, if you want to go up a level from spot lights, do set a motion activated spot light to go off whenever someone drives on to your driveway. This will not help during the day, but if you have one motion detector light at the driveway, and another one or two closer to the house… like at the entry gate, your house will look like its got a full fledged security system.
Putting up one or more fake security cameras is an excellent, cheap way to upgrade, too. A good one, with a blinking LED light, will cost around $60. Of course, a real camera, even one equipped with night vision and high-resolution, will cost about the same.
Window Jamb Bars
No, you do not need to put bars on your windows. That would be expensive and depressing. What you do need to do is put bars in your windows – your window jambs. That is the groove at the bottom of the window where the window slides back and forth to open and close. You put a bar in that groove so no one from the outside can open the window – the bar lying there blocks the window from being able to open. You can buy window jamb bars, but you can also go to a large hardware store and get poles of wood at least half an inch in diameter and cut them to fit your windows. And, if you want to get even less expensive, you can use straight tree branches from the next time you prune your trees. Even a sawed-off broom handle will work fine.
Deadbolt Locks on Doors
Doors and windows are still the top entry points for intruders, so it is essential to re-enforce these spots. Deadbolt locks are tried and true home security devices that cost from $10 to $30 depending on how strong they are. You’ll probably need to call a locksmith to get them installed, which will bring your total cost up to $100 or so, depending on where you live.
While you are thinking about door security, if you have the money, it is a very good idea to upgrade your exterior doors to steel. Steel doors are substantially stronger – if you actually had a lunatic really throwing himself into getting through a wood door, he’d probably succeed after some trying. With a steel door, not so likely. You can also have your new door’s hinges re-enforced and installed in such a way as to make them several times stronger than a standard installation. With a new steel door properly installed with upgraded hinges and one (or even two) deadbolt locks, you need not worry about that entry point any more.
By: Pamella Neely About the Author: