The Basic Home Security Checklist That Every Home Needs

Building Good Habits

The key to any home security is going to involve developing and maintaining good habits. Following, several habits which are definitely worth making a part of your daily routine will be explored. It may surprise you to consider that which is actually, in many ways, central to the security of your premises.

1. General Home Maintenance

If you’re doing the right kind of landscaping work, you’ll find where the dog has dug under the fence and provided an entryway to would-be criminals. If you’re remodeling or refurbishing the house itself at intervals—even if you’re just maintaining property value—that will help you maintain structural integrity.

Get in the habit of daily upkeep as necessary, and periodic refurbishment products. This will secure your home at a core level. If you liken your property to your body, it’s like working out and doing exercise to get in shape before taking, or while taking, physical defense courses.

2. Digitally Securing Your Home

Many homes today incorporate the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Such tech is convenient, cool, and it upgrades property value. But it also increases the “hackable” surface area of your premises in terms of software. Insecure IoT tech leaves you wide open.

Consider an ex-spouse who has access codes to the house, and jacks up the environmental controls when you go on vacation. That can drive up your utility bill. Such situations have different flavors and owing to the human condition, they’re not rare. You must ensure your IoT systems are properly secured; consulting tech agencies can help.

3. Lighting The Premises

Motion-sensitive lights are going to scare off many would-be burglars or other home invaders. Such personalities prefer darkness. You want good lighting that’s either motion-sensitive or at your control—or both with IoT and a smartphone. Find a way of lighting all windows and doors somehow; this will dissuade many thieves.

4. Ensuring You’ve Got Surveillance Cameras And Backup Storage

You want digital surveillance cameras that capture information and store it in more than one location. Imagine getting raided by the government because you blew the whistle on bad politics.

They’re going to seek out your hard drive and demagnetize (degauss) it. If you’ve got multiple storage options, one of which isn’t visible, you can protect yourself even from more organized criminals. Twenty years ago this would be paranoia in the extreme. Today, it’s actually not a bad idea.

5. Installing A Proper Security System

An alarm grid through the right sort of security provider can be good. Linking your Total Connect 2.0 to an alarm grid can also be a good step, but you want to be careful here. While such solutions are exceptionally effective and convenient in terms of providing you home security, at the same time, whatever you connect to the web will upload data to the web in one way or another, making you vulnerable to bad actors in the tech community. It’s the same sort of give-and-take as IoT.

The key is to utilize technology in a way that doesn’t compromise you. Understand how the technology works, and take reign over it. Know the information it can collect, and what value that information has to you. Then activate or deactivate the device as suits you. People forget that software is subject to user proclivities, regardless of automated advisories or other alerts.

6. Considering Guard-Dog Options

Dogs are loyal and loving, but can be plied with meat or other treats; sneak-thieves know this. Having a guard dog is a good idea, and can be a great family pet; but if you want total security, you’ll want to take a few more steps.

7. Windows And Doors

Make it a daily habit to close windows and doors, and lock them, before going to bed. Just make it a part of your routine; like brushing your teeth, or combing your hair. Don’t forget garages, backdoors, and fence gates. Motion sensors from your security system hooked up to windows and doors can be a good idea too, if that’s feasible and affordable.

 

A Secure Home

Ensure you’ve got windows and doors locked up at night, get guard dogs if that makes sense, install a security system, get surveillance, keep everything lit at night, secure against digital threats, and ensure property upkeep is a regular part of your home ownership.

Establishing such tactics into habit will naturally secure your property. It may take time to find your rhythm, but once you do, home security will be a regular part of your daily grind, and you’ll have fall-back options even when primary systems fail.