What makes a house burglar friendly

You don't have to channel Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone to protect your home from burglaries. Just follow these easy steps.

Moving into a house can be exciting, but putting safety measures in place to keep it protected and getting started with home security systems or devices can feel a little overwhelming. The good news is, burglary is becoming less common every year. But even with dropping rates, FBI data shows that burglaries occur in the US roughly once every 30 seconds. To help you with your home security checklist, we put together a straightforward guide of the nine best -- and affordable -- steps you can take to protect your home and deter would-be intruders from breaking in.

Read more: Amazon announced several new home security products and services at its September product launch event , including the Ring Always Home Cam and the Ring Alarm Pro. Locking your doors and windows is the first and easiest defense against home intruders, but how many of us are doing it consistently? Burglars are often looking for easy targets, and an unlocked door or window is just that.

Even when you're home, it's good practice to keep them locked. And when you're leaving the house, double-check doors and first-floor windows to make sure they're all secured. Some devices can also help you keep track of your entryways.

Door and window sensors can track whether a door or window has been left ajar, and smart locks can be scheduled to lock automatically at certain times. Which brings us to our next tip. Locking your doors and windows may not be enough if you don't have high-quality locks.

First, make sure all exterior doors have a deadbolt, making it more difficult for intruders to break in. While you're at it, make sure your door frames and hinges are strong enough to endure an attempted break-in -- older doors or exposed hinges can pose an unnecessary risk. Finally, as mentioned above, you can upgrade to smart locks , which you can engage remotely.

Bring your home up to speed with the latest on automation, security, utilities, networking and more. Installing a home security system is one of the most effective ways to prevent intruders from entering and to alert you if there's been a break-in.

Data shows that a home without a security system is roughly three times more likely to be broken into. If an intruder spots a security camera or a sign indicating you have a security system, they'll likely keep moving. Home security cameras are a great option to add another layer of home protection. Security cameras can alert you if there's movement in your yard or on your front porch, and door and window sensors will let you know if someone has entered or is attempting to enter your home.

Depending on your security company, they may also alert law enforcement on your behalf. You can go old-school and use a window bar or dowel in the track to keep the door from being forced open.

If you want a high-tech solution, add a door sensor or glass break sensor. These will alert you if the glass door is tampered with—and should scare off thieves. According to theft expert Dr. Ben Stickle , windows are "a common entry point for criminals" and may be left shut but unlocked by the previous homeowner. Keep them at bay with ample outdoor lighting. Place lights around your front and back yards, along pathways, and near the garage and other outdoor structures.

Today there are plenty of home security options for every budget and every level of protection. Stickle recommends evaluating the needs of your neighborhood and your house.

You can contact your local police department for neighborhood crime statistics and help doing a home security evaluation of your home. Info current as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Info current as of post date.

This entry point to your home is becoming more popular with criminals. Make it a habit to lock all doors to the garage—both interior and exterior. You may also consider keeping your garage door opener in the house. And if you use a security code to open the garage, make sure you keep it secret and never enter it in front of delivery people, neighbors, or anyone else. Here are some more easy ways to secure the garage. Your home wireless network is a doorway to your personal and financial information.

And if you use home automation , it can also make your house vulnerable to a break-in. If your Wi-Fi network is connected to smart home gadgets or your security system, it could give criminals direct access to your home. But you don't have to leave yourself vulnerable. Use our tips and tricks to keep hackers off your home network.

Keep them safe from online predators and cyber bullies with a parental control app , router, or software package.

These tools can even help you limit screen time and enforce device-free family dinners. Trees and shrubs may give your house curb appeal, but they also give burglars a handy place to hide. Trim down trees and plants close to your home that could be used for cover. Opt for smaller flowers and bushes instead.

If you have trees near windows, either remove them or reinforce those windows with extra security. This is one home security solution that works as both a deterrent and a means to get justice.

You can get security cameras that are part of a complete home security system, or you can use cameras that work on their own. Whichever way you go, we recommend using a security camera with a mobile app, so you can see footage in real time and store it if you ever need to go to the police.

Take proactive measures to protect your cameras from hackers too. In the event that someone gets by your other home security strategies, make sure that valuables are protected.

An in-home safe is a secure depository for everything from jewelry to vital documents like passports. Firearms are desirable items for a burglar. On average, around , guns are stolen during household burglaries every year. Home automation can give you remote or scheduled control of lights, door locks , security cameras, smoke alarms , and other safety devices. You can get real-time alerts about suspicious activity so you can respond quickly and thwart potential thieves.

Thanks to Amazon's Guard feature, you can turn your Echo smart speaker into a stealthy security helper—best of all, you can use it for free. Alexa Guard listens for sounds of a break-in and can send you an alert or even trigger a smart routine to make burglars think someone's at home.

Get all the details in our Alexa Guard YouTube video. Do what you can to prevent your new home from going up in flames. Don't forget to make a new fire exit plan based on your home's layout, complete with fire escape ladders for second-story bedrooms. Use these tips to get started. Identify which strategies are most important to you, and make a plan to add the rest later. Being aware of potential security risks and taking action early is the best way to keep your home and loved ones safe.

Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon.

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject change. I agree on getting an alarm system installed. Choose a place near your primary entry door and close to a power source to install the panel.

Then place sensors and detectors throughout your home. This is really great blog and interesting. I know, one of my neighbors has that dog! Sliding glass doors are an easy target for an experienced thief, and most patio doors can be lifted off the track and removed.

I purchased a device at Home Depot maybe Lowes that attaches to the door frame and the door itself. Prevents the door from being removed from the track. Thanks for the great tips for making our home safer. One thing that we can do is put in stronger, high-quality locks, like you said. A small dog that barks a lot is disliked more by burglars! I worked for a cleaning service once where we went into homes when the owners were at work.

The big dogs almost never barked at us and were very friendly. But the little dogs were a different story! They barked their head off even if they were in a crate and there was no calming them down! Comment on the sliding door I change the glass to plexi it was costly but will worth it when the came back the second time the could not get in.

To do that they had to get through a security screen door, with its own deadbolt. They tripped my alarm immediately when they kicked the inner door and ran! Once I was painting the bathroom but they insisted that I go over and investigate.

Make sure to bring your garbage cans in. Burglars will break your sliding glass door and walk right in like they live there, it happened to me. So even if there is an alarm on that door it want go off because the door needs to slide to trigger the. Make sure there is a motion detector at different entry points of your home.

Even if your house is. We would like to use our slider door as a lockable point of entry and exit. However, locksmiths have informed me that there is no good keyed lock system for sliders. Any suggestions regarding the feasibility of such a system? We have a Labrador retriever who notifies us if anyone is on or near the property.

We also have a neighborhood watch, and they reliably check out anything unusual. Every door has a dead bolt and the double pane windows lock. The garage door is electric. The best defense?

A barking dog. Many people responding to this article have ideas that are OK. Some even are paranoid like Bruce with all those cameras. That number of cams should only be necessary in a large commercial location. At some time the burglars will pass in front of one of the cameras.

They will be caught on the HDD of the DVR that is hopefully hidden some place in the home that is not very accessible. As for a security system, make sure that the siren is very annoying to the intruder.

That will make them leave quicker. The only delay should be at the main entry point to the home and that should be no longer than 15 seconds. All other zones should be instant alarm if broken first. Signs and decals do not always deter but make burglars think twice and go to the neighbors house who has no decals.

Police response time is usually very slow in large urban centres so you cannot count on them to catch the bad guys. A couple of suggestions, that may be helpful. This way it sounds more like a TV than a radio. No one leaves their TV on when not home, but yes folks will leave a radio on. Again creating the allusion that someone is there, so that they go look elsewhere for break in. Speaking of your front door, most have some small windows near the top to allow light in.

They also allow tall folks to look in. So at a hobby store, get a spray can of a permanent frosting spray you can spray on those windows. This information is all very informative to homeowners and I thank you for the reminders during this time especially holiday season. Thank you very much! We have a mini snauser with a very convincing growel and bark, we live in a small town. Good info, I always worry about the patio slider, use the stick but go in and out a lot and the stick gets to be a pain.

Easy, cheap and right there to remove if need to lift the door out for repair some day. Again, easy to remove if needed. PLEASE — if you plan on installing bars on your windows and doors — PLEASE — there are systems that have an automatic mechanical release from the inside — just in case of fire or you need to get out of the house if a bad guy gets in!

PLEASE — check with your local fire department or your security firm and get these — your personal safety is so important! Why are they not mentioned? Particularly a guard dog breed. One early in the morning when my wife was in the shower and I at work , one in the middle of the night while we were home. They detect, give alarm, and will give their life to protect their family! Force multiplier. First: Sliding Glass Doors I have installed several heavy screws in the upper tracks so that the doors cannot be pried up out of their tracks.

The screw heads are high enough for the doors to move easily. Second: Video Cameras I have my cameras and WiFi router powered by a UPS battery backup that keeps them working for nearly an hour if the power goes out. Third: Doors and Lighting Using multiple light timers that mimic my daily routines AND all doors are locked, even dead bolted, when not in use. Two things: 1. Very effective.

You can put a hold on your mail with the post office, they have a form on the USPS website. You tell them when you want to stop and then start mail delivery. We also coordinate with a neighbor to pick up the free newspapers and recycle them. He watches our house and we watch his when away. As for sliding glass doors, yes, putting a dowel in the track stops the door from sliding, PLUS putting a smaller diameter dowel or even a pencil at the top of the frame, just above the actual sliding door between the track frame on top and the sliding glass itself prevents the ability to lift windows out of their frames.

All great advise. For those who get home deliveries…have packages sent to friend or neighbour to accept at time of dlvy.

Use common sense! This comment is primarily for Kathy, but any can benefit from it. It prevents the door from being kicked in, and they were inexpensive at Lowes. We have outdoor rolling shutters on all windows, even on the door to the garage from the house. Also have Titan security doors on front and back. This makes it very difficult for someone to break into our home. But it still happens out here in the woods. A couple of my neighbors have been hit.

Well, I have a dog in the house that would put a severe hurting on anyone that makes the mistake of trying to enter my home. They are outstanding.

Their number is: , and they will be able to tell you about their product and monthly cost. Good luck!! Ask about different companies. We are on our third. A friend that is a dispatcher said not to use ADP — they have the slowest relay time. The second one we had never called us back about anything.

Our alarm had quit working for over a week before they called and several other incidents. Very happy now with the one we have now. It can also be turned on miles away if needed. We have Safe Systems. John Ries November 16, at pm When we purchased our house 22 years ago…I had the local wrought iron company make and install decorative security grills for every door and window in the house. We have never had a problem even when we left it for months each year to go to our summer place for the season.

It was well worth the money. But what about if you have a fire? How do you get out of the house, if you are behind bars or decorative grills? As a retired federal probation officer, make sure any security company you buy from or hire them to install your system does background checks on all employees.

Also change the alarm code once they have gone. Too many times people have become victims from the very security company they hired. Sometimes working in concert with another employee. They know the codes, the lay out of the system and what valuables you own.

I call it living out loud, use the phone for this kind of news. Our cameras are on 3 independent systems that allow us to have some surveillance in the event of a system failure of one or two. We have a Ring doorbell at every outside entrance that records and alerts us anytime someone approaches and we can also use Live View to see video anytime. We have 18 solar powered motion activated flood lights that cover virtually every nook and cranny of our property. We have Rolling steel shutters on every door and window that we can close or open with the push of a single button and would take some serious effort and time to breach.

We have secured our external phone and breaker boxes so that our security systems cannot be defeated by flipping switches or cutting wires. Our routers and camera systems are on battery backups in the event of a power failure by any cause.

We have a device on our garage door that allows us to open, close, and monitor it from anywhere via an app.