North Carolina Home Security - Protect Your Home And Family

Protection

Having the sanctuary of your home invaded is a traumatic experience that can hurt as much psychologically as financially. There are some things a homeowner can do on their own to help protect themselves. For the installation of the most current alarms, locks, and other hardware and equipment your best bet is to consult with a North Carolina home security alarm system expert.

The best way to prevent a burglary in the first place is to make your home too big of a hassle for a burglar to spend their time on. Most burglars do not choose their victims randomly. Instead, they are seeking a specific set of circumstances so they can enter and leave quickly. They want access to be easy and quick, with good cover so they cannot be observed. They want the home to be unoccupied. They want an easy way to leave the scene of their crime. Your objective in defending your home is to make breaking into it a difficult and risky task.

Garage And Back Doors

Back doors and garage doors are the ports of entry into your home used most by burglars because they provide the best cover. You might think your unlocked car is safe if it is parked in your garage but it is not. You should lock the doors and not leave valuables in sight. The door between your garage and the inside of your house should be as secure as any outside door. Use a solid core or metal door at all entrance points, secured with a heavy-duty deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt.

A locked door can easily be kicked in if it doesn't have a four-screw high security strike plate installed with 3-inch wood screws with the bolt driving deep into the door jam. A burglar will probably just walk away when they see a door secured in this way. Sliding glass patio doors can be very easy to break into unless there is a secondary blocking device installed. Through-the-door pins or upper track screws should also be considered for sliding glass patio doors. It is important to keep the latch mechanism and rollers in good condition and properly adjusted. Always put alarm service, neighborhood watch, and beware of dog decals on doors and windows.

Windows

Burglars love open windows. Windows, particularly first floor windows, should never be left open or unlocked. Install secondary blocking devices on even upper floor windows if they can be accessed by climbing a tree or balcony. Install a blocking device that won't allow windows to be opened more than six inches. A home security tip is to check to make sure doors cannot be opened by reaching through a window.

Getting to know and working with your neighbors is a great way to fight crime. Arrange with your neighbors to have mail picked up, lawns mowed, and cars periodically parked in driveways when people are gone for extended periods. Keep an eye on each others properties and alert the police if you see anything suspicious. Make your home appear to be occupied even when it isn't. Never hide your house key outside. Instead give a copy to a trusted neighbor.

Exterior

Have the exterior of your house well lighted with infra-red motion sensor lights in the rear. Entryways and pathways should be well lighted. Criminals hate light because they do not want to be seen. Use timers to create the illusion that your home is occupied when you are away. Have the timers turn lights on and off in logical patterns. Timers can be used to turn on TV sets too.

The first rule of preventing home burglary is simply making your home an unattractive target. There are a lot of steps that you can do on your own. Locks, alarms and other devices must be installed properly in order for them to do the job they were designed to do. If you lack the do-it-yourself expertise, then there are many excellent Charlotte home monitoring security companies who can help you.