There is no such thing as a bad time to update your home security system, and this is especially true now that winter is coming, the season in which the risk of home burglaries rises steeply. To make sure you cover your most vulnerable points, we’ve come up with a guide outlining the most common weak points in home security.
Home Security Issues
The most obvious weak points in home security are the entry points. Your doors and windows are particularly attractive to burglars.
Although UK homeowners don’t tend to leave their windows wide open during winter, preferring them closed to keep the warmth in, windows can still be broken for a smash-and-grab by an opportunistic burglar. To stop this, you can install burglar alarms that work with window sensors which can detect unauthorised entry through windows and the sound of smashing glass.
READ MORE: How Do Burglar Alarms Work?
Some burglar alarms even have shock sensors to detect the impact of a door being kicked in or a window being broken.
You can also install CCTV that covers your doors and windows around the clock to ensure your home is kept secure 24/7. We can set up CCTV across your home to cover all the potential blind spots.
READ MORE: How to Choose a Security System
Common Home Security Mistakes
Even if you have the most sophisticated domestic security system in the world, there is one thing that it cannot protect against: human error.
There is nothing to be gained from a sturdy lock if you leave the key under the mat or in a flowerpot outside, for example. If you’re going away on holiday and you need your neighbours to water the plants or feed the cat, give them a key in person, or leave it in a key-safe.
If you do have a neighbour or relative coming by, make sure they move post away from the letterbox – a visible build-up of post is a clear signal of your absence to burglars.
Leaving your lights off when you’re away is another sign burglars look for. Installing timers can solve this problem by ensuring the lights go on when you would normally put them on to make it seem like you’re at home. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden and a driveway, motion-sensor-activated outdoor lights will also be helpful in deterring intruders.
As tempting as it might be to shout about your upcoming holiday on social media, we strongly advise you not to! If you aren’t careful about who can see your profiles, then anyone can, and announcing to the whole world that you’re going to be away from home is unwise. This is especially true given that it can only take a determined thief a little time to find your address either by your profile or via public records.
Make Your Home Cyber Secure
If you have social media profiles, make sure they are as free as possible of your domestic data such as your home address.
Beyond social media, it’s also worth making sure you have strong passwords and strong cyber security software installed on your home computer. Recent data breaches, such as the ones targeting Twitter and PayPal, have caused the leak of large amounts of personal data, which means a tech-savvy thief could steal your money, or even your identity.
The growth of smart home systems of interconnected devices is causing concern among domestic security professionals as they can also be hacked by determined criminals, allowing them access to your data without setting foot in your home. If you’re using such devices, ensure they are as secure and up-to-date as possible.
Here at IDS Security Ltd, we offer bespoke security systems so that we can cover all the weak spots that could otherwise be missed. If you have any questions about our security systems, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
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