DIY Home Security Ideas
It may seem like securing your house from burglars will cost a fortune. The truth is, it doesn’t. Once you know what burglars are looking for, there are many small creative things that you can do to secure your house. The best part is, most of these DIY home security tips are inexpensive! Here is our extensive list of DIY home security ideas that will help you have a burglar proof home.
DIY Home Security Tips
1. Install a DIY Home Security Camera
Home security cameras are the best way to secure your house from burglars. Statistics show that a tiny percentage of burglars target places that have security cameras. Nowadays, you no longer need a team to install these cameras around your house. You can do this yourself! With the invention of wireless (completely wire-free) home security cameras, installation is no longer a hassle. These wireless security cameras also come with many features like face detection, AI, and live monitoring that call the authorities directly, saving you the trouble.
2. Install Window Locks
Window security is an essential part of burglar-proofing your home. Burglars can easily open most windows, especially if they’re using a pry bar. One simple, yet effective way of securing your windows is by using a pin lock. These are widely available, and all you need to do is drill a hole and install the pin. These should keep your windows well-secured.
3. Install a Yard Sign
A yard sign is the simplest way to tell burglars that your property is off-limits. After installing a home security system, you can conveniently put up a yard sign that tells burglars that the security system monitors a house. A lot of people put up a sign warning people of guard dogs. These signs are effective provided you do have a security system or dog installed. If you are bluffing, however, there is a huge chance that burglars will find out.
4. Install Motion Detecting Lights
Burglars thrive in the dark. This helps them sneak by unseen. Motion detecting lights are a very effective way that prevents burglars from entering your house. This is because as soon as they enter the light’s sensory area, everyone can see them. These lights are also easily available and easy to install.
5. Install Door and Window Alarms
Unlike the professionally installed alarm systems, many cheap door and window alarms can do the trick and provide you with good security. While these might not be the most effective security mechanisms, they do, in most cases, do the trick. Most cheap alarms don’t detect doors and windows being broken into, only these being opened. But the noise they make will have the burglars running for sure.
6. Install a Peephole
A peephole helps you see who is at the door before you go and open it. This is simple, effective, and at the same time cheap and easy to install. This will help prevent a possible break-in.
7. Install Glass Break Sensors
Glass break sensors, as the name implies, listen to the sound of glass breaking. These are particularly helpful for your home window security because many burglars do break windows when entering a house. Compared with separate door and window sensors, these glass break sensors are a lot more cost-effective because these are installed only once in a room, and if your room has a lot of windows, you have yourself a really good deal.
8. Install Security Cameras Outside Your Windows
Installing security cameras to secure your windows is a great way to prevent break-ins. Some people make the mistake of setting these cameras up inside the house, but what that does is make the camera’s vision blur, and it is not effectively able to detect imposters. The cameras should be attached outside the windows.
9. Install Light Timers
Light timers are also a very effective way of burglar-proofing your home because these indicate to the burglars that someone is home. This is done because the lights automatically turn on and off at certain times of the day. If you travel a lot, this is something that you should invest in.
10. Install Door Reinforcing Hardware
If burglars are trying to enter through your door, what they are going to do is use force against the door. This can be done by kicking the door open or slamming against the door. What they probably won’t do is try to pick the lock. Apart from getting good door locks, reinforce your door and jamb with some extra door reinforcement hardware.
11. Add a Door Brace
As mentioned earlier, a lot of burglars use force to break through your door and enter your house. In these cases, a door brace is a good piece of equipment capable of withstanding a lot of pressure. While this isn’t the best fix, it is better to have this than to not.
12. Add a Deadbolt Protector
Burglars might still try to pick your deadbolt lock, and a deadbolt lock is a small device that has specifically been designed to secure your deadbolt. This slides over the handle to keep the lock from turning.
13. Secure Your Sliding Glass Doors
Unlike wooden doors, sliding glass doors are much easier to get through. Therefore, it is a good idea to secure the doors using metal or wooden rods. The glass break sensor can also come in handy as it will be able to detect if the door glass has been broken.
14. Reinforce Your Door’s Strike Plate
Having a good heavy metal strike plate can go a long way in securing your front door from forceful strikes. What you need is a good and strong plate accompanied by long (3-inch) stainless steel screws. Recently deadbolts have been coming with these specifications, but it will be good to get some reinforcement if yours doesn’t have this.
15. Get a Smart Doorbell
A smart doorbell is a good investment for securing your house. If you don’t know about them, smart doorbells are doorbells with a camera, a speaker, and a microphone attached to them. When someone visits your house, you can conveniently see who it is and ask them what they want. This provides you with an extra layer of protection. These, however, might be a little expensive.
16. Hide Your House’s Wiring
It is probably a good idea for you to hide the external wiring of your house properly. This is because many burglars will try to cut your house’s power before a robbery attempt. You should make sure that burglars can not access the wires easily because that could become a nightmare for you.
17. Put Away Your Tools Safely
Your tools such as your hammer, ladder, pry bars, and screwdrivers are all things that burglars can use to break into and damage your house. For this reason, you mustn’t leave these lying around for anyone to grab.
18. Install a Safety Door
A safety door is another effective protection mechanism for the blunt force that burglars will use to break into your house. These will add a much-needed layer of protection in case the screen door fails. Screen doors are not very robust and can be broken through very easily, and hence safety doors become essential to be accompanied with screen doors.
19. Plant Thorny Bushes Near Windows…
People have started to plant thorny bushes near windows. This makes windows inaccessible for most burglars, and they would rather not go through the thorns to enter your house. If you have your front door secured, combine that with thorny bushes to make it very difficult for burglars to enter your house.
20. But Eliminate Hiding Spots
Does my landscaping, like plants and bushes, obscure the view of your property from your neighbors? Cut down or eliminate hedges, bushes, or hiding spots at the front of your property. Property maintenance is one of the 5 main Pillars of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design.
21. Install Security Bars or Window Grilles
Installing security bars or window grilles might be an extensive task. And for a lot of people, it might ruin the aesthetics of your windows. But if you live in a neighborhood where you are always fearful of robberies, it might be a good idea to have these since these are a near-fool-proof solution to burglars trying to enter your house using windows.
22. Get a Security Mailbox
A lot of thieves attack mailboxes. They do this to steal your cards and your personal information. Therefore you must protect your mail as well. To do this, we recommend getting a security mailbox that comes with a lock and a key. You can unlock it to get your mail every time, and installation is the same as a normal mailbox.
23. Don’t Share Your Travel Details On Social Media
A very simple home security tip is to not post that you are traveling on social media. This is because this gives the burglars knowledge that you are not at home and makes your home an easy target. We know you want to post those pictures, maybe wait till you’re back home?
24. Get a Guard Dog
Dogs are not only fun to play and hang around with. These are also huge burglar deterrents. If you are wondering how to secure your home without an alarm, get a barking dog. These are sure to keep the burglars away.
25. Install a Safe
Most of us don’t need huge expensive safes to guard our most precious belongings. A very effective DIY home security idea is to get a small safe. These are not as expensive as the big ones. The thing is, most burglaries happen during the day. This is because most people aren’t home during the day. In which case, a safe is probably a great idea to secure your belongings.
26. Don’t Leave Your Garage Door Opener in the Car
A lot of people make the mistake of leaving their garage door openers or house keys in the car. This makes the burglars’ life very easy since all they have to do is break into your car to get access to your house. Therefore be very wary of leaving such things behind.
27. Keep Your Curtains Up At Night
Another thing that burglars do is a scout at night. Since it’s dark outside and your house is well lit, they can very conveniently see inside your house. This helps estimate the value of robbing your house because by looking at your belongings, they have a rough idea of what to expect if they rob your house. Therefore keep the curtains up.
28. Don’t Forget to Lock the Garage and the Linking Door
While most people do lock the garage door, surprisingly, many people forget to lock the linking door from the garage. This poses a serious security safety threat since that door is an entryway to your house. Never forget to lock it so that even if burglars make it into your garage, they still have a lot of work to do to make it into your house.
29. Get Some Non-lethal Weaponry
We understand that keeping a gun at home is dangerous and not for everyone. If you are wondering how to protect your house without weapons, you can use other less deadly weapons. These could be pepper-spray, stun-guns, etc. In case there needs to be a confrontation with a burglar, it would be reassuring to have something on you. Fortunately, most burglars are unarmed when they are robbing a house.
30. Install Smash-Proof Window Glass
Most windows can easily be smashed and accessed. In this case, what you should probably get is smash-proof window glass. These are pricey; however, they do provide you with greater protection. You might also not need to ruin the aesthetic of your house by installing bars and grills.
This is an extensive compilation of ideas for home security. These will protect your house more effectively and get you thinking about other creative ideas to protect your house. The single most effective way of securing your home is through an advanced home security system. Deep Sentinel live camera surveillance does home security like no other. With live camera monitoring, artificial intelligence, and smart cameras, it is like having a personal security team outside your house at a much, much lower price. Protect your home today!