Maintaining safety within your household is your responsibility. No matter how safe you think your neighborhood is, there are vulnerabilities that you should be working to guard. Ultimately, the responsibility to maintain safety within the home falls upon the heads of the household, and everyone else’s safety depends upon the amount of work the heads of the household put into securing doors and windows. However, there are additional steps that should be taken in order to ensure that people and valuables are protected. For instance, a safe may be installed to keep valuables secure when people are away from the home. There are extreme measures that some people choose to take in order to provide a safe place for their families, such as installing a panic room within the home. Modern security procedures must also safeguard against cyber threats. It’s up to you to prepare your home for whatever circumstances might arise.
Why Maintaining Safety Should Be Your Priority
Maintaining the sanctuary of your home should be one of your primary objectives because your family relies upon you to provide a safe shelter. Members of your household will sleep better at night when they know that you have taken every measure to protect their home against threats with the help of key card door lock system. The safer your home feels to your family, the less stress they will have in regards to their possessions and their lives.
The Value of Having a Secure Door
The basic safeguards of the home must be checked for weaknesses on a regular basis. Thieves and other attackers will check for faulty locks and open windows. These types of issues should be addressed immediately in order to prevent unwanted disturbances to your home. The door to your home should have more than one lock to protect your home from intruders. In addition to a lock on the door handle, there should be a deadbolt on the door. A chain lock that goes on the inside of the door will give space for the occupants to open the door slightly in order to talk to visitors, which prevents tricky attackers from making their way into a home. Apart from adding locks to doors and windows, it’s wise to install bars on ground level windows.
Keeping Your Belongings Safe
When you own luxury items, it’s necessary to find an additional means of keeping those items safe from thieves. High-tech electronics, jewelry, rare collectible items, and other valuables require additional means to keep them safe from intruders. Even if you have insurance to cover your losses, leaving expensive items out in the open will make your home a target for attackers. Keep your belongings protected by installing a large home safe or lock-box. In addition to keeping your luxury items away from thieves, a quality safe will keep your items protected from threats of fire. While some items will be recovered or repaid by insurance policies, other items are irreplaceable.
Extreme Forms of Home Protection
The threat of home invasion is real in nearly every neighborhood. However, there are some extreme measures that homeowners may wish to take in order to provide for the safety of their families. Panic rooms are designated spaces where occupants of the household may retreat into in the event of a home invasion. When they reach the panic room to find protection, the occupant should have access to a method of communicating with police and supplies to aid in survival. Another extreme form of protection that many homeowners consider using are firearms and other weapons. In addition to remaining within the bounds of the law, homeowners must know how to properly use each form of protection in order to make the best use of any item.
Cyber Security
Bolting your doors and locking your windows isn’t enough to keep your home and family safe from intruders. Attackers in the modern age have found ways to exploit the lives of their targets through digital networks. If you are using a wireless router for your home’s internet connection, you should make sure that you create a password for your network. In addition to password protection, you should be aware of the technology around your home that automatically connects to your network. The Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices are forms of advanced technology that send updates through your home’s wifi network, but many of these items create vulnerabilities in your home security that could be exploited by cyber attackers.
Having said that, there are certain smart gadgets, that can actually improve your overall security, like a smart door lock. There are quite a few to choose from, but the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect seems to be the clear winner in this niche. This smart lock is basically installed on top of your current deadbolt and can be opened/closed via Bluetooth and an App on your phone. This gives you incredible control over who comes in and out of your house. It can also send you automatic notifications to let you know if your door is locked or unlocked and allow remote access (for instance on vacations). It doesn’t replace a strong deadbolt and it shouldn’t. It’s just an additional security measure you could take.
Steps to Stay Protected
- Step 1: Assess Your Home’s Weaknesses Take a look at your home from the perspective of an intruder. Where are the vulnerabilities that a thief or invader could use to gain access to your home?
- Step 2: Check Doors and Windows Tighten screws on the locks for doors and windows. If a lock is inoperable, find a worthy replacement. If you have ground floor windows, be sure to install bars for extra security.
- Step 3: Lock Your Belongings Away Install a safe to keep your expensive and precious belongings locked away from thieves.
- Step 4: Take Extreme Measures Into Account Decide whether your family should own a firearm, or install a panic room.
- Step 5: Guard Against Cyber Attackers Create a password for your wifi network, and consider turning off smart devices.