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15 Tips to Ensure the Safety and Security of Your Home

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When is the last time you thought about the safety and security of your home? How about thinking about it right now? Do you do the following? If not, start, today:

  1. Do you have propane tanks for a gas grill? Or gasoline cans with gas in them? They aren’t supposed to be stored inside. Put them is a safe secure place where kids can’t access them.
  2. Do you have both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? When is the last time you inspected them? Check the batteries and make sure they are not collecting lint and dust. If you can, integrate them, too. This way, if one goes off in the kitchen, the detectors throughout the house will also get triggered. Set a note in your calendar to replace the battery’s every 6 months.
  3. Does your mailbox lock? If not, consider upgrading to one that does. This way, mail that contains sensitive information won’t just sit out there for the taking.
  4. If you are using an extension cord outside, make sure that it is made for outdoor appliances. Others can cause fires or trip causing other issues.
  5. Don’t leave any notes on your door claiming that you will be home later. This is the case even if you are expecting a package.
  6. Understand that if there is a power outage, your food in the freezer should last for up to 48 hours. Use a generator or stock up on non-perishable food.
  7. When you use an oily rag, put it outside to dry. Then, store it in a metal can with a secure lid. Even if it looks dry, an oily rag is still flammable even if it isn’t in contact with flames.
  8. Don’t try to charge a non-rechargeable battery. This could make it explode.
  9. To dissuade burglars from getting into windows, plant thorny shrubs and bushes around them.
  10. If you have a home security system, make sure everyone knows. Place the company’s decals and signs around your home and yard. If you don’t have one, buy and place signs up anyway. It will still dissuade burglars.
  11. When it snows, shovel the driveway and create a path to your home. This shows the bad guys that someone is home. And various town and city ordinances require this or you’ll get fined.
  12. Before you leave on vacation, set your home phone’s ringer on mute. This way, if a burglar is staking out your home, your phone won’t be a dead giveaway.
  13. Before you leave town, put a hold on your mail and newspaper. Don’t let it pile up.
  14. Also, ask a friend or neighbor to park their car in your driveway if you are away. This way, a burglar will always think someone is home.

While away on vacation, don’t post about it on social media. Burglars often search social media sites to see who in the neighborhood is away.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

45 Home Security Tips That Help to Keep Burglars Away

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If you have a home, you should be worried about burglars. Here are 44 home security tips that you can use to keep the burglars away:

  1. Keep your doors locked all of the time.
  2. Use a deadbolt on every door.
  3. Don’t leave ladders outside.
  4. Teach young kids NOT to answer the door.
  5. Make sure there are no valuables sitting out that someone could see from the window.
  6. Keep curtains and shades drawn tight at night.
  7. Install a peephole.
  8. Don’t answer the door unless you expect someone.
  9. Cover all windows with an anti-penetration film known as shatter proof window film.
  10. Put a “beware of dog” sign in the front and back of your property.
  11. If you don’t have a dog, make it look like you do. Drape a large leash over your outdoor furniture, place a large food bowl with water outside, and even throw some dog toys in the yard.
  12. Don’t leave the garage door open or unlocked, ever.
  13. Put your valuables in a sock and hide them under your bathroom vanity. Burglars don’t often check bathrooms.
  14. Even better, put it in a fireproof safe.
  15. Make sure all of your window locks work, and make sure to lock all windows at night.
  16. Don’t allow bushes to grow too high near the home. These offer hiding places for burglars.
  17. Plant thorny bushes around the windows and doors.
  18. Teach your family about fire escape, and then conduct “home invasion drills”
  19. If there are no men in the house, create the illusion of one. Place old, worn men’s work boots by the door along with a tool box.
  20. Make sure all of your window screens are in excellent condition, not torn.
  21. Use stoppers or Charlie bars in all window tracks.
  22. Get a new security system, and make sure it includes motion sensors and cameras.
  23. Place a video surveillance camera, or even a fake one, above the front and back door where it is always visible.
  24. If you are planning a vacation, talk to a neighbor about parking their car in your driveway. Also, ask someone to mow your lawn.
  25. When away, put a hold on your newspaper and mail delivery.
  26. Set up a system that turns on lights inside and out when you are home or away. This way, it looks like you are home.
  27. Don’t post about your vacation on social media until you get home. Burglars look for those posts.
  28. Put decals from a security company on your windows and front door.
  29. Put a security system sign in both the front and the back yard.
  30. Don’t talk about your travel plans with preachers, service people, survey takers, or salespeople. They may not have bad intentions, but people talk too much.
  31. Install a lockbox for spare keys.
  32. Consider building a “safe room.”
  33. Make sure your home’s address is large and very visible from the street.
  34. Put your name inside opposed to outside the mailbox. No need to broadcast it to buglers
  35. Don’t say “We aren’t home right now” on your voice mail recording.
  36. Check all windows after you have a service person in your home. Sometimes, they leave windows open so that they can get in later.
  37. Consider keyless smart locks.
  38. Get a protection dog.
  39. Take a self defense course.
  40. Don’t leave any packages sitting outside of your house. Instead, schedule packages when you can sign for them or use a sign-for service.
  41. Have a phone on your night stand.
  42. Install a good door reinforcement system. Door Devil is a good one.
  43. If you leave the house, turn off the ringer of your home phone. This way, burglars won’t hear it ring without anyone picking it up.
  44. Give a key to your home to a trusted neighbor. Don’t ever leave it under a plastic rock, welcome mat, or a flower pot.
  45. Assume that the guy who knocks at the door representing your alarm company who just shows up wants to rob you.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

Technology and Home Security wed

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Gone is the day when, while out on a romantic evening with your special someone, you suddenly realize you forgot to turn on your house alarm. You spend the rest of the long evening fretting about this.

2HNowadays, all you need do is whip out your smartphone and activate the alarm. You can even view the interior and exterior of your property in realtime with smarthome security cameras. And rest assured, if someone breaks in while your eyes are glued to the big movie screen, you’ll get a vibration alert.

We are getting closer and closer to a Jetson’s lifestyle; you know, George Jetson, the cartoon character who lives in the future? The Jetson household includes a female-looking robot dressed as a maid.

Robots

A house robot is no longer the thing of science fiction. Google is working on creating a robot that will help protect the house (and cleaning it is already being done with a Roomba). One of the tasks this robot would be able to do is prevent false alarms with the home security system. “What can be conceived can be achieved,” so the saying goes.

Laser Beams

  • Laser beams have been in existence for a while, that can detect motion and set off an alarm.
  • But this technology has much room for advancement in the security world and is growing.

More Advancements

  • Like an airplane on autopilot, your home’s security system will one day truly be on autopilot, with you at the helm no matter where you are.
  • But remember, robots, laser beams and other forms of technology will never replace common sense. You can have the most state-of-the-art technology working to protect your house, car, boat, even your person (with smartphone apps that can sense an unintentional fall, or with one touch of a button, summon an emergency response and give out your GPS coordinates) – but all this may mean zilch if you’re not wearing a seatbelt or if you’re texting while driving. Or if you’re climbing up on the rails of the cruise ship you’re on.
  • So even though the war against home intruders is closing in on them, sometimes our greatest enemy is oneself.
  • In the meantime, take advantage of what the booming home security market has to offer. Home security companies typically offer free consultations.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Home Security Cameras 101: Filming

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Before buying a security camera, ask yourself:

  • Where do you want to place it?
  • How well-hidden can it be or does it need to be?
  • Are you familiar with laws pertaining to filming people with or without their knowledge?

5HWhere is setting up the camera illegal? Bathrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms and residences other than yours (unless you have that other individual’s permission to set it up for their use).

Assume this list is not complete; the bottom line is that video surveillance is prohibited where anyone could be naked or even partially nude. There may be some gray areas, however. In that case, consult with an attorney.

A gray area would be some kind of private room where a person might be undressing, such as a dressing room for a theatre production, a cabana at a country club or beach, or a mock dressing room for a model posing for an oil painting class.

What if you want to set up a camera in the locker room, dressing room or bathroom of a business you own—not to be nosy, but to catch any thieves or other criminal behavior?

Sorry, it’s against the law. The propensity to be partially naked wins out over the possibility of someone stuffing unpaid-for items in their pants or sexually assaulting someone in a bathroom stall.

But this doesn’t mean you can’t place cameras outside the targeted room, to capture entrances and exits on a timeline. Set the camera up so that it can’t capture activity inside the room when the door opens.

Home Cameras

  • The general rule is that if a scene is viewable to the public, your camera can be stationed to record it, such as the parking lot smack in front of your front door or the neighbor’s outdoor deck across the parking lot (where it’s not expected anyone will undress).
  • Though it’s legal to point a camera at the neighbors, it can incite them and cause you grief, including legal action against you (people can sue for anything and everything; doesn’t mean they’ll win, but the anticipated defense legal fees and the whole headache of being taken to court often convince the defendant to retract the behavior that triggered the lawsuit).
  • This is NOT legal advice. Consult your attorney and local laws.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Preplan for a Safe Vacation

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Traveling is fun, exciting, tiring and depending on your destination, generally safe. But bad things can happen. The best thing you can do before you go, is prepare.

5HSafety Tips

  • Blend in on your vacation. Before you leave for your trip, plan out your arrival. Dress like the locals. Preparing to blend into the ambience before you leave ensures you won’t be accosted the second you get off the plane. Don’t stick out like a sore thumb dressed in Western attire while you roam around a city where most women are wearing robes or the men are wearing turbans. If wearing a kimono means reducing your odds of being mugged (tourists are known for carrying a lot of cash) or abducted, then do just that.
  • Try not to “play it by ear.” Have a plan in action for every day—and develop it either the night before or early in the morning.
  • Plan. figure out where you’re going to have breakfast; figure out how much time you need in the morning to do anything related to the day’s events (e.g., get tickets, arrange transportation, bring enough diapers for the toddler).
  • Have your young kids wear those sneakers that light up with each step; this will help you know where they are.
  • Before you departed for the trip, you created something to put on your children’s person that contains vital information about them, in case they got lost, right? There are numerous GPS devices that can help you locate them is something happens.
  • And your kids already know how to swim, right? An infant can learn to swim.
  • And you’ve already taught your kids about stranger danger, right? Don’t wait till you’re on vacation to do this.
  • And speaking of young kids…forbid them from dashing ahead of you, especially in crowded areas, especially in a foreign land. You just never know what could happen (e.g., someone swiping your child; your child accidentally ramming into someone and getting injured or inadvertently knocking over a frail elder). Really, I’ve seen kids bolting ahead of their parents like a freight train, including when the parents are not paying attention.
  • Every morning, review instructions for emergencies. This includes instructing your kids to yell, “This man’s not my dad!” if they’re being abducted, rather than just wildly screaming.
  • Before you left for the trip, you packed/uploaded/took headshots of every family member, right? In case someone goes missing?
  • Every morning, make sure everyone has a headshot of everyone on their person. This way, if your young child approaches a woman (because they were taught to approach only a woman if lost), they can show that woman a photo of you and say, “I need your help. I can’t find my patrents.”
  • You’re outside, eager to sightsee. But not before you get key landmarks squared away with everyone in your party.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

15 Home Safety and Security Tips

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There’s always a perfect time to assess your home’s safety and security. Do you employ all of the following practices?1H

  1. Make sure your house’s roofing is fire resistant. If not, get it remodeled.
  2. Not only should you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, but you should also regularly inspect them for lint and dust buildup. Plus, they should all be integrated, so if one goes off in the kitchen, the ones in the bedrooms and even basement get triggered.
  3. If your mailbox isn’t one that locks, get one, so this way you won’t be leaving outgoing mail with sensitive information sitting in an unlocked box.
  4. If you need an extension cord for an outside appliance, make sure it’s one that says: “Suitable for Use with Outdoor Appliances.”
  5. Never leave any stickie notes on your door saying you’ll be back in a few minutes…even if you’re expecting a delivery.
  6. Know that if there’s a power outage, the food in your freezer will last for up to 48 hours. Have a backup generator or only stock up on dry/canned goods.
  7. When you’re done using an oily rag, set it outside to dry, then put it in a metal can with a lid. An oily rag is flammable even when not in contact with a flame.
  8. If a battery is non-rechargeable, don’t try to charge it, as this could make it explode.
  9. To repel an intruder from getting in through your windows, plant thorny bushes around them.
  10. If you have a home security system, display the company’s decals on your windows and signs in your yard. If you don’t have a system, you can get these items online; display them anyways.
  11. When you get a snowfall, clear a path to your door, and better yet, shovel the driveway—even if you’re not going anywhere, as this will make burglars think someone is home.
  12. Before leaving on any extended errands and especially travel, set your home phone’s ringer to mute so that an incessantly ringing phone doesn’t get a burglar’s attention that you’re not home.
  13. Before leaving town, put a vacation hold on your mail and newspaper, and tell a trusted adult of your travel plans.
  14. Before leaving for a trip, arrange with a trusted person to have them park their car in your driveway.
  15. While you’re enjoying your vacation, avoid posting about it on social media. Burglars peruse social media to see who’s not home.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

15 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe During the Holiday Season

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Most people don’t like that “fall back” time change every November, but you know who does? Burglars. Burglars love to “fall back” because it gives them more time to practice their criminal activities thanks to the earlier veil of darkness. This is also a convenient time for them as the holiday season is upon us and most people have a lot of newly purchased gifts in our homes. Perfect bait for burglars.

2BIn general, most homeowners will take precautions around Christmas time to prevent fires due to Christmas lights, yet they do not take extra security measures to prevent home robbery. Though fire prevention is certainly important, your home is far more likely to attract the eyes of a burglar than to go up in flames. So, here are 15 ways that you can keep the burglars away:

  1. Keep doors locked at all times. This is true even when you are home, and even when it’s light out.
  2. Keep your windows locked, even those on the second floor. Burglars DO have climbing skills.
  3. Use door reinforcements and top-flight locks.
  4. Keep the curtains and blinds closed. This will ensure that no one can take a peek at your valuables.
  5. Install security films on the windows. These help to prevent the penetration of objects such as a baseball bat or crow bar.
  6. Give your home a “lived-in” look with a home automation technology system. Many of these can be controlled by a model device or scheduled to turn lights on or off at a specific time.
  7. Collect your newspaper and mail as soon as they arrive.
  8. Place a large pair of men’s work boots near the door, and make sure they are scuffed up to make them look worn.
  9. Put a large dog bowl near the entryways of the home, but make sure it looks realistic. Do this by adding a chewed up toy or large leash to the scene.
  10. Make sure there is no shrubbery crowding entry points of the home.
  11. Go to Google news, and type in the phrase “door kicked in” along with your city and state. You will be shocked by the results. To protect yourself, consider a device such as Door Devil, which is a high-level door reinforcement device.
  12. If you have a garage, make sure you are packing and unpacking gifts from the car inside of the garage so no one can see what you purchased.
  13. Don’t advertise your Christmas gift purchases on social media, as many thieves use social media to find potential victims.
  14. Make an investment into a home security system. The best systems provide a clear view of what is happening in the home on your mobile device when you are not there.
  15. If you have a car parked out in the drive, place a pair of men’s gloves on the dash. Most burglars will think twice if they believe there is a large man living in the home.

Robert Siciliano is a home and personal security expert to DoorDevil.com discussing Anti-Kick door reinforcement on YouTube. Disclosures.

Choosing a Home Security System

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Choosing a home security system may be dizzying, what with all the possibilities, but the good news is that there’s a system for every budget and personality.

3HGone are the days in which the only security systems available were the ones with all the clunky wires that had to be put throughout the house. Systems are now offered by Internet providers and cable companies. But choose carefully.

Wireless

  • These often include do-it-yourself installation.
  • The provider may or may not yield an equipment charge.

Get the police involved.

  • Ideally the system should automatically send an alert to a call center who dispatch the police. However some home security companies don’t offer monitoring services that trigger a call to the police when the alarm is tripped. Look into this.

Smartphone

  • For not much more than $25-30 a month, you can have a basic system that includes motion sensors using an application for your phone.
  • With your mobile device connected to your home, you can monitor it in real time, get alerts, control other functions or arm your system if you forget to do it after you leave.

Customer Service

  • The industry of home security systems is highly competitive. Basically they offer the same things, so a good company will try to stand out by offering superior customer service.
  • It would be wise to check out reviews before committing to any service.
  • One thing to keep in mind is that customer service should be available ‘round the clock.

Home-made Security

  • Until you get an official home security system, you can buy security company stickers off of eBay and put them on your windows to fool burglars into thinking your house is protected.
  • Use timed lighting devices so that your house never looks dark and unoccupied.
  • Timed devices can also produce flickering light to simulate a TV being on.
  • Keep shrubbery away from windows so that intruders can’t hide in it.
  • Always keep the lawn well-kempt. An overgrown lawn suggests that the home’s occupants have been away on vacation.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

44 Tips to protecting your home from danger

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There are enough tips on how to protect your home to make a professional burglar dizzy. In no particular order, check them out: 6H

  • Get a peephole.
  • If you don’t have a large dog, make it look like you do, but don’t be obvious. A worn, large leash draped over an outdoor chair would be more convincing than a large food bowl near your door.
  • Put a beware of dog sign in the back (front is too obvious a ploy).
  • If there’s not a man in the house, leave out an old pair of men’s work boots or tool box on the front stoop.
  • Keep doors locked at all times.
  • Never leave the garage door open unless you must pass under it.
  • Never leave a ladder outside.
  • Place a real or fake video surveillance camera above the front door where anyone can easily see it.
  • Get a security system that includes motion detecting lights at all entry points.
  • Make sure no shrubs conceal windows. Plant thorny bushes by windows.
  • Stash what valuables you can in a sock inside your child’s bureau (burglars rarely check children’s rooms).
  • For other valuables, store in a fireproof safe.
  • Use Charlie bars or stoppers on the tracks of your windows.
  • Cover your windows with penetration-proof film.
  • Use deadbolts.
  • Keep your shades down and curtains drawn at night.
  • Make sure no valuables are visible through any windows.
  • Before you leave for vacation, arrange to have someone mow your lawn and park their car in your driveway.
  • Before you leave for travel, put a vacation hold on your mail and newspaper delivery.
  • Use an automatic timed lighting system for when you’re away.
  • Make sure all the screens in your windows are in excellent condition.
  • Make sure all the locks on your windows work—and keep your windows locked overnight!
  • Have a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector on each floor.
  • Conduct staged fire escape drills for the entire family.
  • Never post vacation plans or even evening plans on social media.
  • Put your home security’s sign in the front and back yards.
  • Put their decals on your front door and windows.
  • Don’t allow dried-up leaves or brush to collect on your property.
  • Have a “secret room” built.
  • Don’t answer the door unless you’re expecting someone.
  • Always check your windows after a service person has left the house (they may have unlocked one as an entry point for a later burglary).
  • Never reveal to service people, salespeople, survey takers, preachers or anyone else at your door of your travel plans.
  • Make sure your voice mail recording doesn’t say, “We’re not home now…”
  • Make sure your house’s address numbers are big and easily viewable.
  • If you can’t quit smoking, then rinse the butts before discarding.
  • Keep all flammable material away from the house.
  • Give a spare house key to a trusted neighbor; never leave it under a welcome mat, flower pot or plastic rock.
  • Never step outside the house while the fireplace or a candle is burning.
  • Never leave hot things plugged in unless you’re using them.
  • Install high-grade door reinforcement technology. Door Devil, is the door jamb reinforcement I use.
  • Before leaving the house, turn your phone’s ringer to silent so prowlers don’t hear unanswered ringing.
  • Never have packages sitting outside your door; use a sign-for service.
  • Keep a phone at your bedside.
  • Assume the man at your door claiming to represent your alarm company, whom you’re not expecting, wants to rob you.

Robert Siciliano is a home and personal security expert to DoorDevil.com discussing Anti-Kick door reinforcement on YouTube. Disclosures.

What kind of Home Security System is right for Me

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Burglars don’t usually depend upon the light of the moon to break into homes; they depend on the daylight—because that’s when they know most homes are empty! The kids are in school, the adults are at jobs or shopping…duhhh, even a halfwit burglar knows this is an opportune time!

4HTherefore, you should get a home security system that’s designed to repel robbers in both the dead of day, not just night. This includes while you’re home. And when you are home, a burglary turns into a “home Invasion” which often turns deadly.

  • You may be sick in bed.
  • You may be home telecommuting.
  • Or maybe you have a weekday off.
  • Maybe you work a night shift and you’re home during the day.
  • Are your kids home by themselves after school?
  • Is Gramps there by himself?
  • Do you travel frequently?
  • Figure it all out and then investigate which home security system fits your lifestyle.

A home security system isn’t just the alarm that shrieks when someone tries to break in. It can be a pendant that Gramps wears in case he falls. It could be remote monitoring of your latchkey kids.

A representative from a reputable home security company can answer all of your questions, such as how to make access to the control panel easy for kids and the elderly, while remaining hard to find by an intruder.

You’ll probably learn a lot of what the most state-of-the-art system can do—things you wouldn’t necessarily know that a security system is capable of, such as a text message triggered by the system’s sensors—indicating that something anomalous is occurring at your house, such as a window being broken or a gas or water leak.

You’ll also learn how to be smart about your system, such as making windows exceedingly difficult for an intruder to get through, including those you’d think were too small to matter.

If you have a garage, that requires yet another layer of security. An intruder may get in via a window, then get into the garage from the internal door that connects it to the house. He opens the garage and begins loading his van which is parked in the driveway, whistling nonchalantly while neighbors don’t suspect a thing.

For optimizing your security options, you should consult with experts from well-known companies and read reviews from current customers to determine which options, features, benefits, bells and whistles are most appropriate for you.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.