Home Security

Designing a Home Security System
Designing a home security system is easy by following the free tips presented in this article. The article makes the point that making your home secure isn't a matter of buying a certain product, but an overall strategy that combines locking the house tightly, eliminating the ways that intruders can conceal themselves on your property, and giving the appearance that you are home, whether you are or not. Offers diagrams and tips about how to secure your doors, use deadbolts for safety, add to the security of sliding windows by installing key locks in place of the standard sash locks, using flood lights for safety, installing low-voltage outdoor lighting, using a remote sensor light for outdoor lighting, using motion detectors, and installing modules into electrical sockets. The point is made that intruders are not the only problem. Your home security solution should also seek to prevent accidents on your property and make your home more convenient and comfortable.

The Ultimate Door for Home Security
We don't usually offer resources that are product specific or directly commercial, but Master Security Doors is a worthwhile exception because they created the ultimate door for securing your family and property from intruders and even events of nature like storms, tornados and fires. While providing many different designs, as well as custom designs, Master Security Doors are based on galvanized steel in the door and frame construction, and ultra-strong locking systems that involve at least four deadbolts. As a video demonstration on the company's website shows, four strong guys with sledgehammers can't get through these doors. They make all kinds of doors, for residential, commercial, mining, government and military. They also make doors for hotels, offices, yachts, and classrooms, as well as motorized sliding and pocket doors. They make invisible doors, secret bookcases and biometric doors. They also make window systems and store-front systems.

How to Deal with an Intruder in Your Home
Ideally, you proactively take steps to secure your home from intruders. But what if you wake up in the middle of the night and hear a noise? Or you see a man standing at the end of your bed with a knife? This article on wikiHow offers 16 steps for dealing with such a situation. First, if you hear a noise, take action and shut, lock and barricade your bedroom door, perhaps with a chair or heavy dresser. Use your cell phone to call the police and turn on your lights. If you don't have a gun, arm yourself with the most effective instrument to use as a weapon that you do have, such as a golf club or baseball bat. Open your window for an escape route if needed, but try to stay put until the policy arrived and have cleared the house. Ask the police to check your attic, loft and/or basement. Wouldn't it be terrible if they left but the intruder was still in the house? Now if you wake and an intruder is in the room, feign sleep, since he's probably just a thief and it's best not to alarm him if possible. But if it's clear he does mean you harm, and he's approaching, do everything possible to resist, and do not hesitate. Throw objects, rip, tear, bite, strike the eyes, nose, throat neck and groin—show no mercy. Kill or incapacitate. If you can make it, flee.

An Introductory Guide to Training Dogs for Personal Security
This article by David F. Austin, who has consulted with various dog experts, contains a huge selection of resources on how to be a responsible dog owner. This includes general information on choosing the right dog and using it for home security. Future puppy owners will also learn some tips on how to raise a puppu using proper obedience training to be a guard dog. This comes with the list of different dog breeds that are likely to be efficient watchdogs, according to dog specialists. There is also a brief comparison between Doberman and its short-haired alternatives, when it comes to being a protection dog.

Home Security Tips from a Local Sheriff's Department
The Seattle Police Department has some recommendations to help you secure your home and reduce the threat of burglary. Before making any security improvement, the department suggests identifying the most likely entry points a burglar would use. And the best way to do this is to ask two questions: 1) which entrances are hidden out of view of your neighbors; and 2) if I get locked out of my house, where might a get back in with the least amount of difficulty—every door and window listed should be labeled a number one priority. Now for the basic security improvements: The key concept is to make a burglar take as much time and possible and create as much noise as possible breaking into your home. Thus, make doors strong enough to withstand a lot of force and secure them with a deadbolt lock with a minimum one-inch throw, and anchor strike plates and frames to the home's main construction. Double-hung windows should be secured with pins or extra locks. Trim trees and shrubs to allow visibility along the perimeter, especially the entries, of the house. Install interior and exterior lights with times that activate them in your absence, and make sure all doors and windows are well lit at night. There are many more recommendation on this page, including a discussion about installing an alarm.