Security cameras are the way of the future for home security, but just buying a camera isn’t enough to keep you, your family, and your home safe. Location of those cameras are extremely important.
OUTSIDE
Front Door
Whether you have a doorbell camera at eye-level, or an outdoor camera mounted above the door-frame, having a security camera near your front door allows you to:
See when the kids get home from school
Tell if that person at the door is a solicitor, a neighbor, a friend, or someone you just don’t want to talk to
Keep an eye on your packages to make sure they arrive on time and safe
Get a headstart on the dogs when you have visitors
By the Back or Side Door
If your back entrance faces the woods, it’s important to keep an eye on what’s going on behind your house. After all, a woody backyard makes the perfect cover for someone trying to break into your home unseen. You can also watch what the kids or pets are up to from a much more comfortable location, like your couch.
On the Gate or Fence-Line
If your property is gated, and especially if your fence-line is out of sight of the house itself, posting a camera on or near the main and side entrances will ensure that you can see your whole yard, including where intruders are likely to enter. In the case of an emergency like a fallen tree, wildfire, or other unexpected damage, you’ll be able to spot the danger before it causes serious harm.
In First Floor Windows
Windows on the ground floor are one of the most common entrances for burglars, so a visible security camera will go a long way in deterring criminals…and catching them if they do attempt to break in.
Up High
Whenever you place your cameras outside your house, try to mount them at least 10 feet above ground level. That way, they will be much harder for burglars to tamper with, disable, or cover up.
INSIDE
In the Foyer
If you have outdoor security cameras, having an extra set of eyes in the entrance to your home will let you see who comes in, when, and what they do when they get there.
In the Living Room
The living room is the heart of the home, and that makes it the perfect place for you to place an indoor camera to watch the comings and goings of your house. Children, spouses, pets, and criminals will all pass through here at some point or another.
In the Garage
If you don’t have a door sensor on your garage entrance, it is especially crucial that you keep an eye on the area. Plus, your garage houses what is likely your most expensive possession: your car.
Facing Medicine and Liquor Cabinets
Prescription drug theft is extremely common in not just burglaries, but also friend and family theft. In fact, medicine cabinets are overwhelmingly more likely to be raided by someone you know than a stranger. That’s why it’s important to have all drugs, whether over-the-counter or prescription, securely locked away and monitored. The same is true for alcohol. Facing Basement Stairs
Basement entrances and windows are often not as well maintained or secured as the rest of the house, making basements the perfect entry point for a would-be criminal.
To learn more about purchasing security cameras for your home, talk to an KMT Systems Customer Representative at (770) 284-3144
On our blog, Protection Concepts shares many tips on preventing home burglaries. I thought you would benefit from tips from the insurance industry on ways to prevent home burglaries. Here’s a short article I found from the insurance perspective on how to prevent home burglaries.
Taking steps to prevent theft can reduce your insurance premiums and save you from the heartbreak of losing items that are worth more to you than money. The ring that your grandmother gave you, your great-grandfather’s watch, the charm bracelet that all of your children saved to buy as a Mother’s Day gift, or a special item that you bought on your honeymoon can’t be replaced if they are stolen.
Preventing Home Burglaries.
Invest in solid doors and good quality locks on doors and windows. This includes on all sliding glass doors as well. Make it not only difficult but also time consuming for a burglar to gain entry.
Whenever you go outside, lock the door and take the key with you, even if you are just stepping next door or out mowing the back yard.
Don’t put valuables where they can be seen from the window, especially items that can be easily carried.
Be sure your garage door can be secured. Do not leave it open when you are away; an empty garage broadcasts your absence.
When you aren’t home, use a timer set to turn interior lights on and off at varying intervals as though your home was still occupied.
Don’t keep large amounts of cash or really valuable jewelry around the house.
If someone comes to your door asking to use the telephone, make the call yourself. Don’t invite them in.
Don’t hide a spare key under the door mat or under a flower pot. Thieves know all the good hiding places
Plant thorny bushes under all windows. Trim back any trees or shrubs near doors and windows to eliminate hiding places for would-be thieves.
Don’t leave ladders outside. Keep any tools that could be used to break in your home safely locked away in a garage or shed.
Get a barking dog or “beware of dog” signs. If you own a dog and go out of town, have someone come in and care for your dog in your home
Always double check doors at night and lock all windows
Engrave all valuables such as stereos, microwaves, video cameras, with your driver’s license number. (Engraving tools are usually available through your local law enforcement agency.) Videotape the contents of your home. Keep the video and the list of all valuables in a safe place, such as a safety deposit box
Conclusion
Your are concerned about home burglaries. Your insurance company is concerned about preventing home burglaries. Protection Concepts is concerned about preventing home burglaries. Call us to see the tools we can provide you to prevent a home burglary happening to your home.
Don’t Become a Victim of Home Burglary in Atlanta. http://www.cityrating.com/crime-statistics/georgia/atlanta.html#.VBlns_ldXW8
Most people living in Atlanta do not believe they will become a victim to a home burglary. Atlanta crime statistics paint a different picture. Criminals don’t discriminate. Whether you‘re white, black, male, female, wealthy, or poor, you could be the next victim of a homer burglary.
Approximately 1 out of every 5 homes encounters a burglary or violent home intrusion in Atlanta.
Up to 79% of home invasions are done forcibly through a “locked” door in Georgia.
Home burglary takes place every 14 seconds in Georgia.
Many Atlanta homeowners have made the decision that installing a home security system is a way of life for iving in the city. Just as they pay for electric and water, they have a home security system to protect their families.
Those same crime statistics show that homes with a security system are ten times less likely to be burglarized The reason alarms systems deter burglaries is because they recognize the increase risk of being caught because of the home security system. Lawn signs and window decals signify to the criminal they are more likely to be apprehended by the police.
By far, the most common threat to our home is burglary. According to the FBI, a Home Burglaries occurs somewhere in the United States every 15.4 seconds. By definition, the crime of burglary is a non-confrontational property crime that occurs when we are not at Home Burglaries. However, becoming a burglary victim can leave a family feeling vulnerable and violated. To avoid becoming a burglary victim, it is important to first gain an understanding of who commits them and why. The majority of home and apartment burglaries occur during the daytime when most people are away at work or school. The summer months of July and August have the most burglaries with February having the fewest crimes. Burglaries are committed most often by young males under 25 years of age looking for items that are small, expensive, and can easily be converted to cash. Favorite items are cash, jewelry, guns, watches, laptop computers, VCRs, video players, CDs and other small electronic devices are high on the list. Quick cash is needed for living expenses and drugs. Statistics tell us that 70% of the burglars use some amount force to enter a dwelling, but their preference is to gain easy access through an open door or window. Ordinary household tools like screwdrivers, channel-lock pliers, small pry bars, and small hammers are most often used by burglars. Burglars continue to flourish because police can only clear about 13% of all reported burglaries and rarely catch the thief in the act.
A Police Video on Preventing Home Burglaries…Protection Concepts works hand in hand with local police departments to help prevent home burglaries. While you cannot control the desire or the ability of the burglar, there are a number of things you can do to prevent the opportunity of a home burglary from happening to your family. Enjoy this short police video from the Orlando Police Department on Preventing Home Burglaries from occurring in your home.
Residential robberies account for 70% of the burglaries in the United States according to National Statistics. Statistics also show that homes without home security security alarm systems are around 3 times more likely to be burglarized than houses along with security alarm systems. Yet only 20% 0f the homes in the US have a home security system.
The problem with traditional hard wired home security systems is that arming the system is easy to forget. People stop using their systems. New technology changes the playing field.
Here are some of the latest technology for improving home security systems that makes it easier for you the home owner.
Within the wireless alarm techniques, (WIFI) the components of the home security system sends signals over the airwaves. Sensors like carbon monoxide and smoke detectors can be incorporated into the main alarm. There is not need to run cables and lines through your existing walls.
With a wireless system you can arm your home security from your car or anywhere. No need to give out codes or punch buttons.
You can get email alerts every time your front door is opened.
You can open the door for your children when they come home from school right from your workplace or any phone.
You can get video clips from a camera watching your door.
Security camera are part of the new home security technology. Today the presence of cameras has become common place. You can even check your cameras from your phone.
Conclusion
With today’s wireless technology and mobile apps, you can add more security to your home with far less effort. Want more information about wireless home security systems? Give us a call and let us explain your options for using technology to improve security with your Atlanta home.
What do you think you could learn from a home burglar that could help protect you and your families’ belonging?
That’s the subject Debra Roberts and ABC TV set out to explore in a recent 20/20 newscast. They worked with a reformed home burglar to learn his secrets on how burglars identify, target and rob a home. He also identified those items that deterred him from robbing a home.
In this informational video, you will learn that a home burglary occurs every 15 second. It took this burglar less than 15 minutes to rob a home of its valuables. No matter what the race, nationality income or type of neighborhood, he will always find the jewelry in the master bedroom. That is the first place the thief starts. Drugs in the bathroom are valuable to sell on the open market. Burglars use social media sites to identify when families are gone on vacation. Video devises with the charger cords still attached are more valuable than video devises without the cord. Most home robberies occur during the daytime hours.
Take eight minutes to review this wonderful video. Then apply the tips identified in the video to make your home and belongings safer from potential house thieves.
Give us a call so we can help you with implementing these home security tips.