Home Security News

Residential Garage Door Security

Have you taken a good look at your garage doors lately?  For many folks, the garage can be a vulnerable spot when it comes to burglarly potential.  Residential garage door security is as important to consider as every other aspect of your home's security.

You want to fortify your garage door and entry doors in order to reduce your risk of being burglarized.  Most thieves will move on to another house if they spend a couple minutes checking yours out and find it well secured.  Here's a list of things to do to turn them away from your garage:

• Place deadbolts on all exterior doors.
• Install a deadbolt as well as a lock on doors leading from attached garages and into the house.
• If you have an old garage door opener system, upgrade to a modern unit that uses rolling code technology.
• When you go out of town, stick a padlock through your garage door track above one of the rollers.
• Make sure windows have locks and, if they slide, bars.
• Don't leave ladders or other tools around the house, which thieves could use to gain entry.

More tips on garage security.

How ID Theft Happens

It's as important to guard against identity theft as it is to watch out for burglars.  A robbery is a pain, but someone stealing your identity could be even more of a hassle.  And if you've been robbed, you may be even more at risk of ID theft, since today's all too savvy thieves are likely to take check books and credit cards not to use them to get money out of your account but to open new accounts, take out loans, etc.  ID theft is a big problem.

So, aside from thieves breaking and entering, how does it happen?  Here are the major ways:

1. Dumpster Diving -- ID thieves rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it (so make sure to shred all your identifying pieces of mail!)
2. Skimming -- This is when they steal your credit or debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.  While it's hard to keep your card in sight at all times (i.e. at restaurants), it's not a bad practice.  If you pay in cash at restaurants, you don't have to let your cards out of your sight.
3. Phishing -- You know those junk mails you get that seem to be from legitimate sites such as Paypal?  They're actually ID thieves hoping to get you to click a legitimate looking link to get your personal information.  To be on the safe side, if a link in your email takes you to a page that asks for your password or personal information, don't input it.
4. Changing Your Address -- Missing any mail?  Some identity thieves will divert your billing statements to another location by completing a "change of address" form at the post office.  If anything seems fishy with your mail situation, go down to the post office and see what's up.
5. Old-fashioned Theft -- If someone swipes your wallet, purse, mail, credit card statements, etc. assume an ID thief might be at work so take proper precautions.  Also be aware that cases keep showing up where people are stealing records from companies that employ large amounts of people (even government offices), so watch the news and be aware of this.

Shop Online for Good Home Insurance Prices

Homeowner's insurance is something you pretty much need to have.  Chances are you had to sign up for a policy just to get a mortgage from the bank (after all, they own your house until you have the loan paid off, and they don't want their asset burning down), but you might not have gotten the best rates then.  Or you might have remodeled (and improved the value of your home) or purchased a lot more items today that you want insured. 

It's important to keep your homeowners insurance up to date so you're covered in the event of an emergency.  At the same time, you don't want to pay more for your premium than you have to.  Fortunately, the Internet makes comparing quotes from different insurance companies a lot easier than it used to be.

There are lots of sites that can give you quotes.  One of them is InsureLog.com.

You can get quotes on just about every type of insurance there, and they are available for all states in the U.S.  They also have a specific page for home insurance quotes.  There you can get rate comparisons from several companies offering insurance in your area.  This allows you to get the coverage you need at the best rate possible.

The site also has numerous articles on homeowners insurance, so if you have questions it's a good place to browse.  For instance, did you know that having certain breeds of dog could affect your insurance rates?  Do you know if flooding is covered in your current policy?  Do you need homeowners' insurance if you live in a condo or townhouse?  All these questions are covered in articles on the Insure Log site, so check them out if you're shopping for better rates or just looking for information on the subject.

Home Insurance Quotes

*Sponsored Post

Internet Security Camera, Easier Than Ever for Homeowners to Install

If you've ever thought an internet security camera sounded cool, now's a great time to pick one up (or even install a network of them).

Prices have really come down, and the technology is getting easier and easier to implement all the time.  It really has become a plug-and-play kind of installation.

If this is your first time reading about internet security cameras, here are some of the cool things they can do:

• Let you monitor your home from work or even an internet cafe on the other side of the world.
• View your home's interior or exterior from an internet-enabled cell phone.
• Use one as a nanny cam to keep an eye on the babysitter caring for your children while you're away.
• Capture a video recording of anyone entering your home without authorization (i.e. catch thieves in the act!)

There are lots more features, too, depending on the model you get (some let you pan, tilt, and zoom in, all from a remote computer).  You can visit this site to read more about security cameras and internet security cameras.

House Numbers from Recycled Street Signs

We've talked about the importance of house numbers that can be seen well from the street, even at night (if there's an emergency, you don't want the police or ambulence having any trouble finding your home).  While these house numbers, which are made from recycled aluminum traffic signs, might not be as bright at night as these lighted house numbers, their reflective quality puts them a step above many address plaques.  Plus it's cool having something made from recycled materials.

"Durable and weather-resistant, all numerals are made to order and available in one of three easily seen color combinations: yellow and black; orange and black; black and white."

From Eco-Artware

Low-voltage Security Lighting Options

Lighting in your front and backyard is a good idea for home security reasons.  A burglar is not going to want to ply his trade at the well-lit house on the block, when he can skulk in the shadows of a darker yard across the street.  And, of course, lighting makes it safer for you when you're walking up to the front door at night (nobody can hide in the shadows to mug you if there aren't any good shadows!). 

Security lighting can also double as landscape lighting, but whatever your reason for adding lights, you probably don't want your energy bill to increase a lot.  Fortunately, there are lots of low-voltage lights out there that won't cost you a fortune.

Here are some popular choices:

Mushroom Lights -- these have large shades to direct light downward, so they're perfect for lighting walkways, steps, or highlighting plants.

Floodlights -- perhaps the most common type of security lighting, floodlights provide dramatic silhouettes and offer excellent security.  You can mount them on walls and trees, or for a cool landscaping effect, install floodlights in the ground and point them skyward.

Deck lights -- if you've got a deck, you should have some lighting out there for safety at night.  Try installing lights along the railings to increase security by broadening the illuminated area around the house.

Well lights -- these are most popular for landscaping, as they allow you to achieve dramatic up-lighting effects on trees, architectural features, statuary, and shrubbery.  But any lighting you add to the yard will also improve the security of your home at night.

Remember to look for low-voltage options to help save money.  All these types of lights are available in energy efficient versions.

Source: Home Security: Your Guide to Protecting Your Family

Types of Home Video Surveillance Systems

If you're thinking of adding a video surveillance system to your home security system, it will allow you to monitor what's going on when you're not around, rather than just waiting for an alarm to go off.  You might be able to catch a burglar on tape, or just keep track of your grounds and watch for suspicious activity that occurs when no one is home. 

According to this article on "Home Security Cameras" there are two types of video surveillance systems: overt and covert.  Basically this means systems that are hidden and systems that are openly visible to anyone who comes to the house. 

Both types of systems have their merits.  With covertly hidden cameras (sometimes called "nanny cams"), you can monitor people who are in your house for babysitting, pet-sitting, cleaning, maintenance, or what have you. This can be a good way to go if you're not 100% sure of the people who are in and out of your home for various reasons, or even if you just want to keep an eye on things from work, vacation, etc. 

If you want to install a video surveillance system primarily for home security reasons (to stop burglars), an overt system may be better.  Instead of using hidden security cameras, you make the cameras plainly visible.  This can be a smart decision, especially with outdoor cameras that monitor the grounds and entrances, because if a potential burglar sees the camera, he or she may very well move on.  Burglars don't want to get caught (duh!), so all other things being equal they'll strike a house without a home security system before tackling one with one, and nothing says I've got a security system like a camera mounted by the front door!

More articles on home video surveillance: security cameras