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Is it a must you spend a thousand or two-thousand to burglar-proof your home? No, you don’t. In this article, we’re going to look at fourteen alternative ways on how to secure your home without an alarm. The methods are not only inexpensive to run but also have proven effective to deter potential burglars.
Needless to say, however, a high-end, foolproof, and failproof alarm system is usually the best if not for the expensive budget. The same applies to professional security camera systems that we see on upmarket joints, businesses, and federal buildings.
Is a $30 Security Camera Good for Security?
First of all, an alarm system can be helpful to have. Other than deterring burglars and alerting neighbors, it can also help increase the value of your property and get you insurance discounts.
Even so, you could still enjoy some of these benefits with an inexpensive CCTV system. For instance, Wyze Cam is the most talked-about HD smart home camera, and, guess what, it only cost under $40. Even better, many owners are comfortable to leave it in charge of the house both during the day and night.
Therefore, we could say the wireless security camera is one other way you can use to secure your home without a costly alarm system. Other ways include.
Best Alternatives on How to Secure Your Home without an Alarm
1. Switch To Smart LED Light
One of the easiest ways to keep burglars out of your house is by leaving the lights of your room/s on. It’s a great deterrence as most potential burglars are wary to break into the property if there’s someone around.
However, leaving your lights on all the time could spike your monthly bills from high energy consumption. Thus, a smart LED bulb that you can activate remotely or program to light up at certain times can really help. And not just when you’re at home but also when away.
2. Get Motion-Sensor Floodlights
Apart from indoors, lighting your outdoor security lights has also proven effective in throwing off intruders. Actually, this one of the reasons many security cameras today are coming with a built-in spotlight- CCTV term is active deterrence.
Anyways, back to outdoor floodlights, the built-in motion sensor will detect movements, which then triggers an automatic switch and lights up the LEDs. The lighting will stay on for a while or until there are no movements and then shut down.
More on that, the photocell sensor of a motion light can be set to switch on the lights when it gets dark without requiring you to be there. And the best part, you’ll never have to worry about huge power bills if you have installed a solar-powered motion security light.
3. Keep All The Locks Locked
Although it’s an obvious measure, many homeowners still neglect to lock up their doors, especially when going for a walk. They forget about Ted- the opportunistic floor thief until the laptop, phone, or even cash goes missing.
In any case, it’s very important to always keep the doors, in particular main entrances and exits, locked. The locks themselves should also be good brands and not those upcoming fancy names that can be cracked by even novices. Still, the windows without protective bars should be also closed if located on the first floor or when there’s no one at home.
4. Reinforce The Door And Windows
Sadly, many contractors and building managers usually go for cheaper solutions to keep their profits high. A good example, in this case, is the use of substandard deadbolt locks and door locks that gives in after a slight push.
However, you can strengthen your entry points against physical attacks and give the intruders a hard time getting inside. This includes the use of a security bar and door barricade, which, by the way, can also secure a door from being kicked in.
Also, you can use protection devices to lock the deadbolt in place and pin locks for the double-hung windows.
5. Stop Showboating
If the passerby doesn’t know you have a home safe or gigantic television, he won’t be intrigued or intrigue to break in. Therefore, it would be best to cover your windows so that the people across the street don’t see inside your home. But since your house still needs natural lighting and air circulation, you can use clear privacy film on the glass and retractable screen doors for French doors.
More on that, you can try being discreet when disposing of packaging that could tip off a nearby burglar of your recent pricey purchase.
6. A Dummy Camera Can Do The Trick
That’s right. A dummy CCTV housing could trick an intruder into believing that the officer of the house is watching. Hence, prompting him to skip your home for an easier target that doesn’t “have a recording security camera”. The best part, these dummies can even take the form of a motion-sensing light. Thus, lighting up your property while at the same time deterring the intruders.
But again, this trick is more likely to work on novices who are just there by chance. However, a dedicated burglar who wants your vault may be able to spot a fake security camera from a distance.
7. Secure The Door Hinges
This is more of a method to reinforce your door against physical attacks, only that now you’re locking the hinges. The method is most applicable with the outswing doors, whereby the hinge pins are accessible from the outside. So, the idea of securing the hinges is to make it harder for the burglar to pop out the pins and remove the door.
Nonetheless, this technique is much easier to work on hinges that have tamper-proof pins and a locking tab. Alternatively, you can secure the hinges using a special shield and longer screws.
8. Pet A Guard Dog
When you have a dog in the house, you not only complete the family but also improve your home security. In many cases, a burglar is likely to steer clear of a home with a dog, regardless of the breed. However, German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, and other active kinds are the best for security as you could even enlist for training.
But again, these guard dogs are relatively large to keep in apartments. So, the best you can have or even be allowed by the building management is a small breed like Chihuahua or Shih Tzus. Of course, these toy dogs aren’t exactly vicious and scary, but they’re still great watchmen to alert when they sense a stranger or nefarious activities.
9. Install Security Signs
Similar to a dummy camera, this method can deter potential burglaries despite not having an actual CCTV system. True, the signage might not fool all the bad guys, but it can reduce the risk before you have a real system. Furthermore, these deterrence signs are inexpensive and some even come as a kit with dummy cameras.
10. Minimize Blind Spots
When you have too many shrubs and bushes around your home, it will be hard to know what’s coming or hiding on your way. Some thieves also like to waylay so that they can use you to get inside your property, especially if fenced all around. So, keep the bushes and overgrown trees trimmed nicely so that you and the neighbors can spot any suspicious behaviors.
11. A Barbeque With Neighbors
If you never have a positive connection with your neighbors, many might also not bother with your problems. So, make efforts to meet them, roast some ribs together, and join in when any needs assistance. After all that, the neighbors will always look out for you, including when you’re away and will notify you when something is amiss.
12. Pause Your Mail Delivery
When you’re away from home for a while, your mails and even newspapers may continue to come in. If they collect many of them, a potential robber might figure out that you’ve not been and are not home.
To avoid that, you can ask a neighbor or a friend to collect the newspaper and mails for you. Alternatively, you could put a hold on the deliveries, or else look for a house sitter that you can trust.
13. Keep Off Social Media
We don’t need to remind that not everyone is a friend and not every of your FB/ IG follower is happy for you. So, keep your sensitive details, especially holiday plans, to yourself and less or none to strangers. If the trip is something you need to share with the fanbase, wait until you’re back.
More on that, be watchful of those people who seem too interested in your personal affairs. Some may even trick you with twisted questions about your daily routine, home layout, and or security details so that they plan a break-in. Avoid them as well.
Conclusion:
These are the easiest and cheapest methods you can secure your home without an alarm and still keep burglars at bay. Of course, we still have others like choosing the right service provider and keeping your spare keys well, but that’s a topic of another day.
To wind up, we’d recommend you be vigilant about your surroundings. Nearly all criminals make the move when they see a possible opportunity or know you have acquired something of interest.
But again, all these alternatives should be a temporary solution as you prepare for a good security system. Even with the strongest lock, you still need to have evidence of whoever was trying to break into your property. Then, an alarm system is yet more powerful for scaring away determined burglars and attracting the attention of authorities.
