Keeping Windows Secure Tips

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Are there valuable items in your house clearly visible through a window?

Keep Valuables Away From Windows

What can be seen through a window is often what entices burglars the most. When possible, you want to avoid placing valuable items in plain sight of windows. This may affect the way your furniture is set up, but it is well worth it.

For example, placing a home entertainment system (flat screen TV, DVD player, game system, speakers, etc.) where it can be easily seen through a window can be dangerous. Not only are all those things items that a burglar might want to steal, but they will likely assume that there are more valuables in other parts of the house.

The first thing that should catch the eye of a thief if they look at your window should be the sticker announcing your home is protected by a burglar alarm system. If they see that sticker rather than something expensive worth stealing, they will likely decide the likelihood of getting caught is not worth the risk. The best home security alarm is one that scares burglars away.

Other valuable items like jewelry can be engraved with your name, phone number or address to discourage thieves from taking something that can be easily identified as stolen. When you purchase anything expensive like a TV or jewelry, do not leave the box or bag outside where it can be clearly seen by people passing by. Keep it in your house until the trash is collected so you are not advertising expensive items that can be stolen.

   
Do you have reinforced glass windows?

Reinforced Glass

In order to improve your home security consider replacing your existing windows and glass doors with reinforced glass. These make it much harder for a burglar to break and get into your home. There are several different types of reinforced glass that can dramatically improve your safety.

Some manufactures use wire mesh embedded in the panes so they cannot be broken through like a normal window. Even if the window breaks, the wire and a lot of broken glass still stands between the burglar and your home (and of course your alarm system).

Others use what are referred to as glass bricks. These are thick and very difficult to break. They also allow light to pass through into your home while preventing people outside from seeing in. If a would-be thief cannot see into your home they are not able to see something they might want to steal.

Some other common methods of reinforcing glass doors and windows involve using carbon fiber or vinyl materials in the construction process. These types of glass make your house nearly impenetrable, requiring far more time and effort than your average burglar is willing to put in.

They are a perfect complement to a home security alarm that protects windows as well as all other areas of your home. Notify your security company about these types of windows beforehand so they can walk you through the best alarm options to go with your windows.

   
Do you have sliding glass doors?

Securing Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass doors present a very appealing target for burglars. They are probably the weakest point of a house's defenses. These doors usually employ a latch system as opposed to the stronger locks found on normal doors. They also slide back and forth on tracks and can be lifted off those tracks and removed altogether.

If you have an older sliding door you should have it replaced. Newer ones tend to be much sturdier and not quite as easy to get past. Here are a few things you can do to help secure these entry points.

  • Place ant-lift devices like blocking pins to prevent the door from being lifted off the tracks
  • Use window/door sensors and glass break detectors
  • Place window security stickers in clearly visible locations on sliding doors
  • Use blinds or curtains so a burglar cannot see through the door
  • Use motion detectors
Anti-lift devices can usually be found at a local hardware store. The most important thing to remember is that they are not enough to secure your home by themselves. They should be used in addition to an alarm system with the motion and glass break sensors.

   
Do you have enough window sensors to secure all windows in your home?

Window Sensors

Windows do not always have the highest quality locks, so burglars do not necessarily have to break the glass to get in. Often times they will try and pick or dismantle the lock and open the window without breaking anything. Window sensors are the answer to this problem.

Every Protect America home security alarm comes with a number of door and window sensors. The sensors are wireless and can be used in any room in the house. When the alarm system is activated and the window is opened a siren will go off. The monitoring station will be notified immediately of a possible break-in.

When deciding on a home security alarm package, count the number of doors and windows in your home. Make sure to get enough to have every entry point in the house secured.

Remember to include sensors for upper floors as well as the ground floor. Burglars can climb to higher windows so those are just as important to your home security as the ones on the ground. Forgetting to safeguard these upper floors is not uncommon but does leave you vulnerable.

   
Do you use glass break sensors in your home security system?

Glass Break Detectors

How often do you hear of a burglar breaking a window to get into a house? More than you'd like. Since widows are targeted just as much as doors, but can be broken much easier, they need extra protection.

Glass break detectors from Protect America can be placed in any room in your house. These sensors do exactly what their name says: they detect when a glass door or window has been broken and alert your home security alarm.

These sensors are great for the entire house, but they are a necessity if you have doors with glass panes. Burglars will often break the glass and reach through to unlock the door. Eliminate this option for them by using glass break detectors.

They work with windows, glass doors and skylights too. The instant the glass breaks the sensor relays that to your wireless alarm system and sounds a siren. This can also help detect a crack in the glass that might not be visible yet but could become a problem later.

Glass break detectors can be added to your burglar alarm system for a low price and comes with a much higher value in home security.

   
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