7 DIY Home Security Projects

For the weekend do-it-yourselfer there are several DIY home security projects to be completed to make your home secure. The average homeowner will often not recognize some of these home security projects as a way to make their home more secure. So let’s start with some of the obvious.

1. Install your own home security system.

You will have an advantage doing it yourself rather than going with a professional installation. With a prominent service provider and a professional installation you will have to purchase the whole set. By doing it yourself you will be able to pick the pieces you want to start off with and add to at a later time.

To install a wired home security system you will need to familiar with the tools of the trade. The tools needed are a drill bit and a soldering iron. If your home is not pre-wired for a home security system, you will have to be very skilled with the tools needed for the job.

However, if you feel the task of install a wired system too daunting, you can always opt for a wireless system. Wireless systems are the simplest to install. With a wireless system you may want to have a second phone line installed to accommodate the wireless system.

2. You want to have sturdy doors and windows that have a good lock on them.

You may take a weekend installing new doors and new locks. There are some good locks that will make the break in more difficult. The mortise locks choose the mortise lock that has a minimum of 5 levers inside the lock, if it will be used outside the home. This will make the lock difficult to pick. With the deadlocks you will want to choose a deadlock with a double cylinder.

Check your double doors these are a favorite for intruders. Make sure the door fits tightly in the frame. One of the doors needs to be fixed to be stationary at the top and bottom. The doors can be pushed open breaking any locks. Invest in a lockable patio bolt with a key for this type of door.

The glass sliding doors are another favorite of intruders. They don’t have to break the glass to get in. The doors can be easily pushed off the track. Patio bolts are good protection for this door, but especially if coupled with a deadlocking handle.

Make sure all your windows can be locked. There is a large selection of locks for aluminum and wood frame windows.

Having one key made to unlock all your windows and one key to unlock all the doors will make life a little easier for you. You won’t be fumbling through a massive ring of keys trying to find the key that fits the lock.

3. Check the yard of your home.

Do you have enough lighting to make it more difficult for an intruder to work in the dark? Installing some of these lights with a motion detector is a good deterrent for intruders.

Gone are the days of the neighbor’s cat tripping the motion detector. The modern motion detectors will assess the size of the motion before going off. These lights will also give you plenty of lighting when you come home at night.

4. Check the foliage in your yard.

Trimming back hedges will help uncover any places where an intruder can do his work in hiding. This is especially necessary around windows. Intruders sometimes will use a small child to open the door for them after squeezing in an open window. With the cover, they can accomplish this unseen from the street and your neighbors.

5. A do-it-yourselfer can also install home security accessories.

There are many different home security system accessories that can be added to a security system, such as sirens, strobe lights, motion detectors, surveillance cameras, and glass break detectors.

Don’t forget smoke, heat, carbon dioxide detectors. Fires in the home are one of the major causes of death in the United States. These accessories will aid your home security system in keeping your home safe for you and your family.

6. A secure and locking mailbox will help prevent identity theft.

Identity theft has become big business. A secure and locking mailbox not unlike what the postal service uses are for sale on the market. You don’t want just a locking mailbox; you want the added security of the false bottom. This makes the mailbox more impenetrable to would be identity thieves.

7. You may wish to add cameras, video and recording equipment to supplement your home security system.

The cameras can be angled to enable them to pick up information for the dark corners of your yard that is more difficult for you to see. You might even consider night vision cameras if most of your surveillance will be done at night. Some cameras are equipped with motion sensors enabling them to capture movement in your yard or your house. The outdoor cameras will be visible to the intruders and hopefully will make him think twice before attempting the job.

The hidden “Nanny Cam” is great for indoor surveillance to detect unwanted behavior happening in your home you would otherwise never know about.

All of this equipment is designed to keep your home safe and secure from uninvited intruders to the hired help to assist you in the running of your home.

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