Domestic burglary and break-ins are on the rise. Thus, knowing what to do to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings is ideal. Fortunately, one step that you can take to secure your home is to hire a residential locksmith.
Although residential locksmiths are known for giving standard lock and key services, they can do other things. In fact, they can install a home security system to prevent burglars from entering.
There are benefits to having a security system. Besides protecting your family and belongings, adequate security can improve your house’s value over time. It’s because potential homebuyers will see your security systems as an asset.
If you’re considering upgrading your home security with a residential locksmith, read on for more information:
-
1. Secure Your Front Door
Kick-in attacks are a scheme of many burglars to gain first access to a home. Thus, even if you installed the most secure door locks, it won’t help much. Keeping your door strong and secure is the best way to address this issue.
Fortunately, a home locksmith will know how to reinforce your door. There are generally two ways in which they can strengthen your front door:
-
Installing A High-Security Door Jamb
The most well-known method to secure a front door is to install a high-quality door jamb. And so, a residential locksmith will often place a door jamb that has high-gauge steel. They often choose these types of door jamb as it offers reinforcement without making the door thicker. Likewise, they’ll also advise you to buy a door jamb with proper hinge protection that will reinforce your door jam on the other side of the jamb.
That said, you should also consider the set screws for the jamb. The screws you should opt for must be around three inches long. This is so each of these items will secure into the stud. Ultimately, the actual reason why you need a door jamb is because of these set screws.
-
Re-Pin Existing Locks
You should emphasize other home security issues more than others, yet, budget constraints can put a limit on this. The good news is that there’s a less costly way to manage the problem, though not as safe as door jamb reinforcement.
One quick and budget-friendly solution you can opt for is allowing a home locksmith to re-pin your existing lock. This is ideal for preventing burglars who intend to enter your home covertly through a door.
You can still allow your present key to function with your existing lock by enabling people, such as those from Locksmith Plus Inc. Everette WA, to re-pin your door locks. These experts can replace your standard lock pins with security pins of similar size. This is a step to prevent lock picking and bumping.
-
2. Install A Home Alarm System
Besides front door reinforcement, a residential locksmith can also place alarms to upgrade home security. Alarms can’t prevent burglary but just like security cameras, they can still scare away potential intruders from entering your property. Thieves and robbers would hesitate to enter your property—knowing that the system can later alert authorities and track them down. This can give you peace of mind, knowing that you can prevent the loss of possessions and reduce crime risk.
But how does an alarm system work? Residential alarms, also known as closed-circuit systems, close a set of looping switches every time the windows and doors are locked. When a person opens these switches, it will instantly break the continuous loop, causing the alarm to make loud noises. Closing the door or window won’t stop these noises. It will only return to normal once you switch off the circuit or when the battery dies.
Ultimately, it’s better to hire an expert to install the alarms rather than yourself. Doing it alone increases the risk of having security vulnerabilities that might lead to danger for you and your property.
-
3. Install High-Security Locks
Installing residential locks that prevent intruders is part of upgrading your home security. As more burglars search for steps to tamper with an old lock, lock makers give homeowners products that provide additional protection. Many residential locksmiths prioritize the need to be updated with the latest top security locks on the market.
That said, an expert locksmith will tell you what the best locks will look like. Though you can purchase locks independently, you might choose those with insufficient sizes. At times, other residential owners install the right locks inappropriately, causing risk to their homes.
Fortunately, a locksmith can add locks that can stand against force and impact. Moreover, an expert will also use deadbolts to give an additional layer of protection. Deadbolts are ideal as they are safer than standardized locks. Though you might assume that installing deadbolts is less tricky, caution is still needed. One error in its installation can damage your door and cause security issues. In the end, hiring an expert to install your deadbolts is the better path forward.
-
4. Install Motion Sensor Lights
Homes that are pretty easy to enter and dark enough to sneak in are more attractive to criminals. Many intruders take advantage of the dark to avoid detection. This should not be the case for you. It’s better to ward off the threat of burglary if you prevent intruders from finding a place to hide.
This is where motion sensor lights come into play. Tiny electronic eyes are what these lights are made of. Such lighting detects motions by recognizing infrared waves, such as heat waves that radiate from moving objects or individuals. When this happens, the lights will instantly turn on. Thus, it’s ideal for warding off intruders and useful in identifying their location in dark areas of your property.
These security lights can be installed at the gate, ceiling, doorways, or in the outer part of the house. You may also choose to install occupancy sensors, which are different types of motion sensor lights that automatically turn off when nearby spaces are not occupied.
Two other benefits of installing motion sensor lights besides upgrading your home security are:
-
Conserves Energy
Motion sensor lights often turn themselves off whenever there are no motions detected. Because of this, you can avoid the need to manually turn off the lights every time you exit your room or when sleeping at night. This can save your house from excessive energy consumption, thus, saving you money.
-
Can Be Integrated With Your Home Security System
A locksmith can connect motion sensor lights to other security features in your residential property. For instance, it can be linked to your security cameras. This enables you to see if there are unwanted visitors whenever the lights turn on. Altogether, you can hire a locksmith to install this lighting themselves.
-
5. Install Access Control System
More homeowners are turning to access control systems to improve security. Access control systems are security system that enables access to your property through tokens, cards, or biometric information. These security solutions are ideal for multi-user access and involve enhanced security features like remote control and restriction.
There are many benefits to installing access control systems, such as:
-
Reduce The Need For Physical Keys
One disadvantage of physical keys is that they can result in security issues. This problem can occur, especially if you lose such keys as you would have to change all the locks to keep your home safe. Fortunately, access control systems can deactivate an access card and create a new one. Thus, you won’t have to buy new locks or assign new keys to every member of your household.
-
Laying Out Specialized Parameters
Compared to key systems, access control systems enable you to give access to other house members on particular days and times. You can also program any card and door based on your requirements.
Ultimately, you can hire a residential locksmith to install your access control system. Yet, you should also ask them to link this system with other security features within your home, such as alarm systems and video cameras.
Wrapping Up
More burglaries and break-ins happen day after day. For this reason, knowing the steps to secure your home is crucial. This prevents the risk of crime from happening in the first place. One way that you can do to prevent burglars is to hire a locksmith. These experts know the ins and outs of upgrading your home security.
There are many ways in which a residential locksmith can enhance your home security. For one, they can reinforce your front door. A home’s front door is often an ideal entry point for intruders. The good news is that a locksmith will know how to address this issue. They can re-pin your current locks and install a high-security door jamb.
These locksmiths may also install motion sensor lights. These types of lights instantly turn on whenever motions are detected. This lighting system can scare off burglars from attempting to enter your home.
That said, the ways listed in this article are just examples of what a locksmith can take to secure your home. Ultimately, choosing a residential locksmith is a step to having more peace of mind.