Easy Ways To Deter Burglars

• Proof of a Monitored Alarm

Most burglars are looking for an easy in and out. A simple monitoring company sticker may be enough to persuade the thief to go looking elsewhere. By placing this sticker on your front and back doors, and any ground level windows that look like an appealing point of entry, you are letting them know that if they do try and enter this home; a monitored alarm will be sounding and they have a very limited time in your home. Most burglars will simply move onto the next house that is not advertising a loud siren and automatic police arrival. Let’s face the facts, why take the risks of getting caught when the next house over does not have an alarm. Of course, we recommend installing a monitored alarm system with cameras, but if this is not in the budget right now, a simple sticker is a GREAT start.

• Motion Activated Lighting

Having a well-lit home is a deterrent as most burglars prefer to not be visible as they are breaking into your home or car. The most common form of auto theft is because the owner forgets to lock their doors. Thieves are known for going for a walk in the middle of the night and simply checking doors to see what was left open. If you have motion activated lights on your home, a burglar walking up to check your car door will stop in their tracks and move onto the next vehicle if all of a sudden, a spot light is showing off their every move. Motion lights are easy to install in less than an hour and for most houses do not require any re-wiring.

As an added bonus, motion lights will help light up your home for guests coming to visit and help catch your teen trying to sneak out at night!

• Recycle Electronics Discreetly

Everyone is excited to show off their new flat screen TV, surround sound system and tablets. A good thief, is a smart thief. They will keep an eye on a neighborhood around Christmas and Black Friday checking to see what kind of boxes are being left in the recycling bins. Bringing your empty 80” Flat screen TV box to the curb for recycling is literally an advertisement to the burglars of what treats you have waiting inside (Not to mention leaving your old TV on the curb with a FREE sign). Even breaking down your boxes into smaller pieces, although better, is still leaving your home open to potential thieves as they know to look in recycling bins around these holidays. IPads, Sonos Speakers, AV Receivers, Flat Screens, Laptops etc are all high dollar value items that are easily stolen as most are not securely bolted to the walls and built in. They are easily put into the trunk of a car and a thief can be off with thousands of dollars in a few moments.

We recommend breaking down the boxes your electronics come in, packing them into your car and bringing them to a recycling depot near by. Most recycling depots accept old electronics, cardboard, old light bulbs and even pay you for your empty bottles all in one convenient location.

• Scheduled Lighting Patterns

The scene from Home Alone when Harry and Marv are sitting in their van and know exactly when the Christmas light timers are set to turn on comes to mind whenever we discuss timers.

Yes, having lights on in your home is a good start when trying to make it look like someone is home. A thief strolling through the neighborhood is not likely to break into a home with lights on. As it was mentioned before, A good thief is a smart thief! They will stake out a neighborhood and watch to see what patterns they can learn. Having your lamp turn on every night at exactly 8pm is quickly realized by any burglar worth their salt.

Fortunately technology has come a long way since the introduction of simple on off timers. Lutron has created a program within their automated lighting systems called “Smart Away”. Smart Away will randomly transition through Lutron controlled lights between the hours of 6pm and 11pm when you are not home. Giving the impression that the home is occupied and someone is in the home. It may turn on your bedroom light at 6, 6:15 turn on the living room light, 6:20 turn off the bedroom light and 6:45 turn on the kitchen light for 2 minutes while you “get a drink” during your movie. Every sequence is randomized and it does not repeat the same sequence every day. Any thief staking out your neighbourhood will not be able to tell that the home is empty and definitely will not be able to remember exactly when your lights are scheduled to turn on.

Lutron Caseta is a very easy way to get into smart controlled lighting and does not require any re-wiring. It can be easily programmed through your smart phone or tablet and also allows a multitude of other capabilities. For more info on Lutron Caseta and home automation read our guide to Building The Ultimate Smart Home.

• Lock Your Doors

This may seem like a no brainer…. But seriously, LOCK YOUR DOORS! Even if you are home, keeping your doors locked at all times is the easiest way to keep unwanted people out of your home. If your doors do not have a dead bolt, then call a local locksmith to have them installed. If you are constantly forgetting to lock your doors, then we recommend getting a smart lock to ensure your home is always locked. There are many smart lock products on the market, but the ones we recommend and see the most are;

1. The Nest and Yale Smart Lock
2. Schlage Sense
3. August Smart Lock

The Nest and Schlage locks are complete deadbolt units while the August device fits over your existing dead bolt. All three of these products can interact with your smart phone to ensure your home is always locked and protected. You can even set temporary passwords for visitors and know who is coming and going in your home. For a more complete list of Smart Locks read our post on The Ultimate Guide to Smart Locks

If you are especially worried and think the thieves in your area are extra smart… adding chain locks and hasps to your doors are a sure way of keeping the lock pickers out of your house.

For more information on Smart home technology, read our post on The Ultimate Guide to Everything Home Automation