Best Security Products blog

It may surprise you to learn that 90% of burglaries are preventable. There are many things you can do to reduce the likelihood that your home will be burglarized. One of best deterrents against burglary is a home security system. Most criminals admit that if they know a home is protected by a home alarm system, they will not attempt to break in.

But even if you do have a home alarm system, adding extra layers of protection is a good idea. Here are a few tips to make your home even safer:

1. Brighten things up. Burglars like to work under the cover of darkness, so the brighter your house and property is, the better. Make sure that the areas around your doors and windows are well lit. To save electricity, consider putting security lights on motion detectors, so they only turn on when motion triggers the sensors.

2. Tidy your landscaping. Large hedges or decorative items near your house provide burglars with perfect places to hide. Trim back large plants and make sure outdoor equipment is not easily accessible; burglars can use large objects to gain access to upper story windows and balconies.

3. Get a dog. A barking dog is one of the best ways to scare off a thief. They know the barking alerts others of their presence, and a barking dog also means they may get bitten! If you are an animal lover, giving a home to a pet dog may be just the extra layer of protection you need to keep your home and family safe.

4. Beef up your door frames. Door frames for home security? Yes. Regardless of how strong your locks and dead bolts are, if you have weak door frames, a criminal can kick it in and bypass the locks altogether.

At Best Security Products, we are experts in Home Security Systems. Please call or email for a consultation: 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

On more than one occasion, parents have been horrified to learn that strangers have been hacking into their baby monitor, spying on the child, speaking into the room and even controlling the camera.

According to this story in the San Francisco Globe, a Washington discovered someone had hacked their baby monitor. Their son had been telling his parents that he was afraid at night because someone was talking to him. They didn’t understand, until one night they heard the voice.

Sarah, the toddlers mother, walked into the baby’s room and hear someone speaking through the monitor. She also realized that someone was controlling the night-vision camera and following her.

The SFG reports that this type of crime is becoming more common, evidenced by the same kind of story reported here by ABC News. In this account, a Houston family heard a man cursing in their daughter’s bedroom. This hacker had a British-sounding accent and was also controlling the camera. This family has decided that they may never use the monitor again.

Click the video below to watch the story of an Ohio family whose camera was hacked as well:

With so many baby monitors in use, it is understandable that parents are nervous about this happening to them. What is the solution?

Parry Aftab, a lawyer specializing in internet privacy interviewed by ABC News has some tips:

1. Keep a password. Without a password, anyone can use the Wi-Fi and gain access to the monitor too.

2. Guard your computers and passwords from people who may have access, particularly babysitters and housekeepers.

Dave Hatter is quoted by FOX19 news as suggesting that another safeguard is to make sure the password on your Wi-Fi is different from the password on your camera. In addition he suggests keeping current on updates for the camera. This can be done by checking the product’s website frequently.

At Best Security Products, we are experts in Home Security Systems. Please call or email for a consultation: 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Do you wonder how safe you are in your home? Our homes should be the place we feel safest. However, the truth is that the United States has the more burglaries of any country in the world. One burglary occurs about every 15 seconds.

Knowledge is power though. Being informed can empower you to take steps to protect yourself and your family from potential break-ins.

Here are a few interesting statistics from Safewise:

1. 30% of burglars gained entry to homes by way of an unlocked door, window or other opening without having to use force.

The takeaway? Make it a habit to lock your doors and windows if you are not home. If you are home, constrain the open windows or unlocked doors to only those rooms that are occupied. Consider using a home alarm system to protect all windows and doors in your home, so that you can be alerted if someone attempts to enter.

Take a walk around your home to identify any other openings which someone could use to enter you house. Places to check are basement windows, crawlspaces and attic windows.

2. Most burglars will avoid homes that have security systems. And if an alarm sounds during a break-in, they will flee immediately.

The takeaway here is to install a professional security system if you do not already have one. Burglars know that a security system means sirens will sound, cameras may be watching and that the police will soon arrive, due to the monitoring service being notified.

When you have a system installed, ask for yard signs and window stickers that alert visitors that a security system is present. Also install cameras (indoor and outdoor) that are in plain sight, so the burglars realize they are being watched. Each of these measures may scare the burglar away before he does damage to your property.

At Best Security Products, we are experts in Home Security Systems. Please call or email for a consultation: 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Source: http://www.safewise.com/blog/8-surprising-home-burglary-statistics/