3 Simple Home Security Tips for the Modern Home

Break-ins are a fact a life. But you don't have to live in fear or paranoia to be prepared. Some simple measures can be taken that, while non-intrusive and affordable, will significantly impact your home's security for the better. This article will go over a few simple ways to get started that you may not have already considered.

Simple Exterior Upgrades

By far the most common way a house is broken into is right through the front door. Most doors can be breached with little effort and, unfortunately, yours is likely no exception. It would take inordinately drastic efforts to make a door impenetrable, but that isn't necessary. The key word here is deterrence: if you can simply increase the difficulty of breaking through a door then you can significantly reduce the likelihood of someone getting through.

A simple way you can upgrade your exterior doors without going through the trouble of replacing them is to just replace the strike plate. Not up on your door jargon? You've doubtless seen them countless times and just didn't know what you were looking at. A strike plate is the metal fitting (usually rectangular) that accepts the bolt of the door latch. It if weren't for strike plates, there wouldn't be anything for your door to latch onto when it closes.

Since the strike is the first line of defense for a door, it should be the first thing that you consider upgrading. You can purchase upgraded "security" strikes to do this. Security strikes work much like regular ones but are heavier duty and provide additional reinforcement.

Upgrading your strike plate is a good time to upgrade the screws that attach it to the door frame. In this case, bigger is better. Deeper screws will strengthen the strike's attachment to the frame and make it more difficult to compromise the locking mechanism's integrity.

Digital Security

When it comes to digital security, chances are your weakest point is your home's Wi-Fi network. The reason is simple: Wi-Fi signals are beamed indiscriminately from your wireless router and, to some extent, can be picked up by any device that receives the signal.

Because the data your home's router emits can be picked up by anyone, the first line of defense is to use an encryption protocol that makes intercepted data unintelligible to any device that doesn't have the correct decryption key.

Your router most likely already utilizes an encryption protocol whether you're aware of it or not. But to ensure you are secure, you should make sure that you aren't using an outdated one. As of 2019, WPA2 is the most secure encryption protocol that is readily available and you should make sure that your router is set to use it. WPA1 or WEP are both widely considered to be compromised and can easily be cracked by freely available applications used by hackers.

If you want to take your security a notch further, you can opt for a VPN router or install and use a VPN application on your devices individually. A VPN (virtual private network) is an additional layer of encryption that can prevent others from intercepting your information. In fact, not even your internet service provider (e.g., Comcast or AT&T) can read data enclosed behind a VPN's encryption.

Security Cameras

A few years back, having security cameras positioned outside or inside your house may have seemed like an extreme measure. But now cameras are easier than ever for a homeowner to purchase, set up and incorporate into their security framework. You can place them in key locations around your house and check up on them from your smart phone while you're out on a weekend trip.

When setting up cameras, consider what locations would be worth monitoring. Your front door (either from inside or outside), your driveway, and any other key area of your house should be considered. What you probably won't want to do is have cameras positioned in your regular living spaces, as this could pose a serious privacy risk. A sophisticated burglar could theoretically access indoor camera feeds and use the information to determine when no one is home and the house is most vulnerable. 

Conclusions

Hopefully these tips were helpful in working out the next few home security measures you can take. Look at these means as gradual improvements that you can work on alongside general maintenance and upkeep. This will keep you from getting exhausted and the neighbors from wondering just who you got on the wrong side of. But with routine improvements over the course of a few years, you'll improve the security of your house, belongings and family – a trade-off that’s well worth the time.