How To Protect Your Home From Intruders

Someone enters a home uninvited, goes through the owner’s belongings, and takes valuable possessions while violating the owner’s privacy.  It happens every day, and it can be one of the scariest and  most unsettling things that can happen to a person. Even worse, it can happen while you or a loved one are at home, potentially putting your lives in danger.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of this happening.  Home protection can come in a number of forms.  Some people chose to live in gated communities, some people chose to put a fence around their home, some people may even put metals bars on their windows and buy heavy duty locks for their doors.  While all of these methods can provide some basic level of protection, nothing will protect your home like a home security system.

A home security system works in three ways to prevent unwanted intruders from entering your home.

The Sight of An Alarm System Scares Off Potential Theft

When a customer buys a home security system, they get a whole suite of notifications that can be seen by anyone who enters their property.  The first thing someone is likely to see is a yard sign, a small but noticeable sign that is put on the lawn, which displays that the property is protected by an alarm company.  Yard signs are one of the best deterrents from home robbery and other intruders.

The second thing that someone entering the protected property will see are window stickers.  These are small stickers that go in the corner of windows, and can also be displayed on doors, again showing that the premise is protected by a home security company.  Usually these have the logo and name of the alarm company as well as a notice showing that the property is protected and possibly monitored.

The last thing that someone entering a protected home will notice (maybe too late for them to go undetected) is the alarm panel and alarm equipment.  If they didn’t see the stickers and yard sign, they will certainly notice the actual alarm system.  Usually by the time this is noticed, the alarm has been triggered.

The Sound of an Alarm System Scares of Intruders Bold Enough to Enter

If an intruder does not see any of the outward signs of a burglar system, or if they were foolhardy enough to ignore them, they will almost certainly be startled by the sound of a home security system that has gone into “alarm” mode.

This sound acts as a warning to the intruder that the police have been called.  It also acts as a warning to any occupants in the home that someone has entered the premise.  It is even loud enough for any neighbors nearby to know that an alarm has been triggered.

Most of the time this loud noise emanating from an alarm system is more than enough to scare off even the bravest of criminals.  Simply knowing that the police have already been called is good enough motivation for most people to abandon their criminal activities and flee the scene.

A Monitored Alarm System Will Dispatch Police

Monitoring is a service offered by SOS and other security companies to notify the authorities any time an alarm is triggered.  Any time a detector is tripped by an unwanted visitor a signal is sent to a central monitoring station.  The central monitoring station will attempt to contact the premise to verify if the alarm is real or is known to be false.  If the alarm is real, or if the premise does not immediately answer the phone, the authorities are contacted.

The police will respond to the alarm just like they would if someone called them to report a robbery or intruder.  The police will come and either catch the trespassing criminal in the act, or they will investigate a crime immediately.

Every second matters if someone unwanted enters your home or place of business, and whether you are there, gone on vacation, or gone for the day or night, you want the authorities to respond as fast as possible if an unwanted threat enters your property.  A monitored alarm system is a great way to make sure that the authorities are notified to any crime immediately.

Other Ways To Protect Your Home

If you do not have a monitored alarm system you should at least take these basic precautions to make sure that your property is as safe as it can be.

• Lock your doors and windows.  Many intruders seek easy opportunities and will move on if everything is locked.
• Make sure you have a high quality deadbolt door lock, this will prevent someone from easily breaking a door knob lock and entering a property.
• Keep your property neat and clean.  A well kept property is a sign that you are watching over your belongings and are likely to be near the property.
• Keep outside lights on.  Intruders do not like entering areas with high levels of lighting to commit a crime.  This is a proven tactic used by many municipalities to reduce crime rates.

A Monitored Alarm System is The Best Protection

The absolute best protection you can have is a monitored alarm system.  You can also add video cameras to an alarm system to catch any intruder in the act.  A monitored alarm system can be very affordable, and most home insurance companies will even give a 20% discount to homeowners who have one.

To get a quote and find out more information about home security systems, contact us at SOS Security.