A burglary in the dead of night is a terrifying prospect. But careful preparation on the part of the homeowner can go a long way to deterring burglars from targeting your home after dark.
Here are five quick tips that are certain to reduce the chances of a nighttime break-in:
- Get motion sensing lights for the front and back yards
- Install a smart doorbell
- Keep your landscape trimmed outside your home
- Avoid broadcasting your evening plans on social media
- Protect your home with a professionally monitored security system
All five of these tips deserve an explanation. So we'll go into each one in more detail below. By the end of this article, you'll be an expert on defending your home in the evening hours.
Let's get started!
Nighttime isn't as frightening when you know your home is protected by a professional security company. And with over 50 years of experience, no company in Atlanta knows professional security like Ackerman.
Give our team a call today at 800.552.1111, or schedule an appointment online today.
Install a smart doorbell
Smart doorbell cameras are powerful security tools that let you see and speak with the person outside your door whether you're at home or not. While smart doorbells are great to have at all hours of the day, they're especially strong at night, for a number of reasons:
- You never have to open your door at night to a stranger: It's never a good idea to open your door to someone you don't know. But the evening can be an especially dangerous time to do so. A smart doorbell lets you interact with the individual outside and get help for them if they need it - without you ever having to unlock your door.
- You can pretend your home when you're not:If you're out for the evening and a stranger shows up at your doorstep, it would be impossible for that person to know whether you're home or not. Because burglars tend to avoid homes with people in them, this is a very valuable feature to have.
- Most smart doorbells have built-in motion sensors:if someone was lurking about your front porch at night without ringing your doorbell, you'd want to know about it. Smart doorbells come with built-in motion sensors to alert homeowners when movement is detected near their front doors.
Get motion lights for the front and back yards
Lighting is one of the most important factors in preventing nighttime burglaries on residential properties. A residential property without proper lighting becomes a target for thieves operating under the cover of darkness.
Lighting based on motion detection is even more powerful than static lighting for a number of reasons:
- Static lighting sometimes benefits criminals as much as it does the victims of crimes. It allows criminals to see properties at night much better, which can help them determine family routines and spot valuables more readily. In other words, tons of static light may make you feel safer, but may not make you actually safer.
- Lighting based on motion detection gets noticed in a way that static lighting does not. Homeowners are alerted to the light immediately, and criminals may feel exposed enough to flee.
- They deter would-be burglars from accessing your property in the first place. Most burglars will watch a home before attempting a break-in. They will learn very quickly that you have motion-detection lighting, which may be enough for them to look for an easier target.
Keep your landscaping clean
This is a very simple and effective method of preventing burglars at night. Cleaner, more open properties give burglars fewer places to hide. And that may be enough to deter them from ever attempting a burglary in the first place.
Landscaping can even be used as a deterrent. For example, no burglar wants to make their way through thorn-infested rose bushes to reach a window. And well-manicured property can even hide security cameras which a well-prepared burglar didn't notice when casing a property.
Be cautious about publishing your schedule
Going out for the evening? It's in your best interests not to broadcast your plans via social media. The reasoning here is simple: sharing your plans on social media or other public spaces can invite a potential burglary.In fact, it could even invalidate your insurance claims!
Social media has become a very lucrative tool for burglars over the last few years. So if you do decide to share plans online, make sure you protect yourself first by:
- Updating your privacy settings so your posts can only be seen by friends and not the public.
- While you're in the privacy settings, you can manage how others can tag you in photos.
- It's easy to get into the habit of connecting with everyone that requests it. But we'd recommend only connecting with close friends and relatives.
Install a monitored security system on your property
A professionally installed, modern security system is one of your best options for deterring a night-time burglary. This was true over 50 years ago when Ackerman first opened its doors. And it's still true today.
Professional security systems are powerful burglary prevention tools because:
- Video surveillance camerascan quickly alert both you and your monitoring agency to a potential threat.
- Window and door sensorscan pick up movement and force the burglar to flee before they even enter your home.
- Smart locks will lock up after you even if you forget to do so when you get home.
- Smart lighting can be set on a schedule to go on before you arrive back home, and turn on and off at random intervals to make it seem like you're home even if you're not.
Want to feel safer in your home at night? Give Ackerman Security a call.
If you're looking for tools and techniques that can keep your home safe at night, you can't go wrong by calling Ackerman Security at 800.552.1111.
Give us a call at your earliest convenience. We look forward to hearing from you!
