Home Security Technology
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Defense in Depth
You might be more likely to hear the term defense in depth used in the context of computer security, but the concept is an underlying concept of phyical security. Almost any home with an alarm system employs this concept - few homeowners set an alarm but leave their doors and windows unlocked. The alarm is there as a deterent, and to aid response when the first line of defense is bypassed, it provides some depth to the defenses. So, what does this mean for you - it means that you should employ more than one of the techniques described below if you want your home to be safe and secure.
- Locks - There are good locks and there are bad locks. Most of the
locks on homes today are not very good. While few burglers have the
time or the expertice to pick locks (unless they are after something
specific), the technique of "lock bumping" has become widely known and
used - making many of the inexpensive locks one buys at hardware
stores pretty useless. If you bought a new home, chances are the
builder installed cheap locks as well, and you really should consider
upgrading to better locks like the Schlage Primus or Medeco series.
- Door and Window hardware - A great lock will not do much if the
rest of your hardware is inadequate. Doors that are easily kikked in
won't keep someone out - but at least it will be obious that there was
a break in. Make sure that the lock is set into a frame with enough
metal to keep the deadbolt from breaking through the edge of the
frame. Make sure the hardware screws go deep enough into the door
frame. Make sure that the door hinges are not exposed on the outside
of the door, or that other mechanisms prevent the door from being
removed from the hinges. Doors and windows should be designed so that
they can not be lifted off their tracks from the outside. Here is
where it is important to have someone that knows what they are doing
come out and assess the security of your house.
- Alarm Systems - There are many choices in alarm systems. To start
with, you should have a monitored system. If all your alarm does is
make noise, and there are lots of false alarms in your neighborhood,
neighbors will ignore the alarm. Alarm monitoring companies will
often install alarms at a loss if you commit to a term of monitoring.
While these alarms are usually low end, they are still wortwhile, and
better than many of the do-it-yourself systems that are available.
- Common Sense - Even the most secure locks and best alarms are
usless if you don't use them. Lock your doors and windows, even if
you will be away only briefly. Don't leave your door unlocked while
you are in the back yard, and in general, leave your doors locked even
when you are at home. Set your alarm. Don't open your door for
strangers, even if they have a good story about why they need your
help.
- Avoid becoming a target - This is perhaps one of the best
defenses. Don't leave expensive items in plain view from the street,
or from your windows. Don't advertise the fact that you might be out
of town. Don't make it easy for burglars to hide from view while they
try to gain entry to your residence.
- Know your neighbors - Report suspicious activity around their house, and ask them to do the same if they notice something odd with your house. Know who should be around your neighbood, and who is unknown.
There is plenty of information on security available from the Internet. Here are a few sites with useful information.