I’m sure we’re all
aware of the growing need for home security management, but aside
from improving door and window locks and installing alarm systems or
CCTV, there are other home security weaknesses that you might not
have even considered. Let’s take a closer look.
Overgrown trees and
shrubbery
While well established
trees and shrubbery offer you plenty of privacy and indeed some
welcome shade when the temperature peaks, you mightn’t be aware that
it isn’t great for your home security. Think about it for a second…
if the view of your house is blocked from the rest of the street then
it
creates the perfect
conditions for burglars who can break into your home unobserved.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of greenery but just make sure that
you maintain clear sight lines between your property and the street
in order to discourage any type of criminal activity.
Inefficient locking
hardware
Most doors and windows
come with some type of locking mechanism and it’s understandable that
you’d think that this would act as a deterrent. The issue is that the
majority of them are poor quality and completely inadequate. In fact,
tests have shown that it doesn’t take much for an experienced burglar
to easily force a door or window open when using these basic
mechanisms. Some can be forced in as little as a few seconds. The
solution is to opt for supplementary locking systems on doors and
windows. These are easily available either online or from your local
DIY retailer and they present a far greater problem for any burglar
looking to enter your home quickly.
Old style remote
garage door openers
I’m sure you’ve seen
funny TV clips where a child is playing with a remote control car and
instead of moving the car, he’s moving a neighbour’s garage door up
and down. Although it may seem a little far fetched the truth is that
this is how older style garage door openers operated. For many years
garage doors were made to open using simple radio controls, most of
which only had around 256 codes. An intruder with a fairly basic
manual transmitter can try various code combinations until they hit
on the right one. It also won’t take much for a computer buff to make
a device that scans through codes fast.
So how do you tell if
you have an older type garage door opener?
Look at your
transmitter and see if it has a Dual In-line Packaging or DIP switch.
This is a switch that allows a particular code to be set. If this is
the case, older radio controls should be replaced by newer ones that
utilise a rolling code system. This selects a code from over 4.3
billion combinations making it much harder for an intruder to gain
access remotely. New style radio controls can be added easily without
having to replace the opener itself.
If you’d like to find
out more about whether your home really is burglar proof, then why
not contact MA Security. With over twenty years of experience in the
security industry we’ll carry out a detailed risk assessment and
report our findings and recommendations to you. Contact us on 1300
020 406 and talk to our team who can help.
