Source: Alexander Kirch/Shutterstock
Owning a home is no small feat. Beyond all other responsibilities of life, being a homeowner requires regularly paying utility bills, performing regular home maintenance, and more. While there is a great deal of joy that comes from owning a home, there is also a decent amount of stress. The greatest struggle is determining how to protect your home.
You can perform regular work to secure your home against seasonal weather, but how do you protect it against burglary?
Home security can be improved by updating locks at entrances, but how can it be taken a step further? City security efforts across the U.S. have shown that street lighting can reduce crime. But this idea doesn’t have to stop at the city limits.
You can utilize security lights to prevent home invasions and burglaries. Here are four reliable methods that can help illuminate your property, making it the last place a criminal would want to consider.
1. Indoor Lighting by the Hour
You shouldn’t leave your house in the dark while you’re away for an extended period. The alternative of keeping a solitary light on at all times doesn’t sound any more ideal, though. So what’s a good middle ground?
Your best option here is to install smart lighting throughout your home. Smart light systems are connected to paired devices, controlled by an app, which allows you to control lights at your discretion. You can brighten dimmable lights and turn off certain bulbs while keeping others on.
This is ideal for anyone who is away from home for extended periods, as you’ll want to make it seem like there is consistent life inside of your home to ward off burglars. All you need to do is access the app and control your lights, turning them on occasionally to make it seem like someone is home. Better yet, you can turn on lights before you even arrive, guaranteeing you don’t walk into a dark home.
If you’re not comfortable with smart lights, you can always rely on old-school timers, which your lights will be plugged into. They are programmed via mechanical methods. This way, you can have a light on from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day, keeping a regularity that makes it seem like people are moving about.
Source: Snap Happy/Shutterstock
2. Outdoor Security Lights
Outdoor security lights are another step to protect your home. Outdoor lighting is necessary, as it removes a criminal’s ability to move unseen in the dark. Placed beside your driveway, home entrances, and across your yard, outdoor lighting is one of the best means of preventing an intruder from getting too close to your house.
3. Making the Most of Outdoor Motion-Activated Lights
A powerful floodlight is a wonderful thing. Those with motion-detection capabilities take that effectiveness a step further. Anyone attempting to sneak around your property will be captured within the field of view, causing the lights to immediately turn on, which will shine a bright light onto whatever intruder is approaching your home.
Any smart criminal will be sent running once the light hits them, solely out of fear of being caught where they shouldn’t be.
Source: SpeedKingz/Shutterstock
4. Making Security Cameras Visible
Yet another way to utilize lighting for home security is to shine a light on your cameras. The idea here is to make your security cameras visible to criminals. Being able to see the cameras can be enough to scare off a potential intruder, as they’d rather not take the chances of being caught on camera.
Improvements in technology have made pairings of the two, security lights and camera systems, which will allow you to put a spotlight on crime while recording it in the process.
If you’ve been thinking about how to improve your home security, don’t hesitate to install some security lighting. The lights available at The Home Security Superstore are effective, reliable ways for you to maintain security 360° inside and outside your property.
FAQs:
How can lighting prevent burglary?
Lighting has been shown to reduce crime by shining a light on crimes, where criminals will avoid committing a crime out of fear of being seen or caught in the process.
What type of lighting is useful for home security?
Try smart lights you turn on during waking hours while on vacation or out of the house; floodlights that illuminate your yard; motion sensor lights that scare off potential intruders; lighting that makes security cameras clear to the eye, acting as a warning to criminals.