Articles

Since the tragic death of NFL player Sean Taylor, who was a victim in a home invasion, there have been numerous home security articles and an increased interest in the security measures you can take to avoid such an occurrence. For many people, this will mean a new home security door lock that is an improvement over the one they currently have.

When reading home security articles, several themes will be common to most of them. Having a good home security lock on every exterior door and keeping them locked is universal. Many will also recommend using alarms and home security services, but locks are the obvious first line of defense.

A lock is useless if it is not secured, and everyone in the family needs to be trained to lock every door every time. Don't make the mistake of hiding a key in an obvious place such as on a door frame, under a mat or in an easily detectable fake rock. If you really want a spare in case of accidental lockout, consider leaving one with a trusted neighbor or putting it in a coded lock box.

Home security articles will also mention often mention the different kinds of locks, and how safe each type is. An old lock using a skeleton key is quite clearly not a great idea, but many modern locks are too easy to defeat as well. If you can get in with a credit card, so can anyone else.

It's also important the security lock use the correct box. It needs to be bolted into the door frame with at least three inch nails or screws. And, it should have a kick proof rating. The bolt itself needs to be an inch and a half long, at least. If there is a glass pane in the vicinity, the lock needs to be special to prevent a criminal from breaking the pane and reaching around to unbolt the lock. Remember to check local codes.

Many home security articles have been written regarding safety measures you should take if you're at home and your safety system fails. The best method is to hide in a closet with a cell phone and immediately call 911. If you have no opportunity to hide and are faced with intruders, make sure you never look them directly in the eye. Try to notice as many things about them as you can without obviously staring at them. However, the bottom line is that it's better not to have to deal with this situation at all by having high quality locks installed correctly before the problem happens.