3 Tips to Keep your Home Secure Over the Holidays

3 Tips to Keep your Home Secure Over the Holidays

While the holidays are mostly filled with joy, giving and celebration, sometimes things don’t always turn out like we planned. Crimes are two times more likely during the Christmas season, so if you decide to travel, leaving your home empty for a few days, here are some tips to ensure your home is safe during the jolliest time of year.

Light it up

Whether you have decided to travel for the holidays or not, make sure you keep your porch light on. The light will thwart off burglars because there is more of a chance that they may be seen if they choose to target your home. Use exterior lights to illuminate places like your back door and front and back yards so that there aren’t any dark shadows that make it hard for a video surveillance camera to pick up suspicious activity around the perimeter of your home. It is easier to see a burglary in the act if it isn’t as black as night.

A way to trick people into thinking you are home is to implement a lighting timer. You can choose different times to turn on and off lights around your home. You can choose to keep the living room light on all night while flickering between upstairs bedrooms and the kitchen area. Christmas criminals won’t choose to target your home if they believe you are inside.

Protect Your Empty House

Be sure to lock up your house. Double check all windows, doors and fences. If you have an alarm system, make sure it is set before leaving for your journey. Call your alarm company and let them know you will be out of town, so if you alarm is tripped they know that it is a serious emergency and not just a false alarm.

Let your neighbors know that you are not going to be home, so that if they sense any suspicious activity or see any other lights on in your house, they can call the police and then notify you that someone may be lurking in your home.

If your family goes out of town every holiday season, perhaps you should think about investing in a video surveillance system that allows you to monitor the footage in real time from a mobile device. These sorts of systems usually have a notification system that will ping you and the local police department with any and all suspicious activity.

Have Common Sense on Social Media

In this digital age, we like to share everything we are doing in real time, but around the holidays it might be best to wait to share every picture you take if you aren’t at home. Burglars have become especially social media savvy, creeping through social media posts to see which tenants have been posting from other locations for a certain period of time.

If you’d like to tweet out a, “Happy Holidays!” from your phone, just make sure that all your location settings are off. Don’t add your location to your Instagrams and only post pictures when it is not easy to identify where you are.

When you get home from your travels, you can post all of your stories and photos at one time from a location that will not tip off any criminals.

By using these three tips, you will be sure to enjoy your holidays without the added stress of a break-in at your empty home. Whatever you do, don’t forget to have some fun with your family and relax!

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

New Products

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.