However, some homeowners sill opt for a more basic security solution that limits access to private property and makes it harder for a burglar to break in. But, is this enough?

Burglary statistics and rising crime rates are hot topics whenever you turn on your TV, so there is no reason not to follow the latest trends in the security industry and move up from basic products to hi-tech, yet affordable, security equipment available on the market.

If you are still depending on an old gate system that doesn’t do any other kind of burglary deterring except for limiting access to your property, maybe it is high time you reconsidered what proper home security is all about and start looking for other, more modern alternatives, to secure your property and family.

Serious burglars mean business so you must think one step ahead of them. Ordinary security gates will not provide you with a sense of security, especially if you live in a village area as opposed to populated city zones. City areas are crowded and typically have police units patrolling high-burglary areas.

Nevertheless, if you still decide to invest in a home security gate or keep your old one in place, at least upgrade it and include a keypad, so that only legitimate visitors (family or friends) can have access by typing in a code. Even better, invest in a home security gate system that incorporates video surveillance cameras and intercom, so visitors will need to identify themselves to be allowed entry on your property.

Choose home security gates made of metal or solid wood for added privacy and property security.

One more thing that comes into play is electrical power. Intercom and surveillance cameras work great to add more security to your property, but they rely on electrical power to function. Plan for some backup generator to make sure your security gate system is functional even in the event of power outage.

Here are some basic tips for people trying to make their home and possessions more secure.

The first step is installing quality locks on all exterior doors to the home. The best choice is a deadbolt, but although some deadbolts might look strong, they may still not withstand an effort to break in. A homeowner is best advised to contact the police or a locksmith about what type of deadbolt is best.

Secondly, the homeowner should ensure the home is equipped with solid doors. Hollow core doors are easily broken through. Instead, entrance doors should be steel clad or solid core.

Thirdly, consider installing window bars, especially on basement windows commonly accessed in break-ins. The number of people installing window bars is increasing, but too often, homeowners only react after their first break-in has occurred.

Fourthly, homeowners should consider installing a home security system. The added protection might be worth the expense if the home is filled with valuables. Home security alarms may include heat and motion detectors, door contacts and glass detectors.

A safe can be installed in the home to protect jewelry and other valuables. Small safes or deposit boxes should be cemented and bolted to the wall or floor.

People should take special security precautions if they plan to be away from their homes for several days. Leaving lights on, having a neighbor put out the garbage cans on the appropriate day and arranging to have someone pick up daily mail could help keep potential break-ins from happening while the home is unoccupied.

If the home will be empty for extended periods, the homeowner in a small community could notify the police who can usually include the home on the night’s checklist.

People need to develop a habit of always locking up. A habit of leaving a spare key under the door mat needs to be broken.

It is also a good idea to mark valuables with invisible ink or an engraving pencil. The valuables should be marked with a number unique to the owner – a social insurance or driver’s license number can be used.

During the next year one in four homes in the United States will be burglarized. Despite the threat of burglary, nine out of ten residences are not protected by home security systems.

Now that low-cost home security products are available, many homeowners are customizing and installing burglary prevention systems for their own specific needs. For less than $100, for example, a motion sensor can be installed to protect the perimeter of a home. The motion sensor detects the presence of heat in motion. When someone crosses its overlapping detection fields, the motion sensor instantly switches on an outdoor light to create the impression that someone is home, even when they aren’t.

Another interesting home security device also uses a motion sensor, but for a completely different purpose. When someone crosses the motion detection field, a signal is sent to an indoor alarm that begins barking to scare away potential intruders. The “barking dog security alarm system” retails for less than $60.

Be aware of who you’re buying a burglar alarm from

Police agencies are planning to lobby the government to set up some legislative guidelines regarding the companies who sell the equipment, but in the meantime, it remains a buyer beware market.

Find out if they’re reputable. A lot of them look in the papers to see what homes have been broken into, then they contact the owners to see if they want to buy a home security system.

Someone who has just experienced a break-in is probably more vulnerable to this type of sale. And those who do purchase security devices for their home must be prepared to take on some additional responsibilities. For example, if they go away for the weekend who, apart from the police, is going to attend to the alarm?

Police have frequently dealt with complaints from neighbors who have had to listen to an audible alarm ring for extended periods of time. Have a neighbor or a relative who is willing to attend the alarm along with the police, so there is someone with a key for police to enter the residence to investigate and someone who can disengage the alarm.

If the burglar alarm is monitored, the company which it’s hooked up to usually requires that at least two alternate key holders are listed to respond if the homeowner isn’t available. Residential alarms tend to cost police departments a lot of time and money, since many are false alarms. If you trip your own alarm system, don’t wait until police arrive. Contact the monitoring company or the police to let them know it’s a false alarm.

If you don’t have an alarm system, don’t be a hero. Contact 911 and stay on the line until the police advise you to hang up. Don’t try to catch a burglar on your own.

One of the least expensive ways to provide a more secure home is to purchase and install proper dead bolts on doors and locks on windows.

But a growing rate of burglaries, which now account for nearly 35 percent of all the crimes recorded in the United States, along with fires, has changed the minds of owners of homes both lavish and modest, career-minded families who spend long hours away from home and even senior citizens who worry about being unprotected.

Home security has come a long way in recent years, both in options and prices. Microchip technology has made the newest home security systems even more reliable than that most lovable and popular of home alarms – the big, barking canine and accompanying “Beware of Dog” sign.

Most home security systems are built upon combinations of two-key devices: perimeter and interior alarm systems. The burglar who triggers an alarm by breaking a window or opening a door becomes a victim of a home’s perimeter security system, made up of small sensors attached by wire to a central control panel. When he disturbs one of these sensors on a door or window, a signal is sent to a central control panel, which in turn signals action.

The prowler who makes it inside a house can signal an alarm with movement, sound or merely his presence. These interior systems, which include infrared, microwave and ultrasound space protection units, also alert a central control panel once they detect change in their realm. Once signaled with either type of system, the control console can transmit a signal to sound an alarm or alert authorities at a professional monitoring station who will check out the situation.

There also are automatic telephone dialing devices that will dial a preprogrammed telephone number and deliver a prerecorded emergency message when an alarm is tripped.

A home security system combining both perimeter and interior devices could include sensors for front and back doors and bedroom windows, an interior unit strategically placed around an area that needs extra protection and central control panel and alarm.

“Smart home” systems take home security into the future with alarms that interact with one another and actually “decide” what to do when an intruder is detected. One system, for instance, will identify an entry from a door or window by location when no one should be home and automatically call police. Another lets the home owner decide who can enter his house in his absence and dictates when a guest can come in and where they can go.

Smoke detectors and alarms could be considered another type of security system – since they warn home owners of potential fire, which have, the potential of being even more devastating than a burglary. Smoke detectors rely on sensors similar to those used in security systems; many can be incorporated into these systems for all inclusive protection.

The most sophisticated systems boast improved features such as extra-loud horns that can alert hearing-impaired individuals and the heaviest sleepers and high-intensity safety lights that can mark exits and hallways in heavy smoke.

There are also false alarm control models that prevent harmless steam or kitchen stove smoke from setting off the alarm. The most security-savvy home owner, who would hire his own guard if he could afford it, may also choose to reinforce home security with TV cameras that offer him a bird’s-eye view of areas around his house via a surveillance screen.

A less costly alternative would be an intercom system – that allows him to speak to questionable parties at the front and back doors before letting them in.

Other high-tech precautionary home security devices devices center around the control of a home’s lights – one of the simplest and most effective deterrents around. One illuminating idea is found in security timers – designed to fool potential prowlers into thinking someone is home when a house actually is empty. These timers automatically turn indoor and outdoor lights on and off at designated times of the day.

Another version is an outdoor lighting system that’s equipped with infrared sensors. The lights automatically turn on when someone approaches a house, and hopefully send potential prowlers scurrying.

Basic home improvements aren’t quite as glamorous as high-tech additions, but are invaluable in terms of protection. Home owners can improve their fortresses by making simple, inexpensive changes. A few ideas include:

• Replacing flimsy, hollow doors with solid-core construction models on exterior exists.

• Securing doors leading outside with single or double cylinder dead-bolt locks.

• Installing peep holes that offer a wide-angle view of the area outside the door.

• Adding thumb-keyed slide bolt locks on windows.

• Planting “security shrubbery.” Thorny plants that will make hiding or entering a window more difficult.

Home owners can hide valuables such as jewelry, coins and documents in a home safe for extra protection. Even the best-armed homes should be backed up with adequate home owners insurance. The best policies command an adequate combination of liability – which protects the home owner if an accident occurs on his property, or he causes damage to someone else’s house – and property – which covers the house itself.

Until recently, the high costs of equipment and installation have prevented most people from enjoying the benefits of a well-protected home or apartment. But things have changed. New state-of-the-art electronic systems are now available that provide the protection of expensive, professional systems and can be installed easily by almost anyone. The savings in labor alone reduces the cost by at least half – with no compromise in home or personal protection.

In addition to watching over your house (or apartment) for fire, burglars, medical emergencies or other threats, some home security systems have a voice which guides you in setting up and operating the entire system, step by step. It also identifies the specific detector which triggered an alarm, and voices many other commands, requests and messages.

While the system’s voice is its most remarkable feature, it’s electronic brain is its most important part. The computerized central console, about the size of a telephone answering machine, has a built-in telephone dialer that, in the event of an alarm, will call up to eight local or long distance numbers and relay an emergency message in your own voice. It also automatically dials different numbers in response to different emergencies, and delivers an appropriate message for each situation. When there’s a fire, it can call the fire department first. During a burglary, the police can be called first. Your office, a neighbor or a relative also could be called, all automatically.

Using a centrally-controlled electronic fire and security system which will call out automatically for assistance often qualifies a homeowner or renter for an annual discount on home insurance policy costs. The insurance company also may consider the type and number of sensors used, whether the alarm system operates during power failures, and other factors.

New home security systems system employ door and window switches, motion detectors, smoke and heat detectors, and other electronic home monitoring devices. They automatically switch to back-up power when the electricity fails, and also use their electronic voice to say when its back-up batteries need replacement.

• Never leave cash, valuable jewelry or art objects in the house when you go on holiday. Tuck all valuables away in your safety deposit box.

• Never hide a key anywhere. Even amateur thieves will look under a doormat, a flower pot or in a mailbox for a key.

• Never leave informative notes (“Mary, an extra key is…”) on a desk, door or table.

• Always leave a radio on somewhere in the house, and a light on, from dusk to dawn, over every entry door. Electricity costs less than house contents. But don’t leave outside lights on during the day to convey the message that no one is home to turn them off.

Deadbolt locks

• Make sure tree limbs can’t be used as entry to your house, and that trees and shrubs are trimmed so they don’t hide a burglar’s efforts to break in.

• Place portable appliances and entertainment equipment so it can’t be seen from a window or door.

• Install deadbolt locks on every entry door and ensure that there is no space around a door frame for a thief to insert a pry bar or screwdriver to jimmy the door open.

• Ensure that garages and storage sheds are adequately locked and pay attention to what you store in them. Mowers, blowers, boats, motors and snowmobiles are much sought after by robbers.

• Make sure the place doesn’t look empty or uninhabited. Leave some curtains open, others closed.

• Mark your belongings by borrowing an electric engraver from your local police headquarters. Or buy an engraver at a local hardware store, they’re not expensive. By engraving a portion of your social insurance number or your driver’s license number on your personal property items, you make it difficult for robbers to fence what they steal.

Summer usually means people will be away from home for extended periods of time, so we  would like to take this opportunity to offer you some home security tips on making  your home safe, secure and hopefully prevent you from becoming a victim of a break and  enter.

• Before leaving, ensure that all entries are secured.

• Inform a neighbour/friend or relative of your departure and return dates and leave a  number where you can be reached.

• Make arrangements to have your newspaper and mail picked up.

• Store small valuables in a safe deposit box.

• Arrange for trimming of the lawn.

• Use clock timers that activate lights or radios at intervals.

By taking these simple precautionary measures you give the impression that someone is  home.

Homeowners need to quit making it easy for a burglar. The best way to do that is by making a complete check of your house and outside property to determine where a burglar could enter. Doors and windows in most homes won’t stop a determined burglar.

Some things to protect your home include:

• Every exterior door should have a dead-bolt lock with a one-inch throw.

• Those moving into a new house or apartment should consider re-keying the locks.

• Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available locks with a rigid wooden dow in the track.

• Lock double-hung windows by sliding a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each corner or the inside sash and part way through the outside sash.

• Don’t hide keys to locks in mailboxes, planters or under the doormats. Give a duplicate key to a trusted neighbor instead.

• Make sure outside doors, including the one between the house and garage, are solid 1-inch metal or hard wood.

• Doors should tightly fit in their frames and hinges should be on the inside.

• Install a peephole or wideangle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door.

• Teach children safety rules about answering the door and phone, along with how to get out if there’s a fire.

When it comes to the outside of a house, a homeowner should walk the entire perimeter and look for every possible way in which someone can enter their house. To discourage burglars from selecting your home as their place of work, the following things should be done:

• Prune any shrubbery that hides doors or windows and cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into second story windows.

• All porches, entrances and yards need to be well-lighted.

• Keep ladders and tools inside the garage or basement when not in use.

• When going away, people should put lights and a radio on timers to create the illusion that someone is home. Leave curtains, blinds and shades in normal positions. Always stop mail and newspaper deliveries.

People may actually be advertently advertising the types of items that are inside their homes. When people throw empty boxes in alley or trash bins, it alerts a prowler that there are some nice things available. Since the presents are often groups under the tree, stealing is actually very easy. Other crimes, such as strong-armed robbery and pocket-picking, are also more common during the holiday season. People need to be alert to the possibility of crime during the holiday season.

There are a number of things people can do help safeguard their property during holidays. When out shopping, double check the locks on car doors and keep packages in the trunk of the car. Not only is the trunk more secure, but the packages are out of sight. When carrying packages from the car, people should be certain both the car door and the door to their house or apartment are locked behind them.

Though it is tempting to leave one or both open to avoid fumbling for keys with an armload of packages, doing so leaves and opportunity for theft. It only takes a second for someone to follow you to the door, slip in and steal your valuables. Security is especially important at home.

Basic home security tips

• Know who holds the keys to the home. Have the locks have rekeyed since you moved in? Apartment dwellers should be sure the landlord has changed the locks since the former tenants moved out.

• Be sure all doors and windows are properly secured before leaving.

• A good deadbolt lock is a must. If you keep valuables in home, such as jewelry or large amount cash, a safe may also be a wise investment.

• Keeping the shades drawn can prevent burglars from seeing the items under the tree.

• Well-lit homes are less likely to be broken into. Also, timers can create the illusion of an occupied home.

• When planning a trip this holiday season, let a trusted neighbor know when you plan to return, so any suspicious activity on your property can be reported.

The holiday spirit itself can often facilitate a theft or robbery. People have so many pleasant things to think about that they often forget about home security, but it is extremely important to remain alert to all possibilities.

Motion sensors as a solution

How many times have your suddenly awaked from the sound sleep in the middle of the night because you thought you heard a noise outside your home? Or returned home late at night to a darkened yard because you forgot to leave an outside light on? Now there’s a simple and economical way to combat both problems. Prowlers hate motion sensors. Motion sensor light controls can scare potential intruder away before they get to close to your home. And because motion sensors rely on movement to trigger the light, they’re perfect for use with outside lights that don’t always need to be on, such as those over a garage. They also can help reduce energy costs because the lights turn on only when necessary.

A motion sensor creates the impression you’re home even when you’re not. It’s very easy to install several motion sensors in strategic locations around your home and greatly reduce your risk of being burglarized.

The newest types of motion sensors incorporate pulse count technology, which eliminates false triggering and enables the unit to take a second look. This feature helps reduce the chance of the motion sensor turning on when leaves blow or a small animal runs across your yard.

Motion sensors can be purchased at local hardware stores and home centers. Installation is simple, even for not so handy types and can usually be completed in less than an afternoon. With the many types of motion sensors now available, it’s easier than ever to choose a model for your particular home. That’s good news for you and your guest and bad news for potential intruders.