You buy a home security system to defend against thieves trying to break into your house, but there are more threats than just masked thieves outside your home. Garages, sheds, other outside buildings, and vehicles parked long-term can be just as much of a draw to thieves as your main house. If you want to fully protect your home, you’ll need to know some of the best-hidden home security secrets.
Does your security system cover those? Probably not. What about a snooping guest, curious child or even someone working in your home, like a contractor, getting into places they shouldn’t? You won’t know until it’s too late.
Fortunately, the security system protecting your home’s exterior can also protect essential things on the inside. Indoor security cameras can be a huge help. Overall, though, it just takes a little creative thinking.
One of my top home security secrets: It all starts with sensors
A staple of any security system is the entry sensor. This uses two pieces — a sensor and a magnet — to tell if a window or door has been opened. You can attach an entry sensor to more than just a door or window.
To pull this off, it does help to have a security system that lets you set silent alerts for individual sensors. Instead of trigging a full-blown alarm, you’ll get a silent notification. It also helps if the sensors are wireless, so you aren’t running easy-to-see and easy-to-cut wires everywhere. For this, we recommend our sponsor, SimpliSafe. Read to the end to find out more.
Now, let’s jump into three ways to monitor more than just the doors and windows in your home.
1. Medicine and liquor cabinets
Are you worried about a party guest, someone working in your home or even a grandchild snooping in your medicine cabinet or even stealing prescription drugs? Attach an entry sensor to your medicine cabinet door. You’ll get an alert as soon as someone opens it.
This is also a good idea for liquor cabinets if you have teens in the house. You can decide whether or not to tell them it’s there.
2. Safes and gun cabinets
You want to know the minute someone opens your safe. An entry sensor inside the door can do that, and the snooper won’t even know it’s there. Yes, a good safe will keep out snoops and thieves, but it might be someone close to you who knows the combination — like a family member. It never hurts to know.
If you have a gun cabinet, it should always be locked when you aren’t around, period. However, if you have children in the house or even grandchildren who occasionally visit, an extra level of protection is never bad.
Put the entry sensor on the gun cabinet door so you know when someone opens it. This is one you can set to trigger an alarm so you can be there in seconds.
3. Outbuildings and parked vehicles
A detached shed, garage or another outbuilding is a tempting target for thieves, especially if they don’t want to test your home’s security. You’ll definitely want to throw some sensors on those.
If you have an RV or trailer in long-term parking on your land, thieves like to target those as well. Who knows what stuff you’ve left inside? Again, a wireless entry sensor is perfect for these situations. You don’t have to run wires all over the place, and they’re inexpensive and simple to install.
If you don’t have a security system, or your current system won’t do what I’ve just described, then we want to tell you about SimpliSafe.
This tool is one of my biggest home security secrets
If you have 30 minutes to spare, you can set it up yourself — no drills or holes necessary. Its inexpensive, no-contract monitoring saves you money while giving you full peace of mind that the pros are there if you ever need help. And you can control the whole thing from your smartphone or tablet.
SimpliSafe offers wireless entry sensors you can set up individually to fully control. The Secret Alerts setting is excellent. With this, you get private notifications from specific sensors you designate on an “alert-only” setting. These sensors won’t trigger a system alarm but send a discreet notification directly to you.
A single base station from SimpliSafe can have up to 100 devices programmed into it. That includes sensors, keypads and sirens. That’s enough space to outfit your entire property. Add sensors for motion, smoke, carbon monoxide, water and frozen pipes, and you’ve got everything you need.
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