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Contact: ![zenseeker [at] hotmail [dot] com](EmailImage.gif)
Home Security
Unless you live in Canada, or some sparsely populated area where home intrusion is unlikely due to your home's remoteness and lack of population density, you will need to consider home security to some extent.
Location
Some places are just more likely to become burglarized to become recurrent locations for violent crimes. If you live in an area that has significant population density, high unemployment, high poverty, low morals and neighbors that just don't care, perhaps you should consider moving.
Entrances should be well lit and easily viewable from the street and by neighbors. Avoid creating cover near windows and doors where prowlers would be concealed.
Front Door
The majority of break-ins occur through the front door. It is generally the most assessable entry point and is generally not as secure as most home owners would think.
Kick Ins
A front door can usually be kicked in with little effort. The reason of for this is that most doors are designed with esthetics and economy in mind and not physical security.
Spreader Bar Attack
Door frames can be spread apart with a spreader bar.
Door Jamb
The weakest link is at the door jamb, which is often made of 1/2 inch thick soft wood. This soft trim is easy to work with, but has minimal structural strength and will not withstand a good kick. This weak spot can be reinforced in a number of ways.
Longer and heavier duty screws
The 1/2" trim screws that come with most strike plates are just enough to
seat the strike plate to the door jamb. They add little to structural
support of the jamb itself. Adding larger diameter hardened steel
screws that bite in to the door frame dramatically increased the door jam's
resilience against kick ins.
Heavy Duty Strike Plate. A heavy duty strike plate in conjunction with heavy duty long screws is a step up from long screws alone. There are several commercial options available.
There are a number of commercial and security striker
plates that will endure far more abuse than the flimsy residential brass
striker plates generally used in homes.
Metal Door Jamb Plate. A metal plate in addition to heavier duty screws can be used to dramatically protect or repair your door jam. So much so that the hinges or door itself become the weak link in your door structural security.
diy-home-security.org DIY steel flat bar
Door Jamb Armor - requires dismantling of door jam, but allows for ultimate door jam strength - zombiehunters 58410
Door Strength/Defense
After you reinforce your door jamb, the door becomes the weak link when fending off a door's forced entry attempt. You may not be aware of this, but doors come in many different configurations.
Hollow Core - These doors are usually inside doors with no insulation or security and require minimal force to kick in. These should never be used as an exterior door.
Solid Wood - These doors are made of hardwood and require an average amount of force. A crowbar can be used, but it may not be necessary for a forced entry.
Solid Core - The inside frame of this door is softwood with laminate on each side and a chipped or shaved wood core that require average force to break.
Metal Clad - These doors are softwood with a thin metal covering and require an average to above average amount of force. A crowbar may be necessary.
Hollow Metal - These doors are much heavier than other doors, have reinforcing channel around the edges and the lock mounting area, and some have insulating material. They require maximum force and a crowbar to open.
A metal edged door can withstand significantly more repeated blows than a non-metal edged door.
The weak spot is where the deadbolt is mounted. It is here that the forces of any impacts against the door is focused. And it is here where the door will most likely fail. A door will benefit from steel wraps around the deadbolt and door latch. This drastically increased the door's resilience to kicks and in turn makes the hinge the next weak link in front door protection.
Bigger and thicker is better.
Hinge
After you reinforce your door jamb and your door, the hinge becomes the next weak link.
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Replace at least one screw in each hinge with a 3.5 inch stainless steel screw. This will allow for a better bite into the frame studs. |
Outward Opening Door hinges
If your door opens outward, it will by design be harder to kick in. Unfortunately, you most likely have exposed hinges and the hinge pins can be removed, allowing the door to be simply removed. Here are a few easy fixes that will make door removal more difficult.
This is a purpose made security stud for hinges. You simple remove two screws (must line up with closed) for your hinge and install this stud.
Door hinge blots create a bit of a deadbolt when the door is closed.
For those looking for more serious hinge protection, there are options.
Storm Doors
This more or less will stop a kick in attack at this entry point.
Door Barricade
If you are inside your home, there are a number of ways to barricade your door.
A double sliding 2x4 barricade is great for those side and back doors you seldom use.
A metal sliding version is also easy to fabricate.
Removable Door knob braces can work rather well and brace the weakest spot on a door and the main target spot of a kick in attack. Some of these have an alarm built in so that if the kicking wasn't loud enough to wake you, the shrieking alarm would.
OnGARD is basically a big block that you drop in place to protect the bottom of your door.
A wedge can do a pretty good job of stopping a door or window from opening. You may need to use Velcro for good results. If your floor is too slick, use a stick bottomed wedge or tape Velcro to the floor and and bottom of the wedge. Some of these come with a fancy alarm and can be very loud.
Glass Attack
If you have a glass window on or within a few feet of your door, an attacker need but smash in some glass and unlock the door from the inside. There are a few ways to combat this, and all are inconvenient or esthetically unappealing to many.
Double Cylinder Deadbolt. If you need a key to
unlock the door from both the inside and the outside, this will really slow
down an attacker. It will also make it a pain to unlock and lock the
door every time you need to open the door, especially if you are trying to
escape from a house fire. It may also make nightly
security checks more difficult as you can't easily tell if the door is
locked by looking at it.
Block windows. You can use expanded metal, wire
mesh, wood or even sheet metal to protect doors. This may not be what
the lady of the house had in mind. Then again, it just might be,
especially after someone breaks in.
GlassEssential
Security Glass Film. This makes it more
difficult to break glass. It can even stop bullets under certain
circumstances. And after a would be burglar fails to get through a
window that just won't break, they may give up and go elsewhere.
Security Glass. This can get expensive.
This is a real sign with real money. It also had a real security guard
keeping an eye on it.
breakage resistant windows (plexiglas, lexan, unbreakable polycarbonate panel and other glass replacement products)
Sliding Doors and Windows that Open
Sure, you can break glass, but it its a bitch to crawl over broken glass. You can really get hurt doing that. But breaking just enough glass to open a sliding glass door or window latch allows you to walk in or crawl into an open window.
Protect your glass (see above)
Wooden Dowel. Place a wooden dowel in the slider. Commercial center mounted These are as easily defeated as the door or window latch.
Alarm. Place alarm contact on window so that alarm goes off when you open the door or window. This adds on another level of complexity to a break in. The neighborhood is alerted to your entry attempt; the sirens cause a physiological affect and the police and home owner may be on their way to meet you which limits how much time you can spend in that home.
Broken Glass Alarm. Place vibration alarm on window. Similar to above, but may more likely be an unmonitored system that is easily disabled.
Locking pins and other stoppers. May be harder
to find and see than a dowel in the usual place.
Keyed Lock.
Security Wedge. Can prevent the door or window from opening or opening past a certain point (good for airing out, preventing children from escaping and allowing the alarm to go off while preventing an intruder from entering).
Locks
Any lock can be disabled, but some require more effort than others.
Locks can fail to protect a home several ways:
The door can be left unlocked.
Door locks can be picked.
Door locks can be hammered until they fall off.
Door locks can be "drilled out" using a power drill.
Locks can be pried off with pipe wrenches or pliers.
Panes of glass in or beside doors can be broken so the intruder can reach in and unlock the lock.
Sometimes thieves obtain a copy of the house key from an acquaintance.
Special shotgun loads can disable just about any residential lock.
Deadbolt on all Exterior Doors
In residential construction there are basically two types of bolts used on exterior doors: latch bolts and deadbolts. Some locks combine the two bolts into one. All exterior home doors must have a deadbolt. The garage door door is considered an outside door and is often neglected.
Install locks with an ANSI Grade 1 classification.
There is a grading system that measures the security and durability of door locks. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has standards, developed and maintained by The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association Inc. (BHMA), that comparatively measure the security and durability performance of door locks.
Not all Grade 1 locks are equal. Different types of door locks
are tested differently under ANSI standards. But the grade designation system is
the same.
Install locks with key control.
Key control is simply controlling who has copies of keys to your home. Many door keys can be copied at a local hardware or retail store. However, many manufacturers now offer locks using keys that cannot be copied except by certain locksmiths or only by the manufacturer themselves.
There are burglaries where the unlawful entry can be traced back to a key that was either knowingly or unwittingly provided to the burglar.
Key control can help protect your from the following scenarios:
In-home help has been fired or quit, but they made their own copy of your house key.
In-home help may have acquaintances who burglarize homes; they might try to acquire a key through them
Mechanics may try to make copies of your house key while working on your car.
Key control may require extra effort, such as a letter to the lock manufacturer or a trip to the locksmith to get a key made. Also, there is an additional cost due to record keeping by the manufacturer or locksmith (between $10 and $50 per key). The additional cost and inconvenience should be weighed against the security benefits.
1" Minimum Throw on Deadbolt
If deadbolts have a bolt that is fairly short, the door can be easily opened with the use of a crowbar or other prying tool. The throw of the deadbolt is the length that the deadbolt extends out of the door edge. A minimum throw of 1" is recommended. Longer throws makes it more difficult to gain entry by spreading the doorframe.
When installed, bolt should lock into place when extended. You should not be able to push the bolt back by hand
Bolt should be constructed to include a hardened steel core
Hardened Cased Steel & Beveled Casings
On a typical deadbolt lock the outside housing of the lock is called the "casing" or "case." Many lock manufacturers make their casings out of hardened steel and many make the casing beveled. The hardened cased steel makes the casing more resilient against blows from a hammer. Beveling the casing makes it very difficult to get pliers or pipe wrenches to stay on the lock when trying to twist it loose.
Outer slip ring should be free moving when NOT installed.
Outer slip ring should contain a tempered or hardened interior ring (slip ring shouldn't be hollow)
Anti-Drill Feature
Some intruders know how to drill out a lock. Some manufacturers combat this by installing hardened steel chips within the lock housing. When the drill bit hits these steel chips, it tears up the drill bit.
Lock-Picking Vulnerability
Though picking a deadbolt lock can be time-consuming, there are
many skilled burglars that have this skill. In order to help prevent your lock
from being picked, it’s best if you choose one with a high-security cylinder.
High-security locks often have special pins, which can not be picked with
standard lockpicking tools. Though a bit more expensive, it’s always best to opt
for the high-security option when choosing a deadbolt lock.
Lock cylinder should be constructed of 100% brass (some lock manufacturers use a combination of brass and plastic)
Screws that anchor rear thumb-turn plate to front lockset should be heavy-duty at least ¼" or larger in diameter
Deadbolt face should be 2 pieces (outer slip ring with
separate lock face - some manufacturers may join both pieces
together)
Deadbolt should be of a 6 or 7 pin construction. (Available ONLY through locksmiths and locksmith supply houses)
Deadbolt should contain pick-proof pins. (Available ONLY through locksmiths and locksmith supply houses)
When mounted to the door surface, the deadbolt face should be
able to sit flush to the door to help defeat crowbar
attacks
A professional locksmith can supply:
Information about available security products
Heavy-duty residential and commercial grade lock sets that are not available through local retailers
6 or 7 pin locksets. (more difficult to pick open - local retailers usually supply 5 pin lock sets)
Pick-proof lock pins. (difficult to pick open - usually not available through local retail outlets)
High Security locks that provide complete control of key distribution
Alarms
These can have a significant physiological impact on an intruder and may force them to limit their visit and damage to your home.
Some require a subscription service and monitoring fees. Others just make noise or contact you via phone or internet.
Dogs
The kind that bite instill the fear in many. Electric versions of barking dogs are also available. These may or may not deter an intruder. The real one above would.
Secondary Security
Adding locks to interior doors adds more obstacle for intruders to negotiate. But before you beef up your master bedroom's door jamb, keep in mind that many interior doors are made out of cardboard and are easy to kick in.
A safe bolted to the floor (or metal frame work to keep it from fitting through the door or window) should keep a burglar in a time pinch from taking what's locked up inside.
Valuables can be hidden in all sorts of places, such as clocks, behind secret doors, in fake electrical outlets, etc.
Early Warning Systems
Motion detectors can be wired to set off flood lights, noise (chime, siren, even barking dogs), alarms, security forces or even notify you via a phone/internet that they have been set.
Here is an example of a solar powered motion detector spotlight. It can be mounted just about anywhere.
Fences
These provide both a physiological and physical barrier. In places where you can use razor wire, these will deter many an intruder.
Anti-climb razor spikes are commercially available in many developed countries and is a step up from mortaring broken glass or nails into the top of your perimeter walls and roof tops. These can be defeated via blocking with jackets and other ticks, but if you had a choice of climbing over a wall covered in this or climbing another wall, what would you do? In "civilized" countries where the lawyers rule, these would surely lead to a lawsuit after an injured intruder becomes a victim. These may in fact invite criminals to intentionally injury themselves.
insight-security.com/per-razorchan-u.htm
Security Cameras
These provide a physiological affect on those casing your home. They may also help you identify thieve or work as a warning system. They can show you how many thugs are in the bush when you open your front door and some systems will notify you via your phone or computer when there is movement in your home.
There are many camera options it fit various needs and budgets.
Booby Traps
This is acceptable in some parts of the world, discouraged in most and down right illegal in others. And in the USA, if you kill or maim an intruder with a swinging punji stick or tripwire explosive, you are likely to get sued or jail time...if the intruder's body is found. In no way is anyone related to this website recommending booby trapping your home, but can you imagine the look on a prowler's face when they are sneaking around your back yard at 2:00AM in the dead of night and they set off a motion detector which in turn sets off a flash bang? Imagine the look on a cat's face after it sets it off.
Here is a burglar alarm that was marketed in Afghanistan. Once tripped, you can talk to the intruder through your cell phone. And if you don't like what they have to say, you can use the attached Kalashnikov to make it clear that they are not welcomed in your home.
So just to make it clear - don't booby trap your home, blow up an intruder, neighbor's pet or your kid and say you got the idea here. Any of these will land you in a court of law in the civilized world. If a law enforcement officer is injured by a trap, no matter what their reason is for lurking around your property might be, things will get really ugly really fast and for a long time.
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