When people think of home security, the first thing they generally think of is burglar alarms. In most cases, though, alarms are only a small part of the overall security of your home.

In many cases, the key to home security is actually the windows. Houses with less secure windows get broken into far more often than houses with secure ones, as windows are the number one point of entry for burglars. You should always make sure to use the toughest glass you can, and have locks fitted to the windows. Never leave your windows open when you go out, either – even really high up ones that you wouldn’t expect anyone to be able to get to. Also, never leave ladders lying around in your garden – lock them up in a garage or shed instead.

Doors are also a common point of security weakness. Your door should be sturdy and bulky, with a well-built lock that can’t just be forced open easily. You should also make sure to be careful about losing your keys, and never store them together with something that could reveal your address.

Of course, that’s not to say that alarms aren’t effective, although for the most part they are better as a deterrent than they are at detecting and helping to catch a burglar. Fitting a visible alarm to the front and back of your house is the simplest thing you can do to put a burglar off (they’ll go for your neighbours instead), but a well-made fake alarm box generally works just as well for this as a real one. Front and back lights that come on when someone gets close also make a very good deterrent, as well as being convenient for you when you come home late and want to get the key in the lock.

John Gibb is the owner of home security For more information on home security please check out http://www.Home-Security-extreme.info

When one thinks of one’s own Home Security one may be hard put to establish the best solution to select. The least one should do before deciding is to take a hard look at the available proposals and explore them attentively from every side.

Two are the main types of provisions one can consider to set up: either an independent surveillance system with alarms and automatic event reporting, or a subscription to a surveillance service as offered by security providers.

We would like to mention here briefly the advantages and limitations of the second of these two above options, the one offering such integrated services, and to point out why in some cases it may be just the right solution.

Among the important advantages that one should consider are the following:

- Your system will be set up by Professionals
- They will be fully accountable for maintenance and continuous operation
- They may charge for service, not for hardware
- Integration means that proper sensors for any type of other hazards can be included
- Continuous monitoring occurs at a central station responsible for taking immediate action whenever required
- Certain providers may dispose of their own rescue crews to dispatch
- You can be awarded a document capable of gaining you a substantial rebate from your insurance company

Some of the limitation of most services may be as follows:

- Only homeowners, not tenants, may be eligible for service
- An event will trigger a call to official security services (police, firefighters etc.)
- There is no control on the effectiveness of this action, only follow up
- The customer may be bound to a minimum contract duration (three years)
- The recurring expense may be significant

If one is tempted to rely on security providers for assuring adequate home surveillance and protection, it would be advisable to obtain a few offers from different firms and to compare them. If you collect the names of other customers you will be able to check if they are indeed satisfied with the service they get.

By selecting the best security service provider one is fully relieved from the fears of technical hurdles. One is not relieved however from the responsibility of having got indeed the most desirable of solutions.

Elia Levi is a retired engineer.
He built a website to assist with a step-by-step Guide to understand, design, select and set up, all by yourself the best and least expensive surveillance system for your home security. Read more on the subject of this article at
http://www.1st-diy-home-surveillance-guide.com/adt-security.html