In recent years, the ways we protect our homes and businesses have changed and adapted. The technology that we would have thought was futuristic a few years ago is now mainstream and in a lot of our homes.
Think of how alien the concept of having an AI that lives in your house, answers your questions and controls your music, lights and schedule, be here we are with technology like Alexa and Google Home.
As we advance, so do the ways we can access our homes and businesses. The concept of keyless entry has been around for years now, mainly used in the automotive industry but also used for security and access control.
In this guide, we will be covering home door security and how you can keep your home safe with newer technologies and security methods.
In this guide to home door security, we’ll cover:
- Home Door Security 101
- What You Need for Home Door Security
- Installing Home Door Security in 4 Steps
- Summary of Home Door Security
What's in this Guide?
What You Need To Know About Home Door Security
Home door security can be defined as a lot of different things, but however you choose to define it, it is about keeping your property secure and safe.
When it comes to home door security you can break it down into two core areas. The first is keeping the door secure via preventative action and protection such as a CCTV camera that stops anyone even attempting to break into your house.
The second is making the door much more secure and harder to break into, this can be done by utilising access control systems that allow for a much safer home.
Access Control for Home Door Security
Access control is a way of steering away from the traditional lock and key system that has been used for door security for an extremely long time and is very outdated.
Some of the issues with lock and key are the ability to clone or copy a key and thus break into your house with your own key, someone finding your spare key (under that fake rock isn’t fooling anyone), or just the ability to pick the lock.
Access control solutions for home door security eliminate all of these problems and crate a much safer and secure environment.
Think of it as a form of digital key, that when tapped on the scanner will tell the door to unlock, meaning you do not have to manually unlock your door anymore.
Supplies You’ll Need For Home Door Security
Doors to Secure
When it comes to home door security, you will need to ensure you actually have doors you can secure or an area that you want to install security systems on.
We will look at this a little bit more in the below points and go into further detail.
Access Control Solution
Home door security is often broken down into two core areas, the actual securing of the door and keeping that area safe from break ins or threats.
An access control solution is what a lot of people refer to as a keyless entry system, think of this as the same concept as a car in essence, you do not need your key in the lock to open your door.
Instead of using a traditional metal key in a lock, you would use a key fob, a credit card sized device to tap your door’s control panel or if you’re feeling like a spy, use a biometric scanner.
CCTV Cameras
The other option for home door security is installing a CCTV system which will keep your doors and property secure from potential threats.
In this article, we will are focusing more on the actual door security, but this is part of keeping your home secure in general, so is an important point to note.
An Expert
We are not doubting anyone’s ability to install and change hardware, but when it comes to security, it is often best to leave things to the experts.
At the very least, getting a security consultation will give you a better idea of what you need to do to ensure your home security system is viable and the best option for you.
A Budget
Knowing the kind of money you are looking at spending when it comes to your home door security is incredibly important.
If you do not know what kind of value you are looking for and can afford them you will be limited in your options.
Permission
This may sound like an odd thing you need when looking for home door security but it is important to know. Depending on where you live you may not actually be able to alter your doors.
Obviously if you own the home 9 times out of 10 you can, but it is always worth checking. If you are renting your property it is fairly unlikely you will be able to edit the structure, but you can always check.
Installing Home Door Security (4 Steps)
Installing your own home door security system at home can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. We are going to look at the four steps you need to follow to ensure you have secured your home.
Step 1: Research what you want
As with everything, it is important to do some research and understand what the available options are on the market.
Having a good idea of what you can get will help you determine the kind of options you have for your budget, home type and layout.
There are a lot of factors to think of when you are shopping for home security systems, some examples are:
- Neighbours’ proximity – if you have neighbours who are close and can see your house
- Local area and neighborhood – if you live in a low crime or safe area
- Street lighting – how well lit the approach to your home is
- How often you are at home – if you are away on business a lot, etc…
- Your house – If you have a gate, fence or perimeter
- Your pets – these will affect how safe your house is, especially if you own dogs
- Number of entrances/exits – this will determine how much security you need on your property
- What floor you live on or if you have an upstairs – this will have an impact on the types of systems you may want to deploy
- How you want to enter the property – there are different types of home door security, so exploring the different options is important
All of these will play a part in your decisions and the kind of systems that will work for your home. You will also be able to think about how much security you will need too.
Home door security will typically come in the form of some type of access control solution, which will effectively allow you to ditch traditional keys and use a key fob, key card or even your fingerprint to access your home doors.
Step 2: Buy your home door security systems
Once you have a better idea of the type of solution/s you are looking at, you can go ahead and buy your home door security options.
It’s important to note that a lot of people will also use home door security systems for internal or other doors as opposed to the traditional front of back entrance.
For example, you might want to lock your tool shed, workshop, or home office, or somewhere where you have valuable information or things stored.
It is fairly common for people to install home door security solutions to keep a wine cellar or art room safe. The options are limited to your own imagination.
As with almost everything, budget is what often determines what solutions that someone will look at and purchase.
A lot of people will incorrectly value their home security and not think of it as important of business security, which is exactly what criminals are counting on.
Step 3: Install your home door systems
As we have alluded to above, this may not be something that you can personally do, and it may require an expert to help you.
This depends on what type of system you have picked and your technical prowess, but outside of a CCTV system, it is fairly unlikely you will want to install the system yourself.
If we are talking about access control solutions for home door security, you will probably not be attempting to do this yourself as the can be very complex to install and get right.
Having the assurance of a security expert installing your home door security is much better than relying on your own expertise, regardless of your experience level.
You should never take shortcuts when it comes to your own safety, security and peace of mind, so we would always recommend hiring a professional.
Step 4: Keep your systems and home secure
Home door security can come in a lot of different forms, a lot of people will have some form of CCTV system or doorbell system, and pair it alongside a keyless entry system, typically referred to in the security industry as access control.
Security experts differ on how often they think you should review your security systems and keep your home secure.
It is fairly good practice to review your security every year or two, unless you have an attempted break in or security threats.
A lot of people think of security as a set and forget system, which is not how it works. Even if you just check your CCTV camera feeds to ensure they are still clear and everything is working properly.
This is completely dependent on the type of home security system you deploy, some you may want to check a lot more frequently.
If you have a system that is linked to an app then you are more likely to keep an eye on it more often than not.
Home Door Security Summary
Whatever the reason that someone wants to update their home security, it is normally a good idea. Whether you are looking to protect your home, remove the need for keys, or make an easy way to get into your house, home door security is for you.
Finding the right home door security solution for your budget, house and needs is important. So always do your research and understand what is the best option for you.
With the sheer variety of options on the market, finding a tailor made solution that will be perfect for you is not too difficult.
