Summer is a
care-free time: School’s out, the weather’s nice and vacations are planned. But
that easy-going attitude can leave your house
vulnerable, especially if you’re
leaving it unattended for while you’re kicking back at the beach. You know the
standard tricks—stop the mail, have a trusted neighbor on the lookout—but you
don’t have to stop there.
Go for a
smart home. A smart home set-up allows you to control lights,
appliances, thermostat and security systems from your phone. So with the tap of
a button you can turn the lights on and off from anywhere. Products differ, but
simple starter kits are often available starting at around $100.
Fake your
TV. Rather than leave your TV on, fake it, and utilize a product that mimics the light made
from a real HDTV, including mimicking scene changes, fades and on-screen
motion. These small devices start at around $20.
Install fake security cameras. A security camera can be a strong
deterrent, but it is expensive. Fake ones, however, are quite cheap, as little
as $10.
Get a sophisticated light timer. Plugging your lights
into a timer is the age-old burglar deterrent, which means that determined
burglars are wise to this trick. So make sure your timer either turns the
lights on and off at random, or allows you to program separate times for each
day of the week.
Activate a barking dog. Although a little more expensive,
several products allow you to mimic the sound of a barking dog as someone
approaches the home. Attached to a motion sensor, the “dog” will start barking
if someone is near the home and get louder and more persistent as the person
gets closer.
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