Your home is your castle, and you want to do everything possible to protect it. Whether it’s keeping unwanted guests from entering your home or protecting children from a broken glass window, taking a few precautions can ensure your loved ones stay safe. 

Here, we’ll cover home security tips for your front door, driveway, and more. By prioritizing safety, you can help ensure you keep a happy, healthy home. 

Front Door Security 

Your front door is the gateway to your house. By keeping your front door secure, you’ll help prevent unwanted guests from entering your home. 

Four Best Practices for Enhancing Front Door Security 

Some of the things we’ll go into further detail about include:

• A solid door 

• Install a deadbolt 

• A wide-angle peephole

• Install a doorbell camera

   

Get a Solid Core Door

Some doors are hollow wood – you’ll be able to hear an echo when you tap on them. While hollow doors are lighter and less expensive, they’re much easier to kick down. For optimal front door security, switch out your hollow door for a solid core front door. Consider getting a door with a steel or fiberglass core for the most protection against forced entry. 

Install a Deadbolt

By adding a deadbolt to your front door, you make it much more difficult for potential criminals to break in. When installing your deadbolt locks, ensure it fully extends into the doorjamb opening. You may also want to reinforce your deadbolt with a metal striking plate. For the best front door security, make sure your deadbolt doesn’t have any exposed exterior screws. 

Use a Wide-Angle Peephole

Some criminals gain access to homes by knocking and forcing their way into a home once the owner has cracked the door open. Installing a peephole in exterior doors allows you to see who’s there. A wide-angle peephole helps you see how many people are at the door and whether they have any supplies with them. 

Install a Doorbell Camera

For added front door security, add a doorbell camera to your list of safety measures. ADT doorbell camera solutions provide HD-quality video and two-way audio that allows you to communicate with individuals at your front door. Our doorbell cameras are also equipped with motion sensors that notify your mobile device when anyone is outside your house. 

By reinforcing your entryway with solid core doors, deadbolts, and doorbell cameras, you’ll strengthen your home’s first line of defense. 

Secure Your Driveway

If you have vehicles parked outside your house, you might be a target for potential thieves. To keep your driveway safe, consider installing the following:

• Automated gates 

• Driveway sensors

• Garage door monitors 

   

Automated Gates 

One of the most comprehensive ways to secure your driveway is to purchase an automated gate, which you can control with a remote device. Some gates seal off your home completely, while others still allow pedestrian access. If you have children or pets, you may want to opt for a gate that encloses your home area. 

Driveway Sensors

If you have a long driveway, you may want to use driveway sensors to alert you if someone is coming toward your house. You’ll receive a driveway alert to your receiver device whenever someone passes your driveway’s threshold. You can either have a standalone driveway sensor or incorporate it into a comprehensive home security system. The only downside to driveway sensors is that they’re occasionally prone to false alarms. You might get a notification when a cat or raccoon passes by. 

Garage Door Monitors 

By installing a garage door monitor, you’ll never stay up wondering whether you’ve closed your garage door. Plus, you can shut your door from afar, eliminating the fear that your garage door is open while you’re on the way to work, school, or the airport. You can even integrate a garage door monitor with smart home devices to close your garage door with your voice.  

Prioritizing driveway security will help keep your house and vehicles safe from unwanted guests on your property. Plus, by using garage door monitors, you’ll eliminate the anxiety of wondering whether you closed the door before leaving home. 

Prioritize Patio Door Security

Now that the front of your house is secured, you need to focus on keeping any back or side doors safe. Sliding glass door security is essential. While glass doors are beautiful ways to let natural light into your home, they’re also an easy target for potential criminals. Here we’ll review a few simple solutions to increase patio door security, including: 

• Covering your doors

• Installing a door lock 

• A security bar

• French door brace

• Shatterproof glass 

• Installing glass break sensors 

   

Cover Your Doors 

A straightforward solution is to cover your sliding glass door with sliding panels or shutters that you can control from inside your home. They’ll stay out of sight during the day but can keep your house safe at night. 

For a less intrusive option, you may consider using blinds or window films to cover sliding glass doors. While blinds won’t keep people from breaking down the door, they will make it harder for potential criminals to look inside and scope out your home. 

Install a Door Lock

Installing a sliding glass door security lock is an easy way to improve your home’s safety. You can install these locks at the top of the door where the fixed panel and the sliding panel meet. They’re a popular solution because they prevent children from opening the door. Plus, they make it more difficult for potential intruders to shake the conventional door lock loose. 

Use a Security Bar

A classic solution improving sliding glass door security is to place a wooden rod in the sliding track to prevent the door from opening. However, you can easily wiggle the rod loose with a bit of effort. 

Luckily, a few more advanced options can keep your sliding glass door secure. Unlike wooden rods, security bars are typically fixed and mounted with screws. Plus, they have padded ends to avoid damaging your patio door. 

Try a French Door Brace

French doors allow you to open your home to the beauty of nature, letting in light and air to circulate throughout your home. However, they’re also easy to breakthrough. To improve patio door safety, consider using a French door brace, which can withstand an impressive amount of pressure and prevent the doors from being opened. 

Buy Shatterproof Glass

Shatterproof glass is a safe solution to increase sliding glass door security. Not only will criminals have a harder time breaking into your home, but also you’ll make your house a safer place for children and guests who might accidentally break the glass door and cut themselves. Shatterproof glass can be a bit pricey, but the added safety is often worth the expense. 

Install Glass Break Sensors 

For optimal patio door security, use glass break sensors to alert you if someone is trying to break into your home. ADT glass break sensors are perfect for any comprehensive smart home security system. With a 25-foot radius, just a few sensors can cover your entire home, including sliding glass doors and windows. They’ll automatically alert your mobile device when glass is broken, allowing you to monitor your house even when you’re away from home. 

Monitor Your Home With Security Cameras

When it comes to protecting your home, there are few tools better than security cameras. Keeping a constant eye on your house can keep you safe and give you peace of mind. ADT outdoor security cameras are perfect for the job. Our security cameras feature:

• High-quality video: Generate 1080p HD video quality images, even in dark or low-light environments, so you’ll always be able to see what’s going on at home. 

• Weatherproof design: Keep your cameras for years, even through rain, snow, and humidity. 

• Motion sensor capability: Make sure your camera is on whenever someone gets close to your house. 

You can even check your security cameras from your mobile device, ensuring you always know what’s happening when you’re away from home. If necessary, you can use camera footage to help identify an intruder who attempts to break into your home. Plus, if someone injures themselves on your property, you can use video evidence to prove when you shouldn’t be liable for their injuries. 

Install a Comprehensive Security Package

The best way to keep your home safe is to have a comprehensive home alarm system that communicates through a central hub. When your glass break sensors, security cameras, and garage door monitors all talk to one another, you’ll have a crystal-clear picture of what’s going on in your home at all times. 

ADT smart home security systems are perfect for the job. Unlike some other security companies, we don’t outsource our monitoring services. We’re always there to help you make sure your home is safe and secure. We’re committed to creating the best customer experience possible. 

We’re so confident that you’ll love our security systems that we offer a six-month money-back guarantee. If you’re not happy with our service, we’ll refund your installation and monitoring fees. Plus, if someone breaks into your home while your ADT system is armed, we’ll pay up to $500 of your insurance deductible. See our ADT Benefits page for more.

Prioritizing your home’s security is one of the most important ways to keep your family safe. By choosing a comprehensive smart home security solution from ADT, you’ll be taking an essential step to protect the ones you love.