5 Ways You Can Help Secure Your Home’s Perimeter

When people think about home security, many think of door locks and video doorbells. However, safety doesn’t stop at the front door! Your home’s perimeter is the first line of defense and these 5 home perimeter tips will help protect your home from a burglary.

5 Ways You Can Help Protect Your Home’s Perimeter 

1. Fence your yard

2. Paying attention to landscaping

3. Install outdoor cameras

4. Improve outdoor lighting

5. Securing your garage

Fence Your Yard

Did you know that if it takes more than a few minutes to break into a house, a thief will move on? Time is valuable to everyone, even a potential burglar! A home perimeter defense that includes a physical barrier adds time to a burglar's clock is a great way to help secure your home’s perimeter.

You don't want to build a fence that's too high or completely solid.² In a survey of convicted burglars, thieves said they looked for homes with tall fences and overgrown trees and bushes.³This means the best security fences are those that are strong but also see-through.⁴ Chain-link is an affordable option, but wrought iron fences are also a great way to help protect your home’s perimeter. If you're on a budget, look for vinyl and wood picket fences with pointed edges that are durable.

Pay Attention to Your Landscaping

Think about it—if you have thick, tall shrubs growing closely to windows or doors, a burglar can stay hidden while he's breaking in. Cut down any tree branches that abut your home, which may provide access to second-floor windows or balconies. Make sure your yard looks tidy! Long, overgrown grass is a sure sign that you’re on vacation or the house is empty.

Install Outdoor Security Cameras

When it comes to choosing outdoor security cameras, be sure they're weather-proof, have motion-sensing capabilities, infrared night-vision and provide clear images and video. Because the front door, back door and first-floor windows are the most common entry points for thieves, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, install cameras in positions that point at these locations to greatly improve a home perimeter security system.⁷

Cameras should be installed on the exterior of the house, overlooking these locations, or they can be installed on any buildings beside the house, such your garage or a shed. Be sure to keep cameras up high and out of reach, so that they cannot be intentionally destroyed or obscured.

Install Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting not only illuminates your property at night, but if done correctly, can add a beautiful landscaping element to your yard. In general, there are three types of lighting: all-night, which covers your property in constant light; motion-activated, which is dark until someone passes by the sensor, causing the light to turn on; and hi/low combination, which mainly shines a low light until a person activates an intense, bright spotlight.

Secure Your Garage

According to Nationwide Insurance, about one out of every 10 burglars enters a home through the garage.⁹ If you regularly park your car in the driveway, be sure that the garage's remote control is not clipped to the visor. Even better, get rid of the remote and use the ADT Pulse app to open and close your garage. Hide it in a place that's not easy to find. Be sure any windows as well as the access door to the garage are closed and locked when you're not home. If you go away on an extended vacation, unplug the garage door opener. You can also install a padlock to the latch inside, which will prevent the overhead door from opening.¹⁰

You can help protect your property with a home perimeter defense system. Adding a fence, outdoor cameras, lighting and landscaping can help your home's perimeter security and ultimately your home’s security.