Are You at Risk of Home Invasion Due to Inadequate Door Security?

How easy would it be for someone to break into your home through a door? Does your door security put you at risk of not even knowing someone has broken in until they are standing in front of you? Sixty percent of residential burglaries occur while the residents are at home. Are you at risk of home invasion due to inadequate door security?

There are four primary considerations in door security:

- The right door for your needs

- The right locks

- Putting the locks in the right places

- The burglar or intruder alarm.

First, you need the right door. This might be a high-security steel door. If you have a patio or balcony, you might want to install French doors or a sliding glass door. This would not present a door security risk if you are above the second floor of a building. On the first or second floor, you might need additional safeguards.

The second step: put the right locks on the doors. Locks are not an item on which you want to sacrifice quality for price. They are a critical part of door security. Choose a door knob or door lever with a good lock. The best locks will be those that are opened by typing in a code or by recognition of fingerprints. An intruder will have a far more difficult time getting these open.

If you have doors with large amounts of glass, you might need a three-point lock. These locks penetrate the door frame at the top and bottom of the door, not just at the side. They are generally indicated for French doors, back and basement doors with a top half that is mostly glass, and any other type of door that is largely glass. A deadbolt that locks with a key on both sides is the second type of lock you will probably want on every door. Patio doors and sliding glass doors also frequently need another line of defense. You can purchase a small lock that attaches to the base of both panels of the door to prevent opening. There are also rods that either attach to the door or lay in the slide track to prevent opening. These types of locks should together cover this aspect of door security.

Installing locks in the right places is the third part of door security. Placing a deadbolt just above the doorknob might make sense if you have a solid door (no windows). It is not, however, the best location in a door with a large amount of glass. This would place the deadbolt right beside the window. It would be better positioned close to the floor where it cannot be reached through the window. It is important to look at the door and think about the best place to position locks and the best lock for the specific door before installing.

The fourth step: the right alarm completes door security. Most door alarms create points of magnetic contact between the door and the door frame. If the door is opened, the contact is broken and the alarm sounds. These alarms are frequently supplemented with a glass-breakage monitor. A very sensitive sensor is placed near the door which is programmed to respond only to the sound of a door or window being broken. This sets off the alarm even before the door is opened. Sometimes this is enough to deter an intruder.

If your goal is to keep your family safe when at home, you will look into all aspects of home security. Keep in mind that door security is the first step. Pay attention to all four aspects of door security, and you can trust that your family is safe when at home.

About the author: Todd Cavanaugh is a ten-year home security business owner. Protech Security Systems installs home and business monitored security systems, 24-hour surveillance cameras, access control systems and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. See his business web site for his recommendations on door security.