Front door security is an important topic, but it often gets overlooked. But when you consider that 34% of all burglars break-in through your front door, it all of a sudden becomes one of the most critical security priorities.
This is why we have put together a detailed guide to help improve your front door security. But first, let’s understand why burglars consider front-doors as their preferred break-in point.
Why Do Burglars Break-In Throught Your Front Door?
There are two main reasons why thieves break-in through your front door.
If you are dealing with a calm and seasoned burglar, they can easily find any spare key you have hidden outside your home. They will then use it to unlock the front door and walk right in.
Alternatively, if you are dealing with a more aggressive criminal, they will choose to knock down your front door and vandalise your home. It is much more convenient than doing some gymnastics to get in through your second-floor windows. And since these guys are so proficient at it, they will be long gone before any cops arrive.
Either way, breaking in through the front door is more straightforward and simpler, which is why most burglars prefer it.
Now that you have a basic idea of why and how burglars break-in through your front doors, here are 8 powerful tips and tricks to help you improve your front door security and prevent home burglary.
1- Use a Lock Box to Store Your Spare Keys
As discussed, one of the easiest ways a burglar can break into your home is if they get hands-on a spare key to your front door. This is why you must stop hiding your keys in vulnerable spots.
No matter how clever you think your hiding spot is, an experienced burglar knows precisely where to look, whether it be under the doormat or above your porch lights.
This is why it is best to store them away inside a combination lockbox.
That way, even if the burglar finds out where it is, they have to type in the exact combination to get their hands on the key.
And rest assured that no burglar will stand there typing in every possible combination as they don’t want to attract any attention.
Pro Tips:
- Try to hide the lockbox in a place where the burglars won’t be able to find it. If possible, place it with other hardware outside your home, so it blends in with the ambience.
2- Get a Solid Front Door
So the burglar wasn’t able to find any spare keys. What’s the next course of action? Well, they might try to knock down your door.
This is why you should always invest in a solid front door instead of something that solely exists for decorative purposes.
In most cases, homeowners pick front doors that have a lot of windows because they look good. Or they might go with designer doors that have a hollow core – meaning they are empty inside. These can be easily broken with a straight kick.
As such, to ensure front door security, you need to get a door made of a strong solid wood that is designed for security.
Pro Tips:
- To substitute the windows on your front door, install a wide-angle peephole. This still allows you to see who’s standing outside but doesn’t compromise your door’s rigidity.
3- Install a Good Deadbolt Lock
Now that you have a sturdier door, it’s time to pick a better lock system to make your front door more secure.
The best option here would be to go with a deadbolt lock. However, make sure that it is right for your personal needs.
For starters, ensure that the deadbolt extends up to your door jam opening. Also, reinforce it with a strong metal strike plate making it more sturdy and secure.
Pro Tips:
- When installing your deadbolt lock, make sure that there are no exposed exterior screws as a burglar can easily unscrew them to make the lock ineffective.
- Use Cylinder Guards to reinforce your key locks. It prevents burglars from trying to wrench your locks loose and breaking into your house.
4- Get Longer Set Screws
Deadbolt locks traditionally come with ½ or 1-inch set screws. You need to replace them with longer set screws, preferably 3-inches.
You see, when a burglar tries to kick open a door, the majority of the force falls on the bolt of your deadbolt. Now, the smaller 1-inch screws will only go up to the door trim which isn’t strong enough. So when the burglar is kicking the door, the strike plate will get easily destroyed as it is dependent on the weaker door trim.
However, when you install a set of longer 3-inch screws which goes deep inside the stud of your door jam, the strike plate becomes more secure. This simple tweak makes your front door less prone to breaking from kicking or brute force.
5- Use a Security Alarm for Your Door
Home security is never complete without a home alarm system. However, most people shy away from installing a dedicated security system because of the added hassle and extra costs.
This is where our new security gadget Mimic GO™ comes into the picture. It is pocket-sized, pocket-friendly, and the first personal security tool to help you secure your doors, windows, and even personal belongings.
To help you improve your front door security, just place Mimic GO™ on your doorknob. Next, set up an alarm using the companion app.
Now, if someone tries to open your door or turn the knob, it will start a loud alarm scaring off the intruder. You will also get an alert notification on your phone, so you can quickly call the cops.
Pro Tips:
- You can place Mimic GO™ in your backyard and garage as well. It comes with a motion detector and will trigger an alarm if it detects any unexpected motion.
6- Use a Security Screen
A security screen is a pierced metal barrier that comes with extra space for additional locks. The screen is installed outside your front door and provides an extra layer of security from both lock pickers and vandals who want to knock down your door.
It allows you to install an extra deadbolt and knob which makes it doubly more difficult for burglars to break the locks.
Furthermore, It allows your front door to see who is knocking without making yourself vulnerable. In fact, it is far more secure than having a simple peephole and provides better visibility and security.
Pro Tips:
- The stronger the metal used in designing your security screen, the more impact it will be able to withstand to prevent destructive entries.
- The security screen also prevents firefighters from breaking into your house and saving you. As such, we recommend installing a security screen only when you have accessible windows that firefighters can use in case of a fire.
7- Install Metal Grills
Metal grills are an excellent alternative to security screens.
However, if you take your home security extremely seriously, you can use them along with the security screen to create three layers of security – the front door followed by the security screen and topped by the metal grills.
In fact, having metal grills installed behind your glazed or semi-glazed front door is an excellent way to improve the security and also adds to the overall aesthetics.
Pro Tips:
- If you are getting a glazed door, make sure that it’s completely laminated. This way, even if it gets shattered, it will hold itself in place.
- Also, install the laminated door from the inside. This prevents burglars on the outside from removing it, thanks to the solid breading. This increases your overall security.
8- Secure the Windows Near Your Front Door
In most cases, you will find that there is a window close to the front door.
This is a huge red flag from a security standpoint, especially if it’s a glass window. A burglar can just break the glass and get their hands or some instrument inside, to try and unlock the door from the inside.
To prevent this, get rid of the glass window altogether and place a dedicated window lock.
However, if you must have a glass window, then install metal bars to prevent people from reaching inside. You can also place a security film over the glass windows, which will provide an extra layer of security.
Pro Tips:
- You can place Mimic GO™ on the windows, and it will trigger an alarm if anyone tries to open it.
Wrapping Up
So these were some of our tips and tricks on how to make your front door more secure and burglar-proof.
The crux of it comes down to installing a stronger door (or doors) and getting a more secure and sturdy locking system. However, all these can break, which is why we encourage getting an alarm device like Mimic GO™ that can inform you whenever your home security is compromised.
Keep following our blogs for more security tips and don’t forget to share them with your friends and family so they, too, can improve their home and personal security.