Robert Siciliano shares practical steps to secure your home while on vacation: use light timers and motion detectors, lock all windows and doors, have a neighbor collect mail, remove your name from the mailbox, bolt safes, post deterrent stickers, and disable your garage door opener.
Hey, moving on. Now tonight's special report: planning the perfect vacation.
That's right, but before you check your bags, check your home to make sure it's as safe as can be when you're out of town. When you're away, the idea is to make your empty house appear as though it isn't. So, your first line of defense: set your lights on timers. You can also buy these photoelectric lights, which security expert Robert Siciliano says reacts to the brightness of a room.
When it's bright, the light is off. When it gets dark, or imitate dark, it turns on.
Burglars are like roaches, they hate light. So outside your home, invest in some motion detectors. It will help scare the bad guys away while alerting neighbors to suspicious activity. Of course, lock all your windows and doors, including those on the upper levels. Don't think burglars won't scale a porch to gain access.
Criminals will bother to climb up. Where there's a will, there's a way.
Instead of calling to cancel your mail or newspaper service, Have a trusted friend or neighbor collect them each day. Also, if you have your name on the mailbox, remove it. That's because if a burglar is casing your place and knows your last name—
All they have to do is a reverse lookup on the internet of that address and your name and find out what your phone number is. And then they can make a number of phone calls to find out if you're actually home.
If you have jewelry and other valuables, consider buying a safe. It will protect you from theft and fire.
And a safe is best used when it is bolted to the floor. So if it's not bolted, they can just pick it up and carry it away.
Other items: a "Beware of Dog" sign can't hurt. Neither can warning stickers.
I love these things. Stickers on your window for a dollar shows a predator or criminal that your house is alarmed, even if it's not alarmed. It's a great deterrent.
And here's another tip for added security: if you have an attached garage, unplug the garage door opener or shut it off at the circuit breaker, then bolt and lock lock the door. Again, it's one less way someone is tempted to get inside.
