A desire for absolute safety at home presents concerns to anyone whose windows provide vulnerabilities that intruders can exploit. An unlawful entry does far more than break the law; it destroys the sanctity of a home that lets everyone feel protected and safe. Once a breach occurs, only the most effective measures can restore confidence, and prevention can make doubt and fear unnecessary. With a practical approach that incorporates common sense with strategies and products, homeowners can burglarproof windows and improve the overall effectiveness of home security.
The threat of danger from a home break-in creates a definite reason to take preventive action. Based on data from a four-year period, the Department of Justice put the number of household burglaries at 3.7 million each year. The extreme level of fear that a member of a household may experience by witnessing a break-in gets confirmation from the statistics that it happens in about 28 percent of burglaries. In about a quarter of the cases, someone fell victim to violence by the intruder.
Best-Selling Window Security Products
The FBI developed statistics showing that about 2,200,000 burglaries occur each year, and basic math equates that to about 250 per hour. Of course, not all thefts involve breaking through a window, but many do. Some home security experts claim that as many as a third of all burglaries occur through an unlocked door or window. Residential burglaries account for about three-quarters of all such events. As the most vulnerable location in a home, windows have glass that breaks easily and usually attracts no attention from neighbors. An unlocked window that has protection from shrubs provides an invitation to a burglar who wants to get in and out of a house within minutes and without notice.
Some practical and inexpensive options offer homeowners the protection that may restrict access to the ground floor or basement windows. Burglars tend to use experience in choosing a house to burgle, and the ones that have the fewest challenges win their favor, Homeowners can make the approach to a window an unattractive option that may deter would-be burglars.
• Thorny Shrubs
Attractive shrubs can complement a home’s façade and make it appear inviting to friends and family. However, they can make a place for a burglar to hide while breaking a window. A home needs the curb appeal that ornamental shrubs provide, and the process of removing them may attract more attention than necessary. An alternative option that presents beautiful flowers, rose bushes have thorns that almost no one wants to experience. Cactus plants work well in dry climates but not as well in locations that get rain frequently. Windows that people can see when they walk by present less attractive targets than ones that have shrubs or bushes hiding them.
• Overgrowth
An annual trimming of shrubs can prevent them from becoming “leggy,” and it may improve basement window security along with the appearance of the façade as well. The significance of cutting shaggy overgrowth on trees or shrubs for homeowners goes to the matter of home security. Any greenery that blocks the view of a window gives an advantage to a burglar who can hide behind it.
• Obscured Views of the Interior
Burglars want to travel fast with stolen goods, and they tend to take items that weigh little that they can carry when they make a fast getaway. A window that lets a potential burglar see a small piece of electronic equipment, jewelry, a gun, cash, smartphone or drugs may provide an irresistible urge to enter and steal them. Some homeowners may use glass blocks to construct windows that efficiently distort views of the inside of a house.
• Exterior Lighting
Most burglaries occur during the day when jobs keep people away from home, but a well-lit landscape that illuminates windows can lessen the frequency of those that occur after dark.
• Interior Decorating
Windows with no drapes or curtains seem unusual in a society that favors accenting a home with a coordinated décor. Basement windows may not constitute part of a decorating scheme, but every window in a house requires a treatment that carries its color and style. The protection that shades, blinds or drapery provides makes them worth the investment that they require. Solar powered motion sensors offer one of the most convenient applications that homeowners may install to deter unwelcome visitors after dark. Without the need for an electrician to connect power to them, they can start working right out of the box. Manufacturers state the requirements for charging on instructions that come with the lights, and most require at least six hours of full sun every day.
Basement Window Security
Homes that offer sleeping quarters in the basement present concerns about the need to use a window as an escape in case of fire or some other emergency. While the prevention of entry by intruders provides the primary focus of security for basement windows, the ability of someone inside a home to escape requires attention. The placement of preventive measures that affect accessibility may require more consideration than those that do not use the basement as a sleeping area.
• Shatterproof Glass
A glass that breaks easily may prevent the heat or cold air from entering, but that is about all it can offer to safety-conscious homeowners. Shatterproof or shatter-resistant glass requires a puncture tool that can pierce it, and burglars may not have one or choose to take the time to work with it. Do-it-yourselfers can replace the panes in windows with impact-resistant polycarbonate, acrylic or high-security glass under high-profile brand names.
• Window Film
Homeowners can apply a layer of protective film on the inside of a pane to increase the resistance to a break-in. The adhesive on the security window film helps to hold the pieces of a broken window together, defeating a burglar’s efforts to obtain an easy entry. The polyester material can affix to the window glass to improve safety with minimal expense and effort.
• Decorative Impediments to Entry
Window sills offer a perfect place for breakable objects, and they can provide alerts to homeowners of a potential break-in when they fall. When burglars try to crawl through the window, they may brush against one or more, making them fall to the floor and create a noise. Unexpected objects on the floor in front of a window can make a burglar’s entry unsteady and the cause of a racket. Children’s toys or gym equipment may make it difficult for a burglar to obtain a sure footing, generating a sound that may alert people or pets in the home to take evasive action.
• Security Bars
Concerns for access to a window by residents or firefighters may limit the appeal of window security bars for basements, but most manufacturers provide a way to remove them from the inside.
Window Alarms
An alarm that rings out over the neighborhood depends on someone to do something to help or come to the rescue. Almost everyone has heard the piercing sound of an alarm from a neighbor’s house and probably did not do anything about it. A security company in England acknowledges that alerting the neighborhood to a break-in allowed about 76 percent of people to ignore an alarm. Some companies justify an outrageously loud siren as a deterrent that ushers burglars out of the house in their haste to get away from the deafening noise. Advanced technology offers homeowners sophisticated communication methods that make the annoying alerts a thing of the past.
• Magnetic Contact Window Alarms
A sensor and a magnet create a connection on a closed window that produces an alarm when someone interrupts it. Available with wired or wireless connectivity, the devices allow homeowners to install them with minimal effort or get a contractor to connect the wired ones. Instead of broadcasting the alarm to the neighbors, it can send a notification directly to the homeowner’s smartphone.
• Glass Break Detectors
An audio microphone detects the sound of broken glass and causes the detector to sound an alarm. Most units can work from several feet away, making a single device capable of serving multiple windows. The high-pitched sound of breaking glass creates a frequency that causes the detector to respond.
• Vibration Shock Sensors
A detector that responds to activities that may precede a break-in lets vibration shock sensors provide an alert before it happens. Burglars who try to remove parts of a window with tools or force can create enough vibration to make the sensor detect it. Settings can allow the units to tolerate normal conditions to avoid false alarms but still provide protection from outside intrusion.
Window Locks
A lock of almost any type can provide more protection than no lock at all, and many homeowners fail to secure windows with safety devices. Inmates serving time for burglary told an Idaho television station that most of them “broke in through an unlocked door or window.” A trip to a local home improvement store may give homeowners the best way to find a window lock. The most common types of windows include double hung, casement and sliding, and manufacturers design locks for each style. Casement windows use a crank or “operator” to open and close, and they present more difficulty in breaking in even without a lock.
Most models on the market have a low price, and homeowners may wisely wonder about their effectiveness before placing a lot of trust in them. A lightweight metal or plastic device may have an insignificant effect on the force that a burglar executes in a break-in. A pinhole lock may provide the most effective defense, and it can work on double hung windows as well as sliders. However, installation involves drilling a hole in the overlapping area of a window frame and placing a metal pin in the hole. Highly secure, effective and inexpensive, it assures homeowners of a window lock that works.
Burglar Bars
Manufacturers of burglar bars make models that let homeowners choose a design that serves a permanent security need or allows temporary removal for cleaning, emergency or aesthetic purposes. Window security bar kits that do-it-yourselfers can find at home improvement centers and install in an hour or two have three or four stout steel bars within a metal frame. The protective unit’s screws or bolts must pass through the framework of a window and affix to structural framing.
• Permanent
The protection that permanent security bars offer remains constant throughout its lifetime. Houselogic, a site that realtors provide, suggests that some insurance companies may offer discounts. However, the cost-reduction may require the permanent method of installation instead of a burglar bar that swings away or accommodates removal. Custom designs by fabricators may increase the price by as much as five times the do-it-yourself expense with an economical kit from a local store.
• Swing-away
Bars that have hinges can swing away from a fixed position to allow for cleaning or escape during an emergency. Most models have a mechanism that releases the bars quickly from the inside, but some use a padlock that requires a key. In case of a dire situation that requires immediate action, the confusion about how to release the bars may lead to unfortunate outcomes.
• Removable
Homeowners or businesses may prefer removable bars to avoid the appearance of risk that they may imply. The bars can provide safety at night and remain out of sight during the day.
Window Security Film
The International Window Film Association confirms that windows create one of the most vulnerable parts of a home. Security window film that prevents glass from breaking can deter crime, alleviate damage from storms and curtail accidental injury in the house. It meets the same “break safe standards” as those for tempered and heat-strengthened or laminated glass. The ability of security film to hold glass fragments together can serve a dual purpose by preventing cuts from broken windows.
• Crime Prevention
While alarms and security systems provide valuable defenses, they may not have the same level of deterrence against “experienced or determined intruders” that security film offers. The inability to break a window even with a heavy implement often discourages burglars who move along to find an easier target.
• Protection from the Elements
When violent weather sends debris flying with high winds and torrential downpours, the ordinary glass in windows needs protection. Home improvement centers experience a demand for plywood that often exceeds the ability to supply it as a protection for windows when demand increases. A simpler solution to apply that requires no disposal of waste when a storm passes, security film prevents objects from breaking the glass. By eliminating the occurrence of a broken window, it keeps the rain and debris out of a home as well.
Impact-Resistant Glass
Extreme weather events can put the safety of a home in doubt when its windows use ordinary glass. Friends and family members need the assurance that a house can provide the protection that everyone wants every day and night. A reliable way to ensure the strength of windows that can withstand nature’s most stringent tests and resist attempted break-ins requires the installation of impact-resistant glass. Some manufacturers place a tough layer of laminated glass within impact-rated windows that gives them extra strength. While homeowners’ most significant concern involves the sanctity of a home and its safe environment free from intrusion, it does provide many other benefits that may include discounts from insurance companies.
• Energy Usage
Impact resistant windows may help lower energy bills by retaining a home’s heat in the winter and resisting solar heat during the summer. Their seals help deter air leaks and drafts that can rob a house of its energy efficiency.
• Noise Level
The thickness of the impact-resistant windows can lessen the number of outdoor noises that enter a home. A quiet interior space allows friends and family to enjoy conversations, music and dining in comfort.
• Protection from Ultraviolet Light
The furnishings in a home react to ultraviolet light by fading, and the change in color intensity can affect the quality. The sun’s powerful rays can change the color of paint on the walls, furniture, upholstery and artwork.
Privacy Window Film
Property managers suggest that apartment dwellers can benefit from privacy window film that produces some of the same effects as security film. A home may lose as much as one-third of its total heat through doors and windows, causing the HVAC systems to work harder and use more energy. Tinting the windows can make them more energy efficient while providing an increase in privacy and a reduction in energy costs. The American Institute of Architects Journal notes a trend toward putting more glass into homes, and it creates a need for privacy film that can tint it and block as much as 80 percent of the sun’s heat. The Architect Magazine offers some pros and cons that homeowners may consider.
• Utility Costs
Some reductions in utility bills may amount to as much as 30 percent or more.
• Sun Block
The ultraviolet light that fades interior paint and upholstered furniture reduces 99 percent with solar films.
• Security
Even though they have a primary purpose of increasing privacy and preventing prying eyes from seeing inside a home, privacy films help slow down break-ins and avert shattering of window panes. Burglars who cannot see inside may have reluctance in breaking in. Some privacy films can transform an inexpensive window into one that has the efficiency of a “low-E, triple-pane” unit. However, some features on windows may make the application of film difficult and produce results that look “bubbly.”
Window Security Screens
Attractive enhancement to a home’s appearance, security screens provide an extraordinary level of protection. Made in the United States with 100 percent American parts, the quality of the finished product gives homeowners an alternative to window bars or plywood.
• Security
For protection against break-ins and theft, screens offer advantages that homeowners may prefer. A mesh material of heavy gauge stainless or galvanized steel presents an impenetrable barrier that kicking or gouging with sharp tools cannot penetrate. Manufacturers offer aluminum frames that resist corrosion and give a pleasant view of a home’s façade.
• Energy Conservation
Security screens can help lower the utility bill by blocking UV rays. While they allow uninterrupted visibility of the outdoors, they prevent the entry of thermal heat into a home as well. They create an extra layer of protection from heat, and the space between the screen and the glass pane retains the effects that may otherwise enter.
• Aesthetics
The subtle appearance of window security screens may seem to exist only for aesthetic purposes, but the strength that they gain from a steel mesh screen makes them impervious to blows by a baseball bat or tools. Aesthetically pleasing without making the impression that bars or grates on windows create, they prevent entry by bugs as well. Homeowners can leave windows open for fresh breezes without concern for safety.
Window Security Shutters
Traditional shutters may have to share homeowners’ favor with a motorized version of window covering that offers more benefits than they do. While traditional designs deliver a classic accent to a home’s façade with style and color, they cannot match the energy cost savings, privacy or home security of motorized solar shades. When they close, they shut out unwanted heat or cold, noise, dust and burglars with “automatic locking capabilities” that save energy and prevent break-ins.
Manufacturers take note of customer preferences and provide window security shutters that incorporate color stripes that can match the exterior of a house and create an updated version of the “old-fashioned” structure. Aesthetic materials for home security shutters give them an appeal that can encourage homeowners to use them as part of a complete home security program. Read More https://homesafetydot.com/window-security/
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