Think like a burglar when putting your home security system together

So you’re trying to secure your home with the best methods you can think of, but where do you start? How do you determine where to put the cameras? What are the best angles to place outdoor lights? Where should you most focus your home security system precautions?

What you might need to do is a little mental cosplay as you try to imagine yourself as a stranger to the house, looking for the best way in. In short, you must try to think like a burglar.

Note: while this does not require you to put on a dark suit and mask like a stereotypical bandit, if it helps, well, more power to you.

By putting yourself in the mindset of a hypothetical burglar, you can perhaps better understand the best ways to thwart the real thing later with proper placement of the components of your home security system.

Go over every bit of your property, looking at it not as a proud homeowner but as a home invader, looking for the best ways in.

You’ll be looking for parts of the property that cannot be easily seen from the house, as those are places burglars could hide while looking for a way in. What parts of the house are not easily glimpsed from any window? What places are only visible from one vantage point, making it easier to get near the house from that angle than from an angle as seen from half a dozen places?

These are the places you’ll most want covered by a camera, so that stealth becomes far less possible from the most neglected corners. 

Pay attention to the lighting, too. What parts of the yard are less visible at night? Where could you stand unseen from the streetlights? Where are the shadows cast and where are they deepest and darkest? 

You may want to place some outdoor lights to cover these places. Motion lights will make sure anyone trying to take advantage of naturally dark corners will find themselves flooded with illumination when they draw too close to the property.

At all times, when analyzing the strength and weaknesses of your home’s defenses, keep in mind how you could best undermine the former and take advantage of the latter. From there, you can then determine the best preventative home security options to bolster such strengths and shore up those weaknesses.

Pay attention to inside issues, as well. Think about where you keep your valuables and perhaps put away items that are not going to see day-to-day usage. Invest in a safe where you can secure cash, jewelry and important documents to keep them out of the wrong hands. A wall safe can be placed behind a picture frame to further hide it from prying eyes. But even a floor safe will likely keep out all but the most determined or competent thieves. Few burglars will want to take the time to break into a safe, or even have the right tools or training to do so. 

Most burglars have nothing more than a quick smash and grab in mind and have no time or inclination to worry about more.

After a bit of time spent in the mind of a burglar, you should be able to make your home safer than ever.