4 Budget-Friendly Upgrades To Boost Your Home’s Security

Home invasion is one of the biggest fears of homeowners, not because it’s common. In fact, the chances of your home getting invaded are slim. The fear factor mostly comes from how it can cost the victim a large amount of money due to property damage and emotional trauma.

According to the data gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a break-in can cost an average of USD$2,800. Unfortunately, a home security system can be a costly investment.

However, you don’t necessarily need an entire security system. Data shows that most break-ins are done as a result of opportunities. They’re not done by professionals but by people who saw an easy opportunity. Most burglars wouldn’t want to go to great lengths to break into a house. Therefore, simple, budget-friendly security upgrades should go a long way in boosting your home’s security significantly. Read on as this guide goes over four of these upgrades.

 

1. Chain Link Fence

A fence is one of the essentials of home security. It creates an obvious barrier around the house which is often enough to deter break-ins. As stated earlier, most burglars wouldn’t attempt to break in if they felt it would be too much hassle. Surprisingly enough, to them, a fence poses that problem. If you’re on a tight budget, a chain link fence is a particularly excellent option.

A chain link fence is arguably one of the cheapest types of fences you can get. It’s even cheaper than wooden fences. Its price may range from USD$50 to USD$400 per 50-foot roll.

As companies like Alpine Fencing would tell you, the price depends entirely on the thickness, height, coating, and overall quality of the chain link fence. But wherever you find yourself in this range, a chain link fence is still less costly.

Another advantage of chain link fence over other options is it doesn’t let intruders hide. A wooden fence, especially the tall ones, can be a double-edged sword as it may serve as a cover for the intruder while breaking in. A chain link fence has no such flaw.

2. Cameras

When it comes to home security, there are two types of cameras: real and dummy.

A real camera does what you’d expect a security camera would do. It monitors the area and shows you real-time imaging of what it sees. A dummy camera, however, is one that’s mostly there to discourage intruders. Again, intruders don’t want to go to great lengths to break into a house, much less risk the possibility of being caught on camera.

Of course, you still want the camera to be at least functional. A low-quality but still functional camera should cost around USD$20. You can get real ones, but that may cost over USD$100.

 

 

3. Window Sensors

To an intruder, an opportunity to break into a house is when there’s no one around. They’d know there’s no one around if it’s awfully quiet. That’s why a spontaneous sound can bring down their motivation to break in from 100 to 0 really quickly. With that said, if you want that sort of protection around your house, you might want to consider getting window sensors.

A window sensor is a device that detects any sudden movement in its vicinity, like when a person opens, closes, or jimmies the windows. It produces a loud sound when it detects motion.

You should be able to get a window sensor for around USD$10 to USD$30. Keep in mind that the sensor may not sound off when the window is broken. For that, you’ll need a different gadget called glass break sensors which should cost USD$30 to USD$70. Homeowners typically use a combination of the two to maximize security rather than choose one over the other.

4. Motion Sensor Lights

In addition to sound, the sudden appearance of light is also an effective way to get rid of an intruder’s motivation to break into a house. A motion sensor light is a gadget that can detect movement and switch the light on. It’s an excellent way to frighten intruders, as the lights would suddenly come on once the sensor detects the movement of the intruder. If they don’t know any better, intruders would assume someone was in the house.

However, among the items on this list, motion sensor lights are the most expensive, with a price of USD$100 to USD$200. Nevertheless, it’s still cheaper than most home security upgrades.

 

 

Closing Thoughts

Home security doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. There are buget-friendly options like installing a chain link fence, cameras that can be real or not or perhaps a combination of both, window sensors, or motion sensor lights.