Home Security in NOrtheast Ohio

Front Door

Believe it or not, the front door is the number one entry point for burglars. Most people assume that thieves attempt to enter through windows, but 34 percent of break-ins involve entry through the front door. As such, a security camera with a clear view of your home’s main entry point is a must. Some considerations:

• A camera mounted on the eaves of your roof, facing towards the front door, can provide the best view of those attempting to enter your home.
• A varifocal camera can be adjusted in terms of focal length and field of view, ensuring that you get a clear, unobstructed view.
• In locations where cameras can easily be reached, it's important to use vandal-resistant cameras. These ruggedly built cameras provide protection against tampering and physical impact from thieves who may try to vandalize them in order to avoid being captured on video.
• Additional cameras situated near the front door can also capture anyone attempting to enter through first floor front windows, another common entry point for thieves.

Back Door

The second most commonly used access point? Not surprisingly, it’s the back door. It’s less likely that a neighbor or passerby will see the thief if they enter the home this way. And just as with the front door, installing a camera in the optimal location is critical for monitoring this vulnerable entry point and keeping your home safe.

• Again, appropriate camera placement is a must. Cameras can be installed on the roof or the eaves of the home, angled towards the back door and the back entryway.
• Vandal resistant cameras may be needed here, too, to stand up to any physical impact or attempts at vandalism.
• Over time, views become can become obstructed in your backyard due to overgrowth of foliage. Make sure to keep landscaping and shrubbery trimmed away from your back door, so that your cameras can capture clear images of the area.

Back Yard

It's not just your back door that thieves will target. Sliding glass patio doors, French doors and first floor windows are common entry points. So it’s vital to ensure that you protect your home's back yard.

• High resolution infrared (IR) cameras provide low light and nighttime surveillance capabilities. The back yard is an area that thieves target more commonly at night, so having the ability to get clear nighttime footage is critical.
• The back yard is commonly targeted by thieves because homeowners tend to store big ticket items there. Items like grills, lawn equipment and tools are easy to steal, and easy to fence or pawn. Make sure to keep access points to your back yard locked whenever possible, and to install a professional security camera system to monitor your back yard and storage areas.

Garage

Another area that represents an attractive target for thieves is the garage. Often left unlocked and sometimes housing expensive items, the garage may be broken into even while the main portion of the home is left untouched. In fact, garage break-ins can occur even while homeowners are inside their home, completely unaware of what's happening right beside them.

• Keep garage doors locked even when you are home, and don't leave a vehicle in the driveway unlocked if it has a garage door opener in it. These are easy ways to invite thieves into your garage.
• Install a video security camera in a location that has a clear view of your garage door and your driveway. This covers the entrance areas for the garage and can help deter break-ins and theft
• Consider using motion detection recording that triggers whenever movement is detected. This can save you time, eliminating the need to comb through hours of video footage - and reduces data storage requirements for your video recorder.