file photo
June 28,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The highest percentage of home burglaries happen during the summer months.According to Ooma (www.ooma.com)—a leading DIY home phone and security company—there are 6 basic inexpensive steps homeowners can take to deter and react to break-ins.
**6 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE SAFE FROM BREAK-INS DURING SUMMER TRAVEL**
#1 MIND THE FRONT DOOR
34% of break-ins occur at the front door. Install a smart doorbell that routes to your phone, and use tools like two-way speakers to give visitors the impression someone is home. Also install video cameras and view visitors on your phone, no matter where you are.
#2 WHEN A DOOR CLOSES, MAKE SURE A WINDOW DOESN’T OPEN
23% of break-ins occur through first-floor windows. Use classic sash locks to keep windows locked, and install wireless motion sensors to be alerted if a window is raised.
#3 CHECK YOUR A/C
A popular summertime burglary entry point: pushing in a window A/C unit. Install motion sensors near window A/C units, and consider uninstalling window A/C units if you’re leaving town.
#4 CALL 911 REMOTELY
Knowing someone is breaking into your house doesn’t help if you’re on a beach several hours away—unless you have a way to call 911 to your home’s local emergency dispatchers with a feature such as Ooma’s Remote 911.
#5 BEWARE OF SLIDING DOORS
Sliding doors are another popular entry point, as the locks are generally easy to pick. Install physical barrier bars in the tracks, and set up motion detectors in the vicinity.
#6 KEEP THE LIGHTS ON
Integrate light timers or smart lights that you can control with your phone to make your home look lived-in and deter break-ins.
Ooma Home Security [https://www.ooma.com/home-security/]—the first and only DIY smart home phone service to integrate four security features—offers remote 911, as well as motion, door, window, and water sensors.
#7 DONT TURN IN YOUR NEIGHBORS
when they run their sprinkler, cut down a tree or perform some other innocuous act which violates some autocratic new ordinance, so that your neighbors will keep an eye on your house when you are gone and call the police if they see anything suspicious (rather than turning a blind eye)
Don’t post your travel plans on Facebook. Don’t post while you are away.
I know that you want to make your friends jealous but it is better to post the photos AFTER vacay. And don’t forget, post all 17 photos in separate posts. Don’t put them in an album that we can easily skip.
That’s why wedding announcements say where the couple honeymoonED. They’re back before it’s published. Good idea. Unfortunately, you can’t do that with funerals and some low-lifes choose that day to burgle.
#8. Sue the creep that litters your driveway with unwanted ads and or newspapers advertising that nobody is home